Just this past weekend we made a trip up to Parrsboro for the Gem and Minerals show and to visit the Fundy Geological Museum.

The drive was lovely as the tides were in and we could see the beautiful Bay of Fundy just to our left as I drove along the coastal highway. The red earth was so amazingly eye-catching I couldn’t help but catch glimpses as we were driving. We spotted a mound of land sneaking out of the water and the boys saw a bit of an arch of a cave showing just above the surface.

We were all excited to see what rocks and gems were in store for us once we arrived at the show and we were not disappointed! The boys were so excited to buy pyrite and raw rubies as well as sapphire. I must say they are not anything like the cut kind and I think I kind of like the raw form a bit more. We all ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed at the huge pieces of minerals as the boys were on the search for a big buddha for me. 🙂 I came out with a nice round garnet and an orange half geode. I was tempted by a beautiful turquoise ring but probably a good thing it was not in my size!

From there we went over to the museum and found some great little archeological dig kits for the boys. The kits contain plastic dino bones (miniature of course!) in plaster with a wooden chisel and brush. The boys couldn’t wait to start chipping away! I myself grabbed a geological map of our province and a quartz crystal pendulum that had on its chain the seven chakras in little round gems. I think that’s my favourite find.

I have to say that our gifted museum pass came in quite handy that day and for that we are happily thankful. 😉

Inside the museum we watched a very cool animation of what the world looked like long before Pangea – did you know that Nova Scotia was once where Antarctica now is? – and during Pangea we were part of Africa. There is a beach in Nova Scotia that I’ve been told by a friend has petrified palm trees! We played the video backwards and forwards and watched over and over again how the world came to be as it is today.

Xman and I found a display of fossils and a nearby screen that identified each one. We played the guessing game and after our day at Blue Beach we got a few of them right. I haven’t posted about that trip yet, have I? Okay, that’s next on the list!

L made a beeline for the hands-on archeological dig. We hid plaster casts of rocks with fossils in the raw rice for the boys to find. It was great fun!

Can you imagine that dragonfly zooming by?

By this time the tide was the lowest it would be for the day and looking out the windows of the museum we could see the red earth exposing itself to the sun. It was a beautiful site and a great time to start heading home. And what a time it was! We began our drive with the tides in and now with the tides out we couldn’t help but stop and admire the view. It was amazing indeed!

Remember that mound jutting out of the water? Well, we found a side street that led down to the shore and had an amazing view of this which I believe is called Five Islands.

I like Stephen’s Instagram pic.

Another pano – those are me boys throwing rocks into the mud!

 

We took a short stop at Mastodon ridge on the way home to update out pic of the boys being chased by the mastodon and Stephen all chummy. So fun!

 

The boys a couple of years ago. Love this pic! Stephen used his iPhone so it has a totally different look – plus the lighting was completely different this time around. Still fun!

X: Mastadon whatever!

L: Ya, big deal!

L: He’ll never catch us!

X: Aaaahhhh!

Inside the gift shop we found some great sales including this book that I had borrowed from the library and brought with me for the trip. And this book which I fell in love with when we went to Pictou earlier this year. These gems (the book kind!) will be seeing a lot of love from us!

Stephen also found a couple of harmonicas which just happened to be on sale. He used to have one which I believe is somewhere in the vicinity of our home. Perhaps the house elves have taken it! So he bought the boys each their own. Xman is obsessed with it and plays it every day. Video to come.

The moon kept us company as we drove the rest of the way home. Although it wasn’t quite full it was extraordinary to me and Stephen used my wee camera to get a quick pic of it from the car. Ahh, so purty.

L wanted to take a picture of a car zooming by. It took a few tries but he did it! 😉
Once we arrived home the boys wanted to start digging just a bit before bed. Pretty cool finds!

What a wonderful day it was full of discoveries and beauty! Where will we go next?