Born on a mixed subsistence farm in rural Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Moved to Ontario in 1967 to attend University at what was then Waterloo Lutheran University and moved to Oakville, Ontario in 1971. Without intending to live up to the name became a letter carrier the following January and have worked for Canada Post ever since. I retired in August of 2008.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Saint John, New Brunswick

Was sorry to have to leave Pictou and will never repeat the sojourn my GPS led me on when I asked it to take me to Amherst avoiding the toll highway. Some of the roads weren’t paved and some of the paved ones were even poorer. To make matters worse it started raining torrentially. It paused long enough to allow me to walk into the Nova Scotia Welcome Centre and meet Jacob, the new piper in his kilt and sporran. Alas, I didn’t get to hear him play. The drive down to Saint John past Moncton was uneventful until I hit heavy fog just short of the city. Managed to find Rockwood Campground despite the limited visibility.

Got on well with the gentleman at the gate and signed in for a week finding $22/day much cheaper than $35 even should I choose to leave early. Settled in and with nothing much to be seen in the fog and rain settled in to catch up online.

Walked down to the gate Friday Morning and bought the local Saint John Paper and was disappointed to find no What’s On Section. The movie reviews didn’t interest me. After updating online got out my map, got myself ready and set off over to Downtown. The city is not pedestrian friendly and at one point I had to cross an expressway entrance without benefit of crosswalk. Traffic did stop for me though. The neighbourhood I walked through climbing steep grades was not the best but people were friendly. Hard by this slum was the Cathedral Church of the Immaculate Conception which I toured. The exterior is not much to look at but the interior is beautiful.

Finally found my way to Market Square where I stopped to tour Barbour’s Historic General Store which featured King Cole Tea but not my old standard Old English Blende. I got my loose Orange Pekoe in Antigonish. Wandered the Market Square Complex and got a 20 minute free look at the New Brunswick Museum. It has complete whale skeletons and various mockups. Looked quickly at the art exhibit on the third floor and came down to talk with the staff. Went to Grannans Pub for Clams and Chips plus a Kieths IPA. The beer was cold, fresh, and bubbly draft and the clams the best I’ve had, sorry John’s Lunch Dartmouth. Thus refreshed I started the long climb back to Rockwood Park choosing a alternate route that took me past City Hall and various upscale businesses. Stopped to admire a few churches along the way and finding myself close by the Lutheran Church dropped in to have tea with my friend Tom.

Once I finally got home after noting the number of people swimming in Lily Lake whose water gets tested only once a month I promptly drank two large glasses of water.

On Saturday went for at least a ten-mile hike with my friend Tom around Rockwood Park after a trip for groceries. Put my feet up Saturday evening though I was rather startled by some illegal fireworks.

Sunday morning before the crowds got up enjoyed a shower and later watched people line up to use the sewage dumping station opposite my windows. Around 10:15 wandered the 1.43 miles over to Hope Lutheran Church for service. Were it not that Tom is pastor there I’d probably wander down to the Anglican Cathedral instead. Three days of sunshine is rather unusual for my visits to Saint John. Took a look at my picnic table this morning where I plan to entertain this evening and noted that someone pooped on it. Either a crow or a squirrel I suspect. Must give it a scrub. Washed dishes in hopes they’d dry on their own given enough time. Eighty-two degrees in Saint John. My Goodness!

Got dinner made despite a power outage that was my own fault. Tried to do too many things at once and disturbed my electrical connection. Monday morning the sun came out again amid a heat warning for all of New Brunswick save the Bay of Fundy Shore Area. Already at noon it’s 86ยบ F. Just discovered there’s a leak in my 10 litre water tank, guess it wasn’t made for more than one use. Just one more of those things. Made an appointment with my barber, me, and clipped my locks, they were getting long enough to get in my eyes when I drove with the windows open. Temp has reached 90!

Suddenly my refrigerator decided to become overactive. I’d turned it up after putting ice cream in it that was a bit soft but now suddenly it froze half my cucumber and I now have a frozen carrot. When I went to use my Ziggy’s Coleslaw I discovered it was put through a blender not a shredder making a product more like relish than slaw. Life’s little surprises. After the water leak got my bathroom floor scrubbed, a job long overdue; the kitchen floor today. Here I am sitting in Saint John reading a walking tour of Lunenburg while I wait for web pages to load in my browser.

Finished reading my walking tour and must now embark on the reading of Historic Saint John Streets to learn about the city in which I now reside for two more days. Aside from some cleaning I haven’t done much today as it’s too hot to be outside for long. Dinner out with my friend Monday Night and a short walk after it cooled off a bit.

On Tuesday spent a quiet day close to my A/C unit. Walked over to dinner at the parsonage then to Trinity Anglican Church for Compline. The rite was chanted a capella by candle light.

Attended a noon-time recital on Wednesday, lunched at Subway, went walking in the Marsh at the Irving Nature Centre, toured an art gallery, got a mini-tour of Saint John, and had Souvlaki at a local Pizzeria.

Was reluctant to get up this morning after going back to sleep following my early morning online browse but was on the road by 7:00. Sleeping in is all relative. My second fill-up of the day in New Brunswick was at a full-service ESSO. Stopped for my second Subway Sub in one week and paused to put on shorts when it got too hot. Aside from that heat and the strain of staying alert for 300 miles the day was routine. Expect I’ll be glad to make it home Sunday after 400 miles.

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