10 July 2009

Last day in paradise

I’m not sure what I’ll the most about this pretty little cottage by the sea - the views, the heady scent of salt on the breeze, waves splashing along the shore or perhaps simply the sense of peace and tranquility that washes over me. I think it’s these quiet moments that I savour the most, when I can sit in the stillness of morning while everyone is sleeping, dreaming away and letting my fingers fly over the keyboard. It is the quintessential “me” time - I don’t have to be a wife, a lover, a daughter or a mommy-to-be; I can simply be me, lone with my thoughts.

Sadly, today is our last day in paradise. Tomorrow morning we will pack up our bags and start heading towards Ottawa. I can already feel some of the work and home stresses creeping up on me and I keep urging myself to put it to the back of my mind and make the most of my last day here…not always an easy task for the eternal planner.

With the sun shining and the temperature increasing (go figure at the end of our vacation), I hear the beach calling my name. Yesterday hubby and I headed to Parlee Beach for a dip in the water and a walk along the shore. I have to admit that the experience always makes me a little nostalgic and I wish that my father could have been there with us. Being an Ontario boy through-and-through, hubby was a bit apprehensive when it came to jellyfish and so I found myself taking on Dad’s old role of “chief navigator” in the water…of course it doesn’t help that both Daniel and I are blind as bats.

Today we will probably be heading back to the beach although I may try Caissie Cape, a much quieter spot where my father used to take my brother and I fishing along the warf. There are simply too many beautiful spots around here and it’s really hard to choose what “must see” places I want to share with hubby. I have to remind myself that we can’t see it all in one week and that I came to know this area after countless years of visits. You could probably stay here a month and never get bored.

This afternoon we will also have a visit from one of my father’s old friends. Last evening we had a visit from another couple that Dad knew back in high school; it was wonderful to catch up and , as always, hear funny stories about all the trouble my father got up to as an adolescent. I swear these visits give me a stockpile of ammunition to use against Dad anytime he comments on my ‘questionable’ behavior. I can only hope and pray that my son does not take after his Grampy, otherwise I’m in for lots of gray hair early in life. I have a feeling his looks saved his hide more than once in his life.

Hubby is stirring now (and mom is still snoring) so I think I’ll be off for the day. This will probably be my final signoff from New Brunswick. It’s hard to think that this time next year, I may be back with a baby in tow and watching him experience his first dip in the ocean. It’s bittersweet but I look forward to bringing him back here and watching him experience all the joy and wonder that my brother and I did during our summers as children. Grammy and Grampy may be gone now, but this place will always feel like a second home to me.


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