Life on an island

[corvi]

Wednesday was the first day in months that I did not see the Pacific Ocean. It was not the sort of thing I would have expected to notice, but I did.

These are the people I see every weekday, as they take the same ferry to the big island to work as I do:

• paramedic in uniform
• the farrier's truck
• hippie couple who spend the whole crossing sitting across from each other with their palms pressed together and their eyes closed
• truck from the farm store
• car with "relax, you're not on the mainland" bumper sticker
• woman who's read a dozen books about sourcing and supply in the coffee industry; I had no idea there were any books about this, much less enough that she gets through one a week and has been doing so for months. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next... she has to run out of coffee logistics books eventually, right?
• very large, still grey dog who never makes a sound and only moves if you aren't looking
• the sailors of the MV Skeena Queen, of course
• grouchy heron who fishes from the seawall next to the ferry dock

I've never spoken to any of them, but if I take a different ferry, I kind of miss them. 

Haven't seen orcas in a while, but Thursday there were some porpoises! I recommend the WhaleReport app if you have a life such that you are likely to see cetaceans regularly. The scientists send sincerely gleeful emails in response to any sightings you report, which is wonderful.

I'm pretty happy here.

Comments

[twoeleven]

I've never spoken to any of them, but if I take a different ferry, I kind of miss them.
If you do speak to them, let me know what the heron says. I'm kinda curious what a heron has to say for itself.

[sistawendy]

I'm pretty happy here.

So it seems. Mazel tov!

[yam]

I remember reading about a study or a survey or something about "familiar strangers" at bus stops, and how when people needed to interact with someone, like to ask the time or whatever, most would preferentially choose people who /weren't/ their familiar strangers for that, presumably so as not to alter the social relationship.