Mist and fog are part of life in Nova Scotia. They soften the corners and edges of things or reduce visibility to the extent that things disappear altogether. What lingers beyond the limits of our vision is distorted and enhanced by our imagination.
Let us go in, the fog is rising.
~ Emily Dickinson
Mist is usually lower to the ground while fog is higher and denser. Along the shore, their effects are compounded with sea spray. Even when it’s not raining, you can get soaked just by walking through these ground-level clouds.
It’s not unusual to see clouds run down the road. Mist moves. Like everything else in nature, it’s dynamic and full of surprises. Often, blue skies and sunshine lie in wait behind the fog. Sometimes it reveals that which is otherwise overlooked. Here the mist betrays the outlines of spider webs on spruce trees.
Like the darkness, fog provides a cover for predators. A Bald Eagle looks over the salt marsh from the top of a tree. Is its hunting ability impaired or enhanced by the fog? Perhaps a little of both.
Mist is also a veil that separates the worlds of man and faerie. It is mystery and magic itself. Its greatest trick is in making us believe that everything is in a fog except us. Because we can see clearly a few feet ahead of us, we surmise that we are alone in our clarity. Yet we are just as much wrapped in fog and mist as everyone and everything else in our surroundings.
How lovely are those deepening shades of gray in the first photo! And the spider webs on the spruce tree branches–I’ve never seen anything like that!
Joan, I never saw anything like it either until I moved here. It’s not all that unusual near the beach or boggy areas. What’s weird is that when I was a teenager, I used to draw a lot of pictures of trees with numerous spider webs in the branches, thinking these were only the product of my imagination.
As if I didn’t love Nova Scotia enough already, this post made me love my home even more.
Grace, the fog makes everything look so much cozier and adds so much to the feel of Nova Scotia. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about it this summer, but I think the majority would miss it if we didn’t have it at all.
I loved everything about this, from the silvery images to the philosophical ruminations. I love the mist and fog here, too, but the best flowing clouds I ever saw were in Snoqualmie (WA) where fog poured down a mountainside like rushing streams, and near L’Anse (MI) where it came off the Bay in a thick ribbon two feet off the ground. That was like being upside down in the world. I could see the road under me, but nothing else but swirling mist. Utterly disorienting.
I’m glad you liked it Gerry
Mountains and mist seem to go together. It’s said that character is what you are in the dark. I wonder if the same applies to what you are in the fog when you become disoriented.
What a grand post – the photos are so vivid and real you can almost feel the mist and fog on your face. I am enchanted with everything Nova Scotia these days – my library card shows that – and I’m enjoying learning so much about your land.
JoAnn, with its history and tales of pirates and privateers, early explorers and native people, Nova Scotia is quite an interesting place. Have you heard of Oak Island yet in your reading and the treasure that’s supposed to be hidden there? Some say it is the lost treasure of the Templars. The mist and fog make the stories seem even more mysterious.
Super photos. I could almost feel a slight chill looking at them (grin).
Thanks worldphotos. It may be chilly, but not cool enough for the Red Squirrels to grow ear tufts
Beautiful photos and lovely words. You’re right about how we assume we are alone in our clarity when in the mist. I never thought of it that way. It applies to some situations in life, too, doesn’t it? Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog.
Bella Rum, yes it does apply to some of our life situations. I so often think I understand and see things clearly while others are in a fog, when suddenly I’ve realized that my perception of reality is just as askew as everyone else’s. If not more so. Thank you for stopping by
I really like the way you put together your “A Veil Between Worlds”, with Dickinson introducing your photos and commentary, your questions causing the reader to go beyond what is seen.
Thank you Don. I think nature has so many lessons for us. We just have to pause and reflect a little. Your comment is appreciated.
These images could have been taken here in the Puget Sound. We are similar in latitude – I think we are a bit further north.
Yes Dawn, you are just a few degrees further north. But when I lived on the west coast near Vancouver, which is even farther north, the weather was always warmer than it is here. It was very misty there too.
This is indeed lovely. Mist and fog…takes us into the edges of this world and beyond. It suggests that things aren’t as solid as they appear. Looks like your words have many of us ready to wander into unknown areas.
Wondermous, mysterious pictures…it does feel like the boundary between our world and the next are blurred and passable.
You’re right Kathy: things aren’t as solid as they appear. The unknown beckons.
Cindy, on such days it seems like we can walk right through the threshold of fog into the world beyond. Our world is so much more multi-dimensional than science would have us believe.
I LOVE the fog here. After moving to BC (Okanagan Valley) you know, one of the main things I missed was the fog… who knew??
It saddens me that tourists who visit always seem to angry with the fog here, as if it blocks out the beauty of Nova Scotia- I always thought that the fog was a natural beauty in itself. So silent, so moving, so mystifying. My favourite- watching the wall of fog hover just beyond the shore. Waiting to creep back in when the sun lets up His shine.
I’m so glad I found you (through Grace’s lovely award at Graceful Yoga).
Blessings!
Thanks for your comment EcoYogini. Nice to know I’m not the only Nova Scotian who enjoys the wonder of fog
The sunshine on the weekend was pretty sweet too. Our weather has so much variety to it.