Category: Nature
Exploring My Island: The Mighty Gander River
(My apologies if you received a blank post in your inbox previous to this one — I had a glitch. Hope I have it fixed!)
On icy cold days like today, I love to reflect on photos from my summer travels. This selection takes me back to an overnight stay on Gander River last June.
Whenever my husband Paul has to travel for work in our beautiful province, I often accompany him. Particularly enjoyable are the trips that take us somewhere we haven’t visited before. And when we can combine business and pleasure, the trips are all the more fun.
This time Paul’s work took him to a business associate’s cabin on the Gander River, to design an extension and renovation for the client. The long boat in the photo above took us there, the only way to access the site.
In spite of the high winds, and getting splashed by spray over the side of the boat, the temps were warm and the views were lovely.
Here below is a shot of the little guest cabin we stayed in on the property. So cozy!
The Gander River is well-known for its salmon pools and outfitting business. To learn more, check out this site.
Below: blue flag iris growing along the shoreline.
Time to eat, sit back and relax.
Our gracious hosts provided a delicious grilled steak supper and refreshments at the main cabin.
Did you know I have a Newfoundland and Labrador category of posts on this blog? I will add this post to it shortly. Depending on what device you’re on, you can access the list from the menu or from under the header. Or click on here: Newfoundland and Labrador
Vivian’s View from Here: Sunday Snaps (and an Anniversary!)
Hello, Peeps and Pets! Vivian K. Perry here, fondly looking back on a memory from Summer 2022. Oh, how I miss the warm days on Perry’s Point! The brilliant sunshine, the butterflies and buttercups, the soft sea breezes and birds aplenty—yes, I know they will all come again, but I can’t wait.
The Photo Challenge prompt over at Xingfu Mama is Pull up a Seat.*
Well, a picnic table certainly counts, doesn’t it? Of course it does.
I don’t like going outside for very long when it’s cold. So in the meantime, I will endure the long winter by taking lots of naps, with pleasant dreams of long summery days. The good news? The days are getting longer! Do you look forward to summer as much as I do?
Oh! Before I forget, let me share Jennifer’s blogging anniversary. This blog, Jennifer’s Journal, has now entered its twelfth year! Meow and Wow!
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Happy First Day of Winter!
Hi, everyone! I hope you’re all keeping safe, happy and healthy, wherever you are in the world.
For various reasons, it’s been a while since I blogged. But I hope to do better in the new year. I received a most unwelcome early Christmas gift, by the name of Covid. Thankfully, the vaccines must have worked because I was only feverish for a couple of days, and now if my sinuses would clear, I should be as good as new!
I wish for each and every one of you
the warmth of a memorable Holiday Season,
and an abundance of peace and prosperity in the New Year.
Looking forward to connecting with you all again in 2023!
❤️❤️❤️
Photo Challenge: Close-up
Cee Neuner’s challenge for photographers yesterday* reminds me of this photo I took back in August. I captured the spider and her masterpiece through my kitchen window that fog-shrouded night, not knowing how the outdoor light on our house would illuminate its detail so well, especially the misty moisture that clings to every intricate strand of the web. The overall effect reminds me of fine gold chain.
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” – Pablo Picasso
Which Way: Thoughts on a Nature Trail
When you get the chance to enjoy a walk outside, which way* do you go? Do you prefer a stroll through the streets of your community or neighbourhood? Or would you rather a natural, more secluded setting?
If possible, I will always choose a walk in nature. Luckily, there are several trails, as well as plenty of beaches, in my area. I’m an introvert through and through, so my preference makes sense. An extrovert would probably choose a more peopled path so they could enjoy a few chats along the way. And there’s nothing wrong with that either.
Nature walks, where I can take the time to reflect and recharge, are like meditation for me. I don’t need a lot of external (people-y) stimulation to be happy. In fact, too much can feel overwhelming.
With all that is happening in our external world over the last couple of years—the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the political and racial unrest in our own countries—I believe I’ve retreated into introversion even more, as a way to preserve and care for my mental health.
I realize not everyone can choose to do so, depending on their jobs, etc., but if you are an introvert, don’t ever feel guilty for needing and allowing time for yourself. It’s a part of who you are.
“I’m an introvert… I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
“Asking an introvert to open up is as rude as asking an extrovert to shut up.” ~ Unknown
Where do you like to take your walks?
Which way are you leaning on the
Introversion/Extroversion scale?
Do tell!
*Photos taken on May 8, 2022 @ Business Pond Walking Trail, Valleyfield, NL
*Which Way Photo Challenge – Alive and Trekking
Earth Day 2022: For the Love of Trees
As we recognize and celebrate Earth Day this year, I fondly think about my favourite tree.*
This huge and flourishing maple tree is in the front garden of my daughter’s summer house in outport Newfoundland. I look forward to seeing it each and every July.
“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
~ Kahlil Gibran
Caring for our trees is of vital importance, now more than ever. Strong, healthy trees help to clean the air by absorbing pollutants and releasing clean oxygen for us to breathe. They capture rainwater, which helps prevent landslides and floods. And, of course, they provide shelter and habitat for many forest creatures. All of this shows how trees help reduce the effects of climate change.
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees,
under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
~ Nelson Henderson
We can all play a part in countering the effects of deforestation. One way is the simple act of planting a tree or a number of trees. Check out the Canopy Project at https://onetreeplanted.org/
Do you have a favourite tree, woodland or forest?
Please share if you do!
*All photos taken on July 11, 2021 in Lead Cove, NL
Vivian’s View From Here: A Fresh Look
Hello everyone! Vivian K. Perry here, eager to bring you a fresh look of me enjoying Perry’s Point this morning.
It’s been an odd sort of winter here in Newfoundland and Labrador, with less snow than usual, particularly here on the Bonavista North coastline where a strong gale often whisks the flakes away before they can even think about settling. But overnight last night the light wind allowed a pretty layer of snow to fall, and the sun came out, so I couldn’t wait to go outside and explore.
This was my second trip outside this morning.
Time to make more tracks!
I’ve made plenty of paw prints but I look for the dry spots too.
I think I’ve had enough for now. Time to go inside for a cuddle.
“You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place.
That’s why animals are so soft and huggy.” – Bill Watterson
Check out my very short YouTube video below
to see how I try to retrace my snow-prints! ~ love, Vivian
Photo Challenge: Sunday Stills – Another Fresh Look At…
Sunday Snaps: Feeding the Birds, Parisian Style
Happy Sunday, all!
This afternoon has me wistfully looking back on our European trip, yet again. For this post in particular, I’m reminiscing about Paris and our visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
As enthralling as it was to take a tour inside this extraordinary example of French Gothic architecture, I was equally enamored with the feathery congregation outside!
In April of 2019, a massive fire tore through the roof of the Notre Dame, but a restoration by artisans is in the works. I have a feeling these birds have missed the tourists and will be happy when this historic cathedral reopens in 2024.
By the way, did you know that February is National Bird Feeding Month in the U.S.?
“Birds are the most popular group in the animal kingdom. We feed them and tame them and think we know them. And yet they inhabit a world which is really rather mysterious.” ~ David Attenborough
Photo Challenge: Sunday Stills — Are You a #Bird Feeder?
My photos originally shared here: Scenes From France – Part 3: More Paris!
Sunday Snap: Sunrise
Happy December, everyone!
Wait—what?? How can this be? I had thought my November would have dragged by much more slowly, after I signed up for NaNoWriMo and sequestered myself to my writing cave for thirty days. Most of those days started early too—pitch-black early before the clocks rolled back on the 7th—and yet the month flew by anyway.
It was pleasant rising with the sun on those mornings. Most of this blog’s “sun photography” has been of the sunset variety like the one on my header, but there is something special about the quality of the sun at dawn. The stillness, the quietude, the fresh hope that gives birth to each new day is perfect inspiration for writing a new chapter in a novel or starting a new chapter in your life.
“I write for the same reason I watch the sun rise every morning. Not to express some great truth, but because it makes me feel wildly, gloriously alive.” ~ Marty Rubin
A Photo a Week Challenge: Sunrise
Jennifer's Journal 