Summer 2017, Part 2
The second half of summer was a whirlwind.
It took me to the Saguenay Fjord (north of Quebec City) for a leisurely horseback ride with my sister Katie. We covered a variety of landscapes - forest, village, swamp, field, fjord - and had us both reliving our younger years when we had a horse of our own. Currently scheming to own another.
From Quebec, a favourite Nova Scotian-woodcarving-roadtrip sidekick and I traveled through Maine to reach the coast for a woodworking course (see instructor Danielle Rose Byrd's work here). While in Maine, we explored beaches and small towns, ate a LOT of lobster, rode the mail boat to Isle au Haut, and generally raved about the state's coastal region.
Finishing up in Maine, New Brunswick called. My foremost reason to be in New Brunswick was to shoot a wedding (see the photos here) but the touring didn't end there. A day at Fundy National Park, a peek at Kouchibouguac National Park and a few days in Miramichi rounded out our days in NB before heading back to Quebec.
'Twas full, fast, friendly, and fun.
Sheep, lochs, bagpipes, castles
Ireland and the UK did a fine job charming us Canadians who simply wanted to swim in the ocean and see a castle. We did both and more: hiking in Glencoe, swimming in the Scottish North Sea, fighting wind at Giant's Causeway, exploring castles on the Isle of Skye and getting acquainted with nosy sheep.
We drank more tea than water, willingly ordered haggis (more than once), and got to share it all with good, hearty company.
Mount Brandon, Ireland
Ross Castle
Muckross Lake, Ireland
Giant's Causeway, UK
Aberdeenshire, UK
Tillynaught, UK
Lossiemouth Beach, UK
Isle of Skye, UK
Armadale - Mallaig Ferry, UK
Glencoe, UK
Honister Pass, UK
NZ continued
Ngarunui Beach, Raglan
On the walk up Mount Maunganui
Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Peninsula
Hot air balloon festival, Hamilton
Aotearoa | New Zealand
The past three weeks I've spent my days in New Zealand. Firstly for a friend's wedding, and secondly for the scenery. The landscape is dramatic and changeable. Here are some photos mostly from the North Island and a small part of the South Island. More photos to come!
Stopped north of Whanganui to peek at the scenery
Brutus, our home for a week on the road
Lake Taupo
Audrey exploring our campsite at Mangaweka
Wellington
On the ferry
In Akaroa
A week on The Island
75 minutes gets you from Nova Scotia to the island of Prince Edward by way of a drive-on ferry. As you approach the south port of Wood Islands, the famous red earth of PEI makes itself known in the form of cliffs, beaches and coastal roads. It is a pastoral paradise, lush with all shades of green this time of year.
I spent the last week touring PEI, keeping a home base on Point Prim and maintaining a daily helping of lobster, clams, crab and mussels. The south shore guarantees warm water and mostly red sand while the north shore offers whiter sand and slightly cooler waves. Both are recommended.
Be sure to visit the Chowder House and book in a clam dig with Happy Clammers both on Point Prim. Singing Sands Beach is not to be missed, especially when followed with a lobster supper in New Glasgow.
These faces.
I don't know a family that smiles more than this one.
It helps that we had just spent a weekend at the cottage, but there isn't much that keeps these faces from grinning.
Taken one Sunday afternoon at Lake Huron.
A September cottage weekend
Now that it is September, the cottage takes on a slightly different role. In general, it means more pots of coffee, extra layers of plaid, bigger waves, freshly picked apples, and too-small wetsuits.
This past weekend, it also meant a friendly exchange of homemade goods: kimchi, kombucha, applesauce, chicken broth, granola and sourdough. A productive weekend.
Family on the beach
Family photos at the beach means skipping rocks, scaring seagulls, and jumping tall; all underlined by the promise of ice cream.
This was a fun bunch of faces to spend an hour with.
Here are my favourites:
Forward still, to Nova Scotia.
After the trip from Winnipeg to Toronto, I decided to continue east. Three days later, I left Toronto and made my way to Nova Scotia to deliver a friends car. We started in Digby and took our time driving back - always along the shore road, whenever possible. Some highlights: an oceanside campsite at Rissers Beach, well-worn pickle recipes, handmade dories in Lunenburg, the LaHave Bakery, Peggy's Cove in the fog, oat cakes on Cape Breton, soap made by friends in West Arm and SO. MANY. BLUEBERRIES.
6000 kilometers later, I've seen my share of central and eastern Canada.
If I could, I'd keep going...
These images are from Nova Scotia's beautiful south shore; Rissers Beach, Crescent Beach, Queensland and Peggy's Cove.
One quarter Nova Scotian
I took a trip last week to Nova Scotia, one of the nicest places on the East coast of Canada. Every day brought a different fish to eat and a new reason to pull on my Blundstones.
Boiled down to five words, my week was: wind, wool, blizzard warnings, warmth, and Frenchy's.
These photographs were taken in Deep Brook, Point Prim, Mavillette Beach and Jordan Bay.
