There was a hole in the huge stone breakwater at the Campbell River ferry terminal large enough to drive a car through.  Seemed the weather did it.

We get several weather systems up here in the winter.  The almost prevailing winds are from the Southeast and bring rain, warmer temps and little threat – although the seas can get pretty lumpy.  The second direction is a westerly and it can give a healthy blow and the temp usually drops some. But, because of the layout of the islands and our place in it, we usually remain pretty much unscathed.  I like the westerlies.

It’s the BUTE that kicks butt.  Coming from the northeast out of the fiord-like coastal inlets is a bitterly cold hard wind that often reaches hurricane force.  It’s a real punch in the guts and more than one family has had to move out for a few days or, more often, go without something due to the almost instant freeze up.  Turn on a firehose pumping out a strong steady stream and it will freeze in mid-flow when the Bute hits.

While we were gone our area took a Bute on the chin a few times and it seems everyone had some freeze or storm damage.  We lost a cute little brass water pump and a small plastic water line fitting but that was it.  We were very fortunate.

Having said that, we are also at least 80-90% prepared.  Despite what WorkSafe BC says, you can never be prepared for every eventuality.  Poop happens.  (I’ll get back to that in a minute).  We drain pipes, put things away, have systems that are simple and keep the batteries up with a wind gen.  After schlepping two weeks of supplies and all our luggage up from the beach, we loaded it on the funicular and I pressed the button.  Hummmmm………everything went up the hill perfectly.

Relief.  Delight.  Happiness.  And just a little ‘smugness’ after it all went well.

Yes.  The ravens were on the railing cawing and screeching.  It was not so much a greeting as it was an admonishment for having neglected them for 7 weeks.  At least they waited til we got home.  They actually ‘discovered us’ at the end of the road on the other island and watched us load and travel across first.  Then they went to our place to await our arrival.  We got an earful then.

Surprisingly, Megan and Fiddich had already been re-united with us at that point.  J, our neighbour who cared for the dogs when we were away, had somehow intuited out our arrival and, as we were just loading stuff onto the dock, she showed up with the Supremes.  Lots of wiggling and jumping around.  Dogs, too.

Our great neighbours – the ones who picked us up at the dock to bring us to our island – had set a fire in our wood stove and left dinner for us.  Everyone should have neighbours and friends like we do.

Now – what you’ve all been waiting for – pooping.  Yeah, well, with this kind of pooping, there is no waiting.  It comes, it goes and then it repeats.  Willy nilly.  All day long.  Night time too.  It was not hard keeping the fire going all last night.  I was passing the stove every hour as it was.  Felt like I was passing everything else, too, now that I think of it!

I’d like to give El Salvador a piece of my mind.  I’ve already given them a piece of everything else.  If Jared Diamond is right (author of Guns, Germs and Steel), the next super power is El Salvador.  They are going sneak up on us from behind!