Tides of Change...

Technically I was back to work yesterday after being off work for almost a week. I am fortunate that the company I work for provides for five days paid bereavement leave, which allowed me to attend the funeral of my grandfather in New Brunswick, Canada and spend a few additional days with family. Although the circumstances weren’t ideal, it was nice to spend some time with loved ones that I haven’t seen since my mother’s funeral in 2007. We also spent a fun day with my dad, just driving around the back country roads looking for moose for J to photograph. Sadly, no moose were seen, but plenty of laughs were had at my dad’s expense. He’s quite the character.

After spending time with family, J and I took off to my favorite place in Canada - St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick. This small seaside village is located on the Bay of Fundy and is absolutely deserted in the winter, but the clean, cold ocean air and sunshine was just what I needed to clear the cobwebs and stress of the previous few weeks from my mind. We spent an entire day wandering the town, beachcombing and just pretty much doing nothing. The town doesn’t get many visitors this time of year, so I’m sure we stood out as tourists – J with his camera and me just wandering aimlessly.

In case you didn’t know The Bay of Fundy is famous for its dramatic tides. Each day 100 billion tons of seawater flow in and out of the Bay during one tide cycle. This is more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers. Needless to say, the landscape changes dramatically as well. It’s awe-inspiring to me, but at the same time it’s serene.  Hopefully, photos will follow...

I wish I could say I was rejuvenated after having those days off, but that’s not the case. After the whirlwind trip to the east coast, I’ve somehow managed to pick up a cold bug along the way – probably either from all the hugs and consoling going on or the lovely plane ride in close quarters with crappy air filtration.

Anyhow, enough of my moaning – time to get back at it…