Friendships

There is a Girl Scout song I learned many years ago that becomes more precious to me the older I get. It is simple and true and goes like this: "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver but the other gold." ( If you were in scouting you can probably even hear the tune!) My life/our life is enriched by the many people who we are grateful to call friends...some new and some old!  If I were to make a list of all the names of our friends, it would be a long list of blessings! Your name would appear there!

Let me tell you what the last two weeks have brought me in the way of "friend" gifts.  Two emails came from friends that we hadn't heard from for quite a while...one from a dear friend from our Baxter days, and one from another sweet friend from our Big Pine Key years in Florida.  Then, a real surprise was a "friend request" on Facebook from an Irish girl that we had spent wonderful time together hiking in Nepal (about 25 years ago.). It made me feel rich in my heart, and grateful to be connected with these wonderful people in my memory.

On September 12, two other gifts arrived on Campobello Island. As you know, this has been our summer camping home.  Our dear friends, Janet and Harriet came to spend a week with us in Canada.  Harriet's husband Nick decided not to come and to let the "hens" have their party!  We just couldn't wait for their visit.  They rented a cabin on the water and the week began!

Lovely views from their porch.

Even in the fog.

We enjoyed some of the special offerings of the island like a trip through Franklin D. Roosevelts and family summer home.

And a very special interpretive program called "Tea with Eleanor" held at another of the big houses built by the wealthy around the turn of the last century.  (This is not to be missed if visiting the island)

We also visited the Eagle Hill Bog and enjoyed seeing, reading and hiking on the boardwalk.

Of course, we visited the Head Harbor Lighthouse. Janet hiked over to check it out! She is just above the ladder.

One other big experience we hoped to have was a whale watching trip.  This took several days to materialize because the fog came in and didn't leave for three days.  Finally, the captain said "we are going out". So hear we go! The blue one on the end of the wharf was ours!

 

We saw a lot of Harbor porpoises feeding on schools of herring, and lots of seals.

The captain took us to all the hotspots he knew but NO whales.  We did see lots of sea birds like this (sketch of a)Razorbill, and many Gray and Harbor seals like the ones above hauled out on the rocks.

He tried and tried and it seemed like we were about to head back when we spotted a Finback whale spouting about three hundred yards away.  We saw it make about three to five surfaces with spouting, but I missed the picture so had to settle for a quick sketch.  It was really a magnificent sight and a grand finale to our trip.

We did learn that the Finback is the second largest mammal on earth, next to the Blue whale.

In between the activities we shared and the meals we enjoyed, we had those very special moments that only happen between dear friends.  We connect yet again in that very special way.  We have been friends for over fifty years, and they have shared all my adult milestones. And they have been OUR friends for over thirty years!

The respect, the care, the shared history all come together for that moment and it reverberates through the years.  "Yes, this person matters to me and I matter to her".  It has an eternal ring to it.  "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver but the other gold". 

                                                      We cherish every one!