tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782894274438670212024-03-05T21:00:36.193-05:00Family Web Log, Again.Keeping up with the googlies...Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.comBlogger566125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-33983886778902703902015-12-23T10:12:00.000-05:002015-12-23T10:12:00.053-05:00Eastward Day 7: Giant Axe!Our seventh, and final, morning at the Green's Point lighthouse keeper's cottage found me sitting on the porch overlooking the ocean eating my re-heated spaghetti dinner from the night before. (I love this picture. The sun was warm. The spaghetti was good. The ocean was the ocean.) I had gotten back from my Saint John adventure quite late, and was full of whatever I'd been eating on the road. So, the spaghetti plate, the family had saved for me, for breakfast! Overlooking the ocean. On a warm sunny morning. Lucky guy.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Portrait - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="400" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHR1O0bCO5KJZ4y5tqNsf980PX8bmYBKaLtIAz7Von4a0PtZe7KlyzTQw3XcWOvoR9KIrZ8Ag7q34RHlivh7Tb6oTfMZkerZuh2zwztiLVz0PVkJhPirxo8iLNeH1uMVIpcuKhyphenhyphenSaYaw/w570-h760-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="300" /><br />
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After that peaceful break, it was time to break camp. Everything was packed up, and we were on the road again, for the entire day.<br />
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Sometime in the early afternoon we started looking for a place to stop to have some lunch. Due to a GPS misread, we passed the spot we thought we first thought we were going to spot. Looking for a new place, I noticed a mark on the map that said "Giant Axe". Well! We <i>have</i> to go there!<br />
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<a href="https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMcyVrD9X-v72wBduhe3ik6bxvWCmJujYX391Ya/photo/AF1QipOrdbhBBy6Yjn4MzZqM38wQym0ywgIN9hB-s59-?key=CLva-ab1oMCgrwE"></a><img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="480" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NuuysLo1bTWxSIC1Y3gQTPEDu4GXpwX7LnkCveow0D_joarBOnYYzsMV7YLT8RJR2MNpz3CM82Jom-4SzmHFIYFzWjNDy7t4bdVym_NZxdQ-btv_k6lcLEpKjArH1Xl9K9H5Fj7b5x9N01_q6HS5EpG549IkK9ZEuxj5zzobJFyhTdAbCsE37N00BbNgAHM7mSKS9V5kXgJkMVU5YlsV5AQFazW_GifhYQXsVIPl5Lzjtczr7juPlJVADCFoD_8gRRxlVgi1gnVd6CWSunPcGZZeuuWeEYRn3lGhl_bJ5qtRF2e0aCe8btsZEfmCLi3zuPrkU2SrztepaFHzpX1ZLQ9GCA-9tHsNfdr_B3MuUmQ-4XkgMX7NcORgPhLKa-Vr2v72i2Yf243ZNJ1yB-2wgOT4-lOWtArlguQkzozgJdB3fwm3vGu1ryhtgPVZzIgnYNSWDTAGpHQcaV2korQQL2RJn9R2uWbP8AJDOeauPKye0RbX-KZIMVUDaCXxf5osGOf3Lnv0K88_pRL05VEcy1uWFJpGDrCI0hTI8CKjGVMu5mmrx31Fi_nJKg0rphwI-vSgWg=w1014-h761-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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It turned out to be a fair bit further off the highway than it had looked on the map, but once off the highway we couldn't very well turn around and forever our backs on the <i>Giant Axe</i>, could we? No! (Besides it would likely have taken us just as long to try to figure out yet another place to pull off.) And so, we soldiered on, and it was totally worth it, because...<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pmSQJ6KJB6vbOrImtp5Gqw0JknyHulrhm2JIVWMXa0ifq2VJUj9Ae3i7OnY61pivVbxohaCTCFpPUVJqABBosCP7Q_OIxDjJkfi5Fu54OUqoIGScDkm4l4WbB9s3u3chFKsDJDmZu31kr6N0oPBRsGDf1Kuc2iXdSn5i1Eu6whegZDdaQtkVRj6an7zvCccsAWtlx4DfnCBWmfThnYVdQOAjabmMTM3-kKaAVD42EFPLpMZ_CDrfVdkMi8fhwm3-rNWuXZNTiQtcj8NwZifNzNaV6U8mwlS_tiCsBAvYnopcaAzLtb6H4HXaaSXSQL40mg1p4csvGwGlyf4Ya6dChtZvgtDVm4Cpl4DzK3k5w9pLrki2Fn5Z4XvIp0q9AE-_T2L_Yq_y9Fx-9356nWS0biZ4Txw2Pu73TG_TsckUzReeT5O-VfF_VHmJ9U10l4iYbQmauCczXe0f0MALjxMb-ci8BWsmOcIYNQkHyZ5eyB6yfmL-NCLd_RE_vJpxLHyv-xqvNkPxgCKfB--7Jt6s6YXsk0Xp8gKIeUj7mUfvtvDtynpcsQwyQ6hpRvnvt-qvgSkZ3w=w1140-h761-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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Giant axe!!! The giant axe was indeed giant. And it wasn't one of your flimsy old mockeries of a giant axe, this was a quite solid and substantial, lovingly cared for, freakishly gigantic axe! What I'm trying to say is, thankfully, the giant axe did not disappoint.<br />
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Also it was good to finally get lunch! (It was a big rectangular pizza that we'd got on our way out of St. George that morning.)<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IDoMZlcV9ZoD9Q31KwGB5hyk7cPVDfzB7ulwrseFMDAEbFwNOHNmMvfMJ2MDJ9mg8Aqiz-A6Dx9AOO_NIi6UVNwb_BXWbSk06elgk5e5-aeYKTs3wPGoaifCbBReg6S_1qesMWJQK9Y/w1140-h761-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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The rest of the day was driving, driving, and more driving.<br />
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Until, at long last, we found our way (and it wasn't easy, because the Quebec city highways are chaotic, to say the least) to ...<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXj8GXjYWERgpBVDEljR3Mi3S7xmGfL53zaJFiq3Y4onRUkLyjhEJnMMKS5ybOVKc1hZ3aNpo6_8Zb25BUK5GtwQCKa5MndtXw517Xt6-Drt3fuDndtbx7XLTN0lHMIdgvj5jQ422jzo/w1140-h761-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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Our strange...<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BXVGzeijOaNQgfZc1y1VpK9ZbMKZijg2O07Cn7LjkdbLy6qjbp5JtxK5Ho2uDcOTlFIBV4U1Ei6lTbNoUf8QpGAbR4ST4Nn_5Q2DbeNRKBzUH5i65hRhcSes_9WvHW7mhjvMJG7AUkM04wp_YAI8AiC-W1kFKC0BcHlgPodm0qdY3vLqKTIC5jf4XOL0A5XyLAVUH8PB_xCdPcifDJxOpGruaXoKQBo2uqX_mYyAX3AHcgdj4yaSIiUPgcSi7EkFWnz85fNV6tnBPhXxoFEIo4lMebS9Cpx_YV8OHibeChsHSKHlhhCWanGM9YWhC_OWBPgc498qEOWasEPr5_uS67ls2gFO_CUS2FU2SALS5_1NJnbf1Cx2i6qxFf6v4o6YBV6j-tq73Xe9fLBNSp1fJKYOHo8KQdxvfnh2Lsj4ohmN_neaWCLoKMOzVU0-u7ehyPIT4CPnlT_pZu08EoAzne7L4R3g40jPWBq136VDjcuZCishfPiEe7dm0aCXv9KNBxoHU-FNISzLEKBRgmZqRW6RgNMZEYCK4HISEzw4ILde7RbBwmQVdjegFYxz435Wx24ing=w1140-h761-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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Abode...<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 15 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFbQnUKYzMuvPU2DgQkE-h6XXGVFLQfKQ7iJ9z-3pKdFm0IjXhz72Vy7enaKcIia-Wv-bv25csHvicx7_52KgbXvaLDegnOIU5if54ijr4i5Udn0787Gm5OHLAXoI9P_H5T10AfL7Mxg/w1140-h761-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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For the next few days...<br />
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(In the meantime, here are <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/4Vvr3VggizzQrKit8" target="_blank">a few more pictures</a> of the giant axe, and the road.)<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-289210439959872692015-12-19T23:36:00.000-05:002015-12-22T13:32:01.686-05:00Eastward Day 6: The Other Day 6For some reason, I really wanted to visit Saint John. It was the closest major city to the somewhat remote lighthouse cottage we were staying in. Our smaller town excursions have been good -- but I also was curious to visit a larger maritime city. So while the others went off to the Huntsman Aquarium (as chronicled in the <a href="http://family.vaults.ca/2015/12/eastward-day-6-skating-anyone.html">previous post</a>), I set off on a solo tour of Saint John for the day, with no real plan or purpose.<br />
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Here is a hop through <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/NVkJdbZh2pUPBkC5A">my full album</a> of the day.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/E89clShqZuNUTjKfrwuWtwipcv2DgcamDL1NN4IzWm93Z6u6uYawpav6FJw2Tnw6BNFnBMgzytekgPiXEsnyn258GtBGfY-U-2WrSgUM6o5PfSeyq5gG-WDc-1yAIeH8-HN5y-bfAd8RNs6Zu_FQpuexfgmo_dmQ_aXRx6XPAQ19VObrfPAyIZryIlX-VZLmTW-GoWRhtw7IOWXhu1DPUC1sFSqkMs4oUDR6EVYn-rjGH-j67Xu3FlU8FuP9ZiDXYGU7AtnuBNYik6PkWPKS1QzYZn_TjJriIsdJ9dNrRLYFR-QQWr6sVDBbBzH02wWwkHI3WdJnhuMgpwYAYkE5vr2SLK-pNU5mG0pR1pHPgQbv7pR0_s7rqLuYn9VTcKHG2ZOGwDDgeA5S7TImLYHwz2rZRKC7TSDdRgjbcoEBcDk_K289o1BXDKFi19pi1aWZ99vVLSSDHhzZFDYEcQvA9XieDzkKtWdfRAe0s1pmyaoLZ5qBlp-I10sYX8NuKkmLA__wkyEDmJmpseErq0BTvD_j_snKb3KmBkU4rY0ptURQLRyKF5VpQ44c67e-M14CLe2KdQ=w1140-h760-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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Behold, <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipNoLuv-Xld6IbR3zXijKFz4GZI8VaTP74XmM-BR/photo/AF1QipPz2EtySWI1lziKJwYe8hBBiIrj0n2ijg_jfU49?key=CLq30Z7eu-Dp7wE">Saint John</a>. This picture well summarizes many of my first confused impressions driving through the city. The <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipNoLuv-Xld6IbR3zXijKFz4GZI8VaTP74XmM-BR/photo/AF1QipOt-ZgNaEuEcCTprRWYR5HGzp1R0tmYZavcrltu?key=CLq30Z7eu-Dp7wE">crazy hills</a>, the surprisingly heavy industry, the <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipNoLuv-Xld6IbR3zXijKFz4GZI8VaTP74XmM-BR/photo/AF1QipMfSEK8UIQbAlXRZc2jmdvBEIU-kBTvb0MGW-cq?key=CLq30Z7eu-Dp7wE">historic spots</a>, all <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/album/AF1QipNoLuv-Xld6IbR3zXijKFz4GZI8VaTP74XmM-BR/photo/AF1QipOBk5CnykDyMYN-WUe6VdGMkVg2jXdS_JrnBNFv?key=CLq30Z7eu-Dp7wE">packed together</a>.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="425" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8krTB0Lu-NPNRI8tjMFfXOms3bwDLYxe5H_59Y7TPrhtcosIWazH6JIOZ2IatL2GEZWzFm8xp9RNivaOOejDL8g4Z3JTk-GhfPCVWECyTrPcjPDNBqnrvLL3-HskTcbxHqH7XumCO0vq8M2CLfgApJF3LxV1us7dRZlH3VYeRCnU1zNqbXkkb4SXbaGKK0VRxh3G1bLnRUz4lrAZqf5YmrXSlYJIv4sFNQIrpeSrMTGA6AstUeHH-j-ovHBMFi5hGiUcFAo-Rd4Q9ElmHu-riteW-DSbNuAJTpSKxCG8rS_Cbm5M1bT72wOq4Kj6w_D_Cv4858dojvetmv7UaY4OUpOUfOczj9Ce1JdWL0KnciToib5TffsJxKOGxwZMkBemuzNpyXwroiKjhcWqqhDJpZdXSv2rucpBrpAolL2MUZ4CDeh15Lv6YXrg3BiUrDyVDtgToIwm9LNH6LYEbdvdaX_cCcma_dmJesjOsso4BJe4ONA9OhG7YDQ6EakQj4Oe5zNZXpqso_u8VNleZkx4aIPR-94kOHTad7FyDcS5IavPvuO8grigxQ5ByyqYbXV_ckpc3A=w897-h598-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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The reason we were in New Brunswick was for Aunty Belle -- to visit and bring some of her ashes to her beloved lighthouse retreat. Aunty Belle, as everyone knows, was very involved in Girl Guides all of her life, even becoming the Ontario provincial commissioner for a time. So it seemed amazing, in my random Saint John wandering, to suddenly see Girl Guild symbols on a building coming up on my left. I <i>had</i> to get a picture! I am still not sure how I managed to get this picture! My camera was in its case in the back seat of the car. But somehow I managed to get it in time, and take this (miraculously clear) picture, out my driver's side window, all while driving past. So, it may be silly, but this New Brunswick Girl Guild House picture is for Aunty Belle.<br />
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It was random that I passed the Girl Guide house, but I actually was not driving entirely randomly at that point: I had a destination. After having driven for quite a few hours, I was feeling in need of a refreshment break. I could have stopped at one of the ubiquitous Tim Hortons, as we did many, many times on our trip — but I was in a big city, surely there were other options. Yes, Costco! I figured my membership there would welcome me into their their bathroom, as if I was home. Also I needed some batteries. And a big box of fig bars.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bS_DafzfnKaf3PEyKCVEXyRK3AGsADrNWtYiulOz2z-JtFkjEKUvyDp7QFKo4CZ3pIiAkQbZ-JlnVxvxbJP-pdYlBJhHG7O2-Obe7nTeh-5mmlhXDSDZqyk012-TcioOdwVRDi3zDGU/w1107-h738-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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So I was driving around looking for the Costco, which I'd found on the map on my tablet. When I was approaching the corner my map had said it was near, I was looking around and there didn't seem to be any Costco around. And Costco is not a building that is usually very easy to hide. I was a bit bewildered, and turned onto the street, still looking around. No Costco. And then I looked <i>up</i>... there was an enormous hill, and at the very pinnacle of it, poking out over the corner, was Costco... as if floating in the clouds in heaven!<br />
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The following photo doesn't really do justice to the impression, as I have described. But it was the best I could do, once again grappling madly for my camera, while driving.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EApkz009xiBQv64IuQgSNcbombcO7Re1zh53Tawk7T_wljPC57LJrY783MAkCJLEJ0eqA-2UmI4BNUFngF4XZ2bXnCIUrck-xkyMBebJiB07fvWbs5Em0aiPM2nZ1i7dtlniFAN8FSPCUGfmp_BFiE55qEFwNxW_dbKa1z6pxCbBXjNPwcpn14S0ViT4IeKmaR1wJEEr3f7Lf7Oi-4O5aJ-PxZ839H90b5-zFdB9jijz3AIy7V__y2SmcRLK4KgDa9xPHhNexVI1eDhQFA_2hdc_LrI215qkpMTztGPodSqLT_1AFvBiH5NOBtfMKHxQ6eCKhrgySBmjoRk6NS1WsMnKzi9TRzKtZq4WcRoW6U6Z-bboT4p8WDKnzorWoSxytMrFzaHKDUJNPlu1kEzyFTM6-abZrfRd1zXGH77wSTD6MWQ7VGqvvMcvM1BeBNd5_y3Iczz3h-rh9fld3plJD3MTCDnB5JEj_VdIIya8IbSRRd-e9FbymoJvl9YcL1gfyqqUhEFBCqRypl5MLWhw2fR-qqaos0tJU962asb752jsm2dD2i_bCq4C2V5jVUjH9YHzag=w1107-h738-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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You had to be there.<br />
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After my pilgrimage to the Saint John Costco, all stocked up on fig bars, I decided to head over to the edge of the city where I'd noticed what looked like it might be quite an enormous park on my map.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CnCwAB1SVQgAIiWv1ZMUGq8QPJh5RUiOnU713XCiz9vt5NipvMico9bCsCmlGl_zFCB3KkhiF4-gRapUBF0_42O0DlAhWl9qOywWxA4YbZ0edqAuKQOZ9xKeHSQ3zhxn9IxkxnNszItMpJtmcOp239lMRZKZ7eq1aK43FydGjUEza4BW1wn7f5GddR2BxI34n6a1nZ9oqiNhmbm7PK7xUpIgSbpQ7s2fffsAgcyB0fse2updqtlaW9KGB9qri41GIywp4ZsUC9zDa3wnyvG7WvBLbBs5wIj_vl0sgPL14KWR8-WdKpXdD0Av9cA0qW9lcsQWQPYhzWo8yqoGVGrRZsydmwaMl_9DoICWSITelMZB2GX0EyNcDFfqBtADnoLSs5yfee8EW6mEK6rat9hqR-dGXcLbO0nCQSkgSjQdSvy4mYgjwzwU-ugmNF8rx9Wsb0gOdzs7qiz4lWhGoc1NvO-WnRq0EyJANx8wPa80Fz3V7SdleCAdsHfZWF0DnT317ECWkyGkz9inTq6ebUDXR2KVy3Q49Q1X6n6I7-pfz7KhY5tWQWCe49UKpTCNX84xs9Wrmg=w1107-h738-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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This building and sculpture was near the entrance of what turned out to be indeed a huge park. Behind this building <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipP5p4XyUZ8DP8coSZf7KB3quVgkEnkzQO2LMtrc01x7-Pl071IROn9apbNq-q8cMw/photo/AF1QipOOdKOugQAgC_qGmZCP6rRb0lS0GIkILmaeGCaP?key=b2xINXF1RlFKOU52MUFaa1ppT2hrNVgtU0EyYXNB">is a lake</a> on which there were many paddlers of all kinds, and a few sailors as well. And this was just one of the several little lakes contained in what I discovered <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rockwood+Park/@45.3039657,-66.0616579,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4ca7b3216f795ec3:0x5753dabe3a8c940b?hl=en">Rockwood Park</a> to be.<br />
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Rockwood park is so big, that if you hit the previous link you'll actually have to zoom out many times to see it all; and if you zoom out enough to also see the city you'll see the park is in fact practically as large as the city. There is a narrow ring road that goes around a lot of the park, with parking areas in various spots. There are paths of all kinds all over the place: everything from paved multi-use trails down to <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipP5p4XyUZ8DP8coSZf7KB3quVgkEnkzQO2LMtrc01x7-Pl071IROn9apbNq-q8cMw/photo/AF1QipN5JzBqsC2HOZ8BF3TFL2vrO4G86xYgQzIDS4V1?key=b2xINXF1RlFKOU52MUFaa1ppT2hrNVgtU0EyYXNB">quite rugged dirt foot paths</a> heading to and around various lakes.<br />
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<a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipP5p4XyUZ8DP8coSZf7KB3quVgkEnkzQO2LMtrc01x7-Pl071IROn9apbNq-q8cMw/photo/AF1QipNIaFydpgB5wYerjfE_3dShVOOygnKTAWwQhQIr?key=b2xINXF1RlFKOU52MUFaa1ppT2hrNVgtU0EyYXNB"></a><img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigas8pvrCNFqBJYxE_4emjFz1lCBopDwVpk8MpwYHmGoRkjhi4jyB-uhe77DDtxTHo7nt8_MpNH2WGa22CdlkOxiatW1TrO6xkxn0Q6RFAjeIqyCnoWIaEIQf-5FUyP4MsbofCmzQZliI/w1107-h739-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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It's an amazing resource for the city, slightly remeniscent of Toronto's High Park, but vastly bigger and with a lot more types of landscape. I ended up pulling over <a href="http://by%20one%20of%20the%20small%20lakes/">by one of the small lakes</a> and getting out for <a href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/256885/">a walk</a>. It was really nice, and I ended up walking for many hours, trying to find paths to some of the <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipP5p4XyUZ8DP8coSZf7KB3quVgkEnkzQO2LMtrc01x7-Pl071IROn9apbNq-q8cMw/photo/AF1QipOYjdt_PGGhkQ-4WLPlAs02xTNhGLSpldI1LIeB?key=b2xINXF1RlFKOU52MUFaa1ppT2hrNVgtU0EyYXNB">more remote lakes</a>, a lot further than I'd intended.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M6hGCV3oUgQY0EK7fiTyvCuIYG7wHaaBsaL1M6xhrvow2RlKB8tgVAg08RK4yd-0TT5qbK621H3rx9fd9jHot34R8UCivTY3DK6tqxW2dO2f52JXeDOCrq04hOEqA3vA4543GD9r0sQ/w1107-h738-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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So, having gone to see the city, I actually ended up wandering around in the woods most of the day. I did drive around a bunch of areas of the city, and felt I got some of the feel of the place, but I only really stopped (besides at Costco) at Rockwood Park, and then my next destination...<br />
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I had noticed <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Irving+Nature+Park/@45.2257772,-66.1876324,12z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4ca7b55d4c9b918b:0x9b41fc875a63bc92">Irving Nature Park</a> on the map some days before, but it was hard to understand what actually it was. One can see on the map it consists of a fairly large peninsula south-west of the city, but what is in it? How accessible is it? It appeared to have trails, and even a ring road, but what sort of trails? Is the road open to the public? Does admittance cost money? Descriptions seemed vague, and information meagre. After grabbing a falafel wrap for dinner, I headed there to find out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/256879/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3ZaY2t6AyuhHiLXWQ337bsRPzF65coV6P6VD9pxQV-Ul2Vhea6QKRt5lo86bjpHIKPHX1-HDw6uJMwrX0urRXTjEEscjEzmF93e02B05Vz5Qu3U3778Aen0JJljoIElcpDwRuBnJL1E/s400/irving-nature-park-walk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbreviated Irving Nature Park walk (click for interactive)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was hard to even actually find my way into the place. Watching my GPS, I seemed to be in the park, but the landscape was bleak, and the dirt road very rough. The occasional landmark consisted of abandoned buildings such as this one (another picture taken out the side window of the car):<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0lIZ1pQQm1nCJqpJnLZjnG2cWT3ZYcxX8HkhqTJ2aXYIFSxAD0HeORg3yJ2i1BSNkvqD4r35pQG91OBjTtgePUKcA181QMeUzpks54158P4BmBgGNfffplfg8KXqrhVBCfo7fHQ2Hn4_YplbIPQ_pB7CG1h_lk06-GkzDNpEls-TONpHFwJ4yWuN7xXCaiFtfUjme_MYT14AmHCbzOBogmy7LP1mimjLgxzKXchAcfEoKWEFvBEx-N3Tj5dNrFsyf_qj64b354VOqTVMudRZWhP_5lRGhAcd84Uqu9--R679wRFjvEXZ-2U_aKsR8tWgRbl-W7z4Z5gIkwU2bolJC1cD3kH8AXndsqUsUsnA_kgUkXFgSD2tY9xoQEEax5SMiL4_hQgJTyhfG26UpuhKdAZ2fN9A0sA34TJjWfXl8wXuO7c2W7l0hyp6xHQN5YZmLyW-0ys6A4QfpP_B8RNAlKe2ybpZxBVz6vjmhSjc3oNC0Mgzd36MgOckiCvhEIJ5TUlYJfjYq1wWWBS-dsAO1fC2HExwPlj2XaK_6vS-EtdI6bH69cLCPs4CvamS6vHc6toMIg=w1107-h738-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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But I kept going -- there was little choice. And eventually, at the very end of the road, there was a parking area with a bunch of cars in it. There was a beach to one side, and seemingly trails going up into woods on the other side.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="425" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTuZ40XE7oHVinSCPvDWe_tnwETO4m6ZMO7HZ7fI_-cOWRrvGj130BM8XLjw5fyWK31NKdBs8X5x25kJ30tJbXgzg-4q-Az9qs7XlaWuTthL-5TBaUYzARtoN-Z0Jko_QJsITtVY3RDQ/w1107-h738-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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There were (as there had been all day) clouds of mist periodically floating in off the ocean. It made it hard to see much in the distance. I got out and after briefly checking out the beach, headed up the nearest path again into the woods. After the initial steep ascent, things smoothed out and I found myself on what seemed to be a pretty nice path that presumably traced its way all around the peninsula.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzoYDSpM6wR_XEx9HdtjZlBNdQ2ge7fjubQQNGiDAk81HjtUM2takBi31vDZs7IYnbAUptpkAUY5z5XyrSvtg0FhIstOKyuIbPXS_XFsiuydtaXwhom5t3BiXyfBAnlSEkXxwuoQhM3dM/w1107-h738-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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There were these squirrel boxes attached to many trees. At least I assume that's what they were. The squirrels seemed to like them.<br />
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After hiking along one side of the peninsula quite a ways, knowing I did not have time to make it all the way around the coast, I cut across to the other side. The side I first was on was very coastal -- fairly high up, with rocky ocean shores below. The other side was not as rugged, and looked onto a tidal basin and marsh.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXvB7kyPHWFHUOFIpmCbLhmrG9MlFpq48smpEm4LC4nZaMTLEJ-nEGak9ecHGlGRa_-4_PCgk9WAsTZKDu4lTc8NYIH6L_WyAUAEfe1GY2RHpEfXyCLC8HESn34O_9ztu1frx7z61bUg/w1107-h739-no/" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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As you can see there were a lot more birds over here.<br />
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Cutting across I was able to see that there was indeed also a road ringing the peninsula, that I saw a few cars on. It was a very narrow dirt road, one way, with a speed limit of about 15 km/h. After wandering back along the marsh (and checking out the <a href="https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipP5p4XyUZ8DP8coSZf7KB3quVgkEnkzQO2LMtrc01x7-Pl071IROn9apbNq-q8cMw/photo/AF1QipOEnWaUDbKsIM3pjFFuJ9860fP1_PB5-RNl3ty0?key=b2xINXF1RlFKOU52MUFaa1ppT2hrNVgtU0EyYXNB">board walk</a> which extends into the marsh at one point), it was still early enough that I decided to find the road entrance and take the car all the way around the peninsula to see what that was like.<br />
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A lot of the road was through pretty dense trees, so you didn't see too much; but periodically there were parking spots and places you could pull off and see more.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/n2muvwH2ye9AY7r2_t3eip9qGf3KBFtxt2hBp87k3qeiuqSc8GEsof4P7RN6kA89S9SFWi1lLoZ3WXas5d3sYPr6M6P5OSyInoW4_aWG08ygyVX1--cQ2r3SYxwEZ2xyCi3pNX-o7_fhyETx4dQpE2PdWPFHhZCXsA0ZJm5BpmebsE8H58hFrPlrRmhvYHQvEWnzWb1eimjmsnTb-92-d0Co98QvQEg42a93sPZX4DOEARFLC3mXS26d_oHQ_fnq6n3W2nhfYovaZfFvHpzCsb6aFBj7UU_MHGlfcPet2x3Oz3Hx3ZlBxviH1mPhMQO3GLdlm2NPm4V02OpVdQLNOMtqTzBh9A-9p3dsd---vOMZy3ASN9stX1oRaZYSPTI_AUYIfdgW8cv2GySzW2eXtNbfZ2-RUxGiFplLZuar_bJy9l5Sw9o7DfCh6NRN2jVsS6WliDPn7Mt7uACdcE3JZDikbv-51sRVFK0BnoLAKNIDAYxc29oZdN6_x4tr7mriUkbTmWKoTlPxnserBF8GoyxiXuhAd5b0g3AavPqMzT_ptQojFtnQYTm7-KbqS8QDYT5D7g=w1107-h738-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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Here is one place I pulled off and climbed down to the rocky shore. My map marked this area as "Dog Rocks", so I wondered if there wasn't something of particular interest. There wasn't, really. (Further research later vaguely informs me that Dog Rocks is a shoal in the area... which would be a water navigation hazard, so maybe that's why it is named and marked.) Still, it was nice to climb around on the rocks trying to figure out the possible canine connection.<br />
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<img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="426" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JJhJENkuUOBYsmAtdBsIeyI9cOuJEuHC5cSfcGN-RBkFoOH2Xe2C6hVQkI4orFDVD8hYROdvP-7n-5wNCd9EuvAuB6GIIXEAnrpMMrdWcNlu6bR0Imd9jpW1U3yC6k26bRa3UF0XqlmdW0DCyXSUcEMjF_qycqMwWkCYD-q9lX-9H75yQoSQAN0NTJF0Yhpc1V3Nzq5w-lohaGEaYvwayy-h_5-QGZMKNYmyQQcuJpLp5_S-HABqdUabMxCw7lD_i2oYVflz_TUaHjB-KLSWT6CAa0Or8Xt8oTaAQzu2sTVvymEROLr07BEinkEQq2d93rDkxsVo0iF5b98L1aC6hKJiF8P31FRt8YfeSw3K6clbmUL1_-7CFs-jS4iyo154KB9gRCE7R0k1-n3mADufGkvKD0kHqXRRJAuh6jMgywSlpbMy_Lt6RptsA3qFPCqdzW648hSuMRivazdf6NOlU6G-U7X0o7jLQb9NiSUAbsca69nssMA_53NhCxQuwGhe3lPAjxWJ186cYgjBathJdqNtzNzzzkUF2-VweesiGCLw1_9gZKPdvHNhU7I2mK2ejX99-Q=w1140-h760-no" style="transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /><br />
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And with the fog sliding in from the ocean (that wall of purple/grey) yet again, I finally hit the road back to the Green's Point lighthouse. The low clouds enveloping the highway...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img aria-label="Photo - Landscape - 14 Aug 2015" class="SzDcob" height="427" jsname="uLHQEd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bc3VjFkNNiLPcRNrORgqT__8roDnBIOwQnvuEosE5kTtaEsc8dyMrM6u5eZ5grOKPFdFthyphenhypheniMwJ2S36R38so8dL0SIg4UBdUXSKQLRZAR01Oi14krvP1LfnlJEXCWmflgJ1Xxv9hSpU/w1140-h761-no/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px) rotate(0deg);" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from front car window as the sun begins to set, and very low clouds blow over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For me it was a great and quiet day of wandering. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/NVkJdbZh2pUPBkC5A">Full album</a> available.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0Saint John, NB, Canada45.2733153 -66.06330809999997244.9156548 -66.708755099999976 45.6309758 -65.417861099999968tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-36880640176558771002015-12-19T15:34:00.000-05:002015-12-19T15:39:14.125-05:00Eastward Day 6: Skating, anyone?Back (at long last) to another beautiful summer morning in New Brunswick. We were really lucky with the weather when we were there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJxIZ7f05shTiDYyGZjvWJh_PFi1fSXKQxPwa_cLTEAiZLa4UnxesoS6b1l7KUwAf4IqK-JmkctyyDV5eBtRLdV3gYovtREs0J0tYYAX3V6CYo0DXwsWu-G83h6cRwBb265uHUj9NF0g/w1071-h714-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJxIZ7f05shTiDYyGZjvWJh_PFi1fSXKQxPwa_cLTEAiZLa4UnxesoS6b1l7KUwAf4IqK-JmkctyyDV5eBtRLdV3gYovtREs0J0tYYAX3V6CYo0DXwsWu-G83h6cRwBb265uHUj9NF0g/w1071-h714-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh, and slugs. Did we mention the slugs? In the area around our lighthouse slugs were everywhere in the mornings, and they were big!<br />
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But besides the slugs, we had less icky scavengers around the place as well.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/8n9XaIKJYxz99-rcJulHjkLH8vDQQIaPcVVJ1KpolEIN_g5gCb_IOEXiA8nC5_SBNBte7KeMqri6avUIaJI7SwLSqgSiE3DGi_x9B-0uKgfFL2dTyfqdvf9ft4zib2vNTnpLdwXqYpqCvsUy8gSR5Z_UouzRqX8fj6GGgZgWKtN5WBP018npXzH4_gE1hL9trh1UaeG_66ZOVEgYe5nuV1ACNp6VgmiPPjHrHX4mH1V2c-FgSzUfzjrauWUvz0WessCSgNelMsKzTqIoeuloVtjgaoD0oIep0VaeIdED_ineh66We1dejwuLdGgMmKqfvS8y3jeajF5HnhpulI1ABwUxi0sQj5aJi_1QX01iat4iB0jMXKaBEVRJ1r9ud0cTpU4tjtIEcUg9azxBRA4AesPomMkenKRMxs7dj344a83ZPa_i-Rc-tDXYBuwetz8PSxUnaFvoZ6BXZCvRFde-FqXdHJqe5gmvSBmMiEFn3f9xmMU4g4ote5JOyp-XLmHhox1nNeeTGVDxvD6u6EgdYk6bNO3gYWg_pxOl67ORvr0m=w1071-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/8n9XaIKJYxz99-rcJulHjkLH8vDQQIaPcVVJ1KpolEIN_g5gCb_IOEXiA8nC5_SBNBte7KeMqri6avUIaJI7SwLSqgSiE3DGi_x9B-0uKgfFL2dTyfqdvf9ft4zib2vNTnpLdwXqYpqCvsUy8gSR5Z_UouzRqX8fj6GGgZgWKtN5WBP018npXzH4_gE1hL9trh1UaeG_66ZOVEgYe5nuV1ACNp6VgmiPPjHrHX4mH1V2c-FgSzUfzjrauWUvz0WessCSgNelMsKzTqIoeuloVtjgaoD0oIep0VaeIdED_ineh66We1dejwuLdGgMmKqfvS8y3jeajF5HnhpulI1ABwUxi0sQj5aJi_1QX01iat4iB0jMXKaBEVRJ1r9ud0cTpU4tjtIEcUg9azxBRA4AesPomMkenKRMxs7dj344a83ZPa_i-Rc-tDXYBuwetz8PSxUnaFvoZ6BXZCvRFde-FqXdHJqe5gmvSBmMiEFn3f9xmMU4g4ote5JOyp-XLmHhox1nNeeTGVDxvD6u6EgdYk6bNO3gYWg_pxOl67ORvr0m=w1071-h714-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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And some of the morning scavengers are two-legged, wear <a href="http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Creeper" target="_blank">creeper</a> t-shirts, and come when called for breakfast (if indeed they have not been up and scavenged breakfast for themselves before you even get up, lazy parents).<br />
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After this precarious adventure on the rocks by our lighthouse, collecting <a href="https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNoLuv-Xld6IbR3zXijKFz4GZI8VaTP74XmM-BR/photo/AF1QipPXDF5BzegOt7tRsRdZiAIGAToiLvDqn5Nt-wmh?key=CLq30Z7eu-Dp7wE" target="_blank">urchin shells</a>, the kids wanted to go to visit the Huntsman Aquarium, for a closer look at some of the local sea life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeGNSiDts4Pc5Xou62m8bsUm-QBnubcZLJz-0W-N4vIVClAGo3X8rl7iqYMn2C9R3o4OKBuKB9rWTizZPBB0ZmM-ShYUBfZIwEuiEC2GPemaN8DAmIt_afkj4zqgQ43qbywf4uTcWIJI/w952-h714-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeGNSiDts4Pc5Xou62m8bsUm-QBnubcZLJz-0W-N4vIVClAGo3X8rl7iqYMn2C9R3o4OKBuKB9rWTizZPBB0ZmM-ShYUBfZIwEuiEC2GPemaN8DAmIt_afkj4zqgQ43qbywf4uTcWIJI/w952-h714-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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Is this close enough?<br />
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It looks like they had some pretty intimate moments there at the aquarium with the sea life.<br />
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The highlight of the Aquarium visit was the seal show. We waited patiently for the trainers to come out and entice the seals with buckets full of fish. These seals are a father and son team, who have water pumping up into their tank from the Bay of Fundy. The water is freezing cold.<br />
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And finally, skating. That is, playing with the skates. The skates were part of a touch tank where the kids did a scavenger hunt to find all kinds of small sea life. The skates were the favourite because they seemed to like to be touched, flapping their "wings" enthusiastically for "belly rubs". <br />
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We had spotted this huge wooden playground when leaving Kingsbrae Gardens. It is somewhat similar to the one in High Park in Toronto the kids played at a few times, which was later burned down (and then rebuilt).<br />
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See <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/cqxXyD689Nxq37RK6" target="_blank">all the Aquarium day photos here</a>.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-67630466824728776212015-11-07T19:58:00.002-05:002015-11-07T20:15:16.452-05:00Walden, we have you surrounded!So, it seems we did this.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/SB1qj1mg7k4_DP5dxIbgKmOAuCQ_7uDoAxvQ-wbCuPvQTemdx1j_DIAlmBpwY21bIl9LI1NC4rIvHpNheFhai057qA-cLFFDVhWHw-G4_aU7J_ZJZ0ps9aTt_gnnlTQ0BudouyrAAt2SEontEk5eiln4IbwlCDIzLiz2_cWQ9n6Gx7EMV5wT3pk0z5VxXGbUZTmn4Ie3Ce2Ekoz-Ms804VzL-Jyb-7-wAz9fvie7c4FH8eYCUQz9cw5svL-KiwjiGtw8ejeHJAxvEfdGIiNB2PHzts0n-83vFaLxYSskYoE_lu0d7oe_j7a7FKq2zlD0SoJRklKjPAICuMlzuYMTEm7srK0sW9RQoFFquTEz5FQdSi9pwWVlMiVBhqOxQcTjkcV4Md1WiHbUgL2jrFr4HZlxXBW-Y62If_9Hqc-9ct5wXLnNMdxvFhY1mejH6CVyUbNTMIMoiFk6FNtVm2ZWkB_ykd_SmV27BOZbVAolRAgdTOASv9uxXS52k6Pkf4RibBKsG-I146GjyQ4hrUzZyM_aOvdYDcBJ7yx__aUcHlNZ=w1071-h715-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/SB1qj1mg7k4_DP5dxIbgKmOAuCQ_7uDoAxvQ-wbCuPvQTemdx1j_DIAlmBpwY21bIl9LI1NC4rIvHpNheFhai057qA-cLFFDVhWHw-G4_aU7J_ZJZ0ps9aTt_gnnlTQ0BudouyrAAt2SEontEk5eiln4IbwlCDIzLiz2_cWQ9n6Gx7EMV5wT3pk0z5VxXGbUZTmn4Ie3Ce2Ekoz-Ms804VzL-Jyb-7-wAz9fvie7c4FH8eYCUQz9cw5svL-KiwjiGtw8ejeHJAxvEfdGIiNB2PHzts0n-83vFaLxYSskYoE_lu0d7oe_j7a7FKq2zlD0SoJRklKjPAICuMlzuYMTEm7srK0sW9RQoFFquTEz5FQdSi9pwWVlMiVBhqOxQcTjkcV4Md1WiHbUgL2jrFr4HZlxXBW-Y62If_9Hqc-9ct5wXLnNMdxvFhY1mejH6CVyUbNTMIMoiFk6FNtVm2ZWkB_ykd_SmV27BOZbVAolRAgdTOASv9uxXS52k6Pkf4RibBKsG-I146GjyQ4hrUzZyM_aOvdYDcBJ7yx__aUcHlNZ=w1071-h715-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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The site of the ironically famous cabin is situated somewhere generally behind Selena, on the other side of the lake.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/9Pv_3OOuSw6TTnsLEtLpIqgo6uz74UDNyp8QJYLeDmiTVqQcadrmgnPxZkEnY7mUbjkR9wnIDX6_g5JR6JlXl9b4lsknwOv-YjaTBqSy1IqxltixFQmHiYh0FaZ9wC202llOscEFk3QN9q2zWCxkQUBnxKe1jGNA8lMl5cDd3sqHwsOd6VfwHTF2O0M8js62FCYEDSO21LANOAnj3L8sUkhinbw0JSfmBF5FjM6RcXHflZ9rx_6GZNNYmNFnMh1cVZeqE1hfS3uh_noFxM4benxH9YDfH1afgYV0r2tNdOAhhBrAs9IFMSY7DEX0xnwHR-EnQbplG9VpqcaSJPhm9Kx_0H4RhTRJ-jrYO5FEGZJInuWo0Y7SsLU1vYVM652CjWXcA57VHg4kUXGVXA7-VXW-JkwiwnVI1fHeh79IQaB_yX7QfPKYF6Mv2q_0wNCbKWpALcj3RgnZm443pRbNl5usn81LmUZW8wpQSkia9lhWBgMY2iUME62V0RRXASD4tSPhpWxPRSI8NZAiP17YhEkyluPZ961Clw1oRtF8dnPt=w1071-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/9Pv_3OOuSw6TTnsLEtLpIqgo6uz74UDNyp8QJYLeDmiTVqQcadrmgnPxZkEnY7mUbjkR9wnIDX6_g5JR6JlXl9b4lsknwOv-YjaTBqSy1IqxltixFQmHiYh0FaZ9wC202llOscEFk3QN9q2zWCxkQUBnxKe1jGNA8lMl5cDd3sqHwsOd6VfwHTF2O0M8js62FCYEDSO21LANOAnj3L8sUkhinbw0JSfmBF5FjM6RcXHflZ9rx_6GZNNYmNFnMh1cVZeqE1hfS3uh_noFxM4benxH9YDfH1afgYV0r2tNdOAhhBrAs9IFMSY7DEX0xnwHR-EnQbplG9VpqcaSJPhm9Kx_0H4RhTRJ-jrYO5FEGZJInuWo0Y7SsLU1vYVM652CjWXcA57VHg4kUXGVXA7-VXW-JkwiwnVI1fHeh79IQaB_yX7QfPKYF6Mv2q_0wNCbKWpALcj3RgnZm443pRbNl5usn81LmUZW8wpQSkia9lhWBgMY2iUME62V0RRXASD4tSPhpWxPRSI8NZAiP17YhEkyluPZ961Clw1oRtF8dnPt=w1071-h714-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost-obelisks mark outline the original cabin and woodshed locations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If by some sad circumstance you are not familiar with <i>Walden</i>, by Henry D. Thoreau, know that it is an intensely introspective book of social criticism, and nature appreciation, written by a dude who decided to try an experiment in living as simply as possible, in the mid-1800s. Thus he went into the woods (the book is, in fact, alternately titled <i>Life in the Woods</i>), near a small lake, not terribly far from Boston, and built himself as basic a little structure as he thought would suit his personal needs, and attempted to just live (and write) as worry-free as possible for some years. He wasn't a complete hermit: he was near enough a town to walk there and get supplies when needed, but he did try to be as self-sufficient and frugal as he deemed reasonably possible. The idea was not to be a ascetic and isolated, but rather relatively independent and reflectively consistent.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/Yv5zfmfwojhqt_azAY7WYmw5iUOGIheDmf61-pRjYg1OjiMC5F4C1qkBUs9Vg9U-RoZ2UNJ6uAuYfTeinwXJ7WnJ9sVR29WcbamqkrxL32PAs81fFdVbp_G4RUtgKmFCHcfpwoxgE6W-biRyZq-XZWs21xJqZCZ2qH9Y7dexF25_DomBcaUv74Cv4G7C4eukQ9asG7suqpjiLk7FVftolIr5-cy7j8y2w4I212v3i2aoJVibq5dBlzJeTPuXOZIIrGQdpC8Jj8kGS5NR9ffgTQy6MJguZfmWQnyMI9FTVqDZWSwaQCHtuuiXd2lL47EBA-SpxG7ynIZwym79ATR_UY0jB8u2_OBOL22dLD3O5RZkmUgZbwSQ0UtvIt_LsEn6H6IV4_BWUzE3tUXDSH7hOxrlbsHm-8C1CSarOI7ZCm3YfRCN0lqGJG1zZJnj_2xUTlOZP640o-6ziiBjYl-HDn3PH-ORYvDEW5Dcveut2Ngst1HujW-40y-GTfp0LrtfyPabtHFnmzRoYbYHHWAhmo38gh_pwgHHDSwhlNEIwB67=w1071-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Yv5zfmfwojhqt_azAY7WYmw5iUOGIheDmf61-pRjYg1OjiMC5F4C1qkBUs9Vg9U-RoZ2UNJ6uAuYfTeinwXJ7WnJ9sVR29WcbamqkrxL32PAs81fFdVbp_G4RUtgKmFCHcfpwoxgE6W-biRyZq-XZWs21xJqZCZ2qH9Y7dexF25_DomBcaUv74Cv4G7C4eukQ9asG7suqpjiLk7FVftolIr5-cy7j8y2w4I212v3i2aoJVibq5dBlzJeTPuXOZIIrGQdpC8Jj8kGS5NR9ffgTQy6MJguZfmWQnyMI9FTVqDZWSwaQCHtuuiXd2lL47EBA-SpxG7ynIZwym79ATR_UY0jB8u2_OBOL22dLD3O5RZkmUgZbwSQ0UtvIt_LsEn6H6IV4_BWUzE3tUXDSH7hOxrlbsHm-8C1CSarOI7ZCm3YfRCN0lqGJG1zZJnj_2xUTlOZP640o-6ziiBjYl-HDn3PH-ORYvDEW5Dcveut2Ngst1HujW-40y-GTfp0LrtfyPabtHFnmzRoYbYHHWAhmo38gh_pwgHHDSwhlNEIwB67=w1071-h714-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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So it is somewhat ironic that this once-secluded pond, site of Thoreau's reflective solitude and simple life, is now a place of pilgrimage for many, with sizeable parking lots, and many carefully controlled, fenced, narrow pathways. There is a gift shop/bookstore.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/cGQqyXmGjYZOKzDTJu6_Yt5F51yV-Goyd5oIEjMmoXqPGCR9NEVh68WjPghKm0UW0qx62-AEQdCup7DjueNGIcSCEp-xSM_kFp_9RameqrnrcSZUGo0ZKnca-eyPZcAf7O0xaLVvf7MkIcv31Fnun1wfq3PlkL561qgEge4eK2udE1UgBVNjqPDnfS1i8PJAUs9-7fBfOI75qeYLs1DHAeUut19vuf9JWH6wIDyRFj7qbsv5-EkT2V9do525ntrez4T0ZP1ie5LrafeKe8RnTUvgef1UyUgImR5vDvwt1dEeZSogRFU41HVBIL7VOq841_fveap5NSLOuTvQo_l_nltOy3q3nf-rQOMd5dtwDMDwJo-q9duFcLcg2KnoDtq07xZdFgl0gAmrmJ8avglKZ7VnbGykS2wF6B_sE0Z8xqiI8P2JNP9EzrKWTlzuOihIyS3it8O-zzaqYlA-WyPF2xPLOptgc56WA86JjKF-s1_WyPnwwfPshkY0Bgqk9vApl3YUMaPNEzpHdKhWoLTGVLPjOrVS6ADEHONGPctpPu07=w1071-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cGQqyXmGjYZOKzDTJu6_Yt5F51yV-Goyd5oIEjMmoXqPGCR9NEVh68WjPghKm0UW0qx62-AEQdCup7DjueNGIcSCEp-xSM_kFp_9RameqrnrcSZUGo0ZKnca-eyPZcAf7O0xaLVvf7MkIcv31Fnun1wfq3PlkL561qgEge4eK2udE1UgBVNjqPDnfS1i8PJAUs9-7fBfOI75qeYLs1DHAeUut19vuf9JWH6wIDyRFj7qbsv5-EkT2V9do525ntrez4T0ZP1ie5LrafeKe8RnTUvgef1UyUgImR5vDvwt1dEeZSogRFU41HVBIL7VOq841_fveap5NSLOuTvQo_l_nltOy3q3nf-rQOMd5dtwDMDwJo-q9duFcLcg2KnoDtq07xZdFgl0gAmrmJ8avglKZ7VnbGykS2wF6B_sE0Z8xqiI8P2JNP9EzrKWTlzuOihIyS3it8O-zzaqYlA-WyPF2xPLOptgc56WA86JjKF-s1_WyPnwwfPshkY0Bgqk9vApl3YUMaPNEzpHdKhWoLTGVLPjOrVS6ADEHONGPctpPu07=w1071-h714-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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But we can't be too critical. We too <a href="https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPIczkZakoZNQYRk4HzaQh-aNso7yw4Gz0Uwt69/photo/AF1QipMZwr9D7MDVFs7xWNo9PMco1LNewlThSwhmlfeu" target="_blank">parked</a>. We too trampled through the lovely <a href="https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPIczkZakoZNQYRk4HzaQh-aNso7yw4Gz0Uwt69/photo/AF1QipOAXuHFqBOc8wCbnRl_KP0kZIT-ak4w4c9qNnai" target="_blank">corrals</a>. We too were curious and just wanted to be able to say, feeling some sort of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism" target="_blank">transcendental</a></i> emotional connection, we walked near where this book was birthed. We were not, however, among those who felt the need to leave an inscribed stone (there is quite a pile of them near the original cabin site), but we understood the sentiment, no matter how ironic the act might seem to be.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/bDEy4ZNHgTFMoJNWL4GTRvzkC0nxzDtubOstS1fcjiNnSmyOR_FeYWLFUZqoRurCK0ALXFRQcNPoQS6guLx8TNc9uDenud_wwpxHdr6h6OMLyjbg8ipWA0s4I9MJxjY3vWJ8864N_ub4MPMEx3ktWzGWoI5v6K0MB_EDKnsIkJkrnimFO3rfPkxOtj5p51gS7libvnDDwa6bcD4dArmisnO-omHTtaR0dHsYqcMZFW0T3LkHdlbn_uH1rem74xIj4ZzEG2qkmJ-T_g6f2I7AFCUMNA8kunlcoXC790lCT-5ZqNb90pi4qDkkS-YksE3hRa0F5YnROMV01XkG6BIRQlo7LclsQxr2TgckPJNuSOZ6fEcpnG2whpyuqRZTPamBhk2kCxmFctviPfVGbc95EiT5PmaKU0vBITGWaXeDEbsYMH4IiHqVnIDR0HrhxqMtURel_AkfdwGwYkz-oSeh_o81tV5fMwlciNtMZEzJuSYWYTmxHFD4LvlhH3PCO-aeUMfRhLLWH7LFcoicdQsmvDkzp924GRNaay6Spqk0DNkj=w1071-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/bDEy4ZNHgTFMoJNWL4GTRvzkC0nxzDtubOstS1fcjiNnSmyOR_FeYWLFUZqoRurCK0ALXFRQcNPoQS6guLx8TNc9uDenud_wwpxHdr6h6OMLyjbg8ipWA0s4I9MJxjY3vWJ8864N_ub4MPMEx3ktWzGWoI5v6K0MB_EDKnsIkJkrnimFO3rfPkxOtj5p51gS7libvnDDwa6bcD4dArmisnO-omHTtaR0dHsYqcMZFW0T3LkHdlbn_uH1rem74xIj4ZzEG2qkmJ-T_g6f2I7AFCUMNA8kunlcoXC790lCT-5ZqNb90pi4qDkkS-YksE3hRa0F5YnROMV01XkG6BIRQlo7LclsQxr2TgckPJNuSOZ6fEcpnG2whpyuqRZTPamBhk2kCxmFctviPfVGbc95EiT5PmaKU0vBITGWaXeDEbsYMH4IiHqVnIDR0HrhxqMtURel_AkfdwGwYkz-oSeh_o81tV5fMwlciNtMZEzJuSYWYTmxHFD4LvlhH3PCO-aeUMfRhLLWH7LFcoicdQsmvDkzp924GRNaay6Spqk0DNkj=w1071-h714-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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The man himself, looked a bit perplexed over the whole thing. So I comforted him with my apple. But he continued to seem perplexed by it also. Disoriented. So, as he seemed not ever to be going to eat it, I took it back. I munched it while walking his trails.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/Xn2XCWBDaUwXcVYBRjddUOr7XELXwoWapyF3pi7kvXVyX1_UG7J71SE4dQjvNl5w28pgjboGmhOD2XT4_HOXX1P3Qr9tTPmqHiU79nTsyUzK3yNdRtBryH-TPEELcz9YJUXS5BPOHZtN3cuUTNZfV0J5sGd3TYHO_1pSnmHCGrDcNt4mqEuJkSs_pC9WgFDby-VOK5II5okMvYcxQGMKLpWabf3bSqz638X2ASNb_YONY6uW0nwIbMy9kk9jP1Q9TUgxsC0X9PqqX0HtHGfRS9yj_4_BkiFz4kLg9FUHyc_dXg9FWftqNjWFUFKWaeTQJy4mgdtAQ6ZOveuuhMOTX9pXM64ND85eCY_n6kBLZEOVPwakgd5ieiFZFoB8sFfzFgjFVEN-eubjpQCByxSHdrh-4bQRyVWFOggXMHZ_FoqbcnKc3dxwswmzdW1R_B0vlNJBf60UIa8tQuN472soi7p_PttBX_THdA-IsqvhfIgTg3q8cu-EhSXfBdb0Yls4LKps9nirB9KIcL6FWPBA330FfxpI8NHLH967RUh7TTR6=w476-h714-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Xn2XCWBDaUwXcVYBRjddUOr7XELXwoWapyF3pi7kvXVyX1_UG7J71SE4dQjvNl5w28pgjboGmhOD2XT4_HOXX1P3Qr9tTPmqHiU79nTsyUzK3yNdRtBryH-TPEELcz9YJUXS5BPOHZtN3cuUTNZfV0J5sGd3TYHO_1pSnmHCGrDcNt4mqEuJkSs_pC9WgFDby-VOK5II5okMvYcxQGMKLpWabf3bSqz638X2ASNb_YONY6uW0nwIbMy9kk9jP1Q9TUgxsC0X9PqqX0HtHGfRS9yj_4_BkiFz4kLg9FUHyc_dXg9FWftqNjWFUFKWaeTQJy4mgdtAQ6ZOveuuhMOTX9pXM64ND85eCY_n6kBLZEOVPwakgd5ieiFZFoB8sFfzFgjFVEN-eubjpQCByxSHdrh-4bQRyVWFOggXMHZ_FoqbcnKc3dxwswmzdW1R_B0vlNJBf60UIa8tQuN472soi7p_PttBX_THdA-IsqvhfIgTg3q8cu-EhSXfBdb0Yls4LKps9nirB9KIcL6FWPBA330FfxpI8NHLH967RUh7TTR6=w476-h714-no" width="426" /></a></div>
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I left the core, as my offering, to simply nourish the woods.<br />
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(Here are <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/GnSSaCoSNbKKYv6a7" target="_blank">all our pictures</a> of our trip to New Hampshire---where Selena presented a paper at the North East Popular Culture Association conference---and Boston, by the way.)<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0Walden Pond State Reservation, 915 Walden St, Concord, MA 01742, USA42.4391706 -71.33938610000001316.917136099999997 -112.64798010000001 67.9612051 -30.030792100000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-47138531430398786692015-10-25T01:16:00.002-04:002015-10-25T01:51:12.481-04:00Yesterday's Got-ya dayI'm informed it is usually referred to as "gotcha day", but to me that seems like it has a connotation of entrapment. The cry of "gotcha" when a prank is successfully pulled, and so on. So I'm going to try to get away with saying "got-ya day", which to me is better (even though I acknowledge that technically "gotcha" is simply a sort of contraction of "got you"). Well, enough of that useless rumbling. Whatever you call it, Vallie's first one was yesterday. Valkyrie has been with us now for one year.<br />
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She's starting to get used to us, we think.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/qw3FQcTcaew6eqFczUSJX_nE7rLKrU-CriJ_8DVPrJbOqZE7f9xXzLAz3Kvhom16j-XFn6iVnpeXb-DIFIvMcA_1PxTQ25R3k8dRy9sCHMZUjvYfdtcN7nyiPjsTAwKCqcJQGVSidYaq_w1_gFmI1hCR0dDFKlSzzF3eQEnDNNgDDJa3y-oBduIxEUwR3kBtleakfHIvlu2dqf4gCPyjNTyJmyuCj4sM8zdh3LeZ7fyw2NC4BbYjNlflVP3ymsgrWJIFl-EZNWL97w46dXc96pp2ohmmrCYOnBEbqdn1UdxzKcnHcSzBJiyQcljdmCq4OP65Z0HwqyyXXkIYIdFyPl3iiI0DZzkuEA1pvL-s377tTA0JFOTpGOgrlkuuztLExr837Wkp7BhC3PfvL_1-FmAh6u9ZWozexWzwRFWWpzWA3B1FNi66V9kboNfvpmuNAsQO8-LXEclDD0XP2dCy0ZN4U1iudN8a-7lUSzZIS4JQpCfkq523Cks7zwsqfaBVcsGzP_08tkq-5p_IPsxmnjLx6TsuO6GSJHtc4YwxuX9c=w1140-h761-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/qw3FQcTcaew6eqFczUSJX_nE7rLKrU-CriJ_8DVPrJbOqZE7f9xXzLAz3Kvhom16j-XFn6iVnpeXb-DIFIvMcA_1PxTQ25R3k8dRy9sCHMZUjvYfdtcN7nyiPjsTAwKCqcJQGVSidYaq_w1_gFmI1hCR0dDFKlSzzF3eQEnDNNgDDJa3y-oBduIxEUwR3kBtleakfHIvlu2dqf4gCPyjNTyJmyuCj4sM8zdh3LeZ7fyw2NC4BbYjNlflVP3ymsgrWJIFl-EZNWL97w46dXc96pp2ohmmrCYOnBEbqdn1UdxzKcnHcSzBJiyQcljdmCq4OP65Z0HwqyyXXkIYIdFyPl3iiI0DZzkuEA1pvL-s377tTA0JFOTpGOgrlkuuztLExr837Wkp7BhC3PfvL_1-FmAh6u9ZWozexWzwRFWWpzWA3B1FNi66V9kboNfvpmuNAsQO8-LXEclDD0XP2dCy0ZN4U1iudN8a-7lUSzZIS4JQpCfkq523Cks7zwsqfaBVcsGzP_08tkq-5p_IPsxmnjLx6TsuO6GSJHtc4YwxuX9c=w1140-h761-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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For her special anniversary dinner, Selena prepared her a lovely (as you can see) bowl of tripe, liver treats, cheesy (?) dog buiscuits, all served on a lovely bed of high quality kibble. Valkyrie slurped it up. Then she got a few cheezies tossed to her (but that'll be our little secret).<br />
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The special meal may also have been hopefully to serve as an apology for doing this to her earlier in the day...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/X8ISz9-vayA0TuwYpd8lH_VkkYjZbeOrxM0UaIVVLdYqBHtJ-2kzk9tbron7NutFJviHFKr3PjK8-6YfNGlS44rdvpfpULUASJaC39w57AkGRqBY3LjOl5i3Uv_hZ8pwt13ZPesuW_L_OY2QrNypa1xRp2zK8yB7pHbplZ878hSlZpeU6cVV1c6Og2anapMeixr9Dtg0zVw0vCXpeCZdwqBWUxh0srpZi6m8Topf48tBog-oh2LyjSeYVOtiEw44ZNhrko0sDvzhkjVf4u4jymA9Nefnwq6qgKRD9SzwA1i8rh3ibCw03aAzjJ1pqXnbULkT3orCee-XWkjqtA7vs1DGhc3QnpeBt_xlLm3N11qgo4OT3uVXfg1yozoFOGG3k7o2D0iG_lMcnsFYNz3iQoo87LduQrhMI79FfG5bBAH1ROa_VfsjrRwd4wadD9of16q4A9FkZk5n3kV0RZFFqyqDNS8LW4EE2aIwbmEtwyVFLutT00tAJmx9fhmgsv6o7aXDnK9WrKwpcKuqmon9Us1BuTWAmCp6BsHkxcEuuZku=w1141-h760-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/X8ISz9-vayA0TuwYpd8lH_VkkYjZbeOrxM0UaIVVLdYqBHtJ-2kzk9tbron7NutFJviHFKr3PjK8-6YfNGlS44rdvpfpULUASJaC39w57AkGRqBY3LjOl5i3Uv_hZ8pwt13ZPesuW_L_OY2QrNypa1xRp2zK8yB7pHbplZ878hSlZpeU6cVV1c6Og2anapMeixr9Dtg0zVw0vCXpeCZdwqBWUxh0srpZi6m8Topf48tBog-oh2LyjSeYVOtiEw44ZNhrko0sDvzhkjVf4u4jymA9Nefnwq6qgKRD9SzwA1i8rh3ibCw03aAzjJ1pqXnbULkT3orCee-XWkjqtA7vs1DGhc3QnpeBt_xlLm3N11qgo4OT3uVXfg1yozoFOGG3k7o2D0iG_lMcnsFYNz3iQoo87LduQrhMI79FfG5bBAH1ROa_VfsjrRwd4wadD9of16q4A9FkZk5n3kV0RZFFqyqDNS8LW4EE2aIwbmEtwyVFLutT00tAJmx9fhmgsv6o7aXDnK9WrKwpcKuqmon9Us1BuTWAmCp6BsHkxcEuuZku=w1141-h760-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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Poor, Big Baby! A little too much partying for her. She doesn't seem to even care that she won first place in this "costume race" competition!<br />
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As chance would have it, on her anniversary, a local Greyhound group was having a fundraiser fair. We headed over. Valkyrie was really excited to meet up with many dozens of other greyhounds again. Much joyous sniffing. Only a few growls.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/nQeFa0C5Eb2CQahZnMsiH311yi2b8f1kbFX_Cb3cypN1XAe99-EVAJQ58ZWpNcmMv79FfkbHBIij1D48tBHcFBkAwbLLL2hfikRyG8n9I56uHgJ0k86SDRVHBPGAJf3sndgnOWZJFV1kkC7ki9RD8VYxt3tt9dGw93CrozkgM-EIygI-OrvmGDx-WzLfXFQYxSR2HzCKn6z3t4UePoUJ2i1HY64nW8ExN1fqtWZkLJYjDrlTVAzCxpThSYcLU5JbXhZwHbPTM7C7UK_NKNqqydnehXF1SsSzxK3DtXfEO240AkCGvAYLcftixvHtiU01K9skjMqEBniF7ioH7-3W_0_4Wam0RwD_cxB5oKaqRwBj4B_hmtc95_eUlNnLGk1HJg7V3GVdq-UAdXc4FkaFZ1avAT3UmZ2PA8TbpWIafMnFvr2OPuHNv16--wYWGqm9w_7Gf0RLxXkCxF1ipBEtfkrkxqDJZOyGGHt4BqKQtgfe-No0zjLvuX7Ys53rGmx7LjPHqoNvSS2sCk7V4cwjeQbKcHZVoIdKFcFwq70c935C=w1140-h760-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/nQeFa0C5Eb2CQahZnMsiH311yi2b8f1kbFX_Cb3cypN1XAe99-EVAJQ58ZWpNcmMv79FfkbHBIij1D48tBHcFBkAwbLLL2hfikRyG8n9I56uHgJ0k86SDRVHBPGAJf3sndgnOWZJFV1kkC7ki9RD8VYxt3tt9dGw93CrozkgM-EIygI-OrvmGDx-WzLfXFQYxSR2HzCKn6z3t4UePoUJ2i1HY64nW8ExN1fqtWZkLJYjDrlTVAzCxpThSYcLU5JbXhZwHbPTM7C7UK_NKNqqydnehXF1SsSzxK3DtXfEO240AkCGvAYLcftixvHtiU01K9skjMqEBniF7ioH7-3W_0_4Wam0RwD_cxB5oKaqRwBj4B_hmtc95_eUlNnLGk1HJg7V3GVdq-UAdXc4FkaFZ1avAT3UmZ2PA8TbpWIafMnFvr2OPuHNv16--wYWGqm9w_7Gf0RLxXkCxF1ipBEtfkrkxqDJZOyGGHt4BqKQtgfe-No0zjLvuX7Ys53rGmx7LjPHqoNvSS2sCk7V4cwjeQbKcHZVoIdKFcFwq70c935C=w1140-h760-no" width="320" /></a></div>
She also attempted to have her speed clocked: 23 km/h! Ha. How embarrassing. Alas, the speed measurement situation seemed a little less than scientific. The running area was small, the dogs barely able to get up to stride. The timing was done with some sort of smart phone app, which seemed a little more than finicky much of the time. And the only inducement to velocity was a tossed rubber squeaky toy combined with some energetic beckonings. Apparently not enough! Also, it was raining. But everyone had fun anyhow.<br />
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The "race" she won, the picture at the top of the post, consisted of all the dogs being given a similar pile of clothes. The winner was the one which could be dressed the fastest and then make it to the finish line with all clothes still on. We are so proud. Obviously.<br />
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There was also a tail length competition. Vallie endured only to find out her tail length was... average. Though her adoptive mom insists that average really means <i>really spectacularly awesome</i> for a relatively petite hound such as herself.<br />
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You may also notice the bandaged leg. Actually what you see is an old kids' sock with the end cut out, stylishly covering a bandage. It is due to a nasty cut that seemed to be the result of a collision at the off-lease dog park -- though we're not entirely sure what happened. We didn't notice it until we got home. But greyhounds are notoriously thin skinned -- literally in this instance -- and are easily injured. The wound, while somewhat gruesome looking, doesn't seem to bother her. She gets a new dressing on the leg every day until it starts healing up sufficiently.<br />
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Anyhow... that was <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/yforRPrVsZTQrszu8" target="_blank">our doggie day for our dog's day</a> (click link for a few more pictures).<br />
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Happy one-year at your forever-home, Valkyrie!<br />
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-84430688090013282212015-10-20T16:39:00.000-04:002015-10-20T16:39:11.228-04:00Eastward Day 5: Minsters Island (not to mention Chocolate)This day (which was, unbelievably, August 13) started with a tour of the <a href="http://www.chocolatemuseum.ca/" target="_blank">Ganong Chocolate Museum</a> in St. Andrews. But I am going to save writing about this until later in this post, because oddly we don't seem to have taken a single picture at that place. So, did we really go there? My gut says yes (and, as said, more on that later), but where is the hard evidence?<br />
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On to something I can prove: like having coming across, along the shore of the Atlantic, a couple of wild lions roaring fiercely atop a rocky precipice. I know that sounds crazy, but see for yourself. Lions!<br />
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But before we got to the lions, and after we toured the chocolate museum, we took a break at a park which is just down the street from the Museum in down town St Andrews. It was just a little park, with a little playground, and a rather rudimentary water play area (see picture), a water fountain, and a gazebo under construction. The kids however proclaimed it the best park in the world -- all due to a sort of gondola-like element (no picture, alas) in the little playground. Best park <i>in the world!</i><br />
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(Incidentally, that is actually the USA there on the other side of the river in the background.)<br />
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The park, even if the lamest <i>best park in the world</i>, did provide us with a chance to <i>recover</i> from the chocolate museum. The museum, built into a sort of corner of the original Ganong chocolate factory building, was fairly small -- three rooms and a gift shop. Maybe this is why we didn't end up taking any pictures? But here's the thing that makes it awesome: part of the admittance deal is <i>all you can eat chocolate</i>. There are loads of samples of the Ganong chocolates all over the place, free (after your admittance fee) for the taking! So maybe <i>this </i>(chocolaty fingers?) is the reason we didn't end up with any pictures. Unlimited chocolates! You'd think this, and not the wonky little park across the road, would be the best place in the world.<br />
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Alas, we were all feeling ill by the time we left. Sick of chocolate. The thought of chocolate was making -- even the kids -- feel unnaturally queazy. This seems not an optimal feeling to leave to leave an establishment. Oh well. It was an experience. And without it the kids would not have found <i>the best park in the world</i>.<br />
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Let's now just run it off.<br />
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Wheh, that feels better. And after a seaside picnic (those most have been sea lions?) we drove across the ocean to visit Ministers Island.<br />
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Literally, we drove across the ocean. At low tide a strip of ocean floor is exposed, and for some hours the Island is accessible by pedal ambulation and <a href="https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMwJHzjmnFuP1W9acLfQm8o29Of1GoQeMT7XZip/photo/AF1QipPFy_9Kv9CN-uLbb0nGnIKxQoSFTg64wrIWIGQh?key=CPy7k_PE96bUxgE" target="_blank">wheeled locomotion</a>. Access is closely monitored, lest visitors become stranded. There are two classes of visitors, each having to wear a different colour bracelet: visitors with access to the (expensive) historic buildings, and visitors with access to merely (priceless) nature. We were of the latter camp.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/5Y3AV9Ee0Lu8-Ex4rKvqB8Bcn4EGEwIJl_wkgyv7-zZ8yJlTGqGWvPnmFhnxr33x9SHSBsVtEYsczMSVuiI0o25PaR0ggCQLGx9_iDxKiaRaDSUBA5onZ4NB9pUehKkyBdSvVnijiWdmNy90dQ9ZIs6ptfqF9N1q-C1m6bLZ0nymgE0nqWtmKEzArPONeVw0CmuNqOoMDjJ1hADMb5V0VfdKr4y5ZlvGXX02O9XniS4HbYajLEH255QVWHK9VFfMjWjIyt1SkM__4eR2krNoZ_7AZd490d5aUsvQqjzfH2uUrC5lXXqH_3eSVUWR3D97qD_HKdNxXmAoJeongVIZ_3YEnJy4U9v6wAedwKh6SkbrjW3TL5fqr-mawwka6mTF5FTqGgZgppM3H4Agc9vGJPn9Uu4jwvN956VL5KF2glrmxB8tB_E51ljpie-HdjYXvPKSlZVUGLKi0iDT663gbRxCyJIHDUTyWPhXFbMbeIVikE0U5ry6OkEycrDt3NoqSYvhAckzxPBWTtZhmVDPw6PrMH6YR_C7kHpXVbSSAwzS=w1140-h761-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/5Y3AV9Ee0Lu8-Ex4rKvqB8Bcn4EGEwIJl_wkgyv7-zZ8yJlTGqGWvPnmFhnxr33x9SHSBsVtEYsczMSVuiI0o25PaR0ggCQLGx9_iDxKiaRaDSUBA5onZ4NB9pUehKkyBdSvVnijiWdmNy90dQ9ZIs6ptfqF9N1q-C1m6bLZ0nymgE0nqWtmKEzArPONeVw0CmuNqOoMDjJ1hADMb5V0VfdKr4y5ZlvGXX02O9XniS4HbYajLEH255QVWHK9VFfMjWjIyt1SkM__4eR2krNoZ_7AZd490d5aUsvQqjzfH2uUrC5lXXqH_3eSVUWR3D97qD_HKdNxXmAoJeongVIZ_3YEnJy4U9v6wAedwKh6SkbrjW3TL5fqr-mawwka6mTF5FTqGgZgppM3H4Agc9vGJPn9Uu4jwvN956VL5KF2glrmxB8tB_E51ljpie-HdjYXvPKSlZVUGLKi0iDT663gbRxCyJIHDUTyWPhXFbMbeIVikE0U5ry6OkEycrDt3NoqSYvhAckzxPBWTtZhmVDPw6PrMH6YR_C7kHpXVbSSAwzS=w1140-h761-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was a really nice trail walk through woods and fields, and varied shorelines, around half the island. You can see the rest of the pictures <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/kd48JpoebXpciRLFA" target="_blank">at this link</a>. And then another drive back across the ocean, before the mer-road was slerped back up for the evening.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, nice cool, squishy seaweed.</td></tr>
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-40788734371856769832015-09-16T18:08:00.000-04:002015-09-16T18:08:21.617-04:00Eastward Day 4: St. George and North of UtopiaThe closest town to our lighthouse with an actual grocery store is <a href="http://www.town.stgeorge.nb.ca/" target="_blank">St. George</a>, New Brunswick, about fifteen winding kilometres away. We noticed on a map or brochure that there was supposedly a marsh trail there, so we decided to go check it out.<br />
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We had been through St. George so many times by this point, and had not noticed any trails or significant marshland -- besides the bit of pond and swamp beside the grocery store. After some confusion we did discover there was a trail that skirted behind the curling arena (also beside the grocery store), along the small marsh there, and then along the river which goes through the town. The trail, unexpectedly eventually turned north and went under the highway... and, lo and behold, on the opposite side of the highway from the town, there was a lot of marshland, and the trail extended through it.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/PfdszqA4O15ko_rhfOr0MWPBB9_JsVfJA6eQXaFy3V1D3hidnEzUq2Wgruza2vFU8Dn4Oib-62kc2A7J-GgwakdaYmVM_JJa1KjYiGF-4wJjWpGIovkwycpa7V5YD9eSu8EhAUBgBw59LirnUtMRJh88JMfTejj6DR4NfiOn8kHNZihgcMecoHcKrtX8BXV87FjaVXtwetukv5hfrPNNJt6jzi-6ASHbwlKhbCQ_SRUj9rLwl6gZhDbVTVoZUu62-XyF62_soTrFFNNMA6i_qWZlBdCuiJ_BTpPuB6cGdZ3_iNiilbg-p9_gFX-53o8BL_3c8C79sIEWnGDQwHxC0Bw5_Yye5ep8BfYqbNiXyDcR5jELSYjPZMfRjIyXN0Ejs4zM9PmOUH6T4vVEeRFMyK425gTn4CZyboiuVlmU-tKH0RjCrpmSg7ZMwigdRTC3Ir8yr22idT5DF2MEVKjL9KOfUPaWZtT3uHEv5dMyPgml0C4UQhQYGAdh3EdoyitkjFYtD_2WSRU2sEKfMELhHPJnWNT43XP2hI6ckPIqFdRS=w1110-h740-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PfdszqA4O15ko_rhfOr0MWPBB9_JsVfJA6eQXaFy3V1D3hidnEzUq2Wgruza2vFU8Dn4Oib-62kc2A7J-GgwakdaYmVM_JJa1KjYiGF-4wJjWpGIovkwycpa7V5YD9eSu8EhAUBgBw59LirnUtMRJh88JMfTejj6DR4NfiOn8kHNZihgcMecoHcKrtX8BXV87FjaVXtwetukv5hfrPNNJt6jzi-6ASHbwlKhbCQ_SRUj9rLwl6gZhDbVTVoZUu62-XyF62_soTrFFNNMA6i_qWZlBdCuiJ_BTpPuB6cGdZ3_iNiilbg-p9_gFX-53o8BL_3c8C79sIEWnGDQwHxC0Bw5_Yye5ep8BfYqbNiXyDcR5jELSYjPZMfRjIyXN0Ejs4zM9PmOUH6T4vVEeRFMyK425gTn4CZyboiuVlmU-tKH0RjCrpmSg7ZMwigdRTC3Ir8yr22idT5DF2MEVKjL9KOfUPaWZtT3uHEv5dMyPgml0C4UQhQYGAdh3EdoyitkjFYtD_2WSRU2sEKfMELhHPJnWNT43XP2hI6ckPIqFdRS=w1110-h740-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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Somewhere around the middle of the marsh, there was a slightly elevated observation deck.<br />
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So, there wasn't really all that much to see. But it was a nice walk. And there was this heron up in an old pine tree. A bit unusual.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/ly6uUHyB-S6ve3_rg_LjuAsJHDktDfHHNwwYYCk2jtA7mEMBUsHBwO8gAqBazZR8it_sfjvnHgYnwMyZBGz8Y452PQywTamhvZyK3-8FVFC7haq5QSBZt9ft_ab49X4FjO9iL6Omky5HoW_CgGDAixAEUpbZo-8_VzrLU-EsqAnO9_ElP3jPeCl6aZnm1izTfLG3tfMx7k-tyEm1SGXE0TDszzPe-_uVEK_sk_e4a64aCT5712DzCJXhV_K4aKRfWfaUvGfBrruuY_ajS_asWLRGyDDdlXWP_4ehoDCuLyK-CHUoQXm_x5iVhykPgzgw2CRzMuDQ4TTK320HQ8VY4fkY7bdj2C7R_tIPFOeK8Kbe6HEld8iTlWv6L4NJNL7OZBoh9mjc3hm2tWH-CuZnqFWa-I29M8faSvNo6jjVOebH4Hvj5rFCHNwzBlMF2HgKXUWBkOv0aHQhWXlIbqHSjRnv4yH7raZTerXM0V0gwteM4vGysZuCNV6NUniSe1_T_6h4rMxJGwED1ENvs6XLNDIdqwp0mtG1ywfLwyOq7PYs=w1110-h741-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ly6uUHyB-S6ve3_rg_LjuAsJHDktDfHHNwwYYCk2jtA7mEMBUsHBwO8gAqBazZR8it_sfjvnHgYnwMyZBGz8Y452PQywTamhvZyK3-8FVFC7haq5QSBZt9ft_ab49X4FjO9iL6Omky5HoW_CgGDAixAEUpbZo-8_VzrLU-EsqAnO9_ElP3jPeCl6aZnm1izTfLG3tfMx7k-tyEm1SGXE0TDszzPe-_uVEK_sk_e4a64aCT5712DzCJXhV_K4aKRfWfaUvGfBrruuY_ajS_asWLRGyDDdlXWP_4ehoDCuLyK-CHUoQXm_x5iVhykPgzgw2CRzMuDQ4TTK320HQ8VY4fkY7bdj2C7R_tIPFOeK8Kbe6HEld8iTlWv6L4NJNL7OZBoh9mjc3hm2tWH-CuZnqFWa-I29M8faSvNo6jjVOebH4Hvj5rFCHNwzBlMF2HgKXUWBkOv0aHQhWXlIbqHSjRnv4yH7raZTerXM0V0gwteM4vGysZuCNV6NUniSe1_T_6h4rMxJGwED1ENvs6XLNDIdqwp0mtG1ywfLwyOq7PYs=w1110-h741-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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Selena heard there was a beach on Lake Utopia. Lake Utopia is a pretty big lake, a bit north of St George. There is a town optimistically called Utopia on it's south-eastern side. Utopia the town isn't much more than a crossroads which hopefully had seen better days.<br />
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The lake is lovely, surrounded by hills (which were shrouded in fog). We finally found the little beach, and puttered around at it for a little while. We watched the clams racing through the sand in the shallow water. So fast! Their movement was actually perceptible! And their trails, epic.<br />
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So it was a fairly slow, relatively local, day of wandering and investigation.<br />
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The evening found us, as usual, snug in the tiny lighthouse keeper's cottage, playing the beloved traditional game of tile rummy.<br />
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The full set of pictures is <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/D2J79wxnrBeei33Q7" target="_blank">linked here</a>. Good night.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-33211405843669068272015-09-14T16:58:00.003-04:002015-09-14T16:58:47.787-04:00Eastward Day 3: Deer IslandWhitney and Michael had to head back home to Halifax this day, but apparently we had not yet had enough of cruising the Bay of Fundy in a boat. This time we took the car with us. <div>
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The ferry to Deer Island runs frequently, and just happens run from virtually around the corner from our Green's Point lighthouse. Deer Island seems to be, to some extent, New Brunswick's smaller version of Nova Scotia's majestic Cape Breton Island. It also is ringed by a (sometimes) scenic coastal highway, which is dotted with occasional artist studios/shops. </div>
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Probably the most memorable stop on this island for us was probably The Happy Shoppe. </div>
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True to its sign, there were indeed antiques, some old books, and.... <i>archery</i>! While the others went in to check out the "shoppe" (of which the shed in the picture above is only part, it also extends to the house a bit up the hill to the left), I took the dog for a stretch/walk down the road. When I came back, I found the family out behind the above shed... on the archery range. </div>
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So it turns out the proprietor is a retired University of Guelph administrator (if I recall correctly), who opened up his antique shop as a sort of hobby. And also he hand crafts wooden long bows. He was kind enough to take everyone around back and give them some archery lessons and practice on one of his bows. </div>
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The old archer also tipped us off as to where a hiking trail was nearby, which we'd wanted to find. Even with his helpful hints we missed it, and had to double back to finally find it.</div>
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The trails weren't terribly long, but it was fairly rugged with several varying terrain types. At one point there is a cabin-like building with a balcony look-out towards the ocean. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/pRuYrS1nCByUKq-Qz3g9tLQ0-BWljZgmiB8SP0UpQLkysNGUJPaTk8KWRnuvrNZ9qQeP3AtlYmYWdJug1HPQMLKaM5KMDzrqAB4FDEHsJIr-xAUnJYRm1u-NNjKTcWWfLBlcfCoL5upFquR2L0qLAHCUUa_xPgiN9DGeQZpbS74215fUkCfGc4kIMy7kbDNBZoWf1OYQxxe7JSYSUeMFtzbATmtkhuXIwYu98sGu_dyGJ8JGip72uSDB3ZH1KA12JWz8L9HzESHaIIAeqUdzDg4tAB_-ajgg4VGf4LWei-DYZLr5FiHyjvmEPwEtrvKMcyMFdKqYXb2lcCkqqKird4XZiFdEMWVPD__NZbHXSh3LpkHp2QmzwjPHxTzCQJ9MMYFHtb8ohBD2WQhuS8BvDesb4trdKKMUPnMmcu4dH3S6nli2PAUH1hh305cW6OehDuTtXRl62UrGL3G3I6XDBskE2cX8PjRFei8VNe_03YbcOcmVwAvZAERQcrfJksbwew6jmZOPjyf8PIHgEwHOseHsoaC3fZuaYBD-Ljy6vyvh=w1179-h786-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/pRuYrS1nCByUKq-Qz3g9tLQ0-BWljZgmiB8SP0UpQLkysNGUJPaTk8KWRnuvrNZ9qQeP3AtlYmYWdJug1HPQMLKaM5KMDzrqAB4FDEHsJIr-xAUnJYRm1u-NNjKTcWWfLBlcfCoL5upFquR2L0qLAHCUUa_xPgiN9DGeQZpbS74215fUkCfGc4kIMy7kbDNBZoWf1OYQxxe7JSYSUeMFtzbATmtkhuXIwYu98sGu_dyGJ8JGip72uSDB3ZH1KA12JWz8L9HzESHaIIAeqUdzDg4tAB_-ajgg4VGf4LWei-DYZLr5FiHyjvmEPwEtrvKMcyMFdKqYXb2lcCkqqKird4XZiFdEMWVPD__NZbHXSh3LpkHp2QmzwjPHxTzCQJ9MMYFHtb8ohBD2WQhuS8BvDesb4trdKKMUPnMmcu4dH3S6nli2PAUH1hh305cW6OehDuTtXRl62UrGL3G3I6XDBskE2cX8PjRFei8VNe_03YbcOcmVwAvZAERQcrfJksbwew6jmZOPjyf8PIHgEwHOseHsoaC3fZuaYBD-Ljy6vyvh=w1179-h786-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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Em <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/t54j2wb4re5tgE9B8" target="_blank">left his mark</a>. We'll say no more about that. Have a picture of an interesting old stump, instead.</div>
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At the very south end of Deer Island, you can catch another ferry which takes you to Cambobello Island. Campobello Island, oddly, which only can be reached from New Brunswick via the two ferries, actually is attached to Main, USA, via a bridge on its south-western side. Anyhow, the Campobello ferry was not running for some reason while we were on Deer Island, so we didn't have to decide whether to check it out or not. </div>
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Instead, we just drove to the very southern point of Deer Island and pointed across the channel to where the kids might look and possibly see some real live Americans. We didn't see any though. Maybe they don't come out in the rain? (It was raining a slight bit, at that point.)</div>
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National boundaries are mysterious things up close.</div>
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There is actually supposedly a whirlpool out there separating us. In fact the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sow_whirlpool" target="_blank">Old Sow Whirlpool</a>, it is called. Maybe the tide has to be right, or maybe you need to get <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK-Dcm3z4U0" target="_blank">closer in a boat</a>, but we couldn't see much where and when we were.</div>
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Anyhow, despite a bit of drizzle, it was another nice day wandering around the east coast. </div>
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The rest of the pictures are <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/o2F2TaVLVGBUa3SB8" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-5357832920034637142015-09-09T12:59:00.000-04:002015-09-16T18:08:41.739-04:00Eastward Day 2: WhalesThe next morning we rendezvoused back in St. Andrews, with whales in mind. And for the occasion Istra made for herself a new hairstyle...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/BGy0o7_sz5d4HHWYkhMHY3p5CEZ7Qh4HKUyCFOhHxnOzqGDTskB-N_2rMbQp1P2M6pcQPMTuVXm6EsH0D2aaSuqcpm4vohV3nhx-qQY5Y_JTiTOyEvFHnh6qxX6BeSc_hQV1zLqddEvulETUAeEY8J86HuKmq3mjiB8wteCfvaxOPB_wcYpJo_nq8QaaB3gc56JlnVZsuuIdnywoLwlHL3eXNQ3mgeGAj_G9q8OfFa4ATlky9Tq160QxV-rpz0n_F7nB-jUePqn0LD5PwpyPy2LG2tvKi9PFwEUkXDSgra_ZW5uvJpuQBWmnTpBf7FQ23ywHKQDAtY75DW0qR4zFOggkNaDlGt8yejV-uWt6UEyLNVG5pRzQu6qF2x0wMd6Xn-0oYZTBnBmV-NA0xyGcHfLlMigd4pbqgdPL5ckDl0C5vzzb6Na-qSjNQdknP1HqDuPwTlnUnnJm0kugbhsJldOS7O3VRSkRgRwtgqAweSTCPSoxNgQoEedw5L12bUh2Ob6POY80S1aU6O0PApFWZoIc=w1179-h786-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/BGy0o7_sz5d4HHWYkhMHY3p5CEZ7Qh4HKUyCFOhHxnOzqGDTskB-N_2rMbQp1P2M6pcQPMTuVXm6EsH0D2aaSuqcpm4vohV3nhx-qQY5Y_JTiTOyEvFHnh6qxX6BeSc_hQV1zLqddEvulETUAeEY8J86HuKmq3mjiB8wteCfvaxOPB_wcYpJo_nq8QaaB3gc56JlnVZsuuIdnywoLwlHL3eXNQ3mgeGAj_G9q8OfFa4ATlky9Tq160QxV-rpz0n_F7nB-jUePqn0LD5PwpyPy2LG2tvKi9PFwEUkXDSgra_ZW5uvJpuQBWmnTpBf7FQ23ywHKQDAtY75DW0qR4zFOggkNaDlGt8yejV-uWt6UEyLNVG5pRzQu6qF2x0wMd6Xn-0oYZTBnBmV-NA0xyGcHfLlMigd4pbqgdPL5ckDl0C5vzzb6Na-qSjNQdknP1HqDuPwTlnUnnJm0kugbhsJldOS7O3VRSkRgRwtgqAweSTCPSoxNgQoEedw5L12bUh2Ob6POY80S1aU6O0PApFWZoIc=w1179-h786-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sadly the hairstyle proved not entirely practical; so mommy <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/5W9sCxZiEjh72qPdA" target="_blank">fixed it for her</a>. We saw a random <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/QDti2QKiawQzq2Bh6" target="_blank">cat</a>, and a <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/UfVxmRUbCMr9A2AJ6" target="_blank">motorcycle</a> (which the cat may or may not have ridden in on). And then we headed out on a big boat to see... some rocks.</div>
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It was a bit weird how the boat slowed down here. These rocks didn't even look very interesting. There were much more dramatic rocks elsewhere. But, wait a minute... there does seem to be <i>something</i> funny about these...</div>
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Those are not rocks!!!</div>
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Well, they were rocks... but rocks completely covered in seals! Our guide told us habour seals were the smaller seals with the doggy faces (all of the ones up on the rocks). The larger seals with the horsey faces (a few of which we could see swimming around) were grey seals. </div>
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It was recommended to bring warm clothes for the boat trip. This advice seemed a bit crazy, because the weather was sunny and very hot. But once the boat got moving, the cold ocean air felt very chilly indeed for those of us who refused to leave the deck for shelter below. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/8tmlg-I_iFu6uQmbKIkhSQcu_sIUQoTpaRgHU2SOMNkXM3bCZgnn_PvS3nV0nH_zE2Et-mCLWq6OZO586KkKSmBYsxlA93b_EHW09W__QTmUvrEXjNA6BoBi9zu68MTxaCm6A98hoWEQMjAZ9Go03EEYpye_0hCBQY8Ug6p0QyDCAbU1YbBdTDhr8JA0i8ATmXr_77EmP_-naistHDz2N6Z21uN9QEp44HrmVNGn4ScbHhsAr7zxCNMezaOOrp64Gzf_LWThUdXW91i5uPdH3f1RU4l4PG6M4sMSTipKHjsB1MrKvTMQndHAC5bqWWz53YO0VB-nD15Dg9kxSqMS4WTc1_FZMO_XaKLubMlOZhTmj92LDm_j1XxL6wtdztyhvYY48L_f_fCOMkMiPf_9rHuUhRYicZ4JiDEb6BtHNXbdh1g_c7p6FGQ6iDf3OlH00NJ5VDvXhnQMdiioy1E2h1uKe2Z3GsUvxGroBTNoBKwSUMOBPs4T3IMA-Z_fQytvxJxVEFU8uQGMYyOoXfHZubEl=w1048-h786-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8tmlg-I_iFu6uQmbKIkhSQcu_sIUQoTpaRgHU2SOMNkXM3bCZgnn_PvS3nV0nH_zE2Et-mCLWq6OZO586KkKSmBYsxlA93b_EHW09W__QTmUvrEXjNA6BoBi9zu68MTxaCm6A98hoWEQMjAZ9Go03EEYpye_0hCBQY8Ug6p0QyDCAbU1YbBdTDhr8JA0i8ATmXr_77EmP_-naistHDz2N6Z21uN9QEp44HrmVNGn4ScbHhsAr7zxCNMezaOOrp64Gzf_LWThUdXW91i5uPdH3f1RU4l4PG6M4sMSTipKHjsB1MrKvTMQndHAC5bqWWz53YO0VB-nD15Dg9kxSqMS4WTc1_FZMO_XaKLubMlOZhTmj92LDm_j1XxL6wtdztyhvYY48L_f_fCOMkMiPf_9rHuUhRYicZ4JiDEb6BtHNXbdh1g_c7p6FGQ6iDf3OlH00NJ5VDvXhnQMdiioy1E2h1uKe2Z3GsUvxGroBTNoBKwSUMOBPs4T3IMA-Z_fQytvxJxVEFU8uQGMYyOoXfHZubEl=w1048-h786-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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I surrendered my jacket to Emeth, who wore it was like a long robe -- but still being cold he sat on the deck to tuck his legs in. Eventually the kids went and got blankets which the boat supplied for frozen people. Emeth still kept my jacket, but wrapped the blanket, toga-style, to cover his legs. Istra... well, you can see Istra's Arctic survival tactics with her blanket in the picture above.</div>
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After the seals, our attention was drawn by a curious fin sticking out of the water in the distance. It seemed fairly large, and just casually drifting through the water. It definitely wasn't a porpoise, many of which we had seen already bobbing up and down. The boat turned to approach the fin...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/UWRu0cw_26MSI2xqbWX_IoPOdVzOdJQqM0d0lU2KW9HScYStkqXLhAm-bzBhGodvQsNifdkP4VNK4cUwX5QDDylH3JvZ0LuCrZD1oBUV8nXiNLPPygW0_UmnLfRZrq_fx--7g3gWfq5A0eUzLldiw9SAGysSULOgj4wz1BlEInDpIVwVtTIWWVzH-vaEUPWFB0hxLt1T86e5pXhP95hey1y_K4gOENIZ32itQP8td2mBFTw7VWARztu1Cou8Z71mqGSufpY-jWkUYQaIPO68nojZxbNk0AeNQhFAAvaNLEvwg78ThJj-ApUX93rQbsej88qmsQra91a_QOY_hBUfyO0ETfWIlvegtA9_32RAsbuYHcsH_YC0VW3DumxHS02qgPLvN7P3AQ77yUg-BPy84rosIJBZTsRiKCf9bBicw5Q3gjlhURqdc0Zm4JluQ8Vc22zDUyWW7L6AbKnzUAvsmAPtS1DJFLeedX68tVfgJtWXU_OsWNUjVw-TfgudvyErR2_YVRy_8MgapMRhPm-9k1k-=w1179-h786-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/UWRu0cw_26MSI2xqbWX_IoPOdVzOdJQqM0d0lU2KW9HScYStkqXLhAm-bzBhGodvQsNifdkP4VNK4cUwX5QDDylH3JvZ0LuCrZD1oBUV8nXiNLPPygW0_UmnLfRZrq_fx--7g3gWfq5A0eUzLldiw9SAGysSULOgj4wz1BlEInDpIVwVtTIWWVzH-vaEUPWFB0hxLt1T86e5pXhP95hey1y_K4gOENIZ32itQP8td2mBFTw7VWARztu1Cou8Z71mqGSufpY-jWkUYQaIPO68nojZxbNk0AeNQhFAAvaNLEvwg78ThJj-ApUX93rQbsej88qmsQra91a_QOY_hBUfyO0ETfWIlvegtA9_32RAsbuYHcsH_YC0VW3DumxHS02qgPLvN7P3AQ77yUg-BPy84rosIJBZTsRiKCf9bBicw5Q3gjlhURqdc0Zm4JluQ8Vc22zDUyWW7L6AbKnzUAvsmAPtS1DJFLeedX68tVfgJtWXU_OsWNUjVw-TfgudvyErR2_YVRy_8MgapMRhPm-9k1k-=w1179-h786-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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The mysterious creature we were lucky to see turned out to be an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_sunfish" target="_blank">ocean sunfish</a>, or mola mola. The boat got quite close, and the guide extended a waterproof camera on a telescopic pole to get better video of the thing. They are quite large. They have a very odd and awkward appearing way of swimming, with their large dorsal fin frequently sticking up out of the water, and another equally large anal fin pointing down. They do not have tail fins. Their main diet is jellyfish, so I guess they don't need to be super awesome swimmers to get their dinners. </div>
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We were super lucky to see the mola, but even more luck for us was soon to surface...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU_sYbwCWEhlluzy2-IDaswGcMioMj1K2gnxwqIKCeeggNzIpV8qlU34Ef9IlM0DsmGoWjFFMoK90hya88rPvppNzcGu-sjwtKT6Lvstsl43-Jt54HQdSO9gQKZUxeZ14cWeqKiU1eaM/w1179-h786-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU_sYbwCWEhlluzy2-IDaswGcMioMj1K2gnxwqIKCeeggNzIpV8qlU34Ef9IlM0DsmGoWjFFMoK90hya88rPvppNzcGu-sjwtKT6Lvstsl43-Jt54HQdSO9gQKZUxeZ14cWeqKiU1eaM/w1179-h786-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin_whale" target="_blank">fin whale</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4V64YcRimlYCvda8DPcGs16JTyDXgswUsJytCGXTLmlSN_zYO5alcDxHvIFTwRH6cqrt112sRvl9lGaHTR3bfGZXKlXOT7JXYrLuJgKtZbBB82mQlPp7r3py2V0qTUP7xhXWPFj1Mvg/w1179-h786-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4V64YcRimlYCvda8DPcGs16JTyDXgswUsJytCGXTLmlSN_zYO5alcDxHvIFTwRH6cqrt112sRvl9lGaHTR3bfGZXKlXOT7JXYrLuJgKtZbBB82mQlPp7r3py2V0qTUP7xhXWPFj1Mvg/w1179-h786-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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We followed this whale around for quite a while, until we had to turn back to the dock. But on the way back to the dock a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minke_whale" target="_blank">minke whale</a> was spotted and we were lucky again to <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/EJRCHKoTnnpfy55F7" target="_blank">see it</a>, though not as closely as the finback. The whale watching company's <a href="http://quoddylinkmarine.com/whale-sightings/mola-mola-and-a-finner/" target="_blank">sightings log for the day</a> says they were unable to find the fin whale again when they went out in the afternoon, so we were lucky we took the first morning trip. </div>
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We also passed an island with many nesting sea birds, including an <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/332usTWMupHZXDbG6" target="_blank">adult and juvenile bald eagle</a>. But mostly it was awash in gulls nesting in geometric rock faces. The original apartment dwellers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK9vIqqUFI7LLHQu_Bk4W5kIEG5E7WoLQfRdWpzc2qy_IcfhRfJYIv4Nt4IvzyBl8bKJ4IQJc1HzwnMuMpBo4SyK7QjvUZfr-9Qb-whvi8mwY8HgjpLT6asPLAOi9pbdEytKJz77kAyQ/w1180-h786-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK9vIqqUFI7LLHQu_Bk4W5kIEG5E7WoLQfRdWpzc2qy_IcfhRfJYIv4Nt4IvzyBl8bKJ4IQJc1HzwnMuMpBo4SyK7QjvUZfr-9Qb-whvi8mwY8HgjpLT6asPLAOi9pbdEytKJz77kAyQ/w1180-h786-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another bonus treat we had on this cruise in the Bay of Fundy was that the boat passed by Green's Point, the very point the lighthouse cottage we were staying in is on, and so we got to see what it looked like from the ocean perspective.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2fBZDMaWhs7DxFYCye2rsmKAySUg7SBLcPMFXT0h92rvWnwD1ZiYP_4rH9reIa4c1ThUDBl2CMzHsuMvD8OGz80PW8j5eg2jiaMt2W1qamiTCG2w6zAbC5zqYGqvebYbxczahBhASMY/w1179-h786-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2fBZDMaWhs7DxFYCye2rsmKAySUg7SBLcPMFXT0h92rvWnwD1ZiYP_4rH9reIa4c1ThUDBl2CMzHsuMvD8OGz80PW8j5eg2jiaMt2W1qamiTCG2w6zAbC5zqYGqvebYbxczahBhASMY/w1179-h786-no/" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green's Point Lighthouse</td></tr>
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On the way back to the pier, the whale watching guides pulled out a tank of live sea creatures, to describe and let people touch starfish, urchins, and snails.<br />
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When we got back to our lighthouse cottage, we went for another walk to look at our low-tide sea shore.</div>
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There were, to our eyes, amazing and unusual rocks everywhere. Istra found a few she just could not leave behind. Em, on the other hand, appears to have grown attached to a scrap board.<br />
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Many more pictures, especially of whale fins, <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/NzKUCJphDt5qesAP6" target="_blank">here</a>.<span id="goog_1752575779"></span><span id="goog_1752575780"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-21329051123418432472015-09-08T20:14:00.002-04:002015-09-08T20:55:51.531-04:00Level upOff to school for another year.... raining, as usual.<br />
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Maybe I'll have a chance to continue the New Brunswick saga now? Thar be whales!</div>
Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-52805406285639810852015-09-02T15:20:00.001-04:002015-09-08T23:56:46.637-04:00Eastward Day 1: Kingsbrae GardenKingsbrae Horticultural Garden is said to be one of the best gardens in Canada. For me, I don't know of any better. The reason it is the best is that while it has an amazing collection of flowers and trees, and other plants, it goes beyond them and integrates a fantastic array of sculpture art into the garden. There is a dedicated "sculpture garden", but there is art throughout. The artistic flurish of nature, intermingled with the artistic strivings of humans. All laid out under the (should you be so blessed, as we were) blue hued vaults of the heavens.<br />
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Anyhow, though it wasn't entirely planned, we ended up at Kingsbrae Garden for our first day in New Brunswick.<br />
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The garden can be meditative...<br />
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Whimsical...<br />
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Perplexing...<br />
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And weird...<br />
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Majestic...<br />
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Interactive...<br />
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There are several colourfully painted painted pianos throughout the colourfully flowered garden. The random gentleman above wandered over to the keyboard and started plunking out "smoke on the water" with two fingers. It was epic.<br />
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And, amazingly enough, they also allow dogs!<br />
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We were just cautioned against one area with the dogs at first, because "the alpacas are out there". And indeed they were. Working on mowing the lawn. What a place.<br />
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Anyhow, it's really not like being there, but <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/ydSWDHVUdHJ9HTsW6" target="_blank">here are all our pictures</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/VA4H0cXr2zABujoV97r2pyX2CzNIm36vhFIFw0eoZeBFSNQxETrmHIWFizlP09t01J7MjMQHIsnQYHIkK5T54s88df0xhQIeycQKRkuLDKfFGRh37qG3zvc8Rm_1ok_dl-3zFtSXPsunDN7yyF-iURpsWVVa7YS57I-bnPWHp8SxrDPWPvJC54EHhvgOO7K0cJKG8nG3fBVRF_odc9OC7tmF4W6D_C-F9gHLELkS_6B0bGdrqv6yc0zAkWMTd78UHPe-AbOQ144p5iW3TZxI2_QUfCLXWwRWSzzKMIonZ4UBK4b2jxeMRJ7m5UkLDAcWW4pSnlcGrKBo8lJH8So9eWcCKWU3ClZgPwKxCSFU74xgjyaf9gPsTMGvcvnjSLpzNzB9SM3xAWppVioHY7rl03rsn2iw2YMo-ojkrA3O1UIPywU-u8LNj9-XoDIjMLcivlkyWZQJi--TjT6oHwlFoYUfaPh1ZJi9Y0D4TNr6rFJeEa-EH3vRGAjAfnibyblxf8mAeCw=w1179-h786-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VA4H0cXr2zABujoV97r2pyX2CzNIm36vhFIFw0eoZeBFSNQxETrmHIWFizlP09t01J7MjMQHIsnQYHIkK5T54s88df0xhQIeycQKRkuLDKfFGRh37qG3zvc8Rm_1ok_dl-3zFtSXPsunDN7yyF-iURpsWVVa7YS57I-bnPWHp8SxrDPWPvJC54EHhvgOO7K0cJKG8nG3fBVRF_odc9OC7tmF4W6D_C-F9gHLELkS_6B0bGdrqv6yc0zAkWMTd78UHPe-AbOQ144p5iW3TZxI2_QUfCLXWwRWSzzKMIonZ4UBK4b2jxeMRJ7m5UkLDAcWW4pSnlcGrKBo8lJH8So9eWcCKWU3ClZgPwKxCSFU74xgjyaf9gPsTMGvcvnjSLpzNzB9SM3xAWppVioHY7rl03rsn2iw2YMo-ojkrA3O1UIPywU-u8LNj9-XoDIjMLcivlkyWZQJi--TjT6oHwlFoYUfaPh1ZJi9Y0D4TNr6rFJeEa-EH3vRGAjAfnibyblxf8mAeCw=w1179-h786-no" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-87376040687181470632015-08-27T13:27:00.000-04:002015-09-08T23:57:13.152-04:00Eastward HoSo we did it. Three adults, two kids, and a greyhound. Two cars. A long road. Our pilgrimage to Aunty Belle's belovèd lighthouse embarked. And on the evening of the very next day, at the Atlantic ocean's side, joining with two more of the clan, and another greyhound. That I am writing this indicates success! Survival! More than survival. Pictures!<br />
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There wasn't a lot of time for pictures on the epic dive, so the <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/jNF5oeFCS4gkrYacA" target="_blank">few I have</a> (this link leads to them all) makes it seem like the journey was a hop, a skip and a jump. In fact there were many, many hops and skips and jumps. And a few other things besides.<br />
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Above can be witnessed the "party car" of our little caravan arriving at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Green's+Point+Lighthouse+(L'Etete+Passage+Light)/@45.038718,-66.89086,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4ca8a0be32f23327:0x64884ecb533ec1f2?hl=en" target="_blank">Green's Point</a>, shortly before sunset. Below can be seen <a href="https://instagram.com/vallie_longnose/" target="_blank">our mascot</a> making one of many new friends she met along the way.<br />
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Stay tuned for more of this adventure. For now, I will leave you at our seaside dinner picnic. With the high tide.<br />
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(Grammie brought the sriracha! Hurrah!)<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-8779207480516718622015-06-20T12:30:00.001-04:002015-06-20T12:53:33.949-04:00Surprise Music Recital 2015The end-of-year music recital snuck up on us... but we got video.
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Emeth went through many teachers this year. His original teacher, Mark, left. Then he found himself with Anthony who after a while apparently disappeared. And finally he landed with Tong. We never got a picture of the gigantic mop-topped Mark, nor the more buttoned down Anthony. But here is a picture of Tong, at least!<br />
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You can see Istra's voice teacher, Grace, briefly at the beginning of her video. We have learned that Grace is no longer teaching at The Music Stand next year, so it would seem Istra is in for some changes also.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com1South Gate Presbyterian Church, 120 Clarendon Avenue, Hamilton, ON L9A, Canada43.2317877 -79.87620520000001517.709753199999998 -121.18479920000001 68.7538222 -38.567611200000016tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-40692480740416652872015-06-19T13:05:00.000-04:002015-06-19T16:18:21.168-04:00Aunty Belle's memorial audioI have finally, almost a year later (can it be that long already?), managed to check to see if my audio recording of Aunty Belle's memorial gathering worked at all. It sounds to have worked...
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="580" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/211075934%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-KVYma&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="420"></iframe>Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-57237099162744877412015-04-19T00:30:00.002-04:002015-04-19T20:22:53.728-04:00New Brunswick Adventures, revisitedI came across a DVD on a shelf last week. It was a home made DVD. It's only words were the title: <i>New Brunswick Adventures</i>. Obviously it had been Aunty Belle's. I popped it on and found this slide show that evidently someone made for her of one of her trips to New Brunswick (possibly around 2011) which she used to take every year, where she rented a cottage at a <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Green's+Point+Lighthouse+(L'Etete+Passage+Light)/@45.038718,-66.89086,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4ca8a0be32f23327:0x64884ecb533ec1f2" target="_blank">lighthouse on Green's Point</a> for a few weeks.<br />
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UPDATE: a few people have mistakenly thought I made the DVD below. I just want to be clear, I can't take credit for it, I did not make it. I just found it laying around here on a shelf (even though a lot of the sights are quite similar to photos we took when we went out there with her in 2008). I'm guessing one of her friends made it for her, such as Ruby whom she always visited, or Jackie whom I believe often accompanied her on the trip.<br />
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It can be still emotionally difficult looking at these pictures of the things she saw and loved. But I'm glad we have them.<br />
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Also, I've been meaning to do this for quite a while, and finally managed to uploaded the memorial slide show.<br />
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We all miss Aunty Belle.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-16338799622777472962015-04-15T21:54:00.000-04:002015-04-15T22:00:25.676-04:00The Brief and Wondrous Races of Valkyrie Puppers Big Baby LongnoseWe finally got around to organizing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu2Hs9kqtmRKPobwK--j8cnA9FKjMkcib&feature=em-share_playlist_user" target="_blank">videos of the pupper's short racing career</a>. It is nice that all this greyhound information is kept so meticulously online — even though it is all in the service of people placing bets on the more genetically lucky of the beasts. A strange thing.<br />
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So, our Valkyrie was whelped on July 26, 2012 as HL's Bev, descendant of Dave the Dog (no joke!) and JR B's Amy Lou. Both her ears are tattooed, testimony to her genetic status associated forever with a record of... undesirable positioning.<br />
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There are three classes of races in Valkyrie's history. Schooling races. M-class races, which Selena informs me are the lowest level races. And the A-class races, which are apparently the real thing.<br />
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Of the three schooling race videos of her we have she came in 7th, 6th, and 5th. In regular races there are 8 dogs in a race, however in the school races there may be any number. In fact in her school races there were 7, 6, and 6 dogs, respectively racing. Hey, she didn't finish entirely last in her last school race! Hurray! Here is her glorious best race ever (Valkyrie is wearing #7):<br />
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We have 4 of her M races. She finished 8th, 4th, 8th, and 8th. God only knows what happened on that second race. The glory of her career! Was that one freak non-loss what kept her in the game?<br />
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After the M races her history shows that she seems to have gone back to S races for a while. But we don't have videos for them, as they were at an other kennel which does not have videos available for school races. The stats are available, but not knowing how many dogs ran it's hard for us amateurs to know what the stats mean.<br />
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But apparently after that second school stint she went on into her career culminating 7 A races. Here's how she did: 8th, 6th, 8th, 8th, 7th, 8th, and 8th. Poor baby!<br />
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Here is the sad last race. In the rain no less. No wonder she doesn't like the rain. You will see she was just too polite a dog to win races. Another dog sticks it's bum in her face, and she is all like, "What? Oh? Okay, whatever..." and she moves over, and has the good sense to hang back and keep her distance from that point on.<br />
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We have a few of her early school races, though they have no sound.<br />
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Here are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu2Hs9kqtmRKPobwK--j8cnA9FKjMkcib&feature=em-share_playlist_user" target="_blank">all of her video races, in chronological order</a>, if you really want flatter her by watching them. And here are her <a href="http://www.trackinfo.com/dog-search.jsp?keyword=hl%27s+bev&x=0&y=0&by=dogname" target="_blank">stats</a> at TrackInfo.<br />
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When I watch the videos it seems to me that she looks like she's actually often trying much harder than many of the other dogs. She seems to put so much effort into her running. Yet, to little avail. When we take her to the dog park and get her running there she also looks like kind spastic. She loves to run, and gets excited... and just seems to lose control, her wiry body going crazy all around her. A big baby goofball.<br />
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-60750045196090494652015-04-06T22:47:00.000-04:002015-04-06T22:47:49.866-04:00Over EasterWhitney and Michael drove, from Halifax, to briefly visit this Easter long weekend. I mention them first, because having just gone through the weekend pictures I noticed that somehow no one got any photographic evidence of these rare and honoured Easter bunnies. They didn't have much time, however, so after spending a day with us, they hopped off again eastward. Whitney did, the night before hopping off, leave some Easter eggs in odd places... should anyone care to hunt for them. And so that brings us to Easter morning....<br />
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For some kids the traditional Easter Egg hunt is second only to Christmas in excited anticipation. And in fact our kids, surely, were somewhat excited about it. So excited that it seemed the must have not been able to sleep, and thus were sleeping in strangely late the morning of the hunt, while we sat around waiting for some action. Eventually we looked in on them... and there they were, entirely awake, but too distracted in their virtual world to go looking around the house for treats. We should have known. They recently got a new game on their tablets, Terraria, are are a bit obsessed with it. </div>
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Eventually they got up and came out though, started noticing eggs, and Grammie's house was well scoured. (Though a day later, we still found a few places they missed...)</div>
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One novelty this year was that Emeth declared he didn't care about chocolate and would rather have chips. Specifically he wanted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSG8xPI27us" target="_blank">Doritos Roulette</a> chips, which are his current favourite. So to accommodate the wierdo, five eggs were marked with a "D", and if he found all five he was allowed to exchange them for his own big bag of Doritos. And Istra then got to hoard most of the chocolate.</div>
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You can see spoils arrayed around breakfast (but rest assured not all of the eggs are candy/chocolate!)...<br />
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Even Valkyrie, speaking of weirdos, showed some <i>slight</i> curiosity as to what was going on at times... </div>
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In the afternoon, we went out for a hike in Scout's Valley. A lot of the trails were still surprisingly icy, but it was nice to get out (no matter how much the kids complained about it).<br />
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We hopped off ourselves a bit early on Monday to get back home so we could check out the McMaster University Medieval and Early Modern Living History Event. As usual the kids complained bitterly at being forced to go to a cool thing. But nevertheless, want to or not, they got to handle a long bow, see medieval swords and other weapons. Try on a full-face steel knight's helment, and try on a shield -- authentically shaped and painted, but made from aeroplane aluminium so as not to be too heavy. Further they got to hear medieval music (a musician demonstrated to Istra the many sized wooden recorders), and see a bit of dancing. A leather worker showed us an amazing leather mask and tankard, and nearby a weaver showed us how complicated patterns were made, using a card system, on her little loom. They even got to try a medieval cookie. The cookies were made with rosewater and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mace_(spice)&redirect=no" target="_blank">mace</a>. They were delicious! (But both kids declared them weird and disgusting after a nibble. Sad for them. More for us!)<br />
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So, wheh, that was much of our Easter weekend. <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102816632191468348621/albums/6134290305038295265?authkey=CKyPlPn-goT9GA" target="_blank">Click here to see all the pictures</a>, if you want.<br />
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-39167020085126479652015-03-30T00:49:00.001-04:002015-03-30T00:49:34.355-04:00Grindstone MarshI'd ridden my bike down the twisty narrow Spring Gardens Road (crossing the bridge at the bottom) through this valley before, and noted there was a trail nearby that looked interesting. Today, we went back for a look.<br />
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It turns out there is a rather nice boardwalk through a marsh. An interesting thing about this boardwalk was that it only has railing on one side.</div>
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Though as you can see, the kids didn't necessarily stay on the boards. The water was very low, and the reed beds were dry. Adventure compelled them to investigate a giant turtle shell-like lump of land a that rises out of the middle of the marsh, that would not normally be accessible. Mommy tried to tell them it was like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Neverending_Story_characters#Morla" target="_blank">Morla</a>, the ancient turtle who is mistaken for a mountain in <i>The Never Ending Story</i>. The kids however insisted that if anything it must be the Pokémon <a href="http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Torterra" target="_blank">Torterra</a>. Kids these days.</div>
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They were extremely excited to have battled their way onto the back of whatever it was. It's good to see them excited about exploring outdoors, even if strictly speaking the conservation authorities probably would rather people stay on the very nice boardwalk. The opportunity had to be taken.</div>
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Valkyrie made some new friends. </div>
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At a lookout platform there was this solar powered bird call player. We did see a lot of the birds who's calls were available to listen to here, so it was interesting to have them identified. We saw chickadees, cardinals, red-wing blackbirds, bluejays, downy woodpecker, crows, blue heron, swans, mallards, canada geese, and a few different sorts of less easy to identify brown birds.<br />
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And Istra and Emeth both climbed some mighty interesting mountains to an upper pathway. (After climbing up at several points they did not look the likes of climbing back down, and would run back along the path to where the lower path forked... while we would just have to stand around and wait.)<br />
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All <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102816632191468348621/albums/6131814429545548129?authkey=COa2tvvly_6DSg" target="_blank">photos here</a>. And <a href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/90745/" target="_blank">the map</a> (with a few of the pics on it).<br />
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Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-57257414047606752622015-03-23T12:46:00.001-04:002015-03-23T20:35:36.545-04:00The Conquest of Montréal (and Flight Therefrom)So we have been in Montreal. And apparently we don't have all that much to say about it?<br />
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Selena was sequestered nearly all the time on the 12th floor of one of Concordia University's several downtown buildings, where the anthropology & sociology department conference was being conducted. We had originally thought to take advantage of the opportunity of the conference to have a bit of time ourselves to enjoy in Montreal, but it didn't end up working out that way. We had to get up very early and race to Montreal the very morning the conference started, and then, as things turned out, we would have to race back home <i>immediately</i> as soon as the conference ended — collecting the kids from Gramma's (and grabbing a shortened night's sleep) on the way.<br />
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We decided to take the car to increase our mobile flexibility for the bit of time we'd have for ourselves in Québec — but the way things turned out, the car's main effect was in causing much stress in trying to find cheap/free parking, and then worrying about it, and having to move the thing too frequently. Though it did allow us to at least make a few stops on our way out of the city.<br />
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Specifically, we made a holy pilgrimage to <a href="http://labanquise.com/" target="_blank">La Banquise</a> — a 24 hour diner that specializes in what is reputed by many to be the <a href="https://encrypted.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=la%20Banquise%20poutine&tbs=imgo:1" target="_blank">best poutine</a> in the city. We had to settle for take-out. Because there is utterly no parking anywhere (it was hard enough even just trying to find a place to stop)! And also, anyhow, we had to run. But where we ran, in this case, was up Mount Royal (which you can see in the background in the picture above, with La Banquise being the yellow/orange building to the left). We pulled the car off at a lookout point, with a broad view of the city to the north, and while being rendered practially delirious from the dense atmosphere of freshly baked Montréal bagels covered in toasted seseme seeds all around us in the car, we partook of the amazing gooey goodness (though a bit soggy from being in a closed container) of the real Québec poutine.<br />
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Why the insanely fresh-baked bagel environment? Because after grabbing the poutine take-out, and filling the car with that mouth-wateringly maddening aroma, we swung by <a href="http://stviateurbagel.com/" target="_blank">St-Viateur Bagel Café</a> to pick up some fresh Montréal bagels to thank our dog-sitting friends with, back in Hamilton. And, wow, those bagels with loads of wood-fire toasted sesame seeds are not messing around! They <i>will</i> <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pwn" target="_blank">pwn</a> you, and everything within at least a car-interior radius.<br />
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With these things in mind, it seems hardly significant to mention that all of this was happening during a surprising near-blizzard that enveloped the city; and that it was not at all certain the car was not going to slide right off the side of Mount Royal when we attempted to climb and stop there, slush and ice by now covering everything. The other cars crazy enough to have been there certainly can not have been said to been safe from us, nor us from them. On the mountain especially, friction had largely become a fiction. Mere trifling details. We were on our way out of the city after days in which we hadn't had time to do much together, so we <i>had </i>to do this!<br />
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(Let us take a moment to thankfully appreciate the wonder of emergency breaks.)<br />
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Other than the drama of leaving, the weather was quite nice (sunny), even if chilly. Besides my main job as auto valet, I did manage one day to overdo (my knees insist) a walking tour of the city on my own. My GPS tells me I traversed around 17 km (I was surprised later to discover). All that and I hadn't even brought any water with me, and barely paused to unwrap a protein bar I had in my pocket, as I wandered through La Fontaine Park, knowing I was heading towards (and inevitably up) Mount Royal.<br />
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Pretty much the only real pause in my walk, if one can even call it that, was the hour I spent shuffling around inside Notre Dame Basilica, observing the stained glass panels and all the ornate filigree. It is a remarkable space. It is in fact the <i>space</i> of it which I was thinking makes it so remarkable. Whatever one thinks of religion, or Catholicism in particular, what an amazing thing that people have thought something so important to construct this vast hollow space to honour it. Oh, an yes, they have covered the walls with innumerable bits of art, carved wood, coloured glass, decorated pillars — but this is literally (as well as figuratively) window dressing. It is the <i>space</i> that makes it awe inspiring, the beautiful vaulted ceiling so amazingly high above, and the lovely walls so perceptibly far away.<br />
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What other cultural artefacts do we have that compare? Some particular art galleries and museums (at least in Europe) come close perhaps. But they are also filled up with <i>things</i>. This <i>space</i> is gloriously mostly empty, which gives one room to fill it up with their own thoughts and feelings and communion with <i>Everything</i>.<br />
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And then, besides the obvious main attraction of the vast cathedral, I discovered there is an even more fantastic (artistically) chapel in the back...<br />
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Here <a href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/85557/" target="_blank">is a map</a> (with some pictures attached) of my walking route. Here are <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102816632191468348621/albums/6129146651668494433?authkey=CIvK796a743nvwE" target="_blank">all the pictures</a> from our trip. (Seeming mostly of street/public sculptures I passed.)<br />
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The conference went well for Selena. She found it interesting to be exposed to non-literature research, and see how it fit with her own academic endevours. Her (heavily abridged) paper, which was the last presentation of the conference, turned out to be thematically an excellent wrap-up of the whole thing. It talked about the role of science fiction literature in exploring and extrapolating current bio-political, sociological, and environmental themes. It opened their eyes!<br />
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-83588600711307867292015-03-19T23:12:00.000-04:002015-03-20T08:23:06.365-04:00Monsieur Concasseur des Fourmis!This came home with Emeth not too long ago. Who knew a seven year old could be such a master of irony, sarcasm, deadpan, surrealism, and horror, in such a terse, minimalist style. We have noooooooo idea where he gets it from.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhgJQfgHwWQAUluZ3rZaRaRSletrcXWBc5BGK9340gaDx3oH-_UDi42XppZF99HqUrycMbzadmxXf56ud4MgxVfNXXIJms0mV-B8xeNJEdIj9kRfdpaTm53xZvgexp0wV3bt6RDjJCys/s1600/Emeth+Art+-+I+saw+a+monster+-+ant+crusher+2015-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhgJQfgHwWQAUluZ3rZaRaRSletrcXWBc5BGK9340gaDx3oH-_UDi42XppZF99HqUrycMbzadmxXf56ud4MgxVfNXXIJms0mV-B8xeNJEdIj9kRfdpaTm53xZvgexp0wV3bt6RDjJCys/s1600/Emeth+Art+-+I+saw+a+monster+-+ant+crusher+2015-01.jpg" height="640" width="471" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The monster was as tall as a centipede. Not so tall. The monster had teeth all over its head and had barf on its eyes. The teeth were so sharp everybody had to wear high-heels. The eyes were so gross nobody looked. The monster was so huge it could crush an ant. That was the only thing that he could crush so he just did it. The monster was so hungry it ate somebody's whole life savings. The person was so mad they called the cops. I think I'll call the monster Mr._ant_crusher.</i></blockquote>
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And if that wasn't disturbing enough, here's another odd little piece he wrote with a classmate. They were assigned the name Charlie to use.<br />
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<i>Charlie is an alien (I know)</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>There once was a male alien named Charlie. Charlie has green eyes. He hated his family so he punched them and ran away and went to earth. Charlie found a couple of humans, and a murderer that tried to kill him, but he was too fast, so he went back to space (not where his parents live). He went to Saturn and he went to Saturn's refreshment store and he bought Space World's famous coke. Then he got sick and fell back to earth. "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," said Charlie.</i> </blockquote>
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<i>The END.</i> </blockquote>
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<i>"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo."</i></blockquote>
That's our Em. Perfectly normal, and well adjusted, Em!<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-11039653998144871522015-03-14T00:40:00.000-04:002015-03-15T19:13:04.757-04:00Cultural experience, for kids and dogsIt's been a while, but we finally got ourselves out to show some solidarity with some of the people who are concerned enough about the oligarchic manoeuvres of our dear government (bill C-51, in this case) to gather on the damp and chilly public streets together...<br />
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All of us watch demonstrations against government overreach in other countries, and tend to cheer on the participants. Yet when it comes to our own country we tend just to grumble a bit amongst ourselves, and go on with our days. Many times our own protesters are viewed with suspicion, or even denigration. Elsewhere they are interesting, brave, concerned citizens with probably legitimate concerns. Here protesters are often viewed as sketchy people, some with so-called "special interests", or just people with nothing better to do. But are we really so different?<br />
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Even with this bill, which it seems almost everyone is suspicious of the politics of (and suspicious of the way it's being rammed through parliament), still hardly anyone does much.<br />
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The Hamilton gathering was quite a bit smaller than what we have been used to in Toronto. And in fact Toronto today had a vastly larger gathering. But something is better than nothing.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlOzNJNzS4M/VQS7JHu_TvI/AAAAAAAAXg8/XwGzfpvredo/s1600/pic_20150314T124632_IMG_2000_053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlOzNJNzS4M/VQS7JHu_TvI/AAAAAAAAXg8/XwGzfpvredo/s1600/pic_20150314T124632_IMG_2000_053.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another thing we noticed that was very different from Toronto demonstrations, was the complete lack of visible police presence. At Toronto protests, no matter how benign, there tend to be loads of police around. Here today we didn't notice any... until on our way home...<br />
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On our way home we discovered a lane of the road blocked off on John Street, and the Jolley Cut access. And there were loads of police all along this this route, directing traffic at intersections, and generally securing the lane. It turns out there was some sort of marathon or charity run going on. I've searched everywhere I can think of (newspaper, Hamiton web sites, etc) to try and find out what the event was, but have come up blank! Which is weird, because apparently every cop in the city was occupied taking care of it -- so much so that they just let us silly subversives run wild through the streets!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Z5PREOP5KdeNA-uB3-ZOEMY3bx3Quj_xZnwnhts0Mb-qcJOnN-RXI0k6R3Js97aIaWrIHb131VGfFWe5tmyRJ1a8PZzCSZMh4plWvRUEElUgnshfFujanob2ZBxQQ_b5K_TQyt-zVfE/s1600/pic_20150314T123208_IMG_1958_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Z5PREOP5KdeNA-uB3-ZOEMY3bx3Quj_xZnwnhts0Mb-qcJOnN-RXI0k6R3Js97aIaWrIHb131VGfFWe5tmyRJ1a8PZzCSZMh4plWvRUEElUgnshfFujanob2ZBxQQ_b5K_TQyt-zVfE/s1600/pic_20150314T123208_IMG_1958_011.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see above, at least we saw one friend we recognized.<br />
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To be honest, we're also lazy and busy, and have to overcome great resistance from the kids who just want to stay home and play Minecraft all the time, and so we almost didn't get out and down the mountain. It was the idea of combining the demonstration event with, afterwards, a walk on the waterfront, and indulging in a burrito downtown, that may have pushed us over the edge and out.<br />
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Ironically we ended up nixing the waterfront walk because we were tired and the kids were still moaning to go home and snuggle with the warm and cuddly computers after our march around Jackson Square. Nor did we end up with our bonus burritos, because we just couldn't figure out how to find a place to stop near enough the burrito place on the crazy downtown streets without too many complications and additional stresses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5izsy5uxOQvTn1Nxe4dcTpOufRZY4-uN9GRchPJRC2gL3MkX31iX75ziKhiDn_QLnd1WGYToMtOMW3J60-EHDtnOE5YcGXtvf11s6h-U9q4Ph5j8k5Ef1xqqmJa-KCSvf2BTdRfeuPI/s1600/pic_20150314T124320_IMG_1985_038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5izsy5uxOQvTn1Nxe4dcTpOufRZY4-uN9GRchPJRC2gL3MkX31iX75ziKhiDn_QLnd1WGYToMtOMW3J60-EHDtnOE5YcGXtvf11s6h-U9q4Ph5j8k5Ef1xqqmJa-KCSvf2BTdRfeuPI/s1600/pic_20150314T124320_IMG_1985_038.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyhow, Valkyrie made a new friend. And we had some fun and are glad we were able to get our bodies down there, despite everything. And that is the story of the momentous events of today, and a few of the thoughts surrounding. And tomorrow we hit the road...<br />
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A few more <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102816632191468348621/albums/6126226493244990129?authkey=CI_H-Oi2hdDR5AE" target="_blank">photos here</a>.<br />
<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-6751544133033794812015-03-11T22:58:00.000-04:002015-03-11T22:59:19.279-04:00The Wizard of Meeting HouseWhat goes on at the mysterious Hamilton Quaker House? Strange doings. I secretly captured <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/102816632191468348621/albums/6125174873828514321?authkey=CNLwzL3Rs_riWg" target="_blank">these bizarre images</a> sneaking around there upstairs last month...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJ4VDbF737UjUkRCIhokdQOlMWYju8lM8Yp2GAQsr0GmT3H19QIa-UPWLDJyjBxDpgWv7YtzO49lAu0fZ5LaJ9wJ-vN5X5DBzLN0v7SMzujRwR4_ZH-Gl20l34Ea9ZtSsMqEc288Gar4/s1600/pic_20150308T201610_IMG_20150222_122001_068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJ4VDbF737UjUkRCIhokdQOlMWYju8lM8Yp2GAQsr0GmT3H19QIa-UPWLDJyjBxDpgWv7YtzO49lAu0fZ5LaJ9wJ-vN5X5DBzLN0v7SMzujRwR4_ZH-Gl20l34Ea9ZtSsMqEc288Gar4/s1600/pic_20150308T201610_IMG_20150222_122001_068.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-56493889251377317842015-03-09T13:44:00.000-04:002015-03-09T23:52:17.585-04:00A little karstWikipedia defines a karst as "a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes, dolines, and caves."
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<a data-item="msurl" href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/81364/411480?html_log=81364" target="_blank"><img data-item="media_img" src="http://file.ramblr.com/photo/1024x768/20150309/54fdd38d4ccc6.jpg" height="425" style="border-image: 0; border-width: 0; border: 0;" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had not heard this word before until we visited Eramosa Karst Conservation Area, on the edge of Hamilton, for a Sunday mini-adventure. The conservation area is now sadly pretty much entirely surrounded by desolate-looking treeless new housing developments. But I guess people have to live somewhere? I guess those people are lucky to have a big chunk of natural space set aside in their midst. The amount of evidence for people who do not seem to care enough to pick up after their dogs on the trails of the conservation area does not bode well for the area being very well conserved in this context, however. Sigh!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-item="msurl" href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385/81364/411481?html_log=81364" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img data-item="media_img" src="http://file.ramblr.com/photo/1024x768/20150309/54fdd395247ac.jpg" height="425" style="border-image: 0; border-width: 0; border: 0;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is actually the "nexus cave window" to the left... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyhow, the interesting and unusual feature contained in this plot of land is a natural "window" into a cave, through which an underground stream flows out to the escarpment. It was still too snowy for us to see much, but it was still interesting. The kids were excited to see their first "real cave", after playing so much minecraft, even if there was not much to see with this one.<br />
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Istra and I (and Emeth, as it flew away) also saw our first robin of spring!<br />
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For a few more pictures and a map, <a href="http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/35385" target="_blank">see here</a>.<br />
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<br />Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0Highland Road West & Upper Mount Albion Road, Hamilton, ON L8J, Canada43.189802 -79.81141842.4497395 -81.1023115 43.9298645 -78.520524500000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-73477263651980568302015-03-01T11:31:00.000-05:002015-03-01T11:31:27.966-05:00Anne's Adventure PicnicSo, Anne showed up last week and had this great idea that we should go for a picnic. So we did. Sort of. In the mid minus twenty degrees Celsius wind chill blizzard....<br />
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Well, to be honest, it turned out to be a bit cold. We decided maybe picnicking was a bit more than we could chew. So we relocated the food part of the picnic to the <i>relative </i>sanity of home.<br />
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In the video you can see Istra frozen to a sled being pulled. Valkyrie was pretty excited to be off-leash and bouncing around. Anne's little dog Moh runs back and forth. Up in the distance (there is a photo tacked onto the end of the video) you can see Emeth being pulled on his sled by Ivonka's big old dog Niko (with Ivonka mushing them on).<br />
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It may not have been the most picnicky picnic ever to be picnicked. But it was certianly an adventure... you never know what's going to happen when Aunty Anne shows up.Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-478289427443867021.post-70488380292097678862014-12-20T20:13:00.000-05:002014-12-20T23:45:13.215-05:00Let it snow. Let it snow. Or not.'Tis the season for kids to have Christmas concerts. And rooms full of cyborgs to attend said performances, viewing it through their upheld rectangular glowing unblinking eyes. It really is amazing what having one's own relation on stage can make endurable, and occasionally even enjoyable.<br />
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We didn't get any record of the kids' school concert. The gym was absolutely packed and stifling. I ended up in the very back corner, an overheated sardine. I didn't bother to get my camera out. It was quite a relief that it seems every single parent ignored the somewhat passive aggressive note in the school newsletter which informed everyone of the disruptive rudeness of getting up and leaving as soon as your child's part was over. Emeth's class was near the middle of the performance, and Istra's was third from last... the gym was comparatively empty by that time. It was a bit embarrassing actually, all the empty seats at that point. I considered sitting down, but then decided to hold my position with a few others remaining at the back to give the illusion that there still was a standing-room-only presence. And I even stayed right until the end, not missing a moment of the excitement of the last two acts.<br />
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We had thought with the kids doing their regular school concert, maybe we'd skip putting them in their music school's Christmas concert. Emeth was much gladdened by this, still being very against playing his guitar in front of people (despite being a better player than many of the other kids). After Istra's seizure and paralysis at the <a href="http://family.vaults.ca/2014/06/opening-acts.html" target="_blank">last music school concert</a>, and her pretty poor effort at practising lately, we thought she might be relieved as well -- but she surprised us by insisting that she really, really, really wanted to be in the this concert. Apparently we couldn't say no to that. So, instead, we used it to "encourage" her to practice a little more seriously...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Istra, calm and collected, before moving her her assigned seat in front of us.</td></tr>
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It seemed to work. She improved greatly just in the week or so before the concert recital (which was today). And she seemed, having even practiced with a microphone this time, ready and fine... right up to the moment it was her turn to ascend the stage. She was the 23rd performer of 26, so the show had been going on for quite a while as she sat waiting. When her turn came, she turned to us, gripping tightly the back of her seat, her face twisted in fear, she tells us she isn't going up. We tell her she has to <i>now</i>. She says she can't. We tell her she can do it, to just do it, and she'll be fine. She groans and whimpers. Everyone waits. Time stretches out! Will she? Won't she? At this last minute, with Grammie, Aunty Priscilla and Gigi with us, she will not let go of the death grip she has on the back of her seat? No other kid had anything like this reaction. Good grief.<br />
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And then suddenly, she gave up all hope and she went. As if on a death march. To the front. Her music teacher, Grace, scurried over from the other side of the room and gave her a bit of a pep talk. After the concert, Grace came over and told us she didn't know if it helped, describing Istra's shell shocked face. But I saw Istra smile momentarily as she turned away from Grace, who was opening her mouth exaggeratedly wide at her to remind her to do the same while singing.<br />
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And then the song. It was fine. She didn't crack. She sang quite smoothly, kept in time with the music, and hit her notes. Frankly, considering her seeming state at that last moment in her seat, we were amazed she performed without cracking. As soon as she finished singing though, her face again puckered up in anxiety, as she took her leave of the limelight...<br />
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We all congratulated her. And a few minutes later she was fine again. Wheh!<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special guests, Aunty Priscilla and Gigi.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Emeth preferred to hog an entire pew to all himself and relax during the recital. (He was forced to come sit with us, when the place started filling up.)</td></tr>
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Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04425607607528389489noreply@blogger.com0