Adventures of A Naked Cat: 07/01/2009

A short time ago I did a short trip to the picturesque town of St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Here is the town website http://www.standrewsbythesea.ca/ . Unfortunately, my time was limited, but here is a summary of my whirlwind tour!

St. Andrew was founded in 1783 by United Empire Loyalists (American settlers loyal to Britain's King George III) who came from Maine. They named the town after St. Andrews, Scotland. It began as a merchant settlement and garrison town for British soldiers. Later, St. Andrews flourished as a summer resort. Now, the bay is also home to biological research stations and teaching institutions. Here I am reading about St. Andrew's blockhouse.

Blockhouses were common defenses in frontier countries such as Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and the U.S during the Age of Exploration (that is 15th to 17th centuries for you non history buffs). Often made from heavy logs formed into two or three levels, with embrasures placed high near the ceilings. The top floor is roofed and projects out over the floor below to enable firing on the enemy beneath.

Here I am checking out the impenetrable door.

Outside the blockhouse facing the sea are some fabulous canons. I was very excited about checking out these phallic weapons! Here I am starting the climb!

I have always wanted to fire a canon! Who has my lighter? What do you mean we did not pack the gun powder? Who travels to a blockhouse without gun powder? It is so hard to find good people these days!

Fine! We shall just PRETEND I am about to fire the canon at a passing ship then! First I make sure we have the barrel is lined up to the target....

In these military reenactments I am very high off the ground so I must remind you that I am a professional stunt cat! Do not try this at home!

......Ready......Set..........FIRE!

In the middle of shooting I decide to hop down and put on my parka! It is very windy at this dangerous height and the air is cold off the sea. My tail appears to be frozen straight up in the air!

Here I am bundled in my fuzzy blanket, checking out some rope, while my people look for my cold weather gear. I hope it is not packed in the same bag as the gun powder!

I am now dressed for my second summit. Lets go people!

This is Alex and I sitting atop the canon, enjoying the view. Alex was a boy scout so he always comes prepared with a pocket knife and lighter. Apparently good boy scouts do not pack gun powder.

Now you can share the view with me. Look how blue the ocean is!

On our way into town, I stop to have my picture taken at this fine establishment. If you can not read it, it says "The Cat's Meow B+B". I did not have time to look inside, but must admit the name wooed me!

Next we look for a good meal at "The Gables" Restaurant.

The food must be good, or this cat would find somewhere else to eat!

While my people locate a table I check out this fabulous wood carved lobster chair!

Here we are face to face.

That is me in my car seat with some of my people. We get a cozy booth surrounded by windows that look out to sea! The staff is very friendly and our meal arrives quickly.

For an appetizer, I try a very small daub of guacamole on a tortilla chip. Fantastic!

I want more, but the garlic is not good for me, so I wait in earnest for my bowl of chowder with a side of freshly caught halibut in butter. OOoooh!

My meal is so good, I ask to meet the chef and give him my compliments directly. Here we are posing for the camera. I do not look my best because my people used the flash in my eyes. Also, I am completely STUFFED from dinner, which ended with some licks of vanilla ice cream on top of heavenly apple pie.

The Gables is packed with interesting nautical decor. They even have beautiful local art on display for sale. Here I am under a paper mache shark made by some children, that hangs from the ceiling. The reason for my surprised look is because it is constructed around a real shark jaw!