beautiful river

On my way to town on Monday morning I brought my camera along and stopped twice to take photos of the St. John River and the islands.

                    The sky was such a pretty blue and it was quite warm therefore a bit hazy.  Perfect.

Milkweed plants still ripening.

I took this photo 2 years ago in October.

The pods were ripened and had burst open spreading their seeds.

I love the silky 'down' inside.

A view of the Grand Pass between 2 islands.

A close up shot showing the nice beach due to low water levels.

The next photo was taken on April 1, 2011 during the spring run off with high water.

That trail in the lower part of the picture is part of the Trans-Canada Trail

on the old railway bed.

Our streak of beautiful warm sunny days has ended with showers and rain coming

for the weekend.  Then the temperatures will really cool down next week.

Ah well, it's been nice, this month of September.

Just where did it go??

Now we're facing October.  Pretty soon it will be Christmas!!

Next weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving.  We're looking forward to having

company for the weekend - Murray's sister and her hubby.

There will be lots do in preparation next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and maybe even get out to

do some leaf peeping if the colours are good.

Blessings,

Pamela

ticking stripes

I had this piece of vintage ticking material and some muslin so had a cushion made.

I am not a seamstress but I have a friend who is very capable.

This is the reverse muslin side.

The quilt is a vintage baby quilt the size of a throw.

I love the yellow and white pattern.

I removed the wicker plant stand from the deck as the plants were

really getting past their prime. 

I moved things around and added some real pumpkins.

Don't you love the punch of colour?

I took this photo yesterday.  The sky was that blue and totally cloudless!

Do you see the colour in the hills?

That tall red leafed tree is like that every fall.

I don't know what kind of tree it is or if it might be a vine.

Some day I'll take a walk down the field to see (when the cows are removed!).

I hope you are enjoying the beauty of autumn where you are.

I am joining Tracie for Outdoor Fall Decor Thursday's at

Fishtail Cottage

and

Vintage Inspiration Friday ~ Fall Front Porch Inspiration

At Debra's blog Common Ground

Blessings,

Pamela

McAdam Railway Station

When we were in McAdam on the weekend my friends and I wanted to take a little tour of the restored train station.

The McAdam Railway Station was built in 1900 and finished in 1901 for a total cost of $30,000.00.  You wouldn't get much of a building for that amount these days!

This building was 133 feet long in 1901 and after the 1910-1911 expansion it was 285 feet long.

The granite used to build it was from local deposits.  It is a combination of Gothic,

Baroque and Victoian styles and modeled after a Scottish castle.

The beautiful roof and dormers.

The fireplace in the Maxwell Room.  This room was originally the dining room and lobby.

It now serves as the board room.  It it named after well-known Montreal and station

architect Edward Maxwell.    He designed several train stations across the country

and also the home of Sir William Van Horne in St. Andrews, NB.

The Maxwell Room board room.

This is part of the large dining room which is used for functions such as weddings.

The hotel and dining room closed to the public in 1959.

These were first class 5 star accomadations in those days and catered to

an upper class of travelers with elaborate menus equal to  those found in

other CPR hotels.

A table setting of former dishware used in a CPR hotel.

This is the lunch counter which is located in the west end of the building.

I love this room with it's barstools and the curvy counters.

This room was added in 1911.

The lunch room is open for bus tours and also every Sunday afternoon for visitors

to enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or cold drink along with their famous

Railroad Pie!

The lunch counter served light meals and snacks daily to hundreds of passengers

on brief layovers at the station.  They served one of 10 different types of this

lunch counter's famous Railroad Pie.  This was a busy spot!

Can't you hear the clank of dishes and the din of conversation in here?

Just think of all the hundreds of folk who traveled by train, all the soldiers traveling

to and from the 2 world wars overseas, all the men traveling to jobs and worksites,

the women and children traveling to visit loved ones over the years.

What a rich history this railway station has seen!

During the busy days of the railroad, 16 passenger trains would stop here each day!

Sadly, the railway is closed down along with the railyard, hotel and restaurants.

And yet, the history remains alive because of some very dedicated people who

worked hard to bring this building back to life as a museum.

The golden age of the railway ended in the 1960's in McAdam.

The last scheduled passenger train (VIA Rail) passed through McAdam

in December of 1994.

If you are ever in the Fredericton area of New Brunswick, McAdam is over an hour's

drive away.  It's kind of out of the way but it's worth the trip by car.

And you can see Wauklahegan Lake while you're there too!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the McAdam Railway Station.

For more information you can go to their website at

www.mcadamstation.ca

ALL ABOARD!

Have a great day

Blessings,

Pamela

Wauklahegan Lake

On Saturday we were in the village of McAdam, N.B. well known for it's historic train station.  McAdam is situated next to beautiful Wauklahegan Lake.

Boathouses on the shore.

The day was overcast and very warm and humid.  The lake was a mirror of calm.

The trees are starting to change colour.  In another week this could be quite spectacular.

There is a campground in the trees.  What a peaceful spot on this late Saturday afternoon.

The train station is a National Historic Site. (photo taken May '09)

It was built in 1900-01 for the total of $30,000!

Sir William Van Horne, who built the Canadian Pacific Railway, commissioned the station.

The structure is a combination of Gothic, Baroque and Victorian style

and modelled after a Scottish castle.

I'll have another post about this beautiful building soon.

I hope you enjoyed this trip to Wauklahegan Lake.

We have had a few days of very unseasonably warm temperatures with a

feel-like temperature of 88 F.  I'm loving it!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Pamela

goodbye summer ~ welcome fall

                                                                         It's here!

                                                                  It is officially fall or autumn.

                                                               Summer is gone for 9 months.

It's apple picking time.

Time to get out and enjoy autumn's splendor.

Sometimes autumn brings this a little early.

                      And, yes, this is fall too.  Mid-December to be exact.  About a week before winter.

Sometimes there is more snow and sometimes none at all.

There is so much beauty in autumn even though it gets very cold and damp.

November can be quite a depressing month with no summer or fall colours.

However, I have learned to look at nature and it's colours, even after the beautiful leaves have fallen,

and appreciate this season even in the dull gray days of November

before winter's snow arrives to cover earth's barrenness.

What is your favorite thing about fall?

I'd love to hear about it.

I wish you fall blessings as we begin this new season.

Have a wonderful day!

Pamela

harvest, dangerous load and a birthday

It's a busy time around the countryside this week as the farmers are cutting and bringing in their late crops.

                                  This crop is waiting to ripen a bit more before it is harvested.

I wish I had my camera with me on my way to town this morning.

There was a big open truck 3 cars ahead of me with these orange things on the back.

As I got closer, because it was travelling slowly, I realized it was a huge load of pumpkins.

I guess they were being delivered to retailers in the city.

I was a little nervous for the car behind the truck.  The load of pumpkins didn't look

very stable.  Just one bad bump....imagine how awful that would be!

Pumpkins would be rolling and bouncing everywhere and cars and people would be hurt.

When we got to the 4 lane divided highway I proceeded past the pumpkin truck.

I hope he got to his destination safely.

Nerve wracking!!

Newborn pictures taken when we arrived so he was 1 week old.  The other photos taken

when they were home recently, except the center one. It was taken when they returned

to their home.  He love to say Hurray with his hands up. So Cute!

Today is our precious grandson Ewan's first birthday!

I can't believe this year has gone by so fast and how much this darling little

boy has captured our hearts.

I guess that's what grandbabies do.

He is growing and learning so fast these days.  He started walking with

a baby walker the first of the week and can he ever make that thing go!

He hasn't attempted to walk alone yet.  But soon I expect he will.

We shall miss celebrating his birthday due to the miles between us but we will

always hold this dear little one in our hearts and before God in prayer, along with

his parents.  What a blessing they are!

Have a great and blessed day my friends!

Warm hugs,

Pamela

 

dear daisy

On Monday, I found this daisy blooming along the side of the road covered in dewdrops.

Playing with Picnik enhanced the dewdrops.

This is probably the last daisy of summer even though you can see 2 buds yet to open.

I'll have to check the next time I walk.

I am enjoying the hydrangea blossoms these days.

And just look at that gorgeous blue sky!

I am joining Outdoor Wednesday today.

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll come along too.

Blessings,

Pamela

porch sitting

Our porch sitting days are about over here but we have had some gorgeous sunshiney days to sit on the deck and enjoy the sunshine.

I have decks, not a porch and not a veranda.  Porches or verandas sounds much more romantic don't they?

I think to be a porch (or a veranda) you need a roof.  I wish we had a roof over our decks so we could sit outside on warm rainy summer days or be shaded on the very hot sunny ones.  I've often wondered if a roof could be put over our front deck but I don't know if it would suit the house.  I've always dreamed of a house with a veranda across the front....

Anyhoo.....Here we are on the front deck in the morning.  You need to get out there between 8:30 and 10:00 to catch the sun but you may be quite chilly on these mornings.

I placed a woolen throw from Cottage Craft Woolens in St. Andrews on the chair for you

to wrap around your legs or shoulders.

You probably need shoes, socks, long pants and a sweater too.  Be prepared.

I prefer my tea black and love this Rose Chintz mug which plays on the colours

in the wool throw.

I think this angel is kissing summer good bye don't you?  I love the purple of this fall aster.

It is a perennial that I can put in the ground.  I just need to find a spot for it.

Pretty Indian corn and yellow mums ~ fall colours.

I had to throw out the impatiens that were in this old pot as they were looking

pretty sad so I replaced them with some hardy pansies.

I hope you can still enjoy a cup of tea or coffee on your deck or porch.

I don't want summer to leave so I try to sit out on the back deck (which has the most sun)

 for a few minutes each day the sun is shining ~ drinking in the vitamin D along with my tea.

Today I'm joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for

Tea Time Tuesday

http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/2011/09/autumn-tea-for-tea-time-tuesday.html

Wishing you many more sunny deck/porch/veranda days to come.

Bessings,

Pamela