River Steamer "Majestic"

Excursions along the Saint John River were popular at this time of year a hundred years ago. And one of the steamers providing the river cruise was the popular "Majestic".

The "Majestic" was built in Toronto in 1899, and ran up an down the Saint John River from 1902 until she was retired in 1942, making this one of the last steamboats in regular service on the river. She was the first steel hull steamer to ply the Saint John.

A coal fired steam engine ppowered her screw propeller to give this steamer great dependability on her service about the Saint John River system

Mention the "Majestic" and many of our more elderly Saint Johners will still remember her with the fondness of a pleasant nostalgia

Lumpfish

This is the time of year when a lumpfish turns his mind to thoughts of family.  He not only turns his mind, but turns his skin colour too.

For most of the year, a lumpfish is blue grey in colour, but during the breeding season, the male turns orange.  Not only that, but the male guards the eggs too.

When I was diving, I always enjoyed running into these cute little fellows, so when the Huntsman Aquarium asked me to do a painting of sea life, I chose a lumpfish to paint.

They are not particularly streamlined, nor do they have big fins and powerful swimming muscles.  In fact, quite often when the tide is running hard, they simply cannot swim against it.  Quite often around the herring weirs, we would see lumpfish pressed against the twine by the tide, unable to swim against the current.