Getting into the swing of things

The gulls are scavenging the cove this morning despite the early showers, trying to eat before the tide covers their breakfast. The Cat slept in, ate, explored a bit upstairs, and then explored the porch. She has really taken ownership of the porch, stretching her head between the posts as far as possible with her nose twitching furiously.

Yesterday Baby Bear worked on her paper while the rest of us played. We all then went for hike at Great Head. From Sand Beach, we used the granite steps for our initial ascent. Baby Bear tells me that we will next do The Beehive, seen here from the Sand Beach parking area.



The vegetation along the path was amazing - not a lot of flowers this time of year but still a good variety of color with the different plants and rocks.



The smell of the salt air, the sounds of the waves gently meeting the land, the views ... all contributed to a perfect day's hike under a mix of sun and clouds. This view is from Great Head to Otter Cliffs:



and this one is from Great Head across Frenchmen Bay:



There are markers for the trail that are wooden posts:



Fortunately, Baby Bear was paying attention and saved us a long walk home when she spotted the post that marked the turn back towards Sand Beach.

I loved the path through the birch forest:



and the lush ferns we found at the bases of the birches:



Papa Bear and Baby Bear have many great photographs to remind us of our day scrambling over the rocks and I thank Papa Bear for sharing some of his photos with this blog.

We went back to the House on the Cove for quick showers (we believe we may have set a new record in the House on the Cove with four people - two of them women - showering in a total of under 20 minutes) before going to our dinner reservations at Town Hill Bistro. (Learning for the future: while life is slower on the Island in May, Memorial Day is a time when many return for the summer and reservations are needed at some places. Friday evening we visited more than one place before we found an establishment that was able to provide us with a table; we had made the reservations for our Saturday visit at the Town Hill Bistro on Friday.)

The food at Town Hill Bistro is exquisite (fresh, local where possible, wonderfully prepared) and when they share your bill with you, they also give each person at the table a sea salt caramel that is indescribable - just the right combination of salty and sweet that melts in your mouth and bathes your taste buds in smooth, creamy happiness!

I hope we can go to the Asticou Azalea Garden later today or tomorrow - the azaleas are in bloom and I would love to see them!

Yesterday I noticed a huge planting of tulips that are blooming along the road. It will be fun to have two springs (one at the House on the Creek, another at the House on the Cove) each year we make this journey.