Taking a Break on Orcas Island...
The thick dense fog hovers over the lake's surface. The sun glistens through the illuminated leaves around Cascade Lake. It's a gentle summer morning on Orcas Island and my mind isn't focused on my next film or what big adventure is coming next but on the glassy stillness of the water interrupted by my stand-up paddleboard paddle. I actually don’t really think about much when I'm out here. The idealism of the adventure filmmaker lifestyle can often have me looking towards the future but it's important for me to find calm moments of reflection in my hometown.
Hometown Conversations
When I walk around main street on Orcas Island it's not uncommon for me to find a dozen people I know. I see Mimi running her flower shop at the farmer's market, fresh flowers plucked straight from the farm that morning. I chat with Luke as he makes the best cup of coffee on the island at Teezers. I'll bump into former soccer coaches, church elders, childhood friends with their babies and my old woodshop teacher. The conversations in this town are sweet. We talk about how Portofino's (our local pizza shop) isn't above Cons (our local convenience store) but has moved down the street. We laugh about things happened 15 years ago and marvel at how so much, and so little, has changed on the island. The stories shared are over mutual small town things. Nobody asks about Outside Magazine or Netflix or Garmin. Conversations aren’t about when I got trapped in Morocco, accidentally hit a shark kayaking in Tahiti or getting heat stroke alone in Mexico.
The woman that owned the bakery in town and watched me grow up is more interested to hear about my happiness than anything I've accomplished in my industry. That's why I love Orcas Island. I get to be me here. I get to take a break from computer screens, client feedback sessions, pitch decks, contracts and serious conversations to learn about my childhood best friend's new cabin in the woods. Seriously though… Jack’s cabin is amazing!
I’m more than what I do for work
Filmmaking is great. Don't get me wrong, I do love it but there is more to me than what I do for work. Taking a kayak straight out to sea from my front door and paddling at sunset on the Salish Sea is just a small reminder of that. Life for me is about people. It's about community. It's about seeing pretty things. It's about feeling loved and giving love in return. Sure, I feel really fortunate that I'm able to do what I do for my job but regardless of the position, everybody needs a break...
To give a glimpse into what these breaks on Orcas Island are all about for me, this is a poem I wrote a few years ago that may provide some insight into what this place means for me…
When I Say I'm an Islander
Written September 9th, 2015 by Roo Smith
When I say I’m an islander I say it with pride
I mean more than where I come from, I mean more than where I reside
I was raised in love and kindness from a community so sweet
From teachers to preachers, and bakers on main street
Orcas Island is my home but it’s also so much more
Wherever I go, my roots spread back to these rocky blue shores
When I say I’m an islander I’m more than somebody surrounded by water
Every adult treats every child like their son or their daughter
When I played on the sports fields, the whole community cheered me on
When they act in community theatre, it’s a standing ovation for every song
I was raised by a diverse, wonderful island population
That will greet me by name every time I visit 1 of the 2 gas stations
When I say I’m an islander I am a young man bred by the sea
When I say I’m an islander I mean I’ve been spoiled by the beauty
When I say I’m an islander, it’s where I find my home
Out in nature with my favorite people in the whole entire world.
When I say I’m an islander I say it with pride
because I know that forever it’ll be heaven in my mind
Connect with Roo
Roo is a commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has produced films for Outside Magazine in Ireland, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador, directed videos with professional climbers in Mexico and has received notable recognition in his hometown of Orcas Island in Washington State for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.
