Oh No-- Not ANOTHER Day in Paradise...

The calendar suggests that I am writing this on Wednesday, though I can't be certain this is true. I am now so officially immersed in vacation mode that there are no specific days or nights. There are only general time frames, all of which revolve around mind/body/soul nourishment. It kind of goes like this:

Q. Pardon me, what time is it?

A: YAWWWWWWWN... It's about time for coffee!

or

A. Mmmm... It's about time for breakfast (or lunch or dinner)

or

A. Say, isn't it cookie time?

or

A. Can't talk, it's time for me to get a massage with Mary Alice!

or

A. I'd love to help you with that 5th row, Spike, but Melora's working the sun salutes in the yoga room. Time for me to go stretch.

In between moments of growing my knit-brain exponentially-- thanks to SuMi's charts and CaPa's cable snood instructions-- and growing my circumference also exponentially-- thanks to Holden's chefs-- I like to cleanse my mental and my dental palate with a nice stroll around the island. So far I've taken three good long hikes-- two courtesy of Patty's fearless leadership and one with my little knitting friends who joined us for a day. I've had plenty of shorter walks, too, including a quick trip over to Burnt Head this morning at 6 am to catch the sunrise.

I confess that sometimes, when I am taking in yet another breathtaking view, I am reminded of a quote from a friend of mine who spends a lot of time out in nature. "Ugh!" he likes to joke, when on a trip that finds him constantly in the throes of Mother Nature's fanciest wardrobe bits. "Not another freakin' stunning glacier!"

And so it goes here on the island. Everywhere you look, from the open waters of the icy Atlantic to the tiniest hummingbird fluttering about, there is nothing but gorgeous scenery for as far (and as near) as the eye can see. I swear, the more time I spend on this island, the more time I want to spend here. I fantasize about arriving a week before the knitting retreat next year and staying for a week after so that I can try-- if not to get enough time hiking and meditating and wandering and meeting the people here-- to at least fit in a few more hikes, a couple of more conversations.

But for now, I am contenting myself with the time I have allotted this year for exploring the paths and cliffs and tide pools and faerie houses and towering trees and flowers and butterflies and sun and moon rises and sets. The weather- admittedly chilly tonight-- has been utterly perfect til now. Even my pre-sunrise meander was dang near balmy. I peel off layers like Gypsy Rose Lee until at last the North Face fleece is gone, the thermal underwear shirt is gone, and all that remains is today's knitting-themed t-shirt. Thus enlightened (and I mean that in all senses), I drink it all in and as the sun warms my skin and dances all sparkly across the water, I wonder, in a meditative fashion, "Is it possible that Cassy really is tanner than me? How can that be? No one is ever tanner than me!" or "Can it be true that Eva is more popular than me?"

Here are but a few images taken by mostly Patty with just a couple by yours truly. There are many (many many MANY) more pictures, some of which I shall soon post. But now, I must collapse into the deep sleep of the joyfully exhausted.