Tent up.... Tent down......

Today I woke up with the excitement of going to ON TREE (zip-lining, and other courses high up in the tree).  Unfortunately my Mom did some research the night before and found out that ON TREE was too expensive. She tried offering other suggestions for the day but none of them appealed to me. When she was out of ideas she decided that we would go put up our new tent ... In a public park !  I was like really excited  (sarcasm) what a poor substitute . But in the end it was more exciting that I thought putting the new tent up and playing with random parts of the old tent. Trying to create a shade tent with  the old tent (without success ).   And the most exciting part .... making a kite with the old tent! Well trying to ;). We also encountered .....Doctor Octopus.

Halifax Citadel

Yesterday, I visited the Citadel in Halifax.  If you are wondering what a citadel is, it is a military fortress.  It is different from other fortresses because it is build in the ground.  It was super-fun, I liked going in the school room and learning to use the math calculator that uses no electricity.*

I thought fortresses have moats filled with water around them but, the Citadel has a dry moat surrounding the inner walls and it is a star shaped moat.  The star shape is easier to defend and harder to attack.

While I was in the school, something unimaginable happened in the fortress.  I heard a humongous BOOM!  Then I turned around to look outside and I saw a cannon.

The soldiers fired it again.  If you think they actually shoot cannon balls, you are wrong!  They only put black powder in because if they used cannon balls they would destroy their own fortress.

*Mom's note: also known as an abacus.

A Quick catchup post seems required... I'm typing from the comfort of the Bulpitt-Gray home in Halifax.  Margo and Chris have ever so kindly lent us their house and all the fun things in it while they are vacationing themselves.

We met up with Chris, Margo and Bridget at Red Point Provincial park in PEI and spend a night camping together which was a great way to catch up and let the kids get acquainted.  By bedtime that night, a pretty sweet relationship had been cemented between all three kiddos despite their age differences.  It turns out everybody loves a secret path. We considered camping a second night together but then we got the weather forecast... RAIN.  Margo and Chris were not prepared to take on a wet night of camping (heck, neither were we!)  and so it was decided they'd head to the Bulpitt family farm and we'd hit another provincial campground located just down the road from them in hopes of spending a bit more time together before going our separate ways.

The weather forecast turned out to be accurate and despite spending HOURS using the free wifi in the Montague McDonalds trying to wait it out, we still ended up having to set up camp in the pouring rain.  The time spent at Brudenell River Provincial Park was sadly not a beautiful memory for us... it either poured with rain or we were being swarmed by mosquitoes   What was memorable was the gorgeous afternoon and decadent meal we were treated to the next day (which made a wet night seem like much less of a big deal) at the Bulpitt farm.

Blue sky, hot sun, a lovely pool and lots of people to enjoy it with.  That pretty much sums up our afternoon/evening with Margo and her family on the farm.

The next day we packed up camp under grey skies and headed toward the ferry... goodbye Prince Edward Island... it rained the whole drive and throughout the ferry crossing, qu'elle surprise!!!

A New Way to Go Rafting

One day at the campsite beach in Cavendish I was making a fort out of sand with my Dad. It was a REALLY windy afternoon. I was getting some sand when I heard my Mom yell “watch out!”, I turned around to see what she was yelling about and got smacked in the face by an air canoe*!!!! It hurt a little because it was big, I was really surprised.

*an air canoe is also known as an inflatable boat.

Some Crabs Pinch, Some Don't

I've had a lot of experiences with hermit crabs this Summer. But yesterday I got closer to something much tougher. I was at the “best beach in Canada”, Basin Head, PEI and I saw a crab. My Dad encouraged me to pick it up so I tried. The first time I tried, I just touched it and ran away. I was afraid I'd touched his claw and I didn't want to get pinched. Then I tried a second time I was not so successful either. To be honest, I don't know if I picked it up from the front or the back, I think it was the front because next thing I knew, I was PINCHED! I was mostly surprised, it didn't hurt that much but I still dropped it. The crab didn't really pinch me, he stuck his claws in my hand and I was afraid he'd open them and pinch me for real. So I think it is very understandable that I dropped it!

Now about hermit crabs, they don't pinch but they do something that irritates me a little. They tickle me with their tiny claws when I hold them. It is irritating but also funny.

In Kouchibouguac I saw a hermit crab out of its shell. It looked weird.

One Giant Leap

So, I remember last year I jumped from a waterfall at Sauble Beach.  Well, this experience was ten times higher and scarier.  Here is the story, at Basin Head, PEI there is a beautiful beach with sand bars and "singing sand"...and you can jump off of a warf into deep river water flowing into the ocean.  To make things even more exciting, the current is really, really strong and fast.  Since my dad and I are daredevils, we decided to try the jump.  And of course, we LOVED it!

 Clara in mid-air (not walking on water!)

Papa taking the leap

Tent vs Mother Nature

The disadvantage of camping on the shores of the Gulf...

That night, we slept at the Singing Sands Inn, safe from the elements, and able to literally and figuratively "recharge our batteries".

The next day, we were happy to discover that the tent survived the night without a scratch.  Nice try, Mother Nature.