This past month

It’s almost a month since I last posted or spent time visiting blog friends. I am glad to be back today and look forward to catching up with everyone. Hope the last month was good for you too.

My brother and his family visited in September and it was wonderful to catch up with family and spend time together on Prince Edward Island. Islands are part of our DNA and it felt natural to spend time on the beaches and trails by the sea, even bass fishing. 

We spoke of our parents and shared great memories of them, our grandparents and our lives in Newfoundland. We realize our good fortune to have our spouses, children and grandchildren. While our family is small the bonds are strong and formed from love through the generations.

There are many photos to share from the last month, as walks continued on the trails and beaches. Most tourists are gone now and many cottagers have closed their beachside retreats for another season. Our visit to the beach at Brander’s Pond with family was on a beautiful mid September day where feathered friends greeted us by the stream.

The sea stack, one of my favourite island scenes with the coastline in the background, made the walk along that beach memorable. 

My brother and husband stayed home the night the women went bass fishing at Cousin’s Shore. Our daughter and her husband joined us there and their expertise helped us catch three bass, though undersized and returned to the sea. 

This is the fish caught by our twelve year old granddaughter, the first of the night. 

She loves fishing and has been known to stay until midnight happily fishing with the adults. She may have inherited some of those fishing genes from her  ancestors, like her mother before her.

Another day, we picked peaches at Arlington Orchard, just west of Summerside. The peaches are a new crop for that orchard which grows numerous varieties of apples too. A dessert of peach crisp was so good at a family meal that evening.

We also visited the lighthouses at New London 

and Victoria by the Sea 

as well as the beach at Mont Carmel just west of Summerside. At low tide, the beach appears to go on forever.

Through the entire month, birds charmed us too. The Great Blue Herons in Bedeque Bay entertained my brother and me one day as the rest of the family walked the boardwalk.

Another day I watched as one of the giant birds fished for a mid morning snack in the salt marsh.

One of the feeders near the western end of the boardwalk is frequented by a Ruffed Grouse. My husband and I always consider ourselves lucky if we see it.

In the salt marsh this past month, a pair of Wilson’s Snipes spent some time as they prepared for their journey south. 

Nearby, the vacated Osprey nest was enjoyed by the pair of Bald Eagles which live in the area. The male is the larger bird on the left and the one I have photographed numerous times.

Meanwhile, along the trails now, the autumn colour gives me pause. Along the trails at the Rotary Friendship Park in Summerside, the ferns provided such interesting ground cover as their autumn transformations are well underway.

Many trees vie for attention. 

Along the Dunk River Trail the sound of the river and the beauty of the scenes are captivating and make for long walks with many pauses.

Everywhere now, the red maple leaves stand out among the vegetation, reminding us of our flag and our country. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year.

I hope you have a wonderful week, be it autumn or spring where you live! Enjoy!

September hiatus

This is a particularly busy month for our family. We have visitors and work being done at our home. I will be taking a blog break of several weeks and hope to return in October. 

This photo was taken at the beach at North Rustico, Prince Edward Island last week. 

Enjoy the remainder of September.

As autumn approaches

It was a busy tourist season on Prince Edward Island this year. My husband and I stayed close to home during the season but look forward to excursions around the island again soon. With school starting this week, the tourist numbers always drop in September as families get back to the school routine for another year.  

Meanwhile, as summer draws to a close, mid morning has long shadows on the boardwalk as the sun sinks lower in the sky. 

Trees are showing early changes from such a dry summer and approaching autumn.

We started the week with the golden grand-dog, Daisy, while her family was camping. We take her to the Confederation Trail most days, where she can run free when there are no other walkers. A chance photo one day looked like a crow was on the dog’s head.

We discovered a field of sunflowers on our way home one day and stopped to take some photos. This sign at the entrance to the field was such a lovely gesture by the owners. 

            Please take just what you can enjoy/use.

The centre bloom came home with us. In the field, the overcast day saw many of the blooms with their faces pointed upwards for maximum light. 

Birds are busy along the Confederation Trail these days as the shrubs and trees are bearing fruit. The European Starlings are busy among the Mountain Ash berries 

while a Common Yellowthroat flew to the trees from the newly harvested fields. 

We saw the Bald Eagle above the boardwalk again this past week, once in its usual location. 

The second time it was further west on the trail in a new location. 

Again there were feathers in the salt marsh, likely the remnants of an Eagle’s meal there.

It is interesting to see the Eagle sat in the old trees. When you’re the apex predator, you don’t need the cover provided by leaves. 

Our grandchildren stayed overnight last week too. As always, we go to the boardwalk for a walk and to feed the animals with them which they really enjoy. 

Their grandfather had a hoverboard for them which everyone enjoyed. I was the only one who didn’t try it out. He also made an ice cream cake for them which I did try however.

One day, various species of birds, Ducks, Yellowlegs and Sandpipers were feeding at the mouth of the stream. 

It is  always fascinating to see the various species get along as they go about their business. There is a lot we can learn from them.

Also late last week, the Great Blue Herons returned to Bedeque Bay. They have been missing for several weeks, I suspect because they were molting.

One day, we counted 19 of the beauties fishing at low tide, stretched across an area of the bay which parallels the main street. 

I could only manage a photo of 12 of them in one shot. Groups of them in silhouette had to suffice.

Finally this week, a nod to the Hickory Tussock Moth, a relative newcomer to Prince Edward Island. On the boardwalk last week, 

I was fascinated with its symmetry as it walked along ahead of me. I later learned the hairs can cause skin irritation in some people so I was glad I had merely photographed it.

I hope this week you have some time to notice the little things. By the way, it might not be a good idea to touch them.

 

Hazy summer days

It has been cooler this past week, and most days the island breeze has been lovely. I finished the week with the worst migraine I ever had and the source was unknown. It took two days to pass. As I’ve aged, migraines have become infrequent but this one made up for the missing. I don’t want a repeat any time soon. The headache curtailed our activity for two days this past week which was not to our liking.

The smoke from wildfires in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was particularly bad the last few days. You could even smell it in the air as the wind brought the smoke across the Northumberland Strait. 

This time of year, Bonaparte’s Gulls enjoy the day along the shoreline of Bedeque Bay where they feed to ready themselves for the long flight south. The tiny Gulls, some mature with their black heads, are accompanied by the younger birds who have but a black dot on each side of their heads.

This time of year, fields of wheat and other crops yield to the harvest. On our recent walks on the Confederation Trail, my husband and I watched hay brought to a barn at a farm where three horses reside. 

The animals were interested in the proceedings as was the family dog. They stayed where the tractor was working and checked out the hay afterwards. Scenes of the baled hay in the fields are among my favourite harvest scenes.

Buckwheat was being cut in some of the fields as well. On Prince Edward Island, buckwheat is grown in rotation in potato fields where it is cut before it goes to seed.

It suppresses weeds, improves soil quality and suppresses pests. 

A flock of Cedar Waxwings enjoyed the berries along the trail where various types of berries are ripening now. 

Mountain ash berries and raspberries are plentiful along the trail. Lots of apples of various sizes are ripening too.

In the salt marsh, it looked like the Bald Eagles had been busy catching lunch again as feathers covered various areas of the marsh.

We saw Solitary Sandpipers 

several times last week as well as mature and younger Ruddy Turnstones. 

Meanwhile the wildflowers never fail to grab my attention. The Fireweed or Rosebay Willowherb sways in the breeze, ready to spread its cotton-like seed into the air. 

Aster has taken its place in succession and sits beside Joe Pye Weed or Goldenrod in various locations.

There are 87,000 acres of potatoes in the fields of the island this year. Presently the plants are parched since rain has been lacking the last month or more. Growth and yield may be affected this year.

The golden grand-dog, Daisy is visiting for a few days this week while her family is camping. She will keep us busy. Two walks a day may be the new norm.

I hope you have a great week!