Salem was a wonderful place.  We had a campsite at a marina and could use our bikes to get into Salem.  H'ween is bigger than Christmas and the celebrations go on all month long.  A week before the big day, the local  businesses give out treats to the children.  Our boys were quite excited to be able to get 2 chances to trick or treat.  We also went to see the 1922 movie Nosferatu.  It was unique in that they had a live band playing an original score to the movie.  It was fun telling the boys that this was how they used to watch movies a long time ago.

Boston proved to be a great place for the Boys.  We spent 2 entire days at the science musem.  The boys played and experimented and learned many things.  Maxen likes to absorb the information and then later (may a day or a week) he takes what he has learned and draws something that applies the knowledge.  It is neat to watch as his little mind is figuring things out.  At one point a toddler came up to Quin and grabbed him by the hand.  Quin went with him, and off they went, Quin, the lanky 10 year old and Anthony, the bold toddler.  Anthony took Quin to a few different places to show him and play with him, each time, pulling Quin by the hand.  Quin was great, he was gentle and really quite amused as to what was happening.

Quin and I went to see a Harvard football footbal game (his first Ivy League experience).  That gave Christine and Maxen an opportunity to go to see a free school.

Our Campsite in Foxboro was fantastic.  It had an indoor pool and jacuzzis, a beautiful setting and was half price during the weekdays that we were there.  We spent an extra 2 days there, just to relax and enjoy.

One of our side trips was to Battleship Cove.  They have several ships that you can explore.  Of particular interest were the submarine, the Russian ship and the massive USS Massachusetts.  What we did note is th at the crew seemed to be better treated on the Russian made ship.  They had more room and more amenities.   The Battleship was so big, one could easily get lost on it.

Christine had the opportunity to visit with her friend Gabby.  Gabby is full of life and now has 3 little boys.  The experience of being a mother has only given Gabby more amunition for her always enjoyable stories.  You never have a dull conversation when Gabby is around.  Chris really enjoyed seeing her old friend.

As we trekked along the Maine coast, we had to stop in Biddeford Maine.  This is where Stuart McLean ate a dozen or so lobster rolls.  We stopped at the Pool Street Market to get one.  We took it down to the beach and ate it watching the calm surf.  Well, I must admit is was a great lobster roll.  We ordered the Dr. Winn.  It is made on a sub bun with about a pound of lobster.  True to Dr. Winn himself, we ate with knives and forks and saved the roll.  Later that evening, we put a little garlic butter on the roll, browned it and ate it with dinner.  What a fabulous way to continue to enjoy the lobster roll.

When I was in Shediac, I also ate a lobster roll, and speculated which might be better.  Well, after having both the classic Canadian buttery lobster roll and the massive Dr. Winn of Maine, I must admit that it was a very close race.  One in which each had its own delectable characteristics.  Shediac, buttery, smooth, incredible lobster, Biddeford, massive, big chunks, great flavour. 

The bottom line goes back to one question, it is the one question that you ask someone leaving a restaurant as you are entering: "Would you eat there again?"  If the person pauses at all before answering, you had better find yourself somewhere else to eat.  And when it comes to lobster rolls, the answer to that question is YES!  Yes, to Shediac, and yes to Biddeford.

We crossed into the USA without issue.  At the Calais crossing, they searched our trailer, and took away a half eaten lime (ok, so it wasn't eaten, it was used in a tequila/pepsi/lime mixture).  So, the USA doesn't want anyone bringing in citrus fruits (even a Florida orange if you had one).  I asked (politely, of course, as I AM CANADIAN) what is the issue with citrus, and he said that he had no idea.  Anyway, a half a lime was no great loss.

We settled in Searsport Maine and spent 4 days relaxing.  Our campsite was right on the ocean.  This is something that Maxen has been asking for for a while now (and I know that Christine really likes this too.  I think that Quin and I are a little more laid back than those two sometimes).  We saw another fort and went up this really cool bridge observatory.  It is the highest bridge observatory in existance and you got an incredible view.

We explored Camden and Rockport and relaxed.  Next on the agenda is Salem and them Foxboro -- Should be fun.

Photos can be seen here, if they don't load.

I spent a bit of time at Huntsman marine laboratories in Saint Andrews when I was a biology student.  I took the boys down to see the area.  When were at Huntsman labs, there was a press conferecne going on, so we just looked around the outside.  What I didn't realize was that, at the conference, was an old friend who went to UCF (the university where Christine and I met).  He just happens to be the premier of NB and was there for the announcement of money for the labs.  Oh well, maybe next time.

We spent some time at Bar Road.  Bar Road is quite interesting because it is a  road that appears at low tide and goes from the mainland to Minister's island.  The island was bought by the builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway co, William van Horne.  (Legend has it that he didn't want to be a slave to boats, so he had trainload after trainload of rocks brought in to create bar road, so he could get out to his island via car).  At high tide, the road is under water, at low tide, you can drive across.  When we drove across, I told the boys of the stories of the many biologists who had their cars stuck and then the tide came in.  Our truck, Chuck, with its big  diesel engine and 4 wheel drive shouldn't be a problem.  Well, right after telling the boys the stories, I needed to turn around at the island end of the road, I drive over some rocks that outlined a path (obviously where they wanted you to drive) to make it easier to turn around.  As things would happen, the truck started to get bogged down in softer sand and i had thoughts of yet another (former) biologist being stuck on bar road.  Fortunately, a quick flick of the four wheel drive, and an immediate throwing of the stick into reverse, allowed us to back out quickly and safely, with just my heart beating faster, and my ego a little  bruised.).

If you can't see the photos, you can see them here.

We are finally on our way to warmer weather (I hope anyway). 

Outside of Moncton, we stopped at Hopewell rocks.  THis is where you can "walk on the floor of the ocean."  As you may know, the Bay of Fundy has the largest tides inthe world, at over 50 feet and when they go out, it is really quite amazing.  We spent a lot of time there.  THe boys really enjoyed exploring the rocks, caves and shoreline.  In the photos you can see where the tide will rise to by looking at the line above the heads of those in the photos.

If youhave trouble viewing the photos, look here.

Our Stop in Saint John New Brunswick was restful in some ways, but not in others.  Christine developed an ear infection and needed to see a Dr.  Good thing she went here, as we were planning to cross over into the USA soon.   We took it easy.

The boys and I went for a walk through downtown.  It has a pretty downtown section with King's Park and what seemed to me to be a lot of pubs.  Also, there is a man made beach with 2 volleyball courts in it right across from a bunch of pubs with huge outdoor partios.  The place must really have some interestingn ight life in the summer months.

We left Cape Breton and spent a night in Antigonish.  We went back to the same campsite because it was a great place to be (had the BEST shower facilities I have seen yet).  We are actually getting pretty efficient at packing up to go.  Just before I finish and get in the truck, it starts to hail.  Not little tiny hailstones, but larger pea sized ones and sharp.  THEY HURT!

I was expecting to wear my shorts everyday for a year.  If you know me, you know how much I like wearing shorts.  So, I am determined to wear my shorts for a year.  What weather have I worn them in so far?  50 kph winds with gusts to 90kph. Rain, snow flurries, hail, and yes, occasionally sunshine.

As we are starting to head south, I hope that this is the last I will see of hail or snow, and will soon get to what @others@ might consider appropriate weather to wear shorts in.  As we left Ottawa on Sept 21, 2009, I have until Sept 21 2010 to wear my beloved shorts!

If you can't see the photos below,  you can see them here.

Again, we picked a great day to explore the outdoors when we went to Louisbourg.  It was windy, but nice and sunny.  The French lost the fort to the British, not once, but twice in its  history.  The defences that the French put in place were easily defeated using strategy.

Maxen has really become interested in forts and the people who work there.  He wants to be a child re-enactor when we settle down somewhere.  After describing what he would have to do he was very excited.  We then told  him that he would be paid money for working and he didn't even think that he would make money for doing something that was going to be that much fun.

If you are having trouble seeing the photos below, you can see them here

We arrived at our campsite in Cape Breton and settled in.  It was up on a hill and they had a sauna.  I was looking forward to that.  We were told th e the community center in Englishtown was having some sort of dinner at 5pm and we should go down.  After unpacking and setting up, we headed down around 5:30.  Well, it was finished.  The music started at 2 and the dinner was served at 4:30.  Not to let the strangers from Ontario go without, a nice local Cape Bretoner named Jack, told us to wait.  He came out with a bucket (about the size of a typical mop bucket) filled to the brim with  mussels.  He apologized that there were so few, but they were just cooked and needed to be heated up.  They refused any payment for them.  On the way out of thecommunity hall, he asked to boys to follow him for a quick minute.  He went out the side of the hall and handed the boys an even bigger bucket full of mussels and said that hopefully that would take the hunger off of the growing boys.  The mussels were great, thanks to the hospitality of our first interaction with a Cape Bretoner!

We noticed that we have been blessed with picking the right events to do given the weather.  We waited until early afternoon to head to Peggy's Cove  When we got there, the sun was shining and it was a glorious afternoon.  Along the way, we stopped and saw the memorial to Swiss Flight 111 that went down on my birthday in 1998.  There was a memorial to those lost and gratitude to the communities around Peggy's Cove who helped in the aftermath.  It was a beautiful and solemn place.

If you can't see the photos below,  you can see them here.

October 5, 2009

Anyone who knows me knows that I do enjoy a pint of Keith's on occasion.  As I was in Halifax, I had  to go down to the Keith's brewery to see what was going on for the birthday party.  They had closed off a parking lot and had an event where you could only get in by winning a ticket on the radio, or by finding one in a case of beer.  As I was walking past the entrance, a women came up to me and asked if I needed a ticket.  I said "Yes, how much?"  She told me it was free b/c her friend couldn't come.  So, off I went into the crowd....................   The music was great, they had 4 bands, that played all night.  At the end there were fireworks over Halifax Harbour.