Hornby Island and Radiohead Adventures

DEAR READERS,

To say that the last few weeks of August were great would be a lie. To say it was fabulous would be a lie. To say that the last week has been one of the most mind bendingly good experiences of my life is getting closer to the truth that was and still is, the memories still lingering fresh in my mind like a fragrant sea breeze wafting into ones nostrils on a fresh, late summer day. My whole reality has been changed and shaped differently, the snow globe of my world shook up and only now am I seeing all those little snow flakes tumble down, waiting to see where they land.

The genesis of this whole plan was about last year, when I heard Radiohead was going on tour. As I woke up at 4am on a March day, aching to get my hands on some presale tickets, and then, realizing they were not on sale yet, I trucked my computer to my job, and waited until about 6:30am. While making coffee and bagging pastries, I managed to buy 4 Vancouver BC tickets. My best friend Jacob had gotten into the part of Radioheads website that allowed him to get two Seattle tickets and two Vancouver tickets. My attempt at getting tickets for that show had failed. Figuring I could either sell the tickets I got for Vancouver, or go to both shows, a plan formed.

At some point in my more recent past, me, my father and his family went to a place called Hornby Island; an island only accessible by boats. This place rung so true with me, it was one of those few times when I realized all my friends would love this as well. And so, with tickets for a show already in Canada, it would be only a slight jaunt to go camping there as well.

Fast forward in time, past the point where I bought two tickets for my parents as a gift (NON presale, lawn tickets mind you), and another friend had bought another Vancouver ticket and this was the situation: mid August. Seven Vancouver tickets. Four Seattle tickets. Three friends, passports, and a minivan full of camping gear, and this plan for Hornby Island was in motion.

If you haven’t heard me pitch Hornby to you in person, here it goes in stilted text: a hippie and organic/holistic oasis, with a 1/4th mile long South-east facing beach, covered with pure white sand and shallow blue green water, with everyone following up nicely to the stereotype of friendly Canadians, and not only all this, but the warmest swimming water in the Northwest. It might be cold for California, but this is damn warm water if you’re from the Northwest. That isn’t even all of the amazing things of the island, but if I pitch it too great, your expectations might just be a little low for what you experience when you actually arrive there.

I was tempted to write a play-by-play, dramatic interpretation of everything that happened on this trip. But no. Perhaps by painting little portraits you can put together the larger mosaic of what this whole thing was like. When you’ve had such an amazing experience (for me, at least) that you can’t possibly explain but say “you just had to be there”, using words just aren’t good enough. So I will go down point by point about some interesting and amazing things that I discovered, or rediscovered.
• There is something amazing about waking up outside, with nothing but the blue sky over your head and the sun baking you in your sleeping bag. We stayed only where we found fit, and no real campgrounds. No mosquitoes, no crazy bugs, and even though you were knackered from the last night of partying before, because you’re up with the sun, you’re ready! You’re awake and alive! You’re there, up with this part of the world! Yea! And what do you do? You go for a swim. Smoke a joint. Talk to the locals or fellow travelers, or make breakfast. Anything you want, really. I discovered the beauty of not sleeping in.

• Phosphorescence. Nothing like taking off all your clothes in the moon light, and like being reborn in chilly, but warm nighttime water, dunking in and opening your eyes to sparkling green, neon colors flashing before your eyes. Even as you wade in, those little zoo and phytoplankton, irritated by this intruder, light up and dance around, illuminating everything around them in incandescent clouds of green. Even in the sand, as you stomped your foot down, a circle of green would illuminate the shape of your foot and linger, as if you were in a dream and everywhere you walked you irradiated green dust at your feet.

• Canadian girls. For one reason or another, physical beauty is unnaturally prevalent north of the boarder. And what else can I say? Canadian girls know how to have a good time. That's the spirit, and you know me. I think I’ll marry a few, one day, thus helping complete my goal of having a wife in every country of the world. Lolz.

• Rainbows. We saw them. Two at the same time, actually, as the sun ducked below the clouds and gave us a natural fireworks display.

• Skim boarding. Best conditions I’ve ever seen on Hornsby island for skim boarding, and we got pretty good. (Insert stoner hippy laugh here)

• Organic, local pizza. This place was GOOD. A small bakery/boutique store on the main road serving the most amazing food, and in particular, the most amazing pizza I’ve had. I'm not a huge fan of pizza… all that crust, all that cheese, all the grease. Not a fan. But this stuff tasted like the pizza my parents make; food that really nourishes you! I was very pleased.

• Cheap real estate with dwellings already on the land. This was very tempting. As J, C and I drank our daily (not half bad) americano's in the town center/co-op area, the real estate “booth” or small office caught our eye a few times. Good prices of decent sized pieces of land, good prices for smaller sized pieces of land with a house or studio/house built on them… my mental wheels started turning.

• Again, an inordinate amount of natural beauty in the people of that part of the world. Seriously, what is going on??

• Doing NOTHING. “Oh heaven/heaven is a place/a place where nothing/nothing ever happens/It’s hard to imagine/that nothing at all/could be so exciting/could be this much fun.” – Talking Heads “Heaven”

I just want you all to know that I am moving to Hornsby Island. Me, and a bunch of my friends are going to band together and together, invest in a large piece of land, build a farm and co-op community and support ourselves as the oil based infrastructure collapses. We’ll raise animals and grow food and do our various art. All of us has all we need, sky of blue sea of green, in our yellow, submarine!

After the island experience, we left those islands to go see Radiohead in Vancouver… Which was by all means, a religious experience for me. Cause you know me! :-p
We got to the front somehow, about 4-5 rows back in the pit, and it was PACKED. At points, you could lift your feet up and be still standing. Amazing show though, just such a good, tight band. Hearing their studio stuff is one thing. And hearing their live recordings is another, but seeing and hearing that… it’s pretty unreal a band can be that good live. Thom Yorke yelled at crazy people in the crowd “Take it easy now guys…” and at a heckler in the crowd “Shut the fuck up. You teenagers don’t get out much” And at some moshers “who the fuck do you think we are? Rage Against the Machine??” It rained, especially hard at the “rain down” bit in Paranoid Android. SPEAKING OF WHICH, at the last encore Thom said “this is the last song… and ~*~*you the viewers~*~* get to pick the song..” People going nuts “… between, Idioteque” crowd going crazy “… or Paranoid Android.” Crowd going completely foaming-at-the-mouth bonkers. Then the played Paranoid Android. My favorite song J

The Seattle show was amazing and tight as well (big surprise for Radiohead). This show was with my Mom and stepfather, and Jacob and I pushed our way to basically the front of a very calm, spacious crowd. Although they were NOT happy with our pushing, they didn’t do anything about it but bitch in passive aggressive ways (typical Washingtonians). Great view, and watch this amazing clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKAdZwiXQUQ

Enjoy the pictures. Hope you’re all well and great.

Love,
-e



EDIT: PICTURES COMING AS SOON AS I GET A MASS RESIZING TOON