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!
