Sneak peek at new Joggins Fossil Centre

Although the 'new' Joggins Fossil Centre opens to the public on May 17, I was delighted to receive an invitation to attend its opening ceremony last week. There is much buzz in our region about this very welcome addition to the Bay of Fundy 'product'. My first glimpse of the new centre certainly did not disappoint!! It is a beautifully designed experience both inside and out. Here are some highlights:

• Local stones were layered on the exterior facade to replicate the site's adjacent fossil cliffs
• The site will generate about 60% of its own power through wind turbines & solar, and has some nifty 'green' features like a sod roof & rain water capture.
  
• The gallery exhibits are really interesting, with lots of interactive design elements like those in the photos as well as glass portholes in the floor, trackways to follow around the museum, interesting multi-media displays, etc.
  

A colleague who attended the opening caught me clambering out of the inside hollow of a tree (there's a cool multi-media presentation in there for kids!), and, examining the intro panels mounted on replicas of fossilized tree trunks!

Scenes from the ocean floor - 5th of 5

Here's my last scene in this 5-image series taken at Two Islands, near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. The receding Fundy tide exposes lots of interesting aspects of the ocean floor: salty puddles, living tide pools, sculpted reefs, mussels, clams and globs of seaweed.

If you generally find yourself exploring shorelines with your head down, this is your kinda beach! I've noticed that kids delight in exploring the intertidal zone at low tide searching for toe-sized hermit crabs to follow, tiny white & blue shells to collect, teensy fish to watch and squeaky rockweed pods to pop.

Safety tip: be sure to check local tide times before walking out onto the ocean floor at low tide. Only explore the zone for a couple hours before the low tide time. Don't explore after the low tide time - the low tide time indicates when tide is turning and coming back in so scram!!

Tide times vary around the bay and change every day. A searchible chart of tide times is also available on the Bay of Fundy Tourism website but do double check with the locals when you arrive on the bay to be sure these time are accurate.

Scenes from the Ocean Floor - 4th in a series

Here's a pulled back shot of the island shown in #3 in this series. My yellow lab is actually walking along the water line but you can't even see her in the photo - it's that far away. True, it is a bit wet underfoot in most places at low tide on the Bay of Fundy. My footwear recommendation: skruffy running shoes, hiking boots, water sandals or crocs. Note that if white clothing comes in contact with Bay of Fundy mud it will stain...I like to think of it as a cheap souvenir!!

Scenes from the ocean floor - 3rd in a Series

Walking around on the ocean floor at low tide certainly makes for some odd photo opportunities. I actually have a theory that you don't really need to be a very good photographer to take amazing photos around the Bay of Fundy: it just seems like everywhere you look there's something neat to take a picture of....the photos sorta take themselves!

Take this image, for example. My view from the ocean floor gives this small island tip an oversized look by comparison to the shallow puddle of water (low tide) it's floating in. Odd but interesting to think it will be surrounded by waters 35-40 feet higher 6 hours from now at high tide when it will go back to looking like a 'real' island.

Scenes from the ocean floor - 2nd in series - video

While I was walking around on the ocean floor yesterday afternoon at low tide, I took this fun little video of the intertidal zone. I should probably use a tripod or something to keep the filming a bit more steady, but you can still get the idea of precisely how much ground is exposed at low tide at Two Islands.

Scenes from the ocean floor - 1st in a Series

No, I wasn't scuba diving today; merely walking on the vast ocean floor that's exposed at low tide leading out toward Two Islands, near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.

Here in the Minas Basin region of the Bay of Fundy the inter-tidal zone (fancy name for the exposed ocean floor) stretches along the coast for miles and out from the coast (toward the centre of the Bay) for 2-3 miles too.

For example, in this image, the closer islands (on the right) are about 1.5 kilometres from where I took the photo and the small islands, along the horizon in the far distance (Five Islands) ,are about 20 km away. This is the tide at dead low, especially because of tonight's full moon: full moon tides bring both the highest and lowest tides of the month.

At high tide here all the rocks would be completely covered and, yes, I'd have very wet feet or perhaps be swimming above the spot where I took the photo.

Introducing...fiddleheads!

Fiddleheads rate right up there among the weird things we like to eat around the Bay of Fundy. Fiddleheads are the unfurled fronds of young wild ferns that we harvest for eating every Spring. They are steamed or boiled but must be cooked (um, not that anyone would really find them appetizing raw, anyway!) before eating. They are only available anytime now 'til early May but just for a week or so before they fully spread out into the full fern plant.

Most folks eat them freshly cooked with a small amount of melted butter. They taste a lot like other super-green veggies - perhaps kale or broccoli-ish , but with a taste all their own. Once cooked, they can be chilled for use in salads, frozen for use later in the season or pickled. Delicious!

Bay of Fundy play reading in Texas

I've been blogging the Bay of Fundy for about a year & a half now and here's a random observation I'd like to share: of my U.S.A. readers, there are more from Texas than all but two other American states (only Maine & Massachusetts - our neighbouring states - rank higher). This causes me to ponder: are Texans somehow predisposed to be intrigued by the Bay of Fundy? Is the Bay of Fundy also studied in high school science texts there - the way it is in Europe & Russia? Maybe a whole bunch of former Bay of Fundy residents retired to Texas and are trying to keep in touch with the homeland?

Well here's a special announcement for my Texan friends in the blogosphere: I'm pleased to let you know about a Bay of Fundy presentation happening tomorrow night in your neighbourhood - well, if you live in Austin, that is. Playwright, Sherry Kramer, is presenting a reading of her newest work "The Bay of Fundy" at 7:30 pm at the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Avaya Auditorium, ACES building, 24th Street and Speedway. Admission is free.

Happy little shad fish

To celebrate this day (April 15 - the first day of fishing season), I thought I'd post about shad.

The appearance of shad in fresh food markets of the Bay of Fundy is a sure sign of spring. In fact, a traditional spring meal here could very well be shad and fiddleheads (young fern shoots). Although shad are bony and considered difficult to eat, if you've got the patience to properly prepare them the result (a really tasty fish) is worth it. In fact, its scientific name sapidissima means "most delicious". Shad are actually a member of the herring family.

Here around the Bay of Fundy the annual "shad run" is a dramatic event. Within the space of a few weeks shad by the thousands come up the Bay from the Atlantic ocean to spawn. Shad can arrive anytime now up 'til June, depending on weather & water temperatures (they prefer 8 to 12 C). In addition to being fished by hand they are also a favourite catch in our traditional fish weirs.

High-low tide pics in mystery location

Here's another set of high - low tide photos to add to my collection. I ran across this set on answers.com. It's a typical pair but I'm baffled as to which of our many tidal harbours they present. The breakwaters of St Martins, Parrsboro, and Advocate Harbour are further from their wharves; wrong wharf length for Halls Harbour; doesn't really look like Harbourville, Blacks Harbour or St Andrews either...Maybe Margaretsville?

If any of my regular Fundyite readers would like to make a case for a particular harbour, please send a comment!! By the tinting of the photos and the all-wood lobster traps, I'm thinking these photos were taken quite a few years back. Groovy!

New children's book about Fundy dinosaurs & fossils

Tomorrow will be a very exciting day for a new Bay of Fundy children's book writer. Paul Burns of Riverview, New Brunswick, is launching his book: Owen and the Dinosaurs, based on his son's love of dinosaurs. Over the years, Paul and his son made frequent trips over the border to Joggins and Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, to search for fossils on the beach and discover dinosaurs at the museums.

Most of the storyline of the book is based on real events (except for the part where Owen meets a talking dinosaur, Butch!). The book explores themes of friendship and loyalty for children aged 7 to 9. It's available at various Fundy gift shops as well as on line.

Fundy tidal power workshops

In January, I blogged about potential tidal power demonstration sites on the Nova Scotia side of the Bay of Fundy. Now the New Brunswick Department of Energy is partnering with the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) to conduct a series of public open houses about tidal energy in Fundy coastal communities. These sessions are part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of possible tidal power development in the Bay of Fundy.

Within the next week or so, these public forums are taking place in Alma, Moncton, Saint John, Grand Manan Island, Campobello Island, St George & Deer Island.

Background materials about tidal power will be available at these sessions and will be placed in local libraries and municipal offices. There's also lots of info & a session schedule on the BoFEP website.

With 100 billion tonnes of water moving through the Bay of Fundy with each tide, tidal power (assuming that its impacts on Fundy's ecosystem are few - which is, as yet, unknown) has the potential to be a big source of sustainable energy production in the future.

Green accolades for Fundy garden

It's great that so many of our Bay of Fundy residents, businesses, towns and cities participated in Earth Hour late last month but as Earth Day (April 22) approaches, I'll mention some locales where innovative initiatives toward a greener & more sustainable environment are already underway. For example: Kingsbrae Garden in the pretty Fundy town of St Andrews, New Brunswick.

Kingsbrae Garden is passionately committed to a healthy environment, by maintaining the magnificent public garden 99% chem-free, by offering workshops, and natural lawn and garden services in the St Andrews area. It was just awarded the Project EverGreen Canada National Stewardship Award, 'Because Green Matters', for its outstanding commitment to raising the profile and awareness of the benefits of green spaces in Canada.

Project EverGreen's mission is to raise the awareness of the environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits of landscapes and promote the significance of those who preserve and enhance green spaces at home, work and play. Kingsbrae Garden is all about healthy, sustainable green spaces, with over 50,000 perennials, shrubs and trees on 27 acres. And not only green, but yellow, red, purple, white, pink, red, orange and blue...

Thanks to Maureen at Kingsbrae Garden for sending along this photo of some Red Hat Society ladies enjoying a fine game of croquet in one of Kingsbrae's many green spaces.

Maple chicken recipe

At this time of year, when maple syrup is so abundant around the Bay of Fundy, I don't mind 'wasting' a bit on some extra recipes, such as this simple but tasty maple chicken...

Maple Chicken
2.5 lbs chicken pieces
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 c chopped almonds
pepper
2 tsp lemon juice

Remove skin from chicken pieces. Place in shallow pan. Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375 F for 45 minutes. Taste occasionally!

Fundy fossil takes a walk....

Here's a uniquely Bay of Fundy riddle: what's 300 million years old, weighs two tonnes, lived in a basement for 43 years and just made a 50-km trek across the New Brunswick - Nova Scotia border?

Answer: a two metre long fossil of the tracks of an arthropleura - a Paleozoic invertebrate that resembles a giant millipede.

This fossil was discovered by a Mount Allison University (Sackville, New Brunswick) professor in 1964 and has been housed there in a basement storeroom ever since. Yesterday morning it was transferred to its new home at the Joggins Fossil Centre across the border in Joggins, Nova Scotia.

The arthropleura may have had as many as 30 legs and left tiretread-style tracks that can still be seen fossilized in the actual Joggins fossil cliffs. The rediscovered fossil will be displayed in the lobby of the new interpretation centre - opening April 22.

(Photo of movers loading the fossil on to a truck - courtesy of Mount Allison University)

Bay of Fundy Whirlpool - A School Study Topic?

I hear from visitors all the time that they first learned about the Bay of Fundy in school. Indeed, the Bay, and its incredible tides, is studied in science textbooks throughout North America, parts of Europe, and - as photographer & travel writer Igor Kravtchenko recently told me - Russia.

For example, I just came across Will Rhodes' travel blog - he's a teacher from Katy, Texas, who visited the Bay of Fundy late last summer to research a unit for his students.

Will's got an excellent selection of photos & videos from tidal bore rafting, his ocean floor drive over to Minister's Island, New Brunswick Museum, Joggins Fossil Cliffs, St Martins Sea Caves, and even this rare footage of the Old Sow Whirlpool - the largest whirlpool in the western hemisphere... here in the Bay of Fundy! Wow, with teachers like Will, no wonder so many people have the Bay of Fundy on their 'bucket list'!

Bay of Fundy Mud Drum Workshop

I wish I lived a little closer to the Canada - U.S. border that enters the Bay of Fundy at St Stephen, New Brunswick. There's a fun 8-week workshop starting tomorrow at the Cobscook Community Learning Centre over the border in Trescott, Maine:From Mud to Music - Making & Playing Musical Instruments From Clay. The class will be instructed by Connie Harter-Bagley, master potter and owner of Clay of Fundy Studio. Participants will create clay instruments such as drums, ocarinas and flutes, and will learn to play them. Course includes clay, glazes, firing and one goatskin drum head.

I've been playing the djembe (african drum) for about 2 years and would love to make my own drum from Bay of Fundy mud! Well, perhaps I'll have to get myself down there this summer if they re-offer Mud to Music.

Earth Hour around the Bay of Fundy

There's been much news coverage in recent weeks about Earth Hour. This initiative originated in Australia last year, and, thanks to reach of the web, blossomed into a worldwide event. Starting at 8pm local time tonight, folks in cities, towns & countries all around the world will turn off their lights & otherwise lower their energy consumption for one hour to acknowledge their awareness of climate change and their commitment to energy conservation. I think it's a great initiative; anything that makes us think more about our personal responsibility to reduce energy consumption is a good thing.

Tonight, between 8 & 9 pm, I'll be walking down to my local Bay of Fundy harbour to see the high tide. I often walk to the beach at dusk but tonight (and from now on) I'll make a point to unplug all appliances, turn off all lights, and even switch off my computer before going. I've heard from many friends and colleagues around the Bay that they'll be doing something similar. For example, the Fundy city of Moncton's skyline (see photo) will darken for Earth Day. Perhaps next year I can engage my enthusiastic blog readers in the region to help initiate a more formal Bay-wide Earth Day challenge!

If you'd like to tell the rest of the world that you're participating in Earth Hour, visit the Earth Hour website.

What's in a Name?

Here's a commonly asked question: where did the Bay of Fundy get its name? It turns out that there are three possible sources (or perhaps it's a combo deal).

1.The name "Fundy" could date back to the 16th century when Portuguese fishermen referred to the bay as "Rio Fundo" or "deep river". Aptly named ... to these early visitors Fundy would have seemed like a massive and mysterious river that flowed in both directions!

2. "Fundy" may have evolved from the name given the bay by early French explorers & cartographers (in 1604): "Baie François" (meaning "French Bay").

3. Or possibly the name is a version of the French word "Fendu", meaning "split". One of the most impressive outcroppings on the bay is still called "Cape Split" (see photo).

Btw, the correct pronounciation of Fundy is "fŭn'dē", not "fun-day".

Angling for Striped Bass

One of our other fine little fishes around the Bay of Fundy is striped bass. These are highly prized fish by anglers because of their feisty nature and size. Striped bass grow up to 100 cm long and can live for up to 30 years.

As with any sport or recreational fishing activity, there are strict rules and regulations to follow when angling for striped bass. The daily bag limit is one striped bass, 68 cm (26.8 inches) in length or longer measured from the tip to the nose to the tip of the tail.

Anglers can fish striped bass year round in the tidal waters of the Bay of Fundy. As a general rule, angling for striped bass in the inland waters of Nova Scotia begins April 1 and is permitted as long as a fishing season is open in those waters for trout, salmon, landlocked salmon or smallmouth bass. In the inland waters of New Brunswick draining into the Bay of Fundy, the season is open from April 15 to Oct. 15.

Strict management measures implemented by DFO more than a decade ago have resulted in increased numbers of striped bass, particularly in the Bay of Fundy. If you have any questions regarding seasonal closures or rules and regulations for angling striped bass, contact Department of Fisheries & Oceans.

The Bay of Fundy Living Beach

Due to our persistently snowy weather, it's been a couple months since I visited one of my favourite Bay of Fundy beaches. When I arrived there today I discovered that a fine, sandy beach had replaced last summer's rocky beach!

I was reminded of a favourite book, The Living Beach. I devoured this book when in came out in '98 and haven't looked at beaches the same way since.

When I was a kid here on the Bay of Fundy I remember a sense of anticipation every spring: how would a certain beach look after the winter winds waned and ice cakes evaporated? Would it be a pebble or cobble beach this year? A shale beach? Sandy? Strewn with large boulders and thick layers of wrack? Would a sandbar have shifted or a mud flat been created?

After reading The Living Beach, I realized that beaches are living ecosystems; they shift and adapt constantly to various conditions; they are constantly influenced by wind, erosion, and, in Fundy's case, are significantly impacted by the daily ebb and flow of about 100 billion tonnes of water.

I'm more observant, respectful and accepting of Fundy's annual spring beachscapes now - these simple surprises are one of the secret joys of living here.

(The Living Beach, by Nova Scotian, Silver Donald Cameron is available in video or book format.)

Visions of summer on the Bay

Winter should soon be wrapping up around the Bay of Fundy. Unlike our snowless winter last year, it's been a particularly stormy one this year - should make for voluminous blossoms in our gardens this summer. Here's a fun set of photos of the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal. It's hard to imagine a pergola changing this much from season to season!

All about the chocolate

Lest you think we are all about smoked salmon, sardines, dulse, blueberries, and wine here around the Bay of Fundy, I'd like to point out that we are also home Canada's oldest Chocolatier: Ganongs (founded in 1873). The Ganong Chocolate Museum in St Stephen, New Brunswick, is currently undergoing a $400,000 expansion to enhance its facilities and chocolate making demonstrations as well as to make more space for groups and bus tours. If you're driving to the Bay of Fundy region from Maine, USA, at the Calais border crossing be sure to plan for this sweet stop in St Stephen. (Photo is Ganong's awesome ginger chocolates)...yummmm!

Inside Swallowtail Lightkeeper's House

Here's a closer exterior pic and a sneak peek at the interior of the Swallowtail Lightkeeper's house - not exactly a real estate agent's panoramic tour but you can certainly see some typical features of lightkeepers' houses of this vintage: hardwood floors & trim throughout and double hung windows. This Bay of Fundy architectural gem appears to be in great shape on the inside.

Friends who successfully operate another Bay of Fundy lighthouse (Cape Enrage) sent these photos. Perhaps the new owners of Swallowtail could use Cape Enrage as a project model: it's a registered charity that employs more than two dozen high school and university students operating it as a seasonal tea room, gift shop and adventure centre. Last year Cape Enrage was honoured by Frommer's Travel Guides as one of seven "Best Views" in Canada.

Dream of Living in a Bay of Fundy Lightkeeper's House?

This is seems to be the winter of Bay of Fundy dream opportunities. I mentioned last month that a Bay of Fundy clam diggers license was for sale on Kijiji and now I've heard that the Swallowtail lightkeeper's house on Grand Manan Island is for sale!

The actual lighthouse, which sits on a spit of land on the north head of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy, was built in 1858. Following the automation of the lighthouse in 1986, the municipality leased out the adjacent keeper's house for use as a bed and breakfast. Apparently, upkeep on former lightkeeper's home is becoming too financially burdensome for the small island so it's soon to be listed with a real estate agent. A neat opportunity for a lighthouse-lovin' someone to preserve and enjoy this wonderful Fundy landmark.

Hopefully, the lighthouse itself will still remain accessible to visitors - it's one of the most scenic and most photographed spots on the Bay of Fundy! The lightkeeper's house is pictured to the right of the lighthouse.
(If any Fundy readers have a closer photo, I'd love to see it.)

Vertical tidal effect on a Bay of Fundy pier

Here's a great little time-lapse video of the tides going up and down against a wharf. It's by Fred MacDonald of Great Circle Pictures (who is across the bay from me in the Annapolis Valley region of Fundy). Fred's been documenting Fundy's amazing tidal effects in high definition film for the past year and has some never-seen-before footage. Take a look at some samples on his website - great stuff!

Twice a day this is typical sight at coastal communities all around the Bay of Fundy. Remember, in reality, it takes our massive tides 6 hrs 13 minutes to go from high to low (or vice versa).

Some of my favorite Fundy tidal harbours where you can experience this include:
(in New Brunswick) St Andrews, Blacks Harbour, St Martins, Alma
(in Nova Scotia) Advocate, Parrsboro, Halls Harbour, Harbourville, Margaretsville

Bay of Fundy Gingered Scallops

Last week I espoused the virtues of both Bay of Fundy scallops and our cherished flavour, ginger. No surprise then that I'd be inclined to combine them for a great result. Here's a favourite recipe from The Joy of Ginger cookbook (written by two gals from the region).

Foil-Baked Scallops with Ginger, Mushrooms & Water Chestnuts
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c green onion, sliced thin
1 tsp (or more) grated fresh ginger
1 tsp lemon zest
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/3 c thinly sliced water chestnuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & fresh pepper to taste
1. tsp toasted sesame oil (plus more for brushing foil)
3/4 lb Digby scallops, halved horizontally
1 Tbsp fresh coriander
-------------
Cook garlic over med. heat in skillet for 1 min. Add green onion, ginger & zest. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add mushrooms & water chestnuts, cook, stirring for 2-3 min. or until all mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Cut 2 pieces fo 12 x 20 inch foil, fold each in half (shiny side in) by bringing the short ends together. Unfold each pieces, brush centre with additional oil. Arrange half the scallops, just to one side of the fold line and top with the veg mixture. Sprinke with 1/2 tsp oil and 1 1/2 tsp coriander. Fold edges together to form sealed packets.

Bake packets in a baking sheet, mid-oven at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Transfer packets to plates, slit them open, disgard the foil. Serve with bread, rice or soba noodles.

Whitetail Deer Are Everywhere!

We've experienced more snow than usual around the Bay of Fundy this winter possibly accounting for the voluminous numbers of whitetail deer emerging out of the forest in search of food. This year deer can frequently be seen in broad daylight along the roadside, on people's lawns, and in farmer's fields. In recent weeks so many deer were crossing coastal Route 2, near Portaupique, that a travel hazard advisory was issued on Nova Scotia radio and TV stations!

Artist & jeweler, Gwen Buchanan, who lives across the Bay from me in St Martins, New Brunswick, captured this great photo of whitetail deer frolicking in her back yard.

Sussex Golden Ginger Ale - a Fundy original!

While I'm on the topic of ginger & the Bay of Fundy, you may be interested to know that our easy access to ginger in the late 1800s resulted in several ginger ale bottling plants popping up throughout the region.

Ginger ale comes in two varieties: golden ginger ale and dry ginger ale. Golden ginger ale, dark colored and strong flavored, is the older style. Dry ginger ale was developed during prohibition when ginger ale was used as a mixer for alcholic beverages because the strong flavor of golden ginger ale was undesirable. Dry ginger ale quickly surpassed golden ginger ale in popularity, and today golden ginger ale is an uncommon, and usually regional, drink.

Although I'm not sure that fresh ginger's many health benefits translate to soda pop, we all grew up having it prescribed for many childhood illnesses (flat, de-fizzed ginger ale if you were really sick!). Well, at the very least, it cheered us up by tasting great!

I'm delighted to report that there is still one Golden ginger ale available here that originated here: in the town of Sussex, New Brunswick. If you find yourself visiting the Bay of Fundy, look for Sussex Golden Ginger Ale in all corner stores!

Introducing Ginger .... a Bay of Fundy Favourite!

Ginger came to the Bay of Fundy during the great Age of Sail in the late 1700s/early 1800s when ships from our harbours regularly voyaged to the Caribbean and other ginger-growing areas of the world. Although ginger doesn't grow in our temperate climate it's maintained a close association with our region for generations.

Historically, dry ginger was used as a preservative, medicine and food spice by early immigrants from France and the U.K. Eventually ginger (in powdered, preserved and candied forms) found its way into breads, pies, cakes, marmalades, baked beans, ginger chocolates and even ice cream. As I child I didn't often encounter fresh ginger but I'm sure early tasting favourably disposed me later toward ethnic meals which feature ginger as a central ingredient. Now I use ginger in its many forms - traditional, new and zany.

Speaking of zany... if you're a ginger fan, check out the really great ginger products offered by The Ginger People. These folks are in Australia and California but, truly, produce some of the best ginger products on the planet! Gins-gins and other GP treats are available in many locations around the Bay of Fundy or online. (image of the Ginger Guy borrowed from the Ginger People website!)

Tips for Cooking Digby Scallops

Eeeeeek, I can't believe I've been Bay of Fundy blogging for a year and a half yet haven't shared my enthusiasm for Digby scallops. Digby, at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy on the Nova Scotia side, is world famous for its scallop fishery. Restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores across Canada and parts of the U.S. pride themselves in selling fresh and flash frozen Digby scallops. When buying for home use be sure to purchase either fresh or uncooked frozen scallops. (Pre-cooked frozen scallops are woody and dry).

Our sea scallops may be a bit bigger than others you've previously encountered but they're even more tender and flavourful. One of most common way we locals like to cook them is sliced (to even up the sizes) then fried in butter with minced fresh garlic and a bit of lemon juice squeezed over top. If you like your scallops to brown when cooked pat dry the moisture (with paper towel) on the raw scallops before frying them.

Be really careful not to overcook them. If sliced, they'll only take a minute or so to fry on medium heat. If whole, count on about 2 minutes per side. Overcook 'em and they'll be tough and stringy. (Give them to your dog or the seagulls and start all over - it's not worth it!)

Fox Point

Not unlike city subdivisions various geographic outcroppings of the Bay of Fundy often end up with evocative nature-names. I recently took this photo of Fox Point in Nova Scotia. The top side of the fox tail-shaped beach edges the bay; the inner side actually shelters a tidal river that fully empties at low tide.

The tide turned about an hour before I took this photo (you can tell by the band of bare beach around the end of the 'tail" below the snow line). This particular beach is connected to the mainland at the far right and never gets fully covered by the tide.

Important Job for Fundy Innkeeper's Dog

I've been keen to add more posts to my blog's "Fundy dogs" category so you can imagine my delight when I received this great story from the operators of Inn on the Cove in Saint John.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are one of the few Canadian dog breeds that truly love to work. My wife Willa and I work our dog as part of our Inn and Spa on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. He can’t do the yard work or clean the rooms but he welcomes guests with a friendly smile and does an even more important task each day. Especially when lashing rain and heavy winds beat across the bay we rely on ‘Pilot’ to do a task that few volunteer to do. On the command “get mum’s newspaper”, he dashes to the front of the property, stands on hind legs and pulls the newspaper from the box. Grabbing it securely he runs back to the Inn. Once inside he proudly prances about showing everyone that the morning paper has arrived. He then drops it at our feet and sits pretty for a well deserved dog treat.

Some years back when we had tour groups dropping in several times a week for tea and scones, our Toller was the main attraction. He always got a round of applause from the groups gathered at the front of the inn to see him get the paper. He loved the accolades. One day after getting the same paper four times for four different groups, I had a couple of guests who want to see him perform again. On command he ran from the Inn toward the paper box but quickly stopped. There was no crowd gathered waiting to applaud. He looked around apparently disappointed and slowly returned without the paper. Actors: they’re all fickle!

~ Ross Mavis, Inn on the Cove

Curious Grey Seal Rescue

I'm not sure who was more curious during this recent rescue: the rescuers or the rescuee. Last Sunday a large grey seal was spotted hiking along the roadside on highway 2 about 10 km north of the Bay of Fundy. Although it is not uncommon for seals to take a landward jaunt it was quickly determined that this seal would fare better back in its saltwater home.

Several local folk came to the rescue; a fisheries officer worked with fishermen and RCMP officers to lure the seal safely onto a tarpaulin. The adult seal (about 6 ft long and 400 lbs) was then lifted into a tractor bucket and returned to the Parrsboro harbour by a local farmer. Once at the beach the rescuers released the seal into the harbour.

Much to the delight of a newly assembled crowd of well-wishers the seal appeared not to have suffered from its excursion. It swam calmly for about 15 minutes in the inner harbour before heading out into the open waters of the bay.

Snow-capped Flower Pot

We seem to specialize in weird coastal rock formations around the Bay of Fundy. As you can imagine, 100 billion tonnes of sea water moving in and out of the Bay 2x per day has a significant impact on our coast. In areas of the Bay where sandstone is predominant the tides literally sculpt interesting shapes such as these 'flower pots' (as the locals call 'em). Clearly, this spruce-topped formation was once part of the adjacent mainland now about 100 feet away. This particular flower pot is located in Soley Cove near Bass River, Nova Scotia.

Fundy's best known flower pots are Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. The Rocks has great coastal walking trails, an interpretive centre showing how these formations are created, and easy coastal access for walking around the flower pots at low tide (see footer photo at the bottom of my blog) or kayaking around them at high tide.

What best-dressed Fundy folk are wearing this year...

A flounder boat T-shirt, of course!

I've mentioned in some of my art posts how the Bay of Fundy inspires creativity amongst citizens and visitors but this is the first time I've heard of a Fundy fishing trip inspiring T-shirt design. Apparently a flounder fishing on the Bay last summer by some folks from Pennsylvania resulted in the creation of this great T-shirt!

Now available to order should you want follow Fundy couture...

Tide out: ice-glazed mud

I'm still adjusting to my new camera but there's one feature I liked immediately - the high res optical zoom. Previously, great little coves like this were tricky to capture; this is Diligent River harbour at half tide. That's ice-glazed mud in the foreground, a flat band of receding tide across the middle and, of course, Cape Split in the background...about 10 km across the mighty Minas Channel (proposed tidal energy zone in the upper Bay of Fundy).

Bay of Fundy Ice Pebbles

When exploring the Bay of Fundy coast it's important to look down at the beach as well as out at the view. While I busily snapped away at the scenery earlier this week, my dog snuffled along the wrack line left by the receding tide.

Wrack is a great place to find little treasures - sea glass, shells, starfish amid the assorted flotsam. This time the wrack line produced something I'd never seen before: ice pebbles! Initially I thought they were bits of opaque white sea glass but, when my dog began eating them I kinda clued in. (Belle usually explores the beach with a large rock in her mouth but never swallows it!). I hope you can catch the cool contrast of the ice pebbles, the sea shells and the tumbled beach stones in this blog-sized photo.

Bay of Fundy clam license for sale

In case you've ever fancied trying your hand at commercial clam harvesting in the Bay of Fundy, you will be pleased to know that a clam license has just been posted for sale on KiJiJi. Lobster licenses sell for millions here on the Bay of Fundy, however, your foray into commercial clamming will cost a mere $1000. A caution though: it's terrifically hard work, wildly muddy and your schedule is commanded by the tide times...but, look at the bright side, you'd get to be at the bay every day!

'Countryside' in the Bay of Fundy

It seems reasonably easy to describe the Bay of Fundy in the blue, green, gold and red weather months. However, winter often goes unappreciated by those of us who live here and undiscovered by visitors. Personally, I'm mesmerized by winter around the Bay of Fundy - so many great conditions for taking photos. Any of you who play around in the photography scene would appreciate the leaden sea, snow burdened spruces, ice cakes and daily transformations of the intertidal zone.

Here's my b&w photo of a charming farmstead nestled in the Cobequid Escarpment (half way down Economy Mountain in the Minas Basin).

The Season For Strange Lobster

If you thought the blue Bay of Fundy lobster I mentioned last month was cool, take a look at this one just caught...her left side is green but her right is orange! It’s as if she was painted two colours from the centre of her body outward.

For sure this little two-toned gal is a rare, so rare that despite being too small for the official dinner table catch, she landed herself a special one-way ticket to a research aquarium at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The chances are about 1 in 30 million that a two-toned lobster (caused by genetics) will be hauled up in a trap. This one will be kept in an aquarium at BIO, where school classes and other groups can come to see her.

High to low Bay of Fundy tide in 55 seconds

In an effort to help folks figure out how this whole Bay of Fundy tide thing works, I've found myself collecting both high/low photo sets and time lapse videos. I know...most people collect stamps or spoons, but hey, each to her or his own. I did some surfing on YouTube this weekend and located this great little time lapse video taken last summer from a great clifftop vantage point. It really gives a sense of the volume of water moving into the bay on one tide cycle. Take notice particularly at the end when the Bay appears to be filling up like a bathtub! Click on these links or use the side menu to see more videos or high-low pics.

Prestigious Honour for Bay of Fundy Towns

I just heard that two of our Bay of Fundy towns placed in the top five in a national competition..... Oh, what's the competition, you ask? Well, it was the Environment Canada challenge for foggiest Canadian towns/cities...

This is no small feat, I can assure you. It took 30 years of data to compile this comprehensive list of weather winners. Only communities with populations of at least 10,000 were eligible (which rules out the many other foggy Fundy towns who would have easily been contenders!). Our Saint John, New Brunswick, and Truro, Nova Scotia, ranked 3rd and 5th respectively. Congrats!

Bay of Fundy Tidal Energy News

Looks like the Bay of Fundy, already a magnet for fossil hunters, will soon be more involved in the global quest for fossil-fuel alternatives. The Premier of Nova Scotia just announced that a tidal power demonstration project will proceed (pending a full environmental assessment). To say this will make waves on the international scene is no exaggeration. That’s because the Bay of Fundy is blessed with some of the most robust tides in the world. Hopefully, the good news will be that we are no longer dealing with dams that damage ecosystems but with the equivalent of wind turbines that churn underwater. Photo shows demo CleanTech in-stream turbine, one of the candidate companies for the project.

Twelve million dollars will now be dedicated to building a testing and research facility that will serve two purposes: the beachhead where the energy gathered by the underwater turbines is converted to electricity and a research lab where scientists will gauge the environmental, technical and commercial feasibility of harnessing the Bay of Fundy tides. It's my understanding that there is also supposed to be some kind of interpretive centre for visitors.

If it all works out, the Bay of Fundy could be transformed into an internationally significant centre of excellent for tidal power.

Fundy Tidal Power Annoucement Today!

The Premier of Nova Scotia and the Provincial Energy Minister are coming to Parrsboro today for a press conference about tidal energy. I'm kinda thinking that they are going announce which companies have been chosen to build a tidal power demonstration devices in Minas Channel area of the Bay of Fundy.

I just happen to have this handy-dandy photo of the entrance to the channel as the diplay pic on my desktop. I took this last summer at half-tide. That's Cape Blomidon in the background and the edge of Partridge Island there in the middle with the tree topping. The Channel runs between them

The Minas Basin and Minas Channel have been regarded as prime North American sites for tidal power production. Click here for an aerial view of the Minas Channel or for more info take a look at my other posts in the tidal energy section of my blog (see menu in the margin).

Watch A Mussel Grow Webcam

OK, this is really cool. The folks at FlexMussels in our neighbouring province of Prince Edward Island have a great website feature: a web cam that follows the growth of, ahem, a blue mussel. Since we also harvest mussels around the Bay of Fundy, I thought I'd make an exception to my unofficial all-things-Bay-of-Fundy blog rule and give you a chance to take a look at the little fella, here's the web cam link. Remember: patience is a virtue...

You may know by know that I'm a huge mussel fan. I see a foodie trip to PEI in my future... Check out some of my previous recipe posts: Mussels with Ginger Pesto, Blue Cheese Mussels, Green Thai Curry Mussels, Spiced Beer Mussels and Mussels Panagea.