Campobello In November

Yes, yes, yes…it’s getting colder but boy the sun is shining on this little piece of paradise. A wide blue sky made for a great fall day today. And even after the storm, there are still a lot of leaves on the trees. Some trees are still showing green. Our biggest maple tree has lost all leaves though, but it’s neighbour tree is still in fall mode.   High tide                                                                    Low tide     We still have northerly winds which brought the measured temperature of –1C (30F) to a wind chilled temp of ……well …way down. Yet the afternoon was so nice that we took Molly on a walk along the south side of the island. It’s largely protected from the northern winds and with the sun shining it was downright warm. What en enjoyable walk. Bea had taken pictures of the tide up to it’s top and when it was way down. Looking at the beach we understand what enormous amounts of water is moving around on a daily basis. It’s nature’s way to contribute to clean waters, and making feed available to all the sea creatures.   Herring Cove Beach                                                           Having a word with Molly  For those of you who are not living by the sea or never have seen the tide move in or out here is an explanation of how this is actually  happening:   A mossy patch along the path                            and Mountain Ash berries fallen down Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. Some shorelines experience two almost equal high tides and two low tides each day, called a semi-diurnal tide. Some locations experience only one high and one low tide each day, called a diurnal tide. Some locations experience two uneven tides a day, or sometimes one high and one low each day; this is called a mixed tide. The times and amplitude of the tides at a locale are influenced by the alignment of the Sun and Moon, by the pattern of tides in the deep ocean, and by the shape of the coastline. Tides vary on timescales ranging from hours to years due to numerous influences. To make accurate records, tide gauges at fixed stations measure the water level over time. Gauges ignore variations caused by waves with periods shorter than minutes. These data are compared to the reference (or datum) level usually called mean sea level. While tides are usually the largest source of short-term sea-level fluctuations, sea levels are also subject to forces such as wind and barometric pressure changes, resulting in storm surges, especially in shallow seas and near coasts. In most locations, the largest constituent is the "principal lunar semi-diurnal", also known as the M2 tidal constituent. Its period is about 12 hours and 25.2 minutes, exactly half a tidal lunar day, which is the average time separating one lunar zenith from the next, and thus is the time required for the Earth to rotate once relative to the Moon. Simple tide clocks track this constituent. The lunar day is longer than the Earth day because the Moon orbits in the same direction the Earth spins. This is analogous to the minute hand on a watch crossing the hour hand at 12:00 and then again at about 1:05½ (not at 1:00). The Moon orbits the Earth in the same direction as the Earth rotates on its axis, so it takes slightly more than a day—about 24 hours and 50 minutes—for the Moon to return to the same location in the sky. During this time, it has passed overhead (culmination) once and underfoot once (at an hour angle of 00:00 and 12:00 respectively), so in many places the period of strongest tidal forcing is the above mentioned, about 12 hours and 25 minutes. The moment of highest tide is not necessarily when the Moon is nearest to zenith or nadir, but the period of the forcing still determines the time between high tides. Typical tide calendar, this one being for Vancouver, B.C. showing fluctuations in daily occurring tides. Our own tidal calendar shows a lot more regularity from tide to tide. (See below)   Because the gravitational field created by the Moon weakens with distance from the Moon, it exerts a slightly stronger than average force on the side of the Earth facing the Moon, and a slightly weaker force on the opposite side. The Moon thus tends to "stretch" the Earth slightly along the line connecting the two bodies. The solid Earth deforms a bit, but ocean water, being fluid, is free to move much more in response to the tidal force, particularly horizontally. As the Earth rotates, the magnitude and direction of the tidal force at any particular point on the Earth's surface change constantly; although the ocean never reaches equilibrium—there is never time for the fluid to "catch up" to the state it would eventually reach if the tidal force were constant—the changing tidal force nonetheless causes rhythmic changes in sea surface height. Why is the tide higher in Newfoundland than here on Campobello? Land masses and ocean basins act as barriers against water moving freely around the globe, and their varied shapes and sizes affect the size of tidal frequencies. As a result, tidal patterns vary. As the Bay of Fundy narrows in the north the moving tidal waters have to “squeeze in” a tighter space. Measurements made in November 1998 at Burntcoat Head in the Bay of Fundy recorded a maximum range of 16.3 meters (53 ft) and a highest predicted extreme of 17 meters (56 ft), while Campobello experiences up to 28ft of tide. Tides are also less noticeable in the south.  Extremely small tides also occur for the same reason in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gale Force Winds – The Big Storm

It was rattling and howling around the house – the predicted storm was upon us! After lunch I decided to take a drive to Campobello’s southern most point. The storm was blowing out of the south-west and would be hitting the rocky cliffs full force. That would be worth to take a look at. So I took the Jeep and off I went through the park.     When I rounded the last bend before looking at Liberty Point I saw several huge waves covering most of sugarloaf rock in foamy seawater. I had never seen this kind of waves hitting here before so I was totally in awe. I tried to walk outside shooting pictures as I walked, but was hit by rain and the ferocious storm. So instead I quickly positioned the car with the passenger side window down and out of the rain, and did my pictures from the inside of the car through the open window. The wind blew all rain away from the car and not a single drop fell inside the car.   Every 5 minutes 3-4 big waves were rolling in. Then it could be much calmer again until the next volley came rolling in. The noise from the wind and the crashing waves was ear-deafening.  Way out in the Gulf of Maine I saw real wave monsters rolling along. My car was rocking like it was ready to take off across the wild sea.   Have a Happy Evening (or morning)

The Coast And The Sea – just pictures

August Days

For me August was always the important month of summer. The first days of summer heat are gone, the mornings are breathing a little cooler, and yet it is delightful during the days. Many flowers are first starting to bloom now, apples and fruits are growing bigger every day and we go harvesting raspberries and even later blackberries. Many days are crystal clear and it is fun to take the camera and hunt for those nice photo opportunities. Yesterday I was intrigued by the bright colours and went south on the island. My first stop was at Mulholland Point where I took a few shots with the Mulholland Lighthouse and the Narrows. A boat was running up against the violent tidal current. They had the engine on full throttle, the bow came up high and the boat was producing a great wake behind. It was a very quiet Sunday, with little traffic across the border. Was it the long weekend we’d had last week which made people stay put? Anyway, time to brush up on the history of the lighthouse: Built in 1885, Mulholland Point Lighthouse served as a guide for the many small coasters, passenger ships, and freighters traversing the narrow Lubec Channel en route to or from the United States or Canadian ports on Grand Manan. Although the lighthouse is not open to the public, visitors are free to walk around the structure and to enjoy the picnic site next to it. From the picnic area at Mulholland Point are views of the FDR Memorial Bridge, Lubec, Maine, the Channel Lighthouse, and the islands and waters of Johnson's Bay. Often, harbor seals can be seen swimming just offshore in the Lubec Narrows. Lighthouses remain an important cultural feature in the Maritime Provinces and have become a unique appeal to an increasing number of visitors each year. I drove on to the other side east of the bridge. I met a few cars but when I reached Cranberry Point I was all by myself. Here we can look out towards the east and Grand Manan. It is a lovely inviting view. Most island visitors never get to see this. They seem to be in a hurry. For what? Whoever comes to Campobello Island needs to have time to take it all in. This is not a Mekka with tens of thousands of tourists swarming all over. It is rather a “best-kept-secret” a tip of an insider to a lonely wanderer who wants to take a few reflections over nature and life itself. I was looking for that lonely bench up on the rocky shelf. It is a place for worshipping nature. A few gulls out there, the gentle lapping of waves against ancient rocks…. That’s all there is to it. Thanks for stopping by again!

More Fog And More Music

Day 2 of the Fog Fest started with fog so dense it was hardly possible to see the neighbour’s house. This festival sure does honour to its name. Looking at the program we decided to visit the library Gala at noon. The program there consisted of song writer and book author Brian Flynn’s presentation where music and literature were equal parts. I have to add that this Brian Flynn is not just Mr. Anybody. Brian Flynn has been working with the U.S. Government for more than 20 years as Assistant Surgeon General, Associate Director, at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.  Brian has been at the most horrible places. He was in Manhattan after 9-11, he has been in Littleton, Colorado after the school massacre, in Oklahoma in the aftermath of terrible tornadoes, has seen horrible floods and remnants of coastal hurricanes. He has met people who didn’t know whether there would be a tomorrow or whether life could go on. His long experience with the darkest hours of life has provided him with a unique gift of putting words to beautiful songs. It has also made him a gifted author who has recently produced 2 very interesting books “The Wisdom of Stones” and “The Voices of Stones”.  ”The Wisdom of Stones combines fine photography and inspirational text intended to provoke thought, promote reflection, and engender connections between people and their environment. The book was born of psychologist/ photographer Brian Flynn's observation of people's fascination and connection with beach stones on the shores of Campobello Island, Canada. Many of the island's visitors spend time walking silently on the beaches, seldom looking up from the stones underfoot. Periodically, beachcombers stoop down, pick up stones, examine them, and place them in their pockets. This often goes on for hours. At the end of the day, they proudly display their treasures for whomever will look. Seldom has a vistor left without a bag full of stones to display or add to their collection. Brain Flynn's work has been focused primarily on large-scale trauma--disasters and terrorism. These experiences have fueled his passion to find beauty where others do not (or cannot) see it, to find order in what others see as randomness and chaos, and to nurture hope and meaning where and when he can.” Brian has a home on Campobello Island. From 3:00p to 5:00p we went again to the beautiful Prince Cottage for yet another musical event. The performers were part of the Lubec,ME Summerkeys program. It was time to have sweet romantic dreams when Winslow Browning played South American melodies on his Spanish Guitar.   Another marvelous experience on this Saturday. On our way home we saw mighty thunder clouds moving in. They all went by with some rain, but no thunderstorm.

It’s FOG FEST folks!

When the fog is rolling in on Campobello it is best to be inside and listen to some real good music. That was exactly what a whole lot of people did today. It all started out with “Harper’s Mae” at Jocie’s Porch at 10am. Two young people, he with a nice guitar sound and she had a pretty voice to sing off a number of  folksy songs and known melodies from long gone days. The place filled up pretty quick, Bobby and his mother Angela served the best coffee in the world (way better than any Starbucks or even Tim Horton’s) and everybody was enjoying himself.                                                          At Jocie’s Porch From 3:00p to 5:00p we could listen to Philip Albert’s eloquent variations of known classic jazz sets. And to give this an appropriate frame it happened in the Prince Cottage in the Roosevelt Campobello Int’l Park, The Prince Cottage sits just below the Roosevelt Cottage and opens its long classical facade towards the Passamaquoddy Bay. I couldn’t but imagine what life was like for the folks who once owned this magnificent place. The piano was part of the original furniture and dates from 1851. While Philip brought out the most beautiful melodies I looked through the large windows and saw the fog waltzing across the bay. The house was warm and offered a cozy elegance. Great coffee and cookies after Eleanore Roosevelt’s recipe.  What a treat! Philip Albert at the piano                                                  The Prince Cottage Fog Fest is lasting for 2 more days, so if you happen to be in the neighbourhood why not take a trip over and see us? It’s sure worth it. Campobello Island has taken a major step forwards being a destination. Thanks for dropping by!