Tag: spring

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First time in a canoe this year

We did it because we could. The ice is gone, the tide was high. My son and I dipped the canoe in the ocean and paddled out to a nearby island. He hiked around it and then we paddled back again.

Ashore on a small island near home
Ashore on a small island near home
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Ice on an April morning

On a cold morning the receding tide leaves a film of ice on the seaweed and rocks along the shore. Nova Scotia is blessed with natural shorelines like this, a haven for wildlife which is threatened by development.
On a cold morning the receding tide leaves a film of ice on the seaweed and rocks along the shore. Nova Scotia is blessed with natural shorelines like this. It's a haven for wildlife, but threatened by development. More about that in future posts. We feel fortunate to live along an undeveloped coastline.
Ice forms patterns on two species of seaweed.
Ice forms patterns on two species of seaweed.
Chunks of heavier winter ice are heading out to sea, temporarily caught in the overnight freeze, soon to be melted by the warming spring sun.
Chunks of heavier winter ice are heading out to sea, temporarily caught in the overnight freeze, soon to be melted by the warming spring sun.
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Ice leaves, buffleheads take over

The ice that yesterday filled the cove has floated out to sea.
The ice that yesterday filled the cove has floated out to sea. The Oak Island Inn (which is not on Oak Island, but overlooks it) is in the distance.
2009-03-28-buffleheads
As soon as the ice had melted, the bufflehead ducks that had all winter occupied the other side of the causeway, the side that didn't freeze, gleefully (I imagine) took possession of the newly open water.
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Watching the sea ice float away

Great sheets of ice have broken away and are ready to float out of the cove with the wind and tide.
Great sheets of ice have broken away and are ready to float out of the cove with the wind and tide.

The powerful north winds of the storm earlier in the week pinned the ice to the shore, even while driving cracks into it. Now there is no wind, and much of the ice that we walked on in January seems poised to float out to sea.  What will it take for it to leave?  A south wind?  Repeated tides?

The sea ice nearby is keeping the temperature down in our yard.  Much of it is still covered with snow and ice, while up the road, further away from the water, the ground is bare.  It has been a hard, icy winter.  So I’ll be glad to see the sea ice go.

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Spring breakup on Martin’s River

A jumble of ice on Martin's River as the weather turns warm
A jumble of ice on Martin's River as the weather turns warm

It was about 8 degrees Celsius today, and sunny – a gorgeous day that drew us outside.  We went for a walk along Martin’s River, which flows into Mahone Bay between the towns of Mahone Bay and Chester.

We saw quite a  jumble of ice from upriver blocked by the two bridges: the former railway bridge that is now part of the trail system, and the road bridge.  The tea-coloured water was rushing around and under the ice floes.

Looking downstream, past the railway bridge to the road bridge in the distance.
Looking downstream, past the railway bridge to the road bridge in the distance.
Looking down Martin's River
Looking down Martin's River

We walked past the bridges down one the east side of the river.  The ice is thinning but still intact.

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A foggy morning on the Nova Scotia coast

Sheltered inlets are still iced in.
Sheltered inlets are still iced in.

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with temperatures well above freezing.  We have a lot of snow and ice for that sun to melt.  Still, it feels like spring on a day like this.  Some people find this time of year difficult in Nova Scotia, when daffodils are blooming in Victoria on the “other coast”.  Others relish the cold temperatures and make the most of it.  As for me, I’ve usually had my nose buried in my work at this time of year and this year is no exception.  And I’m grateful for that.