On Saturday of the holiday weekend, Mrs. F.G. made some substantial delicious sandwiches and we took them down to the harbour for a picnic. We sat on one of several benches and enjoyed our supper while watching the bay roll steadily in to the shore.
It was a beautiful day with just enough waves that you could hear the gentle sound of them lapping against the rocks. You could see for miles under the cloudless sky.
This little park has a small sandy beach at both ends (which were quite busy), as well as nearly a dozen benches along the shoreline in between.
Across the bay the forest of masts made the marina look crowded.
Along the edge of the water both the bright blue Viper's Bugloss and a low yellow Sedum or Stonecrop crawling over the rocks provided flashes of colour.
The 'Great Gun', a full-size 24 pound cannon, sits ready to defend the harbour! The plaque told me that this is an authentic replica of the type of cannon used in the War of 1812, donated to the town by a local foundry in 1978. I picture the men of the foundry feeling bored and deciding "Ok, let's make a cannon just for fun!"
We walked on down to the harbour passing the boat gantry, used for lifting all the sailboats out of the water over the winter. I'd like to be there sometime and see this work.
Along the way we passed our little town museum, with this 'totem pole' outside. I have to admit to having reservations about this, as the totem pole is only found among west coast native tribes, where the giant cedars for carving them are found. As we all try to acknowledge more openly the indigenous community territories we live in (the Saugeen Ojibway Nation here), displaying a disconnected symbol like this with no explanation seems rather shallow to me.
We have seen west coast totems in several B.C. locations, and watched the carving process in two different native communities. This totem is a toy-like representation in comparison.
We were surprised at the number of local folks visiting the harbour that day, including these paddlers. Obviously it's a popular place to walk around, and I'm sure we'll be back for another picnic.
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I wish all my American readers a happy Independence Day,
although I will be careful not to comment on the Washington festivities!
Beautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteThere are some totem poles here, aside from those at the History Museum. I believe in each case there's some sort of interpretive plaque explaining their presence. One up at Rideau Hall was given by the tribe in question to the governor general of the era.
There is a totem pole at the east gate of Algonquin Park too.
ReplyDeleteI sure wish we were heading back to Georgian Bay this summer. 😕
Great idea to have a supper picnic and you sure picked a great spot.
ReplyDeleteBack in the late 1970s the Ford Windsor Casting Plant produced several hundred of those Canons. I'm certain that there were many more of those produced else where.
ReplyDeleteThe lakes are always so calming.
Be Safe and Enjoy the beauty of nature.
It's about time.
What a wonderful place for a picnic supper, enjoying the views. I have seen them using the gantry to remove sailboats in the fall in Lake Ontario , it is an amazing process.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely place. Speaking of the 4th, you might find this interesting -- https://www.vox.com/2015/7/2/8884885/american-revolution-mistake
ReplyDeleteWhat's better than a picnic down by the harbour. When Mrs. F.G. made some substantial delicious sandwiches I'm figuring they must have been peanut butter sandwiches. Now what else could they be eh??
ReplyDeleteI did see the "barn quilt" on the wall behind the totem pole . lovely bay photos, the blue is amazing . A picnic? We will give that a miss.snow to low levels a bit north of us, and the wind at our place keeps us inside.
ReplyDeleteSo pleasant to sit beside the water. There's a totem pole in the Museum of Anthropology in Cambridge, it stands on the ground floor but also stretches into the two floors above. Apparently it's the genuine article, though I have no idea how it was transported there from the Pacific coast.
ReplyDeleteSince I live in a place where two Native American tribes have their lands, I see plenty of totem poles, but they are all "real" ones. I agree with you that it seems odd to just have one for decoration with no explanation. Your pictures are wonderful, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is something renewing about the waterfront
ReplyDeleteMy absolutely favorite thing is a picnic dinner!
ReplyDeletePretty place for a picnic:)
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