I spent last week in Vancouver at Kely’s place while he was in central Canada visiting relatives. Vancouver city is something special; I don’t know if I could describe what I love about it so much; or if I could do it justice if I tried.

I’m back on Saltspring now, stocked up for a long haul at the house, but it’s strange being alone out here – part of me really craves company and after a while and I find myself making excuses to go into town. Mmmm coffee…

I am unemployed now, and using the next couple months (short of a brief trip out east) to work on some personal projects, to see more of the gulf islands, and to get back to meditating. Three weeks in and I’ve made a lot of progress on the paintings and gotten a good start on the first of the two applications I want to write. I’ve even managed to sit for half an hour every day. Which is a pretty good start I think.

Upcoming Plans:

• During the last week of July I’ll be in Toronto.
• During the first week of August I’ll be in Saskatoon.
• During the last week of August I’ll be in Ottawa
• In September I’ll be moving to Calgary , probably for just a year.

I you want to come visit before I leave, make plans now!!!

It’s raining, and there are baby deer in my yard this morning; so damn cute!

Today I return home.
I have made the bed,
And swept the floor,
So the house will be ready.
Light candles in the windows,
And set out the welcome mat.
I will make the way clear
In this perfect house,
So I can return home.

I wrote this in New Zealand on the ferry several years back, and thought of it again taking the ferry from Vancouver Island to Saltspring Island this weekend. There is something just magical about being in transit which I can not describe, but it may be related to what I love about living on an island.

In other news I’ve been lax meditating these last few weeks and started whole heartedly again today. My thoughts were were all over the place and I had fun with being all “out of shape”. So the poem is also about that.

a cocoon of steel and momentum rocks me to sleep, from toronto to ottawa.
snow drives down the tracks, through evening and into night.