A day at the beaches

With the onset of beautiful weather last month, my husband and I made our annual visits to some of our favourite beaches on Prince Edward Island. We went east from our home for the hour drive to Savage Harbour on the northeast part of the island.

The sea is often rough along this shoreline and such was the case that day. 

The onshore breeze cooled the air enough to require a jacket as we walked the beach at low tide and watched gulls sail on the wind. 

A small flock of juvenile Black-bellied Plovers walked the beach too, though they stopped to eat periodically. 

Further down the beach, Peeps and Semi-palmated Plovers gathered on the leeward side of small piles of seaweed left by the receding tide. 

Later we had a picnic in sight of the beach, listening to the rhythm of the sea. 

Cormorants flew overhead and nearby Warblers flew among the trees along the shoreline. We watched dragonflies, specifically male Autumn Meadowlarks, dance around us. Their colour makes them easily recognizable.

After lunch we drove about ten minutes farther east to St. Peter’s Lighthouse, one of our favourites on the island. Nestled among the sand dunes on the western shore of St Peter’s Bay, the structure is a wonderful surprise at the end of a red dirt road.

The beach looking west draws one forward and looking east, 

the beautiful beach at Greenwich on the far shore of St Peter’s Bay is upstaged by the pylons of an old wharf. 

At low tide, these pylons were still off-shore. This is a huge change from pre-Fiona, the tropical storm which did so much damage to the island just a year ago.

A photo from our last visit to the area, just prior to Fiona last year, shows the position of the pylons at low tide. 

The sand obviously shifted along the shoreline with that storm. There is little beach left in parts of the bay at high tide now. The power of nature is a wonder to behold, though sometimes a scary one.

The sea and sky with the birds that day all made for a picture perfect day which was good for the spirit. 

A day at North Cape

One of our most memorable outings ever was to North Cape on Prince Edward Island which we visited recently. We saw on social media about seals at North Cape and changed our plans that morning in the hope of spotting some. We weren’t disappointed with the seals but they were a small part of the experience that day.

North Cape is on the northwest tip of the island and on a beautiful autumn day, the hour drive was enjoyable. When we arrived, the seals were obvious, 

on the rock reef, part of the longest such natural reef in North America. There the waters of the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence merge.

Double crested cormorants and a variety of gulls enjoyed one end of the reef 

while the seals took up two areas at the far end. 

Looking at the water nearby, bobbing heads of the furry mammals basked in the sun between fishing forays into the briny blue. 

Meanwhile, human fishers shared in the bounty of marine life as well.

We walked along the shoreline to the sea arch in the area which has greatly expanded since our last visit. Storms may make a sea stack out of this arch in the near future.

The trails along the shoreline are lined with grass which was full of crickets in an orchestra that was loud but tuned. As we walked by, dozens of Savannah Sparrows flew out of the grass and flew nearby, waiting for us to pass so they could continue lunch. This one landed on a nearby rock on the shoreline.

We had lunch at the head of the Black Marsh Trail, and listened to the sounds of the crickets and the sea. Afterwards, we walked the trail and watched three Turkey Vultures as they sailed on the thermals above the shoreline, smelling and looking for carrion. 

The trail meanders along the edge of the shoreline and through trees nearby. One viewing area lets observers see what lies ahead. 

The wind turbines in the scene always give me hope that one day, humankind will be easier on our environment.

At the black marsh, we sat and looked out over the landscape, a marsh which is familiar to Newfoundlanders like us, containing cloudberries and pitcher plants. 

We continued on to the sea stack, past the remains of the trees along the shoreline. Weathered by sea spray and wind, they stand as sculptures created by nature’s hand.  

When we arrived back near the reef, we noticed sea birds enjoying the area too, floating around among the seals bobbing in the water. Eider Ducks, Scoters and Mergansers added to the nature quest for the day. 

Nearby, a small flock of Sanderlings landed on the rocks in front of us.

On the way home, we stopped at St. Simon and St. Jude Roman Catholic Church to see man’s creation compared to the natural one we had just left. 

The church is a beauty, with some stained glass windows, not often seen in island churches. Its ceiling is reminiscent of a night sky.

It was a gorgeous fall day on the island and at every turn, there was something to appreciate and enjoy! 

 

Autumn on the island

As autumn settles in, the vegetable patch has done its job for another season. Swiss chard and the indestructible kale are still in production while the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and green beans are finished. Our tomato yield was low this year but we hope to make improvements for next year.

Our grandchildren had a school free day this past week so my husband and I accompanied our daughter and the kids to a new park. The kids enjoyed the playground, especially the zip line. 

We had a picnic in the beautiful September sun, then visited an apple orchard in the area. We picked several apple varieties for cooking and eating. Afterwards, the kids had great fun in the playground which wasn’t busy as it would be on the weekends.

It was a wonderful day!

We have Song Sparrows which nest in our hedge and serenade us every summer morning. We suspect they are the source of the errant sunflower which appeared at the end of one of our flower beds near their nest. I photograph the sunflower every day, admiring its sunny disposition which is a constant in any weather.

I always notice rose hips, their size and colours. Some we’ve seen this month are the size of crabapples. They are an autumn staple and probably would make great rose hip jelly.

This past week we walked the Bubbling Springs Trail in the national park on Prince Edward Island which is one of my husband’s favourite trails. The Mountain Ash trees were full of their autumn-coloured berries which stood out against the clear blue sky.

At the head of the trail, we had a picnic with the sun at our backs and the gentle breeze rustling the leaves around us. Chickadees were flitting through the trees and chirping as they do. We enjoyed homemade turkey soup in our thermoses and a cup of tea. It was peaceful and lovely!

We finished our day at the park with a walk on the nearby beach at Dalvay which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. The gulls looked to be enjoying the day too! 

On the way home we stopped briefly at Covehead where the lighthouse was getting a touch-up. It is a popular attraction on the island and is well maintained. 

This coming week is looking like another week for picnics and trail/beach walking. Yay!

The north shore

We have walked between the raindrops for most of this summer. Now as autumn falls around us, we hope for some dryer days to have more picnics before rain becomes snow. Our visit to the north central shore of the island last week was a nice break from our boardwalk routine.

The beach at North Rustico was busy with walkers some of whom were tourists enjoying the warm September day. Just below the parking lot is a stream which crosses the beach 

and Bonaparte’s Gulls were enjoying the water. The little gulls, the smallest of the species, always make me smile. You can see them on this short video here.

We continued along the coast to Rustico which we hadn’t visited for years. Possibly the oldest dwelling on the island, Doucet house, is there. 

The main beams of the house date to 1768. It was moved from its original site and restored in this beautiful location by the Rustico Bay. 

Our picnic by the old fence meant we could watch the oyster fishers 

busy at the oyster farm nearby. 

We could imagine the days when bread was baked in the garden oven and slathered in homemade butter thanks to the family cow.

After lunch, we stopped at New Glasgow to shop at the Island Preserve Company where I bought some lingonberry jam, known as partridgeberry jam by Newfoundlanders. We usually buy some in the fall and it is always a treat to visit the garden at Island Preserve.

The garden is a beauty 

but workers were there doing some fall clean-up so I was limited in the photos I could take. This worker did accommodate all photographers however.

It was a lovely day and a great picnic by Doucet house. This coming week may be a dry one, so we will be out and about again, enjoying a picnic and a walk on Prince Edward Island.

After the storm

Over this past weekend, post tropical storm Lee slowly moved over the Maritime provinces in eastern Canada. Prince Edward Island wasn’t greatly affected by this storm. Other parts of the Maritimes were more seriously affected with trees down and power outages for thousands. In our area, during the storm on Saturday afternoon, the sun broke through on occasion. We did have high winds gusting to 70 kph and torrential rain occasionally but the power stayed on in our area.

As we waited out the storm, I was thinking about a woman we met in Morocco ten years ago when we did a tour there. She was a Berber woman, of the indigenous people of North Africa. Her name was Lala and she invited tours groups into her home for a tea ceremony. 

                                                                       Lala ready for the tea ceremony

Lala’s home was in the Ourika Valley at the base of the Atlas Mountains, near the center of the recent earthquake. I have been thinking of the Berber people since the earthquake, having seen photos of the area. 

The home was made of mud and straw and was hundreds of years old. 

                                                                      Kitchen in Lala’s home

Chances are it wouldn’t survive a strong earthquake. I hope Lala and her family did. Her children were married and lived in the area too and her husband was a farmer. By hosting the tea parties, Lala worked to support the family as well. They were hardworking people with rich traditions and culture.

In addition, the tragedy in Libya, where a dam broke and killed thousands of innocent people, has been on my mind too. I saw an interview with a man from the area who was crying because the authorities had been warned about the instability of the dam. It was a needless tragedy. 

Meanwhile, here in eastern Canada, we clean up from the weather event. While some of us will struggle, we have it easier than the Moroccans and Libyans. We have more resources of all kinds available to us compared to much of the world. 

We can’t do much to help but we will support the Red Cross/Red Crescent in their efforts in Morocco and Libya for the Lalas and their families.