When we bought the house, a resale, in 1994, we really had no idea of the view from the house that was hidden by the overgrowth of casuarina trees. Most of the properties were undeveloped and driving down our street was like driving into a dense pine forest. That is a common misconception, however, as casuarina trees, although known as Australian pine or whistling pine, they are definitely not pines. They are also known as ironwood and river-oak. These trees are considered invader species; they grow anywhere and very quickly. Their majesty at 40 or 50 feet height is overshadowed by their very shallow root system which will spread like tentacles all over a lawn on or just below the surface. Of course, this means that in strong winds, they come down very quickly and very destructively. Our first experience with them was shortly after we moved here when a severe cold front came through and toppled several of them. They missed the house by about 10 feet.
Which brings us back to the view. A few months after we moved in, our neighbour to the southeast of us cleared most of his property of trees in preparation for building his home. That was when we discovered this magnificent view that we had from our kitchen, dining and living room.
Marion and I kid each other that soon we'll get tired of the view, either while preparing a meal, or sitting on the patio having breakfast coffee or just enjoying an afternoon or evening on the patio in the fall, winter or spring. Summers, we enjoy the view in airconditioned comfort! This view is constantly changing, almost kaleidoscopic, and we'd like to share some of these scenes with you.
This is one of my earliest shots, taken just before heading out for a fishing tournament at daybreak
Another early morning profusion of colours.
Another sunrise, but with a crystal clear blue sky. This one taken from the dock.
A severe cold front came through one day in the late afternoon, The line of clouds was unusually distinct and the very high tops of the clouds above, probably between 40 to 60,000 ft, turned the area beneath them almost as dark as night.
Some days it's just an ordinary summer afternoon view
A serious storm is brewing just offshore on this morning
Then there are the serene afternoons
Which will quite often have buildups which develop quite quickly.
Or calm afternoons with squalls offshore.
Which brings us back to one of my favorites; the towering cumulous clouds, bathed in the warm and varied colours of the late afternoon.
These different cloud formations are caused by the shallow waters south of the Northwestern Passage which mark the beginning of the chain of the Berry Islands. The shallow waters with a white sandy bottom heat up and cause higher rates of water evaporation, adding to the moisture in the air which produces the clouds, especially in the summer. The same phenomenon occurs on the north side of the island, as Dover Sound is only from 3 to 15 feet deep.
