Friday, March 13, 2009

The Sweet Ocean Embrace


I've been fortunate enough to visit just about every continent on this planet; over 90 countries in my life so far. Deep into the interior of Africa, across Asia and all over Europe...even climbing the heights of the mountain road from the airport near Caracas up and then down into Caracas in the wee hours of the morning...and being held at gun point in the jungle in Venezuela. All sights and sounds vivid in my mind.

But one of those most poignant elements of life in Nova Scotia is the intoxicating scent of the sea on a foggy or rainy day. As winter ebbs into spring and the rains commence, the snow fading from mind and eye, you can sometimes scent the salty sea on the air. Somehow it is comforting, a gentle yet ever present reminder that you are alive.

As beautiful as Canada is in the West, it is the siren call of the sea on a foggy day, the miasma of the mists carrying the oceans whispers. Standing on a dock on the harbour, one almost feels the presence of the old fishing fleets and ancient naval vessels that plied these waters centuries before. The history is rich and these scents of the sea are what tell us who live here that we are home and embraced by the ocean we live and play beside.

(Photo: Courtesy cmcsailor's photostream on Flickr)

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