“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” … Chinese Proverb
Linda’s mom and aunt visited us in late June, and we had a wonderful time showing them around the island. It had been quite a few years since either of them had been in the San Juans. Linda’s mom used to come and work with us each summer when we owned Deer Harbor Resort and Marina, and we all have really fond memories of our time together here in the islands.
One evening we had the opportunity to go to Lime Kiln Point State Park to watch a beautiful sunset and to hear the City Cantabile Choir who perform at the park each year around the summer solstice. They may be the only group who sings to an audience that may not attend because they sing to the orca whales. Unfortunately this year the “audience” didn’t show, but we humans all enjoyed the performance anyway. The evening closed with all of us singing Amazing Grace, and even though we did not see orca whales that night, I could not help but feel how grateful and graced I am to be able to live in this incredible place.
Here is an example of orca whale vocalizations – these are calls and whistles used by orcas when communicating between family members. This is a link to a really incredible webpage with more information and examples of different types of whale songs.
The orcas too have a song to sing. I hope we are listening to them.
