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Tuesday, 10 August 2004 00:00 |
 The weather is spectacular again (sorry, Ontarian's I don't mean to rub it in!) and even though the mercury is pushing 30C we have still not had to turn on the air-conditioning. Giant trees nicely shade our site, we get a lovely breeze off of the Strait and in the evenings the temperature drops to a pleasant 16C... perfect for sleeping. When we wake up, we open the blinds and take in the breathtaking view of some of the smaller Discovery Islands and the snow-capped Coastal Mountains in the distance. This has to be as close to paradise as a person can get and we feel nothing but a complete sense of gratitude to be able to be here.
This morning we decided to stay here to rest, relax and enjoy our surroundings. We chatted with some of our new neighbours and laid out the kayak in order to dry it thoroughly when we discovered that the rudders on the bottom were both lying flat from being boxed up for so long before we bought it. Randy (our new neighbour to the right of us) gave us some useful suggestions for inflating it properly (which we also learned was part of our problem yesterday) and he loaned us his foot pump. Between the flat rudders and the under inflation we laughed at how we must have looked as we paddled around in it, going in circles sitting so low in the water. Well, now we know our mistakes and we'll look quite seasoned the next time (after Rick's arms recover and his hand blisters heal). Maybe by then I'll even contribute by paddling as well!
My old friend, Greg Hill (originally from Orillia) who now lives here in Campbell River surprised us by dropping by. He is Fred's (my sister's husband) cousin and I haven't seen him in years so it was wonderful to see him. (I had called him upon our arrival here but I wasn't expecting to see him today). We joined him for a fabulous beachfront lunch on the patio at the Salmon Point Restaurant and Bar next to here and have planned to get together again soon. This day is just the best!
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