St. Andrews by the Sea

St. Andrews New Brunswick is a hidden gem often overlooked for the more popular Fundy tourist destinations. It's a gem well worth a visit. Its main street is narrow and lined with period buildings reminiscent of coastal villages long ago.  The atmosphere alone feels coastal and the smells remind you of days lying by the ocean soaking up the sunshine.

The harbour was our destination today as we needed Owen to see how big and safe the tour boats are.

There are lots of tours to chose from but we selected the tall ship tour as it seemed to offer more for young children.

As you can see it was low tide when we arrived

The tour boats were still out but we could walk the floating dock and read the information panels along the way.

There were some small boats tied to the wharf and these guys struggling with the sail asked me if they were doing it right. I replied, "As long as the boat isn't sinking you are fine". Why ask me? Do I look like a sailor?

After walking the harbour we headed through town and back to camp. Lots of quaint streets lined with beautiful stately homes, many turned into B&Bs.

Back at camp it was time to enjoy the pool before supper. Then back to town for ice-cream. Yes, Owen likes Ice-cream and we couldn't let him eat alone. No pictures, too busy enjoying bubblegum ice-cream.

Tomorrow we sail the tall ship and search for whales and pirate treasures. Another fun day and Owen couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

TIME TO MOVE

Our time at Fundy passed much too quickly and it was soon time to move. Owen had made new friends during our stay and he was sad to be moving on. We assured him that new friends were waiting just down the road.

Packing takes just a few minutes and then we were headed further east and south to St. Andrews by the Sea, an area of New Brunswick I had never explored.

We lucked out and got a site right on the beach and this was our morning view while Mary had coffee in bed.

Owen loved it too as he could sit on the rocks and watch the tide roll in. Of course he got wet but that's part of the fun of camping by the ocean.

These guys went by every day, not for fish but for seaweed. We had a chance to chat and learned how seaweed was collected, dried,  stored, transported and used in products from toothpaste to fertilizer. These guys collect from May to October and have been harvesting seaweed for twenty years. They ship to over 80 countries. It's a vital industry to the local economy.

St. Andrews turned out to be a hidden gem and we will show you why tomorrow.

ROCKY BEACH

Not every beach we visited was sandy. Many like this were rocky and rugged but that didn't bother Owen any.

He was content to spend the afternoon searching for the perfect rock to throw.

They spent their time, walking, searching and tossing every rock that caught their eye. I enjoyed the photography and sound of the waves rolling in.

Total happiness and not a care in the world. Oh, the freedom of being seven. Grand-children are such a blessing.

FUNDY BUNS

My first visit to Fundy was back in 67 and I remember this bakery was famous then for its buns.

I had to make sure Owen had a chance to sample their buns and decide if they were worth the trip.

I think that smile tells it all.

Now if Owen returns with his family when he is 55, then that would make it 100 years since grandpa enjoyed his first Fundy sticky bun.  One hundred years doesn't seem that long when you think of it like that.

Fundy sticky buns, our one weakness on this trip.

FUNDY

Our first major destination in New Brunswick was Fundy National Park where we had booked a campsite for three days. Fundy has the highest tides in the world and we decided to enjoy supper in town overlooking the harbour.

After a long day of driving it was nice to relax and enjoy the view.

Owen reading the choices on the kid's menu.

This is the harbour at high tide .................

and six hours later at low tide.

Click to enlarge and see what keeps the boat upright. It's a simple device that is controlled by ropes from the deck.  Tides here can reach 16 m or 53 feet so boats are often sitting on the ocean floor.

As you can see the weather was perfect and we enjoyed every day in Fundy. Tomorrow I'll show you one weakness on this trip.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WATER

For Owen on this trip the beach and water were top priorities. Finding a log to play with was a bonus.

Obstacles were no problem just lift it over if you can't float it through.

He was told not to get his boots wet.

If the log was too big for Owen his new friends were there to help.

Looks like Oma isn't too happy to see a totally soaked Owen.

How can you be upset with such a sweet face? Impossible

It was back to having fun, wet boots and all.

Only thing better than water when you are seven are new friends on the beach.

MARITIME VISIT

We spent the last couple of weeks in New Brunswick touring that beautiful province with Owen and exposing him to some unique maritime experiences. Like any trip we had some surprises and highlights which I will share over the next few days.

Our first campsite in New Brunswick happened to include this group dressed in period costumes and reenacting a trading company from 1750's. They spoke French and shared with Owen what life was like for those living in New France back then. He was fascinated.

Everything they did, wore, prepared or used was as close to the original life as they could make it.

Clothing was a reflection of your wealth back then and they explained how they used patterns from that time period to reproduce their outfits. Of course the wealthier you were the more layers you wore and the fabrics were much finer.

Their weapons were authentic and worked just as they did back in 1750, when they only had single shot muzzle loading rifles.

Food was prepared by the women over an open fire just as it was done 200 years ago. Heat was adjusted by the length of hooks holding the pots over the hot coals. You can see one stew pot is even sitting in the coals.

It did rain but we found shelter and camp life carried on.

In war you can't wait for sunshine and they did manage to fire the two pound cannon in the rain.

Owen even got dressed in some period clothes and was taught how to march and carry his weapon.

It was a surprising start to our vacation but one Owen will never forget.