Former biathlete, current coach….all round nordic enthusiast!

An elite athlete competing in the sport of biathlon: nordic ski racing combined with marksmanship

Friday, July 26, 2013

Canadian Escapades...

The last few weeks have been really busy here in Aroostook County and I've collected a bunch of pictures so I thought I should share....

Two weeks ago Seth's mom came up to visit us in Fort Kent so we took her on a little tour of our favorite places including the Botanical Gardens in New Brunswick. They have a butterfly house that is just teeming with amazing butterflies. For some reason they really liked landing on Seth. The picture below is taken inside their hatching house...pretty neat to watch them unfold right in front of you!


They have really extensive gardens outside but unfortunately they weren't in full bloom yet. This pond was full of frogs....


 
Some pretty flowers...

They have an herb and medicinal plants building for seminars that was really cool and had the most amazing kitchen in it. In the picture on the left you can see the herbalist showing Seth the drying closet where they store fresh cuttings to dry out for use. 

Last Saturday was my birthday...this was the sunset that evening. 

Shortly after sunset the power went out so we ate cheesecake and played cards by candle light. 


Maddie, Mikaela, Brian, and (br)Omar taking in the view from the top of a Monadnock island. 
Last Sunday the ODT and PG teamers who are currently in the County took a trip across the border to Kamouraska, QC to train on some gorgeous trails along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. The views were spectacular and the weather couldn't have been any more perfect. 

Taking a break to enjoy the scenery...

Maddie and Mikaela

Hilary pausing on the steep (and maybe slightly sketchy) stairs...


 
Afterwards Will set us up with an amazing (and very European-feeling) picnic lunch at a small brewery just down the road. The place was very rustic but their porch was the perfect place to enjoy the sun and stuff ourselves with locally smoked meats, freshly harvested sea greens, and veggies. 

Not a bad view....

The brewery and it's garden pond critters...


Their smokehouse...

Afterwards we drove a few short miles down the road to another mini brewery...this one closer to the shore but with a much more modern and polished feel to it.

Again, the view leaves little to be desired. 

After our brewery touring ended Seth and I struck off on our own up to Riviere du Loop where we spent the evening with another picnic meal by the water. 

Cheese, sausage, crackers and grapes. 


 
Of course Seth had to make sure his rock tower was bigger. And of course he tried to knock mine over. 

Sunset over the northern shore of the St. Lawrence


Tomorrow I'm headed down to Millinocket, ME for my next adventure: hiking Katahdin with a whole crew of athletes, junior athletes, and a few parents from MWSC.
Check back soon for pictures!



No comments:

Post a Comment