Almost done!

I have been trying to finish up my quilt so I can get it to the long arm quilter. I am so excited with the way this quilt is turning out. I have 5 more rows to add because it is a king-sized quilt but it is beautiful. And very BLUE!

Sustainance!

This was the first year that we planted melons. I didn't think the growing season would be long enough but certainly it was hot enough and long enough! We had about 20 of these cantalopes growing when all of a sudden all the vines died. We didn't think they finished the process, but I decided to pick one, let it ripen for a day or so and then cut it. I couldn't wait any longer and cut into it. I gasped and Tim came running assuming I cut my hand on a knife. (because that is my response when I cut myself) I couldn't even speak but I just held it out and started laughing. It was GORGEOUS and delicious also. We totally enjoy the garden. Every night, I go out and pick vegetables for dinner. This week, we have already had spaghetti sauce made from tomatoes from the garden, beets, broccoli, and tonight, we had stuffed peppers from the beautiful peppers that came from the garden. It doesn't cost much to plant, just time and energy. We have also been eating potatoes this week that we planted. We figured we have enough potatoes to equal six 10lb bags. And we're not even done yet. God is good to us!

Kristin's Cake

I can't believe I have 2 kids in their 20's. Kristin turned 20 on August 21st and we celebrated by eating at La Carreta and we bought her a cake from Frederick's Bakery. Kristin loves cake and she loves to eat good cake. Yes, this is the daughter who watches the Food Network all day. Anyway, the cake was beautiful, and tasted good. But since I had to go all the way to Bedford and then wait for a couple of hours, and it cost alot... I mean you would have thought it was the Cake Boss' place. But it was beautiful! It was a white almond cake with strawberry and butter cream filling. Are you jealous?

Baxter State Park

We were done traveling in PEI, Cape Breton and Nova Scotia. We decided to see a part of Maine that we've wanted to see for quite a while. We stayed overnight in Fredericton, New Brunswick and crossed the border the next morning. Baxter State Park is in Millonocket, Maine and has quite a few mountains. Mt. Katahdin is the highest and it is the beginning or terminus of the Appalacian Trail that starts in Georgia. Most people start to hike the trail in Georgia around March so they can summit 2000 miles later at Mt. Katahdin in October before the park closes.

Driving through the park takes 4-6 hours so we only did half the park and then came back out. It was raining by the time we left and we saw a beautiful rainbow that was trying to be a double rainbow coming out. We also saw another moose.

We had a great vacation and now its time to head home.

Nova Scotia

We came across the Canso causeway from Cape Breton and decided to drive the Eastern shoreline. Although it is less than 2 hours by highway to Halifax, we decided to drive along the coast which took about 6 hours. The coast winds around many harbors and coves. It is beautiful, remote, and unspoiled. The villages along the coast and harbors usually had less than 100 people. We decided to stay in the Salsman Provincial Park which was situated in a picturesque place called Country Harbor. Country Harbor is an inlet and the campground was right on the water.
We finally got to Halifax the next day. We were trying to get to Peggy's Cove but I didn't have a good map to get us through Halifax so we stopped at the highest point in the city. The highest point in Halifax is the Citadel. The Citadel was built by the Loyalists that came to Nova Scotia from America. They were afraid that the Americans were going to try to take this area as well so they built a fort on the top of a mountain in the city. It is a place that you can tour now. I stopped to look at the map and then ask for directions. When I got out, there was a Royal Mounted Police Officer there dressed like they looked in the late 1700's. I told Amanda about the police and she wanted to see him of course. When she did see him, she was quite freaked out by his feathered hat. She still says, I've never seen someone who looks like that! The citadel area has a nice overview of the city harbor.

Cape Breton Sunset

When we were in Cape Breton, we saw the most gorgeous sunsets. Below are some pictures of God's creation!

Tides in the Bay of Fundy

We have heard that the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. The highest tides were actually recorded in Burncoat in the Minas Basin. We decided to stay at one of the provincial parks that overlooked the Basin in the north part of the island. We decided this because we were meeting up with a friend who lives near there for breakfast the next morning. The Blomdin Provincial Park was on a mountain cliff that overlooked the Basin.

We knew that the tides came in and receeded 40 feet. But you don't get a really good idea of this until you see these pictures. The people at the campground told me that when it is dead low tide, you have to walk for 20 minutes to get to the water. When it comes in, it comes fast and you have to run to get back or you will get caught. As we were driving in, it was low tide and we saw the evidence of how far these tides really come in.

The picture below is when the tide is 2 hours from being high.
We loved this area of Nova Scotia. It has alot of farms and vineyards. It is a really nice area. The next day, we met up with our friend from Camp Allen Meghan Dunham. Meghan worked with me at Camp Allen for at least 3 years. She lives in Kentville which is near the Basin. She has a baby named Layla that is 7 months old now. It was really good to see her.