Holey, Washed Up Wood

When Doug and I first started exploring the west coast of British Columbia together, everything was new and wondrous to us both. The big things and the little things. The mountains. The forests. The ocean. The tiny rock crabs under barnacle covered rocks. The colour of the arbutus tree under pealing bark. And, nearly anything that washed up on the beaches. 

I found this piece of wood one quiet afternoon, walking with Doug along a beach near Tofino, BC. We were walking silently together, in harmony with each other, but not holding hands, immersed in the sounds around us and the rhythm of our stroll. I picked up this holey wonder, dusted it off and handed it to Doug. I'm sure he said something like "Wow. Cool." But, not loud, and very naturally. I carried it in my hand back to the car.  Then, back to the hotel. I placed it in a safe place in my suitcase. Once home, I gave it a prominent place on one of the shelves in one of our apartments in Vancouver, BC. 

It still has a home on a shelf, but now it's surrounded by many other finds that have been added one by one, experience by experience. That was more than fifteen years ago. It still has a bit of sand clinging to it from the day I found it.