Blue Rocks, kayaking again.

Today is wet and foggy, but I don’t mind as we have had a really good spell of weather.

Yesterday we took the kayaks down to Blue Rocks, again.

We left Blue Rocks, before 8 am.

 

The sea was like a mill pond, as we headed out beyond these little islands.

This island has 3 houses on it and  is linked to Stonehurst by a  small wooden bridge. I mentioned it in a previous blog about ouhouses.

https://queensincanada.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/canadian-outhouses/

We tried to catch some mackerel for lunch, but no luck.

What is so amazing about Blue Rocks and Stonehurst are these narrow channels, many accessible by kayak only.

It’s like entering another world.

Slabs of rock and stunted trees.We didn’t see any otters on this trip, but there are plenty around – hopefully next time.

We paddled back around to the other side of the little island,

and under the bridge,

back along to Blue Rocks.

I feel so fortunate to have such a place, so close to home,

with exciting paddling, great wildlife, and colourful boat sheds.

Another paddle around Heckman’s Island.

We had annual rituals when we lived in Scotland.  In May we would cycle from Glen Fearnat down Glen Tilt to Pitlochry and home. Then there was the cycle round Loch Rannoch and yet another trip from Kirriemuir to Edzell and back via Forfar.

Here in Nova Scotia we like to make an annual outing around Heckman’s Island. We can leave from various points, but last week-end we started out from the inlet past the Cranberry Farm.

The weather was perfect. The farm you see is actually at the end of Second Peninsula.

It’s boating season and everyone had their yachts in the water.

Nice reflection.

This deck had a golf cart for some reason! To get from the house to the boat?

There are simple cabins

and permanent homes.

This is the road bridge onto the island. We have to paddle through here and along Tanner’s Pass, between the island and the ‘mainland’.

We stopped for a break at a boat shed we admire. This would make the perfect house site, but the road to it would be impossible.

I am always taking photographs of the rocks around Stonehurst, I find this landscape so amazing.

These cormorants had just been sunning themselves, before flying off. I could have done with a better camera, but am always afraid that my Canon will end up in the water.

We landed on the little beach near the Cranberry Farm.

We’d had a perfect day, watching eagles, ospreys, cormorants, terns, seals and otters. We’ll have to wait until next year to do that trip again.

Kayaking at Blue Rocks

Just had to put on these photos of our latest kayaking trip on Sunday.

It was an amazingly hot morning as we left the little rocky cove at Stonehurst and paddled round to Blue Rocks. We kayaked between East Point Island and Little East Point Island and there we came across this baby seal, completely on its own. It wanted to play and talk and just swam around us and lay on the bottom looking at us. This is a fantastic photo that Bob shot.

Then we landed on a little beach to have a break. Roger had just gone in for a swim when this otter mother and her 3 cubs appeared. The mother was making blowing noises and kept bringing the cubs in to look at us, before diving down. Sometimes she surfaced with the young ones on her back.

Jeff decided to join them for a swim.

Then as we paddled off, they followed us and swam around us. They seemed to be very friendly and were just so inquisitive.

We didn’t want to leave them, it was such a marvellous experience to be so close to these lovely creatures. I think it will be a long time before we have a better trip than this one.

Canadian Outhouses

I only ever remember visiting an outside toilet (of a house) in Scotland once and that was over 50 years ago in the mining village where I grew up. Today they are a very rare occurrence, but here in Atlantic Canada, very close to our house, there still remains several of these structures.

We think that the fact that the ground at Blue Rocks and Stonehurst is solid rock would have caused real problems digging drains in the past.

I will show you some photographs of outhouses in various states of repair.

Some are now used as garden sheds.

Others are used for animals or to tie the washing line to.

Many are  now overgrown with shrubs and bushes.

Some even in danger of falling over completely.

Whereas the outhouse with the blue paint and red door ………..

looks as if it has been renovated by Colin and Justin.