Hot today...over 30 in the shade on the back deck. We were called over to the west side of the island this afternoon to lend our hands to the annual Bluewater neighbourhood Super Soaker Fight. There was something like 30 kids and adults, divided into two teams armed with all manner of squirt gun technology, water balloons, gardening equipment, cups and buckets taking on each other in mortal combat limited only by the amount of water we had to draw out of the rain barrel or from the hose trickling run-of-the-stream creek water into emptied spray gun resevoirs.

It was a battle that was not about staying dry, but rather about trying not to be humilated with a skillfully designed and executed attack. The height of good form was having a couple of kids draw an adult out with some smaller water guns and then have another adult sneak up behind them and pour a bucket of muddy rain barrel water over their head. I thought our side was especially good at this kind of tactic, although I certainly took my share of well executed soakings.

It must have seemed strange to see thirty people drenching each other while the Bluewater Water System has a water use restriction on due to our recent hot weather, but we were very water conscious. All of the water we were using had been drawn from the creek or a rain barrel especially filled for the occaision. Our hosts Ray and Lisa were very accomodating with their water, Lisa's garden got nicely freshened up, and we all cooled off in the most delightful way possible.

We ended our evening tonight at Bowen Bay, mixing with friends on the beach, munching an improvised supper of potato salad, tomatoes, Boursin cheese and baguette and swimming in the ocean.

This is it. This is the heart of summer in the Salish Sea, and we're relishing every minute of it.




posted by Chris at 11:45 PM | |