Summer
Hello, LJ-ers! My, my. It's been a while, and this time, I can't even say I have nothing new to report. It's been a busy summer! I'll start with re-capping our summer vacation for now!
In June/July, Ben and I went to the east coast to visit our families. We flew out 1.5 days after my nan passed away, so at first, it was hard to plan for the trip and get too excited. The first few days were a bit emotional, especially knowing I was away from my family and the memorial. However, we quickly got into the swing of our trip, and we had such an amazing time. :)
The first two nights, Ben booked the most beautiful B&B I've ever seen, in Musquadoboit (Musk-a-dobbit) near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Their place was in the woods near a creek, on beautiful, well-kept grounds. It looked like something out of the Secret Garden. The couple that ran it were so amazingly kind and hospitable - it was a great way to start the trip and have some alone time before the various family gatherings. We still hung out with Ben's dad Steve's family a bit during the afternoons.
On the third day, we rented a car to spend the next two nights in Prince Edward Island. Ben planned this part of the trip (along with most of the trip, really) while I was in Fort McMurray, as a way to cheer me up - how very thoughtful. <3 We went to Charlottetown for their Canada Day celebrations, visited Green Gables (!!), and drove around the island (it's so tiiinyyy!). I have to say - PEI may have become my favourite province. It is stunning, and different from the other provinces I've spent time in so far. It's sort of a cross between the Prairies with their farmlands, Newfoundland with their coastal scenery and quiet lifestyle, mixed with beaches, trees, and the most amazing red fields. The red soil even shows through their asphalt. L.M. Montgomery's description of the "ruby, emerald and sapphire" island is an accurate way to describe it. Loved it.
We returned to Nova Scotia (via the Confederation Bridge and New Brunswick for an afternoon) in time for a family reunion at a Chinese buffet in Dartmouth. Steve's family is quite large - there must've been 50 people there, and a number of them were missing! They were all very nice, if a bit reserved (I guess I'm used to a boisterous family, ha). The next few days were pretty laid back. Ben's dad drove us to Peggy's Cove, along with a few beaches and quaint towns. Other than that, we just hung around Dartmouth. Some of Ben's family know the Trailer Park Boys personally. They weren't in town, so we didn't get to meet them, but Steve drove us around for a lot of "this episode was filmed here" sight-seeing. It was fun. :P
We spent a day in Halifax, and did a bus/boat tour, which was a lot of fun. We walked around a bit, then made a special trip to the Public Gardens, so I could re-enact a photo my dad took of my brother Tony back in 1970!
While at the Public Gardens, we also had the pleasure of meeting up with rainysdays!! Yay! It was so lovely to see you, Renee. :D
Our week in Nova Scotia came to an end, and we made our way to Newfoundland. It was such a pleasure to be back - it always feels like home. :) We spent the first morning/afternoon in St. John's before making our way to Grand Falls-Windsor to visit my aunt (Mom's sister) and uncle. Throughout the week, we saw lots of family in and around Twillingate. Everyone is so genuinely welcoming there. Every relative insisted we visit them and stay for lunch and/or supper - there was no shortage of food or beds, that's for sure!
We struggled to get away, but we decided to spend one night in Gros Morne for some sight-seeing. My cousin Todd suggested we go on the Western Brook Pond boat tour, and wow - I would highly recommend it for anyone who plans to visit! It was breathtaking!! (I am very behind on going through my pictures, but I will try to post them on Facebook one of these days!)
Along with all the shorter visits we made to my other relatives, we spent a few nights with my nan (Mom's mom). She's now my last remaining grandparent. Nan's starting to get a bit forgetful, and her arthritis is getting bad. She's still very independent - she refuses to leave her home, and she still seems to be getting by well enough. It was nice to see her, along with my great aunts and uncles. <3
We ended our trip with one night in St. John's, where we stayed with Aunt Joyce (Pop's sister) and Uncle Harry. Aunt Joyce fell in love with Ben, and kept insisting that we should change our flights and stay an extra day. Ha ha - oh my. It was a great send-off. I absolutely can't wait to go back. <3
In June/July, Ben and I went to the east coast to visit our families. We flew out 1.5 days after my nan passed away, so at first, it was hard to plan for the trip and get too excited. The first few days were a bit emotional, especially knowing I was away from my family and the memorial. However, we quickly got into the swing of our trip, and we had such an amazing time. :)
The first two nights, Ben booked the most beautiful B&B I've ever seen, in Musquadoboit (Musk-a-dobbit) near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Their place was in the woods near a creek, on beautiful, well-kept grounds. It looked like something out of the Secret Garden. The couple that ran it were so amazingly kind and hospitable - it was a great way to start the trip and have some alone time before the various family gatherings. We still hung out with Ben's dad Steve's family a bit during the afternoons.
On the third day, we rented a car to spend the next two nights in Prince Edward Island. Ben planned this part of the trip (along with most of the trip, really) while I was in Fort McMurray, as a way to cheer me up - how very thoughtful. <3 We went to Charlottetown for their Canada Day celebrations, visited Green Gables (!!), and drove around the island (it's so tiiinyyy!). I have to say - PEI may have become my favourite province. It is stunning, and different from the other provinces I've spent time in so far. It's sort of a cross between the Prairies with their farmlands, Newfoundland with their coastal scenery and quiet lifestyle, mixed with beaches, trees, and the most amazing red fields. The red soil even shows through their asphalt. L.M. Montgomery's description of the "ruby, emerald and sapphire" island is an accurate way to describe it. Loved it.
We returned to Nova Scotia (via the Confederation Bridge and New Brunswick for an afternoon) in time for a family reunion at a Chinese buffet in Dartmouth. Steve's family is quite large - there must've been 50 people there, and a number of them were missing! They were all very nice, if a bit reserved (I guess I'm used to a boisterous family, ha). The next few days were pretty laid back. Ben's dad drove us to Peggy's Cove, along with a few beaches and quaint towns. Other than that, we just hung around Dartmouth. Some of Ben's family know the Trailer Park Boys personally. They weren't in town, so we didn't get to meet them, but Steve drove us around for a lot of "this episode was filmed here" sight-seeing. It was fun. :P
We spent a day in Halifax, and did a bus/boat tour, which was a lot of fun. We walked around a bit, then made a special trip to the Public Gardens, so I could re-enact a photo my dad took of my brother Tony back in 1970!
While at the Public Gardens, we also had the pleasure of meeting up with rainysdays!! Yay! It was so lovely to see you, Renee. :D
Our week in Nova Scotia came to an end, and we made our way to Newfoundland. It was such a pleasure to be back - it always feels like home. :) We spent the first morning/afternoon in St. John's before making our way to Grand Falls-Windsor to visit my aunt (Mom's sister) and uncle. Throughout the week, we saw lots of family in and around Twillingate. Everyone is so genuinely welcoming there. Every relative insisted we visit them and stay for lunch and/or supper - there was no shortage of food or beds, that's for sure!
We struggled to get away, but we decided to spend one night in Gros Morne for some sight-seeing. My cousin Todd suggested we go on the Western Brook Pond boat tour, and wow - I would highly recommend it for anyone who plans to visit! It was breathtaking!! (I am very behind on going through my pictures, but I will try to post them on Facebook one of these days!)
Along with all the shorter visits we made to my other relatives, we spent a few nights with my nan (Mom's mom). She's now my last remaining grandparent. Nan's starting to get a bit forgetful, and her arthritis is getting bad. She's still very independent - she refuses to leave her home, and she still seems to be getting by well enough. It was nice to see her, along with my great aunts and uncles. <3
We ended our trip with one night in St. John's, where we stayed with Aunt Joyce (Pop's sister) and Uncle Harry. Aunt Joyce fell in love with Ben, and kept insisting that we should change our flights and stay an extra day. Ha ha - oh my. It was a great send-off. I absolutely can't wait to go back. <3