Thursday, July 20, 2017

A Heartfelt View From This Girl's Skyline




Driving home a few nights ago about an hour before dusk, the wheat fields were starting their  transformation  of colors going from green to gold.  I was on my way home after spending  a few glorious days in the San Juan Islands.  And while it was a wonderful escape from the heat, I can’t imagine life anywhere but here.  As I traveled the back-roads, the slower pace allowed for a bit of gazing at the crops  and catching whiffs of the pre-harvest scent, which I love but find hard to describe.  I guess it is sort of a mix of fresh hay with a sort of a dusty scent.  If only I could bottle that smell.   Pure bliss for this farm gal’s senses.

 During my ocean escape,  I was able to visit some spectacular ports  that ranged from small basic towns to picturesque touristy towns. 





At one particular port, it was a haven for the mega rich who could afford yachts, and let me tell you there were a lot of them.  A few were for sale and had open houses, so we toured a few just to satisfy our curiosity of how the other side lived.  The interiors were splendid with large open-air areas that featured crowd seating, bar/dining and just seemed to beckon a gathering of family and friends. The mega boats were stately, magnificent and imposing, almost like they were their own private island.   

Along side these mansion sized boats were normal sized boats that were capable of accommodating areas for sleeping, cooking and entertaining on a more modest scale.  And what I found the most interesting was that the docks were sort of like small towns, where people from the smaller sized boats were friendly and impromptu conversations started amongst strangers.  Often times chairs were set up on the docks and bursts of chatter and laughter were signs of fun times.  I loved seeing others gather on their own small boats where more intimate conversations, sans cell phone and computers, were taking place. The fascinating contrast was life was being lived and enjoyed from the smaller boat owners, which was a stark contrast to the huge boats which had been intentionally designed for entertaining  - but that they all sat quiet, usually were dark inside, or if there was life on board, I didn’t hear gaiety spilling out. I thought to myself, yup the saying that money doesn’t buy happiness was pretty apropos here.  It just seemed like life on the docks for us common folks was enjoying the beauty of the ocean, the beauty of being together and the beauty of enjoying life.    



A small port town

Off the boat and ready to check out a port town


Hiking to Turn Point Lighthouse. And my hat says it all..."Blessed"

Boat life is fun



An ocean sun set


And that impression and feeling kept staying with me all through the trip.  I guess to sum it up, regardless of your financial situation – you can make your life be your own island – remote – untouchable- if you choose. Which for me, I find that a sad way to live.   If you look just beyond your personal horizon, you can see the beauty of meeting new people, going to new places and finding the value of good life.  Personally, I see the gorgeousness of the Palouse and it’s fertile ground that produces amazing crops, and I see the beauty in the people who live here.  I am grateful that I seem to always be surrounded with kind and wonderful people.  Frankly, I don’t care if it sounds corny or not, it’s a heartfelt view from this girl’s skyline.

Sunset on the rolling hills of the Palouse. Equally beautiful
 
As always, thank you so much for stopping by.  Feel free to reach out and email me at swheatfarmlife@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog.  I love to hear from you.  All my best, Gayle