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.

EGGS BACONNAISE

We are attempting to improve our cholesterol and triglycerides numbers through a change in diet. Our plan is to eat as close to "Keto" as we can get and see what future lipid numbers tell us. Today Mary made "Eggs Baconnaise" from the excellent KETO recipe book entitled The Real Meal Revolution.

First the bacon is cooked and then removed from the frying pan and the asparagus added.

Just before the asparagus is done the bacon is added to finish cooking and add more fat. Also a splash of lemon and a few dollops of garlic go on the asparagus. While I keep an eye on this Mary is busy preparing poached eggs and making the baconnaise sauce which is: butter, bacon grease, eggs, Dijon mustard, lemon, salt and pepper.

When it all finally arrives on your plate it is full of flavour, and mouth watering delicious. Once you've tried it you will want it every morning; it's that good.

Of course a table isn't properly set unless you have a bouquet of flowers. These came from Mary's garden and added a rainbow of colour to our breakfast meal.

We will eat KETO for the next three months and then I'll report on my triglyceride numbers.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.

TIME IN ALGONQUIN

Got home this morning about 10 after a few beautiful days in Algonquin Park. The weather was perfect, the bugs were bad.

Our campsite was right on the water and when the breeze was blowing it was perfect for sitting outside.

Algonquin Park offers a rustic camping experience along with hot showers and lots of guided hiking trails.

Our friends Cathy and Paul were just a few campsites away and we spent a lot of time inside their dining shelter away from the bugs. Paul always had a story to share.

The day doesn't start until Mary finishes her coffee. Of course drinking coffee while wearing a full body bug shirt adds a little challenge to the whole experience. She did just fine.

Paul and I did manage to get some canoeing in. Algonquin Park is notorious for its canoe routes. Our days of portaging into the interior are over, but canoeing from our campsite is still enjoyable.

We even had a Loon pop up just off of Paul's shoulder. Loons are very awkward on land but in the water they can swim for long distances underwater catching fish.

Happy to be back without tipping the canoe and to enjoy a delicious pasta lunch prepared by Mary and Cathy. This was the first meal prepared by Cathy in her "instant pot" and she was impressed at how easy it all came together. Did I mention delicious?

Thanks for a wonderful few days in the Park. Hope to do it again soon.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for keeping an eye on us.

DIDN'T TAKE LONG

Once the turtles were finished laying eggs it did't take long for these guys to show up.

With his keen sense of smell he was soon digging into the nest of eggs.

If you click to enlarge this photo you will see an eggs just under his nose.

Soon we had broken eggs strewn about while he continued to dig for more. Guess whenever he finds food he doesn't worry about calories; just consumes all he can find.

Whenever we stepped out he would run and hide but kept an eye on us only to return once the coast was clear.

Those big old turtles we saw laying eggs were the lucky ones when so few eggs even get a chance to hatch. It's all part of the food chain as we've seen turtles catch baby ducks swimming on our pond.

TURTLES ARE BUSY

June is the time of year our turtles leave the pond in search of a suitable sandy place to lay their eggs.

The soil on the south side of the house seems to be their preferred location. They will spend the day digging several decoy holes in hopes the raccoons don't find the true nest of eggs.

It's a long arduous hike up through the vegetation to get to our place, but every year they make the trek and every year we enjoy the show. This year it is much later than usual and I blame it on our cold wet spring that just stayed and stayed this year.

Hope you are outside enjoying your own views of nature.

Safe travels everyone and thanks for stopping by.