"Colliers', Newfoundland: Reflections"

 

We are being blasted with a reminder of winter as I type, mercilessly shattering the quiet of a spring night, are the snow squalls and rain components of something more unseasonal than hail pellets on a warm August day. But we get those too. In this photo such are reflections of paddles in winter under quite gentle conditions if you will. The kind of conditions for taking pictures as you glide through the virgin waters of a crisp winter morning. Taking in reflections of the coming paddling season and reflections of light off objects such as ourselves and hills that slope endlessly to the sea entrance and to submersible points beyond. When spring comes to us again next week the excitement for the coming paddling year will no doubt build again. Highs and lows, like ebbs and flows, we ride knowing one is not right without the other.Tony on one gorgeous winter day.

" The Baffin Bay Nudge"

 It looks like the bow of my kayak is giving the The Baffin Bay a bit of a nudge. The nice thing about taking pictures with a waterproof camera is that you can get some different perspectives at water level without fear of wrecking your camera. The trade-off of course is that a lot of times you are limited to automatic point and shoots, no manual settings per se, and an inability to apply different lenses to gain of course various depths of field, mags, etc. You can of course by an expensive camera and then spend the same price on water tight case which will probably fog up when you want to take the most coveted shot of your trip. So it appears most quests are a compromise and obtaining the most desired image no different.

"Winter Paddle"

More of my videos can be seen at YouTube type in "xm64842" that's my YouTube identity where I post some of my "shenanigans".

"Tire Toss"

 Well not actually . I found this tire underwater and reached in with only wool gloves on my hands to fetch it out. Within 3 minutes my hands became pretty much useless not to mention burning. I had enough function to open the truck door and start the engine to warm them up. I purposely done this of course to see how much time I would actually have to make good use of my hands if submerged......not very long at all. Forget about holding a paddle!

"Winter Dip"

Tony doing water exercises practising water angels not the bubbly kind but the ones akin to snow angels.

If I am going to boat in it I figured I might as well get a feel for what it would be like to be actually "In" it. The water is cold make no mistake. I could feel the coldness trying to get through my drysuit but dry it was, and buoyant with the trapped air and of course the PFD. Figured not bad for a February in Newfoundland. A storm just rages outside right now.

"Collier's Put-In"

 Tony lugging his boat over the crusty snow laden shore. I took the day of work to paddle in Collier's today and I must say ........it was worth every stroke.

"Tony At Rest"

 What can I say Tony you are the greatest of paddling companions. Thanks for the float today. Excellent subject matter too. LOL, LOL.

"Hard as Rock"

 Water frozen hard as rock.

"Wood Warmth"

 Nothing like a bit of wood to add a bit of warmth to the paddle. It was cool today but we were nice and toasty inside our drysuits. This retaining wall was lining the entrance to Marysvale, Newfoundland. Went hunting for an iceberg in this area last year. I thought it amazing how a ten story floating chunk of ice could hide but when you paddle in and around these coves you get an idea.

"Old Dock-Retaining Sea Wall"

 Gliding past this old dock into Marysvale you can't help but wonder how those days gone by were spent when this area was busier with the cod fishery. The crumbling docks and homes are all remnants of what once was but now providing a token glance of what one day may be again, maybe just in a different way. Tourismis ripe in Newfoundland and on days like this it makes me wonder where everyone is?

"Marysvale"

Just a neet little spot tucked in a cove and it is so quiet in here you can gear your heart beating as you glide into the shore hoping the pounding doesn't wake the shore people.

"Weathered Eye"

 What can I say, my eyes are looking weathered these days. *lol*

"Vanilla & Chocolate"

 I was getting so hungry at this point all I could think of was food and these frozen falls just tantalized the imagery. It was today and has been when we paddle, very beautiful to see these frozen shore waters as you glide by. There is always it seems something captivating on shore to entertain during your paddle and if you have any imagination well you can play lots of games inside your head.

"My Back Yard"

 Well not really my own back yard but some body's. When you paddle in Newfoundland, especially in small areas like Collier's, you can't help but feel that you are just traipsing through someones yard. Ya gotta love it though.

"A Couple of Baffins"

These trawlers have seen better days for sure but their rusted carcases are all that remains in Burke's Cove in Collier's Bay. The Baffin Run and The Baffin Bay. I guess dry dock would be an understatement.

"Ice Soup"

 Just a little bit of the Salinated Soup to pass through in Colliers on the way to the Take-out.

"Taking Out"

 If you're gonna put-in Tony you might as well take-out. Excellent end to an excellent paddle on Feb.17th, in Colliers, Newfoundland. We paddled about 20km today. The temp was about -5 celsius and no wind. Tony an I seem to get the calms before the storm. Actually we've been planning it that way. Big storm tomorrow with winds reaching 100km. We'll be looking at our pictures!