Friday, August 30, 2019

A Bolt from the Black!


Do you ever think that the Universe is trying to get your attention?
A little over a week ago, I certainly did!


The Milky Way
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay




I was sitting at our kitchen counter one evening working on our budget,
when out of nowhere, a gigantic thunderbolt boomed overhead.


A Bolt from the Black!
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay




Startled, I shot straight up out of the high chair I was sitting in,
simultaneously backing away from the open door to our deck.
I fell backwards, well over the arm of my chair, and my legs followed.

I dropped at least three feet straight down,
landing in a V on my tailbone, my right hand partially breaking the fall.

Terry, who was standing on the other side of the counter by the fridge,
yelled "Louise" and ran for me.
He thought I had been struck by lightning.

He found me sitting on the floor stunned by what had happened.

As soon as he determined I had broken nothing, 
he pulled me up off the floor and helped me to a soft, comfortable armchair.

A violent thunderstorm rolled over us following the initial thunderbolt,
and it seemed to last forever.

Every time lightning struck around us, 
I covered my ears and cowered in the armchair.


Thunderstorm
Image by Felix Mittermeier from Pixabay 




It took me a while to recover from the shock of my fall
and regain my usual composure during a thunderstorm.

The next day everyone was talking about what a storm it had been.
For the next two days I was nursing a swollen and painful wrist
sandwiched between two ice packs.  And sitting very carefully!

This might seem like nothing more than a ridiculous fall,
but I saw it as something different:
a message from the Universe telling me to get off my rear end
and get busy with something I've been putting off.

So I'm frantically working on it against an impending deadline.
Wish me luck!





Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


Me, on Donnie and Martin's Deck
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 7,  2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved









Friday, August 23, 2019

Family Is the Best!!!


One weekend in my annual calendar is permanently booked.
It's booked in a lot of calendars among my extended family members.
That special weekend is the first one in August.

Wherever we live, if we possibly can, my extended family heads
for Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, to join other family members who live there.
We may come for three or four days, tens days, or several weeks,
but however long our trips, we make sure they overlap that first weekend in August.


First Sight of Home!
Bear Island and Digby Gut
from the Bear River Bridge
Nova Scotia, Canada
July 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, grandparents,
grandchildren, husbands, wives, and significant others,
we all get together and cram everything we can into the time we have.
It seems like one big, extended party with ever-changing activities.

A definite highlight among all the highlights is the lobster-scallop feast
my sister Donnie and her husband Martin host every year
for the descendants of our parents Don and Sara MacBeath
and all the significant others, relatives, and friends this event brings together.


My Sister Donnie
Smith's Cove
Nova Scotia, Canada
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Martin on Scallop Duty
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




What we do doesn't matter.  
What matters is that we are together.

The MacBeath, Mundry, Heembrock, and Barbour Branch
of Our Extended Family
Front:  Left to Right
Sara, Susan, Barb, Louise (Me), Bertie, Natalie, Donnie 
Back:  Left to Right
Gavin, Roy, Terry, Peter, Martin, Krista
Photographer:  Olivia
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Olivia, Honorary Sister, Daughter, Cousin, Niece
with Donnie, Pete, Sue, Roy, Terry, and Bertie
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



We all chip in for the lobsters and scallops and drinks,
and a number of us prepare special hors d'oeuvres or a side dish.
My claim to fame is my homemade guacamole.

Bertie's Claim to Fame:  The Salad
with Martin and Terry
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Guaranteed the evening will include ferocious card games,
noisy yard and parlor games, a huge bonfire in the fire ring,
a fabulous playlist of music put together by Martin,
and way too much to eat and drink.

And of course, photographs.
We Five, my brother, my sisters, and I, always must get a photo of us.

The First We Five Photo
Donnie, Barbie, Me with Bertie, and Roy with Gretchen
Margaretsville
Nova Scotia, Canada
April, 1959
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Latest We Five Photo
Barb, Bertie, Roy, Me, and Donnie
Smith's Cove
Nova Scotia, Canada
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Some of the NexGen
Gavin, Sara, Krista, Natalie,
and Olivia
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



OurGen
Front:  Left to Right
Susan, Barb, Louise (Me), Bertie, Donnie 
Back:  Left to Right
Roy, Terry, Peter, and Martin
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Here are some more photos from this highlight of my year.

Bertie, Krista, and Terry
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Barb
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Sara (standing) and Olivia
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Gavin and Krista
Donnie and Martin's "Children"
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Peter shows his daughter Sara how to prepare a lobster.
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Sara ~ I've got this!!!
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Martin relaxes for a bit.
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Louise (me) and Sue
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Barb and Sara
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Natalie
Bertie and Peter's Youngest
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Roy and Terry
My Brother and Husband
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Sara, Olivia, and Natalie
Three "Sisters"
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Playing with a Lobster
Natalie and Sara
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Lobsters to Eat
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Sue
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Digging In
Clockwise:
Natalie, Krista (hidden), Peter, Gavin, Sara, and Olivia
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Did I really eat all this?
Yes, this and more!
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Don't Even Ask!
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




I am so missing everyone, those I was lucky enough to be with this summer
and those who couldn't make it to Nova Scotia this year.
I am keenly aware of the passing of time and how fleeting and sweet life is.
Most of all, I treasure the love of those who love me for exactly who I am:  my family!
Family is the best!

Roy and Me
August 7, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


Me, on Donnie and Martin's Deck
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 7,  2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved










Personal Note:  Sorry, but I'm still catching up.  I had a spectacular fall earlier this week,
                           but I'm almost back to normal now. 


For Map Lovers Like Me:
Location of Nova Scotia



Location of the Annapolis Basin



Location of Smith's Cove and Digby




Friday, August 16, 2019

Tackling a Scallywag!


Finally, I tackled a scallywag I've wanted to take on for years!

It took me one hour and fifty-one minutes to slog through
5.26 miles (8.48 kilometers) of sand, water, mud, and rocks
but I did it!
And I can't wait to do it again next year!
Tides permitting.

What scallywag?
Only The Scallywag,
the Smith's Cove Fire Department's Annual Scallywag 8K.
It's a fun run and walk from the fire station to the beach,
across the sand bar, around Bear Island, and back to the fire station.

My sister Donnie and our sister Bertie's daughter Sara went for it,
while the rest of our extended family and friends cheered us on.

Sara, Yours Truly, and Donnie
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Scallywag Route
Imagery:  Maxar Technologies ~ 2019



Yes, the Scallywag is an 8K event,
but for those of us who don't like slogging through icky mudflats,
the route is a little longer if we want to avoid the worst of the mud.
I do not like icky mudflats, so I walked 8.48 kilometers.

And, by the way, that mud sticks to your shoes, 
and clumps on in a heavier and heavier sodden mass
until you can hardly lift your feet.

My sister Donnie says you can use a skate-skiing motion
of your feet to glide across the mud faster, but I just sink. 

You can only walk to Bear Island during low tide
when the sand bar is exposed and joins the island to the mainland.

Bear Island at High Tide
from Donnie and Martin's deck
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Bear Island at Low Tide
from Donnie and Martin's deck
August 3, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Bear Island is one of two islands in the lovely and historic Annapolis Basin,
a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy.

Annapolis Basin is 15 miles (24 kilometers) long in a northeast-southwest direction,
and 3.7 miles or (6 kilometers) at its widest point from northwest to southeast.

The Bay of Fundy is one of the greatest national wonders in the world,
because it has the largest tides in the world.
In the Minas Basin at the head of the Bay of Fundy,
the difference in water depth between high tide and low tide
is 53 feet (16.15 meters). 

The Annapolis Basin is more sheltered and shallower than the Bay of Fundy,
but its water depth changes 22.9 to 29.5 feet (7 to 9 meters)
between low tide and high tide, as measured in the town of Digby.
tide-forecast

Digby's Busy Wharf Scene
Note the dark brown poles.
As the tide rises the dock floats up,
held in position by the poles.
August 1, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




From the time I was a small child roaming the beach in Smith's Cove,
I was warned of the dangers of that tempting sand bar going out to Bear Island.
When the tide rises, it comes in fast, the water is cold, and there are treacherous currents.

My father threatened to skin my siblings and me alive if he caught us on the sand bar,
but it was the story of our mother's near drowning when she was nine or ten
that kept us on the shore and away from the beckoning bar.

Were it not for the quick action of her Uncle Donald,
who was tending his fishing weir not far from the sand bar, she would have drowned.
She was up to her neck in water when he reached her and dragged her into his dory.

A Deceiving Lure 
from Donnie and Martin's deck
August 3, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



I was very excited to participate in the Scallywag,
because it was an opportunity to explore Bear Island's shoreline
in the safety of a large group
and under the watchful eyes of Smith Cove's Fire Department.

Although I had been across the sand bar three times in my life,
I had never ventured more than a few hundred yards on the near shore of the island.
I was too afraid of getting caught by the rising tide.

If you get caught on Bear Island between tides, you face a long, cold, miserable wait,
especially if no one knows you are there and can get a boat over.
The time interval between low tides is about 12 hours and 23 minutes;
and the sand bar is exposed for a couple of hours a day.
This time interval and the amount of sand bar exposed
varies according to the strength of the tide.
Regardless, you're looking at a ten or eleven hour wait, if you get stuck on the island. 


A fire department volunteer
patrols the beach making sure everyone is okay.
from the far side of Bear Island
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


The Scallywag was a little late starting,
because everyone had to wait on the best position of the tide.
Last year the event started too early, and the faster runners
were running through water on the unexposed parts of the sand bar.  


Waiting On the Tide for the Scallywag to Start
Smith's Cove Fire Department
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Yours Truly Waiting on the Tide for the Scallywag to Start 
Smith's Cove Fire Department
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Scallywag is a fundraiser for Smith's Cove Fire Department,
which is staffed by volunteer firefighters.

This year, for the first time, the fire station will be able
to function as an emergency warming center,
should a winter storm take out electricity in the area.

Finally, the observers from the beach radioed that the tide was right,
and we were off, walkers first and then runners, down the paved hill,
along an abandoned rail-bed trail, past Harbourview Inn,
past the graveyard where generations of my family are buried, and onto the beach.

Heading Through Harbourview to the Beach
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Beginning of the Beach Section
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Walking Along Smith's Cove Beach
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Our family cheers everyone on by waving the Nova Scotian flag,
ringing cowbells, cheering, and clapping.
from Donnie and Martin's yard
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Through Sand, Water, Mud, and Rocks
Can you spot four runners on the sand bar?
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Onto the Sand Bar
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Crossing the Sand Bar
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



My sister Donnie pauses in her run to say, "Hi. ..."
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



... and snaps my photo. 
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



We walk together until we reach Bear Island 
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Bear Island 
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




I have heard rumors of bears sighted on Bear Island during my lifetime.
Black bears are the only species of bear found in Nova Scotia,
and they are common throughout the province.

However, encountering a black bear on Bear Island is highly unlikely.
Bears are smart and search out easier places to find food.
They are also excellent swimmers, so I won't rule the possibility out.

Donnie's off and running again. 
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Far Side of Bear Island
with Digby Gut (the entrance to the Bay of Fundy) in the background. 
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Gulls Protesting the Intrusion
The Far Side of Bear Island
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



At the End of Bear Island
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Looking Back at the Far Side of Bear Island
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Looking Forward at the Near Side
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Locals
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Not Happy!
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Black Cormorants and White Seagulls
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



The Rocky Shore of Bear Island
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



A Volunteer Watching Our Progress
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Returning on the Sand Bar
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Looking Toward Smith's Cove
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Mudflats
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



As I approached the Smith's Cove end of the sand bar,
I could hear the cowbells, clapping, and encouraging cheers
of my extended family and friends greeting participants as they passed on the shore.

Nothing lifts your tired feet better than people cheering you on,
calling you out by name, and yelling "You go, Girl!  We're proud of you!"

"You go, Girl!"
from Donnie and Martin's yard
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Last year, one member of my family (who shall not be named)
decided to stop off at one of our cousin's houses 
after reaching the shore and have a cold beer or two.

The Unnamed didn't realize the fire department volunteers
were sweeping the island, sand bar, and shore looking for the missing participant.
Finally another family member tracked the Unnamed down and alerted the fire department.

Let's just say no one made that mistake this year.

Counting as the Participants Come off the Beach
near Harbourview Inn
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



Back at the fire station, welcome refreshments waited thanks to the Scallywag's sponsors:
Digby's Subway and the Atlantic Superstore and Smith's Cove's Lazy Bear Brewery.

Some participants went to the Lazy Bear which opened its brewery for them that evening,
but I joined my family at Donnie and Martin's for more cheers, hugs, and hot pizza.

I was so proud when I finished.  I wasn't sure I could do it,
especially since I had gone kayaking for the first time that morning.
If time and tides don't work against me, I'll be back for the Scallywag next year.

The Final Water Station
near Harbourview Inn
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


One Happy and Proud Participant
Smith's Cove Fire Department Scallywag
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Nova Scotia



Location of the Annapolis Basin



Location of Smith's Cove and Digby




Location of Bear Island
Imagery Maxar Technologies


Our Niece Sara (Standing) Paddleboarding with a Friend
At High Tide in Smith's Cove
from Donnie and Martin's yard
August 2, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved