Sunday, August 9, 2009

Marsh Mellow

While C was here last week we took a walk down the road to the marsh.




These are the muddy banks of the Peticodiac River where, twice a day, the Tidal Bore makes its way in from the Bay of Fundy, and twice a day the river flows to the sea.



The clouds float in and out on the river as well.




On one side of the marsh road is the river, on the other side are fields and cows, with the village in the distance. The moon hints at its presence.






Dusk begins to fall on the lush grasses and wildflowers as we make our way home. There is a certain mellowness in the air. We remember the times we used to walk this road daily with our dog; the days when C still lived here. It's sweet to return to old haunts with fresh eyes.

14 comments:

  1. Sweet memories... what a drag it must be when memory becomes erratic or erroneous. (saw that happen with grandparents and a father in law...) But what I really want to know is how did that river get its name ? Did someone lose their petticoats there ???

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  2. Back in Germany it would have take me less than an hour to reach - am so grateful for the photography, years now that I saw a cow...
    Please have a nice start into the new week.

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  3. Owen: You ask what is the meaning of "Peticodiac":
    "The term is derived from a Mi'kmaqMi'kmaq (M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the
    M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people)
    word meaning "bends like a bow(weapon)"

    Coincidentally, the Acadians called it the Petitcoude (little elbow) due to its bend. Actually, I might have just made that up...but Moncton (the city cradled inside the curve of the river's elbow) used be called The Bend (that's where people went when they'd gone round the bend--or on a bender).

    It's nickname is the Chocolate River, due to its brown colour from the fine silt that rises to the surface, esp. on windy days.

    One would not want to wash one's peticoats in the Peticodiac. In fact, that is why local women have stopped wearing peticoats altogether.

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  4. Hi Robert, When we first moved to this village 16 years ago I was so amused to hear cows mooing from across the fields when I stepped out my door. There is still a farm with cows right beside the main street of the village (but there's also a self-serve car wash, and a bomber jet by the main drag as well. Kind of a weird place). I like looking at cows. They have such lovely eyes and long eyelashes. Have a happy week--don't think too much!

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  5. It looks lovely, and thanks for the name explanation! I haven't worn petticoats for years, for reasons which I cannot divulge in such a family friendly blogspace!

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  6. Hi Lynne

    I love your last photo, it makes me feel as if I am down in the grass, my calves being tickled by the stalks...

    Is your village very small?
    Excuse my ignorance but which coast of Canada are the Maritimes?

    Happy days

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  7. I like the seven horizons of colour in the first photo punctuated by the shadow sillouettes.

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  8. Hi Saj: Yes, petticoats do tend do get in the way of things...at least as far as I remember...

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  9. Hi Delwyn: Our village has a population of about 1300 people. I don't know if this is large or small for a village but as I hail from a big city, it certainly seems small to me! The Maritimes are on Canada's east coast, on the Atlantic. I'm originally from the west coast. Seems I just need to be near an ocean. I'm glad you enjoyed the marsh walk, esp. as I've had so many lovely walks with you in your area.

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  10. G'day FCW: Aren't the marsh colours wonderful? The light does such exciting things down there. I love your description of them as "7 horizons of colour." Intimations of 7th Heaven.

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  11. On one of my visits, we meandered down to the Marsh and spotted a beaver lodge. Maxi, your beloved dog, jumped into the water and I was
    apprehensive that she would encounter the beavers, but you persuaded her to
    come out and all was well, except for the spray of water when she shook herself dry. Nice memories.

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  12. Yes, it was almost impossible to keep her out of the water. She enjoyed swimming in the Peticodiac especially--it gave a nice reddish hue to her blonde coat.

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  13. Such beauty in the marsh, Lynne! These photos make the experience so real... I can almost smell the fresh air out there. And as old haunts go, this one would certainly be freshness perpetually renewed. Love it.
    David

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  14. David, I'm very happy if my humble blog offerings have put some wind in your sails! Any you are so right about the marsh's freshness being perpetually renewed: it changes noticeably with the tides, the months, the seasons, and quite radically with the years. Almost a good enough reason to get another dog for an "excuse" to go walking down there.

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