Back in Duluth.. settled into the hot summer...

Well, after driving a LOT of miles for our summer vacation, (we figure just under 5000 miles), we've settled back into Duluth and are enjoying the very hot weather.

I was so very happy to have Jill and her kids come down here for a brief visit.  Too bad Wayne couldn't come for a round of golf but of course the hi-light for me is having my three girls nearby.  The kids really seemed to enjoy the city.  We visited the aquarium, spent a day at the beach, and did the touristy thing at Canal Park.  I think their favorite part was the water sprinklers on the sidewalks.  It was probably a bit of a rush for Jill... she had a wedding to attend on the 28th and she and the girls were in the wedding party.

We were also so happy that Annie came for a visit and with her, plans for the front yard and a new garden area.  We knocked down some lilac bushes and re-did most of the front yard and it looks absolutely wonderful.  We can't wait for the new plants to establish their space and start to grow.

This is a happy place... Life is Good.

Miller Park... home of the Milwaukee Brewers

What a great day.  We visited Josh at Miller field today.  He took us on a tour of the Brewer's home park and it was great.  My first major league baseball field and so much fun.  The place is immaculate.. probably because of Josh's good work.

Life is uncertain.... don't sip!!

The Minas Basin- Home of the highest tides on earth.

The three photos above are taken from roughly the same area in Billie Boy's back yard.  The tidal wave from the Minas Basin happens twice a day and this is the highest tidal action on earth.  The water has been measured to rise and/or fall 53 feet.  It is amazing to watch the area out back of his home and see the changes in the terrain from the rising waters.

The stuff below is taken off a website that talks about the changing levels with the tidal movement.

Life is Good!

• The highest tides on planet Earth occur near Wolfville, in Nova Scotia's Minas Basin. The water level at high tide can be as much as 16 metres (52 feet) higher than at low tide.
• High tides happen every 12 hours and 25 minutes (or nearly an hour later each day) because of the changing position of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth.
• At mid-tide, the flow in Minas Channel north of Blomidon equals the combined flow of all the rivers and streams on Earth!

At Bill and Pats ... Minas Basin..

The top two pics are the "creek" that runs behind Bill and Pat's back yard.  It is low most of the time although a couple of times per day the tide feeds in from the Minas Basin and the whole creek fills with water as well as overflows in the low areas around the creek.

Today we visited a few wineries in the area. One is run by a English guy who has a british payphone in the middle of the grapes.  He has an agreement with the local telephone company that allows anyone to call any number in North America for free...  nice spot.. and very friendly people.

Finally, we visited the Acadian Museum in the area and learned the sad history of the Acadian people who built up the land in the area by dyking off the surging tide waters of the Minas Basin and then, in the 1700's, were taken away from their homes which were then destroyed by the British.

It's all part of a very interesting history of this area and we now know a lot more of the history of Annie's (Tab's Annie) family.

Life is Good.

Off Cape Breton Island and on to Bill and Pats...

We had a wonderful evening 2 nites ago at the Keltic Lodge at Ingonish on the Cabot Trail.  Took a few pics the next day and although it wasn't quite as spectacular, it was a nice drive.  Interesting signs for the towns and areas done both in English and Gaelic...  That Gaelic stuff looks like a tuff language to learn/read...

Liegh stc a Gaid!

Cape Breton Island.. the Cabot Trail...

It's been about 25 years, or more since I drove the Cabot Trail and I actually forgot how beautiful this drive is.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here's 7000 of the best prose I ever writ!

Life is Gooooooood!

out to the NE corner of the island...

So today was a little day trip out to the NW tip of the island... beautiful beaches.. many areas where the mussel crops were being harvested.. and of course the lighthouse at the end of the road..

Tomorrow we're off to Nova Scotia... on the ferry and looking forward to seeing Bill and Pat soon.

Life is Good....