I seriously considered not posting today.
We've been home a week, and I'm still wiped out from our trip
and with everything that's been going on since we returned.
It's always bittersweet to say goodbye to my family
and to leave my beautiful, sea-bound native province.
Picnic at Point Prim
Martin, Jackson, Bluebell (under the table), Me,
Colleen and Lisa (behind my head), and Terry
Point Prim, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 29, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Looking Across Digby Gut at Victoria Beach ~
Digby Gut is a narrow channel connecting the Bay of Fundy to the left
with the Annapolis Basin to the right.
Point Prim, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 29, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
I'm posting some trip photos below,
but first I'm sharing a different experience I had yesterday.
You have not lived until you've gone through almost two hours
of eye calisthenics in a university teaching hospital.
UCHealth Eye Center
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
Aurora, Colorado, USA
August 9, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
My eyes dutifully performed for over an hour
for a neuro-ophthalmologist doing a one-year fellowship at the UCHealth Eye Center,
while an ophthalmology resident observed us.
Then the neuro-ophthalmologist, who will eventually operate on my eyes,
came in and examined me while the fellow and the resident observed.
Terry sat quietly in the corner watching everything and flashing me encouraging smiles.
"I'm a great surgeon!" Dr. Prem Subramanian assured me,
which is what you want to hear when someone will be operating
on the muscles behind your eyeballs.
Unfortunately, I can't have surgery until my thyroid is stable
and in the normal range again, likely sometime next year.
The good news is that I have developed great coping skills for taking and editing pictures!
I'd be devastated if I couldn't enjoy photography while all this is occurring.
I've chosen a few photos to share from our trip home to see my family in Nova Scotia.
All of Us Together Again ~
First Time Since Before the Pandemic
Bottom to Top: Bertie, Barb, Donnie, Roy, and Me
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 31, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Queen Anne's Lace
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 27, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Everyone's Darling ~ Little Jackson
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 27, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Timeless Sight ~ Clamdiggers Working on the Mudflats
Digby Gut is in the background, and the Annapolis Basin in the foreground.
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 31, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
No Glass of Water is Safe from Scotia!
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 24, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Morning Lattes at Bertie and Peter's
Marissa, Carlyn with Marty, Blair, Sue, Bertie, Julie, Me (Louise), Heather, Lisa, and Sara
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 2, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Baby Photo of My father I Had Never Seen ~
At Barb and Pat's Home
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 24, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
My Nephew Blair Meets the Newest Family Pet, Josie
Josie, a rescue husky from Texas, arrived in the middle of everything the night before.
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 30, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
The Digby Wharf and Scallop Fleet ~
In the foreground you can see sailboats moored at the floating dock.
As the tide rises, the dock floats upward held in place by the tall brown poles in the photo.
Digby Nova Scotia, Canada
July 29, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Catching Bubbles
Lisa, Donnie, Krista, Colleen, and Jackson
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 25, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Pizza and Beer at the Lazy Bear ~
Olivia, Naddy, Martin, Dean, Baby Jackson, Colleen, Gavin (standing)
Lisa (standing), Pat, Barb, Terry, and Me
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 27, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Timeless Sight ~ Family Bonfire at Donnie and Martin's Home ~
Donnie, Claire's Pat, and Peter
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 29, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Heading Home to Different Houses ~
After Another Family Get Together
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 31, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date and Nicole's Friday Face Off.
Scallops and Lobster Tail Special~
The Fundy Restaurant
Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 1, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Terry and I
The Fundy Restaurant
Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 1, 2023
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Have a great weekend!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
My next post will be soon! 🤞
On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
...it's great to have the clan together! I hope that your eye surgery is successful. Be well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom! Nothing means more to me than getting together with my family!
DeleteFantastic photos!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna! I do love to take pictures!
DeleteGlad you got home from your trip safely. OMG, little Jackson is so cute! I'm glad you have developed coping skills until you can have your eye surgery.
ReplyDeleteJackson is as cute as can be. He has way too many adoring relatives ~ lol! Have a great weekend, Natalie!
DeleteI love your photos - and am super impressed you have found a way to keep taking them. I am struggling at the moment (for different reasons) and hope I can be as successful as you.
ReplyDeleteHooray for restorative family time.
Nothing restores like family, Sue! I am so sorry that you are struggling. Life certainly has its challenging phases. I tell myself every day, "One day at a time." We eventually walk through the difficult times. Meanwhile enjoy every precious moment you can! Hugs to you!
DeleteGood looking food. I hate family goodbyes. All the best for a successful surgery when the time comes-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine! Digby is renowned for its scallops and Nova Scotia for its lobsters, and the Fundy Restaurant has been serving them in fine style for decades. I gorge on fresh seafood when I go home. Take care!
DeleteThe mudflat field looks so surreal. What a great family visit journey.
ReplyDeleteThe mudflats are a surreal sight, Roentare. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and it causes very high tides in the Annapolis Basin. When the tide is full it comes right up to the bank below my sister Donnie's home, but it goes out a long way. You can actually walk on a sandbar to the island beyond the mudflats in the photo at low tide. Generations of my family have dug clams on the mudflats. Now we watch the commercial clammers dig.
DeleteI recognize a lot of those people for some reason lol Josie sure looks like a happy pup indeed. Glad to hear she is doing good too.
ReplyDeleteGood when a surgeon says they are good indeed. Hopefully that is the case as well. Good old health woes get us all. Hopefully this time next year you'll be fit as a fiddle.
Lol ~ Everyone enjoyed meeting you, Pat. Josie quickly won our hearts. She thinks she died and went to doggie heaven ~ lol. She has the prettiest eyes and absolutely adores Barb's Pat. Fit as a fiddle is what I'm aiming for. Have a great weekend!
DeleteFun photos! Sorry you can't have that surgery until next year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! I'm learning lessons in patience ~ lol. As long as I can read, write, take pictures, and travel, I'm good. Oh, and eat chocolate too! Have a great weekend!
DeleteGlad you had such a good time with your family in Nova Scotia! I enjoyed looking at every photo in this post, especially that great one of you with all your siblings. The effect you got on the bonfire one is pretty awesome too. Enjoy being restful now that you are back home.
ReplyDeleteIt was the best time, Debra! Now I am enjoying being home again. Nothing beats your own bed! The bonfire effect was sheer luck. Martin had just added a new log so there were sparks, and I had to take a long exposure to get the shot because it was so dark ~ all automatic with my iPhone. I'm getting pretty good at pointing and shooting, which is good because I can hardly see anything in the viewfinder ~ lol! Call me determined, if nothing else. I can see enough to edit, and I nearly always edit my photos, because I want to put the best shots I can on my posts. More than you ever wanted to know, right? lol Have a great weekend and a better week!
DeleteIt is so wonderful to see pictures of you and your lovely family. I know they mean so much to you. I hope soon you will be able to get your eye fixed. I stopped blogging during Covid but I still enjoy reading of your adventures. Great luck with everything. Sending love, peg
ReplyDeletePeggy, it's awesome to see you visit! I have missed your blogging posts. I know how much family means to you too! I'll be catching up with you on FaceBook. xoxox
DeleteToo bad about your eyes, and hopefully the surgery can be soon. I loved reading about and seeing all your photos from Nova Scotia. I really need to go there. (I've been to Newfoundland and New Brunswick but haven't yet made it to Nova Scotia.) Your family photos are fun, and the scenery does look amazing. Have a great weekend Louise. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteI do hope that you can visit Nova Scotia someday, Erica! And while you're there, catch Prince Edward Island which is the last Atlantic province. It's beautiful too. Have a lovely weekend. Hugs back at you!
DeleteFabulous photos of you and your family, you all look so happy to be together again, wonderful! But that eye treatment makes me sudder. I have had many eye operations, and there may be more to come, but I don't think I could do it just like you did, well done! Little jackson is really a cutiepie! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying my weekend, Valerie, although I have to go grocery shopping shortly. Then it's coasting until Monday. Perhaps the biggest gift in my life has been having a loving and supporting family - That comment includes Terry, of course. I do shudder at the thought of my upcoming eye operation, but I put on a brave face. The fact that you've had many is encouraging! We all soldier on, don't we? Love and hugs to you!
Deleteyou are good with the camera. I think all of them is good. My favorite is Little Jackson reading a book. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Monica! I adore that photo of Little Jackson reading! He has no choice but to read. My extended family is filled with passionate readers, and this kid has never gone to bed without at least one story in his life. All the best to you!
Deletehow cool was this! I love family photos especially old ones. I stayed on PEI for a summer once, when I as a Florida girl dated a boy from Toronto, and we stayed on his friend's farm. It was lovely totally lovely. Well, grabbing clams at sunset not so much, as I left with lots of fly bites and the clams tasted too fishy for me, LOL
ReplyDeleteI just spent hours at the ER in southlands, and the ER in Parker, so seeing your photo made me gulp.
Lucky your surgeon has confidence, and you have one. Finding a doctor is challenging here, my ER referral to a vascular surgeon was going to take 6 weeks, (!!!) so I found another who saw me within a week, and I quite liked them (in Denver)
I hope I can remember your blog, to come visit and keep up with you a bit
LeeAnna at not afraid of color
Hi, LeeAnna! Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit to PEI. My father's people come from PEI, and I spent part of my early childhood there. My grandmother Myrtle MacBeath was a second cousin of Lucy M. Montgomery who wrote the Anne of Green Gables books. I spent many happy days in the areas Anne did. I came home from Nova Scotia covered with mosquito bites. I was miserable for a few days. I loved clams so much when I was a little girl that "Clam" was one of my nicknames. Then I got quite sick on a bad one, and I've avoided them ever since. I'm too familiar with both ERs, so I can completely sympathize with you. I'm glad that you found a vascular surgeon, but I sure hope that you don't need to use him! Take care! I'll be by to visit!
DeleteOh Louise, I hope all will go well with the surgery when it happens. Sounds like quite the ordeal. I'm so glad your vision hasn't affected your ability to take such splendid photos -- and they are splendid. Rick is cycling to Nova Scotia next summer (and maybe Newfoundland) so these pictures are wonderful eye candy and incentive!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jeannie! Thanks for your kind comment about my photos! How cool that Rick is cycling to Nova Scotia next year. It's a lovely province, and I encourage him to tackle the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. It's spectacular and a lot of cyclists ride it. Newfoundland is amazing too. I'm sorry that I was so late in responding. It's been a week! Enjoy your weekend!
DeleteGorgeous photos. It looks like you have such a happy and loving family. I understand why you miss them!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leigh! I do miss them. It's harder to say goodbye each time, because life is fleeting and fragile. Family is the best thing about life. I hope all is well with you!
DeleteSorry I'm late visiting. Hoping to be more punctual now the clean up is over. Today is catch up day and I am loving all these wonderful photos I see of you and your family in Nova Scotia. What a wonderful experience after all this time. It looks like you have a very supportive family, and especially your husband.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to read about your having to put off your surgery because of other medical problems. I hope you get good news sooner than you expect, dear. And of course, I am thrilled to read your eyesight is not affected by your inability to take such amazing photos you give us.
You're so kind, Elizabeth! Thank you! As you can see, I'm playing catchup myself. This week was crazy. Fingers crossed I think it's going to slow down a little! I tell Terry over and over that he made my life. He is a wonderful guy. I am fortunate to have the loving and supportive family that I do. Wishing you the best weekend!
DeleteOh what a fun and loving time with family ~ and gorgeous shots of the area ~ Wow!
ReplyDeletePS ~ My paternal great grandmother was from Digby County ~ she came to Gloucester MA to visit and married my great grandfather who was a protestant and ggm wascatholic and thus was disowned from her family in Digby ~ her maiden name was Comeau ~
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Hi, Carol! OMG ~ I think there are Comeaus in my family tree! We could be distantly related! My grandfather Jack MacDonald, who was from Cape Breton was Catholic. His father died when he was just a child. The parish priest told his mother to send him to live with relatives in Boston because she had too many children to look after. My grandfather never got over this separation. He returned to Nova Scotia and married a Baptist, my grandmother Ella. He even changed the spelling of his last name from McDonald to MacDonald. The divisions and heartache that religion can cause! I'm going to check with my sister Barb about the Comeau family. Love and hugs to you!
DeleteSome lovely photos. I like the one where you are all sat on the steps, one above the other.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lin! The five of us pictured on the steps have become a tradition. Happy weekend to you!
DeleteOh I can only imagine how torn you are between two beautiful places ... of course the place with all of the family would win, but on the other hand Aurora, Colorado is awesome and you have Terry there with you. Actually it is awesome to have both places to spend time in. The only eye surgery I have had was for cataracts and that was easy ... so your surgery sounds a little more complicated, but if your doctor is as good as he says he is, then you have nothing to worry about, right? But worry we must because it is our nature :)
ReplyDeleteYour family in Nova Scotia are a handsome lot ... even the pets seem exceptional.
So, does Scotia drink a lot of water ... I mean more than the average cat? If so you might want to have him checked for diabetes as thirst is one of the telling symptoms. Our Boyz (Chachi and Fonzi) were diabetic and I had to shoot them with insulin every day. It probably shortened their lives by a year or two , but it didn't make them any less lovable and fun. All of your family pictures are wonderful ... happy and caring, but my favorite is the five of you sitting on the steps ... just awesome! So, I will have my fingers crossed that your surgery goes as planned and that you will be back to enjoying your photography as always. (I don't remember you telling us what they are correcting in your surgery or have I just forgotten ... that happens when you get older, ya know 😁). Best of luck and hope for a quick recovery, Louise.
Andrea @ From the Sol
H, Andrea! I'm sorry I'm just responding to your awesome comment just now. It has been a crazy week, but things are slowing down now ~ 🤞 My memory gives me fits, and it fails me at the most embarrassing times ~ lol. I have a hyper thyroid, so I have Graves Disease and Graves Eye Disease. I have bad double vision, and it's impossible to make glasses for me, hence the surgery to correct. I have disthyroid strabismus which develops in 15% of the people with TED, so the surgeon will operate on the muscles behind my left eye for starters. Scotia has gone after people's water forever, but she doesn't have diabetes. She is an old lady though ~ about 87 in human years. Thanks for your kindness in raising the issue! Have a lovely weekend!
DeleteGreetings Louise. Its Andrew, AKA WordsPoeticallyWorth. Ive been unwell for years and have just moved to another phychiatric Hospital in Wales, Great Britain. I have only just been allowed access to a computer. Ive really missed you all in blogger land. I can't access my blogger account as I've lost the past words to my then email address! So I'm in limbo. It's really nice to catch up with you and I'm so glad you are still blogging. I'm so sorry if I worried you about my miss givings with my mental house. I've been well now for a number of months and hope to find accomadation outside of hospitals in the next few months. I've been discharged on paper but they wont release my until my accomadation is finalised. Thank you for caring about me when I was last blogging, you are a true friend, sentiments that I hold close to my heart. Im so so sorry you have eye trouble and need an operation! Tut. I feel for you. I've only recently needed to wear glasses as my age is catching up on me.. It looks like you have a strong family bond with your relatives and friends, which pleases me. I'll leave for now as I've rambled on somewhat. So pleased I can reassure you that I'm much better now. Hope to post soon. Thank you for giving me your shoulder to shed my circumstance. You are a true friend. I'll return tomorrow to see your response. Thank you for being a lovely, caring person. Best wishes, Andrew. Bye.
ReplyDeleteHi, Andrew! I'm sorry that I didn't find your comment until tonight! I've had such a hectic week! I shall hunt you down, if you don't come back again! It's wonderful to hear from you! I've worried and wondered for a long time about what happened to you! I was fairly sure that it was psychiatric, because you were troubled and it was to getting worse. My father suffered badly from mental illness and was institutionalized at one point, so I don't have misgivings about you. I have tons of sympathy and hope that you continue to improve! I'm glad that you are my friend, and I look forward to reconnecting with you! Take care! Sending you big hugs and encouragement!
DeleteMy sweet friend Louise Louise sorry for coming late to this beautiful and joyous sharing
ReplyDeleteMy younger son left 2 days ago and I am trying to get back to my blogging on regular basis.
What a delightful and treasured times with loved ones after 3 to 4 years almost. I can relate to fullest how nice you must have felt :)
Visiting hometown is special experience each time .meeting family and friends after ling time is like reliving the old days once again.
Can't imagine life without experiencing such emotional heights.
Heartfelt Thanks for sharing these amazing and lovely images that brought tears of gratitude in my eyes. All beautiful faces are shining with love and happiness: )))
Little master looks handsome and really serious baby :)such a cute little angel.
Wow your dad's photo as baby is super Cute!
I send best wishes for and lots and lots of prays for your due operation my friend!
I am sure all Will be good soon by the grace of God!
Health peace and happiness to both of you and loved ones!
No worries, dear Baili! I am always falling behind, so I truly understand. It must have been hard to see your younger son leave. I'm guessing he's gone back to university.
DeleteIt was awesome to see everyone and have so many hugs! I feel the continuity of generations when I'm home in the Cove. The traditions have been passed down from my great grandmother to my grandmother, to my Mom, and now we five siblings are the "ancestors." And of course all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. We've always gathered as an extended family. I never feel more grounded and at peace than I do when I with everyone at in the Cove.
Baby Jackson is precious. His father, Dean, is an amateur soccer player and a huge soccer fan, and Jackson is already learning to handle the ball with his feet. It's so cute because he's barely learned to walk. I'm sure there was great disappointment in their home when the UK lost the World Cup to Spain. Father and son watched it together. Jackson's at that age when he wants to do everything the big people do.
I am hopeful that when I have my operation it will go well. It's just a question of when my thyroid stabilizes. It was stable for quite a while when I was on a low dose of medication, but it fired up when I came off the drug. I've been dealing with the double vision for almost two years, so I'm used to it.
I was cleaning part of the garage this morning, and a drawer in a chest of drawers where I store things fell apart. It took me a good half hour to fix that @#$%* drawer, because I couldn't see the nail heads clearly and I was trying not to smash my fingers with the hammer. I'm sure it would have been a comical sight for anyone watching. One thing for sure though ~ That drawer is not falling apart again ~ lol!
Hugs and love to you and your family!
precious Louise came back to check if you respond to my comment i left on this lovely special post last night via my phone .in case i lost it i want say again that i am really very happy that you were able to meet your sweet and beautiful family after some years !
ReplyDeletetons of Healing energy to my lovely kindest friend! hugs and best wishes!
I hope you are enjoying your evening, Baili! It's morning here. We have an eleven hour difference. I have your comments! I always love to receive them! Hugs and love to you, dear Baili. I hope tomorrow is an awesome day for you!
DeleteI know what happened. I posted my reply like it was a new comment instead of a reply to a comment. Sorry about that!
Delete