FABulous Fall

It has been a fabulous fall weather-wise and the colour was spectacular. I am very behind on blogging, so far behind I may meet myself coming back! But even though most trees have now dropped their leaves and what colour is left is not as vibrant, I want to share with you some of my favourite images from Autumn 2016. I will no doubt do a few more posts with autumn photos once I do some more sorting and editing. For now... a few favourites. I am joining Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life. This is my first time back at MM since Maggie started hosting. It feels good to be back. I hope to make it a regular occurence.













The maples were spectacular this year, almost beyond belief. After such a dry summer I did not expect the colours to be so rich and vibrant. It seemed that everywhere you looked there was another tree, more beautiful than the last.

There is so much variety of colour in the different species of maples. Some turn a brilliant yellow, others are yellow with orange tipped leaves. Some trees will be green, yellow and orange all at the same time, others will be yellow and red at the same time.












But without a doubt the most beautiful maple in my eyes is the maple that turns red, and many were truly scarlet this year. This old red maple is at the foot of my street. It is much older than I, and I marvel at its colour every year.
This photo really does not do it justice at all...

Look at the variety of colour... these are all maples.

The berries are plentiful, perhaps the sign of  a hard winter ahead?

A few other random favourites to finish off....

This is the burning bush (Euonymus alatus) on our front lawn, before it turns totally red. I actually prefer it like this.















 Apples fallen on the back deck.


















Pumpkins and frost-bitten zinnia, definitely signs of autumn...

I hope you'll stop by Normandy Life to visit  the other Mosaic Monday participants.


Peace,
Linda

"A tangerine and russet cascade of kaleidoscopic leaves, creates a tapestry of autumn magic upon the emerald carpet of fading summer." ~ Judith A. Lindberg

Man An Ook

Can you handle more photos from the beautiful island of Grand Manan? (The word "Manan" comes from man an ook meaning "island place" or "the island" from the Passamaquoddy Penobscot native peoples of southwest New Brunswick.)
Much as I love a clear, humidity-free, blue sky summer day, the fog of the Bay of Fundy just seems right. It adds atmosphere and a feeling of calm, for me. Maybe even a sense of mystery...
**Fishing vessels seen docked at wharves may include gill netters, fish draggers, herring seiners and carriers, weir seine boats, herring pumpers, lobster boats, scallop draggers and salmon aquaculture vessels, as well as weir pile drivers and lobster cars (wooden off-load and temporary storage rafts for lobsters.) A variety of fish including cod, haddock, pollock, flounder, halibut, cusk, hake, herring, mackerel, bluefin tuna and hagfish, and lobster, shark, scallops and sea urchin are (or have been in the past) trapped, netted, hooked, dragged or trawled, and baited from Grand Manan's waters. Periwinkles, seaweeds including dulse, Irish moss, kelp, nori and sea lettuce, and soft-shelled clams have been picked or dug from its shores. Each with its own season, the harvest of marine resources has been the mainstay on the island.** Today the farming of Atlantic salmon is also a large industry.
The following photos were taken at North Head wharf as I wandered... I don't know a seiner from a dragger, or a pumper from a carrier, but I enjoyed the calm foggy morning as the vessels seemed to be quietly resting up for their next adventure.

In the past lighthouses and fog alarm stations were essential to protect shipping in the Bay of Fundy
because of the strong tides, thick fog and dangerous shoals. Heavy fog, strong winds, tidal currents and strong storms known as "nor'easters" all threatened safe navigation. Today, radar, radio beacon and satellite systems, depth sounders, computer navigation, better weather forecasting and higher vessel construction standards all contribute to safer navigation. Because of the dangers of the bay, southwestern New Brunswick has one of the largest number of lighthouses in the world, but any still operational today are automated, as are the fog alarm stations.














I found it interesting to learn that lighthouses built prior to confederation were funded by a lighthouse levy that larger vessels using the Bay of Fundy were required to pay. After 1867, the Canadian government assumed the responsibilities of maintaining the lighthouses. Today, local communities maintain the buildings and the Canadian Coast Guard look after the navigational aids (lights and fog horns.)






Did you know it is illegal to tie anything to a marker buoy?  Back in the day, you could be jailed for a year if you were caught deliberately damaging a buoy or beacon, and six months in jail or a twenty pound fine if you tied your boat to a buoy... (The things you learn!!)

Goodbye Grand Manan. I hope to return soon.

 ** Some info in this post was obtained from Grand Manan Guide, Laurie Murison Editor, 6th Edition, 2013, and from displays at the Swallow Tail Light.**

Peace,
Linda

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Back to Grand Manan

After my recent visit to the Grand Manan quilt show, I remembered that I never got back to showing you more GM photos after my visit last July. Why don't you skip back and read last year's post here which will acquaint you with Grand Manan and where it's located... go ahead, I'll wait right here....

Okay, ready to carry on? My visit last July was for a teaching gig, but I was lucky to have a half day on either end to explore and do some photography, and luckily I had both a sunny day and a foggy one. (It just wouldn't seem like the Bay of Fundy if there wasn't some fog...) So here are some of my favourite photos.... in no particular order....

You know you are almost there when you spot the famous landmark Swallow Tail Light from the ferry as it approaches the dock at North Head.

Here is another view, taken from Pettes Cove, which clearly shows the Swallow Tail peninsula. Can you spot the footbridge which spans the "Sawpit," a split caused by erosion? The house at the top left is where I stayed last year - a beautiful spot with a great view, but not so wonderful in the middle of the night when the fog horn starts blowing.... (I have yet to perfect the skill of sleeping through a foghorn.....)

When arriving on the ferry, we passed a boat hauling salmon cages to a new location. Aquaculture is one of the main industries on the island, along with fishing and tourism.










Grand Manan is a "quiet" island... there are no big shopping malls, no movie theatres, no heavy traffic... but it's a wonderful place to enjoy nature, hiking, birdwatching, painting, photography, etc. One of the popular hikes is to Hole In The Wall, a large natural rock arch at the edge of a cliff. It's a relatively easy hike through coastal forest. The weir you see in the background is known as the Jubilee weir.














Of course I am always looking for wildflowers in the summer wherever I go. I immediately fell in love with the vivid blue Common Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare) that seemed to be growing everywhere along the roadside. (It is a biennial and member of the borage family.) I joked with someone about digging some up and taking it home to my garden but was quickly avised not to, that it spreads and would not be a good thing in a garden. Too bad, I sure loved the beautiful true blue colour.




What's an island without beaches? I had to stop along the roadside and put on my telephoto to get some images of these children enjoying some beach time. Despite the distance, I could hear their squeals of delight as they played. That moment sure took me back to earlier times when my two were little, playing on the beach. Seems so very long ago....

Fishing and the use of marine resources has shaped many aspects of Grand Manan. The island used to produce some of the world's finest smoked herring, long the mainstay of GM's economy. Unfortunately with stiff regulations and the loss of traditional markets the industry collapsed and disappeared in 1997. The smokehouses of Seal Cove where the herring were cured and packed for market, now stand empty. The area around "the Crick" in Seal Cove has been designated as a National Historic Site and is one of the most photographed areas on the island.

Seal Cove at low tide

This post is getting far too long. Let's close with end-of-day images taken at sunset at Dark Harbour on the west side of the island. Dark Harbour is well known for its dulse, an edible seaweed. Anyone on the island will confirm that Dark Harbour dulse is the world's finest. A natural rock breakwater provides a protected "pond" from which the dulsers' dories can enter and leave at high tide. High cliffs surround the pond, blocking early morning sunlight, therefore the name "dark" harbour. Dulsers travel the west side of the island picking dulse at low tide during spring and summer. It is then spread out on net-covered flat gravel beds to sun-dry before being packaged for market. Dulse has many health benefits and is packed with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium.

** Some info in this post was obtained from Grand Manan Guide, Laurie Murison, Editor, 6th Edition, 2013.

Next up- foggy fotos....

Peace,
Linda

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." ~ John F. Kennedy

A Day Trip to Grand Manan Quilt Show

The Tidal Threads Quilt and Needlework Guild of Grand Manan recently held a show and since I have not been able to make it to their last few shows, I made it a priority to attend this one. A day trip to Grand Manan requires a bit of planning. It is wise to make a ferry reservation, as the ferry departs only once every two hours, and you must be in the departure compound a minimum of 45 minutes before

departure (or lose your reservation.) This meant leaving home very early in the morning, to catch the 9:30a.m. ferry. Sadly it was not a sunny blue sky day, but on the other hand it didn't rain and surprisingly there was no fog. Our crossing on the Grand Manan Adventure was smooth and before we knew it we were rounding North Head. Seeing the famous Swallow Tail Light (lighthouse) as you swing around the point and into the harbour makes my heart smile...We had lunch at the delightful Café Bleu Marie before making our way to the show.
               
Here is a sampling of the spectacular quilts we saw... enjoy!

Knotty Bits by Nancy Estle

Detail of Knotty Bits by Nancy Estle

Blueberry Fields Forever by Martha Eaton. Quilted by Jill Lloyd

Whirlwind by Dawn Locke. Quilted by Jill Lloyd

Detail of Whirlwind by Dawn Locke

Nellie Jane by Dawn Locke. Quilted by Jill Lloyd

Migration by Nancy Estle

Gwendolyn by Mary Hawkins

Woven Runner by Leslie Daigle and Knit Doll by Freda Large

Wings Over Water by the TTQN Guild.  An original design.
This was their raffle quilt two years ago. One of my all time favourites.

Detail of Wings Over Water showing puffins on the Grand Manan basalt columns.
Wow! Just WOW!

I love Grand Manan and hope to get back later this summer for another visit. In my next post I'll share more photos from last year's GM visit which I never got around to showing... stay tuned...

Peace,
Linda

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." ~ Maya Angelou