November 25, 2012

Bay of Fundy Whales

Welcome Back!

This week I've included various views of humpback whales. These were taken when Brooke and I went on a whale watching cruise in Grand Manan. Keturah didn't want to go, so Kevin stayed on land with her!

It was a long cruise, but totally worth it! We left Seal Cove at 1pm and returned at 6pm. It did take us about 1.75 hrs just to ride out to where the whales are usually found, but we saw and followed 3 whales. One a mother and 1 year old calf and the other, probably the father. The First Mate and some of the kids on the cruise did see a Sperm Whale, but we were on the opposite side of the boat and I wasn't going to give up my good spot to anyone, so we stayed where we were!

We also saw an Ocean Sunfish and some birds, but the Humpback Whales were the highlight of the day. 

A quick post today as I'm off to Oneida for a couple of days!

I will probably include more whales next week too as I did get quite a few shots that I'm happy with this time!

Have a great week!








November 17, 2012

Squid!

Welcome back!

This week for your viewing pleasure I am sharing some photos of Squid.

When we were fishing in Grand Manan, some locals asked us if we had been down to the pier to see the squid. We hadn't, so they said to come down around 10pm..Ha..after being up so early each day, due to the sun streaming in our room, I didn't think I could stay awake that long! :-)

Anyway, we headed down one night right at 10. We talked to a young fisherman who showed us his special lure that you needed to be able to catch them and answered a ton of questions for us! 

We waited a few minutes and then the fisherman started catching them. He laid them on the yellow boat tie thingy (not sure of the exact name)! Anyway he told us to pick them up, take pictures, etc. He also told us to hit them or drop them on the ground...the ink comes out of them when you do that and I think we all went home wearing some, but they also change colour when you hit them. So you will see in the pictures below that some are different colours than others and it was just because we had dropped them or touched them.

Down on a lower dock we saw a lot of families catching them as well. If you ever had calamari, this is what they look like before you eat them. I wouldn't eat them myself! 

I'm enjoying a rare day at home trying to learn some new software..the down side of upgrading your computer so it is faster! I apologize if the photos are not the usual size as I'm having problems with the sizing feature of Photoshop Elements 11. I like the new layout of this version though..I just have to learn where they moved everything! 

I'm off again.... to Rama this time..on Mon-Wed. So I hope you have  a great week!

 





November 12, 2012

A Quick Post!

Welcome Back! We survived the weekend in Ottawa and had a great visit with friends, Anne & Fred and enjoyed seeing their new home!
 
I'm leaving for Oneida again in an hour or so, but wanted to add a short post and a few photos.
 
The first photo is the Swallowtail Lighthouse found on Grand Manan. When you start seeing this on the horizon, you know you are almost there..it feels like home to me when I see it--so I may have to retire there! I have a large print of this lighthouse hanging in my hallway and get to see it everyday!
 
This is also the most photographed lighthouse in Canada...I know it is for me alone. I have so many photos of it, but am just including the first one that I took as we made our way to Grand Manan,  just before disembarking from the ferry.
 
The 2nd, 3rd & 4th photos were taken the following morning as we walked around the harbour. I saw these spiderwebs glistening in the sunlight and tried to take a few photos. Very hard to shoot due to the sun and the fact that they were in someone's yard. But I did the best I could in the little time I had. I would have liked to "practice" more...maybe next time!
 
Enjoy your week!
 




November 4, 2012

St Andrews, NB, Part 2

Welcome back! Well, I survived being in Oneida for the whole week! I'm home this week.....well, until Friday, then the girls and I are heading to Ottawa for a long overdue visit to see our friends! We are home Sunday and then I head back to Oneida on Monday for 3 days! I may as well not even unpack! :-)
 
Today's photos are the "critters" from St. Andrews that we saw on the beach there. They were all alive and as you can see from all the hand/fingers in the shots, my family loves picking them up!
 
1st & 2nd-soft shell clams
3rd-sea urchin
4th-underside of the same sea urchin (I know you were wondering!)
5th- a very tiny crab who was running up and down Keturah's hand
6th-a sea star (I like how they always look like they are pointing)
7th-another sea urchin-this one attached to a big rock
 
Next week, I'll try to post between my trips---some scenics from Grand Manan!
 
Have a great week!