When I wrote recently about the geese nesting at Cavendish Grove I didn’t share photos of how the glade, tucked into the grove had been altered by post-tropical storm Fiona. The glade was a beauty which we visited from spring to fall every year to see nature’s parade. Leaves played with the light filtering through the giant trees.
One could walk through the glade and pause amid the majestic maples and other deciduous trees. Autumn was a wonder.
However, one cannot walk through the glade any more.
Many trees are down now, blocking one entrance entirely. Large trees took their shallow root systems with them when they toppled and blocked the path. Other trees fell across their neighbours and are tenuously held there. In my lifetime, the glade will not return to its former glory. Wind can destroy in minutes what takes generations to grow.
Recently, on one of our morning walks along the boardwalk, a sunny day reminded me of another side of nature on a windy day. With an easterly wind approaching 60 kph, a flock of gulls was gathered at the mouth of the stream which crosses the boardwalk.
They floated on the breeze, often waiting for a strong gust of wind to lift off the earth. Their joy in the fast moving air was palpable. Young and old alike gathered to have fun in the wind. Watching them was a joy!
Finally this week, I’d like you to meet Kirby. He walks regularly with our friend along the boardwalk and we often meet them along the way. We always give Kirby some treats, so he recognizes us from a distance.
Kirby would pull his owner off her feet if she didn’t release him to run to us and he runs like the wind! Look at that smile!
Life can be sad but there is much joy if we just stop and look.
41 comments:
Such sad news about that beautiful glade.
The wind can be devastating at times. We had some trees fall down because of high winds at the river walk but all of them did not block the walking paths. The ones that did were taken care by workers with chainsaws. Kirby knows what he's getting when he sees you, a TREAT. :)
Hello, Kirby! Our dog is named Kirby too!
we have seen much of the same destruction here. we have had so many storms and very high winds even without a named storm. chuck and i were so sad to see our trees cut down but now we are so happy we took them down. they would have for sure gone over in a recent storm!! i am so happy you took the pictures you did, fall is spectacular!!
and kirby, smiling for sure!! isn't he adorable and so happy to see you!!
Oh. The photos of the glade are so very sad.
Kirby's joy is seeing you is so very evident. Thank you for sharing two very different images/moods.
Sad news about the Glade, but Kirby's smile makes you happy I'm sure! xx
We saw SO MUCH wind destruction when we visited the island this last fall, Marie. It was heartbreaking. I'm sorry for the loss of your beautiful glade of trees. Hopefully someone can come in and clean it up so it at least can be enjoyed, what is left of it. Oh the smile on Kirby's face, I just love it! You see feel the palpable joy in that picture! And so wonderful to enjoy the bird's happy calls in the wind - so much beauty to enjoy, in spite of the sadness. Indeed. Enjoy spring's loveliness dear friend!
It's sad to see so much destruction and it must be a hard job to clean the forest. Kirby's smile makes my day!
What a shame about the glade. Nature does repair itself, but it definitely takes a lot of time.
I laughed at the photo of Kirby, he appears to be about to fly, just like the gulls!
How sad about your beautiful glade. That autumn photo is just stunning. We had similar devastation with an icestorm in 2003. We are still losing trees from the damage they sustained.
How sad to lose your glade! It looks like a very special place.
Sad the glade has so much damage. Y'all will get to see its rebirth back to beauty.
Kirby is a cutie!
That gives me a serious look at the damage Fiona caused!
Even before you acknowledged wind damage, I could see trees down. It is so difficult for small municipalities to find manpower to clear so much. Need is prioritized, too.
Kirby makes me smile!...I am reading your posts, but not commenting on all.
Nice comparison of undisturbed woods and destroyed woods. Yes it will take a long time to recover.
Kirby is sure cute.
Coffee is on, and stay safe.
Kirby is such a cutie!
Always sad to see great trees brought down by the wind. But it might be worth checking later to see if any wildflowers appear where the sunlight is now able to penetrate.
Thanks for the informative if sad pictures of that lovely glade. And also thanks for the sweet picture of Kirby!
It will renew and give delight once again. We had the ice storm of the century in 1998 and I wept for the destruction of our beautiful maples. But the revised bush is just as lovely, and the openings have encouraged Dutchman's Breeches and other woodland shy lovelies.
And my mother's violets are migrating out onto the field. I love it!
I wish I could have seen the gulls playing. A wonderful bit of reporting. Thank you.
That is some major damage to the glade. It's sad when a storm does that much damage.
Kirby is adorable! It's so cute how dogs make friends on their usual routes.
What a wonderful smile Kirby has! Nature is much more powerful than man when she wants to be.
Oh my!! The poor Glade...that's so sad.
Love the gulls showing their joy and especially love Kirby.
Look at that smile and greeting..Pure Joy.
Sue
It’s always unfortunate when the wind messes up nature’s beauty. Back in 2011, a tornado went through our neighborhood (right through our backyard), and the neighborhood never looked the same after that. We lost a redbud tree that was more than 100 years old. Some things just can’t be replaced. Life goes on.
Dear Marie, I am totally devastated to see this once magical glade so totally battle scarred as must be so much of that coastline must also be.
I love watching gulls playing in the wind and Kirkby’s story, brings a smile back to my face.
Kirby is a good boy!
It will take a long time for the Glade to recover. So unfortunate.
Then there is the smiley canine to brighten the mood...
It is sad to see your pretty glade so devastated. But, like you say, there are still little things of joy to see if we look around us. Watching birds playing in the breeze is always a happy event :)
A good lesson here in finding joy in the little things that life has to offer. Good pics. Love the dog ‘smile’.
RUN KIRBY, RUN! Wow, yes the winds can damage so much in such a short span of mins.
Hello :=)
It is a shame that high velocity winds wrecked such destruction in the glade. We sometimes have felled trees when there has been a storm, but it is mostly Pine trees which have short roots, and topple easily. Your seagull capture is dreamy.We don't think of seagulls having fun, but what could be more fun than drifting in the air carried by the wind. I love Kirby's smile, he probably ran like the wind to get his treat. Kind of you to remember him on your walks, happy to see you.and he was
Now I am curious, Marie. Do the authorities plan to remove the fallen trees or let them remain to recycle their nutrients back to the forest? That would be the ecologically sensible thing to do, but I realize that this is an area frequented by walkers and nature lovers and access is important too. The downed trunks actually provide habitat for myriad organisms and the spaces created permit sunlight to descend to the forest floor and enable new growth. Some seedlings may have been waiting decades for such an opportunity. Nature is never at a loss to handle a storm, nor to cope with its aftermath. For mere humans, it is quite a different story.
That's right, you say it... let's turn to beauty and preserve it.
A hug to you.
Nature will have its way. I guess it will recover but it is going to take many years. Love little Kirby a happy little fellow. Keep well Diane
Nature's elements (winds, rains, storms, lightnings) can be very destructive!
Kirby's adorable, and definitely deserves the treats you're going to give him.
So sorry to see all those damages.
Run Kirtby run, enjoy this spring time!
Bad things happen every day, but we must look for the good. There is much of it if we look.
Kirby is so cute! What a shame about that glade. It has been decimated. so sad.
i am sorry that storm made so many trees fall on the way of trails .
hope authorities take notice and way is cleaned for visitors soon
i utterly enjoyed the flying birds having fun with wind ,what a delight :)
we have no option except keep tryin to find goodness among sad happenings dear Marie this is life
There are so many things I enjoy about Island Musings, and one of my favorites is your attention to animals. Who could look at Kirby without smiling? It’s so interesting to see how the glade has been altered by post-tropical storm Fiona. Your 3rd image tells the story so well!
Post a Comment