Our last post from Canada!
Waking up in Moncton, N.B. on a crisp Sunday morning, after a very comfy, deep sleep, we stumble upstairs to the TV room to be greeted by JP and three pairs of sweet eyes & curious smiles. We meet Gabbie, Alex, and Éliane who are 7, 5, and 3. Of course we get a tour of the house, and their playroom which would leave any girl in heaven - full of dolls, games, stuffed animals, and an overflowing trunk of princess dresses! The girls each have a birthday party to attend today, so it’s going to be a busy day in the Arsenault household! JP has made us the most delicious frittata, and coffees are waiting… Rachelle comes home from a 10K race, medal hanging from her neck, and I swear that in under 15 minutes she was showered and heading out the door with Éliane for “birthday party #1”. Rienks and I observe this well-oiled machine with silent admiration - JP & Rachelle getting it all done seamlessly!
We have some damage control to do on Rhonda, so Rienks makes a few stops at the shops, and I’m cleaning out the burnt, wet cupboards and washing all the dishes…. All windows open, putting Lavender oil everywhere to battle the campfire smell and restore some sort of “zen” to our “home”.
That night JP treats us to a proper East Coast treat - lobster! Now we have both only ever had “restaurant lobster” - never “homemade lobster”. JP was showing us the ropes, teaching us how his family does it, and telling us heaps of “lobster stories” the whole time! It was amazing & succulent - no butter needed! It’s early in the trip but this is one meal that will be hard to top!
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| N.B. craft brews, lobster dinner, family time <3 |
The next day we tackle repairing the melted plumbing from Rhonda’s little “incident”. While I don’t even know where to start, J has it all figured out already, and doesn’t seem worried at all about hacking out the 2 sections of melted plumbing. Some of Rhonda’s past owners seem to have been pretty “handy”… it feels like we are always discovering their “handy work”- messes of wires that lead nowhere, extra panels and covers, securely obstructing us from the very spots we need to work on…….. But it was a successful day, and we made a yummy slow-cooker dinner for our gracious hosts!
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| Hopewell Rocks at high tide - 14m that day |
Feeling like we haven’t looked around Moncton much, we spent a day at Hopewell Rocks. “The Rocks” boast one of the highest average tides in the world - sometimes changing as much as 16m in one cycle. The location of these giant rock formations known at “the flowerpots” in the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy are in such a spot that at low tide you can walk the ocean floor amongst them. At high tide they are basking in 14-16m of water. The park was “closed” for the season when we went, but visitors are still welcome to go in and walk around at their own risk. We enjoyed being nearly the only people poking around in the middle of a sunny afternoon….. That’s when it happened…. I got the email saying my passport & visa were ready to be picked up!!!! That night we had a yummy dinner and celebratory bottle (or 3!) of wine with JP & Rachelle. The next day we would make our way to the border… For the amount of times I have entered or travelled through the USA, the dozens and dozens of custom slips I’ve filled out over the years…. This time is different. This time is “the crossing” we have been working and waiting for… This time I will get to stay. This time WE will get to make our lives. I’m not just a “VISITOR”. I get to be a “Resident”. And it feels good.
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