I am lucky enough to know someone with a family cabin on Hernando Island. It is a small, privately owned, sandy oasis at the mouth of Desolation Sound, just off Lund, BC. I have been graciously invited a few times and have enjoyed the special magic of the island, so much so that I won’t say much about it here. Some places are too special to say much about.

This summer I spent just two nights there in a tent while four months pregnant. I was past the really-tired stage, and not quite yet at the too-big-to-get-comfortbale stage, so this was the ideal time for some camping. It was also early August, so that helps make things comfortable. Additional bonus for Hernando – it’s dry, and free of any threatening or inconvenient wildlife. The bird song is intense, and there may be a handful of deer on the island, but wolves and bears seem to stay away.

The sea life, however, is an amazing sight. Seals, jellyfish, oysters, clams, geoduck, shrimp and crabs abound. You can spend hours and days just beachcombing. The island is very quiet, the water is very warm, and on a sunny day you can forget altogether where you are.  On this last trip in summer 2012, my partner Jon and I enjoyed the water and the sand for an afternoon. I gathered a few fresh oysters from the rocks, and opened one with trepidation. All of the food-rules and pregnancy restrictions fell away while I drank down that oyster. Heaven.