Jim and Kim's Travels: August 2024

My sister and her hubby have rented a cottage in Beresford, NB for the last couple of years. Their girls and the grandchildren come for a visit and make great memories. Their calendar was empty for a few days, so I took advantage of their hospitality.

Lovely view...the cottage is on a dead-end road, so there is much less traffic than on Youghall Beach road.

I made a quick trip out to see the house in Bathurst where we used to live. The airport is close by so I decided to see what improvements they've made there. And then why not throw Tetagouche Falls in there...haven't been there in years. It's really hard to get a good picture of the falls with all the trees.

It doesn't look like much, but in our younger years, we spent a bit of time here. You used to be able to walk down to the falls, but I wasn't about to attempt that.

Back at the cottage, Trevor was inflating the raft for Sissy and me...

Trevor was planning ahead. He wisely tethered us so that he wasn't chasing after us. There was a bit of a current.

Cheers! You can see how close to shore we are. It was lovely though...floating and enjoying the surroundings.

Pam and I look exhausted! Not too tired to go for ice cream though. It was delicious!

The water was so calm later in the evening...

Everyone searches for beach glass when they visit. It was getting dark, but isn't that what phone flashlights are for? No beach glass, but I did see a pretty heart rock. I think Pam and Trevor and the kids have picked the beach clean!

I don't care for these half Canada and half New Brunswick flags. Nope! One or the other...or both!

Our brother, Chris, and his wife, Sylvie, came for coffee. Chris and Sylvie knew of a great beach glass spot, and next thing we were on our way. Stopped at the Bored Whale for lunch...

And off again to find glass...lots of whitecaps.

It was high tide, so our beach area was pretty small.

I was skeptical, but within a few minutes, Sylvie and Chris were both finding glass. Well alrighty then...

Yessir!

We picked glass for about an hour. It was amazing how much there was! After that, we headed back to town for a drink and a snack.

My first time visiting 13 Barrels...it was really nice. They've done a great job.

Family time 💖

Every time we went by this boat, Pam remarked that it would be nice to paint a picture of it. We stopped, we snapped...mission accomplished!

Pam sorted out the beach glass...it was a banner day!

Tiny pieces of red and orange...

And a lovely sunset...a beautiful little slice of heaven.

Sunrise the next morning, and it was time for me to head home.

One last outing to the local sausage shop. They make the best sausages!

And sugar pie...yum!

A great two days! Thanks me Sissy and Trevor!

It's family reunion time once again! This year we chose PEI, going back to the same cottages we had in 2015. I can't believe it's been that long!

PEI is so pretty...lots of green spaces.

We booked at Blue Crest Cottages again because they were perfect last time.

AC was welcome! It was so hot!

We had two bedrooms, which was great. Somehow we also had a lot of stuff!

Love how the cottages are staggered, so you have some privacy.

Mussel traps...we found out later that PEI harvests 50 million lbs of mussels each year. What the heck?!

AC on full blast, neck fan and a portable fan...because that's how I roll.

Jim's daughter made the most delicious Vienna Torte cake. It's been a tradition in the family for many years. She made it at home, travelled 1800 km in the car with Randy, and assembled it once she got to PEI. Now that's going the extra mile!

The next morning we decided to go visit the Bottle Houses. They were always on my bucket list, so it was nice to have everyone on board.

There is a $10 fee ($9 for us oldies!) and it is well worth it. Lovely gift shop inside...

The gardens were spectacular, as were the interesting wood carvings.

There isn't just one house, but several buildings made of glass bottles. This is a church...

Dominic wasn't reading a sermon, but information about how the church was constructed.

Loved the little pews...

Lots of interesting exhibits...

Family photo (thanks, Randy!). L-R Jim; Jim's son, Jeff; me; Jeff's son, Dominic; Jim's first wife, Ilona; Jim's daughter, Stephanie; and her son Erik. We were missing Jeff's wife, Nadine, and their other son, Damian, who were at a baseball tournament in Moncton.

Jim and me...

Stephanie and me...

It was lovely...not too many people around, so you could take your time and enjoy the surroundings.

Family photo with Randy included this time...

Love this house with the bottles on top...

Dominic signing the guest book for all of us...

Not sure what the story is on the lighthouse. It's not made of bottles.

Lots of space to walk around and enjoy the gardens...

I have no idea...unique!

White puffy hydrangeas...

One more house...

The bar!

A very tall tree...glad it was a bit cloudy.

And more gardens...

One last hydrangea pic...if you have a chance to visit, it's worthwhile.

We went into Summerside for lunch...

Lots of little shops and restaurants...

These decadent treats were from Get Caked. On the left is a salty caramel donut with pretzel and the right is a cinnamon roll donut. Worth every calorie! They were delicious.

Back to the cottages...loved the sun on the field.

Damian and Dominic playing golf. Damian's baseball games in Moncton were over, and he and Nadine made it to the cottages.

Pool time! I look like I'm afraid someone is going to pelt me with the ball. Not that anyone would do that! Trying to get the ball away from the boys was a challenge.

I think they more cautious with Randy!

Family time on the deck...

Love this! Father and son...

Family photo with Nadine and Damian in it to complete the group.

Yummy lobsters! We had stopped at the fish shop on the way back from Summerside. Jim went with lobster and I had scallops, which Randy cooked to perfection.