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!