Both my daughter and I are leaving Victoria. Rachel is moving to Mexico to be with a love interest and I am moving to Lund to renew my love for the land I own and to grow a garden for the summer. Anticipation is high for lots of beachy, boaty, nature-focussed experiences. So 3 more weeks at the divine Point Street home, then hop into the new/old van I am buying and roll off into the sunset.... hopefully visit child in Mexico next fall..... Oh yes, she has a cell phone plan I need to transfer to someone else. Rogers 3 year plan, about 5/6 months gone. Nice model phone (cost extra). If interested or know someone please call me at: 250-589-6465.

Anyway that is what I am up to, except I am a little sick today.... If you want a playdate just let me know cause I have lots of free time til I go.... far, far away..... but not actually very far at all and you are welcome to come visit anytime!

Hope to connect soon,
Mink

Settling in to the second week of my posting to Estevan light station. This is a spectacular spot with the tallest tower on the coast. It is 99 years old and everyday that the sunshines I have to climb it to get the sun card that measures the amount of sunshine we receive. 145 steps. It is always a pleasure.

After the first few days I was pretty restless but yesterday I began to feel gratitude returning. I am such a lucky rabbit really. I get paid to exist here; many people would pay a small fortune to live here for 3 weeks. Must be doing something right!

Big swell running today, leftover from the high winds yesterday. Overcast, visibility 12 nautical miles, Wind: West 06, 2 foot chop with a moderate southwest swell, pressure 1017.5 and steady

I have some painting to do, then after the 1540 weather I'll wander down to the beach and pick some mussels for dinner.....

Well I have completed my first week on Trial Island Lightstation and it has gone well. Because it is January there isn't a lot of work to do so I have been doing what I can to entertain myself. Having Internet here it turns out that I have actually spent most of my time online proving that intrinsically I am a lazy beast primarily focussed on entertainment, delusional self-aggrandizement and certain onanistic pleasures.... I'm OK with that because it reaffirms my humanity. I'm just like You!

Work consists of calling in the weather conditions every 3 hours. For example: Overcast, visibility 15, light rain, winds NW 22 gusting 32, 3' moderate with a low SW swell. I also take the flag down at sunset. Beyond that we (there is a principal keeper) do basic maintenance. Changing water filters, lubricating, polishing, painting, cutting grass, gathering seaweed for the garden, refueling, etc.

My day is also dictated by the whims of a 17 year old cat named Woodie who is remarkably spry and demanding. He has a meow like a foghorn and will scratch at a door for hours if not attended to. Yesterday he brought me a sparrow in his mouth. After the poor creature recovered from his shock in my hands it flew away so I hope it will be OK...

I have an extraordinary view of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and watch the freighters go by; inbound with loads of plastic crap from China, outbound with raw materials and resources bound for some factory in Asia where it will be processed and sold back to the materialists on this continent; the shoppers on their knees to the great god Growth Economio. That clever wordsmith Gearge W. Bush said it best, "If you want to support your country, go shopping." Speaking of ships, he also said, “I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together.”

Sigh

I think I am putting on weight. I must have gained 2 pounds already and am now topping the scales at 141lbs! Oh yes and I have grown a goatee to horrify the ladies with. And I have been wearing the same frumpy clothing for a week ;-P This is part of my clever plan to actually want to dress stylishly when I return cause most of the time it seems like a hopelessly childish and manipulative activity to try and impress somebody with my outward appearance. I LOVE SENSIBLE SHOES! There, I've screamed it from the rooftops. But I do live in a city and I do pride myself on being adaptable so when in Rome do as the Romans. Strum that fiddle as Rome burns around us, flaunt my metrosexuality as the world degrades, and I don't mean biodegrades. How will the Western WE sustain anything close to this level of sybaritic living? We can't. We won't. Will we keep trying till the bitter end. Will a human being eat the last cockroach; the last blade of grass? Or will this species fade away into the fossil record for sentient mollusks to ponder over in a few dozen million years. Or will we go to war with our collective greed; mobilize like we were facing the Nazis again and relearn what it is to be human. Reconnect with the natural world. Replace the desire for power, wealth and materialism with the desire to share peace, liberty and ecological and social harmony. I choose the latter.

Enough from this lighthouse flossifer for now. The beacon burns brightly....
M

Nice to be back home after 3 weeks in Mexico. Comfy bed, comfy friends. Even the rain seems comfy; although that sentiment is likely to change soon. So i'll soak it up over the holidays in preparation for my first stint as a relief lighthouse keeper. Starting in early January I'll be stationed for 2 weeks on Trial Island; less than 2 km from this very house, I'll be able to see the lights.... then 10 days off til I head out to Estevan Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island....

It is the next chapter of a quirky and interesting life and is something I always dreamed about doing. I plan on starting a blog about5 my experiences at the edge of the world so keep your eyes peeled.

Til then I have family and friends to share this solstice season with.
Enjoy the turn of the seasons and the coming of the light.
Best wishes,
M