A Winter Night in Nova Scotia

Hi,

Yes, it's a winter night in Nova Scotia -- not too
cold, and pleasant for walking in the moonlight.
In fact, it's been a mild winter here on the south
shore of the province, and I've enjoyed it very
much.

Tonight, for instance, as I went walking along
the old mines road, I could hear the lake making
its usual sounds, prior to a mild spell. How nice
it speaks to anyone who listens. How nice to
see moonlight sparkling over the frozen snow
crust.

I arrived home in a happy mood! The warmth
in my kitchen felt good. Black tea and ginger
snap cookies were my reward.

It's a winter night in Nova Scotia, and before
long we will see the first signs of spring.

All the best!
Laurie

Fire On Ice

A while back, I went walking with a friend along
the shore of Minamkeak Lake. It was late afternoon
as we walked on the ice with a cold breeze at our
backs. The lake and surrounding landscape was
beautiful as the late afternoon sun cast its reflection
over the frozen surface around us.

The sun had lowered to the treeline, when we
sought the shelter of a shallow cove, deep enough
to protect us from a steady breeze that blowed
from the northwest. As the weather was dry and
cold, we were quickly able to gather wood, and
soon had a fire built on the ice near the shore.

How nice it felt to sit near the crackling flames,
watching the sun move behind the trees, to leave
its yellow-orange glow on the horizon.

I've always enjoyed fire on ice and, when you think
about it, fire on ice would seem to be contradictory
and beyond the laws of nature. The opposite is
true, of course, and there are laws of the natural
world that explain how that can happen.

The temperature dropped significantly when dusk
arrived, and as the flames from the last of our
wood flickered and burned, we left that place and
made our way home.

Fond memories, indeed.

Bye for this time,
Laurie

Walking At Night In An Old Growth Forest

Last week I went walking at about 10:30 at night.
I had intended to walk along the road for about a
mile, before returning home. The snow cover
reflected what light there was from a half moon
that was fairly high to the south southwest.

As I returned home from what had been a pleasant
outing, the thought occured to me that I should visit
the old growth forest that forms part of my family's
property. So, I left the road, and made my way
back through the woods towards the old growth
area.

I must say, I felt a strange sensation walking back
in there at night. There were fresh deer tracks in
the snow, and I heard a deer snort, immediately
in front of and off to the right of where I walked.
I was startled! The snorting caught me by surprise
and made me stop to listen for more sounds.

The forest was still and there was enough light
from the moon to see the large tree trunks
silhouetted against the snow covered forest
floor and background. Yes, it was quite special
to experience this place at night.

I returned home near midnight with memories
that I won't soon forget. I curled up near the warm
woodstove with a hot cup of tea and a deep sense
of satisfaction in my heart.

All the best!
Laurie

Search Engine Myths

Hi Everyone,

I wasn't going to post this on my nature
blog, but figured that some of you have
websites, and that you could benefit from
a Free Report that I'm promoting.

This Report challenges many of the Myths
associated with Google's Search Engine
Ranking process. I feel that this is
important information for anyone who is
concerned with website indexing and ranking.

The Report was released by Jonathan Ledger,
and may be downloaded here:

Click Here

You will have to sign up to his list before
you can download the Report. But, what the
heck, you can always unsubscribe afterwards.
On the other hand, you may want to promote
the Report yourself! :)

All the best,
Laurie

Halifax -- Point Pleasant Park, and the Devastation of Hurricane Juan

It's been several years since Hurricane Juan
blasted its way inland over Point Pleasant
Park, Halifax, and onward across parts of
Nova Scotia. I recall the vivid television images
of downed trees on city streets and, later, when
flying out of Halifax, I saw the chaos of
criss-crossed trees that marked the storm's
path beyond the city.

I live near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and
don't often visit Halifax. However, I had
intended to visit Point Pleasant Park, in part
to mourn for a lost forest. Yet, for one reason
or another, I stayed away from the area.

I stayed away until a month ago, when I went
walking there with a friend. I was shocked! I
can't imagine how the Park must have looked
immediately after Juan. Whereas, earlier, there
were large, old trees, now I could look out
over young growth all the way to the harbour.

The Park is transformed, and reminds me of
a landscape that is recovering from the ravages
of a forest fire. I suppose, on some level, this is
nature's way of cleansing the area, to begin a
new cycle. Or, perhaps, I'm simply trying to
rationalize or make the best of such destruction.
If one act of nature had taken a slightly different
turn, those old trees would still be standing.

I feel a deep remorse for that forest. So many
of life's experiences are like that -- if they had
taken a slightly different turn. . . .

However, on another level, Point Pleasant Park
remains a beautiful place for city and urban
dwellers to walk and to be with nature. The
atmosphere has changed, and most of the large
trees have gone, but we can rejoice in the new
life that's growing there.

Laurie Lacey
Hebbs Cross, Nova Scotia

p.s. I usually don't write formal articles and post
them on this blog. However, I wanted to say a
few words about my visit to the park. I had intended
to send it to a newspaper for publication, but
decided to post it here.

Please feel free to post the article in your blog, on
your website, or to print it in a hard copy publication.
However, if you do so, you must note the source
(the URL to this blog), and keep my name and
address as author/location of the article.

A Nova Scotia Moment

You know, I was sitting by the Christmas
tree this evening, thinking about Nova
Scotia, and expressing gratitude for having
the opportunity to live in such a wonderful
place.

For instance, here on the south shore of
the province, we're blessed with sandy
beaches, a variety of landscapes, lakes,
rivers, streams, and the ocean. If you drive
inland, away from the ocean, you escape
the larger communities, and enter forested
landscapes that range from predominantly
softwood, to hardwood, and mixed forests.

Also, since Nova Scotia is a small province,
in comparison to, say, Ontario and Quebec,
it's possible to drive quickly to very distinct
and unique cultural and geographical settings.
For instance, I can leave my place on the
south shore and drive to the north shore in
ninety minutes. That's great! There, the
culture and scenery is different, and I can
experience it and still return home later that
same day. :)

If you have any questions about Nova Scotia,
feel free to contact me. I don't bite, and I'm
more than happy to give you information, in
case you plan to visit the province.

All the best,
Laurie