Always Anticipating those Lazy Beach Days of Summer on Cape Breton Island

All through the long Cape Breton winter, I dream about summer and the days ahead when I'll be able to return to the sandy beaches that line the coastline of my little island paradise.  The countdown usually starts after Christmas when a few months have already passed since my last ocean dip and the realization that a long winter lies ahead sinks in.  6 more months.  5 more months.  4 more months....and so on.  I occupy myself with snowshoeing and indoor projects that are best done on days when it's too wintery outside to do anything else.  

Finally, the day arrives.  That day when the temperatures climb above 20 degrees, the water is at least a comfortable 16 or 17 degrees and the jellyfish have gone to wherever it is they go after they pollute the shorelines for a few weeks in June and July. For the next several months, every single day that I'm not working and it's nice enough to go to the beach, I'm there.  It could be Dominion, Inverness, Black Brook, Marble Mountain, Ingonish, North Bay...Where there's sand and warm, clear water, that's where you'll find me!

Because Dominion Beach is so close to my house, it's the beach I head to most often.  I bypass the crowds of families and college kids and head for the section further down the sandbar and set up for the afternoon.  Sometimes someone will join me.  Sometimes I relax with a book and my beachy playlist on my mini portable Bluetooth speaker between swims.  

If the water is calm and clear, I take out my mask and snorkel or I lie on my back and watch the clouds drift by overhead as the gentle swells lull me into a trance. 

It all goes by too quick.  Come late August, the lifeguards leave, the air cools and the crowds dwindle.  But the water stays warm until late September and sometimes into October.  I keep going to the beach as long as I can.  Sometimes, I'm the only person there.  

Sometimes, there are people walking on the beach looking at me like I'm crazy to be swimming so late in the season.  Often times, the water is warmer than the air and the people walking onshore in their hoodies and long pants assume the water must be as cold as the air.  Sometimes I don't want to get out of the water because the air is so cold but I tough it out for as long as I can.  The season is short and I want to get as much out of it as possible.

The water usually turns cold quite suddenly.  I'll head to the beach one day late in the season and walk into the water to discover that it's far too cold to stay in for more than a few minutes.  I'll tolerate this a few times before the combination of cold air and cold water is just too much and I exit the water one last time.  And the countdown begins once again.

How I got that Shot - An Adorable Fox Kitten Seeing the World for the First Time

All through the long, hard Atlantic Canadian winter, I look forward to the hot days of summer, but there's one event that I look forward to before the temperatures start to soar and the summer clothes comes out of storage; the new life that emerges from the sand dune den on the beach near my house. I'm talking about the generations of a fox family who've lived on this beach since I can remember and the little ones that are born there every spring.

The preparations start in early winter. The adult pair start digging various holes around the dunes for potential dens. When Mamma fox disappears and only the dad can be seen foraging for food in the evenings, that's when I know she is getting ready to welcome a new litter of little ones. 

From  mid-April onward, I watch the den like a hawk. Of course, my intentions are not actually that of a hawk.  I'm hunting but not for a meal; I'm hunting for the perfect photo of one of those little ones as they emerge from their warm, dark den and face the big, scary world for the first time. 

In early May, I knew that the a new litter of kittens had been born. The habits of the adults suddenly changed.  They were more watchful and they were hanging out in the same area where the den from last year was. 

One nice evening when I thought one of the little ones might peak out for the first time, I parked myself a little ways from the den where I could see the main entrance.  Mom was sitting nearby and Dad was watching my every move from his perch on a nearby dune. When anyone else goes near this den, the adults bark and give chase. But, they never seem threatened by my presence. They know me and I guess they know I have no ill intentions to their precious little ones. 

It was starting to get dark but I didn't have to wait long to see and capture one of those little cuties peaking out into the world. It happened fast.  Had I turned for a second, I would have missed it.  In an instant, a little face was looking out at me in wonder.  It didn't seem curious about anything else going on around the den - the seagulls flying overhead, ducks floating in the bay - it just seemed completely fixated on me. I snapped the photo and the little one retreated back into the safety of the den.  

I didn't realize the photo had come out so well until I got home.  It's a keeper.  Only taken with a phone so maybe a little out of focus but it certainly captures the cute moment effectively!