Wild things

They stand up to the wind with a strength which is admirable because this time of year only skeletons remain. These remnants of wildflowers which grace the boardwalk in warmer weather, stand tall as the snow accumulates around them.

Buried beneath the fluffy blanket, the seeds for another bloom wait for the earth to warm after the snow melts. Now the stems and a few basket-like tops of St. Anne’s lace are all that remain of last summer’s wild beauty.

Goldenrod is not so pretty now but its stoicism is admirable. Along the shoreline, it survives the worst of the elements as it is battered by the salty spray from the icy water until the harbour freezes. They will welcome the ice when it finally covers the harbour this year. 

It is easy to overlook the brown wild things along the shoreline since the  elements require your full attention much of the time. 

The details of the environment are not usually the focus of attention. However, if you pause and look, you may be inspired by their skyward reach, defying the odds, holding on in a harsh world. Besides, who of us keeps the beauty of our prime?

After the snowfall

You couldn’t call it a storm. We’d had 10-15 centimetres of snow but without significant wind. Many of the conifers were snow laden. 

When I arrived at the boardwalk, the parking lot was empty. I felt safe in the area although I was alone so I grabbed the camera and headed to the trail for the hour during my granddaughter’s dance class. It was a great opportunity to get some fresh air after a day indoors.

It was cold but I was dressed for it. I started at the gazebo as I often did. The view out the harbour was always a great place to begin, looking out to sea in the Northumberland Strait. The sea was frozen in places but the stream and the saltwater marsh were completely frozen. An animal, possible a fox, had crossed the snow covered ice. 

As I headed out from the gazebo, I heard a woodpecker. I followed the sound to a feeder which was new to the area and the woodpecker was busy pecking at the feeder. Then he found the suet. 

A plow clears the bike trail alongside the boardwalk in the winter and early going, among the trees, was perfect. Further along, in an open area, the snow had drifted so the walk was more of a challenge.

Among the trees again, the path was perfect but the bench at the end of the trail didn’t have many guests.

As I walked back, the trail plow/salter made its way towards the drifted areas. The trail was cleared for the evening.

On my way to collect my granddaughter, I stopped along Water Street to take in the setting sun. It was a perfect outing.

Fences and benches

A fence is another way to say

“Why don’t you just go away?

You surely are not welcome here,

You just have to stay out there.” 

On the farm the fences keep

In or out the cows and sheep.

Old and rustic, wire or new

A fence can be a pretty view. 

A bench, it has a different look

An invite to sit and read a book,

Or chat with one who sits beside,

Or if alone then one can bide.

Time on a bench is time well shared

With one you love or one who cared.

Next time you see one, stop and sit, 

A bench can be the perfect fit.

                                                MS

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. 

In the harbour

The harbour at Summerside hasn’t been dredged for a number of years and the process began this past November. There isn’t much boat traffic before the harbour freezes every year, so the dredge boat was an unusual sight. The dredger worked at different locations and when my husband and I photographed it one day, it was positioned near the Indian Head Lighthouse.

We took the first photos in the harbour looking out towards the lighthouse. The sun on the structure highlighted the repair work done over this past summer. 

From the inner harbour, you could see the dredge work on the channel wasn’t far from the lighthouse. 

Zooming in on the activity off-shore in the Northumberland Strait revealed what I thought to be a tug boat with a barge.

One of my favourite images of the two has a crow or raven in the shot as well.

I learned later a barge is pushed into place by a tow boat not a tug. The bow of the tow boat is constructed to allow it to make contact with the barge to manoeuvre it. Below you can see the tow boat pushing the barge.

The barge works in tandem with the dredger. Once the barge is manoeuvred in place, the crane on the dredge boat lifts the soil into the barge. Later it is towed off shore to be dumped.

The harbour will be able to accommodate small cruise ships following this work.

Dinner with the family

It wasn’t our usual meal in the kitchen. Our first dinner of the New Year was in the dining room, with the fancy china, crystal and candlelight. Meals with the kids are usually much less formal.

This one warranted the seasonal tablecloth my mother gave me a few years before she died. At the centre of the table, in a place of honour was a brass candle holder my husband’s maternal grandmother had owned. Dessert was served from her tea cart on a cake stand my paternal grandmother had owned. It felt as if they were all present. 

My husband, our daughter and I shared stories of these women and life when we were growing up. The eldest grandchild, at eight years old, asked questions while the other two listened. There were five generations at the table.

Dinner with the family took on a whole new meaning.

Wily

It was cold, -8 C but it felt like -16. My husband and I decided a walk through the woodland would be sheltered and comfortable. We were right, appropriate clothing kept us warm enough to enjoy the outing, and the golden grand-dog was elated. We allowed her to run after we left the parking area. 

We walked a section of the trail which was new to us. It was at the end of a field, parallel to the highway in the distance.

Coniferous trees, including pines were planted in the area years ago. 

A huge stand of deciduous trees stood in their tall grey silence as we passed.

Georgie was delighted to be off lead. She hadn’t been for a walk with us recently, and she made up for lost time. She ran ahead of us but always responded when we called her.

As we headed back, we put Georgie back on lead as we neared a pond just recently frozen.

It was a dangerous area since she is inclined to explore and the ice might not have been safe.

Then we saw it, a coyote headed towards us on the trail. When Georgie barked, it turned into the woods and headed across the adjacent field. 

I took one quick photo, though not a great one. You can see the animal’s beautiful coat however. It was taller than we imagined but scrawny too. 

Undoubtedly, there are others in the area as family units stay together. We’ve seen the warning signs there about coyotes and we told two mountain bikers about it as we left the trails.

The coyote was an unexpected find but we were glad Georgie was on lead at the time. She will be on lead there in the future for sure.