Lazy Days of Summer

This summer has been anything but lazy so far.

We took a week off in late June. The intent was a couple of days of riding, including intercepting a friend on a ride with a group of vintage riders coming down from the north. That didn’t work out since there was a breakdown and a forest fire (See Upper Squamish Valley) and so we somehow ended up tearing part of the garden apart and digging a big hole for a waterfall-stream-pool water feature. That turned into a much bigger project than we’d anticipated and took a lot longer than we thought it would. It’s easy to build a water feature into a blank space, it’s harder when you have a mature garden, two massive hemlock stumps (and all the associated roots that have snaked around the space for 100 years or so), and a fallen rhododendron that you are trying to work under and around. It’s almost done, we seemed to have solved the water loss issue we were having and, at least, know where it’s happening when it does…..which it currently isn’t. So we can finally put it all back together after tearing it apart a couple of times.

Then I was back to work for a few days, during which I was honoured to be a witness to a ceremonial release of salmon into a system that hasn’t seen migrating salmon for over 50 years. That was pretty cool.

And then I was off for another week, during which my best friend and I traipsed all over the North Shore, including a hike to the top of Hollyburn peak.

Then I was back to work, but on the Island for a couple of days.

And now I’m already making travel reservations and plans for the fall season, which is already underway at some sites.

There’s just been nothing slow or relaxing this summer, yet, and I’ve hardly picked up my camera or written anything at all.

So yesterday felt like a gift.

We got going later than intended, but that’s ok since the morning was quiet and it had rained hard overnight. That worked in our favour since it seemed like the entire Lower Mainland was moving slowly and that meant that we got a parking spot in the first lot at White Pine Beach and didn’t have to walk miles with the paddleboards to get to the water. We also didn’t have to thread through too many people on the beach to make it to the water’s edge.

Sasamat Lake is the warmest little lake in the Lower Mainland, with two tiny little beaches that fill to capacity pretty quickly. Once you get away from the craziness of the beaches it is a peaceful little place for a lazy paddle. We did three circuits of the lake in a few hours. We stopped twice to just float and have a snack up at the far end, beyond the floating bridge, where hardly anyone goes because you have to lay down and slide under the ramps at either end.

But once you are up there, it’s largely just you, the dragonflies, and scads of waterlilies….the native ones choked out by exotic lilies presumably tossed in by someone with a water garden long ago. They are native to Eastern North America but have made their way successfully into many Southern BC lakes and slow moving waterways.

What I find fascinating about them is that each one is a little island, a temporary ecosystem for many tiny insects. They have a short and show existence before they sink back down to the mucky bottom, leaving their floating leaves as landing pads for dragonflies.

Somewhere along the way I saw a bright blue & yellow object floating near the shore. I paddled close to see what it was; a child’s squirt gun of sorts. I opted to leave ti there for some child to find. A child did find it, right after I paddled away from it….the child on the paddle board behind me! He threatened me with it for a bit, and then found a child on a bridge to pass it off to, but his mom stole it and started to squirt the kids with it instead. I liked her instantly! 🙂

Farther down the lake were more lost toys, a pair of beach balls trapped within a mesh of logs in a small bay, confined with a few lilies and out of reach to all but the most determined individual.

After two circuits of the lake we thought about going back in, but the beach was packed and I was determined to try to actually be unproductive for a day. I find myself always trying to use my down time for something useful….and sometimes I have to try to beat it into myself that simply “being” is also productive.

So another, slower and lazier, tour of the lake was in order. On the water always seems to be the only place that I ever truly relax.

And I didn’t even do any gardening when we got home 🙂

I’m not good at lazy, even though I know how valuable it is mentally, but I’m trying.