Walking The Ocean Floor and Walking Through Time

Karen here.

I didn't know that on this adventure to Halifax I would have an opportunity to walk the ocean's floor, but as a family we have now done it. We hopped in the car a couple of weeks ago and took a day trip to the Bay of Fundy. We stopped in Wolfville to have lunch, about an hour outside Halifax.

As we drove through the quaint town we saw dozens of Acadia University students proudly sporting Acadia gear. And we asked ourselves, did I ever do that? Wear my University sweats on a beautiful Saturday out to brunch, or even just walking down the street? The streets were littered with kids taking their pictures in front of the Acadia University. Can we say end of the school year? ;)

So we went for a walk along the main drag. We asked some locals where to have brunch, to which they replied they had no idea but that they had only heard from their neighbours that a crepe placewas good. Silly of them not to know any recommendations, but it turns out it was pretty good.

From there we hopped back in the car to make our way to the Bay of Fundy. We had researched a few wineries in the area prior to our departure and luckily one of them was open... the Blomidon Winery. The lady manning the store talked our ears off about their finery, but from her meanderings, we did select a national silver medal winning sparkling white wine to have at Easter.

We hopped back in the car for the last leg of our journey. There are obviously a number of spots one can go to to look out over the Bay, but we found one with stairs to the ocean floor. Here are a few pictures from our short walk.

Love the red sand in these parts

Me and my little man

Rocks on the ocean floor

Matt and Magnus

Like father like son

Aren't they cute?

On the way back we stopped on the side of the road to get this picture.

It was a little overcast that day, but Magnus was good in the car (until we were 20 minutes from home that is) and we had a once in a lifetime adventure. All in all a great day.


Now, this blog post has a second part, due to the fact that we have thus far neglected to tell you about our trip to Lunenburg, a trip we took in FEBRUARY! So anyway, in February we took a day trip to Lunenburg which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique architecture and civic design, being the best example of planned British colonial settlement in Canada (thank you Wikipedia - yes I totally plagiarized that sentence). Here are a few examples.

Really cool buildings, each a different bright colour

St. John's Anglican Church built in 1753. It suffered a fire in 2001 and was rebuilt.
Can you see Magnus and I?

The Lunenburg Academy, the only intact 19th century academy building surviving in Nova Scotia.

We had a lovely day that day, touring the town. It was 14 degrees outside (why I remember that I don't know). It was warm and felt like spring in February!!!. Look at how blue the sky was!

Magnus and I overlooking the harbour

One thing on Matt's list to do was to check out a local distillery called Ironworks. Their building was once a blacksmith's shop. Here's a picture of the preserved building. You can see part of the distillery machinery on display in the background.

Ironworks Distillery

Ironworks has one of the coolest products I've ever seen. Last spring they tied empty bottles to pear trees and over the summer the pears grew inside the bottles. They then harvested the bottles and filled them with a special brew. Don't they look amazing?

Ironworks Pear Liqueur

Another pretty special day. :)

Jolly Jumper Giggles

Karen here.

It's hard to capture a moment that's gone by. And all too often with a little one they will do something that you wish you had gotten on film. Well, tonight I was making funny faces at Magnus while he was jumping and we managed to capture the following. Sorry for the camera shaking a bit; I was holding my laughter in!

Jolly Jumper Giggles

A special thanks to Claire Gong for the gift certificate that made all this fun possible. Hope you're having a great time with your son too Claire!!!

Off-Season Tourists

Hi, Matt here. 

Since I last wrote a post, we have visited the Canadian Highlands of Cape Breton.  While getting ready for the trip, I was amazed at how quickly I had turned into my father: loading the family up in the baby blue wagon to go see, wait for it..., a coastline!  At least no tents and inflatable mattresses in this trip!

(Note: Dad, if they weren't great trips, would I still remember them? :) )

Now, I don't think Cape Breton is really an island, in the truest sense.  It isn't an island like PEI or Toronto Island or Vancouver Island.  It's more like a rebellious teenager who refuses to hold hands at the saying of grace at dinner.  I mean, really, you can throw a rock across the gap and my young nephews could swim it on a calm day.  But, I'm no geologist (or whoever it might be who decides such things).

That said, I do agree with the "Highlands" designation.  As some of our photos, showing the low hanging clouds in the hills, demonstrate.  One could really see a Canadian version of Braveheart being filmed there.  If I had a kilt and there wasn't snow everywhere, I'm sure that Karen could have convinced me to put it on.  Luckily for all, I don't have one and there was snow everywhere.



Mist in the Highlands

Of course, March isn't peak season in Cape Breton, but we were not disappointed.  The place we stayed at could have been the set for the Dirty Dancing movie, with the various buildings built during the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and all well maintained for the summer rush.  

While at the resort, there was really only one other couple there.  There were a few Forces guys at breakfast, but dinner was the three of us and the senior Forces guy with his wife.  One evening, during dinner in the restaurant, we looked over to discover that Magnus was showing off his magician skills and had somehow made his book disappear.  Look closely and see if YOU can find it!  I still don't know how he managed it, as he doesn't raise his hands above his head (I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how he had done it, either).

Magnus the Magician

On the Saturday morning we hit the Cabot Trail, heading north up the eastern coast with the Atlantic on our right.  The forecast had called for sun, and we got a bit of it, but for the most part it was quite grey and desolate.  Oddly enough, very beautiful and a scene that most tourists do not get the chance to experience.

The Atlantic as we ascended Smoky Mountain

The "West Coast Highway", oddly reminiscent of Hawaii

Neils Harbour - So that's where the Eaton Centre location went!

"Pleasant Bay" my butt.  Maybe more pleasant when packed with whale watchers during the summer.

Karen striving for that perfect shot! (There's water over there them hills)

Once back at the resort, Magnus decided to investigate the little phone that kept recording his image.  I suspect I will look to this in the future, relishing the time when he would actually look at me for reassurance and permission. 

I'm Gonna Get'cha!

On the Sunday, as we were leaving our little Cape Breton holiday, and were feeling relatively safe and secure in our all wheel drive Subaru as the temperature hovered around freezing on the wet roads, and we reflected on all those in Halifax who thought that we were crazy to visit Cape Breton in March, we realized: Some ask, "Why?"  Others ask, "Why not?"!

WHY NOT?!

The Magnus Way

Karen here.

The Magnus way isn't necessarily to follow the norm. You can find a million pictures of babies sucking their toes like this.

Random Kid from the Internet Sucking His Toes

But this is the Magnus way.

Magnus Sucking His Toes

Trail blazer or ...?

Magnus is 5 Months Old!

Karen here.

On April 1, Magnus turned 5 months old.

He can cry at will, but tends to whine more often than not when things aren't going his way. He downright demands attention, and he'll get it any way he can, flirting with practically everyone he sees. He throws toys away when he is done with them, and then he reaches for them only to fall on his face (he can't push himself up into a sitting position yet - 2 months away from that still). So I spend my days setting him back up in a seated position with a toy on his lap only to pick him up a minute later. He still shrieks in delight, and he is babbling more and more, if that's possible. Here he is watching one of his favourite TV programs.

Magnus Watching 'The Wiggles'

And he's mastered raspberries.

Raspberries

In packing to come to Halifax for 3 months, we didn't anticipate that Magnus would have outgrown all the 6 month clothes with 6 weeks to go. I had packed all the 9 and 12 month clothes we had as well, but they amount to very few outfits. So I had a field day at Value Village and Walmart! He's just so damn long and he has such big feet! The seems were popping on all his onesies! And his Popeye pipes popped too!

His eczema is getting much better though. The prescription and recommendations from the doctor did nothing for him (so frustrating), so I checked out the Eczema Society of Canada's website. They recommended 2 - 3 five to twenty minute baths a day followed by moisturizing. So Magnus now has a regimen of 2 five minute baths a day (morning and night) and he gets moisturized with Aveno Baby Eczema Care Moisturizer every time his diaper is changed. So finally he is getting some relief! It was significantly improved in just a day, and now it looks like it's gone. But I know from experience that if it looks gone it's not necessarily true. So we're sticking with the plan for a while longer. "Poor lamb," as Peg would say. :)

On a brighter note, Magnus has been jumping on our laps for a month now, so we ponied up and bought a jolly jumper... one of the portable ones that don't hang from a doorway. And he loves it! He despises being in the swing because he knows I ignore him to take care of duties in the kitchen. So I love the Jolly Jumper too cuz I can get some work done! He has so much fun jumping and babbling away. Check out his very first jumps!

First Jolly Jumper Jumps

And I am oh so pleased to announce that we started Magnus on solids this past month! And boy was he ready. He lapped up his rice cereal like there was no tomorrow! And he didn't have a problem because ever since he was 2 months old we've been using a spoon to feed him his probiotic drops and his vitamin D drops. So he was a ol' pro! Check out his very first bites!

First Bites

Thankfully filling up on baby cereal before bed has helped him sleep better. He falls asleep faster and sleeps longer now. So I am a happier camper these days too cuz I get better sleep too! We'll be ready for sleep training soon!