In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Along the eastern shore



It was warm and sunny the other day. We had wanted to go scavenging along the eastern side of the island, and it was finally a good day for it. Dylan and Devon went scavenging last week, but since then there had been another good storm to wash more treasures ashore. We are lucky that we never have to worry about being beaten by the competition. There's always more where that came from.
Walking along the eastern shore is in some ways even more treacherous than walking along the shore west of the lighthouse. There's no higher ground where you can occasionally retreat from the ever-present rolling rocks beneath your feet. You must just trudge along and not take your eyes off your next step. That means no multi-tasking. If you want to look around then you need to stop walking. One thing at a time.

As you walk south in the direction of the lighthouse there are cliffs on your right, topped with forests of spruce. Sometimes the cliffs drop down until the island's edge is on a level with the shore. But the forest is too dense to enter easily from the shore. Some of the cliffs reveal deposits of clay, which may have been used for brick making in earlier times. Some of the old maps show a place named "red bank" along here.
We came upon a pond just inside the shingle beach.
We watched a few lobster boats coming home along the eastern channel. You can see Government Point in the background, the site of the former military base.
Here's a view of the eastern shore looking back toward Sandy Point and Shelburne.
Classic cobble beach, as far as the eye can see. If you were to walk further south, almost to Cape Roseway, the shoreline would be much more dramatic.
We brought home a pretty nice haul.

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