Remembering when

 You're probably all aware that this year marked the 10th anniversary of 9-11. We knew this was going to be our last year being so close to the 9-11 memorials so I really wanted to get out and see one. They shut the PATH trains down going to WTC that morning and security was pretty tight in the downtown area so there was no point in even trying to get anywhere close to "ground zero" but as I was watching the news that morning I saw a clip of a memorial going on at the Jersey City waterfront. I packed up Bridget and let Kate sleep in and went down to check it out. There was a lot of singing and poems but the interesting things to hear were stories from those who remember being on the waterfront and waiting for the hundreds of wounded that were to come over that never came, the dust in the air and on the ground and the confusion.  

 Of course there is the tribute at night that they've done for several years now. Always kind of neat.

 The building that looks like a red white and blue rocket pop is the new "One-World Trade Center" formerly known as "Freedom Tower" which is where the old world trade centers were.

 If you've come to visit us since we've been here you'll know this is Kate doing what Kate does best, talking to complete strangers. The towers were never part of the skyline I associate with the city, but it's interesting to hear people talk about how they remember watching the towers being built, how they would use them as a landmark in the city to orient themselves, and how they'd become so much a part of their identity of the city, then what a shock it was to see them gone.

This is the last year they will be organizing a big memorial service in the city so we were glad we could be here and see it. 

Hopewell Rocks!!!

Our last stop was at the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy. We walked around the flowerpot rock formations (which look like flower pots at high tide) at low tide. We were lucky in that it happened to be the lowest and highest tides of the season, rising 47ft at high tide. The Bay of Fundy is actually in the running for the 7 wonders of the natural world because it has the highest tides in the world.

The same spot at high tide 6 hours later

It was so neat to walk out on the mud flats at low tide. It felt like a day at the spa, except when I stepped on a rock covered with barnacles.

It was amazing how quickly the tide comes in and out, as you can see in the following video my mom took of her feet.

You can see the dark line on the rocks marking where the water reaches at high tide.

I really wanted to put on a swim suit and just go slide around on these mud flats. 

Once the tide came in you couldn't even tell it had been a great big field of mud just hours before.

This flock of migratory birds was so amazing to watch. They acted just like a school of fish.

Jason and I signed up to go kayaking at high tide. B didn't get to come but she loved playing in the kayaks while she waited on shore with my mom.

Launching the boats.

We paddled south along the rocks for about an hour before turning back and it was amazing how much the water had receded in that short amount of time. On the way out we went through "tunnels" where the only way through was to use our hands on the sides but on the way back we had more than enough room to use our paddles.

That night we ate at a restaurant attached to an amusement park and we introduced B to the wonderful world of skiball.  It was like a right of passage.

We had such a fabulous time the 2 weeks just flew by. Now back to real life.

Goodbye PEI

We spent a day in Charlottetown where we visited "Founders Hall" and heard the story of how Canada became a country. It was kind of funny because despite my best efforts to avoid learning American history I knew a lot more about the creation of the US than Canada. Canada's story doesn't have a civil unrest, rebellion, and ultimate war. No, Canada's story is much more unassuming and involves more meetings, dinner parties, and handshakes. I think the history of Canada's founding is so much more Canadian.

We went to the Cow's ice cream factory. Supposedly they make the best ice cream in Canada.

Riding in the backseat with Bridget

Another red sand beach. This was after the hurricane that hit the East coast. We only experienced a short period of rain and some pretty strong winds but those winds brought a lot of seaweed onto the beach. You can also see the Confederation bridge in the background which connects PEI to New Brunswick.

Bridget loved walking in the shallow water and playing on the new sand bars that would suddenly appear as the tide went out. I would go and find some hermit crabs and put them down near her and she would "play" with them, meaning every time they would come out of their shells and start to crawl away she would try to pick them up and they would go back inside.

Bridget in a lobster trap

Another early morning walk with Bridget and the camera

On our final day in PEI we drove up to the north west point of the island and then back down the western coast. We walked around the northern point for a while, watching the eastern and western tides meeting and checking out the red cliffs.

"You belong among the wildflowers"

A little bit of the prairies by the ocean. This made us a little nostalgic for good old Alberta.