My cousin Bobbi's kids are very special to me. My "nephew" and "nieces" - one of whom is my god-daughter and one of whom is my god-niece (wait - is there such a thing?!) are 5, 3 and 1. I like being "Auntie Dani" and spending special time with them. Tonight we decided to take them to my Uncle John's house for a barbecue and a dip - he has a fabulous beach house in Tsawwassen (which, by the way, he said he'd rent to me - anybody want to be my roommate and come live at the beach?).
Getting 3 kids, 3 adults (Bob's husband Mark as well as Bob and I), a dog (Bob was babysitting Uncle John's 5 month old retriever, Sam), a cooler full of barbecue stuff, 6 towels/bathing suits/sets of watershoes, and a gigantic watermelon down the 57 steps to the beach house from the driveway was challenging, but we all made it in one piece, and the kids and I frolicked on the deck, playing games and colouring with crayons while Bob and Mark made dinner. We ate outside, playing "I Spy" and watching boats motor past, and ferries come and go. Then it was time for a swim in the ocean.
I love the ocean so much. As a child I was scared to swim in the sea - I felt much safer in a lake, where there weren't jellyfish and currents and whales and sharks and killer octopi. At Pearson I discovered my love of the ocean, as I often jumped into the waters of Pedder Bay, even in the dead of winter, to swim in the ocean phosphoresence. I just enjoy floating in the salt water, and feeling like if I wanted to, I could swim to the other side of the world. I always feel calmer by the water, and more creative - I often take paper and pen down to the beach to write, as I find the water gets my thoughts flowing. I'm a Cancer, a water sign - I don't doubt this has something to do with it.
We all spent the rest of the evening bobbing in the water until the sun was setting, the kids in their bright red life jackets, and even Sam the pup learning the swim for the first time, joyfully pursuing her favourite stick into deeper and deeper waters. It was a perfect summer evening - I arrived home tired, with frizzy beach hair, still wearing my bathing suit. If ever there was a night to be bottled and preserved, to be savoured on some cold bleak grey winter's eve, this would be it.