Let Them Eat Chocolate

Women Who Wander NB

Adventure Three

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Whilst our first two adventures got their start in the glorious perennial gardens of LT, this one had a rather less glorious start. You might recall from "Eating, Shopping, Laughing" (our first adventure), which involved our visit to Candle in the Window in Boiestown, NB. It also involved the long and arduous deliberations of LT in choosing paint colours for use on the dresser that she was heard to admit "I don't need and really have no place for"! Even after all the deliberation of paint for it, the basement is where said dresser resides to this day………..still unpainted. And this was where our current adventure began - in LT's humble basement instead of her splendid garden.

We did eventually make it out of the basement, into the sunshine and into The Incredible Wander Wheels (the car) of our very capable driver, BST, who wisely headed to Tim Horton’s for a little libation to start the day.

Although we had many choices of route and destination, our dear West Coast friend, Kim Short, had mentioned that one of her favourite “bling” stops in New Brunswick is Old Ridge Antiques located at 9296 Route 3, Old Ridge, Saint Stephen, NB.

If anything can make the hearts of the Women Who Wander sing, its got to be bling so off we went.

Our intention was to stop just outside Harvey at the Westphalia Bakery and the Next Door Gift Shop, located at 2306 Route 3, Harvey Station, NB, but alas, we found out (the hard way) that both are closed on Tuesdays.

This made us very sad because, as LT likes to say, “we do so love a good bakery” and a bakery beside an interesting looking gift shop is hard to resist.

Thanks to the lovely lady in the Tourist Information Centre located next to the gift store and bakery, we now know when to come back for a treat and a shop so stay tuned for more about that. (We just know you are waiting to hear if the gift store and bakery were awarded our Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award but we just won’t know until we get there ourselves).

We won’t be upset though if you just can’t wait and you head to the Westphalia Bakery and the Next Door Gift Shop without our Women Who Wander recommendation.

Continuing down the road, we found Old Ridge Antiques located just before the highway overpass going into St. Stephen, NB on the left hand side. (If you look down and see a highway far below you, you have gone too far).

The big old horse buggy on the lawn, the large sign and the open flag should tip a person off, but the Women Who Wander are prone to engaging in deep intellectual conversations and sometimes we get distracted from our task at hand, as we are sure you do as well. (Translation: we were in need of a rest stop and hence, were forced to cross that overpass, to euphemistically “rest” at the Petrocan Gas Bar. After enjoying an extra large coffee on the drive, one should never try to shop before “resting”. That only leads to disaster!)

Once you arrive at Old Ridge Antiques, but before you actually enter the shop, you are greeted by a floral show that will have you snapping photographs every step you take.

Never have we seen such lush hanging baskets and so many of them. The proprietors are to be congratulated on the design of the grounds, the unique seating areas and the up-cycle of found objects that make vignettes inviting one to just sit a spell. We may have spent almost as much time outside, oohing and ahhing, as we did inside the shop.

But oh, the inside………If you love bling, welcome to Bling Heaven! The array of shiny jewelery laid out for your perusal is simply awesome!

If you are a collector of Sherman jewelery,(a Canadian jeweler from Montreal), you MUST visit Old Ridge Antiques!!!

A feast for the eyes!

(Should you be out with LT after dark any time in the future, you will not have to worry about losing her as she will be visible for miles around in her shiny new Sherman earrings. On the other hand, if you are trying to lose her, the earrings may also tip you off!)

Old Ridge Antiques has grown over the years and now has five distinct areas in their buildings stuffed with choice items that are very well priced and beautifully displayed. We could easily have spent several additional hours there but with more stops planned, we simply had to tear ourselves away! A definite Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award for Old Ridge Antiques!

Our next stop could also be called a feast for the eyes…….emphasis on feast! Ganong Chocolatier, located at 73 Milltown Blvd. in St. Stephen, NB, lured us in, fed our senses, and left us drooling! (Not a pretty sight but we only drooled on ourselves - and maybe on each other a little bit). We were careful to sanitize our hands - an easy task because the shop is beautifully organized for social distancing.

Ganong (established in 1873) is located in the original St. Stephen Brick Factory!

The architecture of this lovingly maintained building is, in itself, worthy of a visit. All NBers should definitely know it's history and if you don’t, then get yourself to St. Stephen and see for yourself!

The Women Who Wander each purchased some delicacies to take home to their respective Men Who Don’t Wander! Some of those delicacies actually made it home! And yes, another Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award is given!

After our visit at Ganong we were a bit on the peckish side and ready for lunch at Comeau’s Seafood Restaurant located at 5025 Hwy 1, St. George, NB!

Comeau’s were Covid ready for us with spaced tables, hand sanitizer at the ready and masked waitresses! (A good opportunity to say that we are very proud of how NB businesses are taking the Covid worries seriously and doing their utmost to follow the Provincial guidelines)!

Once comfortably seated in Comeau's dining room, we opted for the daily special - a lobster roll with coleslaw which we enhanced by adding a great big plate of hot and crispy French fries to share.

Now, when you have to search to find the lettuce in your lobster roll, you know that (as Martha Stewart would say) "it's a good thing” and so do we!

That poor little hot dog bun was bursting at the sides with lots of lobster and a lack of lettuce!

We forgot to get a "before" shot of the luscious lobster roll but, let this be testament of how delicious it was!

As good as the lobster roll was, YT may have shed a few tears as one of Comeau’s famous seafood platters was spy'd passing by the table on its way to someone else. Another glorious Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award is given!

About to wrap up the day and head home, we noticed a nursery just down the road from Comeau’s and who doesn’t love a good nursery? This one called A Change of Seasons Inc., is located in Penfield Ridge, NB. It is not very big but specializes in landscaping and has a nice selection of plants that were very healthy! The lady working there was knowledgeable and an excellent sales person!

The people we meet along the way are a big part of the Women Who Wander experience and also a part of our Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award system.

The lady at the nursery (sadly we didn’t get her name or photo) was incredibly patient putting up with our ditherings and commentaries and was an absolute gem. (Hopefully she didn’t get our names either!). She talked us into a lovely big Morden Rose and a Cranberry Cotoneaster bush.

Although A Change of Seasons is tiny, we feel the plant quality and the persuasive saleslady make this a definite Women Who Wander Three Cheers Award location.

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Women Who Wander Tip:

It might be good to go to A Change of Seasons a bit earlier in the season for a bigger selection!

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Loaded down with our jewels, our original engineers safety helmet (don’t ask), our silver teapot, our Ganong specialties, our plants and full stomachs, we set sail for home.

Alas, since we had to stop for gas on our way out of Harvey, we had to make one more stop at the Kubbyhole Gift Shop located at 879 Route 3 Hwy., Harvey Station , NB.

After all, it’s in the same building as the gas station and it’s a gift shop full of largely NB made crafts and a few antiques and we cannot be chastised for doing what is right! Right?

LT picked up a sweet little art deco-ish bowl for a ridiculously low price and YT got some great ideas for Christmas presents! The machine knit socks (done on a 100 year old knitting machine) are gorgeous and also reasonably priced. We are guessing that the skiers in your family would look awfully nice in the ski resort lounge sporting a pair of these on their feet and a martini in their hand!

That’s it for escapade #3! We're exhausted just talking about it. On to next week’s Wandering!

Just Adventure!

Women Who Wander NB

Lynne, Barb & Gail

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