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Sunday 21 January 2024

Winter wonder

My husband and I haven’t missed many of our daily walks along the boardwalk in Summerside this month despite the wind and cold. We don’t feel right if we haven’t walked by the sea and visited the chickadees and squirrels. That time in nature makes the troubles of the world disappear for a few minutes every day. Besides, the cloud cover makes a difference to the look of the day and it is always interesting to see what the wind has done to the ice the previous night.


This was the scene yesterday as we headed to the gazebo which is always our starting point. Fresh snow covered the setting and the heavy cloud cover hinted at blue sky above. 





From the bridge, where you can see a bit of the gazebo on the left, the heavy blue clouds freeze the scene in time. Without the wind to disturb the setting, it is peaceful there.





Compare the same scene to a somewhat foggy day last week when the setting had less colour and the sun’s rays provided a spotlight. Without the fresh snow, it looks stark.





Ten days ago, the sun and clouds gave the ice a sheen in places and it looked blue in other areas.





Another day, the ice rafted due to the on-shore wind the night before and piled up on the shore and shoreline. The texture distinguished it from sky. 





The winds this year have rafted ice all over the harbour. Along Water Street, the beach has piles of ice which may be there until spring. You can see the island’s red sand in the ice.





When we arrive home, we often have soup, our favourite winter meal. We’ve had a number of varieties, including mushroom, turkey, ham and split pea, French onion, and cream soups, such as potato and butternut squash. The last of the turkey soup will fill bowls and bellies today. Yum!


As always though, we wonder what nature has to offer today.


Update:


This morning, January 23/24, it was a beautiful sunny winter day!








38 comments:

DJan said...

I will get in a walk today after having missed five days because of all the snow and ice. Rain has melted so much of it. I love your beautiful scenery and am so glad to know you are able to get out and about! Have a great day today, Marie. :-)

DUTA said...

The immensity of the sky and waters makes us feel humble.
Eating hot food after a walk in the freezing cold of nature is such a happy, thrilling, grateful feeling!

MARY G said...

I love the comparison photos, every bleak and icy moment of them. I do hope you have a special pocket in which to warm up your photographing hand between shots. I just saw a sad post from a parent whose careless teen had frozen her fingers, to their great and long time detriment.
I used to wear my camera under my coat to keep it warm enough that it would work. These phones that are almost fool proof (and me proof, worse) are amazing.
That ice looks like what piles up on city sidewalks, only red. Yuck.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Soup is the perfect meal after being out in the cold.

Liz Hinds said...

Yum to the soup, not so sure about getting out in those conditions. I am such a freezer. So beautiful and varied though.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You are true naturalists, Marie, undeterred by the weather - exploring its diversity in fact. Bravo!

photowannabe said...

Thank you for the stunning walk along the Boardwalk. Its amazing how different the sky and water can look when the weather does its thing.
That ice raft gives me the shivers. The wind does its magic.
Ummm, hot soup on a cold day..sounds delightful and tummy filling. I'm making beef stew for dinner tonight. That's always a satisfying meal for us.
Sue

Elephant's Child said...

Amazing captures. I am so glad that you continue to walk - and share the beauty and the wonder.

Granny Sue said...

I enjoy reading about and seeing what you see on your walks. I will never get to see your island, but I see it vicariously through you. Thank you for sharing.
This is the first I have heard the term rafting in relation to ice, but it is certainly descriptive.

Hena Tayeb said...

Oh wow, that icy waster is a sight.

Pam said...

My very meal also is a good pot of soup. Love the bridge shot.

The Padre said...

Soup For The Soul - Always Such Wonderful Photos

Stay Warm ,
Cheers

Red said...

It's always good to get out in the winter. Watching the changes in shore ice is interesting. We had very high tides in Northern Que. So lots of changes.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Beautiful photographs. They show how lovely the ocean can be.

Butternut squash soup sounds perfect for the frigid temperatures we've been having. A heat wave tomorrow if it gets above freezing.
Stay warm

Anita said...

Beautiful Marie❤️

Anvilcloud said...

Like us, you make the most of it. We didn't walk today. The wind was quite strong.

Helen said...

From the perfection of a fresh dusting of snow in your first image to the drama of the rafted ice piling onto the shoreline in the last, I am totally captivated. Maybe one day I will be able to visit in winter and experience this moody nature.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I enjoyed your walk , the views of the sea. Beautiful photos.
I am trying to get out on these cold days too.
Soup is a good meal on a cold winter day.

Maebeme said...

I should be as resilient as you. I tend to hunker down when it is cold, or gray, or snowing. In fact, I haven't walked once since moving to this place in November. It is supposed to be warmer (-2C) by Thursday so I may walk to the community center for Mahjong. It's about 15 block walk and bundled up it should be a nice walk though not great views.

Thanks for sharing your photos of the sea!

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Your photos , each one, declare "it's a soup day !!" How lovely your frozen surrounds look! Keep enjoying....stay warm!

Joanne Noragon said...

Blue sky and sunshine make all the difference.

Lorrie said...

I enjoyed seeing the different views with the changing weather. The ice rafting up onto the shore is quite something. Getting out to walk every day is a good habit. Soup is eaten for lunch many days here, too. There are so many different ways to make it! Yours all sound good.

At Home In New Zealand said...

This is what I love about Nature - every day there is always something new to be seen and enjoyed. Your photos show this beautifully :)

Sherry's Pickings said...

we could do with some of that delicious cold right now. It has been so hot and humid here. Cyclone expected to make land up north later tonight i think. Poor things up there after the storms early summer.

Debbie said...

wow...these are all so different, so exhilarating and so thrilling to see!! i am so happy you are still able to walk, i have not really been out much but i am able to find excitement inside the house!!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

We had a light snowfall earlier today and I did get out for a short walk, Marie, however, my scenes were not as lovely as your own. I especially enjoyed the first image of the gazebo and then the comparison photos. That is some serious piles of ice along the beach.

Billie Jo said...

Hello! Such beautiful photos of your part of the world! Thank you for sharing. And I hope you have a cozy evening, my friend!

Tabor said...

interesting to note the red sand in the snow. I did not notice that during the time I visited so many years ago. Winter is such a dramatic season, and not for the faint ofheart.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I've never been to the ocean in the winter. How beautiful and how wonderful that you get to be there and walk. Love your photos!!

John's Island said...

Hello Marie, I enjoyed this post so much that it inspired me to do a post of winter scenes on my end of the continent. I am going to publish it later today. 😊 You do a wonderful job of capturing the beauty of Prince Edward Island. Thank you for sharing! John

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Interesting how the wind can push that ice around! Beautiful photos, and I'm glad the wind and cold doesn't slow you down!

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

The ice in the bay is just amazing to see! What wonderful but chilly walks you two must take. I made mushroom soup here yesterday - I love a nice warm soup in the winter. So nice to stop by and see your blog for the first time today! Beautiful photos!

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I really admire your commitment to walking. I also appreciate seeing all of the beautiful pictures you post. It as though we get to go on the walk with you.

Black Knight said...

It's true, nature always reserves many surprises!
Soup is also one of my favorite winter dishes!
Have a good Sunday.

Chris said...

Very beautiful but cold brrrr And you'd certainly need soup after a walk in the snow.

Barbara said...

These pictures are beautiful. It is so interesting the changes the sun, wind and water can make. But darn, that sure is cold for a little Southern girl.

baili said...

oh ny !
thanks for update i am soooo happy you had sun for one day during intense gray season dear Marie !!!

the reflection of light on the sea surface is spectacular
loved all images though
this is amazing you continue to walk warm soup sounds treat after cold walk :)

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

What wonderful Bluejay pictures. You certainly were able to get up close. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Bluejay. 12 years ago I moved about 15 miles west of where I used to live and, believe it or not, the birds that I saw regularly changed.