Doors are for people with no imagination.
-Derek Landy

Bellingham Harbor

Thanksgiving weekend is over but it was one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time.  Remember in a previous post I spoke about experiencing time in different ways?  This past weekend it seemed to be all kairos.  Three days seemed to be three weeks.  We began by travelling to the USA to visit friends and stay at the spa in Fairhaven.We took our time and drove the scenic route along through Blaine and Ferndale.  I saw quaint, perfectly kept heritage houses, a beautiful state park and even an oil refinery.   I have never seen an oil refinery and although it is not something I wished to see it was interesting to see exactly what it looks like and how it certainly is a threat to our environment.

We arrived just in time for our massage treatment and then had time to relax in the beautiful room looking out to the harbour of Fairhaven.  We were treated to champagne as well.

In the evening our friends picked us up and we went out to a restaurant along Lake Washington know for its local fare and great service.   The fire oven pizza appetizer was divine as was the wine.  I could not finish my Pumpkin Fettuccine with Chanterelles after sampling the risotto from someone else’s dinner.  I did however find room for the flourless chocolate cake with was ‘to die for.’ We returned back to the room after a wonderful evening of sharing food and stories with friends. The king size bed provided the perfect haven for a good night’s sleep.

On Saturday morning we started with a stroll along the boardwalk over to Wood’s Coffee and then a leisurely walk to our favourite breakfast place, Tony’s Coffee.  In speaking with our server we discovered that Tony’s has been in existence for 30 years.  Tony himself was there cooking away in the kitchen when we were there.

it was a wonderful experience, walking along the historical waterfront and through the  streets downtown.  As we were walking and taking in all the sights and shops we came upon an old red house right in town that tweaked my interest.  It basically had a tiny little bit of a yard at the front, right next to the sidewalk. I was amazed how with a little imagination they had created their own oasis right there on the street.  The owners had a greenhouse as well as several flower beds brimming with sunflowers and fading Autumn Joy Sedums. I thought they did a great job of using a little imagination to get the feel that they had a large lot to grow food and experience beauty in flowers and shrubs.

This got me to thinking about an oases I had created in the past.  We had a 60 foot by 120 foot city lot and my Mom used to joke with me that I was living like I had 40 acres on a matchbox lot.  When I look at pictures of it now ,I guess that was partially true.  We raised chickens, grew apples, raspberries, rhubarb, figs, lavender, vegetables, sunflowers and had a pet cat .As well we  maintained a lawn, a large native Dogwood tree and several very large Douglas Fir trees. Oh, I I can’t forget my two clotheslines.  I was living my dream right there on that tiny lot.  I have always thought that I would like acreage but when I look back at what I was able to do with such a small space I wonder if it is necessary or wise?

 

rhubarb, sunflowers, raspberries, chicken coop and clotheslines

My City lot Oasis

After we had our fill of the ‘city’ we venture off to Lake Padden to do a little mountain biking in the woods. As we climbed the road up toward the lake we were awed by one property, so much so that we backed up and took pictures of the layout.

The property was approximately half and acre and the owners had done a fantastic job of utilizing the space in order to grow food and keep livestock.  The yard was layer out with several areas for specific things.   One shed had a sod roof with blooming Sedums  spilling off the sides. the building  was a chicken house/garden shed.  On one side of the shed was a fenced chicken yard complete with a black goat, (to keep the chickens company?) and on the other side was a fenced garden area with grow boxes for producing vegetables.

Next to that was another area that looked like the fruit growing area.  On the outside of the fence there were blueberry bushes and on the inside of the fence were fruit trees.  Inside the fruit tree area there were several beehives for producing honey, very clever.  Below the fruit area  was another outbuilding with a metal roof and another fenced area for more vegetable as well as a cutting flower garden. Again, I was reminded what a little imagination can create. These people have created a site that is not huge but is perfectly able to provide them with much of their own food.  If find yards like this inspiring.

 

Lake Padden is a beautiful little lake with many bike, walking and horse trails around it. It was a gorgeous sunny day and so the park was scattered with runners, walkers, dogs and bikers.  There was even a couple getting married on the little dock.  After a fairly vigorous ride through the horse trails and around the lake we quickly changed and departed to get over the border and head for the ferry.  At the last minute we decided to try a different crossing and again, spontaneity paid off, as we pulled up to the border and only had one car in front of us.

After a quick drive to Horseshoe Bay we went through the toll and were told we had missed the ferry that was just docking.  Not to be dissuaded we simply parked and headed into the village.  We looked around and decided that since we had nearly two hours we should have an early dinner.  We chose a restaurant on the water where we were able to observe several families and individuals loading there boats after spending a day in the city.  These were most likely people living on Bowen Island and we marvelled at their organization and routines.  They loaded their boats with everything from groceries to garden rakes and headed out onto the waters to carry their cargo to their island homes.  We had a great time dining and creating our own stories for these people.

After arriving home in the evening it was early to bed only to begin preparations for family and friends to join us for Thanksgiving day celebrations.  We planned a bonfire, hotdog roast and some sweet treats for the day, a walk to the beach and then a full scale turkey dinner in the evening.

We felt as though we had experienced enough to have been away a week and really it was only overnight.  I thought about how our mindset had allowed us to experience time like we had as children on summer vacation. It really is true that our perspective creates our experience.

Tomorrow I will post about our unique celebrations to mark our gratitude for all the goodness we have in our lives.