Great Idea! Let’s Build A Wall!

And I thought TRUMP was an idiot. But Scott Walker just taught me a lesson. He is even dumber than Trump. At least Trump understands to build up fortunes. S.Walker played away millions in the name of business development in his own State. So he doesn’t understand a thing about economy and business. But somehow he must be jealous of Trump’s successful polls and has decided to ride the wave of hate against his neighbours. But since Mexico is Trump’s domain, Walker found out that a wall to Canada would be an excellent campaign topic. If Mexico can have a wall why not Canada?  Sure, great idea, let’s build a wall along the Canadian border. Because how otherwise can it be explained that this moron is publicly suggesting to build a wall along the world’s longest border between 2 countries? The Chinese are gonna be madder than hell, cause all the tourists which keep coming to see THEIR Great Wall are gonna be flocking to the US-Canada border instead. The Chinese might even get so mad that they demand their U.S. investments back. Is Walker gonna ask Trump for a loan to pay for the GREAT WALL? Trump might be doing it, but then again, if Walker is going to be president Trump is gonna be mad and won’t pay for the wall. Seriously folks, how many more idiots with president ambitions are there in the USA? Are you all gone bonkers? You’re gonna be the laughing stock of the entire world. You gotta stop electing those idiots. Just a good advice from “north of the future great wall”.

Wings Over Campobello And Another Boondocker Arrived

Two days ago another boondocking couple arrived. Tony and Nicky from Quebec travel in a beautiful 19ft Dodge-Mercedes ROADTREK Camper. They are praising the good fuel economy and the great mobility of their unit.       Bebit, Tony and Nicky’s Silky, being ready for a tour Yesterday we showed them the island and they are in awe about the beauty of this place. They had “Tea with Eleanor” (Roosevelt) and walked through the Roosevelt Cottage. The highlight was the walk over to the Head Harbour Light Station across the ocean floor. Many people had taken the hike across enjoying this truly unique place. Besides of seeing surfacing whales, the Lighthouse also is a great place to observe many seabirds.   A total of 150 species of birds have been registered on Campobello Island and the Roosevelt Park has put them all into an informational flyer showing a map with key observation areas and sightings of interest.   Naturally, of all birds our bald eagles are the ones most people are looking out for.

A Walk, A Monument And Endless Empty Beaches

While there are numerous examples of beaches being totally filled to the brim with sun-hungry people  even just south of us in f.ex. New Hampshire, Campobello is the total opposite. Our beaches are empty and ready to provide solitude for our visitors.   New Hampshire                                                          Campobello But I’m getting ahead of myself. After this long day of rain the sun was out again and made this a memorable beautiful summer day. And that was also the reason that I persuaded Bea to join me and Molly on a walk to the Sunsweep Monument at Ragged Point in the Roosevelt Park. But hold it, what is the Sunsweep Monument?   Sunsweep Campobello                                        Right hand print showing It is a three-part art project made by David Barr. Below: Sunsweep Point Roberts                                  All three parts are made out of the same slab of Canadian black granite. As mentioned, part #1 is located right here on Campobello on an eastern promontory right at the Bay of Fundy. Part #2 consisting of 2 wedge-formed stones, is located on American Point Island at the Lake of the Woods in Minnesota and finally Part #3 is placed at Boundary Bluff at Point Roberts,WA.                      Above: Ragged Point with Sunsweep on promontory                                                       low tide beach Sunsweep was designed and given to the people in these communities as a symbol of international friendship. It portrays the path of the sun rising in the east crossing the entire continent and setting in the Pacific Ocean. It is also symbolic for the long peaceful border between our countries.   Bea looking south                           40 miles across the Bay of Fundy….NOVA SCOTIA Personal associations lay behind Sunsweep: Barr’s mother is from Canada and his parents met there. And because Barr is a Detroiter, Canada has always been his close neighbour. The 2 stones on American Point Island are roughly 28 degrees from both the eastern-most and the western-most point of Sunsweep.                               Liberty Point with Grand Manan in background                                      White Asters on Ragged Point Each of the two outer points have their geographical ironies. While Campobello is part of Canada but cannot be reached without crossing the American border (except during summer) Point Roberts is an American enclave extending south of the 49th parallel attached to Canada (opposite of Vancouver Island) and not reachable without crossing through Canada. And indeed, most of the needs of this small American community have been met by Canada. And there has even been –more or less serious—to make Point Roberts part of Canada. The survival of both communities is based on the cooperation of both governments. And this cooperation is also evident in the governing of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, where Maine meets New Brunswick just below the 45th parallel. All parts of the monument are showing a “hand print”. The one on Campobello showing the right hand and the one at Point Roberts showing the left. The hand print is also the international sign for “I was here”. It is found in Native American art, both recent and ancient.                                           Sunsweep American Point Island The two wedge-shaped stones, facing each other, are oriented north-south pointing to the atypical run of the U.S.-Canada border. The flat sides of the stones are facing each other but are off-set showing hand prints of someone facing Canada.   We started our hike at Liberty Point, from where it is only 0.6 miles to Sunsweep. It is our most scenic hike and the views from the trail are nothing short of stunning. Whenever I am on this trail I feel being part of nature. We met a single couple coming the other way from Sunsweep and like old friends we felt compelled to start quite a conversation rooted in our beautiful surroundings. I wonder whether we would have talked to these people if we had met them in a shopping mall. Most likely we wouldn’t even have “seen” them. Nature brings people together. The markers, each 1.5m (6ft) high are the conceptual ends of an arch, anchored on each coast like a rainbow, being the results of water droplets in the sun’s light.

Thanks for visiting!

The Rain Came Back And A Freaky Border Decision Changing The Course Of History

We lucked out yesterday as we got a whole lot more rain later through the day. In fact, at times, it was pouring so much that our gutters were flowing over, spraying water all along the house. After weeks of hot weather, temps dropped significantly yesterday with winds picking up to 45km/h. And even though we had to spend most of the day inside, we were happy to see all the moisture. After all, the last thing we need on this island is a forest fire, and all it would take is a lightning strike in the wrong place. It happened in Fredericton,NB the day before yesterday, when a house was damaged by lightning strike. Shortly after lunch I had an appointment with our island mechanic to get the front tires of the LTD balanced. Once he was at it he also replaced the valve stems as those were too long and looking ugly. And sure enough, as I drove home I got a smooth vibration-free ride. And the day wasn’t over before we got yet another boondocker, this time from Fredericton,NB. Their trailer is of the tiny-house fold-up-type. They are the 7th boondocker staying with us this year. Not very often that we get to host Canadians on our property. This island is pretty much dominated by American visitors, which does not surprise, as we have the International Bridge to Maine and the 2800 ac big Roosevelt Park on the island. If one looks at the map one might wonder why on earth this island is in fact Canadian Territory. Well, it all happened way back on the day when the border commissioner and his crew came down the St.Croix River, which is the borderline between our countries. Entering the Passamaquoddy Bay he should have been running his boat AROUND Campobello including the island into U.S. Territory, but the weather was really bad and the commissioner and his crew tired, so they choose to avoid the outer passage. Instead, they stayed in the protected bay taking the shortcut through the 400ft. narrow channel thus making it the international border. A freaky decision, made in the spur of a moment changing the destiny of many people.

A Thunder Storm

A sharp light was flashing through our bedroom and it woke me up. Took me only a second to realize that we had a thunder storm coming, though at the time no thunder could be heard. It might have been miles off our location, so I turned around to find more sleep. But then Bea got up starting to wander around the room. Listening, I heard the rain on the roof. She was closing all windows. 10 minutes later I heard distant thunder rolls. Hmm….thinking of Molly downstairs I got up, made some coffee and waited for more thunder. Molly was still calmly on her bed when I got downstairs so maybe no problem and there wasn’t much thunder either. The map shows the thunderstorm almost skirting our area. When I clicked the “weather-in-motion” function it showed the entire storm moving straight north over the mainland, which is the prevailing pattern in our local weather. Rain lasted not more than 30 minutes and will have very little impact on the dry conditions we have been dealing with. So over all, it wasn’t much of a storm and Molly didn’t even notice anything. Probably she has just been wondering why on earth Dad came down so darn early. I can still hear faint thunder rolls out west, but the whole disturbance is over for now.

Hey-Ho Give-A-Dog-A-Bone, This Old Man Came Rolling Home

I have said it before and say it again: The border  crew between Campobello,NB and Lubec,ME is the nicest we have ever encountered on the U.S.-border. Today I took Molly along for a walk along the south beach on Campobello. Molly likes seafood After our walk I drove across the border to get some gas and a few groceries. Molly was on the rear seat behind me in our convertible. When the CBP-officer returned my passport he also had a milk bone in his hand. For MOLLY! Got a milk bone from CBP-officer   I didn’t know what to say… That was a truly nice way of saying Welcome to the USA. We are still waiting for some rain. Whenever the forecast predicts precipitation, it kinda moves around the island without ever dropping off any moisture. In most cases the rain clouds simply dissolve! We have been observing this phenomenon over several years, but now we are really getting quite dry out here. Also, this year we have had very few thunder storms and, of course, we are glad for that, as it always is a problem for Molly. Also, we are having a very warm summer this year. Yesterday evening it was still 68F (20C) at 10pm and this morning we started out again with 63F. And it got way too hot and muggy during the day. Finally the wind turned to north-east and the temps dropped. Spent most of the day in the shade chilling. Thanks for stopping by.

Finally….a summer rain

Except for the common morning fog we haven’t had any moisture for weeks. But this morning we have a slight drizzle which I hope will bring some moisture to our browning lawn. It is quite unusual that the east coast is staying so dry. Bea had to water her garden every day and we can now see some green tomatoes, and beans and peas are getting ready for harvest.     Our “knocking woodpecker” made in Norway We have been eating our own lettuce for weeks and the first seedlings for the next lettuce are showing leaves after only a few days in our new greenhouse.   Looking at the calendar I can’t believe that we are already nearing the end of summer. It seems so short.       Goldenrod is plentiful this year We have been attending another concert on Wednesday and this time it was Celtic harp with a fiddle. The program consisted of Swedish folk  from the province of Jämtland, which was especially interesting for us as some melodies were known to us from our time in Norway. Jämtland was once part of Norway but was lost to Sweden in 1645. The map shows Jämtland along the border to Norway When I have nothing else to do I indulge in some “marine-style crafts” like painting a buoy or making this box of driftwood, filled with smooth round rocks.  Thanks for stopping by.