"All - In"

 
After the Regatta was over the Dory boat races finished, lobster pot pulling contests done and the boat parade and wreath laying(to remember those lost at sea) completed it was time to cool off. Steve Meade has a dock that seem suitable to all. Down went the beer and in went the bodies. This is where I took the pictures of the jellyfish that follow and the picture of Matthew in my header.

"Swimming With Jelly"

This one really wanted to sting me and was trying to maneuver to do just that but I think I was proving just a bit elusive......this time!

Sometimes these Jelly Fish seem to be carrying quite a load. I am not sure of all the components of the "sea nettle" or chrysaora quinquecirrha, but there are tentacles, a structure that acts as a mouth and an anus, the bell of course and oral arms that contain components needed for digestion. They have a polyp and larvae stage and breed sexually I think. No brain or complex nervous system just a few nerve fibers. The venom is in their stingers or tentacles and will continue to release until tentacle is removed even if it isn't still attached to the bell.

They can get to a fair size in diameter and flare out like a peacock to make themselves look bigger, whether or not they actually do this as a defensive mechanism in nature I am not sure but they are captivating and graceful to watch.

"Gull Cannibal"

 
This Gull brought new meaning to the term scavenger. As we were paddling the shore line Wayne noticed lots of feathers in the water. I thought it was nothing. It may have been a gull scrap and if so, this was ones' fate. The gull floating nearby was digging at the not so lucky gull's chest as we paddled near and he wasn't willing to fly away none too soon either.

While swimming in Fox Island the Atlantic this time home wasn't so cold and when you ducked under water, we use to call it "getting your ducking", you could see these little minnows.


At first I was alarmed when Wayne yelled that there was a black cloud moving in to shore and that it was moving around quickly. Well, exposed up to my waist I wasn't too happy about any black cloud moving uder water that I couldn't see. So I ducked under again and saw the huge school of fish swimming around our legs. Very cool!

"Glasgow Pond, Aug 10th, Canso Day 2"

Matt getting ready for his first rolling lesson. What a day, what a friggin day!!

"Sunfish"

 

This Sunfish was truely basking in the sun at the surface. At first when we saw hs huge dorsal fin we thought it was a shark, but the shark looked very wobbly as his fin appeared to zig zag and flop around in the water. Just a Sunfish Sunning as it turns out.

"Nova Scotia Jelly"

 

I reaffirmed my inner belief that I have a fascination with Jelly-Fish. I Guess it is a frequent thing and mainly I think because they float near the surface, move slowly to catch on a picture, are diverse and colorful and represent some of the life that continues to exist in our waters. Their movements are fluid of course and sometimes subtle and they are not too shy. Not sure about their inteligence but being able to float around all day and drift with wind,tides and current is not so far from my own interests, when I think on it.

"Eagle Eyes"

 

Throughout our whole trip we were constantly being watched by Eagles and I got as close as I was ever able to get to them on some instances before they flew off. This one allowed me to come right under his rocky perch before he decided to fly away.

"Bald Eagles"

 

They were all over us today I could feel them if I didn't see them. They were constantly in motion along the coast either soaring in the warm air currents high above or diving from perech to perch keeping watch over their kingdom sometimes coming so close, but out of know where, you could hear their whooosh as they glided by so crisply with their huge wing span identifying them as a predator of the sky.

'Birds and Such"

 

Birds in continuos flight today as we paddled in Tors Cove past the Bird Sanctuary. Lots of movement in the water and the air. Tucked in one of the small coves and under a rock outcropping we too can seek santuary from their bombing arsenal if ya know what I mean! My boat was getting a new paint job of .......well ya really don't got to know.

"Puffin"

 

Not much zoom on my camera and Puffins are hard to shoot anyways because just as you think you can get near them, they are gone.

"The Kayak-arazzie"

It's a balance most times. Being in the kayaking moment and missing that photo moment or being in the photo moment and missing that kayaking moment. A delicate balance because I enjoy both. We are ever more prevalent than before however. Everyone has a camera everywhere.


It's more than just a photo to me and most likely to most. It is a memory, a thousand words and more, that conjures up dormant smells and sounds only roused by a quick glance at that shot , that image snapped not so Long or even very long ago.


It does not have to be complicated, theatrical, choreographed, even of high or good resolution, as, sometimes an image, just has to be, to invoke the meaning and feelings it can. That's what I like about photos sometimes the more decrepit, unorthodox, lousy picture will instill the most emotion. But more than anything I love that I was there and I like being reminded of that when I look back on my shots because I am taken back to that moment and some days that is all I want, some days that is all I feel I have!

"Clams and Stars"

A little deep for clarity but they were there thriving on the bottom unbeknown st to only those trespassing below and .......above.

"Underneath"

Underneath the water is a realm of life so pristine and captivating that we are sometimes amazed at the beauty that exists there even when sometimes it is not animal. The significance and relevance are just as important in the plant kingdom above and below the oceans and waters we paddle. It is great to just take pictures of kayaks and the people in them and the surroundings that they highlight, but it is truly the living world that really enhances our understanding of the significance of being able to be part of it all and really appreciate our kayaking environments. I guess it brings home the realization of the fragility and vulnerability of any living thing. Thanks Peter for making this day a memorable one for me. There was no rushing, no timeliness, just paddling! I love being lost like that.

"The Jelly"

Jelly Fish we call them. These spineless sea creatures that undulate all around our waters being caried by waves, wind and tides these beautiful acquatic animals are plentiful in most spots but we only ever get to se their tops usually.

Sometimes though we see their stingers trailing like guy wires behind them, or we see them washed up and dried out at low tide on beaches and shore lines. Today however I was able to capture their under water beauty and their dance in their on environment, fluid, cohesion and clumps of tissue coupled with color and fine lines make these "jellies" quite beautiful to gaze upon.

"Caribou Yearling"

Alison signalled to me to come near here quietly. I saw an eagle fly off so I thought there might be another close by. I practically kayaked under this caribou as I was trying to figure what she was looking at. With it's summer coat these animals get protection from their colors. I sure couldn't spot it until it got up/

It's gangly legs under it , the little "bou" started to meander off, curious to it's onlookers yet sensible enough to realize danger perhaps.

Standing in the middle of the small island isthmus the sun fell on the yearling and seemed to warm the whole moment. Never had I been this close to such an animal.

Alison was the caribou whisperer today as she spotted both. One earlier that I missed because I had paddled on ahead lost in my own thoughts and what a day to be lost in thought.

"The Elusive Ones"

 As curious as these seals were and as often as they showed their heads to me, bobbing up and down in the sea as they tread water, they were very hard to photo. It was as if they new what a camera was and as a result were camera shy. They were very playful throughout the trip and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them, especially the little ones who mimicked the splashing of their parents, as perhaps a warning to me, as they were being schooled in only ways I guess seals would understand.

"Floating Orbs"

 These jelly fish encountered as I left Gull Island provided much enjoyment for the solo paddle back to Branch. Their presence, like the seals' made me feel welcomed in their domain and I felt I had to proceed cautiously less they shy away from my kayak and I loose a paddling companion.

"Jelly-Life"

Though I could not see at the time all that was going on beneath my boat I knew there was much life. You could feel it as much as see it. I saw lots of these Light Blue Jellies floating by but none seemed to linger long enough to photo. As I paddled to the cliff's edge their domain became more familiar and the clear waters allowed for some awe inspiring shots of some of the life below.

"Blue Under Blue"

 This is one of my favorite shots of the trip and it further illustrates the diversity of life in these waters and the beauty that exists not only above but just below the surface as well. The smooth waters allowed me to get close to cliffs edges and snap some shots of the life that hinges on the fringes of the rock that sinks to the shallow depths below.