Sunday at David's

I was out the door at 9:20. I headed downtown to catch the bus to Horseshoe Bay. As I arrived at the stop, so did the bus. I took the slow bus (not the express) and enjoyed the quietness of Sunday morning. I had a window seat and no neighbour.

It was a short wait for the ferry and it was a quiet ride. I was not in a hurry, so I took the trails that paralleled the road as often as I could. It is about a forty-five minute walk to David’s and when I got there, he was working in his garden.

His garden is enormous. I looked up how big an acre is but I still have no idea how to describe its size; what is more important is that I have seen his land transformed from forest. Today, it is as he envisioned it would be; it has matured into a marvel I could not imagine when he described what he wanted to do when he bought the land some thirty years ago.

Yesterday was his and Aubin’s annual winter party and it was very crowded because everyone who knows David wanted to be there this year. Last summer, David discovered cancer in his mouth. The treatment was harsh but the invitation to the party was an indicator to us all that recovery was progressing very well. I arrived at noon.

At around three, the place was thick with guests so I retreated to his orangerie, David’s hybrid man cave/greenhouse in which his citrus fruit trees thrive, where fruits and nuts air dry and where there was delightful calm. Then I bid my adieus and left.

I walked back to the ferry terminal and once arrived back in Horseshoe Bay, the bus was waiting — this time, the express. Again, I had a window seat on the view side and it was heavenly to be whizzing along the highway with an unhindered view of the ocean knowing that incredible left overs awaited me from last night’s feast with friends.

The walk to David's from the ferry was lovely and quiet.

His lemons in the orangerie.

Aubin strikes a pose in front of just one table of food.
They laid out an incredible spread for the zillion guests
who came later in the afternoon.

David. He is a great friend whom I have known since the
mid nineteen seventies. He was, for a long time, my boss.
I love him. It's been such a privilege to be at his side all
through his incredibly productive and interesting life.