It was a very good day, sunny and cool. After a hot and humid summer in Montreal, it was a relief. Ailsa needed to buy bread in Dawlish, so we went along.

Dawlish was a little town southwest of Cockwood, the little village where we were staying. Like almost everywhere in England, Dawlish was built on hills, with streets winding up and down. It was a neat little town, clean and full of trees and flowers, like a garden.

Dawlish

Dawlish Park

Houses by the Dawlish river

A river ran across the town into the English Channel, by the station where we got off the train the day before. There were all kinds of birds playing in the water, ducks, seagulls, geese, and black swans.

Ducks

Goose

Upper reaches of Dawlish river

Seagulls

Black Swan

In the afternoon, Ailsa dropped us off at Dawlish Warren, a little village south of Cockwood where the River Exe entered the English Channel. A delta was formed there with a very nice sand beach.

I took off my shoes and socks and ran into the sea. The tide rushed in and buried my feet with soft sand. The water was cold, too cold for swimming. We walked along the beach, while I played a chasing game with the tide. Sometimes it caught me and splashed me with salt water. The sea was so blue and calming, making you forget all the worry and sadness in your life but only remember that life was joy and it was good to live.

River Exe

Sea at Dawlish Warren

Water Stars

We reached the entrance of the River Exe at the tip of the delta. The sun of late afternoon reflected on the surface of the water, dazzling my eyes. Sparkling little dots of reflection shone like stars in the dark sky. That was how my ‘water star’ pictures were born.

On the way back across the delta, the dusk light decorated the sky with interesting clouds.

Peter picked us up from our long walk with his yellow Honda and we drove all the way back home.

Quill

Driving home

[Photography © August 5th 2005 Les Nuages]