Mutton Bay

Well, it had to happen. When I first arrived here, I found the almost
constant wind increasingly annoying. One day I went from place to
place, seeking a spot that was protected, but in each one the wind was
still there. Getting angry with the futility of it all, I went into
the house and said to Randy: "Isn't there someplace where one can get
away from this f***ing wind."

Then, the very next day, there was no wind -- and the black flies came
out for the first time, and in force too. Now you have to understand
that this is the first time in my life (believe it or not) that I have
ever encountered black flies.

That evening I went up on a hill because it appeared as if there was
going to be a good sunset. The flies joined me. They got in my hair and in my ears. They got under my glasses. They got down the back of my shirt and up the legs of my pants. I could see squadrons of them surrounding me on all sides. If I flailed about with my arms to drive them off, they only withdrew several feet to regroup for the next assault. When I brushed them off my windbreaker they left bloody smears. Thus it was that I came to appreciate the wind, because it seemed to be
the only thing that deterred them.

Now each morning I give thanks if there is wind. Fortunately the house
is right beside the water and in a spot where there is almost always a
wind coming off the sea through the opening to the bay.

This week I also took my first spin on the ATV, which is little more
than a motorbike with four wheels. As well as being useful, it's become another way for me to evade the flies, -- and it's fun too now that I'm
getting used to it. One day I took it out on an errand to Tabatiere,
which is at the other end of the road, about 10 km away. On the way I
stopped and with my camera clambered up a rocky hill to a height of
land behind the village. Because of the blessed wind there were no
flies, although it did sometimes make it difficult to hold the camera
steady. But I got some good pics, both spectacular long shots of the
islands in the sea and close-ups of the amazing wildflowers --
rhododendrons, Labrador tea, cotton balls (which seemed to be like
mechanical dancing toys in the wind, an effect that sadly eludes the
camera totally of course), iris, bunchberry, fly traps, myriad mosses
and lichens, and more.

This evening I was out on the ATV again and on the edge of town stopped
to watch a red fox, which was watching a woman a short distance back
down the road walking her dog. Again a first for me, seeing a fox in
its natural setting. It was very sleek and had a gorgeous tail. It
seemed to be intensely interested in the woman and dog, but not
especially concerned for it eventually walked away in their direction.
As for me, about 25 feet away, well it gave me a casual, not to say
somewhat disdainful, glance and then went back to studying the woman
and her dog. Obviously not very smart, eh; I mean, not recognizing
just how formidable and dangerous I can be.

Today was gorgeous -- vivid blue sky with barely a cloud, light breeze,
and a temperature about 1/2 what it is in Toronto (you may weep here).

Randy's away this weekend. The Archbishop asked him to go down to New
Carlisle, in the Gaspe, to interview and preach "for a call." He also
asked me if I'd be willing to take the two services today, Mattins in
Mutton Bay and Evensong in Tabatiere. I agreed, and even cobbled
together a homily out of material cribbed from the internet -- quite
good, I thought, if I do say so. One person, who is a professional
writer, turned up in Mutton Bay this morning and there was no one in Tabatiere
this evening. I gave a copy of the homily to the woman who came out
this morning. She said that with the long holiday weekend and the good
fishing everyone was either working or off at their cottages. Well,
they just don't know what they missed, do they? I was going to let
them know that as Anglicans we have just as good a claim as anyone to
celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day, and tell them his story.

After Mattins I invited the writer back to the house for coffee and got
an invitation for dinner tomorrow. Not a bad deal at all!