Day 24-Shelburne to Digby, Nova Scotia

Today I travelled 237 km and from the last few days in Shelburne it was 330 km. So the Equinox is racking up the miles. Still chugging along with perfection, though a little dirty at this point. Oh yeah, I've had a spider travelling with me in my driver's side rear view mirror. It makes a web each night and seems to disappear during the day. Must be getting a good maritime snack! I wonder if it's the same spider from Southampton? That would be weird.

Anyway, I digress.
Today was a typical Nova Scotia morning, foggy with little breeze. As I looked around my little cottage I realized I had a lot of stuff to cram back in the truck. Better get going!

What I've found with myself during this tour is that I'm taking my time to do stuff. I don't rush. I don't need to rush. I have a place to stay for the next night and I can take my time getting to where I'm going.
Talk about stopping to smell the roses!

Packed up and ready to roll about 10:30am. I did look around for A to say good bye but no sign of her. I said my "bye" to the little town and headed west on highway 103 for Yarmouth. I had taken some of the smaller routes already so I decided the main highway was good to go.

I found that in Yarmouth the highway just ended! There were a few signs directing me to Digby but not much to help me so I followed the virtual map on the nav system. Needing a Tim Horton's by this point I stopped at the one I saw and laughed when I saw a whole flock of ducks hanging out in the drive through. There was one duck that was really big (fat?) and she was calling to the others and they were all yakking back at her. It was really funny. Everyone in the drive through was amused. I wonder if they're there all the time? Still funny.

Coffee in travel mug and good to go. It is Sunday morning and I wouldn't expect any traffic but I didn't expect NO traffic. It was like a ghost town in this part of Yarmouth. I must admit I was in the "strip mall" part of town but really? No one? The most excitement was at the Tim Hortons's with the ducks.
The harbour was the same way. Few boats and fewer people.
On the road again I guess.

I found highway #1 by being on it! Again, using the virtual map on the nav system I found a road that looked like it should be the "scenic" route and it was. Yay!

This route follows the coastline pretty much all the way along and it goes through some little Acadian towns that flip flop between really proud and seemingly with some cash behind them and ones with literally nothing, boarded up homes, no schools and no businesses. In my travels though this part of Canada I have found that if there is no major business then the town really doesn't exist. Tourism isn't a business large enough to sustain a town or hamlet, at least not in Nova Scotia. The kids attend consolidated schools which must be a real thrill to travel to as they are not very close to one another (I guess that's the point).

I did see a sign that someone had posted outside a now derelict inn and it said "no ferry=no people=no patrons=no jobs=life savings gone" I can only surmise that someone anticipated or had built and inn to house people coming from a ferry ride and the ferry has been cancelled so everything has folded.

The economic downturn is really more apparant on this side of the province. So much is dependant on the sea and at that it must be timed with the dramatic tides.  If you're out, you are not coming in and if you're in you're not going out, simple as that.

Again the fog was coming and going so when I was in Cape St. Mary the fog was in but it made the low tide even more dramatic.

There is a lighthouse right behind me as I take this picture and the fog horn is going (naturally) and it's a two toned one. It was echoing across the water. So eerie and very cool. If the waves were high and it was rough the sound would be something else. With the overall quiet the fog horn was very dramatic as were the cliffs.

Continue on the route to Digby.

I stopped in Weymouth which used to be a major port for boats to meet the railway and transfer goods back and forth. The river has a tide as well and companies would have to time their deliveries to the minute to make sure they would all get unloaded and the ship back out to sea before the tide went out. Many companies had built their own wharfs just to accommodate deliveries. 20 years ago the train stopped running to Weymouth and the ships stopped coming the town nearly closed up. Most of the stores were closed but there was an information place and a diner. Hmmm, hungry and there seemed to be a number of people in there when I drove by the first time so I figured it can't be really bad stopped so I stopped in.
Clean, nice service and they had a Western sandwich on the menu. Oh yay! I've been wanting one of those for a while.
It was really good and totally hit the spot! You just never know what you'll find when you go to a little place but I was pleasantly surprised.

Finally in Digby I drove around a bit, where I could because they were wrapping up their Digby Scallop Days! Oh yeah!
Think of it as Pumpkinfest with a scallop.
Once I found my lodging I headed back into town.

These pictures are from the shucking contest and the piles of shells left over. It was a hoot to watch! I hope the video link works. You're watching a few 'professional' shuckers meaning, they do this for a living and it is the speed and the sound of the shells hitting the pile below them that I found so neat to watch. They weren't even watching what they were doing. I watched for quite a while. Oh yeah, it smelled really nasty too!

The weather started to turn nasty with lots of rain and wind so I stopped for some dinner at a recommended place and it was so-so but the waiter was so great because when I asked for change into quarters (I need them for the laundromat) he offered to transfer $10 into a roll of coins. Right ON! this will work out perfectly. I thanked him over and over.
Though the meal wasn't super amazing the service certainly was! Maritime hospitality.

The lady at the front desk at the Admiral Digby Inn reminded me that they give wake up calls for the ferry (first ferry departure is at 8 am). I said I didn't need one as I was taking the one at 4 pm on Wednesday. She asked if I had booked it yet and I said no. She kind of "hmmphed" and that to me was an indication that I needed to do that.

So, as of writing I have booked my ferry ride (to the tune of $142.00 which includes me at $40, the vehicle at $82 and a fuel surcharge at $20.00). I always think it's weird that they charge for the vehicle and person separately. Very strange. The vehicle can't get on the ferry without a person attached to it I think. But rules are rules.
On a roll I have booked my place in St. John New Brunswick after I get off the ferry. 
Then Bar Harbor Maine with an ocean view (I think) and then I don't know where I'll be heading in the states so I'll evaluate that as I get closer. I like to keep a few paces ahead though.

Now I can enjoy my time in Digby. Tomorrow, scallops for sure!

Day 23 Roseway Beach and Boats

Today the skies cleared and there was a great breeze! It was a beach day! There have been only a few on this trip, partly because of the lack of beaches and partly because of the weather.
I was going to go swimming in the ocean! With no jelly fish or any other stinging things to worry about! Yay!

Packed up, sunscreen on and I was there. This time at low tide. Wow was it low!
Where I had been walking in water yesterday was only sand. I think tides are fascinating!

Perfect skies and perfect sand I set up my little spot, knowing full well I'd have to move at some point because I was way below the high water mark. I thought it would be fun to wait until it came up to the chair legs then move up. As long as I didn't fall asleep and miss it all!

The beach was deserted when I arrived. In an hour or so there were a few other people and I even met Lucky! Lucky is a shepherd lab cross that has been fostered by a lovely lady who decided Lucky needed to stay with her. Lucky was a feral dog who spent probably 2 years fending for himself and just needed to find the right person to take care of him. He is a lovely dog that is very devoted to his owner and thinks everyone on the beach is part of his pack as he comes there every day. We had a great time visiting and I enjoyed talking with his owner.

Seemed all the dogs that were at the beach were great and I had fun watching them play in the waves (some of them) and some get a little skittish if the waves came up too high.
The tide was advancing. In the picture below you can see the drag marks where I moved my chair up from the advancing water.

I was wondering what the water was really like so I headed in. Yeah, it was cold and did the trick cooling me off. The breeze was warm and the sand was blowing across the top of the beach. It was truly great sitting there.

I didn't even get a chance to do my puzzle or read my book I was having such a super time watching the waves. I know, I know, it's like watching paint dry a little bit but it was so special sitting there.

Salty from my two dips in the sea I decided nearly 5 hours at the beach was enough and it was time to head back. The tide was just about up to my second chair position anyway! The two kayakers in the waves were keeping me amused though. Oh well. I don't want to get too sun exposed.

When I tried to get into my cottage the lock came apart in the door! Oh dear! I was having problems with it since I arrived but it was working okay. Then today. Poof! Uh Oh!

I was in but the lock was gone from the front of the door. This is an interesting challenge.

A and D are sailors and I know that they were out in their boat because all of the yachts from the harbour were gone when I got home and I had seen them in the bay when I was driving back. I phoned their number and left a message about it. Oh well. I guess they will have it looked at before the next folks come in.

A little later in the evening A came by to invite me down to their sailboat to hang out and listen to music and enjoy a beverage with them and their friends. It was a very nice invitation and I took them up on it. Lovely harbour, lovely people and live music from another boat. It was so much fun meeting all the people and they were all so nice! Even though A and D's boat is within view of the cottage I was a little nervous leaving it unlocked once the light began to fade so I headed back to my little spot and sat out on the front porch and listened to the end of the music from there. It was so nice to spend time with the "locals" and learn all sorts of stuff from them. Really this is such a hospitable area.

So I guess it's on to the next place, I've so enjoyed this quiet time in this little hide away.

Day 22-Shelburne and Roseway Beach

My steak dinner finished (I cooked it myself on the provided BBQ here) and the temperature nice without a breeze on my front porch, I am settling down to my evening task of blogging my day. OH yum, someone has a campfire going somewhere and it smells great. Hmmm, trying to think of things to tell about my day which was not very exciting but it was very nice.

A, the co-owner here told me of a secluded beach about 15 minutes away in the hamlet of Roseway. If I wasn't doing anything it's a nice place to go and just hang out. Well, after sleeping in this morning (10 am!!) I decided since it wasn't raining at least the beach was in order. A, gave me directions like we do in Saugeen Shores; go over the one lane bridge and follow the road until you find the sign for Roseway, go over a hill and there will be a cemetery on your left, then take the next dirt road to your left and follow it to the end. It may be marked Roseway Beach road or it may not. If you get to Boulder Cove cottages you've gone too far.
Love directions like that. It, by the way, was perfect and I recognized all the land marks I needed!

A little parking area just kind of dug into the dunes, a garbage can and a sign explaining that Piping Plovers are nesting in the area was all that marked this beach. Camera in hand (yes, I take it everywhere, which will make The Man very happy), I set out to the beach. Over the dunes and Wow! A huge expanse, about a kilometer I'm told, of soft white sand with the waves crashing in. This is awesome! I could see all of 4 people here too. Okay it wasn't super amazing beach weather but so what!

As I walked the tide was coming in and the waves would just creep up the beach shore. It was neat to walk along and have the waves go a bit higher on the beach. Great sound too. The wind was blowing a little bit and the waves were just crashing on the shore. It was so relaxing.

The sand is very soft and all I kept thinking of while I was walking along is that it was probably giving me a nice pedicure to the bottom of my feet! Forget the emery boards they use, I'll just walk on sandy beaches in the ocean to work on me tootsies.

On one end of the beach was a creek or river, what ever you want to call it but it was flowing pretty well when I got to it. Then, as the tide started to come farther in the creek reversed! Get out! All the stuff that had been flowing down the river now started to go up! Forget the reversing falls I was standing right there and the creek went backwards. How cool is that?! I know the picture doesn't look like much but the river really did go backwards, trust me on that.

On the other shore of the river about 20 feet away I thought there were just piles of seaweed piled up but then I noticed them flapping. Huh?? A closer look showed dozens and dozens of Plovers.

 

The picture doesn't do it all justice as to how many are there because if I panned out you wouldn't actually see the birds, that how well camouflaged the are. The were peeping away and just either standing around or picking at bugs that were around the piles of seaweed. Smart birds for being so well hidden. I noticed as the tide rose and the piles of seaweed got wet by the waves the little birds scattered off into the dunes. How special was that moment to capture them in pictures.

The clouds were thinning so I figured I'd go and get my chair and just sit for a while. It was great! The waves cresting and crashing and the wind blowing and some other people were down with kids playing in the waves. Just awesome!

3 hours later I packed up and headed back to town. I had it in my mind to have a nice BBQ steak dinner on my front porch so I needed to get a steak. Off to the store.
As I turned the corner at the cemetery heading back into town I saw this lovely young deer feasting on the clover in the cemetery grounds. I had to stop and take a picture. It was really a lovely animal and didn't seem to mind me.

Home and settled again and face burning from the wind burn I got I drifted off in my chair on the porch for a good old afternoon nap. Nothing beats those really. Love my snooze time.

So there was a relatively uneventful day in lovely Nova Scotia.
Tomorrow might actually be sunny and I might have to go back to that beach again. Hmmm

As it's Friday night here there is a little more activity around and everyone seem to be enjoying themselves it's a nice little area.

Well, off to do my dishes!

Day 21-Shelburne and Pubnico Nova Scotia

As I type the winds have quieted down, the sun is long gone and it's about 13 degrees out. The weather guy on the TV said that this is the date that the temperature starts to get cooler. Huh?
I know everyone in Ontario is still sweating it out in a warm one. Maritime Canada is not.
I, me, yes, me actually wore pants all day long. If that give you any indication.

Today I decided to travel around a little bit after sorting out my possible travel agenda for the next couple of weeks. I like to get possibilities thought out and potential distances to drive. I haven't booked anything yet but I have a more clear idea what route might work.

Being a lighthouse enjoyer I decided to see if I could get closer to the lighthouse I see off in the distance from my front porch. I know it's down the road a few kilometers but don't really know where it is. I set out...

Sandy Point Lighthouse is no longer lit but it's such a unique piece and such a part of the history of the entrance to this safe harbour that it has not been removed. It marks literally a sandy point of land that comes out from the main channel. It is not part of the main navigation channel so the light is not needed I guess. The fishing folk are too superstitious to have it removed.

You can see a crab boat off to the right and yes, the lighthouse is standing all by itself on it's own little wharf. Supposedly at low tide you can walk along a sand bar to it. That's how the lighthouse keeper used to get to it. Or row across to it. Right. That's work! Unique look I think.

As you can tell by the picture the weather wasn't the prettiest again today but I figured with my history of seeing the weather change so quickly I set out along the coast a little farther to see what was up.

The road was paved but really there wasn't a whole lot going on. Some lovely homes along the road that owners really spend some time on. The glimpses of the ocean were nice but not spectacular. Off to find something else.

One of my other goals here was to go to the most southernly point of Nova Scotia. It's called Sable Island and from the map it appeared that I could drive there. Off I went.
This is one of the most busy fishing areas in all of Nova Scotia and the point of Sable Island is really a bird sanctuary. There is so much going on here. In the fog or drizzle or what ever the heck it was there wasn't much. It was windy, remote and very eerie to see the Cape Sable light flashing about a kilometer off shore on the edge of the salt flats. Wow was it neat!

The arrows on the board show where I am. Right at the very bottom of the province!

Most lighthouses that are still used today have been changed to a solar powered, magnified LED or strobe type light. There are few lighthouses that exist with the old Fresnel lens still in them. I found one though. It's at Eel point in the hamlet of Barrington, Nova Scotia. The light is no longer used and the lens damaged so it's not museum ready but the whole lens is still in the lighthouse. It's neat to see how much space it takes up in the light cabin itself. Makes me think of the lighthouses in Ontario that have this little tiny light in it now and what they must have looked like in their heyday.

The Fresnel lens kind of looks like an egg up in the light cabin doesn't it? You can barely make out the top part on the right of the lens that's been damaged. Shame really.

Off I headed to find some lunch and I kept seeing some signs for Dennis' Wharf Seafood Cafe. Okay, I'm there. I'm now in an Acadian part of Nova Scotia and most signs are in French and I'm back to translating again. It's neat the way that some places just become French and in a kilometer there's not a sign of it. Interesting.

Found Dennis Wharf and this cafe is not what you'd think. The place is quite large with lovely seafood and very inexpensive prices. There were a bunch of 'locals' hanging out and that was fun to see. A great hot lobster sandwich was enjoyed (think hot turkey sandwich with lobster instead) YUM! oh yeah, and they had jello parfait on the dessert menu. Well, I couldn't resist. I remember as a kid there was this stuff that when you made it and poured it in a  parfait glass to set it figured out 3 layers. (I know The Mother is nodding her head at this). It was the coolest stuff. It was jello on the bottom and in the middle a jello fluffy mix and on the top a fluffy topping. How it knew what to do I don't know but I LOVED that dessert. We had these really long spoons to eat it with. This was just about the same! How cool is that. What a throw back.

Right across from the cafe is the busiest harbour in the southern part of the province. Over 100 fish boats which supply 3 different fish plants and over 500 people are employed.
Some of the fish boats are HUGE! They go way out into the ocean. I was imagining that the boats on "Deadliest Catch" are like this.

The pickup truck to the right gives the boat some perspective. It was gigantic! The roller on the back has 3 nets rolled up on it. It had come in an hour before with a load of haddock and flounder as it is a "bottom feeder" fisher. Interesting...Stinky too.

I wandered the dock and looked at all the boats. The names are great and I enjoyed seeing the creativity in the names. "Have 2 Go", "Mary Jane's Other Love"; "Pot Picker"; "Queen's Little Mary"; and it goes on...

Lobster season is over here for major markets for now and the larger boats are going farther out as the water is warmer in the summer and the fish go deeper to maintain their temperature in their habitat. I must admit though that the lobster here really is awesome as is all the fish. Something about less travel time I guess.

Around the dock I counted 4 cats. These, I learned, are essential to keep the rodent population down around the boats (rodents like fish scraps too) and the cats are well fed and keep a keen eye on visitors (I guess they knew I didn't really belong there).

 

One part of Dennis' Wharf boats, note the low sky!

Taking a back route to the main highway I found so many fish processing plants and so many homes with cleaned and readied lobster pots. This is what keeps this area going. In some ways it's sad that if this industry goes down here then this area is done.

Later in the afternoon the breeze picked up and the clouds moved off and the sailboats were out in Shelburne harbour and the sound of bagpipes filled the air. I was actually Skyping The Man when this happened so he got to hear some of the Nova Scotia atmosphere! Neat!
I hope the next couple of days will be nice! This was great!

Tonight I met one of the owners, A, of the Harbourside Cottages where I am staying. We were chatting about the way the town seems to be losing steam and the tourism, though good, doesn't seem to be enough. She agreed and it is hoped that the Irving Petro company will get the contract to have a ship building area here also there is discussion about increasing the aquaculture (fish farming for lack of a better description) will develop here. There are signs around town indicating support for both of these businesses. A, said that it would be a huge boost to this area and make such a difference. Even the town office is struggling to make ends meet. It's a challenging time.

So another good day in the Maritimes. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. There is a seashore nearby that is nice to walk on and I might check that out tomorrow. Or I might just sit in my lawn chair and catch some rays... decisions, decisions....

Day 20-Shelburne, Nova Scotia

Today was a drizzly, rainy, thunderstorm day but we didn't get the storm here yesterday that they got in Halifax. According to the news I got out just in time. Seems the storm that went through here after I arrived hit Halifax and there were delayed planes because of the lightening and the streets were flooded in one part of Bedford that I drove through a few times just to get to the highway. There was also a bad accident not far from here during the storm. Yikes!

This morning was cloudy and I'm still having a challenge reading the weather but I had a chance to have my coffee and work on a crossword puzzle on the front porch. Yeah, this is living! I never thought how much I enjoy making my own breakfast and hanging out with coffee when I did that this morning. I guess I've been a little rushed trying to get the breakfasts in at the hotel I've been staying at, a few times anyway. Keltic lodge and the Green Highlands Lodge were very relaxed and very pleasant I might add. Today was a day just to hang out. But I was itching to get out on my bike and tour around.

Shelburne, like other places I've been, is very quiet. I think I'm so used to the chaos of Toronto and summer time Saugeen Shores that when there is a quiet little town to hang out in it really is a quiet little town. Right now, it's 9:30 pm and there isn't a sound. Nothing. Nadda. With the winds being calm there isn't even any water sounds. Weird.

My bike was fun to ride on the boardwalks and wharfs around here and I got a few comments about it as it's something you don't see every day I guess. For me it's perfect. Folds up, in the back seat of the Equinox and I'm good to go when I need it.

Neat little bike eh?
The yellow building in the back is one of the ship building sheds, as is the grey one. The yellow building is now a restaurant and bar called the Sea Dog. I will give that a shot one day, since it's within throwing distance of my cottage.

The buildings here are all pretty authentic and other than upkeep they haven't been altered since they were built, some in 1753. What? 1700's! We don't have that in Ontario, too often anyway.
The one below proudly flies the Union Jack.

The above is a very typical example of the homes here. Windows with 6 panes of glass in each section, very uniform in it's design; this one though, has a dormer on the top, a precurser to the "widow's walk".  They are all of wood construction except for a stone foundation which was to protect it from the possibility of high flood tides. The bay here is very sheltered and the waves don't get very high but there is always the possibility of a higher than normal tide. The tide this morning peaked at 2 1/2 meters and that's just crazy!

I rode through the main street of town, or at least what was the "old main street", the road coming from highway 103 has some larger stores on it (like a Sobey's) and I think that little bit of development has made a difference to the "down town". The economy hasn't helped either as there are several stores that are no longer occupied.

There are a couple of restaurants that work strange hours, even in the summer and that's an indication to me that there is less traffic through here. One place is open from 12 to 2:30 pm and not on Sunday nights, Tuesdays or Wednesdays.... huh??

I'm happy to hang out at my own little place and have my own meals for the most part and not try and figure out when something is open. The Sea Dog is easy to predict, when the "open" flag is flying, they're good to go.

There is a trail that follows the outline of the bay to the otherside, I think it may have been a railway bed but it's hard to tell. It certainly isn't like the Rail Trail in Saugeen Shores but my little Dahone did just fine on it. There is The Islands Provincial Park at the other side of the bay and I headed for it.

Beautiful sites to camp on, small boat launch area and nice picnic area too. In 2 weeks they will be hosting their reinactment weekend where enthusiasts and historians get together in period costume and hang out (I guess). This site is beautiful and if the weather gets sunny I will go back as the pictures today don't quite do the view justice but it was neat to see the town from across the bay.

See what I mean? The little buoy in the middle of the bay is marking a crab pot.

Weather deteriorating I headed back into town and rode up and down some of the streets. Many side streets or laneways actually are really only 1 lot wide meaning the front of the house is on one street and the back of the house is on another. That's the way this part of the town was designed. More for the drive or utility sheds which would have been at the "back" of the properties.

As I rode down Ann street there was, what looked like from a distance a grave stone in the middle of the road! It wasn't. It was a well head. The orginial well head from the settlement. I had to take a picture. I've never seen anything like this before.

What the heck?? Right on. This is way cool. I love history like this.

With it actually starting to rain now I headed back to my little abode. Lunch had and accounts looked at (okay the price of gas is a little high out here at $1.31 a litre) and all was well for the afternoon as the rain came down heavier.

With my little computer I was able to Skype to The Mother and spent some time chatting with my cousin V in Prague. That was fun. The Man and I were texting back and forth too while he was at a meeting!
Really, what the heck did we do before all this technology came along? Yeah, I'd be writing in my little travel journal I guess. I still have mine from different trips. Fun to look at from time to time. This format is a little more creative.

Tomorrow? I don't know. I think I might head to Cape Sable which is the most southernly point of Nova Scotia but only if the weather is going to hold, no point going there if it's yucky. I have a few more days here and can always do that on my way to Digby too. It's only a couple of hours away.

I think the sound of my typing is so loud, you really wouldn't believe how quiet it is here. During the day, that's a different matter but it's a different kind of noise. Oh it's too hard to explain... you'll just have to come out here to hear it....or not. :-)

Day 19-Shelburne Nova Scotia

Today I left Halifax in fog and rain and looking forward to the next part of the adventure.
The South Shore of Nova Scotia is my next destination.
There aren't many pictures in this post because there wasn't much to take!

Again, seeking new things to see and do isn't hard when I've never been here before and there's so much to decide on.
As I've been travelling each day for the past several I'm looking forward to sitting for a bit and just hanging out. Off to Shelburne!

The little cottage I have rented is a "light housekeeping" type of cottage and since I'm not really sure what that means I decided to go prepared.
I stopped on the way to go shopping for some supplies as I didn't really know what Shelburne would have in it.
Well stocked with breakfast and lunch type stuff I headed off again. My body must have been craving fruit because I bought 4 different kinds.

The fog lifted about an hour into my trip and that made the sight seeing a little better.
A lot of Nova Scotia is or has been logged and you could see where the logging had happened. The attempts to make the forests come back is showing and the province is still very green.

Some small towns on the way were very small and I wondered how they came to be when there isn't any apparant industry around. They aren't on the water to offer any tourism things but still they seem to have people in them. I guess it's all in where you call home.

I arrived in Shelburne to find out the town was founded in 1753 by United Empire Loyalists! Many Union Jacks are flying in the town and that was interesting to see. As my ancestors are UEL is was weird to come into a town that was founded by them. The info plaques stated that at one time there were 10,000 people living here. Wow! Of course the area couldn't sustain them so most moved away. There is about 2,000 here now.

The cleaning lady was just arriving to work on my cottage and the owners were at work so she gave me the scoop and I headed out to have lunch, visit the tourist office and check the town out.  There is everything here that I'd need and my thought of having a seafood dinner that I cook will work out as there is a fresh seafood store in town. Yay!

The little cottage is like a bachelor apartment with open concept everything (except the bathroom) and a bbq!!

I am right in the middle of the most historical district of the town and the above is my view from the patio looking to the south, through the gap, way in the distance is the Atlantic. I'm on Shelburne Bay and the tides in this bay are 2 and half METERS! Wow! A couple of times I looked out and the boats in the yacht club practically disappeared! It was wild! I checked the paper from Halifax and it said that the low tide was at 1750 hours. I think that was the time I was looking outside at the boats. Yikes!

As I type I am looking to the south and through the mist I can just make out the lighthouse at the pier way off in the distance and the lights ares starting to come on around the harbour.
The wind has died off and it's nice a cool from a humid 24 degrees today. This little place has everything that I'll need for the next 5 days or so. Kitchen ware, hot plate (no oven), microwave, coffee maker and even coffee filters! Yay!

Tomorrow I'm going to walk around the town and there is a trail that takes me from this side of the bay to the other and a park that gives me a view of this side. I think I'll get the bike out and tour around. The cleaning lady (I hate when I forget to get someone's name) said that Shelburne won't be too busy because really there isn't too much to do here. I said that it's just fine because I'm looking forward to having coffee on the front porch in the morning and having a few meals that I cook for myself. Weird that I feel that way but I am looking forward to it. My dream menu is some scallops and maybe some rice. I've found out that there is a farmers market on Thursdays and Saturdays here. Now I just have to find out where it is again.... I guess the town isn't that confusing. Oh yeah, I have a map too.

I did find my Nova Scotia map that had decided to go in the back seat for a ride. Grrrr.

So I'm here, with a lovely view of a very historical area and I can see water from each of my 4 windows! The breeze can blow through and that's just the most awesome thing.

Until later....
The traveller....
(current address, 10 George St. Shelburne Ontario B0T 1W0; at least until Sunday)

Day 18-Lunenburg

Today, with the weather being perfect again, it was off to Lunenburg! This town is deemed a UNESCO world heritage site and that means something so it's got to be great. Okay, okay I know it will be great because the history and the pictures can't be wrong.
I found my way quite well today, after looking at the map a few times more. The highway is great and there was very little traffic so the trip was smooth.

The little side road to take you to Lunenburg takes you past Mahone Bay. If this place is any indication of what Lunenburg is like it's going to be a great day. The town was just kind of waking up and the tide was high so it was very peaceful looking.  The road hugged the shoreline and took a fair amount of concentration to navigate but very pretty. In the middle of the bay was a huge island with a fantastically huge home on it. I really want to know who lives on THAT! Wow!

I arrived in Lunenburg and found a series of one way roads and really steep inclines! Yikes!
I drove a few times around to get oriented and then parked on a street that wasn't a 70% grade and was easy to find again. Camera in place, hip sack on and I was out to tour.
The harbourfront is the most picturesque, so I thought, so I have lots of boat pictures.

With my interest in boats it's no surprise I went in search of the Bluenose II. It is being rebuilt. I've seen the documentaries on TV and actually there was one on two nights ago so I was completely informed.
By the old ship building shed there is a huge white tent like building. That's what I'm looking for.

When I looked at the tent it looked like a cartoon character with two eyes at the top and a big mouth opened up. Okay it just did to me.

Inside, even on a holiday Monday there were 8 workers toiling away. The noise was something else with planers and saws and hammering but it was fantastic to see, even if it was just a part of it.

I wish I cold give you some perspective on how big this schooner is but the fork lift on the right hand side is about 6 feet tall. This is one massive undertaking. I was told there is a store in town that the merchandise proceeds would go to support this project. I would go there for sure!

Lunenburg is a series of grid streets and some of them are a little challenging to navigate. The steepness of the roads must be just out of control to handle in the winter.

The homes seem to be stuck on the side of the hills and how they stick there I'll never know but the architecture is beautiful and the colours out of this world. There is every colour of the rainbow and the detail is fantastic.

Always looking out for that "typical Maritime picture" I found one. This is two Dory building sheds. There are two dories in the middle being built "the old way" with no nails only wood pegs and brass fittings. The town has been around since 1753 and these sheds have been around since then. Wow!

The town is simply beautiful, I don't know if I could take enough pictures of the homes and streets and stuff going on. It really is a working town and there are touristy things right along the harbour but the other streets are homes and offices and businesses. This is really a stunning place. Yeah the weather helped too.

St. John's Anglican church is the first place where religious worship was held in Lunenburg. It started in fact on the front lawn of the church as the building had not been constructed. This building is not to be missed in a tour of Lunenburg.

This exquisite building was ravaged by fire in 2001 and the parishioners rallied to rebuild. What a feat considering what was left after the fire.

I was in awe the whole time I was there that the work that was needed to be done, got done. What an amazing story of a parish that would not let a small thing like a fire take the life of their beloved building away. As I was there, wandering in and out of the building you could see the pride that St. John's has in it's parish life. I sat for a while and drank in the atmosphere. Really a special building. I'm so glad I visited.

A touristy town has no lack of places to eat and usually they are fast food type places but not in Lunenburg, the restaurants are top notch.
I chose the Old Fish House restaurant because of the history of the building. This was the place that salt was stored in the upper level that was used to preserve the incoming fish and process the fish in the lower level.
I was not disappointed in the menu or the view.

 

The above is the view from my table. Pretty nice eh? The green to the right is the Bluenose golf course and it is wicked difficult or so 3 ladies told me after I heard them talking about their game. There were no tee times for me, even for 9 holes but it is a holiday Monday here.

For those of you that know I'm a foodie I had to try the scallops with bacon jam. What? Bacon Jam? Huh?
After asking the very helpful and fun waitress I found that it is extra smoked bacon cooked very well then puree'd into a paste. That's it, that's all. And on top of pan seared scallops it is UNBELIEVEABLE. Not being able to decide between the different appetizers I had the sampler platter. Lobster and crab stuffed mushroom caps, lobster and crab and sun dried tomato dip with home made tortilla chips and the scallops. YUM. Oh dear my mouth is still watering. Soooo gooooood.

Sorry I had to include a picture....
It was just so yummy.

But I digress....
I have found that during my tours I take time. Just time to sit, to watch, to listen or just enjoy where I am.
Today during lunch, during the tour of the church I just sat and enjoyed. I think this is what vacation is all about, I feel that I'm really unwinding. The little things that might have bugged me before aren't (like my pass key not working when I got back to the hotel or the fact that my Nova Scotia touristy map has flown the coop), I think that means I'm officially in vacation mode. Nice!

Another short tour around the town and I was off to Mahone Bay down the road. Again, another picturesque town. I found a parking spot over looking the beginning of the Bay and with the breeze blowing and the sun shining and all the windows open in the Equinox I settled in to watch, listen and enjoy. I did for a while then felt that a nap was in order! It was so comfy there with the salty breeze filling the truck and the sound of gulls and terns fishing in the low tide. Ahhhh this is living. Hmm I hope I didn't snore too much. It was great.

Tomorrow I head to Shelburne and my little cottage. The weather is not supposed to the best and I guess that doesn't really matter I'll be in a quaint little Nova Scotian town with a few days to kick back.