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Monday 11 February 2019

In the village

We visit the village at least once every summer but a recent mild and calm winter morning drew us out of the house to Victoria-by-the-Sea. The little fishing village in Prince Edward Island is a tourist attraction every summer, as visitors flock to its streets lined with colourful homes, boutiques or the theatre, a vibrant part of community life.


The village is bordered by farmer’s fields while along the wharf, boats may be unloading their catches as they were this past summer when we visited.





The seafood available in the restaurants doesn’t get much fresher.


On this winter day, the sea is frozen from the shoreline as far as the eye can see. The bay, which last summer was home to a flock of Great blue herons, looks like a white wasteland.






Another difference in the village is the rock along the shoreline this winter. An old concrete wall had been breached a number of times by violent storms and was the worse for wear. 





Now a pile of huge rocks provides a barrier and break to the sea and will slow erosion in the area. But for how long?





In recent years, the rate of erosion has increased on our sandstone and sandbar in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Rocks like those in Victoria-by-the-Sea won’t protect us from rising sea levels. In years to come, will there be an island for our grandkids to visit?

18 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I hope the huge pile of rocks helps prevent the erosion. The sea level rising is a concern for all who live along the coast. It does look very cold there. I am looking forward to spring and seeing flowers again. Enjoy your day, have a great new week!

DJan said...

I certainly hope there will be. But who knows? Perhaps we will one of these days take some much needed action on climate change. I'm not holding my breath. But I can still hope. Looks really cold there, Marie.

Linda d said...

Are all these pictures from the other day? The men on the dock are wearing shorts but I was expecting a frozen landscape.

Your pictures are lovely as usual. I especially like the one of broken wall. Talk about beach front property.

Anvilcloud said...

No, no. It's cold today, which disproves global warming. (Trump)

Catarina said...

It is a concern for people who live near the ocean.

Joanne Noragon said...

I thoroughly agree with the effects of climate change on the environment. But living for 30 years on the banks of Lake Erie showed me that our control of climate is limited. We cannot stop the water relentlessly pounding the shore and the cliff, gradually easing them into the water. I saw tens of homes relocated or simply torn down before they fell down, to be swept into the water.

Tabor said...

WE can only slow down the progress of the rise of the ocean. We have failed to plan ahead and now we are just treading water.

Celia said...

How beautiful the village is. I hope the rocks help but I don't have a good feeling for the long range future. The small fishing village on the Washington State coast that I lived in when I was small and still visit has been steadily eroding ever since. This summer we went there to spread my father's ashes and found many of the open to the sea beaches I'd enjoyed had washed away. In fact there is a place where over the last fifty+ years a whole town has disappeared into the surf. Thank you for the photos Marie, they are beautiful.

William Kendall said...

What a contrast between seasons.

Rhodesia said...

Hope the rocks work! I would be there often if the seafood is as good as you say :-) Keep well Diane

Angela said...

This surely makes me want to go for a visit!! It's sad how humans are changing the face of the earth. Let's hope that will be for many years.

Barbara said...

Marie, I worry about stuff like that. Sometimes I wonder if I'm becoming ultra-liberal worrying about these things. Then, I think, no, they matter. If we are contributing to the demise of your island then we need to pay attention to what we are doing. If it is nature and we cannot stop it, then I am so sad that someday folks will not see the island.

Elephant's Child said...

I too worry for the future. And love the images of the endangered beauty you share.

Bill said...

Living by the water may be lost forever if we can't manage it. With climate change it is a real concern. I've seen places over here that are damaged because of storms. Rocks seem to be a good replacement until the sea decides to move them too.
Have a lovely evening Marie.

Debbie said...

one of the perks of living where we do, great, fresh seafood. our seafood comes in every day, right off the boats that are five minutes away!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I know exactly what you mean Marie, sea erosion is a problem everywhere. Hopefully we aren't fighting a losing battle ✨

Retired Knitter said...

This erosion problem plagues almost everyone who lives near the shore. It is too bad that those in power presently cannot see what the rest of us see so plainly.

jenny_o said...

There has been quite a lot of erosion at the beach where we have a cottage, too, in the thirty years since we bought it, but I expect it to get much worse at a faster rate over the next decade. I dearly hope that your beautiful province survives, and mine too.