A bomb of a day...waterbomber, that is!

It has been a summer of wildfires here in BC.  We have spent much of our time out here unable to see across to the other side of the lake.  

The past few days, however, the winds changed direction, and blew some of the smoke away, leaving us with 3 days of blue skies, and air that finally did not smell and taste like smoke.  What a gift!

Cousins enjoying the water and sky down at the beach - Aug 11

Late yesterday afternoon, Duncan and I drove into Sicamous to pick up some groceries.  To our shock, it looked like all the wind had whipped up the Two Mile fire (which we had thought was under control).  Smoke was billowing up from several spots.

the view from downtown Sicamous

By late last night, you could start to smell the smoke again.  This morning the sky was still mostly blue, but the smoke was super-visible over to the Sicamous side of the lake.  I was over at Glen's to check on the kiln when the deep thrumming started.  It sounded like it might be a helicopter.  Nope.   A water bomber.   More specifically, FOUR water bombers.   I grabbed my phone to see if I could capture them going by.  Wow.  

VIDEO:  [here is a 2:10 minute video that shows all 4 of the planes grabbing water from the lake right in front of us)

At the Bates house next door, everyone was up on the deck with their phones out.   Glen called out that this was the second time.   Within minutes, we could hear them coming around again.
 
I phoned back over to Mary, to see if she could get any good shots from Arta's deck with my camera (which I had left there).  Here are some shots Mary got from Arta's (which is kind of amazing since we have all those trees between us and the lake!)

Can you see Steamboat Island in the background?

Over at Wyona's, there was a more open view of the action.  By this time, Glen had done the timing, so we knew the planes were doing a circuit every 7.5 minutes.  I decided to grab the camera and go right down to the beach to see what the action looked like from there.  

VIDEO: [1:49 minute video of the planes coming to the beach...you can hear it first, so look for it to emerge around 30 seconds]

VIDEO: [This one is 2 minutes long, but you can see how close some of the the planes were coming to the beach]

Here are some more still photos of the action.

 I hung out down at the beach for at least another 6 or 7 cycles.   It was pretty amazing.

Steamboat Island again

Then Glen phoned and told me I should check out the view from the top of Bernie Road.   I headed up there to see what I could see.  I only managed two cycles before they stopped flying (they had been going around 3 hours, so I was guessing they needed to fuel up).

Skirting the tops of trees on Bernie Road

Later afternoon, they started up again.  By then, the smoke had really started to roll in again, so things looked much more misty.

I did wonder why that fishing boat was not moving back closer to the shore.   Or maybe this is just one of those rear-view-mirror 'objects may be closer than they appear' thing?  The boat and the bomber did look pretty close to each other in the video!

The sun casts a golden glow on the water

The planes kept going in the smoke

And as the hours moved along, the smoke got thicker and thicker.

The smoke didn't really stop the kids playing in the water.   

Piper takes a leap of faith off the dock

Gabe makes the catch!

But the smoke kept thickening, and finally the planes gave up for the day.  I hope they managed to push back the fire!

So... that was our 'bomb' of a day.   I wonder if any of the other family members caught some good photos to share?

The Three Sisters

While visiting Shuswap Lake in the Secwépemc territory this summer, I was introduced to the Three Sisters Garden growing on the lot of my Uncle Glen and Aunt Janet's home. 

Glen and Janet Pilling in front of the Three Sisters Garden

It is one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.  Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book Braiding Sweetgrass describes "the genius of Indigenous agriculture, the Three Sisters.  Together these plants --corn, beans and squash -- feed the people, feed the land, and feed our imaginations, telling us how we might live." 

Here are a few closeups of the garden.  See if you can identify the corn, squash and beans. 

Who is the tall sister shooting for the stars, and who is the sister spreading her broad leaves wide to shelter the soil and protect the other two sisters from weeds and pests?

Which sister embraces the corn, keeping pace with its height, wandering and dancing around its stock?

Here is the gardener describing the Three Sisters and the garden, made for Arta Johnson with love.  

Kimmerer wrote:  "At the height of the summer, when the days are long and bright, and the thunderers come to soak the ground, the lessons of reciprocity are written clearly in a Three Sisters garden.  Together their stems inscribe what looks to me like a blueprint for the world, a map of balance and harmony.  ...  Respect one another, support one another, bring your gift to the world and receive the gifts of others, and there will be enough for all."

These are the same lessons that I have learned from another group of three sisters - Arta, Wyona and Moiya. Respect one another, support one another and bring your gift to the world.  Not only is there enough for all, but the bonds you form using this blueprint will be the structure that sustains you through a lifetime.   

Other profound truths these three sisters have taught me include:

1.  Listen with curiousity.  

2.  Open your heart, home, and table to family and friends. It leads to a rich life.

3. Share the gifts and resources you have with others.  That might be bucket of cherries, a basket of ripe plums, a stick of cream cheese for butterhorn icing, and a black feather boa to finish a vintage outfit. Just a few of the gifts I received last week. It might also be your time, your stories, a walk in the woods, a hug, or sharing a priceless memory.  

4. Every gathering is a party.  Where there is food, laugher and love, ever moment is priceless.  These gatherings are the building blocks of connection. 

5.  Set your food out on your best dishes and you will always know it is a feast.  

6.  Travel and explore the world with others.  It might mean a cruise to the Baltic, Indian Ocean or around the world or could be as simple as a trip to the Dairy Queen or Costco. The journey together is important.  

7.  Really get to know your family.  Learn the names of your nieces and nephews and their children. Be curious about their lives.  It takes work to remain connected to family, and it begins with the simple step of knowing each other.  Strong ties in families begin with curiosity and love.  These ties also require work, honesty, humility, and respect.   

Here is a classic photo of the Three Sisters

"It's close to midnight
Something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart"
Lyrics from Thriller, Michael Jackson

I could have chosen a lot of great photos to share of these three sisters, but for some reason, this photo caught my attention and made me smile.  This photo captures so much of the fun these three had together.

Wyona tells the story of these photos here:  

"Moiya, Arta, Wyona and Alex left on a cruise from South Hampton to Canary Islands and back. We went to a dance class to learn 'Thriller'.  After one lesson, which was fun, we were asked to dance in a predance before a game show on the ice rink. We were not happy to do it but we were sort of cajoled into it because not many people were at the practice.  So we dressed up the night of the dance and performed. I have a video of the event. We were on the 'Independence of the Seas', Royal Carribean.

I can't stop laughing thinking about these three sisters doing the Thriller dance. 
I gotta see that video.

I finish with another paragraph from Robin Wall Kimmerer from her book Braiding Sweetgrass.  

"Of all the wise teachers who have come into my life, none are more eloquent than these, who wordlessly in leaf and vine embody the knowledge of relationship.  Alone, a bean is just a vine, squash an oversize leaf.  Only when standing together with corn does a whole emerge which transcends the individual.  The gifts of each are more fully expressed when they are nurtured together than alone.  In ripe ears and swelling fruit, they counsel us that all gifts are multiplied in relationship.  This is how the world keeps going."