31 Days in Canada

 In honour of CANADA DAY  I plan to post a daily image of Canada and a link to a random Canadian location we have visited.

Taking the ferry to Newfoundland and Labrador - random post.

Taking a ferry to Newfoundland is a legendary voyage, crossing the Cabot Strait from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to the island of Newfoundland. Operated by Marine Atlantic, it connects the mainland to the province's two main ports: Port aux Basques (a 7-hour crossing) and Argentia (a 16-hour crossing).

Travel to a Unique Time Zone: Newfoundland has its own distinct time zone, which is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic Standard Time. When you sail from Nova Scotia, you technically "lose" half an hour of your day before even stepping foot on the island.
Spot the Whales: The waters of the Cabot Strait are teeming with marine life, making the outer decks a prime spot for whale watching. You might even catch glimpses of minke, fin, or humpback whales alongside dolphins and sea birds.
Choose Your Route Wisely: The most popular year-round route is to Port aux Basques (96 nautical miles), which drops you directly on the southwestern tip. However, during the summer months, you can opt for the 280-nautical-mile "cruise" to Argentia, located just a 90-minute drive from the capital city of St. John's.
Sleep Onboard or Camp in Your Car: For the overnight sailings, passengers can book comfortable private cabins. Interestingly, for those traveling with RVs, campervans, or pets, there are specific guidelines that allow some travelers to sleep in their vehicles or reserve specific kennel spots depending on the vessel's policies.
The "Scoop" on Sleeping: If all the cabins are sold out, don't worry—the public seating lounges feature incredibly large, comfortable reclining chairs. Many seasoned travelers bring heavy blankets and sleeping masks to make the trip even cozier.

31 Days in Canada

 In honour of CANADA DAY  I plan to post a daily image of Canada and a link to a random Canadian location we have visited.

"Cobra chicken" is a humorous internet slang term for the Canada goose. The nickname comes from the bird's long black neck and its aggressive habit of rearing its head back and hissing loudly when it feels threatened, much like a striking cobra.

Come from Away is a 2017 musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL SHOW ON YOUTUBE

EXCITING TIMES IN NEWFOUNDLAND - random post

Foto Tunes 31 Days in Canada

Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme. 

Somewhere in Canada

**Alan Thomas Doyle CM ONL is a Canadian musician and founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea.

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador!!

SOGGY BOTTOM SUMMER

[Verse 1]

Barefoot with a fishin' rod

And all of my good friends

Goin' down to the water

And we're gonna hop on in

Tie us all together

Inner tubes and blow up rafts

We'll float on down the channel

Like a barge of river rats

[Chorus]

Floating down the channel

Muddy water, July sun

Just chilling in a dingy

Yeah is our idea of fun

Happy, happy, happy hanging out with all my friends

Wishing soggy bottom summers never had to end

[Verse 2]
Its a home town tradition
Long weekends in the sun
Blue Jays on the radio

Girls and trucks and mud

Pass the Old Dutch chips around

Throw some mustard on a wiener

Keep the brewskis on the down low

[Verse 3 Dean Brody and **Alan Doyle**]

We don’t mind the law enforcement

They keep us safe on beach patrol

But watch out for that new one

Named Sargent Alan Doyle

Hey boys

"What's going on?"

Sargent Doyle!

"I’m off in ten minutes, do you mind if I tie a floaty on

C’mon

I had a heck of a week here walking the beat

I can't wait for 5 o’clock

Knock back a pint of my bad-io

Hitch a ride back to this dock

But before I go I must abode the law and make a seizure

Those super-soakers, dump em out

Before I give you all misdemeanours"

31 Days in Canada

  In honour of CANADA DAY  I plan to post a daily image of Canada and a link to a random Canadian location we have visited.

Vikings arrived in Newfoundland around 1,000 AD, roughly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. The Norse explorers, likely led by Leif Erikson, established a base camp at L’Anse aux Meadows on the Great Northern Peninsula. It remains the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America.

          Vikings Tour Newfoundland and Labrador - random post

31 Days in Canada

 In honour of CANADA DAY  I plan to post a daily image of Canada and a link to a random Canadian location we have visited.

The mainland region of Labrador, Canada (known locally as "The Big Land") is one of the last untouched frontiers on earth.

Ferry to Labrador and Vikings - random post

Basque Whaling Station: During the 16th century, over 2,500 Basque whalers traveled annually to Red Bay, Labrador

.Industrial Oil Production: They produced thousands of barrels of whale oil to light up European lamps, serving as North America's first major export industry.

Underwater Treasures: The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site protecting 500-year-old sunken whaling ships, including the famed San Juan galleon.

All Around the Circle Foto Tunes 31 Days in Canada

Tom the backroads traveller hosts Foto Tunes

Reposting as part of my 2026 - 31 Days in Canada series and linking to Foto Tunes

September 2022 - Fogo, Twillingate, Morton's Harbour, Bonavista

Everywhere you go in Newfoundland and Labrador, you will hear this song.

"I'se The B'y" (also I's The Bye) is a traditional Newfoundland folk song/ballad. "I's the B'y" is in the Newfoundland English dialect, and translates to standard English as "I'm the Boy" or "I'm the Guy". The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame decided to honour the song in 2005, officially accepting it as part of the Canadian Song Hall of Fame.

I'se The Boy

I'se The B'y that builds the boat and
I'se The B'y that sails her and
I'se The B'y that catches the fish and
Brings 'em home to Liza

I'm the boy that builds the boat, and I'm the boy that sails her. This song is about self-sufficient fishermen from Newfoundland, Canada.

Hip-yer-partner Sally Tibbo
Hip-yer-partner Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour,
All around the circle

This refers to three towns on the northeast coast of Newfoundland - a "circle" that would be navigated by the fishermen during fishing season.

Sods and rinds to cover your flake,
Cake and tea for supper
Cod fish in the spring of the year,
Fried in maggoty butter

Sods and rinds to cover your flake - The fishermen would dry the fish so they would last through the winter season. The fish would be sun-dried on platforms, covered with grass sod and tree bark.

"Cake" is hard tack.

Photo taken in Trinity.

I don't want your maggoty fish
They're no good for winter
Well I can buy as good as that,
Way down in Bonavista!

Bonavista is another coastal town on the east coast of Newfoundland, but is far away from the "circle" described above. The singer is haggling with someone over the quality of the fish, with someone claiming they could get that quality anywhere.

31 Days in Canada

 In honour of CANADA DAY  I plan to post a daily image of Canada and a link to a random Canadian location we have visited. 

Today we'll visit Trinity, Dildo (YES), Brigus and St. John's in Newfoundland - random post

A traditional Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner (also called boiled dinner or cooked dinner) is a hearty, one-pot meal typically enjoyed on Sundays. It consists of boiled salt beef and root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and turnip, all cooked together alongside a cloth bag of yellow split peas that is mashed into "pease pudding".

Newfoundland is Canada’s easternmost province, known for its rugged, windswept coastlines, unique Irish-influenced culture, and famously friendly locals. Nicknamed "The Rock," the island is home to North America's oldest history, vibrant fishing villages, and abundant wildlife.

Deep History: As part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, it is home to North America's oldest European settlement (visited by the Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows) and the oldest city in North America (St. John's).

A Distinct Identity: Because Newfoundland was its own British Dominion before joining Canada in 1949, its culture feels quite different from the rest of the country. Its unique accent, folklore, and traditions are heavily rooted in Irish, English, and French heritage.

Hospitality: The province has a global reputation for incredibly warm and welcoming locals, "kitchen parties," and lively oral tradition.

31 DAYS IN CANADA

Ottawa ON 

A Chip Off the Old Block WIP

 Joining Tom at Signs2.

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

This is an ongoing work in progress, as I add to my potato chip photo collection!!!

Have a chip on one's shoulder.

Let the chips fall where they may.

Chip away at something.

Chipping in with my opinion.

This glass has a chip in it.

Cheap as chips.

I cashed in my chips.

We all chipped in for the gift.

Blue chip investment.

A potato chip (NAmE and AuE; often just chip) or crisp (BrE and IrE) is a thin slice of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy.
The earliest known recipe for something similar to today's potato chips is in William Kitchiner's book The Cook's Oracle published in 1817, which was a bestseller in the United Kingdom and the United States.

May 2026 - Toronto ON

Korean grocery store - Yonge St.

Italian Red Meat Flavour    Texas Grilled BBQ Flavour

December 2025 - Toronto ON

                       Red potato black truffle flavour           Blue potato chicken flavour

                         

November 2025 - Vietnam

Hanoi Vietnam

Hotel

Brazil BBQ Pork Rib        Texas Tenderloin Steak    Natural Classic

Nori Seaweed

Halong Bay Vietnam

November 2025 - Toronto ON

Dinner is served, with no fuss or pots and pans to clean up!

August 2025 - Toronto ON

West Indies Hot 'n Sweet Chilli

Numb and Spicy Hot Pot          Hanoi Beef Pho               Fried Crab

Creamy lobster potato                        Kelp salt                          Wasabi octopus

                                                            Korean spicy ramen

Spicy braised duck tongue

  June 2025 - Toronto ON

I found these in T&T, a local Asian grocery chain.

April 2025 - Toronto ON

Nashville Hot and Taco

November 2024

I also came across this BBC article about a man that collects crisps (chips) packages.

Found at the $ store in September.

In September the iconic Munchies returned! The Canadian brand marks the occasion with the return of its three instantly recognizable Munchies - Red, Yellow and Orange. The beloved trio are back to give Canadians a taste of the past with a whole new twist including new flavours and formats for all to enjoy. To mark the launch of their return, the Munchies have made their debut appearance at Toronto's landmark Red Canoe (art piece by Douglas Coupland - Tom Thomson (Group of Seven) red canoe). 

Did they need the artist's permission??

More finds.

All-dressed (French: assaisonnées or French: toute garnie) is a potato chip flavour popular in Canada. It is described as the flavour as a mix of ketchup, barbecue sauce, sour cream and onion, and salt & vinegar.

The term 'all-dressed' and its French equivalent "toute garnie" originally applied to pizza, meaning roughly 'everything-on-it', deluxe, or 'the works'.

Dunn's Famous Deli and Steakhouse is a chain of Jewish delis serving Montreal-style smoked meat, pastrami and cheesecake founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Myer Dunn in 1927.

In 1955 he opened his flagship restaurant at 892 Saint Catherine Street West. The storefront windows were famous for the top-to-bottom stacks of large jars full of hot banana peppers. The deli was open 24 hours a day, unusual for restaurant in the downtown core. Beginning in the 1970s Dunn's Famous began to focus more on Montreal-style smoked meat, eventually stopping its promotion of Pastrami.

When the controversial Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) became law in 1977, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) took action against Dunn's and other stores retailing imported kosher goods that did not meet its labelling requirements, an action perceived in the Jewish community as an unfair targeting and antisemitism. This coincided with a high-profile case brought by the OQLF against Dunn's due to the apostrophe in the establishment's sign, which remains.

Dunn's also got in trouble with the OQLF for having the English word, "Smoked Meat" on the sign out front. Dunn's, along with other well-known delicatessen establishments, also fought a ruling to change the name of "Smoked Meat" to "Boeuf Mariné" in order to conform to Quebec Language Law. They won the ruling by appeal by proving that if they didn't advertise "Smoked Meat" they would confuse and anger customers. A good example of this was Parti Québécois MNA Gérald Godin who himself ordered the sandwich by its English name. Due to the work of Myer Dunn, under the new ruling, enacted in 1987, Smoked meat became a word in both Official languages of Canada.

March 2024 - Las Vegas NV

April 2024 - Cracker Barrel Ohio

February 2024 - Toronto ON

July 2023 - Toronto ON

It's been a while since I found new chips to add to my collection. 

Sep 2022 - New Brunswick

Covered Bridge Potato Chips factory, our photo taken in 2022. 

However in March 2024 the plant just off the Trans-Canada Highway went up in flames, and by the next day, all that was left were the charred metal remains of the building and equipment.

No one was injured, but the plant alone employed about 120 people, and benefited local truckers and farmers in western New Brunswick. There are plans to rebuild.

They are well known for storm chips!

Prepare yourself for those snowy winter days with Creamy Dill, Homestyle Ketchup, Smokin' BBQ and Salt & Vinegar all in one bag.

Storm chips!

Sep 2022 - Newfoundland and Labrador

All-dressed (French: assaisonnées or French: toute garnie is a potato chip flavour popular in Canada. It is described as the flavour as a mix of ketchup, barbecue sauce, sour cream and onion, and salt & vinegar.

The term 'all-dressed' and its French equivalent "toute garnie" originally applied to pizza, meaning roughly 'everything-on-it', deluxe, or 'the works'.

May 2022 - Toronto ON

These were found last week on a trip to T and T, an Asian supermarket.

These are labeled Gluten Strips.

Yam with cucumber or tomato

Grilled pork or roasted chicken wing

I do love a potato chip sandwich!

2022

2021

2020

2019

Barcelona Spain

Lourdes France

Toronto

2018

Madrid Spain

A close up of the chips 

Toronto

2017

Ontario 

Victoria BC

Solvang California

Toronto

2016 Mexico

2015

Alice Springs Australia

Toronto

2014 Cavendish PEI

I found an unlabeled potato chip flavour languishing in my files! It was at the Canadian Potato Museum! Click here for more of my potato chip collection.

Here you’ll find the world’s largest exhibit of potato-related farm machinery, agricultural and community artifacts.

World's largest potato sculpture!

We came for the food! Click here.

2011 Toronto

And for dessert!

2019 Toronto

2014 Arizona

Lay's (known as Walkers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Chipsy in Egypt, Poca in Vietnam, Tapuchips in Israel and Sabritas in Mexico) is the brand name for a number of potato chip varieties as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in 1932. Lay's chips has been marketed as a division of Frito-Lay, a company owned by PepsiCo since 1965.

You can find more useless fun information here.

March 2013 - Sedona Az

My favourite in the UK, cheese and onion taste a lot like these cheesy garlic bread. And as an aside, the cheesy garlic bread won the contest Lays were running for new flavours.

August 2012 - Normandy France

May 2012 - Czech Republic - potato sticks!

May 2011 - Russia

May 2010 - Nottingham England