One Conversation

Had a good conversation today while paddling in Telegraph Bay. Well, while walking there with Bernie, the landlady's dog, and the little inflatable kayak on a luggage roller. And with several other people walking, loafing on the shore, or swimming, as well as dogs, and random birds, and a few small boats on top of cars or floating moored in the bay. It all seemed like one conversation, even after we got to the bay and Bernie and the dog took off down the shingle, heading for the rocks.

Happy dog, happy dog - sploosh!

The family with a little girl chatted with Bernie and their little one turned down a chance to float in a boat. Turns out they had a bigger girl as well, who had scrambled along the shoreline rocks to the little cliff and made her way to the top! Meanwhile, the landlady's dog tugged Bernie across the rocks and the shingle to the other rocks and investigated every piece of bullwhip kelp he could get his teeth into. The shore at Telegraph is steeper than the dog is used to at Cadboro Bay, and so he ended up bobbing over his head a couple of times. It was a cold and shivering dog who tugged Bernie all the way back to the Beach House while I paddled.

There was a photographer with a tripod who took his camera down after a while, but I tried to stay out of his way. He said he didn't mind, but... He probably wanted to photograph wildlife like an otter or a heron, not a brightly-coloured kayak with a small stout woman, but artists have to work with what they have...

There actually was a heron on the right-hand shoreline when I paddled over there. It held still just long enough for me to snap this picture before it spread its pterodactylian wings and croaked something that was either "good-bye" or "take off!"

I had to share the water with a swimmer this time. He walked down to the beach and waded in, wearing a wetsuit and carrying his goggles and swim fins. Looked like fun to me, and I'm guessing to his friend on shore. There was a silent conversation there... or maybe not so silent. I wasn't wearing my new hearing aids (of course!) and anything they muttered would have gone unheard.

Other people came and went, some sitting on the quiet beach the whole while I was there, and others pausing for only a few minutes. One couple sat in the cab of their truck instead of walking to the bench or along the shore.

Bernie does actually have a head, even if more of the happy dog shows in this photo.

The dogs were all undilutedly happy with where they were and what they were doing, even if a few of the people didn't look like they were Totally Into Having A Nice Walk On A Warm Day. Go figure. Can't tell what people are thinking just by looking at them, except when they're looking at my kayak. Then they're thinking That is the littlest boat I've ever seen, and it fits right into that bag! Out of their mouths come different things based on their agendas, everything from "Do you have safety equipment? Now, don't you go out getting yourself into trouble way out there!" to "Where can I get one of those?"

My agenda was to go to this quiet little bay with my partner and the goofy dog we look after, to paddle for a little while in this cool peaceful place, and roll my boat home. As I plodded up the slope from the shore, someone else was making his way down with that look on his face that says I'm heading toward the best part of my day!

"We're so lucky to be here," he said.