Vinyasa

The Island, Day 3 (written on the road)


The sunset was beautiful last night and we had a pleasant supper. After dark, it's dangerous to be outside lest someone get carried off by one of those poodle-sized mosquitos (entire packs of them!). We gathered around the main room of the cottage with hot tea and good books, safety behind screen doors.

There's no Internet here (I'm embarrassed to admit: I did check to see if I could pick up a wireless signal. Nope!) but there is television. I'm resistant to television generally (though easily seduced by a good episode of Law and Order) so I was reluctant to turn it on last night. Who wants to travel into the wilderness only to watch CBC comedies?

Instead, I helped Aunt M with her puzzle. I haven't done a jigsaw puzzle in years (there's no space in my shoebox-size apartment for such a thing). What fun! I'm thoroughly addicted. After Auntie abandoned the puzzle to go to bed, I finished it and we've since started a new one.

This morning, I woke to the sound of water and wind. The girlfriend and I slept in the little cabin last night and it was lovely. I could gaze up and see stars twinkling outside the window. Though it was a hot night, a fresh breeze wafted through every so often to cool us. It's a bit like sleeping in a big, solid tent - with a baseball bat next to the door in case of bears! ;-)

We slept in a bit in the morning, then headed up to the cottage for coffee. I prepared brunch (mushroom-cheese omelettes this time), with fresh mango on the side. Cousin B joined our party last night and today, my girlfriend's sister arrived in the afternoon. It's a full house!

After brunch, we headed down to the water for our morning swim and I eventually wandered off and did my practice. It hasn't been hard at all to make time for my practice (I thought it would be). It's nice to have some alone time now that the cottage is full.

There's a scrawny tree next to my flat rock and I create a survivor-eque shelter for the dog by tying my pāreu over the branches. The dog is feeling fine and she's back to her full antics. I've been trying to keep her out of the sun and we haven't asked her to go in the water again (in case it was lake water that made her sick). She absolutely *loves* being outdoors and she's finally beginning to warm up to Aunt M and Cousin B (a good cottage-guest doesn't bark at her hosts!)

I really enjoyed the Yoga for Runners sequence so I repeated that today and meditated on the rock for a while afterward. Great practice. Hot practice! The weather has been fantastically clear and warm. I'm in the direct sun so even the cool breezes can't stop the sweat once it starts!

My after-yoga swim was heavenly. I've really gotten the knack of getting in the water. it's pretty cold - not something you want to do gradually. I find that the final 'dunk' is best executed on an out-breath. Deep inhale in, brace yourself, exhale, DUNK (brrrrr!). It feels fine once your body adjusts.

I got lots of sun today (probably a bit *too* much), drank many vodka lemonades and even a beer or two, swam so many times that I finally lost count. I read that horrible lump of a book, Infinite Jest, which I've been suffering through this summer (but I'm determined). I napped in the sun. The party continued over supper (veggie and chicken fajitas). I can't remember the last time I had this much fun over a meal. I laughed until my belly hurt.

Life doesn't get much better than today.