Summer breeze

After falling off my bike each of the last two years, I have been reluctant to ride again. However nervous I am, my husband is more so. He was behind me both times I went down and he can’t get the images out of his mind. Three summers ago, we rode across the island and back, a distance of 450 kilometres. The following year, I had the first fall.

I have worked up the courage to ride again however. My injury from the fall last April healed by the end of last autumn and I was ready. We started small, riding around a nearby neighbourhood during the day when there wasn’t much traffic. 

We added a few kilometres every day as my confidence grew. Then we tried the Confederation Trail again.

The day we rode on the trail, it was overcast but the sun was determined to break through the cloud cover. Summer light was bright but not brilliant as on a clear sky day. I concentrated on the riding, however it was impossible not to notice the green glow all around. We stopped to take it in, the wind rustling the leaves and the birdsong. Sitting there on our bikes, one felt at peace in a setting where worldly cares don’t exist. 

Riding along that trail, pushing through the fresh air, creating your own breeze in addition to the natural one is a great pleasure and privilege. You are serenaded by the birds and, if you’re lucky, you see the songsters cross the trail occasionally. Robins are frequent visitors. We’ve seen hares, foxes and squirrels too.  As I rode along that day, a chipmunk ran into its burrow along the side of the trail.

The above photos were taken with my husband’s cell phone. I don’t take my camera on the bike out of an abundance of caution!

We also walked the boardwalk near the marina in the harbour at Summerside this past week. 

The marina is busy again this summer. Beyond the breakwater in the distance, two sailboats caught the July breeze. 

Along that section of boardwalk, an apartment building is under construction along the shoreline. There are three huge shipping containers on the edge of the construction site. Wildflowers softened the look of the ugly containers.

People encroach on nature but she adapts…for now. Meanwhile we enjoy the summer breeze every chance we have and don’t take a minute for granted.

Out and about

She crossed the parking lot as my husband parked the car. We were out for the last shop for our Easter family dinner which is today. A few last minute items made a weekend shopping trip essential.

I noticed the yoga pants the woman wore which had a beautiful cut-work design on the lower part of each leg, highlighting each calf. The black pants looked great on her, a woman probably in her fifties.

When I went inside the store, she was at the check-out, and as I passed, I complimented her on the pants and how great they looked on her. She said, “Thank you. Now if I was just smaller…”

Her reaction didn’t surprise me. So often women won’t take a compliment without denigrating ourselves in some way, especially about our weight or size. Such insecurities are the result of lifelong learning and are tough to relinquish especially in a society focussed on “thin.” It is easy to feel inadequate in such a world. However, a compliment from a random stranger can brighten the day if one accepts it without qualification.

I will continue my effort to brighten at least one person’s day, every day.

                                                 ——————

We’ve had a miserable week of weather with high winds and rain. Snow only clings to shaded areas now. My most recent photo of the marina shows the last of the ice which is now gone.

Spring, glorious spring!

A warm sunny day and an eagle update

We had a few windy and rainy days this past week which kept us inside but our weather has been lovely the last few days. On Saturday, we decided to go to the head of the bay to see if the Bald Eagles were in residence. 

Along the way, we stopped at a section of the boardwalk near the marina to walk by the bay. This  area still has ice as does the protected water of the marina. 

By April, boats will start to fill the marina for another season.

Along the way, the Indian Point Lighthouse is visible in the distance and at first glance, looks like an addition to the wharf.

There are piles of snow yet to melt in this area but people were out enjoying the setting on the beautiful blue sky day, oblivious to the snow nearby.

In this section of boardwalk, you pass the shed of the sailing school and a boat is part of the Package Deal.

Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles at the head of the bay were in the top of the tree where I had seen one perched previously. 

Both were alert, in close proximity to their nest. I wonder how long before we see eaglets over the top of the nest?

On the bay, a small flock of Canada Geese stayed together near the shoreline. The geese looked to be enjoying the day as much as we were.

We may head further from home if the weather stays mild next week.

At the wharf

On a weekend in the middle of December when the wind was particularly high, the dredge boat, tow boat and barge which had been working in the harbour at Summerside, were tied up at the wharf. They left the next week, their work completed.

It was difficult to take photos of the vessels since they were in a secure area but I took a few photos from the shore. The tow boat, Atlantic Tamarack, was small compared to the barge and the dredger.

This area is home to the marina as well, which sits between a popular tourist area known as Spinnaker’s Landing and a breakwater. 

The colourful shops of Spinnaker’s Landing are always busy in the summer. 

The marina is empty, the boats all ashore for the winter. 

However, every summer, the area is alive with marine activity when the recreational boaters tie up there. 

Ice was forming in the marina in December, though into the second week of January, the harbour has yet to freeze.