The run and the pond

The lobster boats approached the port from the various fishing grounds. 

They slowed as they approached the run which led into the boat pond, a sheltered area. Boats lined up in the run waiting their turn with the buyer in the refrigerator truck who was ready to weigh the lobster and take it to market. 

Along the run, people watched as the fishers waited their turn with the buyer. Feathered spectators included huge seagulls who looked like they benefitted from the catch as well. 

They eyed the activity with practised patience, knowing that eventually some fishers would drop offal overboard for them. 

Between arrivals, my husband and I walked along the run and around the boat pond. This workplace is busy as the sign indicates.

Nets from the crab fishery are stored while lobster is pursued. 

We walked over the trail to the beach which stretches along both sides of the pond beyond the dunes. Few people were there this morning. The focus is on the work and it will be for the remainder of the season.

A day at the beach

Cabot Beach Provincial Park has one of our favourite beaches in the province.  We visit this area every spring to watch the lobster fishers leave for Setting Day, the first day of the lobster fishery. This past spring the channel from the harbour was being dredged at that time, so my husband and I watched the dredging too.

Now lobster season on the north coast of Prince Edward Island is over so it is quiet on the water today but the channel through the waterway is marked along the margins of the sand bars. 

Last summer, the moving sand bars defied the markers and one boat capsized on its way into port, fortunately without injury. 

As the tide recedes during the hours we are there, the sand bars become obvious as swimmers venture further from shore in ankle deep water. Seaweed is exposed with the lower tide. 

The Marram grass has grown rapidly since April, recovered now from the duress of winter. The grass is on the beach above the high water mark and over the sand dunes. 

A walk further down the beach shows how the sand dunes are disappearing along the shoreline of the channel with each storm. 

I wonder how long it will be before the small stand of trees disappears into the sea.

At the other end of the beach, one sees the erosion of the cliffs and the beginning of a sea stack or arch. The beach is a study in erosion of a coastline.

Seagulls are busy on a sand bar just off shore. Their seagull chorus is reminiscent of other beaches in other places and times. Many gulls carry seaweed around, possibly for a nest though it is late in the season.

There are not many people on the beach as we take turns walking its length with the golden grand-dog. 

She makes friends easily and many ask to pet her which Georgie loves. I swear she smiles at everyone.

The kids play in the sand and dabble in the water as the tide recedes. It is a gorgeous day of island summer life.

Questions and answers:

Ruth at  https://ruth-hiebert.blogspot.com/  asked if I had ever dried peonies as she had. While I have dried flowers in the past, I have never dried peonies. It would be a great project however.

A walk in the sand at Cousins Shore

We hadn’t been to a beach recently and decided it was past time for a walk in the sand. We opted for Cousins Shore on the north central coast, about a half hour from home. It was a sunny day with a pleasant breeze keeping the mosquitos at bay, perfect for a walk. The sky had enough cloud to be moody.

Cousins Pond empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence along this shore 

and a stream from the pond bisects the beach. 

We kept Georgie, the golden grand-dog on lead since several other dogs were off lead and Georgie is always anxious to run and make new friends. She was interested in the lone seagull which periodically waded in the stream. 

By late summer, small shorebirds love this place.

There is a sign warning of a strong undertow along this beach, so it’s not a place for swimming. The stream makes it a great area for kids to play however. Today the sea is rough with the advancing tide and its sound fills the air and the soul.

It looks wild and untamed as it crashes to the gentle shoreline.

The beach has small pieces of weathered driftwood and brown seaweed known as Fucus.

Huge sand dunes line this beach with Marram grass at their base and top.

The red sand beach stretches from deeper red sandstone cliffs east and west.

A few people walk the stretch of sand but this is not a beach frequented by many tourists. 

Soon the cottagers will be here for the summer though and more people will walk here, but not today. For now, the setting, sights, sounds and company make a perfect location for a walk and a picnic. 

Answers to question from a recent post: 

Elephant’s Child at https://myjustsostory.blogspot.com/ asked if it was normal for the basin area where the geese collect to dry up so quickly. The same thing happens every year in this basin. After spring run-off, it holds water. Before long it dries up or is absorbed into the earth below. This year, water lasted longer in the basin due to the amount of rain we’ve had. After a few sunny days though, the area is dry again.