Tranquility

From this garden at Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island, 

 

I wish you tranquility 

 

and time away from the noise of the world.

 

Breathe!

 

To the Dunes

The red road to the beach is etched into the landscape and

 

the Gulf of St Lawrence is visible in the distance as we make our way down the hill. Along the road from home, fields of crops, such as canola, dot the landscape.

 

Looking out over this part of Prince Edward Island, there is new mown hay in the nearby field, while in the distance, the hay has been baled.

 

It is sunny and hot, with the east coast breeze as a perfect air conditioner. Georgie, the golden retriever is glad to be out of the car to check out the area.

 

The wildflowers are abundant along the road to the beach. One white flower is the wild carrot, also known as Queen Ann's lace or bird's nest. 

 

As we approach the dunes, the most obvious flowers are the lupins. 

 

They are throughout the countryside this time of year, many having already gone to seed. The pink and red blooms are a treat for the eyes, brighter than the traditional purples.

 

Marram grass covers the dunes and keeps the sand in place.

 

The grass has an underground network of stems called rhizomes, from which the roots emanate. 

 

This network is destroyed when people walk over it. The sign is an important reminder to stay off the grass.

 

As I head towards the beach, I am filled with anticipation. The best is yet to come!

News from Canada

These days, I only listen to or watch the headlines. Over time, I read about a news item, but I cannot stand the constant theorizing of the experts, the pundits who offer opinions on the latest disaster or tragedy. I want the facts. Besides, people around me follow the details of the news which haven't been good in many parts of the world.

 

Meanwhile, in Canada this past month, a ban on kids' road hockey in Toronto was a news item across the country. Generations of young Canadians grew up playing hockey on streets and roads all over the country.

 "Car," one would shout as the kids moved to the side of the road. Today, nets are moved too, a new addition to the game. Years ago, rocks or pieces of ice marked the goal, no need to move them. 

Road hockey in Canada is a part of the culture, as much as ice hockey. Many kids progress to ice hockey from road hockey or in addition to it. Others practise what they see in professional hockey on the road, never playing on skates. The uproar in Ontario meant the ban was scrapped. Canadians breathed a sigh of relief.

The second news item which was discussed across the country was about a children's lemonade stand in Ottawa, Ontario. Two young sisters, selling lemonade to raise money for summer camp were shut down because they lacked the proper permits.

Following the publicity, the girls had numerous offers of money for camp. Their parents could afford camp however and wanted the girls to learn to work for things they desired. Eventually, after a national discussion, the federal agency which shut down the stand, gave the girls permits to sell lemonade for a charity supporting a camp for children. The sign on their stand had to be in the two official languages.

In Summerside, Prince Edward Island, news this week involves our yearly homage to that tasty crustacean, the lobster. 

 

A parade is part of the festivities and various events highlight the week which includes a diverse city festival, sponsored by the Newcomers Association. Our city has immigrants and refugees from around the world. We celebrate them this week as well.

 

Oh Canada...it's been a good month!

Fascination with Ferns

We have walked the grand-dog on the Confederation Trail here in Prince Edward Island, Canada, for several weeks now. The trail is the former rail bed and is lined with trees, wild flowers, shrubs and ferns.

 

The wind in the trees soothes the spirit and the full bloom of summer has given the trail two walls of green.

 

Part of my fascination with the trail has been the varieties of ferns with their beautiful leaflets and fronds. 

 

 

They are plentiful, lining the sides of the trail, in the shade of the trees. 

 

 

All are vibrant shades of green and some varieties grow from a central point.

 

When I was young, we grabbed such a whorl of fronds about six inches above the ground and pulled out the root looking for the "banana," as we called it. If you peeled back the hard covering from the root, the center was soft and tasty. We ate them every year, without ill effect. 

Our ancestors used many of the edible items in the environment to supplement their meager diets and passed the information on to the next generation. My generation didn't eat the fern root out of necessity but because we could.

People speak about foraging today as if it is something new. One of the top restaurants in Canada is located in St. John's, Newfoundland and the chef forages for some items on the menu. We are going back to our roots again, even in the restaurant business.

The Donut Tree

 

                                                                        Island Ingenuity

Irises

In the last year of his life, Vincent van Gogh painted irises he observed in the garden of the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. We have seen several of these paintings during our travels.

 

The camera replaced the paint brush for me and I took numerous photos of the irises in my garden these past weeks.

 

Some are like velvet in texture and indigo in colour. 

 

 

These Siberian irises are small compared to the violet German irises with which they share the flower bed. 

 

The richness of colour makes them regal, and the size and texture make for interesting comparisons. 

The German irises, though bigger, are no less beautiful, with their rich texture and colour.

 

Some are a dark colour while others are lighter shades of purple.

 

A cluster makes it difficult to pass them without stopping.

 

Even the bud, reminiscent of an open tube of lipstick, is remarkable.

 

We work to have these beauties in the garden but nature makes it look so easy. In a recent visit to Belmont Park on Prince Edward Island, there was a blue flag iris in all its natural beauty.

 

 

It was a competitor, vying for a position in the woodland setting. Without daily watering in the heat of summer, the iris stood out as a beacon, slender yet hardy, splashed with yellow and white. Though the irises in the garden are beautiful, there is nothing quite like those found in nature.

 

 

The Lighthouse

It looks tiny from across the marsh,

 

yet standing next to this lighthouse, you an appreciate its height of more than 13 meters or almost 45 feet. 

 

It is located at New London Bay, nestled behind a small sand dune on a sandy beach at the mouth of the Fox River Inlet, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

 

This lighthouse is at sea level, which I find unusual. I am familiar with lighthouses, having lived in Newfoundland until six years ago. There, the lighthouses usually stand on rocky cliffs, often many meters above sea level like this one on Twillingate Island, Newfoundland.

 

                                                       

On PEI, such is not usually the case.

The New London Lighthouse is automated, with solar panels visible on the south side of the structure. 

 

These additions are more recent as the lighthouse was built in 1876 at a cost of $1300.00. Families lived in the lower level, with the keeper tending the light in the tower.

 

The first female light keeper in Canada was at this lighthouse. Maisie Adams tended the light from 1940-1956. Her youngest child was born there. Maisie took over the job as light keeper from her husband Claude, after his death. During his illness, Maisie did the job as she raised her three children. She was a reliable, competent, island woman.

 

Today, while the lighthouse still guides mariners, it also stands as a reminder of days past, of a time when a keeper aided boats and ships by tending the light. Families were born and raised as the work continued, the women's contribution unseen behind the spotlight. This lighthouse is a testament to the dedication of those men and women whose efforts helped and saved countless mariners.