View from the Shore

Built over four years, the Confederation Bridge over the Northumberland Strait between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick is an engineering wonder.  The longest bridge over ice covered waters, it covers 12.9 kilometers or 8 miles. The structure spanned time as well, taking the island from her centuries of marine dependency to a more efficiently mobile future.

Below you can see how the concrete was reinforced with steel to create the spans and deck of the bridge.

                                                                This photo is in the public domain on-line.

We took lots of photos and the close-ups of the structure are impressive.

But my favourite photos show the sweep of the bridge over the Strait as it winds to the far shore.

There is a toll on the bridge, as you exit the island. While many complain about this cost, it is a small price to pay for the benefits of this great structure.

Starting Over

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, has a program called Canada Reads which runs for four days every year on radio and television. The program features five Canadians, each of whom champions a book by a Canadian author. The French division of the broadcaster runs the series for French language books as well.

Every year, our book club members are among the many Canadians who enjoy the series featuring debate about which of the books best exemplifies a theme for the year. The winning book is judged to be one which all Canadians should read. This year's Canada Reads occurred last week with the theme Starting Over. 

The books discussed by the panelists this year were

Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter,

Bone and Bread by Saleema Narwaz,

Birdie by Tracey Lindberg,

The Hero's Walk  by Anita Rau Badami,

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill.

The selection of books reflects the multi-cultural nature of Canada and the breadth of literary talent in the country. 

The program is unique in its focus on Canadian books and has done much to promote Canadian literature in the last fifteen years on the air. It is great to hear books discussed on air and elsewhere during the series. Every year, I, along with many others, purchase or borrow and read the books featured.

The winner of Canada Reads this year was The Illegal by Lawrence Hill. I am working my way through the books and enjoying them, saving The Illegal for last.

Through the Spans

The Confederation Bridge which connects Prince Edward Island to mainland Canada is 12.9 kilometers or 8 miles long. It is the longest bridge in the world over ice covered waters. Last week, my husband, Rick and I went to Borden-Carleton to take some pictures of the bridge. These pictures of the ice around the bridge are the first in a series of pictures we took that day.

The ice in the Northumberland Strait has broken up and only remnants remained along the shoreline. The shapes of the ice were interesting as well as the view through the spans of the bridge.

New Brunswick is visible in the distance.

This fixed link with New Brunswick, Canada, replaced two ferries, one of which operated from this location in Prince County, on the western end of the island. Rocks deposited along the coastline prevent erosion.

The red soil of the island is visible along the shoreline and in the ice itself.

The bridge was constructed between 1993 and 1997. It changed the lives of islanders by eliminating their dependency on the ferries.

High winds cause closure of the bridge on occasion though such conditions do not continue for long periods. 

The bridge means transportation of goods and people between the island and the mainland is quick and efficient  

and the ice does not impede the movement of traffic.

The day was cold and the wind made it uncomfortable but the scene was worth the numbing cold. 

The Gift

When the second of my husband's maternal grandparents, Classie Lawrence Mercer died in 1994, she left my husband the family's Encyclopedia Britannica. There were two sets of books, the Junior, and the regular set plus annual updates. The Mercers had the encyclopedia for years, having purchased them from a door to door salesman. They valued the books and decided to leave them to their grandson, Rick, a teacher.

                                                    Richard Mercer, Rick, Classie Lawrence Mercer

In the mid 1990s, the internet was available to people and encyclopedia were no longer necessary; libraries were not using them any more. Our school libraries would not take the books because they were obsolete. We were forced to discard them.

The value of the books can be understood when one considers the one room schools so common decades ago. A teacher, responsible for each subject in each grade in a school, relied on an encyclopedia to challenge the more senior students when she was busy with the others. For many young teachers, the books cost more than their yearly salaries. Thus the books were paid for over a number of years but their value was priceless. They afforded the teacher a source of knowledge at a time when such sources were few.

Both of Rick's grandparents died before they knew much, if anything, about computers and the internet. However, they understood the value of education and the importance of having access to the best information available. They wanted their teacher grandson to have that knowledge, as they knew it. 

Priceless.

Sheila's Brush

As every Newfoundlander knows, winter is not over until Sheila's Brush has swept over the land. Sheila and her brush are a part of Newfoundland folklore. She is associated with St. Patrick's Day because Sheila was connected to Patrick, such as his sister or his mother, or so the story goes. The supposed affiliation keeps the lore associated with Sheila connected to March 17th.

                                                                   Calm before the storm

When Sheila sweeps her brush, there is a storm on or after Saint Patrick's Day, covering the earth with snow in the last blast of winter weather. Every year, the dreaded Sheila creates a stir as people are tired of snow by this time. She is generous with her deposits and often creates a whirl with high winds. Her brush has created severe storms on occasion.

                                                                                                  Environment Canada Weather Warning

When we moved to Prince Edward Island we took our folklore with us and Sheila has not relented. Last week, on St. Patrick's Day, the snow was gone. We were excited about an early spring but dreading Sheila. Then, Friday we had snow, though not a storm. Today, we will have a storm, high winds and a heavy snow fall.

The mysterious Sheila has had her say again. "Don't go gettin' too excited 'bout spring," she said. "I got a bit o' snow fer ya yet."

That Sheila...

The Wait

Last autumn, as we have done for the last eight years, we placed pots containing amaryllis bulbs in a dark, cool place and waited. Within a few months, new growth appeared at the top of the bulbs. Now it was time for a well lit place and we waited again. Before long, leaves and a bud appeared

followed by a beautiful bloom which lasted a few days. 

The flowers are spectacular, large and showy, with vivid colours.

Their prominent place in our living room, means that we enjoy every minute of the bloom. They are a source of conversation every day they exist.

And each year we lament the fading flowers and look forward to the next cycle. The leaves thrive for a number of months, wither and die. Again we place the pots in a cool dark place.

Two years ago, leaves grew on the side of one of the pots,

and we discovered another bulb sprouted off the original. We planted it separately and it grew another amaryllis the following spring. This year again, a mother bulb is generating progeny, a new bulb to give to a friend. 

It begins again!

Squirrelly

The animals along the boardwalk in Summerside, Prince Edward Island are very tame, especially the squirrels. If you happen to walk by their habitat when they are hungry, 

they will take food from your hand.

Early walkers feed them so by midmorning, they are not too interested in food offerings. One morning last week, ten squirrels were very busy around the boardwalk but not interested in peanuts. Later in the day, they were hungry again, eager to take peanuts back to their nests.

Their breeding season is in February and March, so soon a new generation of the rodents will join life along the boardwalk. Meanwhile, we, the ardent squirrel enthusiasts, marvel at their squirrelly antics as they climb the trees, 

grab for peanuts, chatter and play or argue with each other.

The claws are of particular interest due to their length and sharpness; they enable the sure-footedness for tree climbing. The toes, like fingers, curl around any food item, holding it in position to facilitate consumption.

These red squirrels have glorious bushy tails

 and beautiful red colouring down the centre of their backs and tails. 

The colouring on the tail is unique in its design around the perimeter. 

Along the boardwalk, it is difficult to see their backs; most of the time they are eating, clutching the food, sat on their haunches. 

Their squirrelly movement makes them difficult to photograph otherwise.

We look forward to the arrival of the young to the neighbourhood as they learn about the two legged animals who leave food for them.

Peek-a-boo!