Camping and Irene

Last week, while Hurricane Irene was coming up the coast straight for us, I was planning a camping trip. The weathermen said it would not hit until late Sunday night, so we figured we were safe going out Saturday. Thankfully, we were right. It rained a bit during the night, but stopped in time to pack up camp and cook breakfast.

Saturday started out bright and early. We wanted to leave at 8 am so we could stop for breakfast and gas on the two hour drive and still have time to set up camp and enjoy the day. We arrived and were ready for adventure by 11 AM; and so decided to check out one of the many walking trails Fundy National Park had to offer. We picked one that looked easy and set out, only to discover it had a closed sign at the head of the trail. There was another path nearby, it went down to the beach and the map said it was a ‘moderate’ trail, so away we went. It was mostly downhill, but the trail was all boardwalk and stairs. When we got to the beach all we could see was fog. But as we explored a lot of it burned off.



Dickson Falls, Fundy National Park.



After taking a bunch of pictures, collecting a few shells and skipping some rocks, we headed back up the steps to camp. On the way, we decided to drive into the little town of Alma that borders the park for lunch. After lunch, we found another trail to hike; it was a winding downstairs hike into a canyon to Dickson Falls. I got a lot of beautiful pictures of the falls and brook, one of the cleanest and clearest I have seen in a long time. After Dickson Falls, we decided to check out the beach we had hiked to the last time we were at Fundy. That time it had been raining, so we did not stay long on the beach. This time we were there a good hour. The tide was out so we were able to explore some large rocks and caves. Then, I stepped in the mud. It was black and slimy. I tried washing my feet off in a pool, then just went with it until we got back to the beach. There, I took a walk in the ocean. Still, the mud stuck (and by now my jeans were soaked half way to my knees). There was a small river from the tide going out, so I waded in that a bit and finally enough came off to be able to hike back to the truck. When I got home, I ended up running my sandals under water in the bathtub to completely clean them; it was very sticky mud! I was glad I had decided to throw my sneakers in the truck at the last minute before we left the house, just in case.

After hiking to the beach, we went back to camp got changed and decided to relax. It was cool in the shade, and the fog had not really burned off there yet, so we went for another walk. This time down a trail that ran along the road to the covered bridge. I got a lot of nice pictures (and a few bug bites since by now I was wearing my shorts and sneakers with no socks), and when we got to the end we scaled a fence to a rocky beach that is covered at high tide and took some more. Finally we hiked back to camp and ate dinner, then sat around a campfire killing time and listening to someone play guitar from a few lots over,  until it was late enough to go to bed.

Early waves caused by Hurricane Irene. Saint's Rest Beach, Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sunday morning we got up, while I cooked 2 Lbs of bacon for breakfast and ate a bagel, camp was packed up. The drive home was uneventful, and when we got there we got cleaned up and changed then went out to the beach to watch the waves come in ahead of Irene. At that time,  the waves were still fairly small, so we went for a Sunday drive then home to watch a movie and went back late in the evening. Unfortunately, it was too dark to take any pictures at that time, but I will always remember the high waves of Irene.   

Pizza

I made homemade pizza this morning for the first time ever. I made both the dough and sauce from scratch, grated the cheese, chopped the veggies and used a hot dog and a few pieces of turkey bacon for meat. And it was delicious!

When I was a kid, my mom would buy a prepackaged pizza making kit from Kraft, it had a little can of sauce, some grated parmesan cheese, a spice packet and a just add water packet of dough. My mom would make this about once a month; it was cheaper than ordering pizza for five. The year I was in college, we had a girl from South Korea stay with us over Christmas, the night before she left; we bought one of these kits and showed her how to make pizza. She was amazed; they did not have things like that in Seoul!  

Pizza has always been one of my favorites; just by picking different toppings you have a whole new meal. Some people say it is junk food, others will argue the meat and veggies are good for you.  Me? I am on the fence. If it were not for the processed salami, turkey bacon and hot dog, my pizza today might have been healthy as it was made with natural ingredients from scratch. That is the only reason I think pizza might be bad for you, it has a lot of processed meats and sauce. If you can get it homemade with fresh ingredients, then my argument is that it is good for you!

My dough recipe made enough for two, and since I am only one person I froze the second half until the weekend when I will have some company and try it again. I can’t wait to try it with a different topping combination! 

Biker Babe in traing Pt 2.

I went for my second spin on a motorcycle this weekend, and third. Saturday we went to Sussex for coffee, and while we were there we stopped at a leather store to get me outfitted as a true biker chick. I look lovely in leather. One thing that truly amazes me is the sizing of leather jackets. I am no skinny mini, but my new leather jacket is sized 5 XL. Yikes! Most clothes I am in now (since I recently lost 20 Lbs) are L or XL. Like everything else, the size depends on the design. I tried on one 5XL that was much too big, and another 4 XL that was too tight. In the end, we found the one jacket that fit and now I look like I belong on a motorcycle.

Sunday, we went for a ride to my parents’ house in Wirral. It was a beautiful day and a long ride; we ended up stopping twice on the way out to stretch our legs. I am a bit pinker from our stops, since it was too hot to keep a leather jacket on; but I have had worse sunburns and I enjoyed my day.

After we got back from Wirral, we traded the motorcycle for the truck and went for a spin down long windy roads in the country. It was a nice end to a long day and longer weekend. I hope the next five days spin by fast, this weekend is the Sussex Flea Market, I’ve only been once but I really enjoyed myself and can’t wait to go again!

Rain...again.

It has been a busy couple of days, I honestly have not had time to write, which is unusual. This week has gone fast; it is halfway to the weekend already. Last weekend was nice, it was sunny Saturday we went shopping for new clothes and got some good deals. Then we went to the drive in and saw the new Smurfs movie, it was great! The second movie playing the night was called Friends with Benefits, it was meh; we ended up leaving half way through.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early, I hung out with K for a few hours; we went shopping for a first birthday gift for our baby cousin, and then we had Happy Meals for lunch. K got to order and pay for his own; he is a little shy while talking to strangers, but I think he did well.

Sunday afternoon we went for a drive. Even though it was raining, it was still nice. Eventually we made it back home and spent the evening on the couch watching movies.

Since it started raining Sunday afternoon, it has not stopped. Monday morning was really bad, and I had to walk to the library to return some books. I was lucky that it had eased off to almost a sprinkle on my walk to the library, but I get soaked walking back.

Because it was still raining Tuesday morning, I spent the day in the kitchen making Manicotti for dinner. A nice comforting meal on a rainy day, it was my first time trying the recipe and it turned out well.

This morning, still raining. It is supposed to continue until lunchtime tomorrow and then clear up until Sunday afternoon…then more rain most of next week. August is supposed to be the warmest month of our summer, but so far it is a bust. On Saturday’s shopping trip I got a nice sundress, but the way it is going I will not be wearing it this summer!

Covered Bridges

Last weekend when we were camping, I took this picture.

New Brunswick is full of covered bridges, including the longest in the world in Hartland. When I was a teenager, I lived in a small village called Welsford. We had a covered bridge. One winter, it snowed and snowed. We had so many snow days that winter they considered tacking on an extra week at the end of the school year. That Spring, it rained. And rained. And the snow melted. And there were floods. The river had risen so much that the covered bridge floated from its moorings.

 With my Dad and sisters, along with most of Welsford, I watched the covered bridge float away. It floated about a city block down the river and then suddenly it stopped. There the bridge sat with water flowing around it, it was an odd sight.

The army boys came down and said they could tow it back up to its moorings just as soon as the river was at its proper level. When the water went down, we could see the reason it has stopped; the bridge was perched on the banks of the river. That night a dusting of snow came down; it was such a small amount one could hardly say it even snowed. Unfortunately it proved too much for the old bridge and the next day it collapsed where it sat.

The people of Welsford rallied to have the covered bridge replaced. We were told that no one knew how to make them anymore. The Army came in and made temporary bridge for the people who lived on the other side of the river. Eventually, they replaced it with a permanent bridge that stands to this day.

The day of the flood, my Father took many pictures of the water. We also climbed the mountain in Welsford and took pictures of the overflowed river. Unfortunately none of the pictures turned out because we discovered the camera was broken and the film had not advanced. I do not need pictures; I will remember the view from the top of the mountain for the rest of my life.

Smurfs

I was out today returning a borrowed cooler from last weekend’s camping adventure when I decided to get a hamburger for lunch. Instead of getting a huge greasy burger and fries, I opted for a smaller portion and got a kid’s meal. In my little box was a small Smurf; Brainy Smurf, my favorite Smurf when I was a child.

If the weather cooperates, we are planning on going to the drive in this weekend. They always play two movies and this weekend’s first pick is the new Smurfs movie. I know a few people who have seen it already and they say it is really good, so I am looking forward to it.

When I was a kid, we would watch the Smurfs cartoons regularly; it was one of my favorite shows. My Dad absolutely hates them, he has never really said why, just that he can’t stand the little blue creatures. I always liked them, and will still watch the cartoon once in awhile if I happen to come across it.

I suppose with the new movie, they will probably give the cartoon a reboot sometime in the next year as well. I am kind of in the camp that they should leave well enough alone and don’t mess with the classics, but it is kind of neat to see my favorite childhood shows making a comeback.

How about Jem next summer?

Cookie Monster

"Sometimes me think what is love, and then me think love is what last cookie is for.
Me give up the last cookie for you." ~Cookie Monster.

I found this quote the other day, I can’t even remember where. When I was a kid, Cookie Monster was one of my favorite characters. When we were young, I remember we had a stuffed Cookie Monster, complete with large plastic google eyes.

Like the Cookie Monster, my one weakness is the cookie. Delicious little balls of dough baked to perfection. I have a large cookie jar sitting in the centre of my kitchen table, it is seldom empty. I think someday I will make a good Mom because there will always be homemade cookies in the house. So long as we can keep the Cookie Monster away!

Ka-Boom.

Ka-boom

It has been thundering & lightning off and on all day. I don’t mind thunder, but I know a few people who are afraid of it. I love to watch a good lightning storm; the chains in a black sky are so beautiful.

It is supposed to rain all week, as much as I think that that much rain is depressing, we need it. It has been super hot here for the last few weeks, and a nice cool week is nice so I can catch up on my baking. My cookie jar has been empty for almost three weeks because it has been too hot to turn on the oven!

I have tried to take pictures of lightning, but around here we mostly get sheet instead of chain. Sheet lightning is the type that lights up the entire sky, a giant flash. We usually only get one or two good thunder storms a summer in the city; but many mornings my friends who live just outside of the city have asked me ‘did you hear that thunder last night?’

Ka-Boom; I like it best when you can feel the house shake beneath your feet from the thunder. Best of all, I enjoy watching from a safe distance!

Biker Babe in Training.

I am a biker babe in training. I went on my first motorcycle ride last night, and it was fun! I can’t wait to go again.

I had a wild weekend, Saturday we went camping, and we got to Fundy National Park just in time for the rain to start. It rained while we set up the tent and inflated the air mattress. It poured when we decided to go for a hike to see a waterfall. And even though we got soaked, we had fun and I got some great pictures!  After our hike, we went into the village of Alma, on the outskirts of the park, and did the tourist thing. Meanwhile it still rained! We had ice cream and then went back to the tent and got changed. Just in time to cook dinner, it stopped raining! Yay! So we went for another walk and took some pictures of the river and a covered bridge, then came back to camp and cooked steaks and mashed potatoes.

I tried s’mores for the first time Saturday. The chocolate did not melt very well, but they were good!! We had to check out by 11 am, so Sunday morning we were up early. We cooked bacon for breakfast and packed everything up. It was all soaked, so it has to be re set up today to dry out. We drove home, stopping for coffee and a proper breakfast on the way. Once we made it to Saint John, we unpacked, got cleaned up and headed out again.

Sunday afternoon, we went to New River Beach to have hamburgers with friends. I got a few pictures of the tide going out and we took a walk on the beach. Back into town once more to get changed into proper biking attire, and finally it was time for my first motorcycle lesson. Here’s the helmet, climb up here, hold on tight and let’s go! We went for a twenty minute ride to get coffee, sat around with the other bikers for a bit, and then came back the long way. Finally, our day ended on the couch watching the Ghost Rider movie.

We somehow managed to pack a lot of adventure into two days; now I have to wait five whole days to do it again!

Long weekend

Oh, Yay, it is Friday :-)

It is also a long weekend, Monday is New Brunswick Day. The calendar says ‘Civic Holiday’ or ‘Bank Holiday’, because each Provence calls it something different. Unfortunately for me, I have to work Monday because I work for an American company. The only holidays I get off that are shared by my Canadian friends and family are Labour Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Which leaves me working everything else: Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, Thanksgiving and Boxing Day, while everyone else sits at home or heads to the beach. On the other hand, I get July 4^th off and American Thanksgiving, so while everyone else works, I am free. And the stores are open, bonus!

Even though I work Monday, I can still take part in any festivities they have running. Usually there is a giant Flea Market Uptown, and some activities on the boardwalk for the kids. I do not have to be at work until 2PM, which means all day to take a poke around to see the festivities.

Tomorrow we are heading out camping. It is supposed to rain. Actually, it is supposed to pour in Saint John, but we are going to Moncton where it is only supposed to rain a bit. And I am told Fundy National Park, where we are going, has its own weather patterns. Here’s hoping, I want my S’mores!!

Happy Friday!

Music

Is it right to sing along with the hold music if you are at work? I work in an office; I have my own little half cubicle.  I am in a call centre, so there are a half dozen people on each side of me, and more behind and in front of me. We receive calls from stores in the US, and sometimes they have to put us on hold while they run for a serial number etc. So as I type this, I am on hold listening to Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield (sp?). It is a song I enjoy singing along to…and I am having a hard time holding back! I am sure my coworkers would be impressed if I start singing (especially since I cannot carry a tune).

Although I mostly prefer Country music, I will listen to just about anything. I have a memory for lyrics, I just have to listen to a song a few times and I can sing along. I love music; I can’t imagine a world without it. If I am upset, I like to blast my music and sing or dance the frustrations away. It especially helps in traffic; a busy street or parking lot with crazy drivers stresses me out.

I usually get random songs stuck in my head, too. This afternoon I had ‘all my loving’ by The Beatles stuck in there. I sometimes have a hard time falling asleep at night because I am humming along to some music.

Music makes the world go round. And it makes being on hold less boring :-)

Detours & Shopping, blah.

I am going camping this weekend, so this morning I ran over to the West side to get the groceries and  borrow a cooler from my parents; Mom had sent it in with dad this morning when he went to work. I got halfway down Fairville Boulevard and I see a big detour sign. Boo. So, up one of the side streets I went to Manawagonish (pronounced Man-o-wog-an-ish) Road, there are several streets connecting the two. I figured it would be easiest to drop back down the last one, at Purdy’s corner, since it is about 2 car lengths from Dad’s work and would be easiest. Well, didn’t I get up to the lights and that road was closed to! So I had to go even further out of my way, all the way down Manawagonish to the end, and backtrack up Fairville. Boo, I hate construction. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, it is 10 AM and I have to make several other stops and be home by Noon to get everything away and get ready for work.

After picking up the cooler, I ran to the dollar store to get some ice packs and an extra flashlight. I was also looking for marshmallow sticks, but I could not find them. I get up to the register and the girl working said their debit machines were down. Usually I do not carry cash, but this morning I found 45 dollars under my keyboard that I had stuck there over the weekend. I am glad I brought it with me!

After the Dollar store was the Bulk Barn, marshmallows, graham crackers, and a few ingredients for a recipe I want to try. And I was lucky, most of the things I needed were on sale!

My last stop was supposed to be the grocery store. They had a sign stating their debit machines were down to. After the first two stores, I am down to 25 dollars. I automatically cut my list in half, I can get the ‘house’ stuff another day, I just need to get the camping stuff today. Bacon, pop, juice, bread, cheese and some chocolate. With more luck, my total came to 24 dollars and change.  

Since it was only 11, I figured I would have time to stop at the Pharmacy and get some more conditioner. Of course, I could not find the brand I wanted, but found another that will hopefully work as well. I was in and out of there, so I decided to pop over to Zellers to try and find the marshmallow sticks. I found some nice bamboo ones for cheap, all the summer stuff is on sale; they were also putting up the Back to School displays, it seems to appear earlier every year. While I was in there, I found a nice shirt I can wear to work for only 10 dollars, so I picked that up as well. There was a huge bra sale, so I tried on a dozen, but nothing fit right. Boo. I was getting cranky and realized it was because I was hungry, so I checked the time and saw it was noon already! Yikes! Time flies in the dressing rooms!  So, I cashed out, spun through the drive through for a Happy Meal and ate lunch on my way home.

Where I encountered more construction, boo. But no detours, thankfully.

So that was my adventuresome morning, and now I am sitting at work, waiting for the weekend.

Weekend part 2

Oh, what a weekend! I didn’t even have time to write, I was constantly on the go!

Saturday, K and I went to see the Buskers. We watched one show, but wanted to go home after I told him I hadn’t any money for the rides. So, we went back home and spent the afternoon in the backyard kicking a ball around. We made dinner for his Mommy and then went back to the Buskers in the evening. His Mommy had the change, so she took him on a ride and then we watched two more shows. One was the East Cost Lumberjack show, they did cutting competitions, a log rolling demonstration, and they raced up huge poles that resembled trunks of trees deep in the forest.

Sunday, I went for a drive. We just bopped along, stopped for dinner and then a bit later, ice cream, and later still, coffee. Then we came home and watched a couple movies. It was such a relaxing day; I got to see a lot of scenic farmland, and got a whiff of some very stinky cows :-)

Now, I am counting the days down to next weekend, we are going camping! It has been a long time since I have gone camping, and I can’t wait! The weather man is calling for rain Saturday, but usually it changes ten times between Monday and Saturday, fingers crossed for sun!!

Happy Monday!

Weekend!

What can I write about today? I am excited for tomorrow! Last night was the first day of Buskers on the Boardwalk. It is an annual festival where Buskers descend on Uptown Saint John for four days of fun! I am planning on taking K to some of the shows tomorrow afternoon, then we are going to go home and cook dinner for some guests, and after dinner all of us will go back Uptown to take in a few other shows.

I have gone to the Buskers shows every year for the last four. Usually at least one day it gets rained out. This year, it was last night. It had been foggy all day, and then suddenly it got cloudy, yet very bright, and the skies opened up. The rain literally came down in sheets for about fifteen minutes at about nine o’clock last night.  We could hear low thunder and an hour later when I was driving home from work, I could still see lightening out over the Bay of Fundy.  It was kind of eerie.

So, it is almost the weekend, and here’s hoping it is going to be a good one! Actually, I am going to be sure it is a good one!! 

Fog

The fog rolls thick in Saint John, usually in the evenings so it is nice and cool to sleep. This morning, it did not burn off. So, it has been a cool and foggy day. It is nice after a few hot ones, but hopefully it does not stick around for too long.

Outside the city it is most likely beautiful. Coming back into the city from Grand Bay, you can usually see a dome of fog over the West side.

It is supposed to storm tonight, oodles of rain. After a few hot days, the rain will be a nice change. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny again, and it is supposed to continue all weekend. I can’t wait, I am taking my little man K to the Busker’s Festival!  

Peas

So today I went to Google to find something to write about, and I saw this picture.

The first thing I said was ‘cool’, because it is. I love peas, they are my favorite vegetable. But, I am picky in my peas. I like fresh or frozen, but not canned. I know canned veggies are supposed to be ‘picked at their peak of freshness’ blah etc, but I think they taste funny.

Last summer, I tried to plant peas in a pot on my windowsill in my apartment. I got a plant about 2 feet tall and about 5 pods. I was very impressed with myself. I also tried leaf lettuce, carrots and radishes. The carrots and radishes only grew to about the size of a bean sprout; but I got about 4 harvests out of the lettuce. Not enough for a full salad, but enough to stack onto a burger!

Back to the Google Doodle, it is actually honoring ‘The Father of Modern Genetics’ Gregor Mendel, who did genetic experiments on peas. Although he was criticized at the time, his work is now popular among geneticists. Today marks what would have been his 189^th birthday, so Google has posted this doodle in his honor.

Happy Birthday, let’s eat peas!

COPYRIGHT 2011 T.K.Alexzander.

“You’re nothing short of my everything” – Ralph Block

“You’re nothing short of my everything” – Ralph Block

I started this blog to have a spot for my writing, but guess what? I only seem to have a Winter muse. I can usually write a lot in the Winter; but Spring and Summer comes along, and bang! My muse goes on vacation. I wish I could go to. So today I decided to just start writing. Journaling, babbling, call it what you will, I decided to just start writing.

So step one was I needed inspiration. Sometimes when I am bored, I will go to Google and type in random letters, just to see what the auto complete has to say. Today, I started with Q, and the first thing that came up was ‘quotes’.  I clicked on Images and got a massive amount of results, so I just started scrolling through them. Finally I found the above quote, and I decided this was the one I wanted to write about today.

My everything is a little man named K. He is my nephew and he turned 5 about three months ago. He is the cutest little boy on the planet; and yes I know I am a bit biased, but I have about a dozen people who back up my opinion! Someday, my everything will expand to hopefully include a husband and children of my own, but for now K holds my heart in his little hands.

So starting today, I am going to write a bit each day. About my day, about my little man K, about the world around me in beautiful Saint John. Hey, maybe my muse will come back!

See ya around!

COPYRIGHT July 2011 T.K. Alexzander.

K is for Kyristan.

This is my first time participating in Alphabe-Thursday, check it out!!

K is for Kyristan, my little man K, who starts Kindergarten this Fall! 

I love the Preschool years, so many curious questions and funny thoughts.

“What’s that?”  “My elbow”  “Why is it on the outside?”

“Why’s this full of water?” (snowglobe)

Kicking a stuffed doggy down the stairs doesn’t hurt him, “he’s not real. “

If I have a nighttime accident, “the bed won’t get wet, my jammies will!”

“Why?”

“Mommy, when can I have a brother? “

“Call me K, like everyone else”

“It’s only a Gummy worm, it’s not real!”

“I gotta poop!” (while being fitted for a tux)(during a toast at the wedding)

“I’m not allowed to carry the eggs.”

“Why do you have a turtle?” (stuffed souvenir)

“What are you laughing at? “You”  “I’m not funny!”

Oh, my little man K, you are growing up so fast. I am going to miss the cute little things you say and do.  The kisses and hugs that you will grow out of, and the way you let me take a photo of you no matter what!

My little man is growing up, the love you bring to me gets bigger each day, to. K is for Kyristan, my little man K.

COPYRIGHT T.K.Alexzander; June 2011.

Nickel & Dime

Once upon a time

There was a young dime

Who wanted to marry a nickel

But

All the other dimes

Said “It is a crime,

To marry outside your circle.”

Dime was sad

Thought that law was bad

He asked, “Maybe we can change the rule?”

And

The dimes got mad

They said “Not even a tad”

To Dime, it was cruel.

Then one sunny day

In the month of May

Dime found a place to be free

So

Dime and Nickel ran away

And settled by the Bay

And now live happily

COPYRIGHT T.K.Alexzander, June 2011

When Did You Get So Big?

When did you get so big, my love

You are growing up so fast.

I miss my baby boy, my love,

And his cute little laughs.

I want you to stop growing, my love

And be my baby forever.

I miss my baby boy, my love,

The cute things he said, so clever!

I know you must get bigger, my love

But I’d rather you stay small.

I miss my baby boy, my love,

His cuddles most of all.

Every day you grow, my love

You’ve become my little man

But I miss my baby boy, my love,

And holding his little hands

 COPYRIGHT June 2011 T.K.Alexzander