We awoke on Day Five to the awesome sight of low tide on the Bay of Fundy – 14 billion tons of water emptied out to expose a beautiful terra cotta sandy bottom, sculpted cliffs and seastacks, barnacled rocks, weir poles, and oh-so-interesting crustaceans. We packed up our shovels and ocean-floor footwear and hit the dusty trail. Three minutes later we were on the beach. With the sunshine and sea-smell and luminous kelp winding around sandaled toes, it was like being at a spa. Sam and Carter promptly began digging for clams in the spa floor.
We spent well over an hour following the small tidal rivers out into the Bay; poking around at rocks; unearthing clam, crab an
d lobster shells; and examining driftwood and other treasures left on the shore. Sam and Carter climbed rocks and sea walls, chased down seagull feathers, filled their pockets with “gold”, splashed and squelched through streams, and looked for the fossilized footprints of dinosaurs. Jeremy was right in there with them for the whole trek, though the sisters hung back a ways at times to chat it up and let our toes sink in the warm mud. When Trace returned to the shoreline driftwood seats to tend to Anabel and keep Grandma company, Grandpa came out on the mud flats for some bay-explorin’ too.
It was a lovely morning. Sam may not have been impressed by the fact that 14 cubic kilometers of water was missing or by the Guinness World Record height of the tide in places (53 feet!), but he was thrilled to spot impossibly small baby shrimp frolicking in tidal pools and to scale rocks that will soon be back under the ocean water. He gamely schlumped about in his winter boots (we couldn’t find the rubber ones), laughing later as he dumped sand and rocks out of their bottoms while perched on the tailgate of the minivan, aka The Spaceship and The Race Car.
On the way home, Grandpa detoured down a seaside road to show the boys one of the results of tidal erosion—a tiny coastal island with trees clinging to it for their dear life, growing horizontally out of the side of the rock. Very cool. (photo to follow). We drove back up the hillside and made delicious sandwiches to enjoy on the deck while we watched all the water come back.
For the rest of the day, Sam and Carter cooled off in the “basketball” pool, sunned on the deck chairs, and played with the pirate gear while the rest of us relaxed in the afternoon heat (and Jeremy hooked fifthwheeldk up to the Internet). By now, the boys had the lay of the land and scurried back and forth between house and cottage and from front yard to side as though they’d spent summers here for years. Another beautiful day!
We spent well over an hour following the small tidal rivers out into the Bay; poking around at rocks; unearthing clam, crab an
d lobster shells; and examining driftwood and other treasures left on the shore. Sam and Carter climbed rocks and sea walls, chased down seagull feathers, filled their pockets with “gold”, splashed and squelched through streams, and looked for the fossilized footprints of dinosaurs. Jeremy was right in there with them for the whole trek, though the sisters hung back a ways at times to chat it up and let our toes sink in the warm mud. When Trace returned to the shoreline driftwood seats to tend to Anabel and keep Grandma company, Grandpa came out on the mud flats for some bay-explorin’ too.
It was a lovely morning. Sam may not have been impressed by the fact that 14 cubic kilometers of water was missing or by the Guinness World Record height of the tide in places (53 feet!), but he was thrilled to spot impossibly small baby shrimp frolicking in tidal pools and to scale rocks that will soon be back under the ocean water. He gamely schlumped about in his winter boots (we couldn’t find the rubber ones), laughing later as he dumped sand and rocks out of their bottoms while perched on the tailgate of the minivan, aka The Spaceship and The Race Car.On the way home, Grandpa detoured down a seaside road to show the boys one of the results of tidal erosion—a tiny coastal island with trees clinging to it for their dear life, growing horizontally out of the side of the rock. Very cool. (photo to follow). We drove back up the hillside and made delicious sandwiches to enjoy on the deck while we watched all the water come back.
For the rest of the day, Sam and Carter cooled off in the “basketball” pool, sunned on the deck chairs, and played with the pirate gear while the rest of us relaxed in the afternoon heat (and Jeremy hooked fifthwheeldk up to the Internet). By now, the boys had the lay of the land and scurried back and forth between house and cottage and from front yard to side as though they’d spent summers here for years. Another beautiful day!
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