Cascadia

dusk

–noun
1. the state or period of partial darkness between day and night; the dark part of twilight.
2. partial darkness; shade; gloom: She was barely visible in the dusk of the room.

This evening, my nearly four-year-old son and I excitedly got prepared for an adventure. We had a good dinner, we did our chores and took an extra-long nap so that at dusk we could go out to the West Side of San Juan to watch the Canada Day fireworks in Victoria.

We arrived during the sunset at San Juan County Park. The sky was fiery pink providing a spectacular silhouette of the central Vancouver Island mountains.

We turned the Subaru off and I crawled out of the drivers seat and opened the rear passenger door. My son excitedly asked, "is this where the fireworks are gonna be daddy?" Knowing there were campers all around I told him to use his inside voice so he would not bother anyone... he said "OK daddy".

After shutting the doors he grabs my finger and we slowly walk through the field toward the fallen Madrona tree (it fell 10 years ago...shortly before my wedding--I remember...people got in trouble for taking pieces of it). Before we got half way there a voice from behind us said "at this time of night it is quite time here and your child's voice is so loud that it could bother the other campers"... I turned to see a woman and noted several dogs barking around the grounds, multiple camp fires with people laughing and generally enjoying themselves...

I apologized and replied that we would be quiet and that we'd already talked about using our quiet voices.

But I asked who I was speaking to because the woman looked to be a camper as she had no ranger uniform, badge or any other marking? She said that indeed she was the Camp manager.

The Camp manager then asked me if I was a camper. As I try to be an honest person and a good example to my son, I truthfully stated that I was not a camper and had just driven down to watch the fireworks with my son. To this she responds "...well then, I'm going to have to ask you to leave as the park is closed after dusk..."

We were all facing the brilliant pink horizon (see definition of dusk above) and I reply "...we are still in 'dusk'..." The Camp Manager repeats that she is asking that I leave now and that she has had a hard time with 'the locals'.

Now, I am a 36 year old father. My son, who admittedly used his outside voice at first, just wanted to see the fireworks. He immediately turns to me and asks is she making us leave daddy? Why is she making us leave?

At this point I am frustrated. But what angers me most is that she begins to complain to a camper standing there listening about how she does not make the rules as if she has no responsibility to interpret, assess risk and basically take responsibility.

Trying to control my frustration and prior to driving away into the dusk I share my thoughts with the Camp Manager and the camper that of all the rules to be a stickler about, this was one to extend grace and understanding.

As I pull out of the parking lot I only hope that she heard my sons cry..."daddy, why did she make us leave?"

San Juan County Park is my park. It is our park. Rules that site "dusk" are meant to be interpreted. If I were drunk and had 14 dogs running around everywhere..."dusk" my expulsion is understandibl. A father-son outing to the West-side to watch the Canada Day fireworks is not a threat to anyone and we should not have been rudely asked to leave...

...the one bright spot was that it was a learning opportunity for my son...that even when people are mean, we need to be respectful...