It is a bella tradition that wherever Lesli and I travel we pack a bellaball with us, and when the moment feels ‘right’ we release it. Our belief in destiny, and that particular bella ending up in just the right hands at just the right moment is what the beauty of the bellaball is all about.
Somewhere in Oregon, or perhaps all the way to the Pacific Ocean by now a bella is looking for its new home.
Just off the stern, port side a pink diamond ‘Classic fig’ bella bobs on the Willamette River.
Feeling the need to escape the concrete jungle, I hopped into my convertible last weekend and decided to go wherever the breeze blew my sails. Originally, Santa Cruz and learning to surf was my destination. With that in mind I headed south, pink diamond bellaball sitting on the seat beside me.
The journey from Tacoma, WA to Santa Cruz, CA is 13.5 hours according to Google maps. I thought I’d split this up by driving to Eugene and stopping to visit my niece. She’s always full of energy and a lot of fun. My call to her yielded the following invite: No, she wouldn’t be in Eugene, but perhaps I would like to come to Bend to jet-ski with her and her friend? Fantastic! I headed south then east, and pulled into Bend about 2 a.m. The next morning I woke to a new world. I was now in a beautiful desert scene, flanked by snow-capped mountains. We headed to Lake Billy Chinook, a gorgeous basalt-surrounded canyon lake. We had a wonderful day laughing and pulling each other around the lake on an inner tube. I though about letting the bella go there, in the lake, but something held me back.
Later that weekend I said good-bye to my niece and my new-found friend and headed north. An interesting sign “Aurora Historical Antique Area” piqued my interest. I pulled the car off the road and followed the signs to the most beautiful, quaint town with amazing antiques. I bought some letters in an architectural salvage yard that spelled “LIFE IS NOW”, and went into a tavern to order some lunch. Perusing my cell phone, I decided to return some calls from the past months (I’ve been busy!). I call to my friend Capt’n Brad found that he and three others were about to launch their boat 1/2 hour from where I was!
I got directions to the boat launch, changed into my suit and eyed the pink diamond bella.…HERE was its destiny. I tucked it into my beach bag along with some sunblock and a towel. We enjoyed a beautiful day cruising the Willamette, and went to some amazing falls where fishermen were reeling in sturgeon. One young fisherman, probably about 13 or 14 proudly held up his catch after Capt’n Brad inquired if they had caught anything. It felt straight from a Hemmingway novel.
At the end of the cruise, with the dock in sight I quietly slipped my bella into the water, sending with it the blessing for a wonderful life to whomever finds it.
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