A wee walk in the wind

Although we had a drownpour of rain last night and lots of wind, today we just got wind and cloud. Not too cool, though, so it was a nice day to go do some looking at sights around our community. Inspired a bit by our friend Yolanda Elizabet at Bliss, it seemed like a good idea to share my travels with you. So come along now--just a longsleeved sweater and a vest will do, and you'll only need walking shoes.


Look at the foliage on these wild roses--aren't they rich and wonderful? In the summer, we have a number of species blooming, including R. carolina, R. virginiana, R. palustris...and when they're not in bloom and going into autumn, they're brilliant shades of red and burgundy.


Among my favourite trees, summer or fall, are maples--native maples, that is, not the tiresome, overworked, overused, disease-prone Norway maples that boring nurseries and landscapers palm off on unsuspecting clientele.

Wow! That was pretty sardonic for me, wasn't it? Well, it's true. There are too many Norway maples on the landscape, and this year in the province, they are riddled with tarspot fungus. Now, I have to also tell you I have four or five in our front yard, along the edge near the ditch. We didn't plant them, and as long as they are healthy (and I don't care about a little tarspot), I won't cut them down because I can't cut down a healthy tree...but I prefer native species such as red, sugar and silver maples. Look at the colour in these trees, and you'll see why.


Oh, look; a festive display of pumpkins for sale! Perhaps we should get a couple to put on our front step?


Not a flower in sight, and isn't the foliage in this garden beautiful? Along the side of the road in Habitant, the yard this particular bed is in always catches my eye; a nice balance of form, texture, and four season interest. But gee, it's getting chilly, and that wind is still blowing quite enthusiastically, isn't it? Maybe we should go have coffee?


The North mountain where I live still has vestiges of old growth Acadia forest, although this section has probably been logged at one time or another. But look at the spectacular variety in the maples, ashes and birches along this hillside. They're just starting to get some colour the past couple of days, and within the next week they'll be turning the forest into a wash of colour.


Time to go down and visit the beach in Scotts Bay. In the summer, this is a popular place for picnics, bonfires and rockhounding, but today, it's as deserted as a schoolyard in July. The tide is just about at highwater, so the creek leading down behind the stony beach is full of water, and the marsh of course is always rather spongy.


Not a soul down here, and small wonder; though the waves aren't all that high, the wind is stronger down here than it was in the Valley. The shoreline slopes slowly upwards here, and the tide comes in over several kilometres of mudflats, hence the muddy tinge to the waves coming ashore.



Nope. No one up here, either. It's too windy to collect driftwood for a bonfire today, so maybe we should just walk along the beach for a bit. Don't you love the way the pebbles roll and slide under your feet?


Here's a closeup of some of the pebbles at the highwater line. Further down the beach, the stones are larger, and they gradually decrease in size as we come further up the slope. Among the rocks of the North Mountain we find basalt, quartz, sandstone and granite, and there are irregular seams of agate, amethyst, jasper, and other semi-precious stones too. I love how a handful of pebbles--any handful--is like a cascade of snowflakes--no too the same. Is it any surprise that I have a lot of beach stones at home?


Although this doesn't look like the most solid bridge around, it's been here for years, and is only used by foottraffic of course--of humans and dogs, that is. My horse crosses through the creek, which can be ankle deep or swimable, depending on the stage of the tide. But we left him home today in the pasture with his donkey, and we're walking, not riding, instead. We've had enough of the wind, however, and we're going to head homewards shortly.


Ah...don't the pumpkins look cheery on the doorstep? The door is unpainted yet because it's been too chilly to leave it open for a few hours...the next fine, mild day, it turns yellow like the rest of the doors. And look, there are still annuals blooming in containers--heliotrope, agastache and osteos--plus perennials, which we'll see more on Garden Blogger Bloom Day.


Ah....we stopped earlier today at Blomidon Wines at Habitant Vineyards, and admired the rich blue of the red wine grapes--whether Baco Noir or Marechal Foch, I don't know. But since the antibiotics are gone from my system, and I can have a little wine again...Slainte Mhath, everyone!