East Coast Autumn

 Who can resist going to the East coast in the fall?  It is always so beautiful.  The variety of autumn colours are amazing and go on for days.  

We flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia and then drove to Saint John, New Brunswick to spend some time with Steve and Kelly and to enjoy a little holiday in the beauty of nature.  Getting there was an adventure of delayed flights and a late night bus ride, but eventually we were in downtown Halifax, enjoying the sea air and looking for a place to eat dinner.  The only dining establishment still serving dinner was Boston Pizza.  So much for immediately chowing down on some good maritime fish and chips. 

The next day we had a bit of time in Halifax and took a stroll along the boardwalk following the harbour shoreline.  It was cool and windy.  We also took time to explore the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.  This pier is where my mother's family landed when they immigrated to Canada.  The museum told the immigration story and the challenges faced by newcomers.  One line stands out:  "Canada is a land flowing with milk and honey, but you have to find the cows and bees."  

Then it was off to Saint John.  Steve and Kelly live right on the edge of the city, along the coast, overlooking the harbour.  What an ideal spot if you love the ocean.  We definitely enjoyed a walk along the beach and if we'd had more time would have gone a few more times. 

In the bush behind their house are several wild apple trees hanging off the edge of the cliff.  It was a challenge to pick the apples!  Once picked, Steve set about turning them into apple cider.  Hopefully it turns out.  

We spent the next couple of days on Grand Manan Island.  What beautiful weather for the ferry rides, both there and back.  Hardly a ripple in the water. 

Grand Manan thrives on lobster fishing and tourism, each in its own season.  This was the in between season.  Only one or two tourist services were still available (bed and breakfasts/restaurants/gift shops).  That didn't bother us much as we had beautiful weather and went for walks and drives all over the island.  It is its own unique world.  The people were super friendly.  We learned a lot about fishing and even landed an invitation for Thanksgiving dinner.  What a special treat.

Before returning to Saint John we took a quick ferry trip to Deer Island.  Even though it's really small, it's beautiful and I know we'll be back there again some day.    

Of course one of the best things about being on the East coast is the food.  There are so many options for fish and seafood.  It was a wonderful feast.  

And the other best thing is the autumn colours.  I can't seem to stop taking pictures no matter how often I come here.  What a wonderful trip.  Never long enough.  

                                         

August in Sioux Lookout

 We left in July and came home in September.  No, we weren't gone three months, just all of August and a bit of the other two months. 

We were on our way to meet our newest grandchild.  Shiloh was born at bit early in mid-July.  We got there as soon as we could.  What a beautiful baby. 

 It wasn't really a holiday trip as we spent our time helping out with a new baby and keeping a 3 1/2 year old busy. 

Second Beach on Pelican Lake.  It was +30 for days on end. 

In between was the Blueberry Festival, hiking, fishing, playing with clay and visitors from afar coming to see the new addition to the family.  What a wonderful simple summer life.  

Blueberry Bert - the festival mascot. 

Show and Shine at the Festival.  It's a '57

Float plane rides are a part of the Festival. 

Some hikes are easy....

Some hikes are more challenging. 
 A June wind storm had taken down quite a few trees along this trail.

One of many...

Trying out the wheel.  I think I'll leave it to the pros. 

Steve & Kelly here to meet their new niece.

Gr-auntie Marilyn

En route to and from Sioux Lookout we spent some time in Killarney, checking in with Mom and Dad and hanging out at the farm.  

Four generations of daughters

A little bit of boxing with Gross-Opa

The little family from Sioux Lookout came along to Alberta to stay for a month or so. We convoyed with our RV and their old Buick with a car-top carrier full of all the gear needed for little people. It was good to make rest stops together.

WE MADE IT!

Cold Lake Fishing

 It's been a few years since we went fishing at Cold Lake with Bob and Donna.  Time to change that.  

My friend tells me I should write a 'Bob and Dave' fishing adventures book.  It seems like there's always something that happens when those two go fishing.  In this adventure, the trip was shortened from 10 days to 5 due to work commitments.  Then, there were challenges getting there, sunburnt knees, and bait forgotten at the trailer. 

But all in all, some good days of lake trout fishing happened.  The weather was incredible. While the men fished, the ladies walked around the campground, played scrabble, and just generally enjoyed a relaxing time together.  

Dave, Bob and Harvey - all smiles after a few good fishing days.

After the others left, Dave tried his hand at some fly-fishing along a river that flows into Cold Lake. I did some sketching.  It was a relaxing ending to a wonderful time at Cold Lake. 

Points South: Writing-On-Stone

 After Waterton, Paul and Mavis headed home and we continued on, meeting up with Dennis and Irene at Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park.  The last time we were here was many years ago when our kids were still all teenagers.  It's a beautiful hidden gem far off the beaten path along the Milk River in southern Alberta.  

We had a fun time clambering up and down the cliffs, walking along the river, and as it was so very hot, slipping into the water to cool off! 

The only drawback - those pesky 'no-see-ums"

     Writing-on-Stone is known for the petroglyphs and pictographs created the First Nations people.  The hoodoos and cliffs are a sacred place and the rock art is probably ceremonial in nature.  We took a tour of some of the artwork.  It is being protected from vandalism and accessible only with a tour.