Out With the Old

Does anyone really make New Year's Resolutions anymore? I gave up on those some time ago. I found them to be nothing more than setting myself up for failure at things I have tried to do over and over again....quit smoking, lose weight, exercise...blah, blah, blah! Life really is so much more than our bad habits though, isn't it?
2010 has been full of challenges both good and not so good...happy and well, we all have not so happy things happen. Yet, despite everything I am still here, still standing and remarkably still moving forward. This is all I ask for 2011!!! Who knows what amazing things are waiting for me this year? My hope is to keep my heart and mind open so that I can accept them as they come.
As one person I am not out to change the world but I do believe that as one person I can make small changes that make the world a better place for myself and those close to me. I hope that this year is filled with the strength I need to overcome obstacles and continue to find happiness in the small things in life.
I am letting go of the old and happily moving forward with the new...who knows where I will end up but it's going to be a fun time finding out!
So...here's to saying farewell to 2010...thanks for the lessons learned! As for 2011???
BRING IT ON!!!!!!!
Love and laughter to all!
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

This will be the first Christmas that I have spent on my own...with all the renovations, new jobs and other changes happening in my life I have decided to just stay put in New Brunswick this year. I have been blessed to have been invited to many different places for the holidays and as always it's hard to say yes to everyone.

It's not that I don't want to spend time with my friends and their families during Christmas but have decided to spend the weekend in Moncton with a great friend...nothing extravagant, just a weekend away to relax, reflect, and do some boxing day shopping. Heaven knows there will be lots of laughing and don't we all need that when times are difficult...I know I do!!!! Thanks to my neighbours for gladly taking care of Maddie to make this weekend possible for me. I am blessed!

I hope all my family and friends enjoy the holidays in whatever ways make them happy with the least amount of stress.

I will be back to update in the new year.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Wonders

Wonders abound here in my new start. First of all we had some snow the other night and I actually drove in it without freaking out. It's been a long time since I have HAD to do it...I was a bit nervous so left in plenty of time but cranked up some music and headed out slowly down the road. Next is the suprises I am finding in making new friends. I am gaining insight into music that I never considered my taste in the past, and am astonished to discover that there are still guys out there that are real gentlemen who opens and holds doors for me, walks beside and never crosses in front of me, likes everything about Christmas including the music and movies!!! May wonders never cease!!

Today was a beautiful day with the snow from the storm a couple days ago still clinging to the trees. The scenery was beautiful down to St. Andrews and St. Steven, especially the back roads where the trees line the roads...very serene.

Christmas shopping is almost done with just a few special people to buy for. I must get my cards signed and posted before next week, maybe over the weekend.

My jobs are going well but I am finding I need to learn to say no again. It is hard to have a social life when you only get one day off a week so I have to stop picking up those extra shifts!!

The deck has been built, another wonder to behold!! Who would have guessed that the weather would be nice enough in December to build a deck?? I decided to put safety glass around the deck for better viewing rather than spindles which makes the deck feel less closed in. It looks great and I will add pictures of the finished product another day. Look at that sky and notice the carpenter's coat hanging on the post...hard to believe it's December. By the end of the day all the carpenters were in t-shirts!! Nothing better than being able to watch men hard at work is there girls??? Hahaha!!

Usually I dread the winter but with so much on the go all the time I am quite looking forward to it. Friends are close by to visit with, I'm hosting a Christmas party on the 17th and will host another in January for my friends at the bakery if not before depending on my free time. Before I know it, spring will be just around the corner!

Unless something outstanding happens between now and then I will not likely be updating again before Christmas soooo....

To all of my family and friends that I will not see this holiday season,

May you find peace and joy in your lives this Christmas and in the upcoming year. Enjoy time spent with friends and family as we never know just what tomorrow holds. Eat lots, drink responsibly and laugh til your cheeks hurt!!! Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Love

Peggy

Out and About

We sure have had a lot of rain in the past week. Cooler temperatures, high winds and rain have kept me house bound but Thursday the sun decided to shine down so I had to take advantage of it.

Karen and I headed to Fredericton to snoop around. November 11th (Rememberance Day) is a stat holiday here in NB so no stores were open but we didn't need to shop anyway. Fredericton is a beautiful city but to me it still seemed very rural. The streets are quite narrow for a city and even for a holiday there was a fair amount of traffic which is not something I miss from Ontario.

We discovered a walking bridge that crosses the Saint John River and ventured out across the wooden structure to get some pictures.

It was a great day, made a new friend and got some good pictures. Happy Day!!

Welcome November! October was just packed full of new and exciting beginnings...a new job and a special new friend. My job in a Senior's Home is very rewarding. The folks that I support there are so funny and always happy to see me. They are also a wealth of information on the history of this area and I love listening to their stories as much as they love telling them. For the time being I am also working at the bakery one day a week so my friend Elsie can have a much deserved day off so I am plenty busy.

Halloween brought with it our first snowfall...draped the trees in a white cover over night and then left the next day, just enough to remind me that Christmas is around the corner and soon the baking will begin.

Today is laundry day, baking brownies and then coffee with my friends this afternoon.
Happy November everyone!

Starting Over

Did anyone see September...I feel like I missed it somehow. It was a busy month full of great new starts and very sad endings
First the good news. My sister in law Karen, moved down here to make a fresh start in this beautiful province of New Brunswick and is now moved in here with me and going to college. After surviving a huge loss in her life she inspires me with her resilience and motivation to make positive changes in her life and move forward with pride and determination. Having her here has been a Godsend and I know part of a much bigger plan.
A week after her arrival Lyndon mysteriously disappeard during the night while I was at work and I was to find out three days later that after 18 years together he decided to call it quits on our relationship and had moved back to Ontario. The pain and devestation from that was physically and emotionally overwhelming and for the better part of two weeks I found myself bouncing between great sadness, anger, frustration, hope, bewilderment but worst of all for me was the feeling of being unworthy of love and no better than yesterday's trash...easily disposed of. All my dreams and plans for the future now had no meaning...what was the point and where do I go from here? I thought I wanted to die or at the very least crawl into a hole and hide where the pain couldn't find me.
Luckily I had Karen here and many friends and family who rallied around me to help dig me out...build me back up and listened without judgement. I was thankful for those who did not want to throw Lyndon under the bus because at this point I was hoping it was just some kind of stress induced crisis he was going through and it would eventually work itself out. I now understand this was wishful thinking but it helped me to work through the pain with eyes that could see some things from his point of view. No, I don't agree with how this all happened but in the end I can accept that it has and now is the time I get to see what I am really made of. Some days I still have to remind myself to eat, sleep...breathe...but every day brings a new sunrise and another chance to make something positive happen.
So, onward and forward we must go. Karen and I have been out and about meeting new people and experiencing lots of things that I have wanted to do but kept putting off over the past two years. I have always known I could do things on my own but know for sure that most things are more fun when you have someone else to share the experience with. In order to keep my house I knew I was going to have to increase my income so picked up a second job quickly but unfortunately the hours were not going to work with the hours at the bakery and still allow me to have any kind of life...so I made another call, got a second new job and gave my notice at the bakery. I feel somehow lighter and less stressed already...the early hours at the bakery were wearing on me and I knew a change needed to happen there and I guess this was destinies way of making that change for me. Reminder...always be open to signs and opportunities!
Now here we are in October and my daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Greg arrived last night to help us celebrate Thanksgiving and my upcoming birthday. It's going to be a great week and after it the new jobs start and so does my new life. I still miss Lyndon and will probably always have a place in my heart for him but it does get easier every day to move forward. I wish him well in his future, and hope he finds happiness and peace within himself.
I guess sometimes it takes something huge, unpredictable and heartwrenching to open our eyes to our true inner strength. I have learned over the past month that if you are
positive, wearing the smile even when you don't feel it on the inside, being open and inviting to new people and experiences...good things will continue to happen and far outweigh the bad. I still believe my life is truly blessed and believe enough in myself and my abilities that every tomorrow will be better and brighter.
I have to say here that I have been debating writing anything about this, however I feel that there are some lessons to be learned and want to share this experience so that you know...no matter what your loss, look to your inner strength, be kind to yourself, and trust there is a plan in place for you bigger than you can imagine if you open yourself up to it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this and their families...I am grateful and blessed to have all of you in my life.

Moving Right Along

Can you believe it's almost the end of August already? What a beautiful summer we have enjoyed weatherwise. Lots of sun, little humidity and wonderful ocean breezes have made for excellent renovating conditions. Now that the outside of the house is completed other than staining the porch and adding on a deck in the backyard we have moved inside to revamp the upstairs bathroom.
The existing small bathroom has been expanded to make a large room that will contain a large shower, clawfoot tub and also house my washer and dryer. So far the room has been gutted, tearing out a wall, ripping up the floor and putting the plumbing and electrical in place. As with the rest of the renovating nothing is simple here. When the electrician started he found that the existing wiring coming from the fuse panel downstairs was not safe. We had a new electrician come in to look things over and it was decided that now was the time to switch from the fuse panel to a breaker panel. That is all fine and well but all I could think was...what else is this going to lead to. I have discovered through this process that nothing is as it seems so I asked...what else is going to creep into this change? Well...as it turns out, the electrical entrance into the house is not up to code so will also have to be changed. NB Power is called in and it is decided that the entrance will have to be changed from the back of the house to the front of the house and branches from my big tree out front will have to be trimmed...can you say "Cha-ching!!"? After walking around the tree it is discovered by the NB Power man that the tree not only has to be trimmed but it is rotting in the middle so will have to be completely removed...we had a tree removed from the deck last year so know what this is going to involve and cost...I can see my bathroom and new deck budget slipping away...Ugh!!! Lyndon then asked the guy how much over our budget this is going to take us and he assured us that because NB Power needs to remove it in order to bring the power up to code it will not cost us anything and they will be taking care of it! Whew!!! The break I have been waiting for finally arrived!!!
So, back inside the bathroom is moving along. Walls and ceiling are drywalled and taped. All the accessories have arrived and are ready to be installed. The shower that was sent has some large scratches on it so is being replaced on Monday...vinyl flooring had to be ordered and will arrive this week and once it is put down everything else will just fall into place...knock on wood!
Before and after pictures will be posted as soon as they become available.
Now, on top of all the renovating that has been going on we have been waiting anxiously for news from Lyndon's sister Karen regarding her move to St. George. We are looking forward to her moving out here with us and she has finally nailed down a moving date. Lyndon will be flying to Ontario on Sept. 10th to drive her UHaul truck out here for her. Karen and her friend Kathy will be driving her car out and hopefully all will arrive here by Sept. 12th.
So that is August in a nutshell...busy, busy, busy!

Summer Fun

June and July have been very busy here. Visits from my sister Catharine and her friend Judy in June and then my friend Sally arrived July. It's great to go on new adventures with people and this trip Sally and I went whale watching on the Jolly Breeze tall ship along with my friend Lisa from work. I had also received a message from my cousin Doug Donavan the day before that he was in the area with his family and they decided to meet up with us as well for the whale watching excursion. What a great time we had. It turned out to be a very windy and overcast day but that did not put a damper on our adventure. On our way out to the open waters we passed by an island with lots of seals sunning themselves. I had no idea that seals were this light brown colour...I thought they were black. You learn something new every day! Once out in the open water it wasn't long before we sighted the blows of the whales spouting off. Lots of whales were in the area but they sure are difficult to photograph...have to be pretty quick and try to have a steady hand but I did manage to get a few shots in. On the way back to St. Andrews when the tour was done the water was very choppy and the water was splashing furiously up over the front of the ship soaking the majority of us. Sally managed to stay dry by standing back beside the captain but Lisa, Doug, Brittnay and I were drenched. Just when I thought it was safe to take my jacket away from my face another blast of water would come up over the side and I got a mouthful of salt water! It was hilarious and we couldn't stop laughing...what a hoot we had! I do believe I will be making this a yearly trip if I have brave enough visitors to venture out with me.

If you click on this collage you will enlarge it to get a better look at the individual pictures. I can't wait to see what August holds in store for us here in Charlotte County! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunshine Yellow

Well here we are 10 days into the renovations. The clapboard siding has been removed and the house wrapped in that lovely and stylish Home Hardware paper. Nineteen of the 21 new windows have been installed, the other two will get put in tomorrow if it doesn't rain. The new roof is complete and the verhanda is all ready to stain. Thursday and Friday the siding started. Although the front of the house is not quite complete I wanted to post a couple pictures so you can see the before and after effects. Lots of people have given us positive feedback and seem to be every bit as excited as we are to have the old place looking so good.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend despite the rain here in St. George.

Day 6

Another beautiful day with more to accomplish. Today Jeff and Howie put the first coat of stain on the verandah...I can't wait to be able to put my chairs out there. It's a nice and shady spot to relax!

Once the verandah is complete we are going to power wash the granite slab step and then clear coat it to help preserve it and make it shine like a new penny!Kirk and Derek installed the new window downstairs yesterday ....Today, Howie and Jeff installed the dining room window and the two upstairs bedroom windows while the boss (Jeff) held up the scaffolding! Just kidding...Jeff cut the wood had tossed it up to them.Windows on this part are complete now. It really is amazing how much is done in only 6 days with 5 men. I think they could give Ty Pennington a run for his money!

Moving Right Along

This is day 5 of the renovations. There sure has been alot accomplished in 5 days, these men are like carpenter ants that have gotten into the caffeine! So far the house has been stripped of the clap board siding, all but six of the twenty one windows have been installed and the house has been wrapped in that fancy Home Hardware paper.
Today is the day I've been waiting for...the sunroom is being removed and an open verandah will take it's place!
Once the exterior walls and windows came down they had to put beams in to hold the roof up. Hold 'er steady Howie!! Next the interior walls are stripped...let's see what's underneath that canvas paper...

Oh look....there was once a window on this wall. Apparently the sunroom was an add on way back when. See the pretty flowery wallpaper era 60's or maybe 70's?

The old hardwood floor had to be removed as well because of termite damage and rot...of course! Nothing suprises me at this point...just have to grin and bear it.

This is the end result for today. Plywood was put down on the floor, then a layer of rubber membrane to make it leak proof and then a second layer of plywood on top. The beam then received some decorative molding compliments of the boss, Jeff Cooke whom agrees with me when I say "It's all about the details". This team of men are awesome in that no corners will be cut, nothing covered up and hidden away. Tomorrow some more windows will go in and the deck will get some stain. Looking good guys!

June 21, 2010 Renovations Begin

Day one of the renovations began today. This is a before shot of the front part of the house with the sunroom on the end.This is the end of day one on this part of the house. All the clapboard was removed and paper stapled in place over top of the boards. Here is the back of the house getting stripped and a new window being installed upstairs. Part of the deck had to be cut out in order to get at the base of the house. Lesson for the day: Never attach a deck directly to the house!This is a before shot on day 2 of the opposite end of the house where we usually park our car and what we have been using as our main entrance.
Now it has been stripped and we are finding that under every original window and doorway the wood underneath is rotted and having to be replaced. This is why we wanted to strip off all the wood siding so that we weren't covering up more problems. Best to get if fixed and over with.


More rot found on the bottom of the house between the front sets of bay windows. So basically, that's it for the first two days. Five men sure do get a lot done and make a huge mess! Oh well, it has to get worse before it gets better and it will be done before we know it. I can't wait to go away this weekend and return to see how much more they've gotten done. It rained today so not as much progress..hopefully the weather will be nice the rest of the week.

Let's Get Busy

This summer is gearing up to be very exciting and no doubt very busy. Work on the outside of the house begins this week...new siding, windows and roof. We are also hoping to re-do the upstairs bathroom and with any luck at all a new deck as the old one has definitely seen better days.

I'm heading back to Ontario on June 25th to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday. We are having dinner on the Grand River Dinner Boat Cruise on the Sunday night...can't wait, should be a great time with my siblings. If not, at least there will be access to throw them overboard if they can't get along...hahaha!! Just kidding, I'm sure everyone will be on their best behaviours for mom's sake!

The weekend after I return is a big deal here in Charlotte County, NB. There is an Atlantic Motorcade coming to the area...over 5000 motorcycles are expected along with people out and about to see them. I really don't want to think how busy the bakery is going to be but we will get through it and it's great for the economy in this area. I might even have the chance to rent out a couple of rooms!

Last week I had my sister Catharine and her friend Judy here for a visit. What a great time we had...seen alot, ate alot and laughed ALOT! I should mention that the penguin Judy is holding belongs to her friend. His name is Petey and he likes to travel around and have his picture taken.



It's always sad to see my visitors leave but all good things must come to an end. We are expecting more visitors throughout the summer so still lots to look forward to.

I've been down to New River Beach collecting treasures, a few of which I finally sat down and painted on. I think they will make nice souveniers for people visiting the area. The reviews have been positive so far.

Tucker is growing by leaps and bounds and is now bigger than Madison. They are quite the pair and hilarious to just sit and watch. Seems all they do is play and sleep which is so nice for Maddie...she used to just sleep all the time. Yesterday they were playing tug of war with an old sock and all of a sudden Tucker flopped down on his side and just layed there with the sock still in his mouth and his eyes were closed. Maddie was still playing and started dragging him around the floor. After a few minutes Tucker leapt up and pounced on her and then the fight was on for the sock again! Wish I had my camera handy to have gotten that on video!

Both Lyndon and I are excited to be having his sister, Karen moving down here with us sometime this summer. Still waiting on a date but I know she is as anxious as we are...good things come to those who wait, right? I'm sure once she adjusts to the slower pace here she is going to love it...beautiful scenery, friendly little town..and did I mention a bakery that is only a 3 minute walk away? I hear the bread is out of this world!! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today...don't be afraid to leave comments..I love to hear from you!

Another Beautiful Road Trip

It's hard to believe that May 2-4 (24th) weekend is here again. It doesn't seem like a year has gone by since that hair raising drive through the Cabot Trail...I guess time really does fly when you are having fun.

The weather was even better this year than last for a nice drive so Lyndon and I packed up the dogs, Maddie and Tucker and headed out Sunday afternoon around 2:30 pm. I've been wanting to make the drive up to Miramichi so this was to be the destination of the day.

Tucker wasn't too impressed with the car ride to start with but eventually settled down to sleep on the blanket in the back seat. A couple hours into the drive we stopped to let the dogs out to do their business and get a drink of water. Maddie, being a more seasoned traveller took only a small drink, enough to wet her whistle, while Tucker gulped down as much as he could before the dish was taken away. It wasn't long after we started driving again that the water he drank along with his breakfast made a big mess on the blanket! We pulled off on a dirt road where there was fresh water running out of a culvert in the ditch and Lyndon washed off the blanket...none to impressed with the job I might add.

After taking an unexpected scenic route we finally arrived in Miramichi around 6:30 pm. Of course it would be my luck that there was a huge bridge to cross...not my favorite thing to do...but I managed it without a panic attack.

One thing I have noticed out here is that there are many cemetaries overlooking the water. How very peaceful they are and very suitable for the area.

We found a place called French Fort Cove where we had a nice walk in the woods and the dogs got a bit of exercise too.


I should have looked up Miramichi online before our adventure because I found some things on their website that I would have been interested in going to, such as "The Kitchen Party" but there is always next time.


As the sun started to set we decided it was time to head back home, taking a different route than the one we took to get there. Instead of going back to Moncton we headed to Fredricton then back to highway 3...only saw two deer and two police cars the entire trip.

Home safe and sound at 12:30 am ready for bed.

Another Mouth to Feed

I know...just what we need!! A few days after the fire Lyndon's friend Shawn showed him the new puppy they had. There is still one left if you want one, he told Lyndon. So, Lyndon came home and told me about this puppy and that he wanted to call and see if there was still one left...it's father is a black lab and the mother is a shepherd/lab cross. I really didn't want a big dog, I wanted another little dog if we were going to have another one but tell me this...how do you say no to someone who's face got torched and yet they haven't complained once???? I figure I am lucky that a free dog is all he wanted because I probably would have said yes to anything Lyndon asked for with him looking so pitiful!

So the call was made and off we went to see the "Pity Puppy". Of course once you see it you're going to take it. He was just so darn cute and lonely...all his brothers and sisters were gone. The man handed me the little black ball of fur and he immediately nuzzled into my neck and whimpered...."take me home...pleeeeeease!" Well, that's how we got the new dog who during his first night inside a house curled up tucked inbetween our two pillows to sleep on the bed, peed on my hand during the night and somehow still managed to worm his way into our hearts.

Welcome home Tucker Marshall

FIRE!!

Sunday, April 25th, 2010...suppertime. Lyndon had just taken the ham steak off the barbeque and came inside to put a pot of veggies on the stove to cook. Having turned them on, he resumed playing his game on the computer while we waited the few minutes it would take for them to boil. Within just a few minutes I heard a POP!!! I looked up from the computer towards the kitchen where the sound came from and through the window in the door leading to the kitchen I could see and orange glow. "There's a fire!!" I yelled and we both jumped into action. Lyndon was the first to reach the door and upon opening it the flames leapt from the pot which was on the back burner (a pot with less than 1/4 inch of grease had been left sitting there) and caught him on the side of the face. He rushed through the kitchen, grabbed the fire extinguisher and within less than a minute from the time I yelled, the fire in the pot was out. Flames were still licking away up inside the range hood and after Lyndon removed the pot of grease he quickly extinguished that fire as well. In all the commotion Maddie had run out into the street and was barking feverishly...a car stopped and a nice man got out to see if we needed help as he saw Maddie and then noticed the smoke billowing out the open door. Everything seemed to be under control so they went on their way.

Inside we started to clean up and figure out what the heck had happened and what we were supposed to do next. We concluded that the back burner where the pot of grease was sitting had gotten turned on instead of the front burner with the veggies (something that happens to everyone). I called our neighbour Sandy and he came right over. I then called Brandon McGee our real estate agent/insurance man and he too said.."I'm on my way." Meanwhile, Lyndon had gone upstairs and I heard water running up there. My first thought was that the fire had gone up through the wall so I called up the stairs to see what was going on. He assured me it was ok, he just got a little burn. Next thing I know, he comes downstairs, hands me a towel and says..wet this down. I did this and then turned to hand it to him and saw the burn on his face and neck. I don't know how he managed to stay so calm and collected...I thought I was going to throw up!! He wrapped the towel around his head and Sandy told me to take him to the hospital..he would stay here and mind the house and watch Maddie. After making a quick call to the medical clinic to be sure it was open and there would be someone there to see him we were off.

It was a scarey drive to Black's Harbour as Lyndon had the seat back and was laying there shivering. I was afraid he was going to go into shock so I sped up, not too fast though as I knew the last thing we needed was to be in a car accident. Lyndon looked at me and asked, "why are you driving so fast? I think you are in worse shape than I am!" He was probably right but I checked my speed and was still within the limit even though to me it felt like we were crawling.

The nurse that had answered my call earlier and told me that the doctor would be gone but a nurse would be there to see Lyndon greeted us and also informed us that the doctor had stayed as well to tend to him. Whew, what a relief! Before too long they had him bandaged up and looking very much like Osama BinLaddin and when I went in to see him, Lyndon was cracking jokes with the attending....everything just seemed so surreal to me! After receiving a shot of Demerol, a doctor's note for his work and a few tylenol 3's to go, we were on our way back home.


Brandon had been in and taken pictures for insurance and had then left to head down to Black's to meet us at the hospital. We had just missed him apparently and a few minutes later he also returned to the house. He assured us we would be taken care of through insurance and that someone would call us in the morning. He also offered us a hotel for the night but we chose to stay home with Maddie.

The next day the insurance adjuster came and gave us all the information we needed. He was fabulous as was everyone else that helped us through this.

So now, almost a week later, Lyndon is healing up nicely, we have our new stove, we are gradually getting everything washed from all the smoke, now it's mostly just the upstairs to finish. Once all the cleaning is done we have to paint every ceiling in the house as well as the whole kitchen. Tomorrow I plan on spending most of the day at the laundromat washing up all the bedding I had just done as well as most of our clothes. It's astounding at how much damage and extra work is caused by a fire that lasted less than one minute. We were soooo lucky that we were here when it started, I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if we had been sitting on the deck or even anywhere else in the house and had not heard that pop!

Thanks to Lyndon for remembering we had a fire extinguisher (this hadn't even crossed my mind), to Sandy and Lise our awesome neighbours who are always there for us and to Brandon McGee and Stanley Insurance who continue to take very good care of us.

Sometimes Life's a Beach!

Around 6am every morning at work I head to the dumpster with a load of garbage and this particular morning there was a light mist over the water. I couldn't resist going back in for my camera to take a couple shots but unfortunately as nice as the pictures are, they still don't do justice to the serenity of that early morning. I especially love the reflections in the water.

What a beautiful day today after a horrendous thunderstorm last night. I worked through the night baking bread and making some apple cinnamon dog bones then came home for a shower and a nap looking forward to a trip down to the beach this afternoon.

It's always a nice walk on New River Beach and usually desserted but today it just happened that there was a bus of kids from Ontario unloading as we pulled up to the parking lot. I figured there wouldn't be much chance of finding treasures with so many people combing the sand however we did end up with 15 sand dollars, a couple nice clam shells and Lyndon came away with a new pet...Mister Crab.

Maddie enjoyed the freedom of running the beach without a leash and some of the kids had fun playing with her as she chased them around in cirlces. I'm pretty sure she is going to sleep well tonight!