SQUIRREL COVE, SECOND DAY
There we were…I was sitting
on the bow reading and David was in the galley cooking dinner…when a harbor
boat came up close to us and someone yelled, “Nice boat”. This does happen often… curious people cruise
by to get a closer look at the boat, but there was something about that voice…
It turned out that our
visitors were former dock neighbors on the Fraser River,
Bruce and Anita! We had not seen them
for over a year, and they had BIG news to share with us. They had purchased 7 ½ acres of land right
here in Squirrel Cove and were in the process of building a cabin.
After visiting for a while with
them and their grandson, Aidan, we headed over to their “little piece of
heaven” diagonally across from the market. What really sold them this property
was the 50 foot dock and ramp that came with it. Their loyal boat, WestBerg,
was tied to their dock looking quite at home.
We were given a tour of the
grounds and construction project. What
an incredible spot they have overlooking their sweet cove. They had cut down,
stripped and hauled into place 9 huge fir log timbers for their cabin. These
massive logs provide the vertical structure to their 24X24 cabin. This is
considered a secondary building so there were size restrictions. If down the
line they decide to build a primary residence, it can be as large as they
want.
It's a good start!
We were going to head out of
Squirrel Cove this morning but instead took a short jaunt to their dock and
rafted along side them. They very generously shared their well water with us so
we could fill our fresh water tank. When the tide is low, Anita promises a
beach for clam digging and oysters. Should be quite a feast tonight!
Well, Anita sure came through
with her promise! We barely had to sweep
away the pebbles to reach the mud and clams started popping out all over! I had never been clam digging before, but
David had and he kept commenting, “I have never seen so many clams in one scoop
before!” We were so excited...like little kids... and came away with a large bucketful. We gathered some of those yummy oysters, as well.
David on a clam hunt
The crustacean feast that
night was unbelievable! David was beside
himself as he shucked the oyster shells, applied the hot sauce and let them
slide on down. I am not an oyster fan so just concentrated my efforts on the
olive bread that Anita had picked up fresh that day. Aidan had whipped up some
ratatouille for us that was delicious.
He had promised us lingcod but, try as he might, he couldn’t land one
for us. As a young fisherman, he sure
showed patience and perseverance.
Happy Hunters
Bruce very generously loaned
us some of his charts which we were not able to purchase before the trip. We
have a book of charts and lots of informational books, but were not able to
find the official Canadian charts. Our having his charts assures him and Anita
that there will be a return visit on our way back to New Westminster…lucky for us!
Anita suggested we exchange
books which was such a great idea. We now have several new additions to our
library and room to put them. She shared Disordered Minds by Minette
Walters with us, and I don’t want to put it down.
Clam chowder tonight!
A great evening with friends and shellfish
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