The Main Feature

 First stop of the day had to be the beach.  Half an hour from Charlottetown, on the north coast of PEI, is a long National Park that covers many miles of beach. The water is not as cold as the coast of Maine or the east coast of Nova Scotia, and it was very pleasant to wade in the surf.  Some people were swimming.  At this time of year, only about a half dozen people would be strolling along at any given time. Lots of space for everyone.
Hardly any garbage shows up on the beach and the surf is so clean and white.  It's a real treasure of a place.  We hadn't been to the Canadian maritimes for many years and it felt really good to go back. Relaxing and energizing at the same time.

A flock of sanderlings were amusing to watch as they scurried so fast over the sand that you could hardly see their legs move.  Periodically, they would stop and poke at the sand for some little tidbit.

Surprisingly, we saw almost no shells on the beach, but here the waves are washing up pulverized shells that leave a shimmering strip on the sand.

 The seagulls were very mellow, often standing in the surf and letting the water swirl around their legs.

PEI is noted for its red soil and little red pebbles are sprinkled on the sand.

The shoreline is gradually being worn away by winter storms.  But the island will keep it's head above the waves for a long time yet.
Next time, a little harbour - Rustico.