On the Road Again 2012 Gathering #3

It was such a relief to get to camp. While I was more than a bit embarrassed at having to be "bused" in, it was a lot better than having to spend the night alone. The beach where all were camped was long and narrow (only in BC would they call a rocky patch of land between the lake and the forest a "beach"). As there were only about 15 people there, there was a lot of room for my tent.With the exception of one individual who I knew reasonably well from Salt Spring Island, all of the rest of the people were new to me. I put up my tent in a sheltered spot close to the kitchen and had little nap. I was not being anti social - I was just tired. I got up when I heard "circle" being called. (that being the universal Rainbow call to dinner).

I don't remember what I ate that night, but I know it was good. In fact all of the meals we had at the Gathering were good. Good food is one of the hallmarks of a Gathering. There were at least two people who had cooked in restaurants as well as one who had done a lot a Rainbow cooking in Canada. There was also a brother from Israel and one from Iran. They were all fabulous cooks. It is such a wonderful experience to eat with Family but perhaps what is more remarkable is the fact that people who have never cooked over a fire before offer help and by doing so become part of the process. There is this delicate ballet around the fire as cooks and helpers all work together to produce the perfect meal.

 I am not sure what I did the seven days I was there. In spite of people having been there for 5-6 days before I got there,there was still lots of work to be done ( but then there is always lots of work to do at a Gathering -- as much if not more on the last day as there was on the first day) - so I spent some time making a table with two shelves underneath for dry goods and a wash station for the dishes. I  also helped with the erection of the tarps over the kitchen area. Many of the people who were at the Gathering were newbies - that is they had not been at a Gathering before. For people from the city, no matter how street wise they are, living in the bush, is a different experience. For some the learning curve was extreme and I am not sure if they would ever get it. What comes natural or at least second nature for some is hard for others. A Gathering is a place where those skills meet, and we share those skill sets.And if we are lucky, we learn from each other.

During the time that I was there I had some great conversations.... one was about the classical or structured way of looking at how the body worked/could be cured vs the romantic or natural/alternative path. The fact that one of the debaters was from Iran and the other was from Israel made the conversation even more fascinating as they discussed life experiences that were so different than mine. For at least two afternoons we sat around and did crafty things with me working on my cane, and occasionally showing someone what little I knew about caving, someone else sewed up a pair of shoes while others made bracelets or sewed rips in their pants. We talked about politics and travel and people that we had met. We drank tea and ate treats. They were great afternoons!

The weather in general was not great. It was frequently rather breezy. Unless one was sheltered from the wind, it could be quite cool. The mountains around us were quite frequently covered in low lying clouds of mist

I think there was only one night when it was calm and clear. That was a extraordinary night when friends from across the lake paddled over at 1:00 in the morning. With the large full moon reflected in the calm waters it was tempting to believe that one could walk across the lake.

But that level of calmness was the exception.The lake was usually to rough and that fact caused some tensions. Some people hoped, needed or in a few cases seemed to expect a ride across the lake. I didn't blame them. A ride across the lake would save that rather horrible walk through the forest and the long long walk down the logging road. But it would have been impossible to ferry everyone over. So with one exception no one got a ride. There were some people who felt trapped there and a few were a bit resentful. It was difficult for me because I had been promised a ride due to my age. I felt guilty about that and did not want  anyone to feel that I was taking advantage of my friendship or senior status. Especially as there was at least one other person there who had a real if invisible disability who could have and perhaps should have been helped.

The sculptures created by the wind and the waves were simply amazing. Some of the roots that had be polished over time were such incredible works of art

 The pictures just do not do justice to the complex elegance of the tree's root. They were polished to a glossy shine and glowed with beauty.







 Some of the roots were also huge. The one on the left was taller than me. It was somewhat awe inspiring to realize that these large pieces of wood had been tossed upon the beach merely by the force of water and that they would be moved about many times more until they slowly disintegrated into the sands.

There were a number of caves in the area that for those who are not a touch claustrophobic would have been immense fun.