Julee at Bowen

A few weekends ago, I went on a last-minute solo 36-hour getaway to Bowen Island.

My friend Laurel has a little cottage over there, and no one was staying there at the time, so I managed to secure childcare for Abigail (while the other three were still in school), and took off for some much-needed solitude.

I left on a Sunday evening, and had already started decompressing by the time I drove onto the ferry, with such a nice view of mountains and ocean.

Here's the landing on Bowen Island, called Snug Cove harbour.

On Laurel's back porch.

View from the other part of her back porch.

A simple, but beautiful cottage.

First the feet went up.

Then the shoes came off entirely.

One of the best parts of being at Laurel's is that I'm only cooking for myself.  That means I can buy and bring and eat whatever I want, whenever I want. 

And I get to prepare it and eat it without being interrupted, listening to anyone complain, or needing to get up at any point to get anything for anyone.  I cannot overstate how awesome that is.

I ate the above dinner my first night there, and then I watched the sunset on the porch.  Followed by going to bed promptly at 10 pm.  What luxury!

Breakfast the next morning.

They have a nice 4 km trail around Killarney Lake.  I ran it once and then continued around a second time, running just for 1 km and then walking the last 3 km.

Big stumps.

Boardwalk.

View of the lake.

Another view of the lake.

I spent the afternoon lying in the hammock, holding my book.  I can't say I really read much of it, though.  Mostly I just daydreamed.  Again, such a luxury.

Walk down to the nearby beach after dinner.

Clouds, mountains, ocean.

Lots of sailboats out.

Sunset from Laurel's back porch the second night, then up early and back home in the morning.

Really, I think it would take about 40 days and 40 nights - hey, it's Biblical - of solitude for me to feel re-charged, but I'm grateful for what I can get.