a treat...for your patience...

Full Moons in May...

There are two full moons scheduled for this May.

We can pretty much assume that they’ll arrive on time.

As will their effects.

Who knows what this will bring?

Thinking about it reminds me of a full moon in May experience from about twenty years ago.

It begins during a drive through the Laurentian Mountains, from Montreal to PEI, on a winding, roller coaster-like road, alongside a fast rushing river, sweeping through granite and scrubby pine chasms, while the clearest moon I’ve ever seen followed our sightline for hours.

It wasn’t even 100% full. The official full moon was fifteen hours away. But, it sure had the look going for it. Really incredible…the road was less traveled, allowing us to drive along at a leisurely pace, heat on, windows open, music filling the van, and the surrounding chasms...creating an echo, over the sounds of Van Morrison, with the whoosh, and splash of rushing water coursing through…way friggin’ cool.

It must have lasted four, or five hours. We finally came to a place where the leisurely pace was no longer possible, and the moon had gone behind the highest parts of the rocky terrain. It was early AM, we’d been on the road since Montreal, had taken turns driving…snoozing, and saw no reason not to continue without sleep.

Ozone levels remained high, while full moon fever, and the amazing resonance of musical echoes, infused with river sounds generated a brilliant sense of clarity…big fun, eh?

Next stop, the Ferry from Moncton NB to Summerside PEI.

Upon arriving, we were faced with a view across the Northumberland Strait, of PEI enveloped in something beyond fog. There was a giant snowstorm, black as night, sitting directly over PEI, dumping thirty inches of unbelievably heavy snow.

The temperature in Moncton was approaching 60 degrees Farenheit. Stations on PEI had recorded low 70’s the day before. Yipes!

The Ferry didn’t leave for hours. Watching the storm, about 11 miles away, over the Strait, you could clearly see the precipitation, glistening through the low angles of morning Sun…beneath a billowing, roiling black cloud…almost as cool as the moon…don’tcha think?

By the time we disembarked at Summerside, temps were above 50, the Sun was blazingly clear, and the snow was visibly melting into a liquid fog, and dissipating upward so fast that it swirled.

The snow depth was going down…right before our eyes.

We drove to The Poetical Asylum, parked at the roadside, trekked into the property through about two feet of slushy Pea Soup Snow Fog, until the clearing.

Clothes off, running and rolling through the snow, into the 70 degree waters of Malpeque Bay…howling like damn fools.

Within a few hours, the ground was bare of snow, with fast moving rivulets everywhere.

Soon, the highest ground was passable for the van. We drove in, settled ourselves, and smiled ‘til it hurt.

As night fell, and the really full moon rose, there came a howling from the next parcel of land. I knew from previous visits that there was an Indian Reservation on this land.

Running between The Asylum, and The Reservation is a brackish tidal creek, which opens into Malpeque Bay.

The full moon had brought a run of smelt into the creek. The Indians were catching them by hand, like Grizzly Bears, and tossing the fish into large plastic trash bags...while howling at the moon like peyote crazed coyotes. They’d squeeze each fish for signs of milt, and toss back the males. I spent the next several hours joining in.

It was amazingly easy to focus, and grab a fast moving fish from the water. Of course, there were about ten bazillion of them. It wasn’t exactly catch, or die of starvation…but, it was funner than all hell.

All compliments of one full moon in May…can’t wait to see what a May with two brings.