I recently discovered Wandering Canadians travel and adventure blog and am now a follower.
Who are the Wandering Canadians?
“We’re a couple of Canadians who enjoy hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, diving, and spending as much time outdoors as we can. We hope our stories can help as you plan for your adventures. Thanks for reading.” –L & K
I was thrilled to come across their post from July where they describe their 10-day trip to the island portion of my own province, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The photography is stunning too. But please don’t take my word for it, click on the highlighted post below and see for yourself.
“People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life.” – Faith Resnick
Cats, even the cutest of kittens, have a killer instinct. It’s an inherited and hard-wired behavior put into practice by the time a kitten is barely a month old. Mother cats will teach their kittens to hunt by example using trilling and other sounds to indicate the type of prey brought to the den. When kittens are about four weeks old, she brings dead prey to teach identification of prey species and later live prey to teach how to catch and kill. Kittens soon learn to swat, pounce and scoop with their claws extended. They learn to bring the prey home to share as their mother did for them and to play with the prey.
As adults, cats will bring humans (mother substitutes) their bounty as a shared offering. Depending on what’s available, it could be an actual mouse carcass or perhaps a toy mouse in your shoe.*
Sometimes we sit lamenting as memory traces back The old familiar landmarks that we miss from off our track. They’ve built the railway stations where our feet were wont to skate, They motor over footpaths where our lovers used to wait. But there’s one left still – dear old Signal Hill.*
I’ve always loved Signal Hill. That’s probably why I incorporated into a couple of scenes in my debut novel, Calmer Girls.
Overlooking St. John’s Harbour and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the capital city’s most popular tourist attraction.
I take the time every summer to pay a visit, and this past July was no exception. Here are a few shots from that gorgeously sunny and breezy day – then again, as any tourist can attest, it’s always quite breezy atop this hill!
The iconic Cabot Tower – jenniferkellandperry.com
In the distant past, Signal Hill has been the setting for victorious battle, the location for Marconi’s monumental establishment of wireless telegraph communication, and a signalling station for approaching ships.
Today it is a National Historic Site under Parks Canada.
The best thing I like about Signal Hill?
The views, of course!
jenniferkellandperry.com
If you look closely at some of my pics, you can see the trail around the hill.
This is not a hiking trail for the faint of heart.
It’s that time of year again, when hubs and I gear up to leave home for the required and much-anticipated summer getaway. I will be adding on an extra week myself, starting tomorrow, to stay with my grandchildren while their parents fly off on a vacation of their own.
After that, my days will pretty much belong to me, to indulge in the things I like besides writing and blogging. Time to explore, relax, and enjoy the summery season for a spell. Time to do lots of reading, visit friends and family both in and outside the capital city, and find new moments of inspiration through the lens of my camera. You might catch a glimpse of me on other social media, but I’m going to try my best to keep that to a minimum too.
Here are a few of my backyard snaps from past summer posts, as well as a new video from a few days ago.
Vivian the beach bumA nice kelp-free spot on our beachThe extreme tip of Perry’s PointNeighbour Ben Perry’s buoys
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The northern gannet is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family. Photo Source: Wikipedia
Northern gannets employ an ingenious way to fish for food. They “corral” the fish by flying around together in a circle over the water where the fish can see them. The fish school tightly together for safety, but that’s when these birds plummet, diving deep into the waves to catch them. Sorry for the blurriness, but it was a quick capture with my iPhone. Short and sweet so don’t blink!
Please turn up your volume to hear the gannets in their glee.
Stay safe and have fun, everyone,
and I’ll catch up with you in August. 🙂
What are you doing this summer for a change of pace?
View from Cape Bonavista, NL – one of the gems from our travels around the province.
“I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild;
when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody.
And in all its moods, I see myself.”
― Martin Buxbaum
“There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” – Sarah Kay, American poet
I love this sandy beach! Arguably the best of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador, Lumsden Beach is just a ten-minute drive away from us here on the Kittiwake Coast.
So whenever the desire arises to walk a sandy shore that’s over a mile long, this breathtaking spot is our place to go.
Yes, we recently enjoyed a fun week on Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana with its crowds of happy tourists, its tropical climate and endless sunshine, but this beach is an introvert’s dream. Even in the dead of summer, it’s never crowded. Heaven on earth!
Is there a favourite beach near where you live? Share in the comments below.
A sunset is the sun’s fiery kiss to the night.”
― Crystal Woods
“Sunset is a wonderful opportunity for us
to appreciate all the great things the sun gives us!”
― Mehmet Murat Ildan
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I’m taking a short blogging break, friends.
Try not to do anything too earth-shattering
while I’m away – I’d hate to miss it!
Take care, and we’ll catch up in a couple of weeks.
Photo: Perry’s Point, March 2015.
First published here: Ephemeral
Comments are closed because my break has already started. 🙂
While many of you are appreciating warmer weather now, it’s still pretty chilly in our region and our cats are getting a touch stir crazy. Yes, they’re allowed to go outside year-round, but fur coats or not, they aren’t too enthused about staying out in the cold for very long.
I promise you, Vivian, although it doesn’t seem so, spring has indeed arrived. Before you know it, the snow will disappear, the grass will turn green, and you and sister Maisie will be back in your favourite place: outdoors on Perry’s Point, prowling around.
This is one of my best-loved photos of her. I like everything about it, but particularly the background and the way her hind feet are still perched on the post.
There’s treasure children always seek to find
and just like us
you must have had
a Once-Upon-a-Time.*
Did you know? Marine scientists have replaced the starfish’s common name with sea star because it’s not a fish. It’s an echinoderm, closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars. There are 2,000 species of sea star living in all the world’s oceans. The five-arm varieties are the most common. Sea stars have an eye at the tip of each arm.
“I think a lot of contemplation happens in bathtubs. It does for me. Nothing like a hot bath to ease the tension and think about what’s going to happen next.” ~ Sarah McLachlan