Sointula 2023

This year marks my tenth return to Malcolm Island, quite a milestone. When you live in a place long enough you can miss the changes that occur around you. That is the case, for instance, with New York City, where I have lived since the late 1970s. When I think back on the past decades, I am aware of major differences there, but you can spend a long time before you begin to reflect on them. For instance, on my arrival in the city, it was a regular cesspit, with the subways covered with graffiti and muggings a regular occurrence. But the city went through a change with a new mayor who instituted new policies, and there was also assistance among the civilian population, with the appearance of the Guardian Angels. From what I see around me, the city is now entering a new era of crime and drugs, much different from that of the Seventies.

In Sointula, however, outwardly there is not much difference, at least as far as I can discern after a decade. Obviously an island with a population of a 600 has different issues from a city of millions. There have of course been changes, but I would have to be a full-time resident for them to make of an impression on me. For myself, it is the constancy that I appreciate. The weather, the view, the skies, the ocean, the irregular internet service. No fear of mugging. I leave my bike unattended. The streets are very quiet at night. Not to forget the friendships that have been cultivated over the years.

The little critter here is a starfish

 For myself, it is the constancy that I appreciate, not to forget the weather. At I write, at noon, it is 60 degrees. I feel very fortunate not to be in hot New York or in any of the other troubled places on the planet. I am fortunate to be able to sit and admire the mountains in the distance, the beautiful cloud formations, the sight of the ferry traveling back and forth across the strait between this island and Port McNeill on northern Vancouver Island.

For the first time I am also living in a place right on the water. When the tide is out, I like to walk on the beach and study the seaweed. According to a small guide I purchased at the Sointula Museum, there are 640 species of seaweed in the Pacific Northwest. Attached a few photos taken on my morning perambulations.