To The East- QC

The intensity of my excitement is a little hard to explain. But anyone looking at me could tell by the stupid big smile. Its like when your a little kid and you can't wait for something like your birthday party, or a trip to Disney Land, or Christmas... its just stupid anticipation waiting for one single moment. The moment you are there. IN that moment. I always imagined that if I ran fast enough I would run right into the day I wanted to be at. It seems I could never run quite fast enough.... because I never made it any faster then anyone else did. So, all this anticipation.. for one single moment.... the moment I saw Marc again, here waiting for me at the airport. And all the moments leading up to it.... the moments that feel like nothing but in the way of you being where you want to be, the days before, packing, driving to the airport.... boarding, flying, landing, boarding again, flying again, landing again.... all these moments don't matter anymore once you are there where you want to be. And there I was, finally. In my moment. OUR moment... sigh....

And much like when I picked Marc up from the airport in vancouver after his trip to Europe. We hugged the longest biggest hug.... It had been 5 weeks since I had seen him.

I have never been this far east before, and was quite excited to see this great city everyone speaks so highly of. I heard over and over again, how beautiful it was, how nice the people are, and how great the food is. And one person said, *sigh* its soooo romantic there.... So the day I arrived, Marc took me on a little tour of the city. We drove into the old part of Quebec and it was, I think better than I had imagined... but of course as beautiful as I was told it was. narrow cobblestone streets and old stone buildings, views of the river, the lit up ferry and castle on the hillside. We went into a restaurant, had some tea and rice pudding... mmmm...  took a little evening stroll through the streets, and had some artist stop us for a poem and characture of us. Marc held me in his jacket to keep me warm. It really IS romantic! :D The evening was the most perfect way to start this new little adventure of mine.

Marc drove us home where his family was waiting with a beautifully prepared meal compliments of his father, whose cooking I heard so much about. But this meal was special... it was prepared with tofu, in place of the meat that was usually used in the sauce topped on the pesto spaghetti. I was honoured and delighted to have such dinner prepared with me in mind. He had never cooked with tofu before, but did such a great job. I met his parents, sister and three cats. They are all so kind, and spoke the little bit of english they know, to me. Its nice, since I feel bad Im the idiot that showed up not knowing any french :( I love this family already.

The next day, Marc took me to a brilliant waterfall. It was a little cold, but the lengthy set of stairs leading up to the suspension bridge over the falls worked at warming us up. I tried to play tough guy, but really I died about a quarter of the way up. I watched the water fall from the top looking down over the edge of the bridge and admired the consistant patterns and colours it made each time hitting specific places over the rocks. And was intrigued, as usual, by how rapidly it falls as one large entity all tied together stumbling over the edge, but as individual drops, moving in seemingly slow motion as it sprays upwards and outwards. Yes, this is what I am thinking about when looking at a waterfall. Then I thought what if the waterfall I slipped down in Cawston was one this big..... uuhhhhhggg., Then I wondered how long I would have to stand there watching to see one of the fallen logs shoot over the edge and collect at the bottom right like the rest of them had. How often does that happen, does someone eventually clean up all the logs and let them collect again. or maybe not and they have really been there since god knows when. so really there is know way to know how often one may float down the river and down the falls. So standing there waiting wasnt really an option I decided. Enough of my nonsense and back to reality... the reality of having to walk back down all the stairs I just walked up.... But this time taking an alternate route getting closer to the base of the falls (and the collection of logs evidently) and getting soaked with cold but oh so refreshing river water. And ruining my moccasins by stepping into a puddle. Which I so tried to avoid on the way up....

We finished the night off with my first poutine since I had gotten there. How did I make it almost three day without one, I dont know. Not a typical poutine but fancy gourmet style DUCK poutine.... so delightful...mmmm..... This was suppose to be the beginning of a movie date, but eventually figured out that I wont understand any of the movies... so... we just went home and watched Tim Burtons 'Big Fish'. As well as the kitten trying to attack the flying bee on the dvd menu screen. Yet another perfect day.

The End Of The Great West Adventure

My summer was everything I wanted and more. To be able strip away everything and embrace simplicity was something that my soul desired. I learned how to relax again. Both physically and mentally. It had been so long since I was able to finish a day of work and not feel like I have so many other things I had to do. The weight of all that I did was so heavy on my shoulders. I continually took on more then I could wrap my brain around. Even through meditation I couldn't quiet my mind. So much to do… It took about three weeks for me to to finally feel the sensation, that I don't have anything to do….  I felt my entire body from head to toe, relax… the tension in my head disappeared and my mind was at ease. Clear. I had been fruit picking for two weeks and it took that long to be able to actually realize that there was nothing I HAD to do. It was amazing. I hadn't ever slept so good… consistently, warm and cozy and comfortable. every single night of my travels. I got peace while I was out there. Something I could not find any longer in my hometown. I found inspiration and motivation. Another thing I could no longer find back home.

There wasn't a single part I disliked while I was out there. Its amazing what happiness can bring to any situation or circumstance. I never worried about finding work. I just knew that I would. I never worried about where I would find a place to park my van and sleep for the night, and would it be safe? I wasn't sad about the people I missed, or Marc being overseas so fresh into our relationship, knowing that the distance was only a taste of whats to come. I met people along the way who took care of me, and who I took care of, people who's secrets I'll never know... people who's secrets I do know.... And we each played a small part in each of our own individual stories.. like this one I've just wrote. Being in the orchards in the valley was such a different life then the one I had in Vancouver. It was a slow paced, quiet one where I was able to build relationships, observe and think.... write. And eat. Vancouver, was a fast paced, noisy, smelly, but oddly beautiful and inspiring city. But I had to lose myself on the beach many days to bring myself back to the peacefulness I was after. But I admire those who have learned how to make it work there.

And while I was there, and everywhere in between, I learned a lot too.  I learned how to let go. And I learned how to find peace. I learned how to build relationships again.  I learned that nothing is something worth doing. I learned that everyone has a story… some much like my own and others not so much. I learned to pick up hitchhikers. They are travellers just like me. And because we are all on the same road, but you can get there faster if you do it together. I learned that I don't need my camera to capture the beauty and the moments I see around me... my iphone did amazing... and so did my memory. I read a book that changed my life. I met a person that changed my life. I learned that I could trust a man who had taken lives. I learned that no matter where you go, there are always people who are willing to help you, feed you, give you a bed, or a shower, or a washing machine. I learned how easy it is to not worry about shaving your legs. I learned how to love unconditionally. I learned how to starve the ego, and how to feed the soul...  I learned how to be resourceful, to live without running water. I bathed in a lake, a river, under a tap, under a waterfall, in a crackshack with no door or hot water, in a stall placed in the middle of an orchard with no curtain, washed my hair in a bucket, washed my clothes out of the same bucket, and then hung them to dry in the hot sun. I didn't mind a single bit of any of that. I ate well, I slept well, I felt happy and I fell in love. I made friends that I'm sure I will keep for the rest of my life. I could have carried on the rest of my life this way. The happiness was endless, so was the freedom… so was the beauty. 

The Sihk Temple

Wednesday morning arrived and I was finally off to the airport… it was long 5 weeks without seeing Marc. We hugged for a long time at the airport. a long time... We spent the next few cool and rainy days around Vancouver before deciding to head out, go through Nelson and then north, home bound. Before we left though we met up with Anthony and Brandon, a friend of Marc's, at Nelson the Seagull Cafe. I couldn't leave without seeing Anthony again :) I may not get a chance to see him before he goes back to France in the spring. He will find a place in Van to live, look for work and play bike polo before his visa expires in the spring. 

Later we decided to join Brandon for a free meal at the Sihk temple. Strict rules, it was a little scary. But the food was delicious. Basically, the people of the community serve leftover food from weddings and other events to other people of the community because they do not believe in their people going hungry. So they open up the temple as a soup kitchen and feed the people. There were sinks for both male and females to wash their hands before they ate, and it is important to use the correct sink. When meal time we lined up for a full tray of food. Way to much food for me to eat. And of course, it is rude not to eat it all. But we were warned by Brandon of the british military man turned live in hindu soup nazi? with cold blue eyes he watched as we tried to finish our food. He gets pretty mad at those who don't finish… But yelled at us instead for talking. because, and I quote, " you come here to eat! not talk!" But in reality it wasn't the talking that kept me the last one there, it was the trying to finish the tray of food. I guess you can't win. But I was grateful for the delicious food. And what an experience! 

To Van And Back Again

My last days in Keremeos were that of Tony and Terry getting drunk, cooking delicious campfire meals (compliments to the chef, Tony) and picking pears. I was so lucky one day to get a call from my dear friend Greg who was looking to get away for the long weekend. I said, how cool it would be if  he came to visit and picked fruit for the weekend! And we did! We picked pears together for two days but then headed back into Penticton for the farmers market and more things to do. Greg brought out a few things for me that I needed. Took back a bunch of things I thought I needed… but didn't. It was nice to have the extra room in the little van. It was a really fantastic visit, with some great conversations, and good coffee, good meals, and good sunny days on the beach. I even got a new hat that weekend in a vintage clothing shop! Greg made me miss home a little bit… and my cat, a lot… After he left, it took me a few days to realize I wanted to be back on the road headed back to Vancouver. Because it was only days away from Marc coming home. 

It was time to go. 

Sally and I had big plans again, much like the adventures of red chair and Mr. potato head. But she got very busy with school. I wasn't able to see much of her unfortunately. The few days I did get to spend at her apartment again were a little on the lonely side. With sally in school and Aki gone. I really missed Aki's presence in the apartment. His visa expired and he had to go back to Japan. He was such a delight…. he would play music in the kitchen while he did the dishes and cooked supper and would sing at the top of his lungs :) It was just like home :) Matt would get off work in the evening and the house just seemed complete the, three of them. Sally sure found herself some great roommates. I had the pleasure of doing headshots for these two aspiring actors. It was so much fun, and two of the best models I have ever had! But now that Aki was gone it sure felt different. Everyone could feel it. 

The day of the earthquake (I didn't feel a thing), I was walking down the sidewalk checking out the stores,  and I ran into Sam, a good friend of the guys! She was on her way to work but was telling me about this base coast party in the forest in Squamish…. animal costumes!! Oh I so wanted to go to squamish… I told her I was in. 

I went to the dollar store and bought a kitty mask, ears and tail and was so ready for the party. Saturday night came and I was on the winding road along the coast to Squamish. Now here's the funny thing. I got super tired around midnight, (I had a previous engagement that didn't allow me to leave north Van until about 11) and decided the best thing would be is to pull over and have a little nap. I stopped in a parking lot and crawled in the back…. woke up 4 hours later!!!! oops. So much for partying all night. I carried on and showed up at the party still before the sun did, I slinked in with my black cat mask and nobody noticed I had just arrived. I danced until the sun came up. I finally found Sam (who evidently was the only one who noticed my late arrival) And we both enjoyed the music and the sun rising over the mountain tops. This party was down long bumpy dusty forestry roads…. in the middle of nowhere (I mean no cell phone service) and I end up smack in the centre of BC coastal rainforest. Bright green mossy floors, big green ferns, large dark brown cedar tree trunks towering up so high…. misty and majestic…. wow. breath taking… And in a small clearing near the river, was a DJ booth and flashing lights… The music echoed through the mountains and we danced on the dirt floor until almost 12pm the next day. One guy commented on how I had managed to keep dancing for so long. He said…. "wow, how did you do it?" 

I replied, "I had a nap" 

he said,"….. oh… I had speed" 

HAHA good old fashioned nap. yup. Little did he know, I had only started at 5am. :)

We all sat by the river in the morning and warmed up in the sun. Some people bathed in the river but good god that mountain water is cold. No thanks, I'm not that dirty. When it was time to go, Samantha and I got in the van (with a few others) and drove into town and spent a few hours  there napping, showering, eating etc, at her sisters house. And in the evening had a slow drive down that long winding road back to Van watching the sun set over the ocean. 

And the count down begins. 3 days until I see Marc. 

Keremeos

I went to the work zone in Oliver and found a few jobs in Keremeos and Cawston area so I took down some numbers and left town. Accidentally finding a shortcut to Cawston, talking a long windy narrow road through the mountains. It was so beautiful... Im starting to like taking accidental routes.

So, four days in a cherry orchard in Keremeos. Small little town, for the most part nice but I may have continuing problems at the grocery store because my "backpack" (small purse) is to be left at the service counter. And because I refuse to be the only woman who cannot carry her purse in the grocery store. And no, it is not the size of a backpack. 

I started working for a man named, Narinder. Very nice guy to work for. We went to pick the last of the late cherries and for the first time found myself working with a crew. Not 5 people but like, a lot. Mostly angry french men. But the odd old "non french" canadian guy who is always in battle with the swarm of french.  And of course the young, new, slow cherry pickers like myself who always band together to fight off the yelling swearing french and non french old men. And Bruno. who is not old, but is young, tanned all to heck, tattooed and pink mohawk, but just as angry. There is always some people who show up early and pick the bottoms off everyone's trees and get busted because they are the only ones with 15 buckets at 5:30 in the morning. And the battle begins.  I spent much of my…. actually, all of the four days jumping around row to row cleaning up the tops that no one bothered to pick. Its a dirty job and Im slow as it is, so not much money being made. But it does score brownie points. As Narinder wants to keep me on because he wants to work with "good" people. :D  Take that, Sonny.

I've been staying at the farmworkers camp by the river in Keremeos. Its rocky and super hot, but the river is clean and peaceful and a nice way to cool down. The camp mostly consists of hippy farm workers but a few of the serious pickers, (ei: old angry french guys) And is generally a great place for free, a little noisy at night but oh well.  Mikey was the first person who greeted me there… british I think? and he invited me out to the fire that they have everynight :) But I've been sick and antisocial so I haven't gone yet.

Its been a bit of a struggle finding places with wifi, good coffee, open later then 2pm or 5pm, veggie meat and almond milk. But organic produce! yay! So I've been bouncing around a lot, in a cafe/restaurant with no wifi drinking bad coffee to charge my phone and laptop so I can sit in a parking lot to a place with wifi but no outlet that has closed at a ridiculously early time of the day. And eating a low protein diet of cheese buns and peaches.  

So, as I sit here today, in an outdated 80's restaurant, drinking coffee and eating shredded hashbrowns, I look around and can't help but be reminded of my childhood. It reminds me of a place my dad used to go for coffee. I only went with him a few times, but I will always remember it because of the fancy clock that they had there. It was a rectangular box with a clock on one side and local advertisements flipping one by one on the other side. I remember it because I was bored all to heck sitting there while my dad drank coffee and chatted with God knows who. Im sure the entire time I stared at the flipping ads and counted how many times it completely rotated. I remember once I was there very late… Im not sure why, but I was tired and was laying down but I still stared at it flipping. So in this place with brown wicker lampshades, taxidermy on the walls, metal framed chairs, wood panelling and country radio station quietly playing from behind the bar…. I spot it. There it is, up above the beer cooler behind the bar. the flipping clock. Although its dead and stuck on both 8:00 and D.K truck centre, Osoyoos. Im still staring at it, and I wonder, when it flipped its last ad.

Oliver

today… what is today…

Me and my marry band of travellers have been camping out on an orchard next to the little shack with running water and lots of cats. Mostly, after the hot days of barely making any money picking we all pile in the van and head to town, for wifi and iced coffees. Sitting in a cafe called "Medici's" I stare aimlessly at Facebook waiting for something to happen, nothing does… and try to catch up on emails and such. Anthony sits at his netbook and sighs at the screen…. I often stare at him and wonder what it is he's reading that makes him hum and ha and sigh…. could it be news from home? His mother? or his "kind of" girlfriend? haha. Maybe its just the expensive bus ticket. oh well. I sometimes regret not talking with him more, I ramble on like a crazy when I get going. I don't talk about normal things… so sometimes its lost in translation… and its stopped me from getting to know him better. Its stupid really. When the four of us get back to the camp, we sit around and watch the cats play, chat a little, drink the left over wine, listen to music. One of the nights while sitting around the kittens, a coldplay song came on, warning sign.. and his voice melodically  rang out…. " well the truth is, I miss you…. " and Becca asked us all who we missed. I said Marc. She must have sensed there was someone else. Because she asked, "anyone else?" "And I said, yeah…. my little sister"  We've gotten close, and there isn't a moment that goes by that I didn't wish she was here with me.  Anthony had said that maybe there was someone that he missed… He said his "kind of" girlfriend… haha. And explained that although they had been together for four years, they were very free. And that he had been gone for months, and that is why she was a kind of girlfriend. ahh.. everyone misses someone. Becca and Jenn each had someone they missed back home too. We had decided to have a movie night in the shack so I plugged in the laptop and we all laid our beds out side by side on the floor. The wine had done me in and I was asleep for good portions of the movie. (Into The Wild) But by the time the movie had ended, the wine had wore off and I wasn't as tired, but, everyone together was so cozy and better then in my van alone, haha. I had squished Anthony up against the wall and his backpacks but I didn't mind, he may have minded but its okay because I soon got up and left to my van because I couldn't sleep anyways.

The next day, after picking we sat around and Becca started dreaming up this place that would be a secret hippy spot in the forest. It would be a place with tree houses and a library, flower gardens, vegetable and herb gardens. Everyone could contribute something different. But it would be secret, and only passed on to those who belong there. I said I would like to build a sweat lodge. and a clay oven, for baking bread and other goods. Anthony will help build the tree houses, 'cause he's an architect :) I think this place could be magical, sorta like in that movie, "The Beach". We had planned to go to the Island and find a secret place :) I hope we do!

Tomorrow, I embark on the rest of my journey alone. I will move on to the next town and look for more work. I dropped Anthony off at the greyhound early this morning and the girls in town later that day and they grabbed their backpacks and will hitch until they reach calgary. It will be lonely, but some much needed rest and quietness is due. I will focus on getting over this sickness, whatever else I figure out to do during my afternoons off. 

 Becca and I are tribal painted, thats why we aren't all muddy yet... but we get muddy!!