The look of late summer

It was cooler this past week, without much humidity and its layer of discomfort. We have walked the boardwalk, picked berries and been with the kids on several adventures we always do before school starts every year.

There have been a few windy days, wind enough to turn Bedeque Bay into what resembles chocolate milk. The rough seas from high wind stir up the red sand in the bay and voila, chocolate milk!

On a calm day, we spotted a Great Blue Heron among the bulrushes in the salt marsh. I am fascinated by these birds and I suspect it is the same one which frequents this area as it often visits the same spot.

The bird was far enough away for it to feel safe. At one point it looked to be trying to mimic the bulrushes. 

Then it looked my way.

It stretched its neck as if to get a better look. 

I smile every time I see these last two photos.

We also saw some of the migrant birds last week including, a Black-bellied Plover, 

Semipalmated Plovers 

and a Solitary Sandpiper.

My husband and I always enjoy berry picking, a common activity of childhood in Newfoundland. This past week, we made several attempts to pick high bush blueberries with our daughter and the three children. Finally, after a few days of rain cancellations and ripening delays, we headed out. 

The last of the berries were available and I enjoyed the time with the other four, one of whom, ate more than she added to the containers. My husband entertained the golden grand-dog, Daisy, while we picked.

Time at Cavendish Grove this time of year involves a picnic and squishing apples which are past eating. 

Then we played fetch with Daisy until we were spent though she still was eager to fetch.

Also every year, the grandchildren have their photos taken hanging from a specific tree branch in the grove. With the traditional activities checked for this year, they are ready for school.

While summer has been lovely, we look forward to this month which heralds autumn and all its beauty. 

Autumn on the trail

It’s a scene from a dystopian novel, a farmer’s field with a hedgerow where a gap with an invisible portal takes all who enter to another dimension. Of course, getting back to the present is the problem. My mind worked overtime as we rode the Confederation Trail recently from Emerald to Borden Carleton and back. The gap in a hedgerow in this area is large and it inspires me. I always stop near the “portal” for a few minutes and mentally write another chapter of the next great dystopian novel.

This section of trail is a favourite of my husband and I. Ponds near Kinkora have ducks again though the sunlight on this beautiful autumn day doesn’t allow for great photos. Ducks all but disappear when they moult but look to be in fine form again as far as we can see.

Autumn on the island means the apple trees are bearing fruit again. The trail has lots of apple trees but most of the apples are small. Such is not the case with these huge ones and it looks like those which were reachable have been picked.

Near Emerald, Sumacs are putting on their best autumn show. Some leaves are already flaming red and the berries are plentiful.

I haven’t heard of people picking the berries here but it is said they have a lemony taste without the tartness.

This past summer, the province opened sections of the trail to horseback riders. One such area is north of Kinkora where the trail has new signage. 

We passed several farms but nobody was out riding on the trail that day.

However that day, we discovered one way a horse scratches its back. We stopped to watch this horse and miniature pony 

when the mare lay down on the grass and rubbed her back around on the ground. We had never seen this before.

Not far from the horses, a view over the cornfield across to the hay bales was a pretty scene. The bales in autumn provide one of my favourite sights.

The Newfoundlander in me was shocked to see this Dogberry Tree, without leaves, loaded with berries, a mass of orange. You know what that means for winter this year!

Picnic in the grove

The October sun is warm and the gentle breeze feels like those of August which is strange for an October day. We had cycled on the Gulf Shore Parkway and worked up an appetite. We headed to Cavendish Grove in search of a picnic table to have a leisurely lunch.

We found two tables side by side at the edge of the grove so we could sit in the sun. 

It is perfect. A few people are walking the trails but nobody is eating there. Our crusty bread, meat, cheese, olives and pickles are delicious with a mug of black tea. Lunch is memorable in the October sun.

Later we walked around the grove to take in the sights. The shade in the grove is one of the attractions of the area in the summer, but this amount of shade won’t be around too much longer.

The trail through the glade is particularly beautiful, 

especially with the yellows of the Striped Maples in the area.

Further along the trail, the area used for weddings and photos isn’t busy. 

However, a plough is working in the field behind the chapel.

Back in the grove, this tree trunk is impressive. 

Above, the leaves range in colour from green, to red, yellow and orange. Nature overshadows much human-made beauty.

The apple trees in the grove have dropped most of their crop at this point. I wonder if it is safe to sit on that bench now?

Part of a tree came down in the last wind storm. It is sad to lose any part of the old guard in the grove. I hope they all make it through this winter.

Bicycle by the sea

It was a beautiful September day and we drove to the national park on Prince Edward Island in advance of post tropical storm Teddy. A year ago, a similar storm, Dorian, caused a tremendous amount of wind damage and our visits to the park were finished for the year.

With the possibility of another park closure, we had what could have been our last picnic in Cavendish Grove for 2020. We picnicked on a red bench which in the spring offers a great view of the water where ducks and geese swim with their young. This time of year, the pond is dry and grown over. Asters bloomed around us.

We brought our bikes along for our first expedition off the Confederation Trail. We started in the Grove after lunch and cycled to the Homestead Trail, through forest and farmland along by the sea. This trail was an adventure. 

It has a gentle but long downward slope which sounds great for a cycler. However for this senior, new to biking, the trail had a rut which I had to stay in as I sped downward, brakes engaged and nerves frazzled. If I strayed out of the rut, I was in the trees or up on lumpy grass and who knows where. Either way would have been disastrous. The shadows on the trail and my poor eyesight made it hard to see details of the trail too. I cycled downhill on a balance beam through a tunnel of trees with impaired vision.

At the bottom of the slope, I stopped and cheered. It was scary but exhilarating, an adrenaline rush. My husband, behind me on the trail, watched the whole spectacle and thought I was a goner a few times. His experience on the E-bike was more controlled, or he is more skilled. Luckily we could loop back to the entrance rather than have to cycle up that particular slope. Otherwise, I’d be there yet.

After the balance beam, the trail opens to a clearing beside New London Bay.

In the distance the sand dunes on the other side of the bay are visible. As you follow the trail, you can see the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the far side of the dunes. 

A pond empties into the bay and we heard unfamiliar birds along its perimeter. 

I had the wrong camera for photos when they flew away.

The upward grade required I walk the bike a few times. 

The view of the water, both sea and pond, kept me going however. 

Besides, what choice did I have?

The last part of the trail with the dancing shadows 

and the smell of apples fallen from the trees were perfect precursors to autumn which was a few days away at that time. 

The ride was exhilarating but difficult. However, I am stronger with each ride and always enjoy the surroundings and the company. Cycling has been a great addition to life for my husband and me. 

Update:

Post tropical storm Teddy hit us yesterday afternoon with high winds and torrential rain. There was a lull in the storm overnight but it’s miserable again this morning. This evening we will find out about damage around the island. However, this storm is not as bad as Dorian by the look and sound of it.

Happy autumn or spring to everyone around the planet.

Joy of cycling

Cycling is one of the positive outcomes of the Covid era for my husband and me. Looking for a way to expand our lives during the Covid restrictions, we took up cycling. This week our cycling experience of the Confederation Trail was longer than last week and I felt more confident in my ability. I had started weight training to make it easier to lift the bikes to and from the bike rack on the car. 

I quickly saw a benefit for the effort and was feeling confident when I started on the trail.

We passed one other rider and several walkers but otherwise we had the trail to ourselves. Feeling more comfortable on the bike this week, I enjoyed the physical experience of the exercise.

My husband and I stayed several meters apart on the trail so I could focus on the trail rather than having to avoid crashing into him. The day was cool and I wore a jacket which was perfect for the breeze. The sensation of the air on your face, the sound of your breathing in the quiet of your body as you push forward in tune with the bicycle and the beauty of the trail are a unique combination. Add in the dance of shadows where the sun breaks through the trees which overshadow the trail and the experience is perfect. 

Meanwhile the trail itself always presents something new though we are familiar with the area from walking there. There are lots of apple trees along the trail and apples cover the ground in some areas.

Harvest is beginning on the farms along the trail. One of my favourite scenes is the hay rolled into bales waiting for transport to the storage area.

This time we rode from the horse farm to a place where the trail crosses a road in Summerside and back. 

It was curious to see the horses social distancing in the paddock when we returned.

Everyone is feeling the negative effects of Covid but cycling has been a positive addition for us.