Cormorants & dinosaurs!

I certainly don't claim to know much about the millons of year that dinosaurs roaming Bay of Fundy - let's leave that to the fine folks at the Fundy Geological Museum and Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Nova Scotia) and the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John (New Brunswick).

Really though, if you look 'sideways' at some of today's animals, it's quite easy to believe that they evolved from dinosaurs. OK this connection may be tricky to see in your puppy or your budgie but how about a crocodile (not in Fundy!) or a whale (lots in Fundy).

For me, there is something about cormorants that makes me believe in dinosaurs. Cormorants are not most charming of birds: they're awkward, aggressive and strong....kind of pterodactyl-like? or so I think when I see them on my daily dog walk to the beach....

Will the 'Bay of Fundy' site be chosen to be one of the New7Wonders?

I brake for sticky buns!

One of my favourite memories of touring the Bay of Fundy occured when a tour group I was guiding many years ago commandeered the coach and MADE us stop for "sticky buns" at Kelly's Bakery in the village of Alma, New Brunswick.

My earnest attempt to keep the group 'on schedule' instantly became irrelevant when I tasted one of these famous 'sticky buns'....they're like a really poofy cinnamon bun about the size of a large fist. Whenever I'm in Alma I always make a point to buy one fresh from Kelly's (as well as take a dozen to lock in the trunk so we have a half chance of making it home together)....

pure carb delight and a 'must stop' attraction in Alma!

A Sweet Sign of Spring

One sure sign of spring on the Bay of Fundy is the beginning of the maple sugar season. Rain and warmer daytime temperatures in recent days mean that the sap is now flowing.

Every spring, maple producers in our region journey into their sugar woods to collect sap from maple trees. Sap is a clear liquid and tastes like fresh spring water. However, once it's boiled, sap takes on its distinctive maple flavour.

There are many family owned & operated maple sugar camps around the upper part of the Bay of Fundy (see posts from previous years about our family's camp) but one that really stands out is Sugar Moon Farm in Earltown (near Truro, NS).

This family has successfully transformed the 6-8 week long maple season into a year round experience with demonstrations, a log cabin restaurant, sugar camp tours & interpretative programming, sugar bush hiking trails, maple products for sale and even guest Chefs' Nights featuring a maple dining extravaganza with the province's finest chefs!! They are also a member of the Atlantic Economusee Network of artisans who celebrate and share traditional crafts or trades.

It's great to have this sugar farm in operation year round. As you might expect, we don't get many tourists visiting Bay of Fundy in early March so with Sugar Moon Farm even our summer and fall visitors can get a glimpse of this important part of our heritage! Maple syrup FAQs.

Winter Bay of Fundy from space

One summertime FAQ we hear from visiting tourists is "what happens here in the winter?". Well, now you can see for yourself. Check out this NASA daily image from space showing a light dusting of snow all around the Bay of Fundy.

So here's the scoop on our winter: We're in the northern hemisphere so yeah, we get some snow. It doesn't always snow by Christmas (didn't this year) and doesn't snow much after mid-March.

Snow storms do not happen every day. They are usually spaced about a week to ten days apart, with clear sunny or cloudy days in between. It is not as cold here as it is 'up north' in the Arctic. Temperatures here in winter range from plus 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) to -15 C (around 5 degrees F). For a few days here and there usually in Feburary it can go as low as -20 or -25 C at night (around 0 degrees F).

The Bay made up of salt water from the Atlantic ocean so it doesn't 'freeze over' like a lake. If we're lucky though we get some ice cakes or small ice burgs. And, just to set the record straight: none of us live in igloos....

iPad launch & new7wonders connection

If you like to keep up with techie news, you probably watched Apple's iPad launch last week. Imagine my delight when Phil Schiller, Senior VP of Worldwide Produt Marketing, started to demonstrate the iPad's 'Keynote' function and used the global New7Wonders campaign images to do this!

The Bay of Fundy, as you likely know, is competing in an international campaign to declare the New7Wonders of Nature. We are Canada's only site in the campaign and, now, one of only 28 worldwide finalists. You can support Bay of Fundy by voting here or joining our Facebook "Fundy for New7Wonders of Nature" fan page or by following us on Twitter.

What great exposure for the New7Wonders concept to be included in the iPad's launch.
(Keynote, by the way, is the Mac version of PowerPoint)

"The Seacaptain's Wife" ~ new Bay of Fundy book

Anyone growing up in Bay of Fundy ship building communities commonly heard stories of folks who spent their early years traveling the world on ships built and captained from our shores. Indeed, it's well-known that not only men voyaged on these vessels but also their wives, sisters and children.

The women's side of the seafaring story is rarely fictionalized which is why I'm very excited to read Beth Powning's new book The Sea Captain's Wife. Here's an excerpt of a review in the Chroncle Herald:

Epic in its emotional intensity, The Sea Captain’s Wife charts both the inner and outer worlds of the young protagonist; her longing to sail, her romance and marriage to Capt. Nathaniel Bradstock, her resignation to life on land, the scandal that forces the couple to flee with their child to London, and the hardships encountered during the ocean voyage that takes them there.

Available to order on Chapters.com

Happy birthday, Robert Burns!

Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, once wrote: "Nae man can tether time or tide". For this quote alone (not to mention all the Scottish connections from our part of the country), I welcome Robbie Burns as an honorary Bay of Fundy-ite.

On Robbie's birthday January 25, or the Saturday nearest this date, people around the world celebrate his life & poetry and their Scottish heritage.

Each year our family feasts and dances with about 200 other kilted Bay of Fundy Scottish descendents (ages 2 to 90!) at the annual Burns night dinner and ceilidh (dance) in Port Williams, Nova Scotia.

I'm dusting off my kilted skirt and getting ready this weekend for the speeches as well as a fine meal of neeps, tatties, and haggis (and, who knows, perhaps even a wee dram o' scotch!).

Wow! Hollywood celeb endorses Bay of Fundy for New7Wonders

Insider celebrity scoop here on the bay today! We are really excited to announce that hunky Hollywood actor James Tupper has just lent his support to Bay of Fundy in the New7Wonders of Nature.

Wanna know more about James & the significance of this endorsement? here's the scoop...

James Tupper, born in Nova Scotia, is well known for his current role as Dr. Chris Sands in the highly-rated NBC primetime medical drama “Mercy”. James Tupper is rated by US Weekly as one of 2009’s “Sexiest Stars” and recently made TV Guide’s coveted “Sexiest Men on TV” list.

Here's what James has to say about Fundy:

“I am so excited that the Bay of Fundy is representing Canada in the contest,” stated Mr. Tupper. “Through its online voting campaign so many more people will discover and appreciate the extraordinary natural wonder created by world’s highest tides.

While growing up on Canada’s east coast I spent my summers exploring the Bay of Fundy and as a child walking on the ocean floor at low tide was absolutely mesmerizing to me. To be able to explore the beach where only a few hours’ earlier tides were the height of a 4-story building…now that’s adventure! And because of the Bay’s crazy tides, it’s also the only place in the world where fishermen have to climb a ladder for their daily catch.”

James Tupper currently divides his time between his coastal homes in Los Angeles and Vancouver, BC. Tupper is also well-known to TV audiences for his role as “Jack” alongside his real-life partner, actress Anne Heche, in NBC’s “Men in Trees”, and for his guest appearances alongside Christina Applegate in “Samantha Who?”

Released in December 2009, James Tupper stars opposite Zac Efron and Claire Danes as the title character’s best friend, in the screen-adaptation of the best-selling novel, “Me And Orson Welles”.

Remember: you can vote for Bay of Fundy on votemyfundy.com and you can post what you love about Fundy plus your fav Fundy pix on "Official Bay of Fundy For New7Wonders Facebook Fan Page"

Chef Lynn's "lobster immersion" in Bay of Fundy

Last summer the 'word was out' that we had a celebrity visitor here in Bay of Fundy: Chef Lynn Crawford from the Food Network. Chef Lynn just launched her new series, "Pitchin' In", where she travels around the world to discover the source of the freshest of ingredients.

Her first episode was filmed here on Brier Island, Nova Scotia, and the topic is LOBSTER, of course!

The episode aired this week but if you missed it you can watch it online at the Food Network. I love the good people of Brier Island who showed her a good time way out in the mouth of the Bay of Fundy...seems fitting for a chef, don't you think?

Bay of Fundy's longest driftwood beach part of Mi'kmaq legend

There is a Mi’kmaq legend that tells of a meeting requested by all the animals living in the Bay of Fundy: a meeting with Kluskap!

The animals living at the mouth of the bay said the water levels were getting higher, flooding the fields and swelling the brooks and streams. The animals living in the upper bay were saying, “There is no water in the bay - it’s too dry!”

Upon investigating, Kluskap found the dam of Kopit (Beaver) across the bay. Kluskap told Kopit what was happening on both sides of the dam and asked him to remove it. Kopit said that what happened to the other animals was of no concern to him. Kluskap said that it was of concern to him and that he had promised to correct it.

Kluskap enlisted the help of Putup (Whale) to take down the dam. When Putup did so the tidal water levels in the Bay of Fundy returned to normal as did the way of life for all animals.

In the upper Bay of Fundy near Advocate, Nova Scotia, there is a 4 km stretch of beach that
collects driftwood from all over the world. The unique occurrence of ocean currents and the
world’s highest tides continually deposit vast amounts of driftwood on this beach. To this day,
this debris is known as the remains of Kopit’s broken dam.

Legend & image: shared with permission from Gerald Gloade, Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre

Canadian tourism folks & a certain Mr Claus go crazy for Bay of Fundy

Working as I do in the tourism field I run across all kinds of cool travelers at various conferences across the country. I wasn't really expecting to see a certain Mr Claus this close to Christmas but that's exactly what happened at the November national tourism conference.

I was actually seeking colleagues who were voting for Bay of Fundy in the New7Wonders of Nature contest and wow, did I find them. Check out this video of the whole crew:

Santa spotting....in a Bay of Fundy spa?

Hey there Santa....you'd better get a move on!

Yes, it's true, the big red guy was spotted this week relaxing at Eau Spa at the Old Orchard Inn & Spa, near Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and we've got photo evidence to prove it. hmmm maybe he was there buying me gift certificates...in that case, carry on with your good deeds, Mr Claus!

Tide watching from stilts

One of my favourite little corners of the Bay of Fundy universe is the village of Bear River, near Digby, Nova Scotia. Bear River is located about 6 km from the Bay of Fundy on an extreme tidal river.

Bear River is well-known throughout the region as a mecca for resident artisans and as Bay of Fundy's 'village on stilts'. I was recently in the area for several days and enjoyed both the view and the food at the Bear River Cafe, pictured here.

To learn more about Bear River, check out another local blog: Flora & Larry's chronicling their adventure moving from Toronto (pop'n 2 million) to Bear River (pop'n 800)

New Fundy book in time for the holidays

I've always been fond of Bay of Fundy books, poems & music so it's great to see another book to add to the collection especially near the holidays. The book is Head of the Bay by Jeffrey Ward
"A History of the Maringouin Peninsula". Here's a book description as sent by Al Smith, with Tantramar Heritage Trust in Sackville, NB.

Tales of heroism, hardship, sacrifice and success animate the pages of The Head of the Bay, by Jeff Ward. The bay in question is the Bay of Fundy and, in particular, its upper end, where the Maringouin Peninsula divides its tidal waters into Shepody Bay and Cumberland Basin. Now virtually forgotten, the communities of the peninsula once played an important role in the industrial and commercial history of Atlantic Canada. In the nineteenth century, fortunes were won and lost in the shipyards and quarries of the district and place names such as Upper and Lower Rockport, Slacks Cove, Pink Rock, Hard Ledge, and Johnson’s Mills were known and respected far and wide. Ward succeeds unerringly in linking local stories to the wider sweep of current events, showing how even small places and modest lives can influence the shaping of the world.

Looks like a neat book ~ it can be ordered from Tantramar Heritage Trust's website.

Cranberry harvest time

These last few warm weeks of November (it's 15 C/ 60 F today!) mark the end of the fresh fruit harvest here on Bay of Fundy. Starting in June, we've got a series of fresh local berries to enjoy: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and finally cranberries.

In 'top secret' locations all around our bay, local folk still dry pick cranberries by hand or with a scoop. This week, while touring Bay of Fundy, I came upon these fellas harvesting cranberries on a farm near Medford, Nova Scotia. They are "wet raking" cranberries for commercial use. When the cranberries are ready to harvest, the fields are temporarily flooded with about 8 inches of water. The cranberries (which have small air pockets inside them) float to the surface with the gentle encouragement of a hand rake.

The berries are guided to the end of the field with a wooden guide (pictured here) then scooped out and taken for processing. By the way, that's salty band of blue Bay of Fundy along the horizon just past the field.

Probably these berries will be used to make cranberry juice or, even better, cranberry sauce to accompany our Christmas dinners next month!

Olympic torch visits Bay of Fundy!

The 2010 Olympics may start in 79 days but Canadians are getting pumped RIGHT NOW about hosting the games!

Although the games will take place on Canada's west coast, some 4300 kms from Bay of Fundy, we've all been given a fabulous opportunity to participate with the Olympic Torch Relay. The Olympic flame has been visiting various Bay of Fundy communities in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the past few days and will continue across Canada to 200 other towns and cities. If our experience is any indication, the torch will be met with great excitement and enthusiasm as it lights its way across the country!

I attended the relay at Grand Pre National Historic Site in Nova Scotia last week and Hopewell Rocks-Fundy National Park today. Here are some photos of the torch bearers & onlookers on the ocean floor (low tide) as well as my friend Keith (one of the torch bearers) with me and Hopewell Rocks staff grinning happily.

Big tree takes a ferry ride

If you live in Nova Scotia you're probably aware that the province sends one of it's most grandiose 'Christmas' trees to Boston, Massachusetts, every fall. This tree lights up the downtown over the holidays to recognize Bostonians for their many kindnesses following the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

This year a 15 metre (50 foot) white spruce was the tree of choice and this week the tree was transported to Boston via the "Princess of Acadia" (the ferry across Bay of Fundy from Digby, Nova Scotia, to Saint John, New Brunswick). A prestigious guest on a delightful Bay adventure on its way to being enjoyed by our neighbours in Boston!

Read more

Pretty pretty cruise ship

Cruise ship visits to the Bay of Fundy have increased greatly in the past few years. Due to our tides, of course, there are many harbours without water for much of the day. The Fundy city of Saint John, New Brunswick, is our busiest cruise port with over 180,000 cruise passengers visiting in the run of a year.

There's a swanky new cruise terminal now on the Saint John waterfront (with an adjustable ramp system to allow for tide heights). I was in Saint John last week and was lucky enough to witness the last vessel of the season, the lovely Queen Mary II, swinging a tight U-turn in the harbour right outside our hotel.

Just another day walking on the ocean floor

An aerial view is one of the best ways to see the full extent of the vast low-tide-exposed ocean floor here on Bay of Fundy (keep your eyes peeled if you fly on a clear day Halifax, Nova Scotia to/from Montreal or Toronto: you'll go right over the upper bay).

Short of flying there are lots of great bluffs & trails with pretty amazing views too. Take this one at Five Islands Provincial Park in Nova Scotia.

This is just the regular view from the lower campground & picnic site. Low tide mud flats, snaking tidal river, layers of coast in the distance: just another breathtaking day (I took this photo yesterday) on Fundy bay. mmmm, yeah.....

p.s. yes those are tire tracks in the lower left corner. Probably from a clammer...

Harvest Vegetable Stew

Bay of Fundy farm markets are burgeoning with lots of veggies any time from June onward. Once the autumn weather turns chilly here though my thoughts turn to root & cruciferous veggies. This Harvest Stew recipe is "Vegetarian Thanksgiving in a Pot" so the perfect recipe to share between Canada & U.S. Thanksgivings:

Harvest Vegetable Stew
6 T butter
4 med leeks
1 lb onions
3 1/5 oz parsley root (optional)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 t thyme
2 bay leaves
rosemary to taste
1 lb button mushrooms
1 med turnip
2 1/2 c dry white wine
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 lb russet potatoes
1/2 lb brussels sprouts

3 T flour
3 T butter
2 c hot veggie broth
2 T wine vinegar
3 T molasses
3 t paprika
dash Tabasco
salt & pepper

Melt butter in large pot. Trim and chop leeks & onions. Scrape & thin slice parsley root. Saute with herbs til leeks start to gold. Wash mushrooms and halve if large. Dice turnip in 1/2 dice. Add mushrooms, turnip, wine and W sauce to pot. Stir and lower heat. Dice and peel potatoes, wash & trim sprouts. Add to pot, cover. In another pan, melt rest of butter, add flour. Cook roux for a few minutes, add hot veg broth, stir quickly with whisk. Add vinegar, molasses, paprika, and Tabasco. Stir again til smooth, add to stew.

Simmer, covered, for about 1 hr. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve hot with dollop of cranberry sauce. P.S. brussel sprouts taste great here (even if you don't usually like em!)

Recipe credit: The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two.

Columnar basalt? I'm lovin' it!

It's never too late to become fascinated with geology and, I'll warn you, such a fascination could very well develop during a visit to the Bay of Fundy! We're surrounded by so much cool geology, you just can't help but find it interesting.

Half the time I have no idea precisely what I'm looking at but that doesn't keep me from being randomly awestruck by Fundy's many rocks & rock formations.

For example, take columnar basalt: these vertical columns are long cylinders with many straight sides (sometime appearing hexagonal from the top). They are the result of the quick cool of lava flow.

There are many basalt cliffs around Bay of Fundy but one of the most accessible and visually intriguing is the famous Balancing Rock on Long Island, near Digby. Here a single column of basalt appears to sit 'balancing' precariously atop the edge of another, while another nearby column pushes up to form a flat step beside its neighbouring columns.

These are two photos I took while hiking there this week.

Autumn leaves ablaze with colour

I've been hiking and exploring coastal regions of the Bay again this week. Despite brisk autumn winds the fall leaf colours are still quite vibrant in a few pockets. I captured this photo on the trail to Balancing Rock on Long Island, near Digby. They showed bright: almost fluorescent!

Bay of Fundy’s own Great Barrier Reef!

As most of you know by now, we are participating, along with the Great Barrier Reef and other global natural attractions, in a campaign to declare the New7Wonders of Nature.

What you may not know is that the Bay of Fundy already has many of the individual features of the other sites. Take reefs for example...

Thanks to my friend, Ashley at CPAWS, for sending along this guest post & photo:

The Bay of Fundy is home to large reefs that have been formed by horse mussels (much larger than the blue mussels we eat). Images of the Bay of Fundy seafloor (as seen here) shows the mussels grow into long rows that are up to 4 m high, 40 m wide and 1 km long. That's higher than the ceiling in the average room and larger in area than an average city block!

It is thought these reefs rival Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in size. Only a few horse mussel reefs are known to exist, and the Bay of Fundy reefs are the largest such reefs to be found anywhere in the world.

These reefs are important as they provide habitat for many other species and they also filter nutrients from the water column. They are essentially huge mounds of life surrounded by a bare, sandy seafloor.

Horse reefs are very sensitive to disturbance caused by bottom impacting fishing activities. Some of images show long gauge marks where trawlers have cut into the mussel reefs. Yet another reason why the Bay of Fundy is so unique, diverse and a true natural wonder of the world! ~ Ashley

Wow - who knew!! By the way, the Nova Scotia chapter of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is working to spread awareness about the reefs and find solutions to best protect them. Learn more!

Crazy fun sea kayaking at Cape Chignecto Park

As much as I love walking along the coast of Bay of Fundy's many tidal beaches, I'm also wildly fond of getting on the water to experience whale watching or sea kayaking.

Yesterday I experienced one of those 'best day of my life' days on a kayak tour with NovaShores Adventures along the coast of Cape Chignecto Provincial Park in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia.

We 12 (both experienced and brand new kayakers) paddled along the dramatic coastline past sheer 200 foot cliffs, secluded coves, and carved rock formations - including the famous Three Sisters sea stacks.

It was a warm day (20 C, 75 F) and an exciting paddle (leaving at high tide and returning a few hours later on the same beach where the tide was waaaay out!). These tours are available from May to late October (winds permitting!) from the Eatonville day-use entrance of Cape Chignecto Park.

If there are any in your party who'd rather not kayak, they can visit the visitors' centre and the two trails in the Eatonville day-use area and watch you kayak below!

My dog out-hiked me at Fundy National Park!

Longtime readers of my blog know that my yellow lab, Belle, is always keen to explore the Bay. What I may not have mentioned is that, although she is now 10 years old, (pretty much geriatric in dog years) she is one unstoppable adventurer!

This weekend we enjoyed a day or so hiking Fundy National Park's day trails: Coastal Trail, Matthews Head, Point Wolfe, Dickson Falls & Herring Cove beach. In total, we hiked about 10 km. The trails ranged in effort from moderate to strenuous with many steep but spectacular sections on the Coastal Trail particularly.

Belle was a super-enthusiastic hiker who was very keen to keep hiking after I'd reached my limit! Here's a photo of us relaxing on Point Wolfe beach at the end of the day. What you can't see from the photo is Belle nudging me to get back on the trails...

By the way, that sandbar stretching along Point Wolfe beach appears to stay high and dry during high tide - a great place to see high and low tide (park located in Alma, New Brunswick).

Watch Fundy tides via webcam

If you'd like a sneak peek at Bay of Fundy's tides, check out a live webcam at one of our tidal harbours: Hall's Harbour, Nova Scotia.

This picture is a screen shot of the tide half way in this afternoon. At low tide these fishing boats would be sitting about 30 feet (10 metres) below on the ocean floor and at high tide they'll be right up alongside the top of the wharf! Tidal harbours like this are great places to witness the Bay of Fundy's vertical effect. These harbours fill up (and empty out!) twice in 24 hours.

The great thing about Hall's Harbour is that you can buy lobster from Hall's Harbour Lobster Pound to eat at the beach. You can also walk on this beach at low tide.

To see Hall's Harbour webcam click this link for Nova Scotia Webcams live feeds.

Jet boating thru Reversing Falls

I've had a busy few days filming new episodes for our Bay of Fundy Travel Show on YouTube. One of the sites filmed this week was Reversing Falls in the Fundy city of Saint John, New Brunswick.

Now i have to confess, I really don't think I fully appreciated what was going on here 'tide wise' until I hung around for 2 days. A lot of folks who visit Reversing Falls expect Niagara Falls going backwards....well, this isn't the case, of course! But the phenomenon is still really cool.

Basically what you've got here is three very different things going on at various times in the tide cycle: LOW tide: St John River flows out into Bay >> view rapids

SLACK tide: when the Fundy tide height and the river height are the same for about 20 min between high & low (and low & high) >> view dead calm water

HIGH tide: when Fundy's tides keep coming in and are higher than the river (and continue to flow another 100 kms upriver!!) >> view rapids in a different direction than the low tide rapids

The fact that the river (and its rapids) change direction is the 'reversing' part. The 'falls' part is actually happening sub-surface. There are massive waterfalls down there in undersea geology that cause crazy rapids on the surface! These rapids may look fairly calm from the viewing decks but they are HUGE and crazy when you are in them, like I was this week on Reversing Falls Jet Boat Tours (see picture!!).

Hope to have our YouTube episode for Reversing Falls next month!

Flotsam, jetsam & clay pots?

Those of us who regularly walk Bay of Fundy beaches never quite know what kind of flotsam & jetsam we're going to discover. On Fundy beaches due to the constant erosion of our tides treasures can also appear out of the sand!

The words flotsam and jetsam describe specific kinds of debris in the ocean. Historically the words had specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences, but in modern usage they came to mean any kind of marine debris.

There is a difference between the two: jetsam has been voluntarily cast into the sea (jettisoned) by the crew of a ship, usually in order to lighten it in an emergency; while flotsam describes goods that are floating on the water without having been thrown in deliberately, often after a shipwreck.

I'm not sure who, then, is the rightful owner of these two chunks of historic clay pot that appeared on my daily beach yesterday...I think I'll just donate them to the local museum!!

Funky fundy beach art

One thing I love about our Canadian National Parks is their specialized learning programs. Bay of Fundy's Fundy National Park in Alma, New Brunswick, has lots of great programs including this new one: Tidal Art. This is how it works: people go down on the beach at low tide with an artist and a park interpreter, take empty ice cream tubs, fill them with assorted stones, seaweed, etc., then lay out all the goodies in a pattern drawn by the artist on the beach: creating a different funky piece of Fundy art every time!

When I was at Fundy National Park this summer visitors from toddlers to seniors worked together to create this loon. The other neat part about this is that it becomes a visual art piece at high tide when the tide rolls in to recapture the piece. Kinda like an Andy Goldsworthy-type project. The Tidal Art program at FNP is over for this season but expects to resume next summer!

Hole in the Wall & cliff edge camping!

We're kinda into our edgy cliffs and rock formations here around the Bay of Fundy. Here're some photos I took this week at Hole in the Wall Park & Campground on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick.

The Hole in the Wall formation itself is only about 10,000 years old ~ carved by the tides from rocks that are probably about 300 million years old. There's awesome coastal hiking and clifftop camping at Hole in the Wall Park. Check out the teensy tiny tent on the green patch in the right picture...gives a whole new meaning to 'camp with a view'!

Canine welcome at Fundy's Fairmont Algonquin

If you're a dog person like I am you probably miss your pup while on vacation and crave a 'dog fix' with every canine you pass on the street. Imagine my delight when I arrived at the Fairmont Algonquin in the Bay of Fundy resort town of St Andrews, New Brunswick, this week: the hotel's resident yellow labrador retriever, Smudge, was "in residence" with her doggie smile and warm greeting.

Smudge, the General Manager's dog, accompanies him to work every day where she 'holds court' on her mat in the lobby. No lazy days for Smudge though ~ the front desk keeps a sign-up sheet for guests to take her for walks or runs ~ up to three times a day. Smudge has her own Fairmont business card as the hotel's "Canine Ambassador" and keeps regular 'office hours' 5 days a week. If you find yourself at the Algonquin, give Smudge a pat for me!

Bay of Fundy coast perfect for yoga

I was out doing some filming around the Bay of Fundy this week and spent a day at Burncoat Head, Nova Scotia. While scouting the beach, I noticed that my volunteer cameraman - my teenage son - had wandered off and was down on the beach doing yoga in the wild wind. Just seemed like the thing to do on a Bay of Fundy low tide beach! The idea of 'being one' with the elements rather than merely looking at them almost inspires me to take up yoga!

Baby 'christening' in Bay of Fundy?

I was visiting Hopewell Rocks this week when I came upon this couple 'dipping' their baby's toes in the Bay of Fundy. It turns out they are former residents of the Maritimes who now live in Ontario but wanted to be sure to give their little girl a taste of Bay of Fundy on her first trip home this summer. Starting that east coast salt running in her veins ~ cute!

My ordinary could be your extraordinary

Busy week 'in the field' around Bay of Fundy hosting two videographers from Britain working on a Bay of Fundy episode for Wonders of Planet Earth (USA's Travel Channel series). These folks always have such a good eye for the beauty that surrounds us here in the Bay of Fundy.

A few days of media touring reminds me that my 'ordinary' views of Fundy can really quite extraordinary to visitors. A couple Bay of Fundy locations where we filmed this week: low tide beach at Alma (at the edge of Fundy National Park, New Brunswick) and Horseshoe Cove (near Cape d'Or lighthouse, Nova Scotia).

Bay of Fundy 'sauna effect' swim!

Today temperatures were nice and hot around Bay of Fundy (mid-90s F / mid-30s C) so we did what most coastal dwellers do and scooted down to the beach to cool off. This can be a bit tricky in parts of Fundy where, due to our extreme tides, there can be no water for miles when you get there!

Most locals time their swimming excursions to begin as the tide turns to come back and rolls across the sun-baked beach, making the water the temperature of bath water - the 'sauna effect'. These photos show the start of our low tide trek across the ocean floor to get to the water's edge then, awhile later, the wavelets of incoming tide.

If you're not familiar with Fundy's tides, it's safest to swim at a supervised beach such as New River Beach or Alma, New Brunswick, or Blomidon Provincial Park or Evangeline Beach, Nova Scotia. Fundy's extreme tides can do kooky things, like come in at odd angles in some areas of the bay or create nasty high spots on sand bars that can strand you - so be careful!