SUNDAY, AUGUST 25
Another unexpected day. I went out on the boat with Olive’s family and Cello, the young woman taking care of their horses, to look for whales. Chloe decided to stay home with Saffi and get things done for our departure. Saffi spent the day on the front lawn basking in the sun.
Eight of us in total, including a two-year old with her Teletubbie, piled into a large, sturdy inflatable boat. We were covered in sweaters, coats, life vests and blankets, food tucked away in the back, as we headed off into a calm sea on a bright, sunny day. I wouldn’t have gone but the day was so beautiful. Calm is a relative term on the water. It was still choppy and bumpy. For the next three hours, we all looked eagerly for a spout of water or a fin that would identify a whale. Whales as large as 40 feet swim these waters.
We didn’t see a whale, but we did see seals and a couple of dolphins came to play by the boat. A puffin and some rare black birds were also spotted.
On our return, we visited the island in front of Olive and Peter’s house. Sailing through the jutting rocks, it looked so different from the view from their house. Moss and spots of green grow on the slanting shale rocks that slide into the sea at a sharp angle. Olive’s daughter told me birds fill the rocks, nesting in the plants, during nesting season. There must have been fifteen seals sunbathing or in the water, pocking their curious heads up to look at us as we curiously looked at them. “Peek-a-boo,” said Olive as the two-year-old squealed with delight (and we all silently did the same!).
It was a special treat to go out, and nice to return to see Chloe with Mary, Saffi with Poppy, on the causeway. Saffi and Poppy were being naughty. In the morning, I stopped at Mary’s house, and while the dogs played, she told me I needed to create a positive outlook for our return. A wise woman, I am heeding her advice, reframing my thinking.
It’s time to take all that we have learned, be proud of what we have accomplished, and realize we are going into a next phase, armed with a knowledge of our ability to make happiness.
