Summer is Over, And So Is My Bucketlist

Summer is officially over, and so is my Summer Bucket List. I'm so happy that I made it, and even though I wasn't able to check everything off, I was able to check off quite a bit.

The Zoo - We didn't make it to an actual zoo, but we did go to a small petting farm, a large petting farm, butterfly house, and an aquarium. I think I can say that this was a success!

Kings Landing - This was a fail. We didn't get to Kings Landing, but there is still hope. We may get there before it closes for the year, or maybe in the spring. I guess it's still on the to do list.

Eat at Ossie's Lunch - Check! It was even better than I remembered it to be!

Make Pickles - Another fail! I'd like to say that there is still time to do this, but if I'm being honest with myself, there is NO TIME! I'm currently fighting my first cold of the season, and I'm swamped with work. On top of that, I have a first birthday to plan and (hopefully) a Halloween costume to make! That takes priority!

Playgrounds - Check! We've been to at least 6 playgrounds - From St. Andrews to Prince Edward Island. I'd say this was a success, and Little C still loves the swings!

Uptown Self-Guided Public Art Tour - Check! Little C and I managed to do this on one of the final days of my maternity leave. We had a good time, wandering around uptown Saint John, looking at art that we may not have stopped and taken a good look at before. It's nice to slow down and see the beauty in your own city. Here are some pictures. I'm sure you can tell that my favourite art pieces in Saint John are the John Hooper displays. I've loved them since I was a kid, and they remain my favourite today. They are so detailed, that every time I see them, I notice something else.

"People Waiting" by John Hooper
St. Andrew's Bicentennial Square (Barbour's General Store)

"Timepiece"
by John Hooper
There is so much to see
in this piece.

"The Moosehead Challenger"
by Forest Hart
This is a life-sized bronze moose.
Fun fact from the brochure?
 There's a can of Moosehead Lager
inside the statue for good luck!

 The following are inside, at Market Square. The Trade and Convention Centre is being renovated, so there were many pieces in storage, but we were able to spot some.

I think this one is called "Ocean Bone"
by Marie-Helene Allain.
As a kid, I thought this was the coolest thing.

Another John Hooper - "People Apart Moving Together"
Everyone seems to stop to pose, pretending they're
on the move with the crowd.

This really shows the detail of the Hooper pieces.
Check out the reflection in the woman's glasses. So detailed.

We stopped at a lot of places on our tour, but the spot I can't wait to return to is the Saint John Arts Centre.  It's in the area of Peel Plaza, which is new. It looks like there's lots of room for more public art to be added.



The picture is missing something.
I think (and hope!) there will be something added here soon.
It's just begging to be the new home of something special.

"Fiddlehead" by James Boyd

"Figurehead" by Carol Taylor
Inspired by the city market and
the figureheads of historic ships.

This is just a small sampling of what you can see in uptown Saint John. If you're interested in taking the Public Art tour, check out the Discover Saint John website.

Farmer's Markets - We've only been to two, but there have been many repeat visits. The Sunday Queen Square Markets in Uptown Saint John are great, because they are so close - very little driving necessary. I'm sure we'll get there a few more times before they end.  We also made it to the Kingston Farmer's Market a couple of times. Hopefully, this fall, we'll make it to Fredericton for the Boyce Market.

Visit St. Andrews - Check!

Buskers Festival - Check! I still can't believe it's taken me all these years to attend the Buskers Festival in Saint John. It was great! Lots to see and do, and I love seeing the uptown busy with locals.

My PEI Vacation (part 2)

 

This week, my maternity leave ended, and I returned to work. I'm making it through, but with a return to work, the stress and work has begun, so I'm going to procrastinate and finish sharing my favourite PEI places!

(You can see #1-3 in the first part, here.)

4) Souris:
I've been to the "Points East" end of PEI before, but not for many years. I wanted to have a bit of an adventure, so we hopped in the truck and headed for Souris. Why Souris? The Flavour Shack! Chef Michael Smith has a shack (literally a shack) full of autographed cookbooks, aprons, and all his favourite island items. They also have some of his jackets there for you to wear for photos. The woman working at the Flavour Shack was wonderful! Very friendly, very helpful. You could tell that she enjoyed being there. She even took my picture with Chef Michael's jacket from the Olympics. I couldn't leave empty handed, so I bought two signed copies of his cookbooks, Back to Basics and Family Meals. (It's been so hectic with back-to-work this week, but I'm hoping to try out some recipes this weekend!)

-

The Flavour Shack!
(See the chalkboards
with colourful chalk writings?
Just like on his show!)

I got to wear Chef Michael's
jacket from the Olympics!

 

My new cookbooks - autographed!

The Flavour Shack is part of a small group of shacks along a gorgeous beach. There is a little boardwalk, picnic tables, and a playground. It's a great place to stop for some shopping, food, a swim, play in the playground, or just a sit to enjoy the scenery. For such a little place, it certainly made an impression. I loved it, and it was definitely worth the drive. 

Next to the Flavour Shack was the Lobster Shack.

It was approaching lunch, so of course we had to stop for a lobster roll. So, while Little C munched on cheerios, yogurt, apple sauce, and other goodies, we enjoyed a delicious lobster roll, chips, and pickles!

We decided that we were going to head to the other end of the Points East Coastal Drive, to visit Kings Castle Park, but before we did, I took a walk on the beach, because I had heard someone say that the beach was famous for sea glass. I have always loved collecting sea glass, but in recent years, it has become very difficult to find on our beaches. (I'm not sure if it's because there are fewer glass bottles and jars or if it's because everyone collects it all for crafts.) Well, that person was right, because I only spent a few minutes wandering along the beach and returned to the truck with this! Next time, we'll plan to spend more time there and try to arrive at lower tide, so we can have some beach time. It was a fairly high tide, so there wasn't much beach visible, but it looked like it was nice and sandy with a gradual drop into the water.

5) Kings Castle Provincial Park

I mentioned before that Kings Castle Provincial Park is a bit of a throwback. There is a little beach, canteen, and picnic area. That's all great, but not at all why I wanted to visit. For me, the attraction is the old-school playground and statues.

There is a huge playground area filled with older style swings, slides, wooden climbing structures, a tunnel, and even a merry go round! (You know the kind - it spins around and around and around until you can't take it any longer or fly off.) There are new pieces of equipment too. Between the multiple sets of swings and all the slides, Little C. had a blast! (And we got to add an extra playground to our summer bucket list!)


Older slide... The Old Woman in the Shoe?

Little C is sliding!



Tunnel



 

I couldn't let Little C have all the fun!



 





3 Little Pigs,
a Big Bad Wolf,
and a cute little boy!

After playing at the playground, we headed over to a wooded area. You walk through the woods and there are statues of various fairy tale characters. The three little pigs and the big bad wolf, the three bears, the goose who laid the golden egg, and my personal favourites: Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion, from the Wizard of Oz. They're definitely showing some wear, but still make for some fun pictures.

6) The Great Canadian Soap Co.

I think the only "must stop" while visiting PEI this summer was the Great Canadian Soap Company. We needed to stock up on their soap - a must-have in our household. The best part about visiting the Soap company is that it's two visits in one - the goats and the store! We visited with the goats, chickens, and kittens first. 

You can tell the animals love being here. The goats are friendly, gentle, and seem very happy. I think they like all the attention. After all, who could revisit them? 

Mama cat and her many kittens.

 

Little C and a goat - this one didn't
sneeze on him, so he liked her.

 

Then it was time to go in the store, which smells heavenly. I wish I could post smells here. I love the Soap Company products. Their soap cleans well, but is mild, and the scents are light and not perfumey. They have a natural smell. 





They always have deals. The more you buy,
the more free stuff you get!

Our pile of soap, filled with all of our favourite products. Obviously, their soap is #1. I love the tea tree and licorice scents, but I think my new favourite is pear. It smells just like a fresh pear. That's what Little C got, because pears are his favourite. My husband's favourite scent is the peppermint with poppy seeds. The poppy seeds make good scrubbers.

 

We also picked up a shampoo bar. I had used on in the past, and it wasn't for me, but I don't think I had the right one for my hair. This time, be bought a tea tree and peppermint bar. I've been using it for the past week and I love it! I still use a little conditioner, but my hair is soft and shiny.

 

I also stocked up on tea tree astringent (one of my favorutie products), some body butter (one for sore muscles and the other is vanilla,) and new lip gloss.

 

Seriously, try their products. They are amazing. If you can't get to PEI, visit their website. They have some great monthly deals. I'm sure I'll be placing an order before I get back in person!

7) Village Pottery:

Despite being told by my husband that I couldn't buy any more mugs, I managed to buy another mug! I think I may have a little obsession with pottery mugs, and an even bigger obsession with Village Pottery. I swore I would find a way to get there, and when one of my mugs broke about a week before we went to PEI, I realized that was my "in." I needed a replacement mug, and what better back-to-work present than a new coffee mug! (Honestly, it doesn't take much to get my husband to agree to anything, but I think I felt the need to justify spending more money on our budget-friendly trip.)

When we stopped in, Little C was sleeping in the backseat, so I even went in by myself... that could have been dangerous! How is that for husband-wife trust? I was good though, and only came out with one mug. It's so pretty, isn't it. I swear my morning coffee tastes even better in it.

Their store is eye candy, inside and out. The pottery is displayed proudly inside the shop, organized by glaze colour. Upstairs, they display artwork, but my favourite spot is the back room. There is a little play area for kids, in a hidey hole under the stairs. It's a kid's dream. In the same room, there is always a shelf full of "seconds" - pieces that are a little wonky or are flawed in some way.  I didn't buy anything this time, but I have bought some fun pieces - bowls, candle holders, and mugs. That's my Village Pottery tip - visit the wonky shelf. You never know what you'll find.

 

Those are the highlights of our PEI vacation. We visited some other places, but these are the most memorable ones. We were able to check everything off our original list, except we  weren't able to get to Charlottetown. It's too bad, but there just wasn't enough time.

Little C had such a great time that we're already thinking of booking for next year, so the question is, where should we go? I'm still trying to figure out the whole Irish moss harvesting thing, so maybe we'll visit the other end of the island next year and try to find out more about the harvest.

Comment to let me know what other gems I've been missing while visiting PEI!
 

Less than 3 Weeks to Complete my Summer Bucket List

August is here. That means that summer is coming to and end. Worse than that, my maternity leave is quickly coming to an end. I have to make the next three weeks count. I have an incomplete Summer Bucket List!

I didn't make any real progress on my bucket list this past weekend, but I think I can get it done before work starts up again. I need a plan though. Because I'm stressed about going back to work, I'm in total scatterbrain mode. I need to have some fun and make every day of the next few weeks count.

So, here it is. This is my plan to complete my bucket list in three weeks:

1) The Zoo - Magnetic Hill Zoo, on our way to PEI (If C. really likes it, I may try to sneak in a visit to the Cherry Brook Zoo at some point in the next month.)

2) Kings Landing - This one may be a September trip, because there aren't many unplanned weekends left. I think they usually have some special events in the last summer/early fall, so it could be a good alternative, if we can't get there before school starts.

3) Make Pickles - Labour Day weekend - I'm currently searching for a good recipe. Something dilly and sweet? Or maybe bread and butter pickles? I don't know what I'm doing. Help! I need a little help, please!

4) Playgrounds - We're up to four, but we need to see MORE! I think we'll head to a playground in the city later this week, and we're going to stop at any that we see in PEI.  How many can we add to our list? I'm aiming for 6 more!

5) Uptown Public Art Tour - Hopefully, we can check this out this week. If not, it will be done next week. The Sculpture Saint John kicks off on Thursday, so hopefully we can check that out at the same time.

6) Farmers' Markets - I can't believe I've only been to one Farmers' Market this year. Tsk, tsk. Maybe this Saturday will be nice and we can head over to the Kingston Market. Maybe we can hit up another one in PEI.  Could I be adding too much to my PEI list? My husband would say yes. His idea of vacation (i.e. relax) and my idea of vacation (i.e. go, go, go) are very different.

Three weeks. 18 days. Can I do it?

Bucket List Update - St. Andrew's and Ossie's

Bucket List Progress:
1.  The Zoo (Progress: a petting farm, an aquarium)
2.  Kings Landing
3.  Eat at Ossie's Lunch
4.  Make Pickles
5.  Playgrounds (Progress: We're up to 4!)
6.  Uptown Self-Guided Public Art Tour
7.  Farmer's Markets (Progress: We've been to 1! Queen Square)
8.  Visit St. Andrews
9.  Buskers Festival

I made some progress on my Summer Bucket List!

This weekend, we took a (quick) trip to St. Andrews. I think St. Andrews may be one of the most beautiful towns in New Brunswick. It seems to live and breathe heritage. I bet it's stressful living there, because the heritage bylaws are probably strict, but my goodness, the care and pride that they take in their community shows! Just beautiful. 

We decided to start our visit with a trip to the Community Playground, aka the massive super awesome playground. I had only been there once before, with a group of students, and remembered it being really fun. It was even better than I remember. It was built 21 years ago, and recently went through some improvements, like composite boards where foot traffic is heavy.

Really, it's a kid's dream. It looks like a castle with towers to climb in. The walkways are narrow and "kid-sized" and there are lots of hiding spots. There are also many extras hidden throughout, like a chime you can play made of pipes, a plinko type board that you drop balls down, and a big kaleidoscope. It's also a parent's dream, because there are wood chips at the bottom of slides, rubber on the ground under the swings, and the composite boards make splinters less likely.

Slides were slid down, swings were swung on, towers were climbed and wood chips were (thankfully) not eaten. It was a good time.

Wood chips by the slide. (They look fresh.)



A little "extra" - every so often,
you'd see a little carved creature
in the wood. I liked the
whale the best.

Lots of places to climb your way through.

Lots of baby and mini swings!

I loved all the art work too! (I'm a huge fan of
public art, and since kids (literally) had their hands
in this, it's even better!)

More artwork - I liked the kids names in clay.

I swear, you let this kid have time
on a swing each day, and
he'd be in heaven!

After a good time at the playground, we headed off to the Huntsman Discovery Aquarium. I haven't been there for MANY years. They built a brand new building a few years ago, and I've been eager to see it. I always loved seeing the seals, exploring the touch tank, and seeing all the fish that are normally found swimming well below the water's surface.

When we walked into the building, I was immediately impressed. It seemed big and open. I was a bit shocked at the admission though. For myself, my husband, and C. (who was free) it cost $28! I thought that was steep, but since it was new, I figured that there must be a lot to see and do. With admission, you can come and go as much as you want throughout the day. We weren't able to take advantage of it, but it would be a bonus if you were in town for the day, so you could catch multiple feedings - salmon, sea horses, and seals.

It was almost time for the seal feeding, so we quickly headed there. We passed a smaller scale feeding. Can you tell these fish know where their food comes from? They looked hungry!

The seal pool seemed small at first, but it was definitely bigger than it seemed.  I think the interpreter said it was the legal size for six seals, but they only had two. I can't imagine six in there, but it was great for two. As they were feeding the seals and giving their talk, I couldn't help wonder why I always liked seeing the seals. They are very common in our harbour -  so common that our QMJHL team is named after them! (The Saint John Sea Dogs) I see their little heads poking out of the water on an almost daily basis while driving across the Harbour Bridge, and yet I was mesmerized! Maybe it's the fact that I can get much more up close. I'm not sure, but I love them!

We were just in time, so we had to stay inside and watch through the glass. This explains the fuzzy pictures, too. Outside, there were balconies to the left and right of this pool.





 

Later on, we went downstairs and were able to see the seals swimming below the surface. C got a kick out of them swimming, his head moving back and forth, following their moves, and his hands touching the glass to try to get closer.

 

 

A view from a balcony outside

There were also a couple tanks you could get close to  by the upstairs seal pool - a touch tank and a skate tank. There weren't many people around, but even if there was, the touch tank was big, so I don't think you'd have to wait too long. That was a definite improvement over the old building.

A starfish - C. was very careful!

He also liked the rocks. Ha!
I think he just liked the cold, salty water.

 

Recently, they added a salmon tank and a seahorse tank. The salmon swim round and round and round. I wonder if they ever get bored. Do fish get bored? The seahorses have the same toy holders that Little C has!

 

 

Here are a couple of pictures from two of the other tanks. I don't know how the numbers compare to the old aquarium, but there seemed to be fewer tanks than the old building. (I could be wrong though.)

Grumpy fish

One of the bigger tanks - it's hard taking pictures
through the glass.I need to read up on how to do that.

There were also a few displays with pictures and write ups, and some rooms that I assume they use for their kids camps. I think there is also a theatre, although I didn't see one. There were a few doors that were closed, so it was probably behind one of those. There was a little area with a boat that kids could sit in, but it was occupied, so we didn't get to see that.

Overall, I'm really glad that we visited, but I was a little disappointment on the size and number of displays for the price we paid. C. loved the seals and had a great time,  so I'm satisfied, but I can't see us going back any time soon. I would say that if you were going to go, make sure that you can come and go throughout the day, so you can see all the feedings, or try to visit on a day when something special is happening.

On a side note, I have visited the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre, in Shippagan, NB, many times. It is definitely larger and more affordable. Our family would have cost $17, and the visit would have been much longer. If you are ever on the North Shore of New Brunswick, I highly recommend it.

As a finale to our little mini day trip, we pulled off the highway at exit 45, to eat at Ossie's Lunch.  I haven't been there in two years. It's been WAY too long. Since I was a child, it was a "must do" every summer, on the way back from a stay in Digdeguash. Everything is good at Ossie's so you won't be disappointed, but they're known for their fried clams. (I've mentioned before the Chef Michael Smith says they are the best in Canada!)  As far as I know, everything is fresh.  They were recently recognized for their use of fresh local products by Food Day Canada. I know I'm getting a little off topic, but I love them so much and want them to be around for many more years! With the new highway, they are easy to miss.  Don't miss them! (Exit 45 on the highway between Saint John and St. Stephen)

Ossie's is a bit old school. You walk up to the counter and place your order. They write it down, add it up by calculator (or in their head), take your money, and then you get a number. You can then choose a picnic table and wait for your number to be called.  When your number is called, you go back up and pick up your food on a bright red tray and take a seat at the bright red picnic tables. 

I got a small seafood platter, so I could get a little of everything - clams (yum), fish (yum), shrimp (yum), AND scallops (YUM!!!) It was all yum. C didn't have any of the shellfish off my plate, but probably ate half of the piece of fish (minus the batter.) Hubby had the clams. Everything was SOOOO good. They have a very light batter, so you taste seafood instead of just greasy batter. The thing I like the most is that most of the plate was filled with seafood and not fries. As an added bonus, they make their own tartar sauce - it's a dream - kind of dill-y and a perfect match for the seafood.

Some people may say that Ossie's is a bit pricey, but it is WORTH it! You're paying for fresh local seafood and a great experience. Don't miss out!

(On a side note, like their Facebook page - they are drawing for two free lobster rolls on Monday! - the link is above. You'll also get to see all the drool-worthy pictures of their food!)

So that was our mini-trip. I'm on my way to getting things checked off my list. I basically have three weeks left of maternity leave.  I hope I can get it all done!