Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Waving From Here

Peeping into Colette's house, Meadows I.

After the wild winds of Sunday, the bay settled down yesterday to be mirror-smooth.  Hard to believe it is the same body of water, but isn't this the same for everyone and everything?  Turmoil and calm.  The question is, are you riding the wave or drowning in it?  Or maybe, do you really think you are anything but the wave?  Yes, that seems about right.

I poked around Colette's two houses in Meadows, which is the town right next to where I live.  She owns two of the oldest homes on the Bay of Islands - both were built in the late nineteenth century.  The first one, which she called Meadows I, was a tumble-down shack when she found it.  She and a friend fixed it up to be exactly beautiful.  It has no electricity, insulation or heat other than the woodstove.  It is absolutely perfect.  This house will stay as it is under the care of her friend.

The other house, the guest house, is still for sale.  I was poking around because *gulp* I am thinking of taking it over.  There are a host of reasons why this is a good idea and a host of reasons why this is a terrible idea.  But I am "looking into it" as they say.

Fin asked me, in this way that he increasingly has of being deeply insightful, "Would you even be considering this if it didn't belong to Colette?"   The answer is, of course, no.  But no answers are so very easy to come by.   It's the yes answers that interest me.

Again, I will ask you, are you riding the wave or drowning in it?  Or are you the wave?

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Here is a link to Colette's obituary in today's local paper.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i came to your blog from a google search for images of homemade burial shrouds. i am buying muslin for my mother's shroud today; she is at home here in sw va; and we will miss her so much (but as my 5yo daughter said, She's not dead yet!). thank you for your lovely blog == i look forward to coming back and reading it. i was conceived in nova scotia, which is not newfoundland, but close to those of us who live worlds away. i love the way you write and take pictures and i'm sorry for the loss of your friend. here's my post about the tiniest slice of this journey: http://peek.typepad.com/peek/2013/06/aching.html

Robyn said...

Rebecca, Thank you for coming by and for commenting, and especially thank you for leaving that link to you blog. I so enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your gorgeous photographs. You do live in a beautiful part of the world! I am sorry that your mother is at the end of her life - it is a beautiful, terrible time, but I can see that you know this very well.

Your daughter is wise far beyond her years!

I look forward to peeking in again on your life....