Fog at the Beach


Fog
Here’s a fun fact – did you know that Yarmouth County averages 191 days a year with at least some fog? With the warm spell this last week, our friend the fog returned – the warm air being blown over the relatively cold water of the Bay of Fundy means that while just a few kilometers away the day was bright, sunny and 25 to 30° C, here in Port Maitland we didn’t even crack 16° C, and we had persistent all day fog.
Fog is good for the gardens I suppose, as the moisture keeps them from totally drying out during spells when we don’t get much rain, but that’s about it for its usefulness. We measure fog down here as thick, meaning you can’t see very far, or “pea soup” meaning you really can’t see far. In our family we took to measuring fog and referring to it as “a 2 poler” – meaning you couldn’t see more than 2 telephone poles in front of you. A 3 poler would be better visibility, a 1 poler would be really thick. I do remember one day onboard a friend’s sailboat and the fog was so thick we couldn’t see each other on opposite ends of a 30 foot sailboat!
Fog does set a mood, though – and so this week as the beaches were opened up, I went down to our beach, and got this image of the waves in the fog. The smell of the salt spray lingers strongly, held in suspension by the fog, and the sound is muffled so that the surf instead of crashing or rolling simply makes a familiar and comforting swoosh sound. The birds come much closer as they don’t see you until the last minute, and the sound of a fog horn, a thing that is slowly being phased out what with GPS and everything, can be heard in the distance.
Fog is interesting to photograph in as it turns everything a sort of paler shade, muting most colours and making things much less vibrant. It also wraps you in its presence – and it’s fun to have your world view reduced to just a few metres.
I dislike fog to drive in, but for wandering around and taking photos on the beach, fog is a most interesting companion.