Big tides & big pumpkins!

Not only does the Bay of Fundy boast the highest tides in the world but we also have another worldwide claim to fame: the world's biggest pumpkins! Windsor, Nova Scotia, resident Howard Dill is a four-time Guinness Book of Records record holder and developer of Dill's Giant Pumpkin seeds. Mr Dill is credited with launching the international craze of growing giant pumpkins.

One of the best uses of these giant pumpkins takes place during the annual Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Regatta....yes i said regatta...the giant pumpkins are cored, decorated and paddled across a lake in downtown Windsor. The event draws about 10,000 spectators and hundreds of participants. It takes place in downtown Windsor on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, check here for more info on this year's race.

Watch our Bay of Fundy Travel Show episode of the Pumpkin Regatta:

Living on a postcard

There are spendid days during my travels around our region when the light is just right, when the perspective is perfect, when it feels like I'm living on a Bay of Fundy postcard. Today was one of those awesome days.

For locals on Campobello Island this is the every-day ho-hum view of their famed East Quoddy Light (a.k.a. Head Harbour Lightstation). It's quite possibly the most photographed lighthouse in the Bay of Fundy: visible from the island as well as from the ocean during trips with whale watch companies (which is when I took this photo).

I'm on Campobello Island for a few days filming one of our Bay of Fundy Travel Show episodes
and, if my first few hours here are any indication, there will be many more picture-postcard moments....!

New7Wonders of Nature - Bay of Fundy finalist

It's been a couple of months since I updated our readers on the Bay of Fundy's plight to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature. We're so thrilled to be representing Canada in this global campaign. The campaign recently got a wonderful national boost from our two 'Fundy premiers' from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

They did a great plug for Bay of Fundy at the national premiers' meeting! thanks fellas....

Here, for your interest, is the 'why vote Fundy' epically lovely video that they showed at the event. Just in case you weren't already wowed by our beautiful bay!

Biggest tides of the year today!

Unless you live on the Bay of Fundy you may not be aware that tide heights vary every day. A typical tide chart such as this Dept of Fisheries & Oceans one shows both the time of high and low tide and the height of both high and low tide.

There are many factors that influence tides, in general, and tide height, in particular. Of uppermost importance to tide height is the cycle of the moon, and secondarily, the location of the sun. This is why the new moon & full moon tides are the highest each month: these are called Spring tides (they don't have anything to do with Spring, the season).

Every so often (about every year & a half or more) we also get a rare, unusually high Proxigean Spring tide. This very high tide occurs when the moon is both unusually close to the Earth (at its closest perigee, called the proxigee) and in the new moon phase (when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth).

Read more about the science of the tides...

Today is the day for the Proxigean tides in Bay of Fundy. Here is the Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, wharf & lighthouse at low tide this morning and high tide this afternoon.

Expecting a visit from Hurricane Earl

Living on the edge of the Atlantic ocean it's not uncommon for our region to pick up the odd 'leftover' storm or hurricane from our neighbours to the south.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre keeps a close eye on such weather systems and we're told that Hurricane Earl is spinning up the coast ready to pay us a visit tomorrow morning.

Luckily, although the tide is forecast high around 9:30, these are the lower tides of the month so we shouldn't have to worry about tidal surges. Still, we're still a few weeks away from harvest time so our fruit trees are heavily laden with apples, pears, wine grapes, etc....could be interesting!

Leaf change expected to be BEST!

By all accounts - from the folks who know how to predict such activities - the annual autumn leaf change here in the region this Fall is supposed to be one of the most vibrant ever! David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada says the upcoming season promises to be one of the best ever.

The preponderance of hardwood trees and Fundy's humid weather pretty much guarantee that we'll be in for a bright season of gold, orange and red leaves. During my dog walk today I saw these leaves, already starting to change....seems a few weeks early!!