Reversing Falls in Saint John

Sweet tides, pools of love

Your eyes are full of

Sweet tides, pools of love

Your eyes are full of

(Sweet Tides by Thievery Corporation)

Three years ago, I went to Fredericton for my cousin's funeral. Although the priority was to spend time with family, I thought I'd spend an extra day to see the area. When I researched, I saw that you could see the tide come in or go out in Saint John at Reversing Falls.

To see my vlog for this story, you can click here.

There was a storm as I arrived in Fredericton with lots of snow. It would have been easy for me to decide not to go to Saint John which was more than an hour away. It would have been easy to think that I would go when it was summer. But I decided to go anyway not knowing when I would be back in the area.

I'm so happy I did. There was a viewing spot called SKYWALK where you could watch outside but with it being so cold, I didn't spend too much time there. 

There were glass floor squares behind me. The worker who had shovelled the walk told me not to step on them because they were so slippery. I put my foot on it to see how slippery and he was right!! It would have been worse than walking on an ice rink.

Photo credit: skywalksaintjohn.com

I spent most of my time in the Reversing Falls Restaurant seen in the photo above on their website and seen in my photo below that also includes the glass floor SKYWALK.

Luckily with it being at the beginning of February, it was a quiet day so the staff didn't mind me sitting with at a table with a view for hours. I had a perfect view of the bridge and the tide.

I had looked online to see when the tide would be at its peak and when to arrive. The yellow section below shows how long I was there; from just before peak tide and then more than half of the tide going out.

I initially took a live video then remembered that it would be much better as a timelapse video. I let it run for about an hour but then the battery on my phone was dying. I charged it in the restaurant and grabbed a few more timelapses but never for long enough to get a spectacular video. It's still really cool to see the water rise. In hindsight, it would have been more dramatic to see it go down to see the line of snow where the high tide was.

It's amazing to see the water coming in and then the water goes still as it reaches slack tide. It's only at this time that boats can go by. There were only ducks that swam by while I was there. It wasn't boating season.

It slowly starts to recede before it visibly flows back out.

You can see the level difference in these two shots. It's too bad I couldn't stay longer. I wanted to get back to Fredericton before it got dark.

If you ever make it to New Brunswick, it's worth the time to see the Reversing Falls in Saint John.

Enjoying Memories One Day At A Time

What a difference a year makes. February 12th is special to me because it's the anniversary of the Opening Ceremony I attended at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (and the 10th anniversary celebration I attended last year). It was a childhood dream come true. This message isn't about that experience. 

My point today is to use these types of "anniversaries" to enjoy our memories. I find that looking back at my memories brings happiness to my days and it brings me hope for the future. Looking back at past memories is making happy memories today. It helps me to look forward to making more memories.

I love making photo albums, blogging and am now starting to vlog. Those are my hobbies and my passions but they're not needed to enjoy our memories.

I have often heard from friends that they want to make photo albums but don't have time or don't make the time. Is it possible that it's because they don't enjoy it or they don't prioritize it? 

I may love knitted sweaters but don't necessarily want to knit a sweater.  Some people may love having photo albums (or the idea of having photos albums) but may not want to take the time to make them. Making the album is a chore to them - and maybe there are chores we do that we hate doing but we like it when it's done. Maybe the consequence of those chores not being done is a lot worse than the consequence of a photo album not done. Undone albums don't smell or take up counter or floor space.

Everyone can enjoy their photos and their memories if they want to. Before my Revive55 Project, I believed that the way to do that was by making photo albums and video compilations. I thought it was about taking mementos out of their boxes and enjoying them. 

I thought I would want to inspire others to do what I wanted to do. I realized though that I want to inspire people to enjoy their memories whether they want the hobby of album-making or not. I want to inspire people to remember the moments that matter to them. 

I know people who don't even want to go look at their digital photo collection because they find it overwhelming so they just put their heads in the sand and think that some day they will sit down and get it all organized.

They think that some day, they will make time for photo albums or photobooks. But why? You don't need photo albums to enjoy your photos. You don't need photo albums to relive your memories. Technology is making our memory keeping a lot easier. I'll write about using technology for instant memory enjoyment in future posts.

One way to start to better enjoy your memories is to notice when we are reminded of past moments. 

Today and this weekend, I will have a mini-celebration to remember my Olympics memories. I'll wear my Olympic t-shirts, look at my photos and videos, take out my Olympics mementos box and watch some of the Opening Ceremony that is on YouTube. 

On Sunday, Valentine's Day, I will look back at past Valentine's Days. I have a box of greeting cards. I decluttered them during my Revive55 Project, but hadn't decided how to organize the ones I wanted to keep. This weekend, I will separate the Valentine ones to enjoy every year on February 14. 

I may use that same idea to organize our anniversary cards or my birthday cards. We don't receive as many cards in the mail anymore so it will be fun to read cards from previous years. That's a lot better than them sitting in a box. But that's me. Memories is my hobby so I want to spend time on them. But you don't have to. Memories may be important to you but you aren't interested in the time-consuming hobby of memory-keeping and preserving.

My Olympics memories are major ones for me so I spend a lot of time on them, but there are SO many smaller ones that I want to enjoy.

I have to admit that I am overwhelmed by my photo collection. Although I keep working at it, and want to purge, organize and create projects; the way I will do that in the future is to focus on these anniversary memories. I'll use these reminders as nudges to take a small step forward.

Besides obvious anniversary events, we are often reminded of other memories - and the "anniversary" may not necessarily be a date on the calendar. We might:

• see a movie set in a place we've visited
• read a book that reminds us of a childhood memory
• see a news article that reminds us of an event we attended
• hear a song that reminds us of a concert
• see someone that reminds us of a friend
• read a newsletter or blog that reminds us of something we're happy to remember

When I am reminded of a memory, I will find the photos if there are any, tell the story or just daydream of that time. While I'm in the photos, I'll delete less important ones and "heart" (star) more important ones.

For example, recently, it was the anniversary of my cousin's death in 2018. When I went to his funeral in Fredericton, afterwards, I took a day trip to Saint John to see the tide come in then go out at the Reversing Falls. I had taken photos and videos but had not looked at them since so I took the time to remember my cousin and my trip to his province. I looked back at my photos and made a video compilation of the Reversing Falls like I had meant to do when I took them - and because that's my hobby and passion. You can see the video on my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/suze20to.

Enjoying our memories can be as simple as remembering or reflecting, sharing a story or looking at photos or videos. So if you don't enjoy making photo albums or creating projects, don't feel guilty but find other ways to enjoy your memories. Let go of "some day I'll organize my photo collection" and enjoy little bits one day at a time. 

Although I love taking time to create memories-themed projects and celebrations, I don't have enough time to capture all my memories in this way so I am finding quick ways to enjoy the other ones. I hope I'll inspire you to do the same.

Scenic Route Part Two

Don't worry about a thing

'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Singin' don't worry about a thing

'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

(Three Little Birds by Bob Marley)

I finished the second part of my Scenic Route video. If you haven't seen the first part, you can watch it by clicking here.  My original blog post from 2018 can be found here.

I created the first part using iMovie which is pretty easy to learn but it has its limitations. I used Final Cut Pro to make the second part. I have to admit that it took me a lot longer to do it but I will want to continue to use Final Cut Pro.

I will have to learn how to use it better however. When I started to create my next video, I actually started it in iMovie figuring I could just make it quicker. It was a simpler video so I figured I didn't need the extra features in Final Cut Pro. I'm in the process of making a how-to video where I show how I make a highlight video from a few clips. It's not that difficult to do if you're interested in enjoying your videos more.

The first part of the Scenic Route video included a lot of written passages. I was thinking at the time to have the video read more like a book that included video and audio clips but the second part doesn't include as many written passages.  When I recorded the story, it just seemed more interesting to me to hear the story told than to read it. I was surprised how much emotion came up when I told the story to a camera.

After showing the first part I made with my iPhone to my husband, he told me that the video quality would be much better with his Fuji XT-4 camera and external microphone. We now have them set up on a tripod ready to video whenever we want. Even my untrained eye and ear can tell the difference in quality between the two recordings.

Unfortunately, the heater in my study was on while I recorded the video for part 2. I was bummed because I didn't think I could re-record the video with as much genuine emotion. I told the story on the recording for the first time in a while, so it was fresh and I felt what I was saying. I'm not an actor so I didn't think I could recreate it as well if I re-recorded it.

My husband showed me how to get rid of the humming using Final Cut Pro. I really need to learn how to use it better because it's amazing!! iMovie have noise reduction but it's not as precise as Final Cut Pro. The sound isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than it originally was. Someone more experienced could also have improved it more but I'm happy with the lack of experience I have.

Here is Scenic Route Part Two. Hope you enjoy it. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more videos and/or subscribe to my blog to read more posts. (click on the icon below my photo on the right column)