After 4,788 miles, 17 states and 2 countries we have arrived. Not a moment too soon for the passengers on this flight…

The last leg coming in from Bangor was the wettest & windiest so far and where I discovered that the windshield wiper on the drivers side has issues…as well as a pesky leak that keeps soaking the towels in the bathroom.

Make no mistake, winter still has New Brunswick in its grasp.

Yes, that’s ice. Every morning before it goes above freezing. Here’s the interesting thing, it actually gets warm in the afternoons? Going to the pub on Friday with my brother and sister-in-law it was nothing short of glorious. Even “The Koko” was in an approval frame of mind.

I’ve got to say, over the years the local brewers have upped their game. I’ve had some really fine craft beer here. A broad generalization would be that the ale is less to much less hoppy than standard Portland brew. The IPA’s on the other hand are still maturing.

Roaming around Fredericton this time of year is hit or miss. Mostly miss as the area and all of the Maritimes don’t  really come out to play until June or July. One of my favorite events is the Fredericton Farmers Market. In the summer, you can get the best fresh lobster rolls, samosa’s like we used to get in Kenya and local food stuffs only found where people still make things from scratch.   Nom-Nom…

Sadly it’s not lobster season and taking the place of the vendor was this…I’m not a Poutine fan, but the bacon was fabulous.

Speaking of hand made, I always wanted to see the mechanics of maple syrup manufacturing…We’ve all seen the idealistic pictures of the traditional galvanized pails hanging from taps driven into noble trees.

Snow everywhere…Flannel shirts…Beaver caps…boy was I *WRONG*

How about recycled pudding and icing containers connected by plastic hoses to a PVC valve pounded into the tree?  It’s the Twenty First Century baby!

That was confirmed when we went around bend in the trail near the Saint John River….opening to this…

This is the Mactaquac dam.  My brother-in-law, Mike, worked here for many years before retiring. He was one of the worlds foremost experts in cutting dams in half. No kidding. It has to do with the alkali aggregate used in the concrete. It keeps expanding, so each year or so, they cut a slice out an inch (2-3 cm) or so to relieve the pressure. Who knew?

But in all seriousness…

The principal reason Fredericton was the first stop was to celebrate my father-in-laws 85th birthday.

The family had had been working through the options and logistics for over a year, with plans finally coming together in the last few months. The siblings hadn’t been all together in more than a decade. What better reason could there be…

To surprise him?

They did it in spades. In the space of a few short hours Carol arrived from Toronto, Blair from Edmonton and ourselves all rolled in. The surprise was surpassed by the joy in his face. It conveyed far more dignity and emotion than I could ever describe.

For Koko and myself it’s a great family to just be a small part of.

Koko has moved in and I do think she’s having a ball!