Death on Quadra Island

Now in Vancouver, after a week on Quadra Island, I have had to revise this blog, since I revised my mind. I've never taken a week to write an entry before - please excuse the strange tenses!
It originally said:
"My friend Lamont said in an email today, "Carroll ("Julie's" husband said to me that there is a french saying (I wish I could remember the french) - "To choose is to refuse.""
Yet we must choose.
Ultimately.
Death is rebirth is Transformation. You cannot open one door without closing others. As I said in my last blog - I've decided to go to the Middle East. That means  - not taking all the other roads that lay before me, some of them quite nice. The "Not's" are a huge source of personal power. We must have them, at times; so I says.
Quadra Island is a pretty laid back place, I'm staying with a friend who's housesitting a rental with lots of bedrooms, have my own bath, an island with an eagle's nest in front of us, otters, seals, boats and gulls. Lots of time to think.
Another friend, Argyle, is coming up from Vancouver to go to the Halloween Party at the legion here, should be fun. Sometimes I wonder - if the reason I'm so happy about travelling is because I have so many good friends and so much fun here on the west coast? Maybe I'll fall on my face if I go to the Middle-East. Oh well, if we burn, we burn.
Breathe in the sweet fire of love / I'm not afraid anymore
Sweet, sweet fire / I'm not alone
Which reminds me of something - I was afraid I'd feel alone on this trip, lonely. I certainly felt lonely a lot living in Peterborough, thought I'd be moreso here at times. Not so, very little lonely time. The least lonely has been (when I was alone) at Mt. Shasta in Northern California. I got there alone, after driving/ travelling by myself a few days, booked a cheap hotel and stayed there two nights. Never felt lonely. Especially the day up on the mountain. There's something about being in your right place, something magical.
Which also reminds me, a sub-theme - I keep falling in love with natural places - mountains, beaches, seas, trees. Maybe that's part of the reason I am never lonely. That, and I am with my own spirit, who's pretty friggin happy these days..

Halloween on Quadra Island rocked. I did not go as death, but a cowboy. Had a blast, Greg, Argyle, and I went to a local barn party, then got a taxi across-island in a rainstorm to the Legion. We danced our asses off, almost got in a fight, met some great women, and they couldn't make the debit machine work to charge us for our last round of beer - so it was free. I met a girl named "Virginia", now that's a name. Wow. Makes me think of green rolling hills, rivers, trees, and blue skies. Knowing my proclivity to fall in love with natural places, I should probably not call her.
The next day we took Greg's boat out, "the Strange Animal" for the afternoon - putted around with some friends, watched a pair of eagles tag-team a flock of seagulls - sheer brilliance, and a reminder of the value of two.

I drafted this blog on Friday, now it's Wednesday and I'm finishing it, the weekend left me thinking; do I really want to leave here, or am I just blowing smoke?

You say "I believe" or say without shame "I can't tell"