Sunset Storm

This was the scene tonight at 8:30.  The day had been sunny and warm and everyone sat on the beach, for what seemed like the first time all summer!  Then, after dinner, the wind started blowing so hard the trees were doing backbends.  On one side of the house the sky was still blue and on the other side it was black and threatening. 

There were even white caps, we don't get waves very often!

As the storm continued to blow and move quickly across the sky, I noticed a little pink glimmer on the horizon.....



The sun managed to peek out from under the clouds, just in time to put on it's evening show!



I stood outside, risking life and limb in the blowing wind to take these sunset storm pictures!  I had to brace myself against the house just to avoid being blown over!  It was truly a great show!  So, here is one of my favorite things about summer in ten or less pictures!

Notice the haze in the sky!  It was eerie!

Going down and getting prettier

Gotta have clouds for a great sunset!

Now we are talking!  Still getting better!  Wind still blowing too!

The last sliver of the sun.

The last sliver without the zoom.





The wind has stopped blowing and the sun has set and it did not even rain!  That was super cool!

What is Your Favorite Thing About Summer? Comment-a-thon

Things on the blog are picking up these days, if the number of followers is any indication.  So, in order to get to know you a little more, and to take the easy way out of posting (because I am sooo busy doing nothing all day), I decided to get some reader input.  You all know what my favorite thing about summer is.....

Amherst Shore, Nova Scotia!  Sandbars, beaches, farmhouse and family!

I could go on forever, and sometimes I do, about how much I love coming up here for the summer.  In order to give the blog a little dimension, I want to hear from you!  What is your favorite thing about summer? 

I went first, now it's your turn!


P.S.  I did not even notice that the link I attached was posted exactly one year ago to the date until I reread the post and went to the link.  What a coincidence!  Cue up the alien space invader music....

Wow, I've Been Here That Long????

Things have been picking up a bit at the shore lately!  The calm, quiet, gray, dreary days of June have slipped away and now July is here and as I look at my countdown, or is it a count up, I find I've been here over one month and 2 weeks.  The time does fly up here!  I am finding it more and more challenging to sit down and compose complete sentences and post beautiful pictures with interesting storylines.  How can that be?  With so much material to choose from! Let me explain.

July 1, aka Canada Day, came and went.  The 4th of July came and went, and so did Will and Kate.  You all know this because you have read the latest post!  As promised, my friend/ cousin/ field reporter/ provided some awesome Will and Kate pictures.

I just love this one!

 Suddenly the population at the shore went from 6 to 56, in about a day!  I am not exaggerating here.  There are all sorts of people (aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, visitors, & strangers) arriving daily.  When new people arrive we must welcome them.  There are the usual, "how was your winter? how are the kids? don't you love the weather?" conversations along with the more probing, "how long are you here for? wow, you look great! Isn't it a beautiful day?" conversations to have with the new arrivals and that has kept me very busy lately.  I know, it`s work, work, work! It only gets busier as the month goes on so I really need to carve out some time to sit and write, in complete sentences, with beautiful pictures because you really deserve a quality product.  The pictures should not be too difficult, especially when the sunsets end up looking like this!

They just keep getting better and better. I am such a sunset junkie!



This summer I`ve found it a bit amusing when I take pictures of people. Many of my readers are friends, hello friends, and now they are starting to think /be very afraid, that when I take a picture of them it just might end up on "the blog". I am trying my best not to incriminate any of my friends/readers. I have joked that each of them will be asked to sign a release when I take their picture. Still, I'm trying my best to keep everyone anonymous, unless you happen to be one of my grandchildren or children or my husband... and then you are fair game!

On to reasons time flies up here. A few examples....in one or more pictures.


Time flies when you make jam out of delicious fresh strawberries!

Time flies when you cook and eat lobster for dinner



Time flies when you walk on the sandbars with your husband

Time flies when the sun comes out at Spinnaker`s Landing in Prince Edward Island

Time flies when you see the Highland Storm show at the College of Piping on PEI

Time flies when you watch the tide go out in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia

A couple of friends of ours have been visiting over the last few days and we have been enjoying Nova Scotia like we were tourists!  We spent a day in Halifax, enjoying theater, restaurants and the city life.  We made a trip to Prince Edward Island and reveled in the beauty of the rolling hills, fields of green, blue waters and excellent entertainment.  I must take a little break here to let you know how much I love bagpipes,  they will be played at my funeral (I know, that is kind of morbid but I just love them)!  We went to the College of Piping, yes there is such a place, and watched their summer show.  It was a medley  of drums, bagpipes, step dancing, fiddles and singing.  We all loved it! I was channeling my distant Scotch heritage.   Finally, today we headed down to Parrsboro, Nova Scotia to witness the tides in the Bay of Fundy.  They are advertised to be one of the largest tides in the world.  We really enjoyed the town, especially the seafood chowder we had for lunch while sitting outside across the street from the water.  Can`t say too much about the joys of eating delicious food, outdoors, enjoying a beautiful view!  We also watched the tide go out, and yes, it was remarkably quick.  It has been very surprising that after all the years we have come up here that TJ has not been to many of these places.  All it took was having a good friend of his come visit to get him out of the garden and onto the road!  Thanks anonymous (you know who you are) friends!  Now I can apply for that Nova Scotia tourism job!

A Royal Holiday Weekend

My apologies everyone.....I did start this post on the 4th of July!  It is now the 6th and I'm still working on it.  Guess the holiday weekend lasted a little longer for me! 

Today is July 4th, Independence Day in the United States. Happy 4th of July! I remember thinking how strange it was to spend the 4th of July in Canada when we lived here. First of all, Canada Day is July 1 and it is a big holiday weekend.  So here I am, in Canada, and it is a holiday weekend, but it is not "my" holiday weekend....or is it? I attended both Canada Day festivities this weekend and 4th of July festivities, it was a very patriotic weekend....or 4 days!

The weekend was extra special this year!  There were plenty of festivities to keep everyone busy, Canadian and American.  There were parades and festivals and fireworks on Friday, Canada Day.  There was no shopping....so I got to come straight home from golf that day and I was glad!  Saturday I was lucky (gullible) enough to participate in a 10K Cross Border Challenge.  We walked from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia on an absolutely perfect summer day. I would have liked to take pictures on the way but when you are walking 10K you just have to make a judgement call and I decided not to carry a camera!  Sorry folks.  It was a well run event and after 5K  I was tired of walking and decided to run a bit and ended up running...and walking the rest of the race/event.  I really enjoyed the festive Canada Day atmosphere along with the scenery.  Maybe next year I will train and run a bit more...but then again, maybe not.

Sunday was crossover day.  The Canada Day fever was waning and the 4th of July festivities were beginning.  The day started with a golf scramble and ended with a party.  The decorations were all red, white and blue.  Today was the big day in more ways than one.  As far as Canadians are concerned, today was just Monday and back to work.  I did hear many references to 4th of July on CBC radio today and several programs were dedicated, in their own Canadian way, to their neighbors to the south.  I went to a traditional BBQ, with hamburgers, potato salad,  beans and fireworks for dessert! 

 Canada Day and the 4th of July did take a bit of a back seat this year to the Main Event!!! The Royal Couple.... Will and Kate, visited Canada and more specifically, Prince Edward Island, practically across the street/strait!  Canadians everywhere are basking in the glow of their royal newlyweds.  I must admit, I am just as taken with the Royal Couple, they are truly a beautiful couple.  I had the option to go to PEI and witness their Royal Beautifulness but decided that sitting in the backseat between two car seats was not worth taking a few pictures so I sent my field reporters with strict instructions to get PICTURES!  I had them all sign a release so I could use their photos on the blog!  See?

Don't want to risk being accused of using material without permission!

My reporters did not disappoint me! Not only did they get a nice picture of the Royal Couple, they were interviewed by the BBC, CTV and NBC!  Guess I should have taken that ride between the car seats after all!  The Duchess even pointed at her head and told my friends/world famous interviewees/millinery experts that she liked their hats. 





"I like your hats!"

If you want to view the interviews by the most excellent milliners you can see them  here.  The girls in the amazing hats are my friends/most excellent interviewees/millinery experts.  How exciting, to be interviewed by not one, not two, but three major networks and to get a shout out from the Duchess herself!  Yeah, should have taken the ride between the car seats!

P.S.  I still have one reporter/friend/cousin who has a picture for me....but since she is also the one that the 2 car seats belong to, thus the two children also belong to, she has not had time to get the picture to me just yet.  I promise to post it as soon as I get it.  I know you will all love it!