“Helicopter Steve" Heskamp

On Saturday morning I looked at the Salt Spring Exchange newsletter that gets deposited into my email account and was shocked and then filled with sadness to read that Helicopter Steve died on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

I have thought in the days since about whether it would be okay or not to write anything about him on here because I did not know him well. But I do recall at least one meaningful interaction with him that has stuck with me all these years later. 

Of course this was a long time ago now, probably in 2010, so I do not know the circumstances of his life in the present or in the years since I left the island.

On one of the days he came into the employment centre where I worked, he told me he was trying to decide whether to continue to try and get helicopter assignments or not and it felt like a difficult decision. I could feel and hear that he was really struggling with it.

I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, one of his concerns was that he had some ethical issues about being the person to deposit people to mining projects and other projects that had environmental impacts. On the other side of the decision was his ability to make good money should he continue doing that work.  

He did apply for the job then, and he did go back to flying helicopters. I do not now how long that lasted or where the work took him at that time but it did seem like a good decision in terms of its financial impact on his life.

When I read what his sister and a friend wrote on the Exchange in separate postings, it was, as they described, his way of being, his openness and generous spirit, his childlike and philosophical nature, and his smile that were some of the qualities he had that stayed with me after I met him. 

One time at Moby’s on a Saturday night all those years ago, I recall Tal Bachman and his band then (no Randy) playing and the dance floor was packed. I remember being near Steve, all his limbs swinging  wildly, and I think he may have even had on rubber boots. In my memory, he almost looked like a helicopter in his movements. It was such a fun evening.

Here is what his sister wrote in the Salt Spring Exchange: https://saltspringexchange.com/list/good-bye-helicopter-steve-known-to-his-family-as-stephen-john-heskamp/

A friend of his wrote something as well: https://saltspringexchange.com/list/obituary-helicopter-steve-heskamp/ 

His celebration of life is at The Local on Sunday, Sept. 28 at noon, a corrected date from what was originally published.

I'm sure his island friends will have a lot of interesting memories, and definitely a few beers, to ease their sorrow a little bit.

Mayne Island visit and memories

I always find it interesting how each Southern Gulf Island in B.C. has a very different vibe. Mayne Island has one of the most chill vibes. You can feel your shoulders lower within an hour of being there. It's so relaxing once you're there, it's hard not to want to nap.

I visited my friends Donna and Eric who have lived on the island for more than 25 years and it was so nice to get out of James Bay in Victoria, take in their mini Saturday market where Donna sells her jewellery and photo cards and visit the busiest place in town, their Thrift Store. We then drove out to Bennett Bay and took a stroll out to the point looking down onto the beach. We hung out in their backyard, which for me, as a non land owner, is a total luxury. Later on, we went down to Reef Bay and went swimming in the ocean before dinner where other locals had gathered for a dip on the small beach. Being the citified one, I had on water shoes Donna had given me during a previous visit to keep any little crabs from potentially gnawing on my toes. I thought back to my visit in 2023 when Donna and I were enjoying an ocean swim and then spotted two seals heading straight for us and we freaked out and scrambled out of the water as fast as we could in a moment of terror. Silly girls!

The three of us took a walk to Georgina Point early Sunday morning and sat on the new benches and  took in the ever spectacular views across to Galiano where a ferry was already working. They relayed stories of some of the people they knew, including themselves, who managed to live rent-free in caretaker positions, a reality that is almost impossible to come by now. With the onslaught of new property owners, many of them very part-time, the island they used to know, has shifted.

We went back home and puttered. Donna cut my hair in a chair in their backyard which is a luxury in itself, to have a friend fussing over your hair, snipping here and there. I didn't care how it turned out, I just loved the intimacy of the experience.  Donna made lunch and we relocated to their side deck. I took a look at an incredible photo album of all the wooden boats Eric has made in the past and got a peek into his workshop, don't call it a Man Cave. His "library" is full of books, and some incredibly detailed sketches he did in his earlier years, photos of boats, record albums and a t.v. which Donna forbids from "her house." He built the whole house with his own hands (with her help) but she's in charge! Early Sunday afternoon we went for a walk in the forest near the Mayne Island Brewery which I didn't even know existed and it was nice to see a newish spot to me, full of locals and tourists alike at the tables positioned throughout the yard.

I have so many memories of Mayne. My mom first took my brother and I there when we were maybe nine or 10 years old. A friend of hers, had a cabin on the island for a time. In my late twenties, I went there with Will before spending the majority of our time at Ruckle Park on Salt Spring. I also took more than a few cycling day trips in my thirties with a friend I knew then, Glenys. Our real excuse for all that exercise was to end up on the deck of the now closed Springwater Lodge for a beer, a burger and fries, and the view. I so wish someone with tons of money would buy that place and fix it up because I think it has to be one of the best views in all the Gulf Islands, right at the start of Active Pass and it's part of so many Mayne Island memories for so many people, good and bad, I'm guessing.

I think about the time I rented some tiny shack above Horton Bay and had to cycle there not realizing how far it was from the ferry, and the challenge of the gravel road that climbed up to reach it. My friend Colleen came to visit and I know she must have been swearing out loud with every push on the pedals, given that she wasn't in the regular habit of riding a bike. I made at least one trip on my own on my old fluorescent pink and lime green mountain bike, and I took a break at Georgina Point. I was lying down and suddenly  heard another person yell the distinct, "Whales" and as I sat up, I spotted at least four whales, moving fast with one of them stopping to spyhop. It was spectacular because of how close they were.

There was the time pre-Covid, maybe 2018, I walked 22,000 steps because I wanted to get out of Victoria, and so once I got to the island, I walked to the little village then took a break and had some food. I then kept walking down to Geogina Point where the lighthouse is. After a rest, I walked down to Bennett Bay and back in one day before walking back to the ferry to come back to the city. That is a Forrest Gump amount of walking for one day for me. I did love the feeling of freedom that comes from movement, walking along the side of the road there, admiring Arbutus trees and ravens and inhaling the dry grasses and the sounds of the birds and the peace. It's an experience I think everyone should have: Walking only with your thoughts as company on a Gulf Island in the forest, along the beach, on the side of a road where you'll notice things you never would in a car.

Come to a think of it, here's a book recommendation: The Old Ways; A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane, 2012.

A quick catch up at Sacred Mountain Lavender

I did a quick trip to Salt Spring this past week to drop off more of my books to Adina at Salt Spring Books and to take advantage of the time to see a friend for a short visit so that we could go to Sacred Mountain Lavender or more specifically she could drive me before depositing me back to the ferry.

There's quite major road construction coming out of Ganges to the south. I believe they are widening the road and putting in a bike lane to make it safer for cyclists which could mean a delay if you're a tourist who isn't aware of such things and thinking of visiting. On that day our wait was minimal.

I've always had a love of Sacred Mountain Lavender because of good memories when I first attended the lavender festival they used to put on many years ago. Unfortunately, because of popularity, and the impact of having too many people wandering around near their home, they have closed the lower field which was my favourite so I was a little disappointed about that. But the real purpose of my visit was to  pick up some more of their high quality products, especially the lavender spritzer and the oil, and I just like to be there, to linger in the fields. 

Lavender forces you to inhale, slow down, and dream. You want to linger and take in the colour purple at the height of the season.

It gave us a chance to catch up, savour some tasty lavender tea and sit for a while in the peace on a weekday afternoon.

If you're curious about all the products they sell, and can't get to the island, you can order off their website: https://sacredmountainlavender.com/lavender-shop/

That way you can keep one of summer's favourite and historic herbal scents around you, or on you, throughout the year.