Gordon River

I’ve been practicing gratitude every morning since my son has been born.

I take a conscious moment to be thankful to be on this beautiful crazy journey.

I’m thankful for our health.  My husband.  My son.  Our little cabin to call home.  Making a living doing what we love.  That endless Ocean.

I’m beginning to understand why people ask me how I’m doing since becoming a mother.  It is the biggest emotional experience I’ve ever gone through.  Words can barely scratch the surface.  My greatest Teacher.

I feel like I’ve totally transformed and yet have just awakened a part of me that has always been there.

This year for my 35th birthday, I’m proud to announce River Jones Harrison to the world, and my small business, that I created from my heart, is now a family.  🙂

We decided to take little 2 1/2 month old Riv on a canoe adventure.  After weeks of research and realizing we’re getting older because canoe’s cost hundreds of dollars now!  We found the perfect one.

There is a gorgeous piece of land that runs along a gorgeous river that we are dreaming of buying to build our lodge.  And in lieu of such celebrations, we set up camp there.  The first day we managed to piece ourselves together (listen up people; your life will change when you have children!  And every tiring moment doesn’t come close to the love you will learn.).  The next day we saw some friends in town and went on a really nice walk down Mill Bay trail on a low tide.  It was beautiful.  It looked like Tofino and the Oregon coast; towering rock islands sticking up out of the ocean, mussels galore, an underwater cave, bright orange sea snails.  That night back at camp we buried a chicken under the fire for dinner and ate it with some chocolate cheesecake and wine.

The next day we went on a great canoe adventure up the Gordon River. It began with more carrying the canoe over slippery rocks than we were hoping for but the beauty of the deep, clear aqua blue pools along the way made it worth the effort.  On the way back, I pointed out a small estuary detour to take and in hindsight, it must have been my instinct that told me.  It was amazing, calm, big mossy tree’s overhanging the sandy banks, elk tracks and way better footing for the portage.  I carried River in a front pack balanced with a back pack and Luke carried the canoe on his head.

We found pristine swimming and fishing holes and I wondered, who owns the property on the other side of the river? We made it back to camp in 4 hours and cooked strip loins and asparagus on the fire before tearing down.  We experienced the usual gloom to leave such a paradise, and yet left with a feeling we will see the old man carved in that tree for years to come.