Summer in Blackney Pass

It’s been another few days without our black and white friends out here on the water. The first day of summer had me in short sleeves with temperatures at near twenty degrees Celsius. Though there were no orcas around, just about every humpback frequenting the area came through at some point before dark and I got lots of practice taking pictures of their flukes as they sounded in order to id them. The people who run orcalab came back yesterday, and so my week of solitude ended. It’s nice to have some company again, even though it was fun to be alone in the middle of nowhere for a while.

Not too long ago I acquired a shadow. There is this pesky, but very adorable, blue jay that follows me wherever I go. When I’m inside it chases me around through the windows and I have a video of us playing hide and seek in the kitchen. The squirrels, on the other hand, don’t seem to enjoy my company. They constantly chatter in an angry manner and love throwing pinecones at any building I’m in.

Since there are no showers or baths here until one gets set up later this month, the ocean becomes a great big tub (and a rather cold one). There I am one day, lying flat on a few rocks, head dangling into the sea at low tide amidst the giant gumboot chiton, feeding barnacles, and curious seals, trying to wash my hair. It would’ve have been a comical sight for anyone watching. During this process I made a very strange observation. I had chosen a spot where the rocks dropped off to show clear water a few meters deep so that the current would carry rinse water away. At the beginning there were no creatures aside from a few crabs, some seaweed, and a couple of dog whelks visible at this location, but when I was finished I noticed that there were five moon jellies the size of dessert plates hovering and pulsating just below the surface of the water. Could there be a chance they had been attracted to the shampoo? I looked around but could not see any others in the surrounding ocean. Another example of the mysteries of the sea!

On Thursday evening there was a torrential downpour. It was one of those storms in which a person gets soaked standing outside for a few seconds. I think all the plants were grateful for it as the summer has been rather dry thus far.

Only five days until my birthday! Time is passing way too fast for my liking. However, it will be awesome to see family again and spend the day at the cabin. Perhaps I will even be able to make ice cream (there is nothing cold here at orcalab so it would be sweet to have something like ice cream while I have the chance). Well, I probably won’t write for a while as there is a lot to do in the next few days before the orcas arrive. The dolphins continue to keep me awake at night with their chatter over the hydrophones. I don’t mind though because it is extremely cute and always makes me smile.

Fair Winds