Happy Halloween

Stonehaven Beach

When we woke this morning, we had plans to have a nice home cooked breakfast and a quiet day about the house. I would hopefully do my knitting and watch a movie, while Paul followed Mike Weir on TV in a golf tournament. But as we know, things do not always turn out as we plan.

By the time we were up and dressed, the phone was ringing. It was Paul's sister asking us to join them at a restaurant just up the street for breakfast, so we did.

After a leisurely breakfast and lots of chatting, Paul and I decided to enjoy the nice sunny day and take a walk on a beach. We decided to go back to Stonehaven Beach. It was windy so the surf was great.


We had to share the beach with a couple of other beachcombers but we still found a few treasures. I was very envious of Paul's 8 pieces of blue he found, but I did find 1 blue, but not that big one. Paul was trying to "make my day" so, after finding the large piece he tried to place it back on the beach so I would walk by and find it, but I walked along the higher part of the beach and missed it so his little plan didn't work. I thought it was a nice thing for him to do. He's such a sweetie.

This is the part of Stonehaven Beach that we haven't been able to find a path to - yet. The cliffs are very steep. I suggested using a boat, but Paul thought that was a little extravagant. We can only imagine what treasures might be there.

It was such a beautiful, fall day with cloudy skies, that it made for a few nice pictures. The waves were rolling in on the beach rocks which is a sound I could listen to forever.

Whenever I stroll mindlessly near the ocean, I feel that my soul has been refreshed.

We are very thankful every day for what we have and never take it for granted.

Fall Snow....

This morning when I went out early, I had to scrape the frost off my car for the first time this year and that was fine. I don't mind frost.

But after being back home for a few minutes, I now see that it is snowing big, wet flakes outside. That I do mind!

It is way too early for snow. My pumpkins are turning white.

But then, only two months from today is Christmas Eve......

Blog Survey

I just found this Blog Survey on http://pieandbeach.blogspot.com/ and decided to play.

If you want to play, just copy and paste this list on your blog and highlight which ones you've done.
.................................................................................................................

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Been to Vienna
25. Was on Television
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Learned a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

I was surprised to find that I had accomplished almost half of the list (40).

A Great Walk

Although today was a rather cool and windy day, Paul and I enjoyed our walk on the beach as we were dressed warmly. The waves were rolling in quickly and it was nearing high tide, so we had to keep a watch not to get our feet wet by the rush of the surf.

It was the first time walking on the beach since my cataract eye surgeries which took place over the past two weeks. I was amazed at how clear things looked to me. Although I am still not suppose to bend my head for another two weeks, I was able to do a little beachcombing and found a couple of nice white mermaid tears.

Paul and I felt very fortunate to share such a great day. I was especially thankful for my good sight.




After our walk, my sister-in-law Jeannine invited us into the cottage to join friends for a delicious lunch of homemade soup and cookies. It was a nice way to warm up after a windy walk.

Another great day.....

Time with Family

My sister & brother-in-law, Roseanne and Neil, came for a visit in September.



On our first evening we enjoyed a traditional Newfoundland scoff, a meal of cod cheek and cod tongues, fried in fat back. What a great meal....

It didn't take us long to go beachcombing. Although it was a windy day, we took a walk on Beresford Beach to enjoy a beautiful day.

My sister was very happy with the treasures she found on our beach.

We also did a little exploring at Petit Rocher. I saw this heron near the wharf area.

We did a little more beach walking looking for seaglass. Paul and my sister were very fortunate to both find pieces of blue seaglass which is rare - one in 500 so the experts say.

Another of our afternoons was spend enjoying this lovely area of the Nepisiguit River which is a great salmon fishing area in Northern New Brunswick. As children my sister and I spent many summer vacations camping with our parents on the salmon rivers in Newfoundland as our Dad was a sport fisherman. This area brought back a lot of happy memories for us of our childhood and of our Dad.

We decided to take a picnic with us that day so we got to enjoy Paul's awesome egg sandwiches which he so kindly made for us. Neil spent most of his afternoon sitting on a large rock overlooking a salmon pool. He said he could see salmon but I never did see one.

We also enjoyed a nice afternoon walk at Atlas Park in Pointe-Verte. The fall colours and the smell of the trees were wonderful. We climbed the tower to see the view out over the Bay of Chaleur towards the Gaspe Peninsula.

The white birch trees on the trail were a reminder of growing up in Grand Falls, Newfoundland. Our hometown has many white birches.

Ever wonder what retirement might be like? It's like a second childhood - AWESOME!

Paul and I have been to the Grande-Anse area about eight times this summer and on our last trip we discovered this wonderful beach canteen area there near the wharf. It was the neatest place with wood sculptures of an octopus, whale, etc. Of course being beach lovers, we enjoyed a short walk. We will definitely go back there.

We also enjoyed a couple of trips to the Stonehaven area and what a interesting beach, you can walk forever. On our first trip Neil wanted to visit the wharf so we spent some time walking the beach looking for mermaid tears (seaglass) and found quite a few, along with a piece of brass. That was Neil's treasure.

Our second trip to the Stonehaven area was a much longer day. We took another picnic lunch of Paul's great egg sandwiches which we enjoyed after a long day of beachcombing. We then treated ourselves to a campfire after borrowing matches from a local area resident walking the beach.

Here is another example of a busy day of retirement. It can't get much better than this.....

Our great day at Stonehaven of beachcombing, picnicking and a campfire was topped off with this wonderful sunset.

The last day of my sister's visit we made a trip to the Farmer's Market to get pumpkins to decorate our house. I love the fall with all its great colour.

Colours of the Canadian Maple Leaf

Paul and I have been enjoying the fall colours over the past two days. Yesterday, and again today, we went to Pabineau Falls, a 20-minute drive from our house.


Even though the leaves were very dry, due to the lack of rain over the past couple of months, the maple trees were in full colour. My favourite are the bright red ones.

We were treated to a little wild life while at the Falls. There was a young beaver in a hole in the rocks near the falls. Someone had put a few branches in the hole to help the little critter escape.....

...which he did, as he swam by us while we were sitting on the rocks enjoying the sound of the running water. It was amazing to see a beaver so close.

Paul and I spent quite some time also watching the Atlantic salmon jumping the Falls. After one or more years at sea, the Atlantic Salmon travel in an extraordinary journey that may span more than 4,000 km of open ocean, to return to the rivers, and the location where they were born. In Canada, Atlantic Salmon spawn in October and November. The ability of salmon to jump falls and other obstacles in the river to reach spawning grounds has been a wonder for centuries. Paul was able to get a photo of one attempting a jump. See the bottom right of this photo near the waterfalls.

Unfortunately this sport fisherman was not permitted to fish near the falls where the salmon were jumping. He is only permitted to fish down stream.

Paul and I took a walk on the trails along the river.

Here are some of the colours that we enjoyed.