Canadian Summer

The New Brunswick landscape.

Clear, cloudless, blue skies. A sense of stillness and peace. Warm sun. Birds everywhere, making their trills, warbles, and calls. Insects buzzing in small swarms. A butterfly flutters by. Hawks circle high above. Green meadows stretch out, dotted with pink crabapple trees and purple lilacs. A river of still water glistens—blue and almost mirror-like. The eastern sky lightens at 5:00 AM, while the western sky still glows at 10:00 PM. I hear the sound of a lawnmower in the distance.

Summer has arrived in Eastern Canada. It feels like we went from winter to summer with only two days of spring, although the weather may shift back into a more moody spring mode in a couple of days. But for now, we are grateful to experience the incredible taste of a Canadian summer. Our ride today was one of those experiences that defy description. The route had just the right amount of hills, fantastic roads, and very few cars. Everywhere we rode, the songs of hundreds of birds provided background music that made you feel all was right in the world—Madawaska.

A hawk protecting her nest.

Mating season is in full swing in the Atlantic Provinces. Canadian geese are taking their newly hatched goslings out for their first awkward steps along the riverbank. A pair of wood ducks bashfully court each other. Two hawks, a male and female, scold us when we stop unwittingly under their nest, relentlessly circling as if to drive us away. Even the frogs in the reeds along the riverbank are erupting in their choruses, trying to attract mates.

The Canadian Geese family with their new chicks.

I couldn't help but think it has been a long time since I slowed down long enough to really listen to and watch nature on its own timeline, especially at this time of year. I was usually swamped with end-of-the-school-year lessons, projects, and grading as a teacher and missed all of this. Now, I am fortunate to be able to do so once again, just like when I was a child. That is the magic of traveling at the pace of a bike.