That’s entertainment

Last night DH, Son3, and I picked up a drink at Sbux and sat down by the marina to watch the boats coming and going. I love the smell of the marina – sea air and fish and creosote and boat gas. (Okay, listing it out like that doesn’t make it sound that appealing, but man, the combination is so awesome. Aromatherapy extraordinaire!)

Some massive yachts were moored there for the night — one called Reward, another At Ease – and we couldn’t help speculating on who might own such boats, and what it might be like to live on one (one had a sundeck that I’m sure was larger than the one on our house). (Gee, maybe I should write a story about a yacht-dweller… surely I’d have to go cruising — I mean, do research — right? )

The boats were interesting and all, but sea-life trumps boats any day. Minnows were jumping, or rather, they were flinging themselves well clear of the water in a hilarious display of bug-catching. I’ve no idea how they can propel themselves like that, but it was a fine show. We also saw an otter swim by, apparently unfazed by the power boats zipping past. I only caught a couple glimpses of the otter, but then, the coolest thing: a Great Blue Heron flew to the wharf and settled on the edge very near our vantage point. With slow, delicate movements, stepping carefully with his funny backward-bending knees and peering into the water, he stalked his dinner. Step. Step. Freeze…. Gotcha! He grabbed a fish in his bill, manoeuvred it into the right position, then swallowed it whole. Yummy. We watched a while longer as he poised on the edge of the wharf waiting for his second course to swim into range, but then a speedboat docked nearby, and the heron flew to another fishing spot out of our view.

The ferry had come and gone from the neighbouring island and was on its way back again by the time we were ready to go. On our way home, we stopped to pick up a movie, but IMHO, nothing in that video store could beat the entertainment value of an hour at the marina. It was a good evening.

Peace….