The ghost of Hopewell Rocks?

Just after inviting folks to submit ideas for guest posts a few days ago, I received this note from an anonymous reader about the possibility of ghost roaming around - not in an old Fundy sea captain's house but - on the beach at Hopewell Rocks no less! Check this out:

Five years ago, I was visiting Hopewell Rocks and saw a ghost, or something. I was walking along the low tide beach and saw a man caught up in a tangle of maybe barbed wire or driftwood (?). There were lots of people around but it seemd that no one else could see it. I literally shook my head and rubbed my eyes but it was still there! It disappeared when I walked toward it. It was incredibly unsettling. Have you ever heard of anyone having a similar experience?

Now I can't say as I have heard about a resident ghost at The Rocks. If you have, please feel free to comment!!

Smile....Fundy's on camera!

There's probably no better way for us locals to really appreciate the Bay of Fundy than by hanging out with folks who are making their first visit here. In my job I'm often called upon to host visiting travel writers, photographers or videographers.

I still remember taking a group of travel writers down to our local fish weir - in particular, a writer from the New York Times who was nearly moved to tears upon witnessing this low-tech, historic "loaves n' fishes" way of capturing fish from Fundy's tides. In fact, it was such fascination with our lives here on Fundy that led me to think a blog about my ordinary could be your extraordinary. Perhaps that's the reason behind the wild growth of blogs on the internet.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to welcome to the Fundy shore my friend Steve Wright, with Brand Canada, and his merry duo of videographers, Matt & Brett. These boys were in the area filming some upcoming Fundy ads and we had great fun walking down on the ocean floor by the lighthouse for a couple hours before the tide came in behind us!

Happy blogday Bay of Fundy!

I'm celebrating a very exciting event on my blog today: my 400th post about the Bay of Fundy. When I started this blog two years, I was worried I'd run out of things to say about our beautiful bay...oh but no!! It's been great fun connecting both with Fundy visitors and networking in the blogosphere with Fundy residents throughout the Bay.

With a view ahead, I'd like to add a new feature to my blog: guest posts! I've be dabbling in these already with Fundy dogs and in the nature section with reports from two horticultural gardens in the region but I'd like to more formally invite you to send me a note and a photo. You can use the general blog categories for ideas.

I live in the upper Bay and, though I travel a fair bit around the whole bay, I'd love to hear more about life and times in the Fundy Isles/Passamaquoddy as well as Digby Neck & Islands in addition to your general observations from anywhere around the bay.

Email me: bayoffundy@gmail.com.

Nifty Bay of Fundy tide height map

Maps of our fabulous but somewhat complicated bay are really helpful to have. I've previously posted maps for our lobster season, the blueberry harvesting zones and to dispel myths about Fundy's location and the weather 'up' here!

Here's another map: this one from NOAA, the U.S.'s National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration. This map depicts the depth of the tide throughout the Bay...since the undersea floor of Fundy gets shallower as the tide moves further up the bay, the tides are force 'up' which is what creates the 46 to 49 ft (14 to 15 metre) tides in the two smaller bays of Fundy (top right of this photo). To put that in perspective, the Fundy tides are then 5x higher than the rest of the tides on the east coast of North America and the rest of the world!

NOAA does lots of cool ocean research on the east coast. You may recall my friend Carl, who works for NOAA, sending me some aerial Fundy photos when he flew up here to check on the progress of renos to one of his "hurricane hunter' airplanes.

Can you eat wild portulaca?

The Bay of Fundy offers up a plethora of strange edibles: dulse, goosetongue greens, periwinkles, etc. Sometimes these are things that normal people walk by a zillion times at the beach and just never consider eating. I'm a big fan of 'eating local' so I'm often wondering if there are other seaside culinary delights to invite to the plate.

Take this wild portulaca in my photos, for example. It's a typical sight in our salt marsh fringes. About 10 years ago, I remember taking an interpretive walk with a Mi'kmaw 'medicine woman' (as she called herself) who said just about everything colourful on the beach was edible!

So I'm wondering if any of my readers know: a) the proper name for the plant I'm calling wild portulaca, b) if it is edible, and, if so in what format (steamed?), and c) when best to harvest: these two photos are summer (green) and fall (red). Please feel free to let me know via the comment option. Thanks!

Fundy's glorious fall leaves

Truly, there is no better place in eastern Canada to see the autumn leaves than around the shores of the Bay of Fundy. The Bay is fringed by mixed hard and softwood forest which makes for some striking colour combinations: the brilliant yellow, orange and reds of maples and birches interspersed with dark spruce greens.

And... the added bonus of living in maple/blueberry country is blueberry bushes blasting forth with crimson leaves at this time of year. Took this photo this morning!

Fundy for 7 Wonders Quest Continues

This is so adorable...after a great article appeared in the Sunday Chronicle Herald (about our quest to have the Bay of Fundy become a "New7Wonder of Nature") I received a phonecall during turkey dinner from a 90-year old lady in Halifax wondering what she could do to make Fundy win!! She doesn't have internet so she can't vote but she really lifted my spirits and made me think that Fundy can absolutely win the first round of this contest. There is so much support out there!

The most pressing milestone is Dec. 31, 2008, when ONE Canadian site (from 5 that made the short list) will be selected to continue on to the next round of this international contest). If you haven't already voted, please VOTE FUNDY soon!

Oh yes, the contest (and Fundy!) was also mentioned by CTV's Travel Expert, Loren Christie, on a recent episode of Canada AM.

Ocean speed limit set to protect whales

Here's a bit of good news for Right whales that's been a long time coming: on the United States' Atlantic coast this week, a speed limit of 11 knots has been set for ships 65 feet or longer that travel within 23 miles of major ports, as well as in areas where the North Atlantic Right whale breeds, feeds and migrates.

This is of particular interest to the Bay of Fundy because Right whales (migrating to their summer feeding here from the U.S. coasts of Georgia & North Carolina) swim by all those major U.S. ports. Northern Right whales are an endangered species (only 300 to 400 remain) and their most serious threat is ship strikes, which kill 1 to 2 whales per year.

For more info, check out the group that spearheaded this initiative, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration - NOAA's website.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

One of my favourite treats to offer returning relatives on Thanksgiving weekend is pumpkin choc chip squares: proof that anything takes better when chocolate is involved!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Squares
2 1/4 c. white flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking sode
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 beaten eggs
1/2 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
2 c. pure cooked pumpkin (canned OK)
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Sift first 5 ingredients together in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine. Fold in choc chips. Cook in a 9 x 13 pan, 325 degrees F, for about 45 minutes.

The mysterious Isle Haute

There's a mysterious island out in the middle of the upper Bay of Fundy that is the subject of some curiosity around here. Isle Haute is easily seen off the coast of Advocate Harbour & Morden on the Nova Scotia side of the bay, and also from Alma on the New Brunswick side.

Here are a few intriguing facts/rumours/folklore I've heard about Isle Haute:

1. there is buried treasure out there, dating from the 1700s. Check out an interesting article published in a local newspaper about this last month.
2. the island is topped by a huge fresh water lake - not true according to an Acadia Univ. biologist I recently discussed this with!
3. it was named by Samuel de Champlain (the first European adventurer - from France - who claimed to discover and settle the area in 1604). This makes sense: Isle meaning "island" in French, Haute meaning 'high'...tho' we locals tend say: "Isla Haute" for some reason...its basalt cliffs are about 320 ft high!
4. wild potatoes have been growing there for several hundred years (and were noted by the area's first peoples: the Mi'kmaq).
5. there are no wild animals out on the island any larger than a mouse.
6. the island was using as a training site by the Canadian airforce during the 2nd world war.
7. once used as a picnic location by many Fundy families, the island is now mostly just visited by researchers studying the plant life, birds, etc.
   

I don't have a boat that can get me safely into the one safe access point on the island (did I mention all the shipwrecks!) so I must share a couple photos I took recently from the mainland side. If any readers know of other myths about Isle Haute or, if you have photos to share from the island itself, please feel free to email me: bayoffundy@gmail.com.

Tumbled beach at French Cross

As you can imagine, the 100 billion tonnes of sea water that moves in and out of the Bay of Fundy impacts our beaches in a variety of ways. Here's an interesting example of how Fundy's waves grab craigy pillars of basalt off the tall cliffs then tumbled them on the beach below. The result?... smooth, giant pebbles such as these at French Cross in Morden, Nova Scotia.

Check out the beachscapes tab here on my blog for more images of beaches like sculpted sandstone, sandy, mud flats, and reefed beaches.

Fundy seabird may hold key to aging & cancer

Here's a random bit of Bay of Fundy science news: one of our sea birds, the storm-petrel, may hold the key to why some animals live longer, healthier lives while others survive only a few years

You don't need to be a scientist to observe that there is usually a relationship between body size and life span: elephants live longer humans, humans live longer than mice, etc. So storm-petrels (about the size of a robin) shouldn’t live long, but they actually live about 40 years.

Scientist Mark Haussmann, an assistant professor of biology at Bucknell University (Pensylvania, U.S.A.), has been researching Leach's storm-petrels at the Bay of Fundy's Kent Island. His studies show that storm-petrels have certain DNA characteristics – specifically lengths of the protective telomeres at the tips of DNA – that are associated with species that live longer lives and possibly with how susceptible they are to cancer-causing tumors. His work may have far-reaching implications with our understanding of the factors contributing to aging and cancer growth.

By the way, Kent Island, New Brunswick, was purchased as a sanctuary to save the dwindling eider duck population and a scientific research centre was later established by Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Lots of cool stuff going on at the biological field station at Kent Island (5.4 miles/9 km south of Grand Manan Island).

Look what the tide dragged in...

We caught the tail end of hurricane a couple days ago here in the Bay of Fundy. These storms have several interesting effects on our bay:
- they're usually preceded with a few days of warm, tropical winds
- they often cause 'storm surges' (higher tides) if they happen to arrive near the high tide time
- their wild winds whip up 'activity' on our beaches. This could mean the smoothing of a previously rocky beach (or vice versa) or the deposit of something interesting, such as star fish, ice pebbles or even a catch of regular fish.

On my daily dog walk just after this storm I spied apples entangled in a mile-long stretch of wrack line (the row of flotsam left when the tide turns to go back out). Presumably the hurricane swept apples off some distant trees (there are no apple trees anywhere near this beach) then brought them in with the heavy tides.

Here's a photo of Belle, my yellow lab, looking as puzzled as I was with this unique find!

Lobster ice cream

In recent years it's become quite a popular pastime for people to make their own ice cream at home. If you are so inclined, you may wish to consider making Lobster Ice Cream. Yes, it is technically possible to take lobster meat (fresh cooked is good but canned is fine too), douse it in butter then fold it into ice cream while you churn it.

We've got an abundance of lobster here around the Bay of Fundy, yet I don't know of any Fundy restaurants who serve this commercially (yet). In the meantime, Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium in nearby Bar Harbor, Maine sells a good volume of it! You can order it off their website.

Since its debut, Ben & Bill's Lobster Ice Cream has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and has been featured on the Food Network's Roker on the Road, Road Tested, and on The Today Show.

(photo credit: Ben & Bill's)

Right whale article in National Geographic

The endangered North Atlantic Right whales that feed in the Bay of Fundy every summer and fall as part of their annual migration are of great interest not only to our visitors, whale researchers and conservationists but also to nature writers.

Over the past two years, staff at the New England Aquarium have spent a great deal of time with a writer & photographer who were dedicated to learning about the plight of Right whales. This research culminated in a Right whale feature in the October 2008 issue of National Geographic. It's a stunningly beautiful and compellingly written article that will teach many more people about these magnificent creatures and their struggle for survival. (Neanderthal Man is on the issue's cover if you look for it on a magazine stand!).

Bay of Fundy in your mouth...brush thoroughly!

Here's a quirky fact for the strange but true section of my blog: if you are using toothpaste in North America there is a fair possibility that you are putting a small part of the Bay of Fundy in your mouth every day....

A section of our Bay that was once a tropical sea (during the Carboniferous period of geological time) is now a massive sedimentary deposit of gypsum. This is quite visible here, even from the roadside, as raw gypsum cliffs. I took this photo just off the 102 highway at St Croix near Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Our Fundy gypsum is shipped to the United States where, in addition to being made into wall board for construction (think: Gyprock), it is purified and (small amounts) are used in the making of toothpaste. So, the next time you brush your teeth give us your biggest Bay of Fundy smile! :o)

Bay of Fundy widow's walk

In addition to Queen Anne and Victorian-inspired architectural features, Bay of Fundy sea captain's houses are also known for their "widow's walks". Widow's walks are railed rooftop platforms originally designed to enable those remaining at home to watch vessels at sea. Since so many ships and crew were lost during the Age of Sail, this design feature ended up being named after the widows left behind.

All folklore aside, there's also a practical reason for these platforms: they are often built around or near the home's chimney which allows for easy access in the event of a chimney fire. Historically - before fire departments - residents poured sand down a chimney to smother flue fires. Lots of room for buckets of sand atop this Fundy house I recently photographed!

Tree pumpkins

You don't have to go very far around the Bay of Fundy to notice it's harvest time again. Farm markets burgeon with all types of produce, farmers' fields are full of fruit, and "you pick" stands for veggies and fruit are plentiful.

This week I was amused to see these photos from my friend Trish who works at the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia: pumpkins growing in trees! Apparently staff had been dumping organic matter in a low area just off the garden's lookoff and there were, apparently, pumpkin seeds in the mix. The pumpkin vines wandered up a nearby tree and, voila, a couple pumpkins grew - making a funky pumpkin tree.

Can this be mud?

Although visitors to the Bay of Fundy are quite intent upon seeing the tide in at its full vertical height of 40ish feet, I am constantly intrigued by our shoreline at low tide - when our 100 billion tonnes of seawater is out bulging in the Atlantic ocean somewhere. It's at low tide that Fundy turns awesome if only you have the time and inclination to discover it.

This morning I took an early morning walk along the centuries old Acadian dykes at low tide from Port Williams to Wolfville, Nova Scotia. On one side of me, salt marsh and mud; on the other side, lush farmland. Not ideal weather for photography - the light was diffused by random clouds and early morning shadows - but Fundy surprised me again and the pictures took themselves. My photos of mud are usually ooey, gooey chocolatey but not this morning - today they were soft planks of pewter.

Lupines are back!

When we get a particularly long growing season like this year, lupines will sometimes made a second bloom in September or October. We were out hiking on Saturday when we noticed purple and white lupines boldly blooming alongside their unlikely autumn companions: choke cherries, goldenrod, and blackberries (see photo).

Most folks around the Bay of Fundy know lupines as one of our first wildflowers, usually making an appearance in mid-June - always in time to be the decorating flower of choice for our high school proms!

Drinking Fundy Mist

Tea drinkers who frequent specialty tea & coffee shops are likely aware of a fine little beverage: London Fog (also known as Vanilla Tea Misto). It consists of steamed milk, vanilla syrup and Earl Grey Tea. I was prowling the Bay of Fundy this week and ended up in a coffee shop (The Designer Cafe on Main Street in Kentville, Nova Scotia) where I discovered a fun Fundy-themed tea variation: Fundy Mist. This drink consists of steamed milk, hazelnut syrup and Chai tea (tea bag not latte gloop). It's the perfect drink for a fresh foggy/misty Fundy day!

By the way, their apple cinnamon buns or zucchini-chocolate chip muffins and regular panini n' fresh soup or salad options were also excellent!

Hang-gliding Fundy updrafts

I've previously mentioned how the Bay of Fundy's "updrafts" (caused when wind off the water hits the foot of our abrupt cliffs then bolts upward) sometimes cause cascading fog but I've not mentioned that the same winds blow well for hang-gliding and paragliding 'round these parts.

Last weekend, I chanced to catch these folks get 'lift off' from the cliff edge in Port Greville, Nova Scotia. If you know your Fundy geography you may recognize Cape Split there across the Minas Channel - just a few miles across by air but 3 hrs drive around!!

I believe these flyers were taking lessons with Pegasus Paragliding, Atlantic Canada's only paragliding school based nearby...gives a whole new meaning to 'go jump off a cliff'!

Do Fundy shipbuilders build houses?

Although the Age of Sail has long since passed there is one extraordinary legacy that remains in villages, towns and cities throughout the Bay of Fundy: sea captain's houses.

The same folks who designed and built ships to sail around the world in the 1800s also tried their hand, very successfully, at domestic design. During the Age of Sail it was de rigueur that any ship's captain worth his salt had an appropriately grand, worldwide-travel-inspired home with a commanding view of his harbour.

I've previously posted about my own sea captain's house with its three-story turret and bay windows, and here's another fine example of Fundy ship's captain architecture: the St Martins Country Inn in St Martins, New Brunswick.

This home was built by Captain Vaughan in 1857, modeled after a home his wife had seen in the French Riveria! Design-wise this house has some typical sea captain's house features: two story 3-bay windows, mixed gables (those builders sure liked a challenge!), harbour-view verandah, and detailed "gingerbread" trim.

Bay of Fundy's famous ghost ship

Any mention of the Age of Sail and Spencer's Island leads naturally to the true story of Fundy's famous ghost ship: the Mary Celeste. The Mary Celeste was 100 ft brigantine built in Spencer's Island in 1861 as the Amazon. The ship was thought to be cursed due to numerous misadventures, including a maiden voyage collision in London, a 1868 grounding in Cape Breton (after which she was repaired and renamed the Mary Celeste), and her most extraordinary adventure as follows:

In November, 1872, the vessel sailed from New York, bound for Italy, with its captain, captain's wife, their two-year old daughter (this was commonly done then!) and a crew of seven along with a full cargo of alcohol. A few weeks later the Mary Celeste was discovered moving at full sail toward the Strait of Gilbralter but completely abandoned. There was no sign of a struggle, fire or explosion of any sort. The valuable cargo, money box, ship's log, etc. still remained and folklore has it that dinner was cooking and the table was set!

Theories abound about what could have happened. The mystery was never solved but the tale, at the time, was widely popularized by a Sir Arther Conan Doyle (the Sherlock Holmes guy!) short story. Other books have since been written exploring the various theories about our ghost ship.

(above painting by an unknown artist of the Mary Celeste as the Amazon in 1861)

Sunset at Spencer's Island

Of all the sights I typically photograph around the Bay of Fundy, I rarely take a photo of a sunset. However, when I stepped out of my car at Spencer's Island (on the loop from Parrsboro to Joggins to Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia) into this textured and tinted scene, well, what could I do?

During the Age of Sail Fundy's little villages and towns were abustle with the design, construction and launching of huge ships that sailed around the world. This was especially true in the upper part of the Bay where the receding tides provided a natural dry dock for both construction and repairs.

It doesn't take much imagination then, for a local, to picture a barkentine or brigantine in this picture. I must say I had John O'Brien on my mind when I took this photo - having just attended a show at Ship's Company Theatre about his life and work as Nova Scotia painter of ship portraits at the height of the Age of Sail. I think this is just the sort of pre-storm sky he may have fancied!

Peach & plum bruschetta

There's a voluminous amount of yellow plums on our old plum tree again this year. A few years ago I made up this bruschetta recipe as a way of using up too many plums! Both plums and peaches are readily available from Bay of Fundy farm markets at through late August and September.

Peach & Plum Bruschetta
6 ripe field tomatoes, fist-sized
4 to 6 ripe peaches, peeled
6 to 8 ripe plums, leave skin on
1/2 large purple or red onion (or use green onion stems if you don't like onions)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp or more ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp or more ground nutmeg
2 tsp dried basil
salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
fresh black pepper to taste
TOP:
grated fresh parmesan cheese
2 loaves French baguette, narrow or wide

Remove and discard seeds from tomatoes. Small dice all fruit & veg. Toss in bowl with seasonings. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. Spread layer of bruschetta mix on bread slices, top with grated parmesan. (Toast slices baguette first if you don't like your topping to soak the bread). Broil at low heat til heated through. Make more than you think you'll need....they're addictive!

Heath & heather at Kingsbrae Garden

Just after posting about wild heather in Bay of Fundy marshes a few days ago, I had a note from a friend who works at Kingsbrae Garden in St Andrews, New Brunswick:

Our Heath & Heather Garden is one of my favourites at Kingsbrae Garden. I find it a very restful garden, as the colours are gentle, the shapes of all the plants and beds, curvy and soft, with the path meandering through. No straight lines here! It's a great spot for a little meditative break. The heathers bloom at different times of the year, so there's always colour, set against the various greens, from chartreuse through blue-greens, of evergreens and cedar hedge.

Some winters the heathers have a difficult time; they do like a protective layer of mulch -- whether of snow or vegetative matter -- so they are not continually thawing and refreezing. That's true of most plants, but many of the heathers are borderline for our zone. Having the high hedge and wall on one side and our 8 acres of virgin Acadian forest on the other side does buffer them from the harshest winds. Of course, we can't always count on thick snow cover throughout the coldest months, but most years, they manage just fine.

By the way, the scientific name for heather is Calluna vulgaris and for heath, Erica. The many heathers we have in our Heath & Heather garden are compiled in a photo series on Flickr, in case any of your blog readers are interested in knowing more. ~ Maureen
I'd actually happened to have this photo of Kingsbrae's Heath & Heather Garden in my photo gallery - from my visit a couple weeks ago.

Purple heather in the marsh

I seem to have a bit of a Scottish theme running in my blog this month: first the wild thistle post then the Cullen Skink recipe, and now, purple heather!

On my beach walk this evening I noticed that our purple heather is starting to bloom. Heather also grows wild in Scotland (if you don't believe me check out famous Scot, Rod Stewart's version of the traditional tune, Purple Heather, on YouTube). Here around the Bay of Fundy it only blooms in the fall, whereas I think in Scotland it blooms both spring and fall.

Our wild heather doesn't grow as much on hills but rather around Fundy salt marshes and it's 99.8% purple, with rare glimpses of bright pink. White heather is rare both here and in Scotland, where a sprig of it is said to bring good luck. Keep your eyes peeled!

Fundy take on a traditional stag

Friends of ours hosted a uniquely Bay of Fundy-themed stag party last week: mud sliding and river rafting the tidal bore on the Shubenacadie River. I've known lots of people who've done this adventure for no reason but it's more profound as the framework for a ritualistic event such as a stag. Something kinda testosteroneish about fellas pushin' each other around in the mud and throwin' each other overboard. Typical of many stags, the event was captured on camera, so I'm pleased to share these rare glimpses of this Fundy-style, pre-nuptial male bonding ritual. Dude: the flying mud slidin' man is awesome - Thanks guys!!

P.S. that's not chocolate milk they're in - it's the silty, warm Shubenacadie River!

Those little blue berries are back!

Visitors to the Bay of Fundy often think it's rather quaint that we grow and harvest wild blueberries. Indeed, at this time of year, it is delightful to look out across the woodland-edged, blue-tinted fields. ( Perhaps not so fun if you are one of the scoopers who hand rakes berries on hilly post-glacial drumlins such as these in my photo!).

Blueberries are also a huge industry here around the Bay of Fundy. The complete global harvest of wild blueberries occurs in our region (as well as the neighbouring Canadian province of Quebec and the U.S. state of Maine). When you eat wild blueberries anywhere in the world (tonnes of them even go to Asia), you're likely enjoying berries from our region.
For previous postings of blueberry recipes on my blog, take a look at the recipe section or search "blueberries" in the google search window on the left.

Recipe for Cullen Skink

In case my last post ignited your interest in trying Cullen Skink, here's the recipe:

Cullen Skink
A large smoked haddock (weighing around 2 lb - you can get many varieties of smoked fish at markets in the Bay of Fundy region)
1 medium onion, finely chopped.
2 cups (900ml) milk
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz mashed or small chunked potato
Salt and fresh pepper
1 bay leaf
Chopped parsley
Water
Triangles of toast

Cover the smoked haddock with water, in a shallow pan, skin side down. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes, turning once. Take the haddock from the pan and remove the skin and bones. Break up the fish into flakes, return to the stock and add the chopped onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Strain, remove the bay leaf but retain the stock and fish. Add the milk to the fish stock and bring back to the boil. Add enough mashed or soft potato chunks to create the consistency you prefer (don't be afraid to make it rich and thick!). Add the fish and reheat. Check for seasoning. Just before serving, add the butter in small pieces so that it runs through the soup. Adorn with parsley, serve with toast triangles. Auch, yah!

Seaside deck dining at Gables

I've several favourite eateries in St Andrews, New Brunswick. In summer, especially, The Gables Restaurant on the waterfront tops the list. The menu is varied and fun, the beverages are plenty, the harbourside a-tree-grows-through-it deck fabulous, the atmosphere light and the staff always jovial.

I think the owner (or chef) is Scottish which means some peculiar items occasionally turn up on the menu, such as Tuesday night's special this week: Cullen Skink. This is a traditional Scottish soup often made with beef (em, not so thrilling for me, the pescetarian....) but there's also a version with smoked fish. As a Scottish descendant myself (well, it's 6 generations ago, but hey...), I do consider myself predisposed to admire foods from the 'old country'. We ordered it, of course.... an it was great! Apparently, this item only appears on the menu a few times a year.

P.S. this is also the perfect spot for a fresh lobster feed!

New adventure to Minister's Island

I've previously mentioned access to Minister's Island in St Andrews, New Brunswick, as one of the best places to appreciate several aspects of the tide. At low tide, visitors can walk or drive across the exposed beach from the mainland to the island; at high tide, that same stretch of beach is under a huge amount of water.

Until this year you had to scoot out to the island (less than 1 mile from the mainland) and back within the low tide time window (about 6 hrs). However, this summer you've got another option: a small (11 psgr) pontoon ferry has been added to enable you to motor over to the island at high tide then walk back at low tide (or vice versa). I tried this yesterday - lotsa fun!

The island is home to several walking trails (including one through a long, historic cedar hedge) as well as the former Van Horne Estate - now open to the public.

A boy's life on the Bay

I'm in St Andrews, New Brunswick, for a few days this week and had the chance to go out on the water tonight in search of whales. Sometimes Fundy sends you what you weren't expecting though...sure, we found whales, but I was as much intrigued by a few other classic Bay of Fundy coastal images.

Take this one: a small boy perched on the prow of his family's small fishing boat as it motored across the sunset. Doing nothing by some boys' definition but everything by others'. Just an ordinary night on the water among the islands of Passamaquoddy Bay ... and it made me smile.

Lennie Gallant sings about Bay of Fundy

I've been thinking that our plight to have the Bay of Fundy in the Top 7 in the New7Wonders of Nature international contest would benefit from a theme song. Fortunately, well known singer/songwriter Lennie Gallant has just the song: "Pull of The Fundy Tide" and he's delighted to have us use it during the 7Wonders campaign. Thanks Lennie!!

I'm blushing because I've been a fan of Lennie's music for ages and I think it's sweet of him to lend a hand to our very worthwhile cause.

Lennie has released seven albums (six in English and one in French) which have won him a host of awards and nominations from the JUNO Awards, East Coast Music Awards and Gala des Prix Éloizes. Over 30 artists have recorded his songs, including Jimmy Buffett, who recently invited Gallant to perform it onstage with him. His songs have also appeared in feature films, television series, and in numerous theatrical productions. Gallant has toured all over North America and in Europe with his band, in acoustic settings, and/or with symphony orchestras. I've seen him in concert several times.

And, this is cool: Lennie is a Member of the Order of Canada, our highest honour for a civilian!

"Pull of the Tides" (order it from iTunes) is from Lennie's Live album. Check out some sample tunes and videos on his website.

Beluga whale takes a vacation in Bay of Fundy

It seems we have an unexpected visitor to the Bay of Fundy: a 2-year old Beluga whale! Bay of Fundy is home to many species of whales including Right whales, finbacks, humpbacks, minkes, seis, but not Belugas. It's believed that this beluga somehow separated from its family pod, perhaps living in the St Lawrence seaway (well north of the Bay of Fundy) or even the Arctic. Belugas are occasionally spotted at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, down by Brier Island, Grand Manan Island, etc. where the rest of our whales congregate, but never off the coast of Cape Chignecto Provincial Park where this little fellow has been hanging out.

The locals have named him "Q" (Jian Ghomeshi at CBC's radio program "Q" would be proud!) and have been enjoying his antics. Still, whale researchers caution that too much human contact would not be good and that there's a reason that Belugas don't normally visit the Bay of Fundy: conditions here, though perfect for our other whales, are not ideal for Belugas. Whale researchers are assessing the situation with hopes that Q will tire of his summer vacation and head back home to his family.

McLobster anyone?

It's not only Bay of Fundy fish n' chip joints and modern bistros that get in the mood for developing local culinary delights each season; here you'll also witness such stalwarts as McDonald's shaking up its menu. Many of our fast food restaurants offer a limited-time-offer rendition of a Fundy favourite: the somewhat ordinary, but really quite tasty, "lobster roll".

The recipe is quite simple:

• mix fresh lobster bits with mayo, salt & pepper
• edge with lettuce
• then fill a toasted or grilled hot dog bun.
  

In true McDonald's fashion the lobster roll is titled: "McLobster". Seasonal availability (usually just summer) is announced on the classic outdoor slotted billboard as evidenced by the photo I took this week.

Wild thistles & the Scotland connection

The hollyhocks and delphiniums in my garden have bloomed and waned, as have many roadside blossoms like lupines, but there are still several wild flowers in full bloom. I captured this cliffside photo of the wild Canadian thistle yesterday while hiking.

I suppose many folks would label this common Bay of Fundy prickly plant as a noxious weed but I rather enjoy it as a visible reminder of my Scottish ancestry. Thistle is the national flower of Scotland, symbolizing nobility of character.

Thistle has been credited with helping Scotland fend off Viking invasions in the 1200s. As the Vikings moved into Scotland for a sneak attack, they yelled out in pain when they stumbled through thistle plants. Their cries alerted the Scots and allowed them to push out the Vikings. Since then, thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland. Thistle was probably introduced to our region as an ornamental plant by Scottish settlers in the 1800s.

Seafood cambozola linguine at Kellock's

When I wake up in a next life, I think I'd like to be a chef or a restaurateur. In the meantime, I'm content to wander the Bay of Fundy in search of indigenous foods and funky bistros.

While in the Annapolis Valley region of the Bay of Fundy recently, I visited a favourite eatery: Kellock's in Berwick, Nova Scotia. This restaurant is located in a smartly restored heritage house (love that tin ceiling) on the main street. My two top choice menu items are Thai Curried Chicken and the Cambozola Linguine with Mussels, Scallops, Shrimp (pictured here). The Friday night special is always great and they really know how to cook local fish properly. That's always a relief!

Cool new outdoor exhibits at Fundy National Park

I think we’re very lucky to have a system of national parks, national historic sites and marine conservation areas in Canada that is recognized one of the finest and most extensive in the world. The Bay of Fundy's Fundy National Park (Alma, New Brunswick) is one of Canada’s oldest and most popular; it was established in 1948 and attracts about a quarter million visitors annually!

Fundy National Park just launched a multi-year “EcoIntegrity” project to educate visitors through new interpretative experiences. Part of this new program is new insight into park ecosystems, natural beauty and cultural contexts through more engaging exhibits. One of the first new sets of interpretive panels were unveiled last week in the park at Hueston Brook. What’s behind the New Brunswick tartan curtain being unveiled at the ribbon cutting ? Well, why not go to Fundy National Park to find out!

NIfty tidal power video

It's probably no surprise that our massive tides are not only of interest to tourists but also to alternative energy folks. After an international tidal power study identified Bay of Fundy as the top worldwide site for tidal power, there's been a flurry of interest in such development here in my 'backyard'. I just came across a nifty 8 minute video from one of the companies (SeaGen) who has already installed tidal turbines in the U.K. It's a short documentary with some animations showing how generators (like the one in this photo) work.

In the Bay of Fundy, early assessments of our tidal power potential include proposals to develop an interpretation centre to better share the project with the public. Now that 'green is keen', I think folks would be really interested in learning more about tidal power while on vacation, don't you?

This beach will make you laugh

Now here's an instance of the Bay of Fundy mud looking so red that it might confuse a few of our visitors. Some could even think it looks rather like the surface of Mars where, say, someone like Marvin the Martian would vacation....I just happened to be in the area when I snapped this lucky shot of our little Looney Tunes friend relaxing at the beach.

On a completely unrelated note, scientists recently found water on Mars. Coincidence? I think not!

This beach will make you cry

Perhaps I should have a category on my blog for "Bay of Fundy beaches so beautiful they make you cry" but I suppose this topic permeates this blog anyway. Still...one of the lesser known aspects of Fundy is the variety and extraordinary beauty of the beaches. Unlike regular coasts, our 5x-higher-than-anywhere-else tides create some exquisite beachscapes.

You can see that Fundy provided an unusual perch from which I viewed its vast expanse of low tide beach at Medford, NS. I recommend walking our sandstone beaches in bare feet...a natural pedicure, true, but also a way of exploring the beach with your full senses, which will get you closer to the crying part. (P.S. white pants not generally recommended!)