Life Paused

Hard to believe it has been a year since I have last posted anything on my blog. It has been a year of beginnings and endings. Pamela and Tim continue to raise their sweet girls in Fredericton, NB. Kathryn and Tim love their new country Australia and are seeking permanent residency there. Heather and Ryan welcomed a beautiful baby boy to their family (our first grandson). Sarah graduated from NSCC with her CCA (continuing care assistant) certificate which has started her on her journey to becoming a registered nurse. To discover her love of caring for the elderly, has changed and matured her in so many ways. She certainly has a special gift of relating and giving her best to those who need this type of help. She is presently in Australia visiting her big sis and discovering a new country. So proud of the fact that she made the decision to travel halfway around the world solo for the first time. Anna graduated from high school in June and has begun her university education at Mount Allison in Sackville, NB. She is thriving in this environment and loves the challenges that new starts bring. And so, that leaves Andrew and I dealing with the empty nest and trying to figure out life together. That brings me to our latest adventure - a trip to Cape Breton and experiencing the Cabot Trail for the first time. These photos will give you an idea of our weekend together.

We began our weekend touring the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck. After viewing his many inventions, we were convinced he really didn't sleep much!!

On the waterfront in Baddeck with Alexander and Mabel.

Getting pretty good with the 'selfie'.

Picturesque Baddeck.

Beginning our day's trek and excited to be experiencing this together.

It's hard to capture the beauty and stunning vistas on the Cabot Trail.

A very windy day, but clear and the views were spectacular.

Ready for our first hike of the day, the popular Skyline Trail.

View from the top - it was so beautiful.

There was no controlling the hair - it was unbelievably windy.

Our second hike of the day - MacIntosh Brook - a lovely walk in the woods ending at a pretty falls.

Third hike of the day - Lone Sheiling. A short walk to a replica of a Scottish shepherd's hut. Note the incredibly thick walls. 

And we saw real, live moose - so cool. There were about 5 cars pulled over on the side of the road and we were told that if we came across this, that there was likely to be moose in the field and they certainly didn't seem to mind posing for the cameras.

Fourth hike was Beulach Ban Waterfall - we actually drove most of the way to view this waterfall.

Fifth hike - very short - 15 minutes but very pretty with the red granite rocks.

These next pictures involve some explanation and a story. On our way home Sunday, Andrew wanted to do a hike in the middle of the province. If you can locate the small hiker in the middle of the blue section, well that is where we were. There were no houses for miles around and no sign of any other hikers. Well, I was pretty wary of this whole adventure, but I naively went along.

My first indication that this might not be a great idea - bear poop - at the beginning of the trail. Venturing forth this is the conversation between us. Andrew - "If we see a bear, I will give you the backpack - put it in front of you, bear usually go for the gut first." WHAT?? Okay. That sounds reasonable - not!! A few minutes later - Andrew - "You have your keys right?" Me - "Yes??" Andrew - "If a bear attacks, you run back to the car and get help, I'll fight him off and keep him occupied." You have to understand that we are in the middle of the woods, halfway through this hike, everything looks the same and I am directionally challenged and he intends to fight off a bear with a hiking stick?? Ughhh. My thought at this point was to get through this and get it over with, praying that we would not be mauled by bears. Also thinking this was a really stupid idea. Soooo, we get about halfway back to the car and Andrew says - "I haven't seen any markers for awhile, maybe we should backtrack." Okay, I'm starting to freak out, just a bit. So we backtrack and are standing in the middle of nowhere and as far as I'm concerned live bear bait. Then, I said - "Oh, there are a couple of people, maybe we should ask them." Andrew didn't really believe me, that there were other hikers here. My conclusion - angels in disguise. They graciously led the way out of the woods and I was never more happy to see our vehicle. Won't be anytime soon that he will talk me into backwoods hiking again. Here are a couple of pictures of the Abraham Lake Trail.

We ended our day at Taylor Head Provincial Park, near Sheet Harbour. A short hike along the beach on the beautiful eastern shore.

All in all it was an amazing weekend, the weather was perfect, the company was great and we are beginning to settle in to the rhythm of just the two of us. 

Giving Thanks

Thinking this morning of the many blessings in my life and giving thanks to my God for them. So very thankful for the faithful and true people that have been and continue to be an integral part of my life and have influenced me in my decisions and shaped me to be the woman I am today. Also missing my Australian family and wanting to snuggle and read to sweet Eden and Katie.

 Charlotte and Lila and their tall sunflowers.

Sweet, snuggly Audrey. 

 Great hiking day at Odell Park in Fredericton.

Thanksgiving weekend 2013 - love these girls.

Heather and Ryan Pye and baby 'Ablard'. Beautiful family.

Sarah and her boyfriend, Tanner.

Anna and her boyfriend, Liam. 

Ending our weekend in Mt. Uniacke - great day for another hike. 

Mt. Uniacke, Nova Scotia - fantastic fall weather.

Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail

We have been experiencing beautiful fall weather lately, so we decided to hike Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail in Annapolis County. Another one for Andrew to check off in his Nova Scotia trail book. We invited our good friends Kim and Judy Thomson along for the adventure and it turned out to be a great day. Enjoy the photos from our day.

A map of the trail. Note that there are 2 trails marked in red. I thought we were going to do the Bohaker Trail (fairly easy, along the coast, waterfalls), but as we got to the end of this, Andrew tells us that he would like to do Charlies Trail as well. I know you can't read the small print, but he neglected to inform us that this would add another hour and a half to our 'walk'. 

At the beginning of our hike. Beautiful coastline.

Andrew doesn't do too bad with the 'selfie' photo. Still on the first trail.....

These jet skis reminded us of a James Bond adventure. They were really moving.

Lovely waterfall - still on the Bohaker Trail. The fog was beginning to settle in.

The men decided to explore the beach.

And the ladies just relaxed.

Still smiling - now on Charlies Trail.

And waiting for the stragglers to catch up. This was not such an exciting part of the trail.

After the journey. A great day with great friends.

After our hike, we drove to Annapolis Royal and had a late lunch at Leo's Cafe. Now I wonder where our next hike will be. It is such a lovely time of year to get out and enjoy the beauty of Nova Scotia.

Summer Fun 2013

As September approaches so very quickly, I want to recap some of our summer. We had been contemplating the renovation of our upstairs bathroom for awhile and due to some moisture issues, we decided that it was time. I have lived with the 70's look of grey tiles for almost 25 years and the time had come for their demise. Oh, how happy I was not to look at them anymore. I will post some after pictures once the job is complete - we are still waiting on the cabinets to arrive. 

Not a very current look.... 

No turning back now - it was exciting at this point. Not so much now - the wait is getting too long. 

Welcome home Anna - after 2 weeks of touring and singing in Europe, it was good to have our girl home. I will try and get her to write a guest post about her trip soon.

Now on to summer vacation on Harvey Lake, NB. For the first time in over 30 years, Andrew and I set out for New Brunswick, alone, minus children with the car packed with an extra bookcase for the camp. I wasn't sure how this was all going to work out, but after we unpacked and settled in, it was really lovely. No shopping trips to Fredericton for school supplies and back to school clothes. No schedule, just lots of down time, reading and relaxing. It was a taste of retirement and spending time with a great husband and friend. I must say, retirement might not be too bad. These pictures capture our time at the lake. Enjoy!! 

A family of merganser ducks havin' a look at the lake. Looks like mom wants to head one way and the rest want to go the other. 

Almost every night we were amazed at the intense colour of the sunsets on the lake. 

 We enjoyed the company of our NS friends one day and Andrew got the kayaks out once again.

 Andrew also spent time kayaking with his brother - that was a very calm day.

 Andrew and I walked almost every morning and he picked some plants he wanted to identify. He is such a plant guy.

 I spent a good chunk of my time knitting - finished the back of Anna's sweater and I haven't had a chance to get back at it since I've been home.

 I also spent precious time snuggling with the newest member of our family, little Audrey Ruth. 

 Lila fishing - she is such a delight.

 Good morning, sun. 

 And yet, another spectacular sunset.

 Sweet baby girl. What a treasure she is.

 A very wavy day at the lake, but Anna and Liam wanted to get a ride in the boat. Needless to say they all came back rather wet but smiles all around.

 Celebrating a soon to be 3 year old and 5 year old. Love, love, love these girls.

And last but not least, Andrew captured this moon one evening. Incredible.

So, even though the weather did not co-operate very well for our vacation, the company was great and we both found our happy places. Now we are into the busyness that fall brings and looking forward to seeing the Cross family in March. I can't wait to read stories to these two girls and get to know them better. 

Welcome Audrey Ruth!!

Time for catch up. On June 13, we welcomed baby Audrey Ruth Naugler with open arms. She was unexpectedly born at home, weighing in at 8 lbs. 11 oz. and she is so very sweet. Andrew and I went to NB for a quick trip to get some baby snuggles in and to help some with Audrey's sisters. We spent a couple of nights at our cottage on Harvey Lake. We are so very blessed to have 5 beautiful healthy granddaughters. 

 Our home on Klondyke Street in Kentville with the rhododendrons in full bloom. So pretty.

 A beautiful stroll along the St. John River in Fredericton. They have a lovely walking/running/biking system in this city.

 The costumes at the annual St. Mary's Pow Wow  were very elaborate and beautiful.

 What a great little family - now 5, well 6 if you count puppy!!

 Proud Grammie and Grampie - love these sweet girls.

 Entertaining the girls with 'catch the bubbles'. So much fun.