Alma - NB --A day with family and friend

Back to another day of exploring - This time our family and a friend head to Fundy National Park (not the same as Fundy Trail) and explore Alma and such.

My hubby's family spent many years in Alma in their youth - maintained a camp there - and we head back sometimes to visit. The Camp is still there, maintained by other family members now.

This particular day, we pack picnic lunch and munchies and off we go. We, of course, stop off for sticky buns and enjoy a quick nibble. We then head to the Camp, the pool, the bridge and of course - more munching. The teens swim and then explore the beach a bit before heading back 'home'.

Because I was still recovering from surgery, we weren't able to explore some of the trails and such on this trip. Another day perhaps.

Molly Kool - 1st North American Female Sea Captain dies - Native of Alma, NB

New Brunswick native Molly Kool, North America's first licensed female sea captain, has died at age 93.
Kool, who was born in the village of Alma in 1916, died Thursday at her home in Bangor, Maine.
She earned her master mariner's certificate from the Merchant Marine Institute in Yarmouth, N.S., in 1939.
That accomplishment made Kool, whose father was a Dutch sea captain, the first licensed female sea captain in North America and second woman to do that job in the world.
Alma Mayor Hilyard Rossiter, who knew Kool, said she led an impressive life.
"I was somewhat in awe having known what she had done, becoming the first female sea captain in North America," said Rossiter.
"At that time, you often think, 'How did she handle the men and the work she was doing ... working off scows here and hauling lumber out of Alma.'"
Kool spent five years as a sea captain before moving to Maine and getting married.

Another day of exploration (2 -Con't from Feb 21st)

Yet another day we head back to the Fundy Trail for more walking and viewing. Here we are peeking through the trees by the 'green'.
We can't get enough of this place! The views, the birds, the exercise (like running from a bird moving within the underbrush) and of course the laughing over such a silly thing.

Truly, no matter how many times you return - you always see things that you hadn't seen before!

Headed to the Windfarm - Kent Hills, New Brunswick Canada

Wow what a site to see in the city! We can see these (now that they are up) from our driveway if we walk to the end and look right! My daughter claims she can see the blades moving in the breeze; however, my eyes aren't that good -so I take her word for it.

410-foot tall towers - each feature blades that will power the turbines with a rotor diameter of almost 300 feet. It is the first wind farm to begin commerical operation in New Brunswick and will provide approximately 280,000 megawatt hours per year – enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 17,300 homes.


Thanks Gary for the pix!

Outside my window today 02/23

Believe it or not, there's a barn over there.

Driving (Con't from Feb 21)

The next day we headed in the opposite direction. We went to the Fundy Trail Parkway located just outside of St. Martins, NB.

If you have yet to go, do it. Jump in the car, bring your camera and walking shoes. You can even bike the trail - it's also adapted for those that have some difficulties in walking and such.

There are wonderful vistas, terrific sounds of wildlife, history and more. Bring along a water bottle. Athough if you forget - there are water coolers.

How do I get there from here?

A drive to 'anywhere' took us to this wharf. As we pulled out onto it to explore, we found it to be within an inlet secure from winds and high seas. Oh if only life could be that way more often. As with life, we wanted to get to the 'greener pastures'; which, in this case, was the sand we saw on the other side. We asked 'how do I get there from here?'.

Perhaps another day we shall return to explore this wonder in more detail...but for now, we are headed back on the road to 'home' and lunch.

Friendships

Friendships - sometimes they are cultivated from a young age and others we earn along the way.

Some friends we see or speak with each day, others live a long ways away. But not matter, friends are an important part of our lives. Friendships can also change as we and circumstances change. And sometimes, as with hubby and me, friendships evolve into more than just a skate date or movies.
I have a particular friend with whom I hardly ever get to speak, but we keep up in emails and such. Today's technologies being what they are, we can even 'see' each other via webcam. Well, I prefer not to do much of that thank you. :)
We, as a family, have made many friends. Friends that we can't wait to have bonfires, bbqs, explorations on the beach, and swim with. Only a few more months and we shall all 'be together' again. Yahoo!

Wiskers & all

Pets - they keep us company, annoy us, protect us and sometimes even sleep with us.

In our house we have 2 pets - one is the fluffy noisy fellow you see below, the other is much more quiet. However, some people (James especially) shudder when they hear of our 2nd critter....he's a rat. Yep, as in 'Ratatouille'. Well, maybe not so much into cooking, but still very personable.

I have to admit, I still can't believe I kinda like the little fellow. We haven't had him long, but he has grown on me.

He certainly is quieter than the pooch and doesn't shed as much, nor does he eat near the same amount of food.

Pets - don't we just love them? Wiskers and all.

Do you think that there are.............

Quite apart from spirits associated with people and places, is the maritime phenomenon of the phantom ship. While ghostly vessels are often found a omens of disaster in European folktales in New Brunswick they usually portend nothing worse than a coming storm.

In Stuart Trueman's collection, Ghosts, Pirates and Treasure Trove: Phantoms that Haunt New Brunswick, he quotes more than a dozen eye-witness sightings in modern times, from St. Martins to Shippagan.

By far the most famous spectral vessel is the phantom ship of the Baie des Chaleurs. For over a hundred years, everyone from a locomotive fireman to an entire Sunday school class with clergy have sighted the flaming vessel floating offshore. "Smoke was billowing up through the rigging. Figures were rushing to and fro on her decks. I called the engineer and he said 'Hell, that's just the Burning Ship,' “reported Richard Jefferson of Grand Anse, in 1892

Reflection - In Memory of Patty

Remember Me

You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday

You can remember her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Written 1981
David Harkins 1959 -
Silloth, Cumbria, UK

Wilsons Disease

What is Wilson disease?
Wilson disease is a genetic disorder that prevents the body from getting rid of extra copper. A small amount of copper obtained from food is needed to stay healthy, but too much copper is poisonous. In Wilson disease, copper builds up in the liver, brain, eyes, and other organs. Over time, high copper levels can cause life-threatening organ damage.
Who gets Wilson disease?
People who get Wilson disease inherit two abnormal copies of the ATP7B gene, one from each parent. Wilson disease carriers, who have only one copy of the abnormal gene, do not have symptoms. Most people with Wilson disease have no known family history of the disease. A person’s chances of having Wilson disease increase if one or both parents have it.
About one in 40,000 people get Wilson disease. It equally affects men and women. Symptoms usually appear between ages 5 to 35, but new cases have been reported in people aged 2 to 72 years.

My sister in law died on January 4, 2008 at the age of 31 after a brave fight with Wilsons Disease. Her gift of laughter and love of fun will be sadly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known her.

One of my most fond memories of her is when my hubby and I were dating. Patty (who was about 10 years old at the time) came running to the door giggling and proudly announced that she and her mom had been using the binoculars to spy on us. I can still see her mischievous grin. My daughter's favorites times were craft times, one that she remember most was making Christmas ornaments including my gingerbread man. No matter how simple the craft seemed, they were always the most fun to make with Aunt Patty.

Like a lot of us, I don't think Patty fully realized how much she meant to so many people. God love her. At her memorial service one of the songs that we had played was Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance(The Right Way)". If you have not heard the lyrics to this song, or have never really paid attention, please check them out.

Good afternoon my friend,
Just a short note today.It is yet another snow-day here in NB with more to come. Our american eskimo/pom loves to catch snowballs. Does he not look like he's roaring at you?
We were going to travel to the coast today for a visit; however, with the weather we have decided to put that off until another day.

Movies & Munchies instead.

Good Valentine’s morning to you my friend by the sea,

Maybe it’s the time of year, maybe it’s because we had so much loss in our lives last year, maybe it’s my age, maybe…….it’s because it’s so much as in life that it ‘struck’ me. But I had to share.
Restoration is the gentle part of peeling back the layers of time, revealing the original intent of it's architectural design.
This sentence, taken from an article I was reading, struck me so as a reflection of us in life. Life throws us curve balls - which helps to mold who we become and in those changes, sometimes we lose the person that we were. If one takes those ‘curve balls’ and gently peel back the layers of ‘crud’; keeps the ‘bones’ of who we were and adding the ‘curves’ of what we have learned through the experience – we become as an old home. One that was perhaps in disrepair and sad to one of splendor of it’s ‘glory days’. One that someone has touched with their heart, soul and creativity.
I absolutely love that and wish I had the artistic ‘design’ within, and of course the resources, to travel on such an adventure. My husband grew up in an old farmhouse that was cold, drafty, and electrically not safe perhaps.…but that has been touched by modern additions and is now a cute house. The original staircase and such has been restored, but as with the times some things were updated and made modern. His brother still lives there and although I appreciate what he has done, I would have continued and given the kitchen a more ‘old’ feel and such..but it’s not my house.
I can have the appreciation through the antique furniture in our room, my grandmothers piano and the things that remind me of her when I was younger, etc. In the changes we hope to make to the bathroom we have salvaged an old claw tub to be combined with a vanity that is much like an old piece of furniture that is marble/granite topped. In doing the hardwood floors in ‘cottage grade’ a few years ago, I personally think our home is ‘warmer’ and more inviting. Boy when when begins to do their own work – man it’s work. Hubby and I put down the hardwood (which is various lengths/color variations) by both the nailer and by hammer – wow! We sure nailed that one