We all have them. Lazy Sundays, or any other day of the week. Those days where we have nothing else to do than “nothing”. They are pretty rare for me, though.
But days when you can go out alone or with like-minded friends for a photo journey are becoming rarer and rarer.
Yet I managed to get one like that a few weeks ago. Amazing, but true. The first stop on the trip was to pick up a friend with whom to spend the photographic day. Since he lives nearly on the water, just like me, I scoured the horizon for something interesting to shoot. Sometimes I see seals or dolphins jumping out of the water, but none of that this time.
Faraway Sailboat
Only a faraway sailboat. Taking shots like these should have taught me long ago that they don’t turn out so great from far away. Turbulence in the air will invariably distort any picture. Just have a look at that mast…
Rabbit
Then we came across a few rabbits, playing and running in a field. A closeup of one of them shows how much they are affected by ticks. The ears show plenty of engorged parasites. I guess that rabbits don’t suffer as much from ticks as we humans do.
After that, we were off on the road. The first stop was this old grist mill in Sable River (see main pic of this post). I have photographed this one many times already, and every time it shows different elements and surprises. This time the water was very low. As expected, the mill is no longer functional; the only way to tell it was once a mill is the waterwheel.
Camshaft with unknown purpose
Then I came across something curious. This thing looks like a camshaft to me, but the top end is a bit confusing… Not sure if I want to be close to that thing when this starts spinning.
Lupins
This was also the time when the provincial flowers were in bloom. Every year I have the intention of shooting them, and miss them every year. Not this time. The Lupins were everywhere and for once I was stopped on the side of the road to shoot them.
Suspicious sign
After a short drive, we ended up in the town of Shelburne. It’s a small town with lots of places to have a drink or a bite. Since we were in the mood for neither, we strolled over the quays in search of something “interesting”. My eye caught this sign and, well, that was a bit of a laugh…
Atlantic Lion’s Mane jellyfish
We tried to move to that “other side” but decided against it. It would have meant getting in the water, but these beauties were there first.
All in the family
At first, we saw only one of them, but a much wider look revealed the rest of the family. Definitely not a good time to go for a swim, even if that was recommended by a sign. The water looks dirty in this picture, but this was only pollen coming in on the wind. Sometimes it looked as if something was on fire.
After having observed the Atlantic Lion’s Mane jellyfish for a while, we moved on to other subjects. We ended up at the southernmost tip of Nova Scotia.
View on “The Cape”
The colours of the water there were simply amazing. It would have looked tropical if there hadn’t been so much wind. The small white caps on the water kind of ruined that illusion. I could have spent hours on that spot, just drinking in the colours and the calmness of the area.
Cape Sable Lighthouse
Turning around a bit, I could also see the lighthouse of Cape Sable Island. Again, taking pictures from far away through turbulent air is not the best idea. But I still like the fact that I caught the light in my picture. This is also the southernmost point of accessible Nova Scotia.
Baccaro Point Radar Station
Not far away from there as the crow flies (it turns out that cars don't do that) is Baccaro Point. During the Cold War, this radar station was an observatory / early warning system. Today it is used by the Coast Guard for civil purposes. I did feel a bit like a spy, photographing an installation like this.
Then it was time to drive home again, we had wandered some 150km away from home.
Until next time…