Yesterday and Today

Tags

Cardigan, dental, dogs, Greenwich, life, Mik Maq, Parks, PEI, Seafood, Vet

Well yesterday we were at Greenwich National Park on the Atlantic side (North side) of the Island at Havre Saint Pierre known to the english as St-Peter’s Bay. A spectacular park, rich in fauna and very quiet where the only noise is the birds and small animals in the forest and the surf just beyond the giant sand dunes.

Greenwich was established as a National Park on PEI, one of many, in 1970 with the purchase of the Sanderson Family Farm. The Sandersons sold their land as the sand dunes were moving and encroaching unto their farm land, it was unstoppable and this also created other changes to the farm land they owned.

In this picture you can clearly see the land mass surrounded by sea water, the dunes forming a high barrier with a beach and the interior is more sand with Marran grass and fresh water pond, spruce and birch forests on sandy soil. Lots of wild flowers and small mammals, like red squirrels, voles, meadow mice, minks, foxes, Northern Harriers, Eagles, snowshoe Hare, Sparrows, warblers, American red start, short tailed weasels. Many beautiful flowers growing in large numbers everywhere.

The most fascinating part is the floating walkway across the Bowley Pond. This year the water level was low due to the very dry summer we had, only 30 cm of water when you can easily have upwards of 1 meter.

Finally after a 4 km walk you arrive at the foot of the sand dunes and a built wooden staircase take you up and over to the beach. It is strictly forbidden to walk on the dunes. Vast swath of Lichen and Marram grass stabilizes the dunes.

This photo is taken from the top of the dunes looking down to the beach and the sea.

Clean and quiet, so pleasant.

Going back to the park area this is the view of the serpentine floating dock.

To think that this beautiful park and beach is just 35 minutes from our home in Charlottetown.

We also met during our visit a Mik Maq elder, his people have inhabited the area for 10,000 years. He was very interesting to talk to. His name Junior Peter-Paul. The Mik Maq live all over the Maritime Provinces and were closely allied and inter-married with the French Acadians until 1755 when the deportation (ethnic cleansing) took place.

He and Michael Sark a fellow Mik Maq had built using traditional knowledge a Birch Bark Wigwam and explained how it was done and all the symbolism that goes into such a construction. The 7 internal rings to give it rigidity are made of birch, cherry, maple saplings and symbolize the 7 sacred teachings on Respect, Courage, Humility, Love, Truth, Wisdom and Honesty. Spruce roots are use to tie it all together. The birch bark is cut in a specific manner and dried also following a specific custom. Upon inspection it looked like leather skins. The door always faces East for the rising Sun. I had never thought much about it and so it was interesting to hear about the techniques used from an Elder who had the knowledge.

Here in Charlottetown a new Mik Maq cultural centre is opening a stone throw from our house, an impressive building on the water’s edge.

After our walk we decided to go to Cardigan a small settlement in the vicinity of Georgetown and Montague. The restaurant Clam Diggers offers a very good menu of fish and fresh seafood. The portions are good and the seafood come directly from the wharf off the boats. Can’t ask for better really. The good thing is that Clam Diggers will remain open this Winter. As their name indicates Clams the big ones are featured on several dishes.

Today was another adventure, our Nicky went to the Dentist for his annual teeth cleaning. The appointment was at 8 o’clock, he had no breakfast and no water since the night before. We went out for our walk and then directly to the car. He gave me a funny look like, What? Where is my breakfast? When we got to the Vet he was not happy and could sense it was not a good thing, other dogs looked nervous and Nicky gave me the look, don’t leave me here. It all went well and I picked him up at 2:30pm. Next week it’s Nora’s turn. Our Vet is very good and has a nice gentle touch with them.

The Northern Sea shore

Tags

Beaches, Canada., Parks, PEI, Seashore

I live in Charlottetown and the Capital faces the Hillsborough River and further afield the Straits of Northumberland and the Mainland of Canada, all visible from the city. So today I went down hwy 15 to the PEI National Park which has some of the beaches on the North side of the Island, such as Dalvay, Covehead, Brackley Beach, Stanhope. From Charlottetown to the PEI National Park it is about 25 minutes by car. The beaches are clean, well kept, with people here and there, some stretches you are on your own. The road of the park is newly paved and a new bridge has been installed at Covehead. Parking in the park is in designated areas only and is free, there is also a bicycle trail and lots of paths. Nature conservation is the name of the game, so no dogs and people are asked to keep to the paths and not walk on the dunes which are fragile. Some weeks ago I got a Family Season pass to enter the National Park so you save money. On the way back home I decided to follow the road and exited the Park at the other end, then on Hwy 6 to Tracadie and turning right unto Hwy 2 back into the City. This was helpful to my understanding of road directions, I took Hwy 2 a few days ago to go to Mount Stewart and recognized the name of places. Hwy 2 becomes St-Peter’s Road to Longworth and then I am home down Prince Street. Coming into the City by St-Peter’s Road I past Jewell a well known Ice Cream, fresh fruit, vegetable, bake goods and garden centre.

Here are some photos of today’s excursion.

The beach at Stanhope, pines in the background, dunes, a few people here and there.

At some points, there is a line of dead pine trees, grey and dried up, immediately behind them are beautiful pines forming a thick curtain against the sea wind.

A broken and washed up lobster trap on the beach

there is also some drift wood washed up on the beach, the sea water and wind has polished the wood giving it the look of stone.

Dalvay by the Sea on Dalvay Lake. The beach and the seashore are just to the right. This former private home built in 1895 is now an exclusive hotel, it is quite beautiful inside, as a protected building it has kept much of its former grandeur. This so called summer cottage was used by the MacDonald family. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a canoe race on this lake in 2011 during their visit to the Island.

Aerial view of the area

The house was built in 1895 by Alexander MacDonald, a wealthy businessman and one-time president of Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. He named the house “Dalvay By The Sea” after his boyhood home in Scotland.

The neighbourhood

Tags

Canada., Charlottetown, Confederation, Parks, PEI, Prince Street, Railway, St-Peter's Cathedral, Victoria Park, Water Street

There are two bloggers on the Island who write about the history of PEI. It is very informative and a lot of it has to do with railroads and ferries to the mainland. The trains are gone now, the network was dismantled in the 1960’s the main reason was the astronomical cost of maintaining the tracks on the very soft soil of the Island.  The ferries have also cut back service with new bridges connecting communities on the Island and the Sea Bridge (Confederation) built in 1997. The ferries still provide service but to specific points like New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the fabled Iles de la Madeleine.

In one blog entry was a map of Charlottetown in 1880. Looking at it closely I could see that much has changed in the last 50 years when the Government of PEI and the City decided to clean up the waterfront of the City from industrial to park land.

Our street Prince from the corner of Water Street was a wharf and not a street as it is today, the wharf was used for passengers and merchandise for the ferry service to Stratford just across the Hillsborough river. Today at the end of the street stands a Seafood restaurant. The great water basins have been filled in and turned into parks called Confederation Landing and a gift of the City of Quebec, the Old Capital as it is known, because it was once the Royal Capital of New France and remains to this day the Summer Capital of the Governor General of Canada who resides at the Citadel on Cap Diamant.

In front of my window as I look out into a park and a small building once part of the Train Station, this building is now a  Tourist information centre, next to it stood a round house for locomotives, next to it in what is called Founders Hall was a repair shop for train cars. The round house is gone and a nice park took its place. A bit further is the Causeway taking traffic to Stratford nowadays. The great Cruise ships now dock next to Prince Street. Looking at all these parks it is difficult to imagine that once this was the river and the streets were wharfs and ship building dominated the area coupled with train traffic and freight.

Just behind our house you could count 2 bassins for ships and 4 wharfs one being owned by the Duncan family whose home built in 1840 we now live in. The tall ship building industry disappeared around 1890 to be replaced by steel and steam engines. This is when Charlottetown went into a steep decline economically after being the tall ship building capital of North America. The Duncan house became a residence for seniors until a few years ago when it was gutted and renovated.

The greening of our neighbourhood has made a big difference in Charlottetown and I can appreciate the improvement.

These buildings prior to 1964 would have been on the water’s edge and all the trees in the background and other buildings would have been in the ship basins. Today it is a park along the river, thanks to landfill.

In this park stood the Round House for Locomotives. The stone building was part of the freight yard, now a tourist information centre.

Another view of the park where once stood the round house for locomotives.

Also today I went for a walk on the boardwalk in Victoria Park, it is an area that has always been reserved for the Army and for the Lieutenant Governor of the Province, his Residence is located here, it is a wonderful part of the city.

Note the reddish colour of the water of the River due to the soil. On the right side of the photo is Rocky Point which is cottage country some 15 minutes from the City.

Beyond is the Strait of Northumberland and the sea.

The boardwalk as it comes to West Street and Beaconsfield House which can be seen in the background (yellow house with lantern on the roof) It is a Museum to the Peakes Family who were and are still prominent in Charlottetown.

Masses of flowers in Queen’s Square, (Queen Charlotte)  one of the numerous parks in the old City.

St-Peter’s Anglican Cathedral and the famous All Souls Chapel which is a must see. It is decorated in Pre-Raphaelite style with wall paintings by Robert Harris who used Dante’s Inferno as a theme.

Oh Look it’s our little Nicky having his sun filled morning snooze after his breakfast.

Province House c.1847, the Legislature of the Province of Prince Edward Island.

Great George Street named after George III and St-Dustan Irish R.C. Cathedral.

Other brick buildings on Great George Street dating from the early 19th century. It is all art  galleries nowadays.

This old picture shows in the background on the right Province House. St-Dustan Cathedral is in its original state prior to being rebuilt into the great church it is today.

All the other buildings in the pictures are still there today which is pretty amazing. This was Peakes Wharf’s  known today as Confederation Landings because this is were the Fathers of the Canadian Constitution landed in June 1864 walking up Great George Street.