Ceilidh and Cabot's Trail

The ceilidh experience last night was a good one. About 85 people packed into a little hall to enjoy traditional Celtic music and dancing performed (and taught, in the case of the dancing) by local artists. (Reserved seats were available. You simply went to the door about an hour ahead of time, got a sticky note, and put it on a chair!) The guitarist was amazing, and we found out later that he taught jazz guitar at a university somewhere. They played fiddle, guitar, did step dancing, and taught a type of square dance to lucky volunteers. (No, don’t even imagine it.) It was all pretty informal, including a time when one of the guests (from Quebec) got out his violin and played a few tunes, and the time when a local skateboarder wheeled by and dropped in to sing a song in Gaelic. The audience was quite international – USA, Australia, Switzerland, and of course all parts of Canada. It will probably come as no surprise to you however, to hear that about halfway through the evening I turned around and spotted Sherry Argue – Grant’s high school band teacher! It turned out that we were staying in the same inn and we had breakfast together this morning as well.
After breakfast we hit the Cabot Trail. The weather was beautiful and the drive was very scenic. We stopped at a number of look-offs (remember, there is no such thing as a look out here), and at one beach called “Cabot’s Landing”. It was not at all well marked on the map, and it’s a wonder John Cabot found it at all. This was our first ‘dip’ in the Atlantic (getting drenched by Atlantic water on whale watching - I mean whale searching - doesn’t count.) The Cabot Trail winds though a variety of countryside, and up some very steep grades. It also passes through Chéticamp, an Acadian village where almost all the signs are in French. Rob informed me that my French classes have been almost useless, as I was not able to do too much translation. We stopped at a local restaurant (see photo of lighthouse-shaped building) and had traditional local food – fishcakes and meatpie. You can guess which one of us had which meal. It was also at this location where I think I may have had the opportunity to win the photo contest by taking a picture of Rob with a hooker. Relax…… this village is famous for its rug hooking and there was a demonstration going on in one of the shops. Anyway, the opportunity was missed, perhaps all for the best.
After finishing the Cabot Trail drive, we decided to drive one more hour and visit the coastal city of Sydney. We went for a great walk down more historic streets and along the harbour boardwalk, beginning and ending at the giant violin, which, by the way, continually broadcasts Celtic fiddle music.
By eight o’clock we were back at Baddeck, had a leisurely meal at our Victorian Inn(photo of reddish buildings) , and are now ready for a rest before heading off to Prince Edward Island tomorrow.

Jail, Baddeck and Bell

Although we were delayed in Lunenburg due to an arrest for attempting to take too many unusual cannon photos, (see photo) we were able to eventually get away and make the drive to Cape Breton. People here talk with a definite Eastern Canada drawl but all are friendly and want to know where guests are from. We walked along the shore of Lake Bras d’Or (some of you will be happy to know that I figured out the English meaning of that term without assistance) to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. His summer home was here in Baddeck, and he did plenty of his inventing here. I thought I knew quite a bit about him, but I learned a lot more. He was one clever inventor for sure.

Tonight we are going to a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) which is apparently a musical experience one should not miss while in Cape Breton. (They are advertised all over the place. The one we are going to is across the street in a parish hall). I’m sure you will be anxious to hear my rating of the experience tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will be driving the Cabot Trail, which includes Cape Breton Highlands, one of the national parks of Canada. The person we talked to at the visitors’ centre here said that often whales could be seen right from the highway. However, with our previous history of whale searching, I’m guessing they will be in hiding. Nevertheless, scenery is supposed to be spectacular.

Instead of cannon photos today, I’m including not only the jail photo, but also the pirate ship photo. Apparently today the pirates were doing their laundry, as various shirts were hung to dry on lines. If you’re wondering what ships are doing on a lake, the fact is that although the word ‘lake’ is in the name, it is actually not a lake at all, but is connected to the Atlantic by three small channels. The final photo of what appears to be Rob back in "Happy Days" was taken because I laughed so hard at the name of the small "50's" diner where we stopped for a drink. How's this for a name which promotes self esteem: LARGE MARGE'S. In case you're wondering, it did not appear that Large Marge was on duty.

Peggy who?

It’s another one of those Maritime questions answered today. (By the way, I’m assuming you all knew what lobster plugs were??) I’m telling you, if Peggy was anywhere as close to being as beautiful as the cove named after her, then she was amazing. This has to be one of the most incredible places to photograph, and of course to see in person. It was VERY hard choosing my pictures today because there were a lot of good ones – partly due to the absolutely perfect weather and brilliant blue sky. Peggy’s Cove is about an hour’s drive from Lunenburg, were we are again staying for the night. We drove there this morning and climbed on the rocks, watched the waves crash, looked at the lighthouse (also a post office – you could get your picture taken, turned into a postcard, and then mail it, but it seemed too ‘gimmicky’ to me), and strolled through the tiny fishing village. Alas, there were no cannons…. but then, just as I had given up hope…..I walked into a gallery/gift shop and what did I hear? Canon in D being played on their background music CD. Perfect. Various musicians were playing in the area – bagpipes, violins – and I took the picture of one because I want you to note her sweatshirt. That’s right…. University of Regina Cougars. Of course we asked her if she was from Regina. No, she definitely was not, and didn’t even seem to know where it was. How she got the sweatshirt remains a mystery. The “churches across the water” picture was taken from the outdoor patio where we stopped for lunch (haddock) in another picturesque town called Mahone Bay. Here we also visited Amos Pewter’s manufacturing and design shop, and walked along the streets and pathways and watched various artists produce work for their “paint the town” competition. Back at Lunenburg we took in the Arts and Crafts festival, going on for the next three days. I would have to say it was a bit heavy on the “crafts” and not so much on the “arts”. Does one really need a stained glass, wooden, or hand-stitched lighthouse? We also drove around Lunenburg a bit more (Let me tell you, turning around on those narrow streets is no picnic. I’m so sorry I missed that day in school when they taught left and right.) and saw the town from the other side of the bay. SO bright and colourful! Since we’ve already had our fish today we plan to just have a light snack after another walk beside the ocean and then maybe watch part of the Sask/BC football game but we haven’t quite figured out what time it starts, Nova Scotia time. Tomorrow we have a fairly long drive (about 5 hours?) to Baddeck, which at the beginning of the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton. I’m sure there is more history to learn there, and hopefully, more cannons.

Liverpool, Lunenburg and Lobster Plugs

We began the day with a rainy, foggy drive out of Digby and along the Acadian coast. We stopped at two beautiful old churches, one with a cute young guide (male) who told us a bit about the granite church that took thirty years to build and also that he wanted to be a teacher in a French immersion school “when he grew up”. (He looked to be about 16 years old.) Of course I told him about Massey.

We stopped at the coastal city of Yarmouth and toured a large museum there. There was a whole room of ‘music history’, including pianos, organs, squeeze boxes and phonographs. A young student came by to play one of the old pianos, and performed a Mozart piece. (Should have asked her to play a CANON.) Included in the tour was a look at the summer home of the founder of the Fuller Brush Company. Yes, it had lots of brushes in it (and many other things.)


Liverpool (where the Union Jack flew everywhere) proved to be an interesting stop as we got to climb to the top of a lighthouse and sound the foghorn. You will be thrilled to know that there was another fine display of cannons on the site and picture #3 in the cannon series is featured today.

At this point the weather was starting to improve greatly and when we arrived in Lunenburg it was really quite nice. This is an amazing place. It feels like we stepped back in history. The streets are narrow, steep, and lined with tall old buildings. We are staying in an inn which is tall and skinny and overlooks the ocean. Before supper we toured the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Two of my most important questions of this week were answered. 1. What does a scallop look like before it’s on your plate? And 2. What is a lobster plug? (We were on the ferry to Brier Island beside a truck which said, “#1 in Lobster Plugs”)

Enjoy today’s pictures. The green building with the "Grand Banker" restaurant on the lower level is our inn. The rest should be basically explained in the writing. Please let me know of any special requests for tomorrow.

Water, Wind, Waves ... Whales???

I believe yesterday I referred to today’s major event as a “whale watching cruise”. Today I would like to re-phrase that as the “searching for whales adventure”.

Feeling rather spoiled after being served a lovely breakfast in beautiful surroundings, we headed out to the most easterly point of Nova Scotia on a narrow isthmus called the Digby neck. The more we were surrounded by ocean, the more we were surrounded by fog. Two ferry rides later we arrived at Brier Island, apparently famous for whale watching tours. The entire island is four miles long and two miles wide (why did they not describe it in kilometers???) but due to fog we saw very little of it at one time! Still, armed with the brochure comment that “some of the best whale sightings have been in foggy conditions…” away we went. The fog only got thicker. We kept going for so long that I half expected to see Scotland’s shores peering out of the mist at any time. Finally we stopped and everyone was told to be very quiet and listen for the whales’ “blow” and then we would go find them. No luck. This process repeated itself about four more times, with the wind picking up, salt spray whipping over the sides of the boat, and some rain falling. Eventually, after 3 hours, we were told that we were returning to land, with the great news that we would all get free passes for anytime we wished to return. No problem since we live just around the corner. Ah well, it’s just one of those chances a person takes.

As I wobbled off the boat, drenched, cold, and with the worst bad hair day anyone could imagine, I said to Rob, “Just look at that girl waiting for the next cruise (and I use the word lightly, and tell me that doesn’t look like Marcy Norman from church.” Then…. “Marcy?.... What are you doing here???” Same thing as us apparently. It was absolutely hilarious to see how surprised and excited she was to see someone from home.

By the time we got back to Digby (about an hour and a half) it was 26 degrees, hot and humid. I couldn’t believe how I could be so cold, and then so hot. After my stomach settled down (Believe me, lunch was not an option after that ride. I am NOT meant for the sea, and I have a whole new appreciation for all those Atlantic fishermen) we toured a nearby ‘artsy’ village where many building are built on stilts because of the dramatic Fundy Tides.

The final pictures on today’s blog are 1) Rob’s new idea for renovations – re-doing old fishing vessels, and 2) the next in the series of historic cannon photos, as requested. (See what happens when you comment???)

Off to Lunenburg tomorrow. I wonder how many restaurants there will be called the Bluenose. No matter what we do, I’m fully expecting to meet one of our next door neighbours.

Evangeline Trail Escapades

Since 3 out of 3 would amount to a 100% request rate for the "cannon (not musical canon) aimed at head" picture, I will consent to its publication, although it must be viewed in the purest historical sense possible. (Is there such a thing?) Rob offered to take another cannon picture today - perhaps with my head part way inside the cannon we passed by today - but I declined.

You will notice that I am also accumulating a few pictures of "Rob's deck/gazebo ideas". Perhaps I could try for a post growing out of his head next time, just to keep the score even.

We left Dartmouth around 8:00 this morning under grey skies, enjoying a pleasant temperature and not a breath of wind. Gradually it became more and more sunny and beautiful. We drove to the northern coast of Nova Scotia through Windsor – the birthplace of hockey, apparently AND the home of Howard Dill, giant pumpkin grower. (The pumpkins are giant, not Howard) They seemed to have equal emphasis in the town, with statues and museums and such. We proceeded through the Annapolis Valley region, which bears some similarities to the Okanagan Valley with many orchards on the hillsides, although instead of being near a large lake it is near the ocean. One of the pictures is taken from a “look off” as they are called here. Also in the region we stopped at a family run cheese factory, and at artist Stephen Kennard’s gallery. We were amazed and intrigued by his unique wood art, but since the prices were primarily in the $1000.00 - $4000.00 range we didn’t buy much.

Near the centre of the Annapolis Region in a town called Middleton (appropriately!) we stopped for a light lunch at a local restaurant/art gallery. When we walked in there were 3 out of 10 tables occupied but we were immediately asked if we had a reservation. I was tempted to say, “Here? Now?” A table was found and shortly after, signs went up on almost all the other tables. “Reserved for Margaret”, “Reserved for George”, etc. I suppose it must have been a popular local place! In the same town, we visited a local museum housed in the first consolidated school in Canada, which was operational from 1903 – 1979.

The next educational stop was in the town of Annapolis Royal, which all of you informed senior and not-senior history buffs know was the original capital of Nova Scotia. We toured a tidal power plant, which generates hydroelectric power from the Fundy tides – one of a kind in North America. (I know how to mix my Science tours with my Social Studies tours). In the same town, the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens combine the science of plants with the history of the community and do a good job of it! (I have never seen so many colors of roses blooming at one time in my life.)

We are now settled in a beautiful, century old house (bed and breakfast) right beside an inlet from the Bay of Fundy and near the town of Digby. A few hours ago we walked through the town and along the bay. Digby is apparently famous for its scallops, and there was no shortage of restaurants on the boardwalk offering daily specials. We ate our delicious scallop meal (yes, that rating is coming from me too) under a covered patio over looking the bay filled with boats of varying sizes. (see photo). There were 10 people on the patio at the time, and at one point I heard the word “Saskatchewan” so of course we started listening to a conversation one table group was having with another. It turned out that 8 out of the ten of us were from Saskatchewan, including one couple from Regina. Perhaps they should have called the meal “Scallop Special for Saskatchewanians”.

Tomorrow we are off for our whale watching cruise (apparently the whales are ‘in’) and then some touring on Briar Island and the Digby neck. I’ll report back how many people on our cruise are from Saskatchewan.

Historic Halifax

The day started with a scenic tour. O.K. - it was unintentional and really all a matter of ONE little wrong turn, which resulted in many many miles of a round-about way to get to the Halifax harbour. Fortunately, we both must have been fairly well rested, so there were no long silent periods, which can potentially occur on these unplanned detour trips.

After a long walk along the harbour boardwalk, (including greeting Theodore Tugboat, as well as other boats of various sizes), we visited Pier 21. I didn't want to miss it, since it was declared one of Canada's seven wonders by CBC radio. It was very well done, from the jokes of one of the guides, who looked like a retired sea captain, to the unique video presentation, representing the stories of more than one million immigrants who came to Canada through the doors of Pier 21 from 1928 to 1971.

Another harbour boardwalk walk (note picture of Rob admiring wooden structure and no doubt imagining future deck construction) took us to meet our Halifax city tour bus. I think it is fair to say that we were rather "youngish" members of the tour group. Are only seniors interested in history? Anyway, four hours later, we were much more well informed about this city. The tour bus driver and narrator, named Hap, is pictured next to the Titanic gravesite - a memorable stop for sure. His sense of humour was as unique as his tartan kilt, and his love of storytelling and of his city was evident. The citadel is an amazing piece of Halifax history. I declined having my picture taken with the front entrance guard, however there IS a picture of me in which it appears a canon is being shot at my head. (This picture will only appear on this blog if demand requires it.)
Halifax has a number of beautiful parks, one of which is leased by the British monarchy for one shilling a year for 999 years. (Yes you did read that number correctly.) This park lost something like 60% of its trees in the hurricane a few years ago.

One last walk through some of historic downtown and we were ready for supper at the Bluenose II. (Can you imagine how many restaurants here are named Bluenose, Schooner, Mariner etc.?? And we're not even in Lunenburg yet.) Rob had their specialty - clams and fries, and yes Jay, I was somewhat more traditional - but I WILL eat fish again on this trip. Seafood is everywhere. I even noted the sign at McDonalds advertising "McLobster"!

Tomorrow we are off to Digby, driving along one of the coasts to get there and stopping at things we find interesting along the way. One can hope that any scenic drives tomorrow are of the planned variety.