My husband and I haven’t missed many of our daily walks along the boardwalk in Summerside this month despite the wind and cold. We don’t feel right if we haven’t walked by the sea and visited the chickadees and squirrels. That time in nature makes the troubles of the world disappear for a few minutes every day. Besides, the cloud cover makes a difference to the look of the day and it is always interesting to see what the wind has done to the ice the previous night.
This was the scene yesterday as we headed to the gazebo which is always our starting point. Fresh snow covered the setting and the heavy cloud cover hinted at blue sky above.
From the bridge, where you can see a bit of the gazebo on the left, the heavy blue clouds freeze the scene in time. Without the wind to disturb the setting, it is peaceful there.
Compare the same scene to a somewhat foggy day last week when the setting had less colour and the sun’s rays provided a spotlight. Without the fresh snow, it looks stark.
Ten days ago, the sun and clouds gave the ice a sheen in places and it looked blue in other areas.
Another day, the ice rafted due to the on-shore wind the night before and piled up on the shore and shoreline. The texture distinguished it from sky.
The winds this year have rafted ice all over the harbour. Along Water Street, the beach has piles of ice which may be there until spring. You can see the island’s red sand in the ice.
When we arrive home, we often have soup, our favourite winter meal. We’ve had a number of varieties, including mushroom, turkey, ham and split pea, French onion, and cream soups, such as potato and butternut squash. The last of the turkey soup will fill bowls and bellies today. Yum!
As always though, we wonder what nature has to offer today.
Update:
This morning, January 23/24, it was a beautiful sunny winter day!
