Kye Bay

Today we found the public health office. I thought I would be able to just walk in there and get Abby's immunization records but nothing is that simple. I filled in a form, which will be submitted to High Level and when they fax the records back, the Courtenay office will phone me and make an appointment because she is due for her 18 month round of shots.

We are one step closer but I didn't really feel like I accomplished anything. After Abby went down for her nap I started to prepare some food. I had some things planned so I had some meals in the freezer. I chopped up an enormous yam and realized I had neglected to pack any of my casserole dishes. I thought about going to the Dollarama when Abby got up but by the time she was awake I had mentally given up and we went to the beach instead.

I took her to Kye Bay which is about a 10 or 15 minute drive from our house. It is a huge expanse of sand, the tide is always way out, and it is so big it never feels crowded. Today we were the only people there.

One of the reasons I moved to Courtenay is so I can fill her childhood with days like this. She was a little hesitant at first. I think all the open space and the vastness of the ocean was a lot for her to take in. I carried her across the rocks down to the sand and she held on to me, resting her head against my shoulder. She wasn't upset or anxious but I think she just needed some reassurance.

Once I placed her on the sand and pointed out the shells all over the place she was into it. She loved all the shells and the shallow water. She found a little dead crab, pulled all the legs off it, then gave it a taste. She was so horrified I wiped her tongue off with my sweater. I tried to tell her "nothing at the beach goes in your mouth!" 

It occurred to me that I should have had the foresight to put boots on her, and maybe it is the right time in my life for me to get some too. When we came back we got caught on a sandbar and I had to walk through ankle deep water to get us back to the car. Truthfully I loved the feel of the water in my shoes. I almost just took my shoes off. That's what I would have done as a kid when I spent summer vacations on a beach just like this one. 

That's what Vancouver Island does to me, it makes me feel free enough to wade through the ocean, and get wet just to indulge in the sensation of it. I don't worry about my feet being wet or ruining my shoes, I just love to be there in the moment. Those are the things I want for Abby in her childhood.