While waiting in the village of Lund for the water taxi to Savary Island, Diana Collicutt and I stop into Nancy’s Bakery for some second-to-none cranberry scones and take some photos while Sean McKinnon finishes loading the gear and supplies down the ramp. Treats in hand, Diana begins to tell me about their all-too-busy life — two full-time jobs, parenthood, two restoration projects in Powell River’s heritage townsite and a nearly complete waterfront cabin on Savary.

The moment I pull out my camera, Diana and Sean’s seven-year-old son, Neave, dives for the flowerbed. “Does it worry you that my camera might steal your soul?” I ask, looking to Diana for reassurance that it’s okay to take his photo.

With about a dozen others, we pile into the water taxi prepared to make the 1.8 km crossing of the north end of Georgia Straight. Diana tells me she’s taken two weeks off from her job as development clerk for the City of Powell River to wind down and de-stress. She’s hoping some time on Savary will restore her energy. But as I begin to think through all the logistics that have made it possible for a young family to own a cabin by the sea, I begin to wonder where she’ll find time to de-stress. Getting away is all in the mind, perhaps.

 

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