funkness

Saturday, April 30, 2011





a Bay of Fundy sea urchin treasure from beautiful, haunting Dark Harbour, Grand Manan

Life is so constructed, that the event does not,
cannot, will not, match the expectation

Charlotte Bronte

P-h-e-w !! I thought it was just me with my oh so pie in the sky expectations about every thing & everyone. I'm in a bit of a funk after coming down hard from up on my latest cloud - but I have a weekend of hopeful big time productivity planned to chase that darn funk away.

Idle hands (here at Black Street) is a sure recipe for a blah mind & spirit - or continued funkness

2 songs from our road trip soundtrack - Sirius radio - that darn 70's channel - oh boy !! and the first song goes out to our friend Judy ;-) a song I practiced my very first ever dance moves to.



grand manan island

Friday, April 29, 2011



2 of 23 fav photos from our time spent on Grand Manan Island in the beautiful Bay of Fundy

There were so many things I loved about this island - the blue green colour of the water, the wonderful smell of open ocean salt air enveloping you constantly, the 7 meter tides, the forests of mostly spruce, the rocky & rugged coastline, the stone & black sand covered beaches, the fog, the people who were all very friendly, the accent, a way of dragged out speaking and slightly drawl-ish, similar very to a Maine accent, the fishing weirs, the many colourful buoys hanging as garden art, the idea of whales all around the island, big beautiful bald eagles everywhere, cedar shingle clad homes abound, lobster boats circling their traps with flocks of seagulls hovering above them in clouds, the many charming descriptive place & street names, the mysterious and gorgeous isolated Dark Harbour (famous for dulse picking), the historic fishing wharfs & buildings in Seal Cove, & the more prosperous historic architecture in the village of North Head.

The only thing that I didn't like (but unfortunately it's a really big thing) was the garbage & unwanted debris almost everywhere we traveled. I was stunned & so saddened by the sense of disregard & lack of respect for nature, the land and the water. Unbelievable amounts of just plain garbage (coffee cups and chip bags) and heaps and mountains of discarded "stuff" from fishing gear, piles of huge nets, metal lobster traps & broken down rotting boats all along the main road. Old cars, refrigerators and toilets - just plain junkyard stuff everywhere it seemed. Plus almost all the beaches we walked on, even the remote ones, were littered with ropes, nets, plastic and styrofoam I'm sure much of it arriving on the island from open sea - how sad is that ?

With the fisheries in gradual decline and the growth & popularity of eco-tourism hopefully the New Brunswick government will help the people of Grand Manan to deal with their garbage, help educate & perhaps put in place new infrastructure (garbage pick up & recycling businesses) to help boost the faltering economy and to bring the island back to it's original natural beauty.

We've definitely crossed Grand Manan Island off of our potential new tiny life location list.





















1000 kms

Thursday, April 28, 2011


on the MS Grand Manan V Monday just after lunch - a perfect day to be on the water

Our grand adventure No.1 (part 1)

We traveled approximately 1000 kms these past three days. We toured the island of Grand Manan from East to West and back again. We took the free car ferry to White Head Island to drive the length of it's one and only road. We drove up steep, densely forested, foggy hills and down again into the spectacular & hauntingly beautiful yet tres creepy (in that Deliverance kind of way) sheltered cove called Dark Harbour. We cooked our own dinners, packed our own lunches we even took our own coffee maker so we could wake each of the two mornings to the familiar gurgle & spurt of our timed morning java. We walked lots with Winnie & Sam along rocky, slippery with sea weed beaches and we marveled at the potential of this gorgeous rock island in the Bay of Fundy. Though we missed 29 Black Street & we really missed the cats - Oliver in particular, who we realize has happily taken on the job of being our guardian & keeper.

We're so happy to be home - more photos coming




hydromedusa + barnacles

Sunday, April 24, 2011



larger hydomedusa, sea wasp & acorn barnacles Plates No.30 & No.18

from Peterson's Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore

When I was young I dreamed of becoming a marine biologist or an oceanographer.
Nature + the Ocean ... I'm in heaven - sighing

more stunning geraniums - how does nature make such gorgeous colours ?

genuis nephew, currently living in Hong Kong, sent me this new tres cool Blogger featurette
a big bon voyage ... back 28 04 11

the actuals

Saturday, April 23, 2011



I especially love these first 2 photos of the 15 posted here from yesterdays joy filled "actuals"

you have the shoulds and then there are the wants but for most of us compulsive, anal, list making, over achieving wanna-be's ... you nearly always end up with a bunch of actuals or Hey ! there's a Prince in my backyard, transforming the overgrown jungle into a parkesque like setting. Oh my ! cheer the red winged blackbirds & Hooray !! from the chattering grackels plus lots and lots more. Snip, clip, dig, plant, walk, smile, cook ... and all those darn books waiting patiently
til bedtime. That c-r-a-z-y, zany gal spontaneity grabbed hold of me yesterday, early on, and she wouldn't let go. A sunny much warmer, blue sky day spent without the expected shoulds or the wants but instead happily hanging out with a bunch of, just dropped in to say Hi ! ... actuals.

And thank you John for this happiness ... and speaking of dogs with smiles please look here

* bottom photo orange pineapple chicken (adapted from here & here) with tumeric basmati rice