The message the Left to Writers chose to spell out with our painted shells on a beach on Bowen Island was,
The hula-dancing monkey comes out with the sun.
The same might be said of their creativity, the power of which made itself felt as the writing group traipsed all over the sunlit isle. The day had begun early, but by the time Christianne drove off the ferry into Snug Cove, everyone was ready to give those pencils a workout. First we stopped for drinks and pastries and the Snug Cove Cafe, and mused over Hannah’s provocation: “There is a pink place on a street that you should get to know…” Piling back into the van, we drove to a lovely meadow for more writing inspiration, only to be distracted along the way by the most beautiful assembly of foxgloves – frolicking was necessitated! Once arrived, we all dreamed up tales that involved Ron John, the hula-dancing monkey in response to Malia’s provocation. The drive back saw us all leap out of the car in order to pick ripe salmonberries, and ended in a beautiful beach where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and shell hunting. A mystery of sorts developed, as all over that shore the ocean had coughed up fruits and vegetables – what was it doing there? where was it from? One particularly cheerful lemon captured the Left to Writers’ imagination; he was dubbed Lemarr, and became an honorary member of our clan. One more beach, Juliana’s writing provocation to imagine the secret life of a stranger, and delicious ice creams rounded out what had been a wonder of a day. But the best part of all was the trust between Malia, Jualiana, Hannah, Sabrina and Gemma that allowed them to share their work openly with one another; it was such a pleasure to be part of this group, even if only for the day!