Let Your Joy Be In Your Journey

Women Who Wander NB

Adventure One 2022

We travel not to escape life

but for life not to escape us.

Author unknown

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...and for a while we were beginning to think that life was escaping us! The days of the Women Who Wander NB were filled with "must dos" and "have tos", being content with staying safe at home, protecting ourselves and those we love most. But fear not! The Women Who Wander NB are so happy to be together again and back at it!

Our first official Wander of 2022 has taken place and we are here to tell you all about it! We hoped you missed us as much as we have missed us! Our goal remains as always: to laugh a lot (both at and with each other) and to encourage you to hop in your own version of The Wander Wheels and head out on the highway! Or, as we much prefer, the back roads of this amazing Province we call home!

Since we first started sharing our travel adventures, some of you have offered your favourite haunts as suggestions for future wanders. We really appreciate your suggestions and this, our first Wander of 2022, was crafted around a couple of your suggestions. Don't worry! If we find ourselves knee deep in trouble (again), we won't hold anyone responsible for having sent us on this adventure - we would never want to get any of our readers in trouble!!

Our first stop on this, our inaugural 2022 voyage, was Centreville, New Brunswick which is located just 5 kilometers from Florenceville-Bristol and only 7 kilometers from the U.S./Canada land border.

Centreville's roots are firmly planted in Ireland! It was established in 1821 by Thomas Johnson who settled his family near Buttermilk Creek which was the original name of Centreville. Who wouldn't want to settle near a place named Buttermilk Creek? It's very name evokes a charm that's hard to resist!

Today this lovely little village boasts all of the amenities that residents could want like great schools, a splash park, a public swimming pool, basketball courts and soccer fields but it holds tight to it's quaint village vibe, crisp fresh air and the crystal clear waters of the Presque Isle Stream running right through it!

Smack dab in the middle of this sweet village we found Country Card & Gift and Holiday Boutique located at 3155 Main Street, Centreville, NB.

It's been been over 40 years since Verna MacLeod first opened the doors of this delightful shop and we count it as one of New Brunswick's best kept shopping secrets!

You can meet Verna for yourself! Just click "Friends We Meet" on our website at https://3womenwhowander.wixsite.com/mysite-1

On your amble through Country Card & Gift and Holiday Boutique you will find room after room chock-o-block with treasures!

And, just when you think you've seen it all, the experience continues as you head upstairs. The second level is also filled with beautiful finds to tempt you!

Country Card & Gift is one of those shops where we knew we were going to come out with something in hand because, really, how could we not? The challenge then became not to come out with everything!

Verna and her staff clearly have a knack for knowing what to stock to tempt their customers and how to display it.

You are graciously welcomed from the moment you open the door and step inside until you leave with your favourite purchases!

Just diagonally across the street from Country Card & Gift is the Country Card & Gift ladies clothing specialty shop located at 787 Central Street in Centreville. Verna opened that division of her boutique 20 or so years ago to provide fine quality clothing and accessories options to the Centreville and surrounding areas.

The Women Who Wander NB are rumoured to be ladies so, a ladies specialty clothing shop was right up our alley! We were not disappointed! The selection was generous, the quality was top drawer and, like us, the sizes were wide ranging. If you are in the market for some new summer duds or bling, you would be well advised to head to this amazing shop!

We are planning another visit to Verna and her extraordinary stores during the Christmas holidays for their annual open house. We can only imagine how cozy and beautiful the stores will be, all decked out in their Christmas finery!

Check their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CountryCardGiftStore/ to find out the details!

From the shopping experiences, to the pristine waters of the Presque Isle Stream, from the rolling hills and green vistas to the bucolic story book farmlands, you will enjoy every moment spent in Centreville, New Brunswick!

It's well worth noting, if you're looking for something to do that you've never done before, you might be interested in heading to Centreville, NB next June for the summer Truck and Tractor Pull! This annual event attracts participants from all over the Eastern United States, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and of course, New Brunswick! Never been to a Truck and Tractor Pull before? This is an event that you won't see every day and one you will remember! Come see us in New Brunswick next June and check out the Centreville Annual Truck and Tractor Pull!

As usual, all that shopping and poking around made us feel quite peckish and, since we heard rave reviews about Florenceville-Bristol's On The Boardwalk Café and Wine restaurant, that is exactly the direction we headed.

Located at 8754 Main Street in Florenceville-Bristol, this fabulous eatery over looks the beautiful Saint John River. and is owned by Alison and Clare McCain!

Our Server and Daytime Assistant Manager was Victoria Mullin who did a great job filling us up and filling us in on some of the unique details of this contemporary property.

Acre Architects of Saint John designed this beautiful, modern building. Once inside, you will be hard pressed to remember that you are in Florenceville-Bristol and not in a downtown bistro in Toronto or New York!

The attention paid to detail in the finishes is quite incredible with it's decidedly Scandinavian inspired interior. Awash with wood, every inch shows off beautiful clean lines and delightfully modern functionality!

Not unlike many of us, the restaurant location has a colorful history having been many things over it's lifespan including a general store that was torn down to make way for the restaurant which opened a year and a half ago .

In addition to it's regular dining space, there is rental space upstairs to accommodate private functions and a comfortable open-air deck on the front of the café which would be the perfect place to wile away a warm summer evening all by yourself or in the company of a few favourite people!

There is an in-house bakery where Pastry Chef Denise Fisher creates all pastry and sweet confections for the restaurant.

Head Chef Will Edsall masterfully creates beautiful and delicious cuisine in his kitchen as well as over seeing on-site preparation of all sauces and dressings which are scratch made in-house. You can actually purchase many of the the bakery goods and savory sauces and dressings to take home with you!

You can visit On The Boardwalk Café and Wine restaurant over and over again and never be bored because Chef Edsall and Chef Fisher change up the menu frequently keeping the pallets of return customers piqued as there is always something new and delicious to try and it's always simply heavenly!

To round out this, our first Wander of 2022, we rolled our very full selves out the door to where The Incredible Wander Wheels was patiently waiting and we headed toward Woodstock, NB.

Since one of us is a former resident of Hartland, NB, we are never allowed to pass that charming hamlet without a quick jaunt down Main Street. We took off on Rt. 103 via the Longest Covered Bridge in the world killing two birds with one stone: 1) to satisfy the Hartland-ite with a quick visit home and 2) to get to Woodstock in the most interesting way possible!

En route, we passed through many rural communities and settlements including Victoria Corner and Wakefield, NB! We highly recommend this approach to Woodstock for the beautiful countryside and the magnificent views overlooking the Saint John River.

We only made one quick stop just before entering Woodstock to take advantage of a lucky photo opportunity where the highway crosses over a small creek.

Photos taken, we piled back in The Incredible Wander Wheels and hurried on our way into town to look for our next destination.

The Gathered Cottage, located at 532 Main Street, is just across the bridge in beautiful downtown Woodstock. This sweet cottage is owned and operated by Breda Pugh! You can meet Brenda up close and personal by clicking on the "Friends We Meet" tab on the Women Who Wander NB website at https://3womenwhowander.wixsite.com/mysite-1

Brenda combined her love of repurposing antique furniture with retailing the ever-popular Fusion Mineral Paint and voilà, four years ago, The Gathered Cottage was born! Brenda brought in a line of giftware to round out the shop's offering, put her magical touch on displaying the wares and has been a going concern ever since.

The "shop local" concept that was encouraged during the start of the Covid challenges, proved positive for Brenda and many other retailers in the area as well. Not only could she offer local products but she could also help customers with stay-at-home DIY projects giving them great ideas and selling them her tried-and-true brand of Fusion Mineral Paint to get the job done!

From a great selection of fusion paint to beautifully refinished or repurposed antiques, from unique baby gifts, sweet wreaths for your door and garden décor, The Gathered Cottage has it all - including some yummy home-baked goods! We recommend a visit soon!

Before heading home, we made one more stop in Woodstock to visit a very dear friend from our Tourism / NB Crafts days!

Harold Plummer and his late wife, Barbara, were the proprietors of sweet handmade dolls that exuded personality, much like Harold himself!

We can't recommend that all of you visit Harold without his permission but we can assure you that if you come across this octogenarian in your travels (yes, we said octogenarian) you will be regaled with great stories of growing up in Hartland, NB!

Watch for him out and about on one of his 5 km walks around town or on one of his epic 25 km bike rides from one end of the area to the other. Prepared to be inspired! Hearty Carlton County stock if ever there was!

And now, as we plan our next adventure, YOU get out there! There is so much more of New Brunswick to be discovered and who knows, maybe we'll meet you on our travels!

Just adventure!

Women Who Wander NB

Lynne, Barb & Gail

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