Several years ago, I flew from the west coast of Canada all the way to the east coast to visit my friend Di, who lives in New Brunswick. It was a fun-filled couple of weeks, catching up on the news in person for a change and doing a bit of touring around this beautiful province. Although Canada is officially a bilingual country, most of the provinces are officially English with the exception of Quebec, which is officially French. However, New Brunswick is the only province that is officially bilingual.
My friends live just outside of the capital city of Fredericton right on the St. John River (
above). After a nice relaxing day or so relaxing on their sandy beach, swimming, and boating, we decided to head into the city to see the sights. The downtown area is a mix of old and new and I found it interesting to see the legislative and justice buildings, the university (
where I did a bit of geneological research), along with ancient soldiers barracks, the guard house, and the militia arms store. We also watched the changing of the guard outside of the City Hall.
Di and I took a day trip south to
Saint Andrews, which is surrounded by Passamaquoddy Bay. After strolling the main street and browsing through the city’s quaint boutiques, we took in their famous aquarium. Then we went over to
Minister’s Island , which is also on the Passamaquoddy Bay. In order to get there, we had to wait for low tide and then followed a lead car across the ocean floor to get to the island. One of the many stories about this island is that in 1890, the visionary railway builder Sir William Van Horne built a summer get-away here. It was extremely interesting looking around and one of the places I found the most fascinating was the circular bathhouse made out of quarried beach stone where everyone would change into their swimming attire bef
ore climbing down the steps carved out of the rocks. I climbed down and took this photo of the beach the family and their visitors used over a century ago. Sir William also used this as his painting studio. The house was phenomenal and it was obvious that Van Horne had buckets of money from his years in the railway industry. While we were there, we had to stay with the tour guide. No one was allowed to wander off on their own to explore anyplace other than where the guide took us. To read more about this place, just click on the link above. It’s fascinating reading!
Another fascinating place that I toured with my friend was Kings Landing, just a 10-minute drive from their home. It’s a world class living history museum that brings to life the story of early pioneers to the St. John River Valley. We spent a whole day here including lunch at “The King’s Head,” an old-style English pub. The museum consists of over 70 historic buildings (either relocated or restored), more than 100 costumed “residents,” and was the first recipient of Canada’s “Top International Attraction Award.” Places of interest to me were the Agricultural Hall, several farms, the Printing Office, the CB Ross Sash & Door Factory, the Gorman Carpenter Shop, the sawmill and gristmill, St. Mark’s and Riverside Presbyterian Churches, the Ingraham Barn Theatre, Grant Store, the parish school, the Prince William Ice Cream Parlour, and the Hoyt House Craft Manufactory. While we were at the store, there was a reenactment going on with “residents” arguing over some “current” political situation. It was quite amusing as they tried to get “non-residents” involved in the heated discussion. While looking through the photos I took with my old Ricoh camera, I noticed that I had an “eye” for photography even then. However, I had to scan the photos so they’re not the best and I hope you can appreciate them.
Some of the historic buildings at Kings Landing.
Perley House
Looking over the St. John River
St. Mark’s Church
and the altar inside.
The Sawmill
and looking through the trees, you can see this ship, the Brunswick Lion.
The last trip we took while I was there was along the Mirimachi River to the Acadian area of New Brunswick. This north-eastern coast of New Brunswick is lined with French-speaking villages, many of which make their living from fishing. You’ll see the Acadian Flag everywhere (red, white and blue like the French flag, with the addition of the yellow star of Independence). It is painted on mail boxes, telegraph poles and even lobster pots. We stayed at an intriguing little B&B where we discovered that the owner is an author of children’s books. I bought a couple of her books (written in French) and had my photo taken with 
her. The B&B bordered on a reed-filled marsh and we wandered around there taking photos before heading into town for dinner at an out-door patio restaurant.
We visited one of the national parks in the region, enjoying nature and the views out over the Atlantic Ocean. Then we spent some time on the beach (a day that was wicked hot!), wading in the salt water looking for ocean creatures. I finally had to tell my friend that I’d meet her back at the bath houses where I found some shade!
On the way back to Fredericton, we followed the Miramichi and stopped for lunch at a wonderful place where I got some shots of the river. This place was way out in the “boonies” and we were lucky to stumble upon it as we were starving after driving for hours through the country. I’ll leave you with these as I’m sure you’ve had enough of this virtual trip to New Brunswick.
If you ever get the chance, be sure to tour New Brunswick. It will be worth it in any season - well, maybe not winter!
ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and you can view other participants’ contributions or find out how to join in simply by clicking HERE and read the information on the left sidebar.
Posted on 6 January '09 by admin, under Brunswick. 25 Comments.
Samantha Maltais of the Wampanoag tribe of Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard dances during the Penobscot Nation’s first annual powwow at Indian Island on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Bangor Daily News photo by Bridget Brown.
This is good news for New England.
Posted on 5 January '09 by admin, under Penobscot. No Comments.
Communities around the world use local currencies as a way of encouraging patronage of locally-owned businesses. Examples include the BerkShare, Calgary Dollars, and the Totnes Pound.
While some of these currencies are completely unbacked, the Totnes Pound is backed by a reserve of British Pounds in a special account. Thus 1 Totnes Pound is backed by 1 GBP. This also allows local business owners to cash in the money they receive for national legal tender.
What if New Brunswick printed its own currency as a way to encourage the same? It would be a way to differientiate our tourist experience from the rest of the Maritimes, as well as encouraging local shopping. We should introduce New Brunswick Bucks (of course with a picture of a handsome deer on the bill).
Possible Designs:
$1 - Purple Violet
$2 - Black-Capped Chickadee
$5 - World’s Longest Covered Bridge
$10 - World’s Largest Lobster
$20 - NB Legislative Assembly
Each NB Buck would be backed by one Canadian dollar, and be interchangeable at participating banks, credit unions, and tourism information centres. The dollars in the account could be placed in safe investments, and produce interest for the Fund. The Fund could expect to make some money on seignorage, as currency is taken home for souveniers by tourists.
Posted on 4 January '09 by admin, under Brunswick. No Comments.
Cable-stayed bridges, in which the roadway is supported by cables running to a tower, are becoming quite common. But this cable-stayed bridge in Maine is the most advanced of this type:
1) The cables run from the deck, through the tower, and back down to the deck on the other side of the tower. It’s called a cradle system, and it eliminates anchor points in the towers.
2) Each cable is made of many strands that are separated from each other, rather than wound together. This allows a single strand of the cable to be removed for inspection or replacement!
3) Each of the cables is charged with nitrogen gas to protect the strands from corrosion.
4) One of the towers houses an observation platform!
The resemblance of the towers to the Washington monument is intentional. Some of the stone used in the monument came from this area.
I wonder if the over sized cable housings limit the possible scale of this design? On a larger bridge, would the cable housings present an unacceptable aerodynamic load?
Pictures and information from NYT and Wikipedia
Categories:Architecture
Posted on 3 January '09 by admin, under Penobscot. No Comments.
Washburn Church 1918-1920?
As noted by the early entries in Milton’s journals, the Flewellings went to church frequently on Sunday. The reason is that a number of Milton Flewelling’s family members and friends left their mainline denominations to become part of a new revival movement, Pentecost. They often traveled to various churches in the area to gather with others following this new movement.- Mars Hill, Washburn, Woodstock are just a few of the places.
Posted on 26 December '08 by admin, under Aroostook. No Comments.
AROOSTOOK COUNTY
LORING AIR FORCE BASE
Aroostook County and Loring Air Force Base were sites selected for visiting in the poll taken of students in the fall of 1977 when “The Maine Journey” program was being formulated. The objectives of this trip were twofold: First to expose the students to the main potato growing area of our state and second to provide them the opportunity to visit one of the Strategic Air Command’s largest bases. [Following is contact info. Loring Air Force Base was closed in 1992].
Loring Air Force Base is located in Northeastern Aroostook County approximately six miles east of Caribou and four miles west of Limestone. By school bus, Loring is approximately five hours from the Bangor area via Interstat 95 to Houlton, Route 1 to Mars Hill, Route 1A to Fort Fairfield, Route 165 to Limestone and Route 89 to Loring Air Force Base. The 5 1/2 hours needed for the trip allow for a rest stop at the Medway Rest Area, I-95 and a picnic lunch at a nice picnic area on Route 165 approximately four miles from Fort Fairfield. The return trip can be made through Caribou and Presque Isle via Route 1 allowing for an alternate route to Mars Hill. [Restaurants] in Houlton would be an ideal place to have the evening meal with students having the option of bringing sandwiches for both the noon meal and evening meal. From Houlton, Route 2 would provide an alternate route through the Haynesville Woods to Lincoln, and then along the Penobscot River to Old Town.
A tour of Loring Air Force Base takes approximately four hours with various sites to visit depending upon the activity at the base when your visit is scheduled. The high point of any visit is a demonstration by the Security Police and trained guard dogs. Also involved in a typical tour would be a visit to the Crash Fire House where a demonstration may be arranged of the fire fighting equipment used to combat aircraft fires. A third point of interest is the high Arch Hangar in which aircraft such as the B-52 and the KC 135 tanker can be viewed. Visitors may be allowed to board the KC 135 for an inspection. Other possible sites to visit are the radar installation and fighter interceptor squadron.
In touring Loring Air Force Base, students are exposed to many different job training and career opportunities as well as receiving a first hand look at our country’s military readiness to combat aggression from potential enemies.
As one traverses the countryside of Aroostook County there are many aspects of the agricultural activity that can be pointed out and discussed with students. To really see and appreciate Aroostook County one needs to spend more than one day there.
If your group desires to spend two days in Aroostook County, other activities might include a tour of the St. John River Valley and an exposure to the Franco-American people both past and present. On your return trip or while in the “Valley” make arrangements to visit a potato farm to learn of the potato industry.
During Maine Journey 1980 we planned an “overnight” trip to Loring Air Force Base, thereby enabling us to combine the Loring trip with the trip to King’s Landing the following day.
We arrived at Loring at noon and spent four hours on a tour of the base. Loring personnel kindly allowed us the use of their picnic area for a cookout supper and the gymnasium for our sleeping quarters. Students were allowed use of the gymnasium and the pool for a nominal fee (50 cents). Locker room facilities were available; however students provided their own sleeping bags.
Breakfast the following morning was obtained at the Loring Mess Hall and we continued day two of our travels by 9 a.m.
By utilizing the overnight plan one may visit other areas of the County or King’s Landing easily the next day.
Needless to say, the overnight trip is on of the summer’s highlights.
The Heritage Vivant Village located a few miles northwest of Van Buren’s Heritage Vivant Historical Society’s depiction of an Acadian tour of yesteryear. The village is a collection of buildings which have been restored. Walking through the villag and inspecting the houses, shops and other buildings, one develops a felling of how life was lived by the residents of the St. John Valley in days gone-by. The oldest building is the Roy House circa 1785. Other buildings include a barber shop, general store, shoe shop, railroad station and a log chapel. One could easily spend a minimum of two hours at this site.
Traveling north along Route 1, you may wish to visit the Madawaska-Edmunston, N.B. area. By crossing into Canada and following the St. John River in a northerly direction you will find yourself on a hill overlooking the river. Here the St. John River Valley is dramatically pictured. With prior arrangements, you may wish to visit the Fraser Paper Company located in Madawaska.
Arrangement for a tour of a typical potato farm and a potato processing plant may possibly be made by contacting the Maine Potato Council.
Loring A.F.B.
Student Rating - 3.9
Staff Rating - 3.9
(Excerpt from The Maine Journey Field Trip Guide, 1980, p.10-12.)
Posted on 25 December '08 by admin, under Aroostook. No Comments.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Maine was inhabited by Algonquian-speaking Native American peoples including the Wabanaki, Passamaquoddy and Penobscots.
The area was settled by both French and English settlers in the early 17th century, the French arriving in 1604, and the English in 1607. The province became part of the English Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652, but nevertheless was the scene of several battles between the English and French over control the territory.
The territory was also fought over by the American and British forces during both the American Revolution (1775 to 1783) and the War of 1812. In fact, the border between Maine and British North America (which later to become Canada) was not finalized until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842.
Although politically part of Massachusetts, Maine was physically separated from the rest of the state. As a result, the idea arose that Maine ought to be admitted to the Union as a separate state. This idea was politically convienent, as the Missouri Compromise required that slave and free states be admitted to the Union in equal numbers - and thus Maine was admitted to the Union on March 15th 1820.
In the late 19th century, Maine began to industrialize with the establishment of many textile mills. This was supplemented by the growth of a ship building industry (which was to contribute significantly to the US war effort in World War II).
Post war, some of Maine’s traditional industries have gone into decline. The state’s economy has however diversified into new fields, including telemarketing and tourism. Today Maine has an economy based on a mix of seafood (particularly lobsters), agricultural produce and industrial products. Maine is also an important transportation hub, with Portland being New England’s busiest port.
First published at http://www.vacation2usa.com/p1_state_maine_history.php
For more information about Maine, please visit http://www.vacation2usa.com/p1_state_maine.php
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunil_Tanna http://EzineArticles.com/?History-of-Maine&id=696534
Posted on 20 December '08 by admin, under Maine History. No Comments.
There was even a lot of activity over the weekend. The landscaper planted some scrubs and trees, its starting to look very welcoming. They put down a layer of fencing to keep the dogs from digging out and then placed 4 inches of stone in the back where we are going to have 5 additional dog play yards. They finished framing out the cat adoption area, now they just need to put up the sheet rock. The electrician and plumbers are still working full time to get all their work done so the rest of the sheet rock can go up.
Posted on 9 December '08 by admin, under Androscoggin. No Comments.
Maine 1st Congressional District Representative Michael Michaud is sponsoring legislation that would restore “Plan B” birth control availability to US service women. This option was removed from the available choices for women in the American armed forces by the misguided actions of the Bush administration. Mike apparently believes that women have rights too, and the US government has no right or power to infringe on those rights. There is a similar bill in the senate sponsored by Sen. Clinton.
Posted on 4 December '08 by admin, under Aroostook. No Comments.
Posted on 26 November '08 by admin, under Acadia National Park. No Comments.
