September 6


Operation Gravel
Got some rain today as the weather guys had predicted. But when it stopped we were kinda hanging around, not knowing what to do, until I thought of going ahead with an idea Bea had a couple of weeks ago. She had suggested to have a gravel bed along the porch, making it easier to handle than flowers or grass. So we found a shovel and a milk crate and went of to the beach. Here, Mother Nature provides gravel already sorted after size. All you've gotto do is shoveling it onto your pickup. 

With the gravel we returned to the house and I backed the pickup close to the already prepared bed. Bea had taken out a few inches of black dirt. Now we found some old tar paper and covered the bed up. That will keep weeds from popping up for a while. On top of that we spread the gravel.  It was fun and we could see right away that it would be looking good. 

What was still disturbing the harmony was the rusty top of our well-head. And again Bea came up with an idea. "Can't you use those old driftwood boards you picked up from the beach and make a cover for the well-head?"


I jumped to action right away and cut and hammered until I had a fitting box for the well-head. Two pieces of driftwood boards were placed as a top on it and we had a stand for a flower pot! 


And while we were thinking driftwood I rolled over a big grey stump I previously had taken home from the beach and placed it in the gravel bed as well. Now it was Bea's turn again as she came with a driftwood root she had liked so much when walking the beach last year.


With these simple pieces the gravel strip is finished decorated.

While it was raining I couldn't sit still either and did more apple juicing, this time for jelly production. I love apple jelly and in my memory I have still the taste of my grandma's apple jelly.


Since I was full of energy (did that come from all the apple juice I drank yesterday?) I chanced another trip into the blackberry patch. Well wrapped up in repellent and the usual protection outfit and with Molly in tow I ventured off.  I found an entirely new blackberry patch on our property but had to fight my way through. 


It is a riddle to me how Molly manages to get through the thorny underbrush without being completely tangled up with her long fur. She doesn't seem to have any problems advancing through the most unbelievable thicket.


Anyway we made it back before dark and I am looking forward to getting some blackberry jelly done, plus having a nice dessert tomorrow.

September 05


Labour Day over...
The weather men had predicted rain several times, at least for Lubec,ME (5km) which is the nearest weather location for us.
However, the Wilson Beach (10km) Canadian weather forecast did not mention any rain at all, and matter of fact, the most we got was sunshine, while the mainland New Brunswick and Maine, U.S. was drenched in Thunderstorms this afternoon. With Labour Day over, most of the tourists are gone as well. But we still expect some beautiful weeks of fall with days of warming sun, even though the heat of the summer is gone.


It is a remarkable fact that most times the bad weather is either following the mainland or going out to sea hitting Nova Scotia or the Island of Grand Manan. Campobello Island seems to be located in a sort of weather-vacuum. 


When I got in at late afternoon I saw the bowl of apples, we had picked, was still sitting on the counter. So I decided it was juice time. Got the electric juicer out and cut up apples. It is a good idea to peel them first as the peel is easily and very fast clogging up the flow of juice.

Ready to juice the apples

The first juice running into a glass

Depending what kind of apples are juiced the
color of the juice can get pretty dark

I ran ten apples through the juicer and got almost half a gallon of nice dark apple juice. Now, of course, I filled a glass and emptied it. As I tried to fill another glass Bea looked at me and said it was not healthy to drink that much apple juice. Is THAT true?? I kinda think that apples right of our own trees can't be that unhealthy? 


When the apple bowl was almost empty I ran out with a plastic bag to get new apples. This year we seem to have an endless supply of apples. So I am sure looking forward to many more glasses of freshly made apple juice.