The Canadian Cafe

View from work

2006-11-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

The Petitcodiac

Here's the view from behind the building I work in. It's of the Petitcodiac River. It's the one with the Tidal Bore. Unfortunately it's tiny in comparison to what it used to be, or so I'm told. Check out the Tidal Bore link, it's pretty interesting stuff.

This river is actually very shallow when the tide is out. Last spring, a number of porpoise had to be rescued by firefighters. They would be taken from the Petitcodiac and driven to deep water.

They would follow small fish up the river, and losing track of time, you know, when porpoise get fooling around, they'd get stuck. Everyone gets pretty muddy to say the least.

Merv the pumpkin

2006-10-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

Halloween. . .

I wasn't sure whether to join in the Halloween festivities, considering I haven't really been much for it up till now, but, I happened to be walking past the shop up the road, and picked up this kind of beat up pumpkin. I felt sorry for it. I named him Merv.

He's sitting somewhat precariously on the railing just out my back door. If he were to fall, he could possibly land on the guy who lives in the apartment down below (it's where his back door is), which might end our discussions about golf - ones I don't particularly contribute anything to considering I don't play. Being polite is a pain in the ass.

I don't have the heart to carve Merv up, so maybe I'll just leave him there, and wait for what's his name to come home - then wham-o, blame it on the wind. It's actually been pretty windy lately. . .I think his name is Reg or Tiger or something. . .

My favourite shot

2006-10-30T19:17:00.000-04:00

Moncton at night

About a week ago, I was driving home when I saw this kind of cool shot. I parked the car, and walked back with my camera. I don't have a tripod, and it was freez'in that night, so my hands were kind'a shaking. I had the shutter open to let in the light for a while, but the camera wasn't being held steady. If you look closely (you don't really have to actually), it's out of focus. Damn. . .maybe being out of focus adds to it? To each, their own. . .

See what I mean?

2006-10-30T19:13:00.000-04:00

One of the final trees in the neighbourhood

Before the blustery winds over the weekend, this tree still had quite a few leaves, now it's pretty well bare. Winds gusted up to 90 km/hr. Nice. . .

Fall shot of the day

2006-10-30T18:57:00.000-04:00

Fall in Moncton. . .nuff said. . .

Unfortunately, I'm not the type to look forward to winter. Fall is okay, but it leads to a crappy season in Moncton. . .Either way, it gives me an excuse to take pictures. Now - I'm starting to miss the West coast. The temperatures aren't as bad and it snows - briefly - a couple times a year. This photo was taken last week when there were plenty of trees in the neighbourhood with leaves on them. Then, yesterday, winds got up to 90 km/hr at times and now they've been pretty well cleaned of them.

Photo of the day

2006-10-06T19:58:00.000-03:00

Bluenose II, Halifax Harbour. . .

A week or so ago, I was in Halifax and dropped by to check out the Bluenose II. I had never seen her before (other than in pictures or on the back of our Canadian dimes) It's definitely a beautiful ship.

There's a project now underway to preserve the Bluenose's legacy, beginning with the construction of the Bluenose III.

It's been undertaken by Joan Roué, great-granddaughter of Bluenose designer - William James Roué. The project is in its initial stages. They're trying to raise $15-million necessary to build the vessel.

It's hoped that on Canada Day 2008 they'll be able to lay the keel, with the projected launch date set for July 24, 2010."

Some historical notes about the current Bluenose you see in the picture above:

It's keel was laid on February 27, 1963, and she was launched in Lunenburg on July 24 of the same year.

The first Bluenose was the 121st ship built in the Smith & Rhuland Shipyard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. She was launched on March 26, 1921.

Titanic headstone - The Unknown Child

2006-09-30T18:37:00.000-03:00

The Unknown Child

On a recent trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, a group of us from the radio station I work at in Moncton, New Brunswick, decided to take a detour to the grave sites of 120 Titanic victims. Of course, you'll see a number of stones - one of which has the name of Jack Dawson - the guy who shared the name of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie, The Titanic.
One grave marker stands out, not only because it is for an ''unknown child" - but because of the things left there by any number of people. It has become a shrine of sorts; there are coins, candles and flowers among other things.
Now, after 90 years of going unnamed, it appears the little victim has been identified through DNA matching. The "unknown child" has been identified as a member of a Finnish family who perished in the sinking.
His name was Eino Viljami Panula, and was 13 months old when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. His mother Maria and four brothers also drowned. They were on their way to join their husband and father John who was working in Pennsylvania.
The boy's body was found by the crew of the Canadian recovery ship Mackay-Bennett a few days after the sinking. When taken to Halifax for burial, there was no means of identifying him.
He has been in Fairview Lawn cemetery, along with the other Titanic victims with a marker reading "Unknown Child." The boys family has since decided he should remain buried in Halifax.

Alien. . .

2006-09-29T19:41:00.000-03:00

Mud anyone. . .

This looked cool. Where these moss covered rocks ended, the mud from the shore along the Bay of Fundy started. When you look out from shore, while the tide is out, it's a scene of endless mud - or so it seems.

Crop circles. . .no not really

2006-09-29T19:33:00.000-03:00

Albert County

Driving along - I saw this field. I thought I'd get out and roll around in the hay, but I figured the guy driving the tractor - who was scooping up the hay at the other end of the field - wouldn't stop when he came around. That would've sucked. . .

Photo of the day

2006-09-29T19:28:00.000-03:00

Shot of the Bay of Fundy

Still not sure what I took here, aside from the fact it was a really good day for clouds. The tide was way out at this point. All I remember is being mugged by a thousand mosquitoes. Lesson learned - I should have put the bug goo on before I got out of the bloody car. . .Taken in August.

Cool photo

2006-09-29T19:18:00.000-03:00

HMCS Sackville, Halifax, Nova Scotia

HMCS Sackville (K181) was a Flower-class corvette in the Canadian navy. Built in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1940 - launched in May 1941. The Sackville was named after a Canadian town, in this case Sackville, New Brunswick.
In WWII, the Sackville protected convoys, escorting them from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland. After being damaged during a battle in September of 1943 she was retired from active service. Most Flower-class corvettes were scrapped after the war, but Sackville spent time serving as a fisheries vessel. Later, she was restored to her World War II appearance and is now a floating museum in Halifax. I took this photo Sept. 23rd. Obviously a crappy day weather wise. . .

St. Mary's Bay, Prince Edward Island

2006-09-03T14:09:00.000-03:00

St. Mary’s Bay in the morning

During an early, misty morning on a recent trip to Prince Edward Island, I took a walk down to St. Mary’s Bay where, as can be seen, there was no breeze whatsoever. I was using black and white film – which I couldn’t find a place in Moncton to develop, so I had to send it to Montreal. Imagine that. . .

Trapped

2006-09-03T14:07:00.000-03:00

Lobster traps

While driving around near Murray Harbour, PEI, we stopped at a wharf where the lobster fishermen were getting ready to go with their traps. It was around 7 p.m. I figured I’d take a picture of the opening of the trap, imagine getting stuck on that. . .it’s pretty much a one way trip depending whether your legal size or not.

Lobster boats

2006-09-03T14:04:00.000-03:00

Boats in the harbour

Lobster boats gearing up to head out at a small port in Prince Edward Island. The photo was taken in July while on a little excursion to the "Island."

Photo of the week

2006-09-03T14:02:00.000-03:00

Confederation Bridge

I had never stopped to take a photo of the bridge, so I figured, it was about time. It’s 12.9 km long, and was completed in May 1997. It has two lanes of traffic. I personally preferred the ferry that used to travel between New Brunswick and PEI. It was a 45 minute trip. I could usually get a good meal. One of the things I look forward to on all ferry trips.

Revisiting a cool place

2006-08-15T19:07:00.000-03:00

Summer leaves. . .

If you go back into this blog to the week starting December 25, you'll see a shot of this same tree taken back in November. You'll see how the leaves go from this deep green to a bright yellow. I'll put the two photos together at some point. The tree is located at River View Cemetary, near Hillsborough, New Brunswick.

Photo of the day

2006-08-15T19:06:00.000-03:00

On a hot day at Fundy National Park

This picture was taken July 15, when the temperature reached up to 30 degrees. Without the cover of the forest, it was pretty dame hot. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were enough to carry you away. So, it was a trade off. I preferred the heat. One thing I didn't like was wandering through the woods to find this waterfall (Dickson Falls) and see a wooden platform built next to it. I don't think it looks very good in the shot. Oh well. . .

A great place to soak up the sun

2006-07-23T14:13:00.000-03:00

Point Wolfe, Fundy National Park

The Point Wolfe inlet is where volcanoes and the movement of the continents have formed the oldest rocks in Fundy National Park. After a relatively easy walk down, you come out onto a rocky beach, where huge, grey, sometimes green, slimy rocks, lay up against cliffs. They’ve been smoothed by the tidal action over countless millennium, which makes them great for lying on catching a few rays – unless they’ve got the green slim on them. . .Photo taken July 16th.

Crab apples

2006-07-23T14:12:00.000-03:00

Herring Cove apple tree

While wandering around Fundy National Park, we headed down to an area known as Herring Cove. It was, obviously, named after the industry the area became known for. The cove will see tides come in sometimes as high as four stories.
While traveling down this path toward the rocky beach, I passed under this really old apple tree. The trunk was twisted in an odd shape, having spent a lifetime fighting against winds, and other harsh elements.
Looking up from underneath, it was full of healthy young apples. I figure when the herring industry was in full swing (from the 1880's through to the 1940's), someone must have tried to plant an orchard. Maybe it is a descendent or an original settler.

Photo of the day

2006-07-23T14:11:00.000-03:00

Boats at low tide - really low tide

While enroute to Fundy National Park last weekend, we stopped at Alma. There's a pretty big wharf there with a number of good sized fishing vessels. Fundy tides are the highest in the world - and, when they're out, they're out. . .Photo taken July 16th. I gotta say - from where I was standing, it smelled pretty ripe.

Sunday tour of Fundy National Park

2006-07-23T14:10:00.000-03:00

A beautiful day in the park under a covered bridge

Myself and a few buddies decided to take a drive out to Fundy National Park, a place I had never been. It's located on the Fundy Shore, about an hour-and-a-half from Moncton - beyond Hopewell Cape. It was a spectacular day, though somewhat cool when we first started out, it became quite sweltering as the day progressed.
The picture above was taken from the middle of a this body of water. Of course, I took my boots off and waded in, the sharp rocks all but slicing my feet to hell. The photo was worth it me thinks. . .taken July 16th.
The worst part of the trip - having to pay a fee to get into the park ($6.90 per person). I am a firm believer Canadians shouldn't have to pay to get into provincial and federal parks.
Covered bridges can be found in a number of places in New Brunswick. I passed three alone on that day. I've yet to come across them in such numbers outside of this province.

Photo of the week

2006-07-22T17:48:00.000-03:00

Here's how I spent an afternoon on my vacation to Prince Edward Island.

While on vacation in early July, I spent some time at my parents place near Montague, PEI. With the help of my father I put up a flag pole so we could fly a genuine Sheila Copps flag. My sister got the flag when Sheila Copps was Heritage Minister. We finally got to fly Sheila's flag. . .(Photo taken July 7th)

Photo of the day

2006-06-25T15:04:00.000-03:00

"Give me your lupines!"

Springtime in the Maritimes wouldn’t be the same without lupines. That is a plant with a long tapering spike with flowers ranging from blues to yellows to whites etc. All along the highways, in fields and gardens, you see lupines. This year, there’s millions. I’m off to the PEI next weekend for a short visit. I’m hoping they’ll still be as vibrant as those in the photo above. I took that last week while wondering around a park overlooking the Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick. Of course, Monty Python fans will get, "Give me your lupines!"

Lots of bricks eh. . .

2006-06-24T16:01:00.000-03:00

Brick buildings, Saint John. . .

After a major fire destroyed a great deal of the city in the late 19th Century, the people of Saint John decided to rebuild using less flammable materials. A very clever idea. As you walk along Prince William Street you're surrounded by historical buildings designed by Canadian, American and Scottish architects. This above photo is a shot down a side alley. There's a good pub just on the right.
Traditionally referred to as 'Wall Street", the area is home to major public buildings, banks, hotels and the like. More than half of them were built right after the Great Fire of 1877.
One thing I noticed - it sure as hell is different then Moncton. It's too bad Saint John didn't have more industry, where more workers were bringing in more money. Some of these old buildings would make great condos. Instead, some are just. . .well, you know what I mean.

A Saint John, New Brunswick, landmark

2006-06-24T16:00:00.000-03:00

Pete's Frootique

Wandering around downtown Saint John last week, I found myself at the City Market. It's home to a variety of specialty shops including Pete's Frootique. I had seen this place on television over the years so I couldn't help but take a cheesy photo. . .