A long overdue visit, part 1

When we moved to Saskatoon, we consoled ourselves that we could always overcome the occasional bout of homesickness with an overpriced airline ticket and be back east the next day. Now looking back on that thinking almost two years into a global pandemic, I long for the ability to plan trips and visits without concern for testing, isolation rules or carrying a virus to people I love. While all of that will be the reality for some time to come, the summer of 2021 will be a time I’ll look back on as a joyful return to our old stomping grounds to spend time with family around the Maritimes.

This was a trip in three parts. Part one, with my folks in northern New Brunswick. Part two, with my wife’s brother and kids in our old hometown of Halifax. And part three, with my wife’s folks and extended family in west/central New Brunswick. Feeling like a complete travel newbie from the longest separation from air travel in my life, we excitedly, and with some trepidation, hopped on our flights back east with our masks hiding ear to ear smiles.

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Missing a taste of the sea

All I could think about was “lobster roll”.

My trip to Boston in November for work didn’t allow much sightseeing time, but everyone has to eat, right? And since you have to eat, you may as well make good choices. As a landlocked Saskatonian, my eating plans whenever I get near a coast involve unholy amounts of seafood. And on the east coast, my mind turns to lobster, and in particular, lobster rolls.

You can imagine my glee when I discovered one of Boston’s best lobster rolls was a short two block walk from my hotel in the Back Bay. I strolled into Luke’s Lobster and after being momentarily distracted in noticing that their in-season crab was from New Brunswick (yea Atlantic Canada!), I ordered a lobster roll and with the tiny bit of restraint I had, took time to snap this picture of it in all its crustacean beauty…

Lobster roll at Luke's Lobster

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