new brunswick | Marsha Amanova

How to Spend a Sunny Saturday in Sackville, NB

2 Jun 2019

It’s not always sunny in Sackville, especially on a Saturday in early June. So when it is, get the heck out there and enjoy it!

8:30am Coffee.

We’re not barbarians.

9:00am Hit the local Yard Sales.

If you’re lucky, you have a local friend who is something of a garage sale speculator. He may have already done research on the sale locations and made a tentative map. All the fun and none of the planning! On the downside, said friend might wish you would drink your coffee faster so as to be at the sales when they open. But if they’re a good friend they will understand your Saturday morning sluggishness and forgive you for it. This week, anyway.

10:30am Sackville Farmers’ Market!

If you are lucky you will not be too late for a loaf of Esser’s amazing rye bread, but the chocolate croissants are probably gone by now. 🙁 You’ve got to hit the market early if you’re going to be particular. However, there’s always a lot of delicious food at this market. Bring your own containers! We also scored some local craft blueberry soda, spring greens and a bunch of kale. What’s a farmers’ market without kale?

11:00am More Yard Sales?

There might be nothing good left this late, but it’s still a lovely day for a drive!

12:00pm Break for Brunch

The Black Duck Cafe has great coffee and delicious eats, whether you want baked goods, breakfast or lunch. The emphasis is on local, fresh and healthy. Put your phone down and gaze out the windows at the garden in the “device-free zone” in the back.

1:00pm Walk the Waterfowl Park

My favourite place in town. Hold hands. Look and listen for the wide variety of different birds. Say hello to the other folks strolling the paths. Keep an eye out for stealth art, and watch for the gaggles of geese with their adorable goslings!

2:00pm Beer Garden at Bagtown

What’s better than local craft beer around a pallet table with friends? Check out Bagtown Brewing Company’s new beer garden, or take a break in the shady screened-in/out section. Grab a growler fill and enjoy more beer at home!

3:30pm Walk home and enjoy the rest of the day.

By the time we got home we had enough sun and opted for a board game. Everyone was too tired to think about cooking, so we ended up ordering pizza, but next time, I think a BBQ is in order!

Sunday at Crooked Tree Trail

6 May 2019

When friends asked if we’d like to join them for a Sunday afternoon hike at Crooked Tree Trail, the answer was a resounding, “YES!”

This excursion checks all the boxes:

Fun with friends
Being outside
Walking in nature
Exploring a new location
Close to our new home

Crooked Tree Trail

This lovely 2.4 km loop is only a few minutes away from Sackville, NB, off the Trans-Canada Highway down Walker Road. It doesn’t seem to be pinpointed on any maps, so I suppose it qualifies as a hidden gem?

As we approached the trailhead I heard a quiet rustling in the dry leaves near my feet. A ground snake! I can’t remember the last time I saw a snake in the wild, even a cute little one like this. Of course I had to try to get a photo, but those little guys are pretty good at staying hidden.

We headed off on the trail and I made a conscious effort to really pay attention to our surroundings. To listen for sounds and enjoy the quiet, notice the unusual and unexpected, and to soak up as much of this special place as I could.

Volunteers maintain the ski and snowshoe trail. It was in great shape and free from trash. There are various markers in bright colours and orientation maps along the way. The kissing bell hanging from the big crooked tree is a nice touch. And they even built a little warming cabin that I’m sure is a treat in the winter months.

There were a few low-lying wet sections that we had to make our way through and around, but that just added to the adventure.

It was a fantastic day. The air was crisp and fresh, and the bright rays of sunlight shining through barren trees lit up sections of the forest like a magical faerie land. I wanted to curl up on the lush green moss covering the ground, but I knew it would be cold and damp this time of year.

I intend to get out and enjoy (and then document) many more adventures this year.

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Coffee Talk – Just Us!

19 Sep 2018

Eating local, shopping local and buying local is important to me. I try to be mindful in all of my spending habits, and I tend to prioritize local over things that “come from away.”

Although I must admit that I won’t necessarily go without something if I can’t get it locally, and my frugality tends to rear it’s thrifty head over certain things.

Sackville, NB does not have a local coffee roaster, at least not one that I’ve found so far (I just moved here this month). But the local grocers do sell Just Us! Coffee from Grand Pré, NS. It checks off the organic and fair trade boxes and is reasonably priced. While it’s not exactly “local,” it’s at least from the maritimes.

Bee and I are home brewers (there’s that frugality!) and make coffee in our french press or aeropress from fresh ground beans pretty much every morning. In the summer I love cold brew coffee, but cooler autumn mornings are upon us, so we’ve moved on to hot coffee.

Speaking of cold brew, I don’t think we will ever beat the fantastic beans that Kat from Meeting Waters Coffee in Tatamagouche, NS custom roasted for us for our very brief stint serving Cottage Cold Brew at the Pugwash, NS Farmers’ Market this summer. That was the best coffee ever. Unfortunately it’s a lot harder for us to get out to Tata since we moved to Sackville, NB.

Marsha & Bee (Cottage Cold Brew) at Pugwash Farmer's Market — Me & Bee serving Cottage Cold Brew at the Pugwash Farmers’ Market 2018

We are on our third lb of whole bean coffee from Just Us! and we’ve had mixed results. Bee and I both like a dark roast, but we couldn’t resist trying one of the medium roasts because it smelled so good. I drink mine black; Bee usually adds homemade cashew cream and brown sugar.

My completely biased thoughts:

Atlantic Blend

Medium Roast

I really wanted to like this, but I just don’t. The name is just maritimey enough to appeal and the aroma from the air valve was heavenly, but the taste didn’t live up to the smell. Too bad!

My rating: 2 beans out of 5.

Rise Again

Dark Roast

This is a darker roast, but it still didn’t cut it for either of us. It’s not bad, just not good enough to make our regular brew.

My rating: 3 beans out of 5.

Breaking the Silence

Here we go! This I could get used to. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfectly adequate. Dark, not too acidic and a decent cup!

My rating: 4 beans out of 5.

original reviews accidentally deleted
because I am an idiot

I think the hunt for local(ish) coffee continues!