Hope I Never Forget

There were lots of campers here at Escondida over the Holidays.  Particularly for the New Year.  Up to 12 different parties were parked here overnight at one time.  And almost all of them had a dog.  I am even more adamant now that we aren’t getting a dog, Maret!!

Everette makes his rounds to chit chat to the neighbours, usually shortly after they pull in.  I think he’s met almost every single person who visits this beach whether for a couple of minutes or they stay a few days.  He’s having the time of his life connecting with people from all walks of life.

I meet less of them, although most of them eventually. Wed, a red truck drives thru and they stopped to ask “Where in BC are you from?” because they were from BC, too.  Unbelievably, they live about 1.5 miles from our last house in Sooke!!

There were 2 brothers (Alex & Daniel) and their friend, Chaz who live & work in Colorado.

Outdoorsy fellows, they engaged the children in games and sports and just good ‘ol fun.  Hiking, kayaking, frisbees, bocci & volleyball (with allowances to ‘catch & throw’ for the younger ones).  Chaz carried Anders down to the ocean many times threatening to dump him in the water.  They dug traps in the sand, played Tangrams, told jokes, got piggy-back rides.

Bocci Deliberating

We were sad when those 3 guys pulled out of camp on Wed.  Anders said, “I hope I never forget those 3”.  Our sentiments, too.

I hadn’t realized that Alex and Bill were leaving today, too.  Whales are arriving on the Pacific coast so they decided to head out early and make a stop over near Guerro Negro before returning to Oregon.  We have shared Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners together.  And almost everyday we’ve shared games, or stories, or campfires.  Alex was the woman who sang “Happy Birthday” to Danaka in German and Spanish, and gave her a can of snow.  She took Danaka to Mulege this week to treat her to a cappuccino and a Kahlua 3 Leche Cake…..I got to share the slice of cake, and oh my, it was delicious.  Sad to see them go.

kids with Alex and Bill

Our beach is quiet now, so many people pulled out since ringing in the New Year.  There was an energy with the crowd on the beach.  Nice for a time but I must say its kind of nice having it quieter now.  We hear the waves a bit more, see the birds closer, interact more with our own children.  Anders is back to swimming, diving, snorkelling.  Mitch and Maret out fishing some more.  I hear less of other peoples voices and more of my children’s.  There’s a comfort in that.

 

VIEW FROM OUR KITCHEN