I must say, it did feel somewhat surreal driving into Mahone Bay, NS for the first time knowing it was to be where me and my family will call home from now until who knows when. Erin looked over at me and chuckled to herself. I inquired as to what was amusing her so: “You have the same crooked smile on your face that you had when we got married”. Totally describes the feeling! Happy, Excited, Anticipation, Nervous.
So after a meeting with our youthful lawyer and a walk-through of the property (making sure water comes out the taps and the like) we got the keys to our little 100 year old house and new build studio. Now come the task of getting up and running (both domestically and business wise), setting up our home, and sliding into our new community. Erin and I came a day before Grace and Norah and as we walked around town I spotted the bike shop. B-line. Met Alan the owner (I presume) who seems around my age, asked him about trails in the area, asked him about bringing my bike in for a tune up. It’s weird meeting someone new and wondering “is this person going to be my friend?”. We’ll see!
The day we got our keys and the truck arrived to drop off our belongings, we were met by a MASSIVE electrical storm. Serious sound. I immediately thought of Pauline Oliveros and Ione. At a Deep Listening retreat I attended with Erin and Grace back in 2000 (in the Halliburton Forest) there was a session we did which involved each participant “randomly” selecting a card for a deck that Ione passed around. I selected a card that had Thor, the God of Thunder on it. The next day during the performance of a piece that I composed and presented at the workshop, a thunder storm commenced to accompany my piece. The day after that Pauline and I were standing looking out over the still lake before us and WHAMMO a hug bolt of lightening hit the lake right in front of us. So it only seemed appropriate that on the day the marks the beginning of something new for us that Thor was there to to help celebrate.
We’re really excited to be here. I’m a feeling resonance with the environment we’re in and the people we are around. This is somewhat comforting knowing I really don’t know a soul yet! I like having a little bit of land (1.7 acres) around us and look forward to bush whacking and familiarizing myself with the lay of our land. IMPORTANT: there are maple trees.
I’m really, really looking forward to setting up my studio where I will practice my crafts and earn my keep. I have room, space and independence from my domestic life which I think will benefit both family and work. Speaking of family, I have to say, again, it is amazing to be around and feel the support of family. My Mom and Dad have been lovingly taking care of Grace and Norah as Erin and I have been zipping around attending to all the details of moving and purchasing property. Erin’s Mom and Dad (and sister Tara visiting from Toronto) are there with smiles on their faces, hugs in bodies and asking the question: “what can we do to help?”. I can’t say how great that makes me feel. Yaaaa Hooooo!
More to come.