Picking Raspberries

Mom and I went raspberry picking - twice. The second time we were smart enough to pick in quart containers, like above - we picked 12 quarts.. 1/2 as many as the first time. But the first time we made the mistake of picking lots in big buckets and the weight of them squished the bottom ones.. we still got them all spread out on cookie sheets and froze most of them when we got home, but we were left with a couple glasses of fresh squeezed raspberry juice at the bottom. The containers were too deep, lesson learned and we did much better the 2nd time around. 

It was beautiful there. We went to Harper's U-Pick in Hillsborough - this is where Mom always goes to stock up on raspberries and fill her freezer for the winter. She has a 2nd fridge and a huge freezer in the basement (we're always well stocked!)

The rows are clearly marked and someone will guide you where to start picking. The berries are big and dripping off the branches, like grapes. 

Home with all of our berries and its lunch time:

This is a pic of what our table frequently looks like at lunch lately - Collard leaves to make wraps with, dehydrated nut & veggie burgers, burger sauce, BBQ-chili sauce, lots of sliced up veggies (often from our garden :) sometimes left over salad, hot banana peppers for me & always lots of sprouts!! These are really delicious and one of our favorite meals!

Hopewell Rocks - my childhood playground

A few weekends ago we went to Hopewell Rocks. Its about a half hour drive from where we live here in NB and was only a mile (or less) from our cottage when I was young and growing up. I used to walk here often and hang out.. more often I would go to the pool at the campground next door, they had pinball machines and more kids hanging out at the pool.. but often I would go walk the shore and caves of the Rocks.

I took a lot of pictures but I only noticed when I got home that they came out kind of blue. I'll post some below anyway ; )  I was willing this time to pay the price - they charge now, and for many years I refused to pay the price, because I was used to it being free to go there. ..but it was worth it.

Heres the official website they have now: http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/
I was surprised to find out that they are a finalist for one of the 7 natural wonders of the world!
Actually its the whole bay of Fundy, not only the Rocks. The bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world!!!

Here are some of the pics I took:

They rope off the caves so you cant go in them anymore. They are not very deep... but good for playing hide and seek in ; ) 

We took the shuttle, they run every minute or two..  or you can take the 20 minute path.
They made it seem longer to get to them.. they are actually not far from the main road..but if you look at a map you can see your just traveling along the coastline to get to them. ..maybe a moneygrab for the shuttle?? not sure  ..but at least its a nice path whether you walk or shuttle.

Mud!!! We have lots of it out here!!! ..some people like to play in it!  ; )

The trip back..

Some nice pics here:
http://www.worldbeachvacation.com/hopewell-rocks-bay-of-sunday-natural-wonders-vacation.html/

Incredible Ice Cream - raw, dairy free, vegan and delicious!

Hi. These are a few pics of one of our favorite treats lately. When we moved here to NB and were getting settled in to live here with Mom I had a few little splurges before we settled into a few months of Extreme Budgeting (which we are still on). Don't get me wrong, we have amazing abundance here - I couldnt believe how the freezer was stocked with E3Live, local berries, maple syrup.. pantry stocked - really, we have so much.. but to be honest I went from a nice comfortable salary (to create raw foods - imagine!!) to no salary overnight. & so now, time to reestablish etc.. and I am enjoying the slow pace of life, time to think and walk barefoot, enjoy the sun and flowers, talk, play.  

so anyway, a few of my purchases that I figured I really needed - a couple new pair of Vibram five finger shoes, a few weights (15 & 20 lbs) and a Cuisinart ice cream maker!!

Chocolate and Espresso flavors - my favs! Made with cashews, young Thai coconut, local maple syrup, agave and flavorings - raw cacao, vanilla, espresso. Raw ice cream is the best! Incredibly delicious!!!
(& I had just developed 21 fantastic flavors for Raw Pantry/ Raw Bistro!)

The machine that makes magic..

..and my boss had just bought me this super heavy (& expensive) cleaver  (I mentioned that I left mine, a $10 one, at a friends place when I brought a case of coconuts over for a party). So I get here and try to use the cleaver and cant open the coconuts the way I am used to - shaving off the top and whacking the shaved opening (it naturally cracks open this way). I got frustrated and vented my anger on a few huge whacks on the top of the coconut and lo & behold.. it opened right up. It turns out this way is even easier than my shaving the top method.. which I have used for 100's (1000's?) of coconuts.. now we just need a good source of coconuts in Moncton! Randy drove these up with him from Halifax, closest place I know to get them.

Buddy and Zoey

These are our pets - Buddy and Zoey. Zoey is the black cat in back (please dont mind the mess on the floor back there, this is the back door and theres often a jumble of shoes around here). Zoey came with James and I from Toronto.. and has never lived with a dog before - totally new experience for him!!

Buddy is Moms dog. He's nuts!! He was a rescue dog and had an abusive childhood (puppyhood?). Mom got him from a shelter, apparently he was returned by someone else who tried to take care of him first before mom got him. Mom has had a bit of a history with her past few dogs of rescuing dogs, usually older ones, who needed a home. Moms always had a dog as long as I've known.. and at first she usually had purebreds. She had Rembrandt, a tri-color Collie who was so beautiful and regal and well trained. I remember mom always taking her dogs to obedience classes when they were young. She had Megan a soft coated Wheaton, a nice golden Lab, Peter and of course my favorite Cindy, the dog I grew up with, an Airdale who I named (after Cinderella I think & I cant believe I'm admitting that!)  ..Anyway,

Here she is now with Buddy. Anyone who would take this dog in would have to be a saint!! (thats Mom ; )  Moms has had Buddy for about 8 years now.. She had him doing really well too. Until her stroke and I think his old abandonment issues began resurfacing. I tried really hard to take as good of care of him as she does.. but according to Mom hes taken a backward step and now we are all trying to get him comfy and secure with life here again. 

Buddys never lived with a cat either and it was a lot of work, and interesting, getting them used to each other. I really came to notice how opposite they are, cats and dogs give totally different signals and just don't understand each other at all.

Buddys hyperactive. He goes crazy when the mailman comes or anyone comes, for that matter, to the door.. Barking like crazy. & he likes us all to stay together, if one of us - me, mom or James, leaves the house, or the car.. he goes crazy again, like its the end of the world and nothing will ever be the same again.
He loves the car!! In fact, he often wont get out of it.. hell sit in there for hours after a car ride and no way are you going to get him out of there. Of course, were learning some tricks that help sometimes. And hes totally afraid of thunder and lightening.. I've never seen anyone so afraid. One night when Mom was in the hospital and it was thundering he curled up right next to me and I had to hug and pat him all night.. hes kind of cry and shake and curl under our legs. One day when it was thundering & I had to take mom to therapy, I got James to sit with him and take care of him until we got back.

They're slowly getting used to each other. I've notice Zoey is now sleeping on chairs closer to the ground, so hes feeling more comfortable. Sometimes they fight, Buddy will chase Zoey or Zoey will hiss and swing a claw toward Buddy but often they will come close and almost have their noses together checking each other out. These two are a big part of our family out here.