You So Beauty! NB Road Trip.

One of my goals in moving back here was to see as much of the Maritimes as possible before I left again. It really didn't look like that was going to happen until I ended up dating another Frenchie. I don't know if it is cultural or not, but they really like to do a lot of different things, and road tripping is one of them. So, this summer, I unexpectedly got to see much of the French areas of NB up north. I love it up there. I don't know why my parents settled in the south of the province. I guess it was because everyone in the South of the province is English speaking, but again, that is just a guess. My Mom says it is prettier ... I dunno. So in early July we left Moncton for Buctouche and Richibuctou and the areas beyond that I had never seen. We had originally aimed for Bathurst, but only made it as far as Caraquet, and the Miscou Islands - which I am told are super chilly in the winter due to the endless wind. Yucko.

We drove through Shediac (Frenchie II's home town) and then hit Cocagne area. I really like this town, maybe it's the name, not sure. We drove around Treasure Island. There were a few little crappy houses for sale, which I thought we should buy (thinking they would be cheap). Uh ... no.

Cocagne Bay.

Oh the ubiquitous Acadian Flag that is everywhere, painted on everything; planted firmly on every French lawn north of Moncton. All you need is an object that will adhere to spray paint. Some may think it is obnoxious painting everything in red, white and blue, I, however, think it is kind of cute. Even lobster traps! It makes me wish I had a flag that stood for something.

Treasure Island. Small. Insular. French.

Treasure Island Garden.



Olivier Soap Factory serves a dual-purpose, acting as both a working soap factory (with products for sale) and a museum. Olivier is located in Ste-Anne-de-Kent, just north of Buctouche.

Buctouche Bridge and Bay.



What can I say? I love signs!



Frenchie II told me that this area of Baie Ste-Anne got economically depressed because of a hard fought dispute over fishing waters between the Acadian villagers and the Mi'kmaq residents of the nearby Burnt Church Indian Reserve. The local Mi'kmaq wanted to fish lobster out of season and the Acadian groups didn't want the waters to be depleted. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favor of an Indian treaty from the 1700's and the local Mi'kmaq won their case. Of course much fighting and property destruction followed. This was in 1999, it seems like things have calmed down quite a bit since then. Still pretty, but with a sense of depression.

Leaving Baie Ste-Anne. I have to say it was a little eerie.

Bridge over the beautiful Mirimachi River.



Tracadie-Sheila Beach after the awful storm that hit this past spring. Uprooted all.

Tracadie Beach. Flat. Cold. Wiiiiiindyyyyyyy!

Room at Hotel Paulin, Caraquet, NB.

View backyard Hotel Paulin.




More. Of. The. Same.

Ahh ... the entire reason I wanted to go North was to see Shippigan. It really was a small town. Super non-despcript and without much interest. The outlying areas confused Frenchie II. He thought we were on the Miscou Islands for the longest time. But we were actually just in the surrounding Shippigan area. Leaving Shippigan you enter Lameque town.

Shippigan area is known for huge and alien looking peat moss bogs. Peat moss extraction in New Brunswick was started on December 8th, 1941, when Conrad Fafard received from the governement the first lease on a peat bog where the peat moss was cut in blocks. Today it is the second biggest industry in the area.

We through a bottle in the ocean from the bridge leaving Shippigan to Miscou Islands. I want it to reach Africa. Whoever finds it we will bring here to North America. If they wanna come ...

Misou Island road that takes you to the northern most spot where there is a lighthouse and small gift shop with snacks and ice cream. Jesuits founded a mission in Miscou in 1634, but then abondonded it around 1662.


We ate some melting cones after this, bought a lobster trap made out of sand (sprayed with varathane to keep intact), and then booted it out New Brunswick's northern most point in order to get to Caraquet before sundown.

Como Aqua Para Chocolate

When Like Water for Chocolate came out in 1992, I had never seen anything like it. After the cheesiness of a decade of over-the-top 80's movie's, Like Water for Chocolate seemed so out of the norm (and so foreign) that it always stuck with me. Years later I travelled to Mexico and realized that the movie depicted the revolutionary era life (around the 1910's) of a Mexican family that was seeped in Mexican surrealism, and involved, what else, but a lot of cooking. Fast forward about 20 years, and I am in Moncton, bored out of my mind on a cold day in March, and decide to go to the Salvation Army to look for used pots. While there, I browse the book section (mostly crap) and see a little dog-eared paperback with the title: Like Water for Chocolate. I smiled. How fitting, I have never actually read the book (only seen the movie). I was quite excited to bring it home. When I got back I promptly forgot about it, when one day, I picked it up to look at the title and was surprised at what was inside. Not only did a Che Guevara bookmark fall out of its pages (my BF), but it had an interesting note inside. I have not notified anyone that this "travelling" book is with me (yet), but am so happy to know that my hunch was validated, that surrealism does exist in our world, and that existence was shown right here by way of this little paperback.

Winter Denial

I was sure we could escape a real winter. Up until now its been amazingly warm and snow free. That all ended last night. We got dumped on and the temperature is on its way down. Way down. However, it is already mid-January and March is only 6 weeks away. Once March hits, I feel like its all survivable. This morning I had to cab to work, the snow was waist deep. Still, it was only -1 Celsius all day. Not bad if you ask me ....

New Year's Eve 2010

I spent NYE at St. James Gate in downtown Moncton. I love this place. A pretty little pub. It was not packed at all, we even had live music. Everyone was in a good mood; especially me.

The staff handed out free champagne and NYE gizmo's, I tried for a "Happy New Year" headband and couldn't find one :(

As always, I ordered the calamari, you can never go wrong with this dish. Amazing as always. All in all, a fabulous end to what was a hard, but good year. Thank you 2010. Viva 2011!

The Canadian Dollar ...

... is, as of today, worth more than the American dollar! Unbelievable. When I left Canada in 1995, the loonie was at an all time low, fifteen years later on my return, it is at an all time high. I know its not very nice to say, but I never thought I would see the day when the Canadian currency was trading better on the world market than our cousins to the south. I am rather pleased though, because now any money made here will be worth more when I travel. Hallelooyer! 1.00 CAD = 1.00003 USD AND 1 CAD = 1.00003 USD 1 USD = 0.999970 CAD

Happy Ho Ho

Christmas Day 2010. So pretty at 7:30 am. On my way to work.

Gift from Lori. My first present in years :)

Can you see the one-eyed Santa in the tree? He stared at me all night!

Lights on a large house along the river in Ste-Marie de Kent

Centennial Park. Moncton. Christmas Day. Walking to work.

Christmas 2010 was not white, but it was fabulous. Leading up to December 25, I went out on one last date with the French Kid (one last because he is now chasing around the local hair dresser in his home town, Ste-Louis de Kent). On December 17th, we drove to Ste-Marie de Kent (a town I love) to eat at Barbara's Grill. It was amazing. It's a big ol' barn converted to restaurant and was surprising good. We sat in front of the Christmas tree and argued about why he did not know what the word "arrogant" meant in French (our waitress who was bilingual did not know either); I am sure you can guess who I was suggesting may be a tad arrogant. On the drive back to Moncton, we went to look at Christmas lights on rich people's house ... they were pretty extensive in that every token Christmas element was on the front lawn. It all would have looked so much better in the snow. But, then again, I am used to Christmas decorations with green lawns from living in Seattle. I worked over Christmas, but was invited to my good friend's in-law's house for Christmas dinner - boy, that was mouthful. I started off at my friends house looking at the gifts she and her husband had gotten for each other and drinking eggnog and rum. We then left for the short drive to Riverview. Dinner was fabulous and I had a great time laughing over the dessert's that were in the shape of balls, among other things. We laughed like a bunch of middle-schoolers. There was a tree, I got a 2 gifts (that never happens and as a result I have a gift getting phobia), but suffered through the extensive ribbons and tape, I took a million photos, and a video that Lori's father-in-law was singing and playing on the guitar. We also got to listen to a live version of "Here Comes Santa Claus."

Read Me !!

Two weeks ago I was walking home from work and decided to take a path through the absolutely gorgeous Victoria Park. It's tiny, but surrounded by old Victorian homes donned in Christmas lighting. There was a light snow blanketing all the benches. When I reached the end I saw something sitting on one of the benches partially covered in snowflakes ... it was a book that someone had left on the bench protected with a zip lock bag with a small sticky note on the front that said, "Read It." I couldn't believe it! As someone who regularly threw bottles with notes into the ocean as a kid (I did get one response from Maine!), I have always wanted to find a random book with a note on it!! I kid you not. Weirdly, though, it is some romance novel that is called "Possession." According to the front, it was a NY Times best seller. For now it sits in the same zip lock bag up in my attic. I will break it out some day ...