i am nearing the end of a ten retreat to bc to visit with family and friends and to explore some of my all time favorite spots, such as the victoria harbour front on vancouver island. but, my favorite place to be, which is where i sit right now, is the porch of my parent’s cottage in point roberts washington. it is just 45 minutes away from vancouver’s downtown but it feels a whole world away, and had been my favorite place to be since my parent’s bought it, some 23 years ago.
there used to be this old, family run corner store right by house house that sold penny candies and had arcade games and other fun things to spend my weekly allowance on. in the summer there was summer games to participate in, and i even one a ribbon in a swimming relay once. for many years our family would launch our boat at lighthouse park and drive it around the point to maple beach and friends would take turns water skiing or tubing (I was too afraid to be pulled behind the boat so I just watched and laughed when my brothers would bail!). we would have endless parties and bbq’s with my uncle’s family who lived up the street or my mom’s friend’s family who live just a few blocks however. and there was one summer that i set up a jewelry stand on out porch and sold friendship bracelets to the other little girls whose families would spend their summer holidays in point roberts. mostly, though, i would spend hours upon hours sitting on the porch reading… even on the coldest days i could be found on the porch, though wrapped in a blanket to shut out the cold.
the old corner store is gone now, and a new house in being built on the property so there are no more penny candies to buy (though they would likely cost a dime now!). and, i am too old to participate in any summer games (i’m not even sure they have these activities for the kiddos still). there are sill parties and gatherings down here (i am hosting a little get together on sunday with friends i have yet to see while out here) although they are not quite the same as the parties your parents have when you’re a kid sneaking sips of beer and extra cookies before heading off to bed! and i no longer set up jewelry stands or make friendship bracelets... but i still love to spend endless hours on the porch.
one of the first things i did when i woke up on saturday morning (my first morning here) was grab a cup of coffee, a blanket and my book, anne lamott’s travelling mercies, and cozy up in a chair on the front porch of the cottage. the sun was shining and a slight breeze over the pacific ocean mingled with the sun’s rays to create the perfect temperature for cozying up with a blanket! i breathed in the salty air and thought “it is so good to be home.”
and here i sit again. a cup of coffee and the empty package from a roger’s coconut cream chocolate is to my left. the family cat, annabelle, is lazing in the chair to my right while michael buble croons over the speakers. i wait in anticipation for my oldest and dearest friend candice to join me for the weekend, tomorrow i will help entertain some of my parent's oldest friends while they gather for their monthly dinner party and sunday i will give out hugs to many friends whom i haven't seen in months, some years... and the weather reports suggest sun.
today, sitting on this old familiar porch and thinking of friends, family and yester-years , i feel as though my life is charmed and idyllic.
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