A Few Hours at Rouge Beach

It's amazing how a few hours of nature's solitude has the ability to rejuvenate us. We spend the morning at Rouge Beach. There were only a few people there, even though the weather was hot and sunny. It was very quiet and peaceful on the beach. We all welcomed the silence to re-energize ourselves. A group of sailboats floated on the lake in front of us. The only sounds were those of the waves, washing up onto the sand. Occasionally a gull would screech, as gulls often do to tell each other the latest news. A gaggle of geese flew low over the water. They glided in on air currents and made a few short goose sounds before landing a short distance away. Happy children's voices could be heard from the water's edge as they tried to outrun the waves. Some regal swans swam amongst the reeds in the wetlands and a tall, white heron flew to within a few feet of us to feed on the tiny fish along the water's edge. Fishermen were everywhere, trying to catch that one big salmon or trout of the summer! The only sound that brought us back to reality was that of the occasional train as it raced across the rails high above us - off to Oshawa, Kingston or Montreal! We could only imagine! Everything was peaceful and soon we were all dozing in the shade of a few huge willow trees. After a couple of hours of relaxation we were rested, energized and ready to take on the world! But we were also hungry! So it was off to McDonald's for lunch. Nature at our doorstep and fast food only minutes away. Wow! Canada - what a country!