July 7

The day started out like many others. My consciousness crawled into awareness as I awoke from strange dreams of past lives. I had an appointment in Penticton at ten and my daughter would be home for two. I was looking forward to connecting with that mass of hormonal energy and love. I missed my girl when she’s away.

I know my bike has no soul yet I feel a connection there. I imagine my bike is feeling freer now that I am riding it more than I have in many years. I know I feel freer riding the 1300cc’s of power to Penticton. I had a job to do and the ability to do it on my motorcycle brought a smile to my face. The rain quit in a timely fashion and the smell of freshly fallen water pervaded my senses. The lake reflected the cliffs above and the cloudy skies seemed alive with energy and motion. I felt connected to nature as I cruised down the highway south to my destination.

My job completed I returned home and anticipated the arrival of my teenaged girl. Marijke was supposed to be home by 2:00. I looked forward to the reward and challenge of raising a little female version of myself. The thought gives me excitement and terrifies me at the same time. Her friends are her world and her Dad is there to supply her with fun and funds. I had to do a tour tonight so the time I had was limited. At least I got a few minutes after she rolled in at 3:00 and I left ant 6:00 to go for my 7:00 pm tour.

I jumped on my bike and headed to the Manteo resort. I parked and grabbed my phone, there was a message from Rob; tour Cancelled. I had driven from home 20 minutes to find out I could have just stayed home. I decided to make something of having the boat, I called my buddy on the water and went to say hi. We loaded up the boat, my friend looked out at the water and spotted the black line.

“Wind coming in,” she said.

“I hope it isn’t much, it’s definitely not glass anymore,” I replied

We loaded everyone up and pulled away from shore. The wind’s pace increased as we raced for the bridge. The gusts were coming in from the south. We knew the other side of the bridge would be calm and we could sit and relax in relative peace. The bridge towered overhead as we slowly drifted from a world of turbulence and violent gusts. We came to a place that held a peacefulness and calm, despite the traffic steadily traversing the floating structure.

We listened to music and soothed our souls. We connected, floating on the water, with the sun setting below the Columbia Mountains before us. The red, yellow and crimson sky filled our views and we soaked in every moment. Moments in connection. We also know these moments can be fleeting. We relented to the passage of time and I fired up m vessel and headed back under the bridge. Back into the mouth of the wind storm. We skirted the west side of the lake and avoided the direct wrath of mother natures fury. I pointed the bow in the general direction of my friends place. We proceeded to hover on top of the rushing waves and started for my friend’s waterfront home.

We drifted in close and our intrepid girl leaped from the bow and headed for their home. She would meet us at the boat dock at the Eldorado. I turned Serendipity into the rushing waves and exalted in the power of nature. Every sense was alive as I powered up and headed for the marina. I never saw this storm coming and needed to find a safe place for the night. I had my doubts about getting back on my boat lift.

Rolling waves crashed through the marina as I edged Serendipity closer to the dock. Getting on the slip forgotten, I wanted to park the boat for the night. Another wind storm lashed the shores of Okanagan Lake. Seeking shelter I jumped to the calmest place on the dock and held on tight. My friend was there and we managed to secure my vessel and calm our nerves. Another day, another storm; 2020 will long be remembered as the year we sought shelter from the coming storms.