TRANQUILITY BASE
In July of 1969 man set foot on the moon for the first time. Their craft landed in the crater known as “The Sea of Tranquility”. And so, they named their landing site “Tranquility Base”.
This painting image was found within the very depths of the Covid Pandemic of 2020. A group of us had escaped the oppressive weight of imposed isolation by traveling together to The Sunshine Coast Lodge up in Pender Harbour. We’d rented several rooms and brought our own canoes and kayaks. We met outside, we ate outside and we paddled the beautiful waters of Pender Harbour all with appropriate social distancing. But we escaped! For a time, we could laugh, enjoy meals, play and visit, away from the constant internal noise that is the community silence of social shutdown.
We felt freedom, if only for a few days together.
As we paddled the calm waters of Gunboat Bay, the sun warmed and comforted us. It was an idyllic time on the water together. Then it came into view. The little rustic gazebo on the point stood proudly in its environment. It was obviously a place of peace and calm, a place that has provided solace to those fortunate enough to use it for many years. But, by its very presence it gave the same to me as we relaxed in our canoe. I felt the serenity and the calm. And so we just drifted in our canoe for a few minutes as I took photographs. Though I wish we could have languished under the cover of the gazebo, its peaceful aura touched me even on the water.
Our Paddle Club has a penchant for naming places we paddle to. Not found on any nautical chart, these very meaningful names tell us exactly what we’re referring to when we use a particular name. Only as I completed the painting did the name come to me. To me, it’s obvious. I had felt the magical touch of that structure on the point. To me, whenever I think of this special Pender Harbour location and the weather worn gazebo on the point, I’ll always refer to it as “TRANQUILITY BASE”.
