Listening

Every summer my family would go over to my Aunt Jean's cabin on Saturna Island. Which is in southern British Columbia's Gulf Islands, close to the San Juan Islands in Washington State. You had to transfer to a small ferry to get there, which made it rather isolated. Having no police it was a very popular place for the hippies who were into alternative life styles. At night listening to the transistor radio we could tune in to the Seattle radio stations which for us was really cool. Listening to the fast talking American disc jockeys playing all the hits of the time, 1969-70. Certain songs flash back in my memory, The Doors, "Light my fire" The Beatles"Hey Jude" The Rolling Stones "Lets spend the night together" The Guess Who "American Woman"and everything else of the time. Fine tuning the radio dial as the radio waves ebbed and flowed in a static buzz. Sitting at the beach with waves crashing in, the salt air blowing and the Sea gulls squawking. My brother brought over his record player and a few albums. The Beatles"While album" got played over and over and my first album, The Rolling Stones "Out of our heads" Which had my favourite song "Satisfaction" on it. It's funny the sensory memories that stick in my mind. The dreaded outhouse and the smell of gutted fish. I can still smell it. My Aunt Jean had a collection of paperbacks, old murder mysteries from the 1950's, that had that old stale musty glue smell. Showering in cold water at the end of the day, in slightly brown well water with an metallic hard taste. Looking at the stars at night, no city lights, just a big black sky with a million little dots.