August’s bounty

The golden grand-dog, Daisy, adapted to life with seniors as we became her caretakers for the past ten days. Less than a year old, the pup has so much energy whereas we don’t. However she adapted and so did we.

The Confederation Trail was our go-to site instead of the beach some days and Daisy’s delight in the trail was obvious when we let her run free. 

We always put her back on lead if walkers or bikers happened by. The dog’s freedom on that trail was a glory to behold. She jumped and moved as if she was dancing.

We frequented a section on the trail I have come to call The Orchard since it is lined with apple trees on both sides. 

It is not unusual to see apple trees along the Confederation Trail, but the number of such trees along both sides of that section of trail in neighbouring Miscouche, is exceptional.

Not to be outdone by the apple trees, Mountain Ash trees are common there as well. The berries, which Newfoundlanders like ourselves call dogberries, are ripening now and are abundant. 

Old wives tales have it that abundant dogberries mean a harsh winter. Oh well, it gives us more reason to enjoy this month.

There is a barn in the area and occasionally we saw a horse there. The horse preferred the shade most days.

Along the roadways and the trails now, Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot is in its prime and the gardener who planted these wild blooms did a great job with this bed near the parking area by the trail.

Thistles have gone to seed and fluff is blowing around in the summer breeze. Goldenrod is in its prime too.

Sometimes the smallest things stand out in a large open space. We’ve noticed individual filaments hanging from the trees in some areas. Once a row of caterpillars hung on one such filament. They floated in the breeze as they clung to the filament. It was a surprise to see them hanging over the trail.

Meanwhile we are eating produce from our garden. Green beans, tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, green peppers, basil and garlic all grew well and we’re enjoying nature’s bounty. The vegetables go from the garden to the plate in a matter of minutes and are so tasty. 

August is sharing her bounty with us in so many ways.

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!

On the Trail again

It is almost a month since my husband and I rode our bikes. I had hit my hip on one of the gates on the Confederation Trail and finally, on Saturday, my hip felt better. It was a slow recovery but all fells well again.

Autumn is underway along the trail though it hasn’t arrived with any certainty in our neighbourhood yet. Maple trees along the trail are in their red autumn glory and caused us to stop numerous times along the way. 

The dark green of pre-autumn colour lines the trail where other trees dominate.

The Mountain Ash trees are loaded with berries this year, probably the most we’ve ever seen. The orange berries hang from the trees tempting one to pick a few though they don’t have much taste.

Some time ago, Judee at https://www.realfoodblogger.com mentioned Mountain Ash was also known as Rowan and has folklore associated with the trees which goes back centuries. 

I had only known Mountain Ash/Rowan as Dogberry trees. The only folklore I knew was the Newfoundland weather lore which maintains that a year with a lot of orange dogberries on the trees meant a bad winter was in store. By the look of the trees this year, there will be a terrible winter.

Further along the trail, the horses were out in the barnyard again and were too busy eating to pose for photos.

The last of the wildflowers fill the hedgerows. Asters and Goldenrod take up much of the area. 

However, the bright greens of summer are rusty now as darkness encroaches upon the daylight of summer.

It is difficult to describe one of the experiences we had during that recent ride. We were on the home stretch and noticed dark coloured birds ahead on the trail. I thought they were European Starlings which usually travel in a flock. We approached the birds but they stayed as they were which was strange indeed. My husband rang the bell on his bike and the trees around us came alive with birds, which flew over the trail, then ahead of us along the trail, as we followed them and those which had been on the ground. After thirty seconds or so, the huge flock disappeared into the trees again.

On closer examination of the photos, we discovered they were Common Grackles. I couldn’t take a photo quickly enough but it was a phenomenal experience to have the large flock flying ahead of us as we rode along. Later, we realized our daughter was the runner visible in the distance in this photo.

It is good to be back on our bikes again on the Confederation Trail with its wonderful surprises.

  

Picnic under the birches

Birch trees with their grey/white trunks make a pretty setting any time of year. However, the shade provided on a hot day is reason enough to have a picnic under birch trees. Besides, the leaves trembling to the breeze create a sound I love to hear and can imagine later as I fall asleep. Birches are a wonder of nature.

We have found several stands of birches on Prince Edward Island and my husband and I visited one recently in Green Park in the northwest part of the island. Of course a picnic was in order and we sat in the birch-provided shade on a hot day with the wind blowing through the branches. Perfect.

While we ate, we watched the fishing grounds in the inlet across from our location. 

There, fishers went about their day at the mussels beds. 

On the far side of the inlet, the floats of the oyster beds were visible on the surface of the water. 

Below the water, cages of oysters hang from each float where they are left to grow until October. Then the floats are sunk and cages fall to the sea floor as ice covers the inlet. The floats are drained in the spring, oysters checked for growth and redistributed to cages and hung from floats for another season. Three years growth produces marketable oysters. 

After lunch we walked along the shoreline where the erosion is obvious. 

The birches and other trees are falling into the sea at an alarming rate. It is sad to see these trees disappear down over the bank as the rich red soil is washed away. 

Camp cabins along one area of the shoreline are available for overnight rental in the privately run part of the park. Some people like these better than a tent for camping. 

Two Greater Yellowlegs walked ahead of us along the beach 

and Tall White Asters almost two meters high lined the trail back to the car. 

Overhead, the Mountain Ash trees were full of berries, known as dogberries in my native Newfoundland.

Time at Green Park is good for the spirit.

 

Lessons in cycling

The bike rack is finally in place and we can load up the bikes and head out for a few hours. I continue to use my daughter’s bike 

while my husband is using his e-bike. He would not be able to ride a traditional bike for any length of time due to health issues and the peddle assist gives him the ability to cycle.

We learned a few important lessons during our most recent cycling expedition. The loading and unloading of the bikes on the carrier requires some time. Now the newness of the process makes us slow to complete the task and we should to be faster with experience.

The e-bikes are over 27 kilograms or 60 plus pounds each so I have started using weights to strengthen my arms. I can lift the bike with my husband but I would like it to be an easier exercise.

I mustn’t look at the sides of the trail or that’s where I will go. I hope this disappears with time. If I catch a glimpse of something of interest, I stop and look. That’s how I photographed these Joe Pye Weeds.

There was a section of the trail with many beautiful blooms. At another stop, the Newfoundlander in me couldn’t help but photograph the dogberries. Lots of them mean a bad winter ahead. No surprise there!

Until I learn better control of the bike, I cannot ride too close to my husband. He has much better control of his bike than I do of mine at the present time. Also, walking through the gates rather than riding through them is a safer way for me to move through.

A little pocket camera, like the one I used for these photos will have to suffice. I won’t be able to ride with my regular Nikon around my neck.

My legs are strong and I did well with our 7 kilometre ride. We stopped a few times on the way back but I did well overall without a spill this time. 

We both love cycling and will go again later this week. The combination of walking and cycling now are great ways to enjoy nature and get some exercise. We hope to ride a few trails before the snow falls but a stop for a picnic is in the near future.