Last days in Sointula

 

I returned the first week in September for another month on the island. Again, I worked away at the introduction to my Goethe book and got together with many friends. Lots of hiking as usual. Herewith a few photos from this second visit. (As always, click on photos to enlarge.)

Coho Joe's

In Mitchell Bay at Wendy and Karl's

Main Street

Margarita on Raven Hike

Sky from my cabin

Goethe Girl on Broughton Main trail

The Summer of 2024

 Only six weeks in Sointula this summer. I was so busy trying to get my book on Goethe of the ground that I haven't got around to posting on this blog photos of my six weeks there. Besides spending time with all my wonderful friends from so many years, the enticement to travel so far from my urban life in New York City was the lack of everyday bureaucracy that comes with modern city life. The pictures here show what I mean. When I have time -- I just flew in yesterday from Vancouver and am in the midst of unpacking -- I will post some more photos.

Boats in the morning fog

Yes, that is me, on Raven trail

Hiking on Jurassic Park travil

My desk, with view out the window

Early a.m.

Out my back window

That's me on the left with friend Brian

Sointula summer 2023

Now I am back in New York, since mid-September, when I should have maintained a regular posting on my summer stay (June, July, and August). Suffice it to say that it was a great three months there. I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful friends in Sointula. Things got off to a somewhat shaky start. The blue cottage, in which I lived for so many summers, was up for sale, and it wasn't until a few days after my arrival in Sointula that I actually had a place to stay. In the few days in between, I was staying with a friend, but realized that the conditions there were not good for me for the kind of distance I need for my work. In the event, the place I found was lovely, and moreover right on the beach, though, as I have mentioned in earlier posts, West coast beaches are not like those soft, sandy ones in the Caribbean. They are rocky, pebbly, stony, full of driftwood, but the best thing, as can be seen in my previous post, is the seaweed, which thrive in such an environment. I wrote a longer post on this phenomenon on my Goethe blog, if you care to take a look at the phenomenon. Let me post some photos first thing and maybe mention a little bit about what each represents. (I can tell this will be a multiple blog post.)

Brian and Milan

Fresh salmon

Triathalon

Malcolm Island Food Coop

My dear friends Janine & Yo

The sky from my yard

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.

Last days in Sointula #2

 There are so many good moments that it is hard to choose which to post, but herewith a second installment.

Max at Virgo party

Ferry at sunset

Janine

Last days in Sointula #1

 My summer sojourn is coming to an end. So, maybe a few photos to show some of the people I have had the joy of knowing and activities I have had the privilege of taking part in it. It's also been a great summer for lots of my own work. For those interested, herewith a link to my Goethe blog, which highlights some of my recent interests. The pictures below are the first of two posts.

The Harbour

 

The Bluff

Yolanna

Alders

Stewart Marshall

Mateoja Trail

Doug at Malm Pond

Milan and Vlad at Lizard Point

Sointula Sewing Machine Museum

I have heard about the museum for years, and finally I biked out the other day with Femke to take a look. It was somewhat overwhelming, as you can see from the photo on the Facebook page of its proprietor, Wendy Laughlin, a Sointula native. The photos here are all images of machines and decorative elements that particularly caught my eye. Wendy gave us a great tour.

Daily life in Sointula

This is my seventh summer here, missing only 2020, when the virus closed down borders. The population of Macolm Island is about 500, and it is not one of those fancy places with high-end coffee shops and bars. In fact, it is not especially beautiful in itself, as it has been a logging island (Canada is full of forests), but the real treat are the skies and the beaches (but, again, not sunny, sandy ones like in the fancy places). The population is pretty stable, so that by now most people know about the gal from New York (me!). I am so much at home that I even have a Vancouver Island library card. I've mentioned before my fondness for hikes, which is always very instructive for me, a totally urban person, being with who know the difference between poisonous and edible mushrooms and the names of trees and all that.

If you want to eat out, you have two choices: Coho Joe's, open daily til 2:30 or so; and the Burger Barn, open from noon until 7:30 p.m. The burgers often include halibut. I've posted several times photos from my hikes, but herewith some sights of daily life. The last picture below is of my work station. As always, click to enlarge.

The Burger Barn

Tyler painting the Burger Barn

Tyler's painting of Coho Joe's

The gas station

The Hotel

The marina

Local produce for sale

I like to bike here and read

Croquet on Sundays

Visitors in my back yard