A new adventure - Prince Edward County

 

I'm waaaaaayyyyy behind - not just in documenting the most recent adventure to PEC (Prince Edward County, in Ontario, Canada) but in pretty much, well, life.  But because this is the most recent adventure - albeit a week ago, and things have happened since then - I thought I'd start again with this.  In some ways, I wish I had journalled more throughout the week.  I was simply too exhausted for the first few days.  That's ok.  Sometimes you just have to take care of your body, mind and spirit by allowing it to rest, and making that the priority.  So I did.  And I'm glad I did.  I'm glad I gave myself permission to not think I "had to" do anything.  Mindfulness is starting to kick in.

So, for this post, I'll just share the actual journey, not the events (well, maybe a quick note on the event).  Because I didn't actually document anything, and my memory isn't what it used to be, I'm depending on Google maps Timeline feature to remind me where all we travelled, and stopped, and hopefully I can fill in the blanks in my head later.

Sat. Sep. 17/22 - 

• First stop, EggSmart a block away for breakfast.
• From EggSmart on Homer Watson Rd. in Kitchener to Port Hope, ON, where we stopped at an En Route for a very quick lunch and bio break.
• Stop in Carrying Place, ON at a small vintage place
• Stop at the Bed & Breakfast, Ard Macha, to check in, unpack, refresh from the long-ish drive, and decide where to go for supper.  
• County Canteen in Picton for supper.
• Back to B&B for the night.

Sun. Sep. 18/22

• Taking County Road 7 east from the B&B, our first stop was at the side of the road near Prinyer Cove, and then again shortly after on the same road to photograph birds and boats in the Cove.
• Continued to County Road 8 around the end (sort of ) the peninsula to 5th Town Cheese Co., sampled cheese and bought a few culinary treasures, honey, crackers, jams and mustard.
• Next door we stopped at The Cape Winery, where it was raining slightly, and we went ahead and had an outdoor wine tasting, while watching 4 gray kittens tumble over each other, and the two cows and large hog in a pen.  
• A bit further along Rd. 8 we stopped at the Rose House Museum, however, it was closed.  Beautiful, though, and hopefully we can go back next time we're in the area.
• In Waupoos, we started at the Waupoos Winery, but their lunch was too large for what we wanted, so we went across the street to the Cressy Mustard Company and ordered a sharable poutine - which turned out to be enough for 5 people - and a hot dog each - and we could have split that too.  
• We followed Rd. 8 back to Picton, and found Macaulay Heritage Park, which was also closed and it was still raining.  We wandered the grounds, peered in the windows of the historic home, read the signs, vowed to return some time (which we never did), and then continued on.  
• We opted to find The Local Store on the recommendation from our hosts, and enjoyed it (some purchases made) but didn't find either the antiques nor the fine art to be anything we wanted to take home.  
• Spent a few minutes at County Traders in Bloomfield, a vintage store with mostly furniture.  Interesting place with interesting items.
• Next up was Dead People's Stuff - which sounded way better than it actually was.
• Stopped at Kinsip Distillery, where they had great tastings, things to take home and funky chickens.
• Back to Picton, explored the marina and saw a black-capped night heron.  Then we stopped briefly at the Arts on Main Gallery and thoroughly enjoyed the many artists' work on display in this co-op.
• Up to Lake on the Mountain and walked around the park area and lookout, then went to Miller House for a charcuterie board and some wine.
• Stuffed, tired, back to the B&B.

Mon., Sep. 19/22

• First stop was the Tim Horton's in Picton for coffee
• Straight to Wellington, where we hung out at the marina for a while to see if we could find any birds.
• Side Street Gallery, where there were some beautiful pieces of art, and I think I bought a couple of small things (lavender soap?).  Maybe this was the place with the Dutch door?
• Next door we stopped at a small house that had been converted to a small business that did wine tastings of local wines, and had an extensive selection of wines and culinary delights - some of which did come home with us.  Decanter PEC, house was built in 1848 and they had put this in tile in the front hallway.  Wait, we were drinking wine before noon?
• Out in the country, west of Wellington about 5 kms we found By Chadsey's Cairns, a gorgeous old barn that was home to another wine tasting, and a bottle was purchased - was it a Reisling or a Gewurtz?  Those were the only two they had, as they were retiring.
• Driving further west along the Loyalist Parkway and we found Sandbanks Winery - and I love their Baco Noir.  Another wine tasting (three before lunch?  Sheesh!)  Some winery exclusives were a must to take home.
• Back to Wellington for lunch at the Midtown Brewery, for me, a shrimp roll.
• North along the 2 to Carson's Garden and Market, where they had a small nursery and lots of interesting gifts and curios.  Can't wait to try the Raspberry drink mix.
• We had heard there was another distillery so we set out to find it, and did.  Stillus, which is Ukrainian owned and they had vodka, gin and perogies (perogies were only on the weekend though so we never did try them).  I had a very interesting tasting and Steve had a cocktail.  Should have bought the key lime vodka.
• Heading back toward Picton and ran across Huff Estate Winery, but we were feeling a bit like we didn't really need any more alcohol.  We did go into the Art Gallery there, Oeno, and saw a few pieces we really liked, and a few surprises.  2 Maud Lewis for sale and 1 Group of 7 for sale.  More on that later.
• Back through Bloom field to Picton, where we stopped briefly at the marina, then found Coach's Pub for dinner.  We sat in the back, and that was interesting.  Pretty good food, but did we really need one more drink?  Not really
• Back to the B&B where we just kicked back for the evening.

Tuesday, Sep. 20/22

• We had decided to go to Kingston today and purchased tickets the night before, and made the reservation.  Fastest way was to take the Glenora Ferry.  From there we followed the Loyalist Parkway east all the way to Kingston, parked and walked to the pier where we picked up the Thousand Island Cruise.
• Spent the afternoon cruising through the Thousand Islands.  A cool and very windy day - except around the Admiral Islands area, where it was sunny and much calmer.  
• The live music was a bit much as were the selfie takers.
• Arriving back in Kingston, we wandered, shopped - including a couple of new zunimals and a tshirt for Steve at the Lighthouse gift store, wandered through a very eclectic antique store, found a stationary store that had no pens, and finally went for dinner at Chez Piggy.  
• Driving back to the B&B was mostly uneventful, the ferry was on it's way back to our side when we arrived, and there were very few cars.  A quick trip across and a short drive back to Ard Macha.

Wed. Sep. 21/22

• A gorgeous day, so let's find some nature and maybe go for a hike.  First up, McDonald's for coffee.
• I point us south, toward the Point Petre Provincial Wildlife Area, which turns out to be fenced off, and part of an old Army Reserve.  But we find our way to the beach, where it is miles of bedrock limestone, perfect for walking, and there is no one else around for about an hour.  Lots of great pictures, awesome find!  
• In search of lunch, we stop at Lighthall Winery, where they have wine and cheese pairings.  Although it's not much, it's at least a little bit to keep us going.
• Long Dog Winery is next, and although the wine tastings are interesting, they have no food.  Cool place, tucked away.
• Collier Collection Antiques was interesting, but we only spent a few minutes there.
• Driving along Old Milford Rd we noticed a yellow shed that appeared to have turned into an art gallery.  Aiden Haley was a delightful gentleman who had painted for most of his 85 years.  
• Back to Picton, where we decided to check out Gus's Diner, another recommendation by our hosts.  Unfortunately, having eaten at Chez Piggy the night before, Gus was, unfortunately, a bit of a lunchbag letdown.  
• Back to the B&B, where we sat out on the upper balcony for quite a while, enjoying the warm evning.

Thursday, Sep. 22/22

• First stop once again is McDonald's.  This is getting to be a habit.
• Next we stop at the Metro grocery store to grab a couple of sandwiches, as the plan is to be in an area where there is little chance of finding a place to eat lunch.  We're glad we did this.
• A short stop at the Little Bluff Conservation Area to use the facilities and a short hike along the top of the cliff, and we find that we can go back on the same admission.
• We've opted to visit the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, where Steve's intel has indicated he may see some migratory birds.  It's at the end of the road, and we spend a good portion of the day there, getting some cool shots (no birds, however), get a good hike in, lots of fresh air, and see some very interesting abandoned buildings.  
• Stop in again at Little Bluff C.A. and walk around some more, get more pictures from the beach this time.
• We decide to go back to Lighthall winery and pick up a bottle of the sparkling white that we had tried, but they had already sold out.  Oh well.
• I had seen signs, and ads, for Honey Pie Hives, an apiary that had Mead, which I've always wanted to try.  We tried it, and that was enough.  But the Buckwheat vinegar was amazing!  Better than Balsamic!  And the hand-dyed yarns...  uh oh.  And tea, and of course honey, and soap.....
• Back through Picton we stopped again in the area of the Macauley Heritage site.
• We both thought of the same place for supper, the Waring House restaurant.  The food was very very good, the place was super busy, and they had live music!  It was a loooong night though, the server seemed to be exceptionally busy, but we enjoyed it.
• Back to the B&B.

Fri. Sep. 23/22

• Earlier in the week we had driven past a place to the east called Red Roof Gallery.  As we drove past (no Open flag out front) I had emailed and they said to just come in.  We got sidetracked that day, but the artist did watercolours, my favourite, and I wanted to see it.  So I called and he thought it would be ok if we stopped in.  What a treat!  Loved his work, and we each bought a piece.  I think we made his day.
• We backtracked from the art gallery and went west again, this time stopping first at McDonald's.
• I had hoped to check out a Pioneer Village in Ameliasburg, and we were not disappointed.  It was very well kept, we were the only guests, and we saw some great artefacts.  One interesting aspect was the taxidermy special exhibit.
• We headed south from here, just wandering, and came across the Grange Winery - well, I had googled looking for a winery with food, and this place had a food truck - gourmet food trailer was more like it.  We opted for a glass of wine (no tasting) to drink with our lunch, and thoroughly enjoyed sitting out in the sun and having our treats.  The venue was gorgeous.
• It turns out we were on Clossen Rd., and country road that had several interesting places along it as neighbours.  Our next stop was Old Salt Cocktails.  What a cool place!  We each had a cocktail that was mostly booze, but it was yummy.  And such a beautiful spot to just sit and relax.  
• Next we visited Prince Edward County Lavender, a delight for the senses.  Many treasures were found here and brought home, including a couple of small gifts.
• Closson Chase Vineyards was the best of them all, a beautiful barn, perfect sunlight (although by now I had a pretty serious sunburn on my face, not enough sunscreen!), fantastic wines, seated outside and our tastings were selected at the table and brought to us instead of us standing along a bar.  Gorgeous place.  
• One more winery, this time Broken Stone, one which had been recommended by the other couple staying at the B&B.  More tastings, more delight.
• We had been searching for a winery with pizza, as we kept seeing "Wood fired Pizza" signs in front of all the wineries - except the ones we visited.  So we went back to Picton and had pizza at 555 Brewing, which was good, but apparently we missed the best - because they were closed.  Maybe next time.
• By the time we got back to the B&B we were both dead tired, we'd had a bit too much to drink, too much sun, and we just wanted to rest.  We shared a little maple whiskey from Kinsip with our host, and then begged forgiveness to simply go to bed.  

Sat. Sep. 24/22

• Our last full day in the County and we were ready to slow down and take it easy.  I had been wanting to browse the shops on the main street in Picton, much like I had done years before in Picton, NZ, and so we started off with a coffee from Tim's.  While Steve was at Tim's, I tucked into a second hand store and found a few treasures.
• Dollarama for foam core boards to keep our new watercolour art treasures from bending.
• After this we found parking on the main street, and wandered in and out of a number of fine retail stores, me buying way too much but it was all worth it - I can't get these things anywhere else!  And of course a lot more window shopping.  Soaps, and yarn, and books...
• Lily's Cafe for lunch - fantastic place, we will go there again.  We wish we had been able to stop there earlier as they had sandwiches and smaller fare.  
• We opted to spend some time just winding down so went back to the B&B and found some outside space to relax, read, and of course, Steve had a nap.  It was glorious, although the AirBnB next door had new people outside in the pool.  Fortunately they were not rowdies, and were actually playing classical music for a while.  The cool air coaxed them inside after a while, and we were undisturbed.
• Dinner was at Bloomfield Public House, another place to return to and enjoy.  But next time we'll make reservations, fantastic food!
• Back to the B&B for a good night's sleep.

Sun. Sep. 25/22

• After yet another wonderful breakfast and great conversation, we headed out on our way home.  On the way we had a few stops we wanted to make, the first being Andara Gallery.  It was really a studio gallery, with a husband/wife artist couple showing their works.  Wonderful work it was, he did encaustic art - very good, we both loved it - and she was a photographer.
• A bakery close by, Taste of Country, offered a place for a bio break, and lots of good eating!  Some cheese bread, cherry bread, and a couple of jams may have made their way into the car.
• Stopping at an On Route in Newcastle offered a chance for another bio break and some lunch, just a bagel, as we'd had such a large breakfast.
• Steve had heard there was a bird hanging out in Col. Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke, so that was our next stop, and we had a chance to stretch our legs.  The skies coming over the city were very dark, but we managed to miss the rain - and catch a rainbow over the yacht club next to the park.
• Homeward bound at last, dinner on our last night was easy, fast and cheap - a quarter pounder with cheese for me and a bacon deluxe cheeseburger something for Steve at the Golden Arches.  
• Home at last.

Photos and details to follow.

The Frozen Tree

She was a former movie star. Songs had been written about her. Every year in December, people everywhere celebrated her and adorned her with lights and jewellery of all colours and shapes and sizes. Her love for other creatures shone in the way she provided warmth and shelter to any living thing that needed it. Whole communities of beings just like her were everywhere, standing tall, supporting each other, doing what they did best - breathing for everyone else, and purifying the air, and whispering to each other their ancient secrets.

But after only a few years, the job became overwhelming. There were fewer and fewer of her, massacred in huge numbers by man and by fire and by exhaust and they started to die, younger and younger. And the exhaust exhausted her and others like her. It stopped raining like it used to, and the sun shone hotter and she could no longer keep up, breathing for all the other creatures to live.

She started to fade. Even though she was still pretty young, she was fading. And her younger siblings had less and less of a chance of survival, let alone becoming movie stars. Many of the youth in her community had been sent there, as though to a refugee camp, instead of being born there naturally. And although that was still better than not having anyone else for many centuries, these new young things didn't know the culture, they were displaced, and what was left after the massacres took a while to accept these new creatures from other places.

And so the communities declined even further. Even in places where there was strong growth, the old stories, the ancient purpose of breathing for everyone and everything, of being, of community, was gone, replaced by the projected purpose of serving man. She tried hard to remember what it was like, to pass it on to the next generation, to help the new young things understand the true meaning, but all she had was this old, faded memory.

And she faded.

And froze.

And felt as though she was drowning, with only her head barely alive.

Back to basics

 January 1, 2021

Well, if this is going to be a blog, maybe I should write in it more often.  And since travel (geographically and physically) is going to be out of reach for a while longer, I may as well admit that the human race has traveled to a weird place as a species in the past year.  So, here goes...

Back to basics. Each year on the first day, people set "New Year's Resolutions", which last for varying lengths of time, anywhere from 1 day to a couple of months. I used to do that too, but then I discovered I was more successful at making changes in my life by setting targets or goals, and then determining how changing my behaviour could help me reach those goals. But then, that stopped working too. The past year has been tough on everyone, and I'm no exception. Covid-19 introduced a new level of behaviour modification - sometimes good, and sometimes with negative effects. Many humans that should have been setting good examples behaved badly, triggering an avalanche of yuck. A lot of people have been lumping everything into "2020 was a bad year", but really, it's not any worse than the years of other pandemics (like the Black Plague, or Typhoid, or any number of wars that saw thousands or millions of deaths). So, as the past year came to a close, and there was hope for the current pandemic in the form of new vaccines, and a new president-elect of the U.S. that appears to be more.... well let's just leave it at that. This isn't intended to be a political diatribe, just my random thoughts about what a new number in the "YYYY" field means to me. The clock ticked forward, but really, life itself hasn't changed much. No more than being one year (one day) older. Unless you change it. Let me repeat that so it sinks in. Life won't change, unless you change it. Sometimes, that's really hard. Accepting that maybe decisions you made in the past aren't working for you anymore, and changing your mind. That's ok. What worked yesterday isn't necessarily going to work today or tomorrow. Passions that you held onto for a long time may fade, that's ok too. You may have new passions. You may be able to leave some responsibilities behind. You need to let old negativities die. People you have lost are still gone. Make new memories.

Back to basics. I've been giving this a lot of thought lately. As life has slowed in the past year, and as I watched how wildlife behaves, and how nature works all by itself, and how humans behave, and think about how humans are always questioning everything from "why am I here?" to "what can I do to make more money?". My question becomes, why is human nature so much different than nature? My answer is - it doesn't. Or rather, to me, it shouldn't.

If you watch nature, and wildlife specifically (because it is more in the same timing as humans), everything lives for one reason, and one reason only. To live. Simple. Easy. I started thinking about this more seriously back in the summer, as we watched a pack of wolves from behind one-way glass, with the wolves in a protected area but living as naturally as possible (other than hunting wild game for their own survival). I watched and learned, tried to learn, something that humans have not needed to understand for millenia, that the object of life is not to become wealthy, or have more than anyone else, it is simply to live, and then, when it is time, stop living.

We fill our time, in first world countries anyway, with pursuits that wind up becoming our passion, and then our whole way of life. We've forgotten - because we can - that those passions are really, in nature, just a way to fill the time between needing to feed our bodies, care for our bodies and those of our offspring. In lean times, or in lean places, caring for our bodies can take most or all of our time. In centuries past, before mass production and distribution of food, and the replacement of the necessities of life with money, feeding and caring for our bodies took a lot of our time. Money was only invented as a way of purchasing the things we need to live when we couldn't produce it ourselves. And over the same centuries, humans have found ways to hoard and stash and steal to have more money than we need, because we have forgotten that all we really need is to live. If only everyone could understand that the things money can buy do not add any years to your life. It doesn't keep you alive any better.

I started looking at my own life. At my priorities, my passions, my values, my goals. And I started thinking about what it might take to feel more satisfied. More alive. More natural. More content. I have so many wonderful things, everything I need to live. And yet I question. And if I'm questioning, then those who have enough for many lives (and yet they can only use one), must also continuously question. I cannot help anyone else. I can only do what I can in my own life to get back to the basics of living. Taking care of my own body. My own spirit, my own space. That means caring also for my home, my financial stability (not wealth accumulation, that would be extra), and my own pack (family). Once I've got that taken care of, then I can play. If I have anything left over, I will share with those who are not able to care for themselves.

Perception is reality - Perception 1

Connecting.  It's the reason that social media and online professional networking have become so insanely popular.  We all want to connect with other people, and that need and desire so quickly and easily becomes a way to market, a way to get our brand out there, a way to reach people and gain new prospects.  But none of that is true connection, or is it?  It can certainly lead to that.  If it's genuine, and comes from a place of trust.  

For anyone who is using social media to market themselves or their brands (including me), I believe we need to remain cautious, both in how we present ourselves and in how we receive the information we see.  It should not be any different than how we present ourselves in public - in fact, we should probably be even more cautious online.  In the online world, people see what we show them, but they then interpret what we show them through their own experience, filters, judgments and learning.  The biggest thing that is missing online is CONTEXT.  We only see what someone shows us, and they only see what we show them.  No one has the context.

What do you see in the photo below?  Is it a pink and purple wall with multi-coloured background seen through cutouts?  Or a pink and purple wall with reflective bars hanging down reflecting what is behind you?  Two totally different perspectives, and because you don't have the context, or the whole picture (what is going around around this photo), it's difficult to tell which of these it is - or perhaps something completely different!  The same thing can happen with people - including you and me.


Imagine "Sally" has had a really bad, very busy and stressful day.  She has been running from meeting to meeting, dealing with nasty clients, didn't get lunch, it's 30 C outside and the A/C inside isn't keeping up.  The school has called to say her son has misbehaved and she needs to go in for a meeting with the teacher.  The bank calls to say there was a fraudulent charge on her credit card.  At the end of the day, she gets out to her car, and finds that it has been hit in the parking lot by a careless driver.  This is the last straw! She starts swearing to herself, upset even angry, kicks a tire, finally takes a selfie that shows the damaged car in the background and shares it on social media.  

In her anger, she doesn't bother to correct autocorrect errors (IKR?), uses a couple of words she doesn't normally, and hasn't bothered to check her appearance and looks like she just crawled out of bed.  A new "friend" sees this online.  "Friend" (we'll call him "Joe") believes that Sally is an angry person who lets something as simple as a dent in her car, which is easily fixable, is a big deal, and that she is lazy about typing her posts.   Joe comes away with a somewhat negative impression of her, which stays with him until the next time she posts something, which may be days later.  There is no point in interacting, "liking", or otherwise engaging in such a negative post!

Another new friend, "John", is walking near by to his own car, sees Sally being angry and upset, and walks over to see if there is any way he can help.  She shows him the dent and he comments that it doesn't seem too bad, insurance should cover it and she can at least still drive it.  She agrees, calms down a bit, and explains that there were several things that went wrong during the day.  She realizes that her hair is probably a mess, and smooths it almost without thinking, apologizes to John for seeming to be negative and they laugh a bit about how life hands you lemons sometimes, you just have to figure out how to make lemonade.  They go their separate ways, and John decides that Sally is a pretty cool lady.

John got the context.  Joe didn't, or perhaps got a different one.  Sally showed the same thing to both people.  John's perception is different than Joe's perception, and yet for each, it is their reality.  

How do you come across in social media?  Are you consciously aware of what your impact will be with every post or comment?  Is it really how you want people to see you?   Is it different than what you may show someone in real life?  

Just something to think about, that's all.

Moments in Nova Scotia History

Disclaimer - all photos on today's post were taken with my Samsung Note 8, SOC no editing.  And kind of off-the-cuff.  Can't wait to share the stuff I got with the Nikon and Sony!

Today, I was treated to a warmer day again, although still the brooding clouds.  Somewhat fitting for the places we hope to go.  But first, I need to extol the virtues of the amazing food I've been treated to - besides halibut cheeks.  Don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em.  Down east cooking is down home cooking, and my hostess, the beautiful Ann of Ann & Brian's Ocean View B&B loves to cook, makes things from scratch (usually without a recipe) and a lot of stuff gets cooked on her woodstove in their living room behind the kitchen (that most guests are not privvy to - I feel honoured and blessed to have shared wine and time with them in such a cozy place!) 

This morning, breakfast was started by Brian, in his cook's hat and apron no less, and was a platter of vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit cut in bite-size pieces and granola.  That would have been enough for me, but then Ann came along and made blueberry pancakes and sausages!  Whaaaat?  Who on earth can eat all this food?  So it's a good thing we're planning to take advantage of the non-rainy weather and go see the cliffs of New Waterford, and maybe some crashing waves.  Maybe a good hike will help wear all these extra calories off!

It was a wee bit disappointing, as the ocean remained quite calm, considering the storm from last night.  I do manage to get some cool perspective shots of a bit of seaweed, and a gorgeous driftwood log that almost blends in with the rusty shale rocks that the cliffs seem to be mostly made of.  No wonder the cliffs deteriorate at about a foot per year.  I can always come back later, but I do want to see the Low Point Lighthouse and the Stone Church while it's not raining, so off we go.

First the church, which I saw briefly on our way to tof he B&B from the airport after I arrived in NS.  I fell in love then, as my heart seems permanently tied to the plight of old churches that have not been maintained, and that we are in danger of losing because of it.  Churches are such a unique piece of architecture - each one is custom designed and built, and is sacred to many people.  That alone should make them a prime candidate for love and care.  They have always represented community, faith and honour (I know, they have also been less than honourable, but that is because of people that attached themselves to them, not because of the building itself!).

 The first image in this post is the Stone Church, and I sense that even though it was "saved" at the last minute from being demolished by the diocese in order to sell the land (the church apparently has still not learned the lessons it teaches re: money), it may not see another century.  I caress the walls and windows by capturing the light reflecting from it in my cameras, noticing that every window has been dedicated to the memory of someone in a carved stone plaque above it.  Even so, a couple of the windows are in danger from being broken, their protective plexiglass having been broken into pieces first.  It is as though the grand lady has aged rapidly and is literally falling apart.  Soon I will share a longer story, but for now, she sits sadly, watching the ocean for someone to come and save her.

The next stop is Fort Petrie, at one time a stalwart line of defense against the invading German submarines.  Where once stood proud cannons and live tanks and troops, now is a small, rusting and crumbling, locked building, the armoury in sad state of disrepair, the original sign in tatters and leaning against the outside wall of what appears to be a storage shed, and the gunnery on the cliff - now littered with litter and graffiti of human skulls and cupid's hearts.  Another painted sign on the storage shed is of poppies, and "Lest We Forget", a grim prophecy that appears to have become reality - the community has indeed forgotten. 

The Low Point Lighthouse is relatively small, considering the amount of coastline it has to protect ships from.  As for most lighthouses these days, it is automated, the light always moving, always on.  It has no way of entering (it would probably be covered in graffiti and broken in no time in this harsh, forgetting place), but is clean and has a fairly new-ish coat of paint.  It seems to be newer than some I've seen, but there is also the remnants of other buildings that must have stood there at one time and did not withstand the test of.... whatever.  A weird, very tall, concrete "table" for lack of a better word, and the concrete floor of what looks like it may have been a small building of some kind. 

Below the lighthouse at the bottom of the shale cliffs is the remnants of a wharf that must have served for a very long time.  No one is around now, but this was at one point (you can tell) a very solidly built wharf.  The wood is still solid for the most part, and yet it has been replaced with a concrete wharf a bit further away.  The ocean bottom must not have been forgiving enough in this place.  The sky, calm seas, and structure provide me with several minutes of entertainment, as I ponder how much of our past - in Nova Scotia and everywhere else - seems to be disposable, instead of being the wealth of knowledge and experience we should be making it.

The last stop of the morning is the Colliery Lands - the site of the old coal mines, where 4 mines were once both the primary employer of the area, and most prolific murderer.  There is a huge memorial that lists hundreds of men over more than a hundred years that have lost their lives to provide homes with heat.  These should be revered as much as those who gave their lives to protect the country, but we rarely hear about them.  We see the tiny little rail cars that shoved dozens of men into the bowels of the earth, deep below the sunlight , and Ann tells me of the members of her family that were in those cars. 

The afternoon is spent reviewing the photos on my cameras, then going alone back to the cliffs of New Waterford to play with waves (which are now a bit more interesting) and birds (tiny shore birds running about frantically, stabbing the rocks for tiny bits of food with the long slender beaks).  and when it starts to rain, I give up and wander back to the B&B to dry off and relax for a bit while Ann makes fish cakes in a cast iron frying pan on the woodstove.  Seriously.  Right? 

I feel like I have spent the whole day transported back in time to a place that is unrecognizable to me, and from what I saw, mostly to the next generations.  Let us hope that wiser heads prevail and that we are able to teach the younger generation about how we and our ancestors lived, so that the adults of the future do not make the same mistakes.

To Ingonish and back - the long way around

Friday morning dawned cloudy and cold.  No surprise considering the storm the night before.  The sun makes some attempt to appear, but is unsuccessful.  Ann has planned a full day for us, first to Louisburg, then the Cabot Trail to Ingonish where we will stay for the night at her brother's home.  On the way, two trails that she has found to be great hiking opportunities for both of us and beautiful photo opps for me.

Louisburg is fascinating.  I had always thought it was a completely preserved or restored village  It has actually been rebuilt, almost from scratch, and it continues to be built.  It appears to be very authentic, from the community water well to the governor's house.  I wander for ages, taking lots of photos (which I will post later after I've had a chance to review and edit on my laptop), and do a Facebook live 360.  Because it is no longer tourist season, however, only a couple of rooms and buildings are open to the public, and we can only see so much from the outside.  

Next stop is the Lousiburg Lighthouse, the first lighthouse in Canada.  The original stone foundation of the lighthouse keeper's house is still there, as well as the outline of the original stone lighthouse.  The current lighthouse is uninhabited and automated, and appears to be in sad repair. Still it's interesting to capture this Maritime treasure. (Again, more photos later, I was not thinking straight and forgot to take anything with my Samsung cell).

We crossed the waterway to the Cabot Trail at Englishtown by ferry - a 2 minute ride or so - and landed on the Jersey shore (not really, but almost - Jersey Cove) and quickly found our way to the Trail.  It is, thankfully, still full of colour, despite the storm from the night before.  Some trees have lost all or most of their leaves, but most others are still in full colour, with some still showing green.  The range of colour and height of trees is astounding, and I've already decided that I need to return another year, a week earlier, and take a full 2 weeks to explore the Island.  

Middlehead trail is our first hike, and it's about 4 km in total.  Lots of climbing over tree roots and rocks, and we are warned before heading out that there could be coyotes.  Ann grabs a good stick to flail should we meet one, and off we go.  We encounter ground squirrels and a fluffy bunny, but no coyotes.  Great views, lots of photos, and a great workout.

The Freshwater Trail almost evades us, due to poor (non-existent) signage. But we do find it, just in time to grab some great golden hour shots right before the sun goes down.  Film at 11.

We reach Ann's brother's place in Ingonish in time for a wonderful dinner, thanks to Wilson and Joan, and a joyful evening of jokery and conversation.  A great night's sleep and we're greeted with a forecast of 50 mm of rain.  Hopefully we can get to the Skyline Trail before that starts.

After a quick breakfast of english muffins and wonderful crabapple jelly, we part ways with our hosts and head out to drive the rest of the Cabot Trail, and hopefully hike the Skyline Trail.  Ann has heard the Skyline has been closed off and on for the past couple of weeks due to "agressive moose", so we shall see what the status is when we get there.  

We find a couple of good spots to take some more photos, get through Pleasant Bay where we start heading south, and eventually make our way to the Skyline Trail.  Unfortunately, today, it's closed.  We're both disappointed, although it's still pretty chilly out, and very windy, so maybe it's for the best, moose or no moose.  

This also leaves us a couple of hours to explore some other places and hopefully find another trail that is open.  In the meantime, we decide to have lunch in Cheticamp, about the only place with a population and an open restaurant on the west side of the Island.  The host tells us that the special today is "halibut cheeks", and since neither of us has ever tried this we both decide to have it.  It is absolutely amazing.  They really are the cheeks of the halibut, and the server (who is decidedly older than we are, and in a wheelchair, which we love because it means we can talk with her at eye level, and agree this should happen way more often) tells us that they ask for them from the boats when they come in.  I love this lady's accent, so "down home", and ask if these cheeks are easy to find.  She says no, they have to ask for them special, they might have them at the fishery in Glace Bay or North Sydney (Ann is happy about this), but I probably will not find them in Kitchener.

At any rate, we rave about them all afternoon, so mild, don't taste anything like fish, and have a texture more like scallops.  So tender and just melt in your mouth delish.  The rest of the west coast has been remarkably (for the most part) less scenic than the first part of the trip, but we do find a couple of places to stop and grab a shot or two.  This time, I remember to get out my phone though, and get a couple of shots.

Especially at this beach we find by the trailhead for "Le Buttereau", which tells us that there are coyotes, moose and bear on the trail.  It starts to rain, Ann can't find a stick, and we decide it's not worth it.  We descend again (it's a fairly steep hill that we've started to climb), and chance checking out the beach - stony to be sure - and as the tide is fairly low, we get to see some rock formations that really display the nature of this amazing Island.  Colourful, grained, with quartz veins and lots of character, the rock wall stretches above us for several stories.  It would have been a magnificent view, had we kept climbing.  But the beach gave us a different view.

It starts raining a bit more so we opt to head out towards home, and although it never does get to that 50 mm rate of rain, the skies are so gray and hazy that there is not much of interest to capture on camera.  

The day ends with another amazing meal - Ann prepares prime rib roast, yorkshire puddings, and sauteed mushrooms and onions.  Divine.  Hockey night in Canada, and now it's time for bed.  Zzzzzz.....

A wind is howling in New Waterford

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting our descent into Sydney, please make sure your table is safely stowed, and your seat back is in it's upright position".

It has been almost a year since I have traveled anywhere by plane, and now I find myself back in the same province as I was the last time, just two weeks shy of a year ago.  So much has changed in my life since then, but my friends are still my friends.

When I was "restructured" last November, my friend Ann invited me to come and stay with her and her husband Brian in Sydney, N.S. but my head was just not in the right place.  She asked me if I would take photos of their B&B, one of the many people that were pushing me in the direction that they knew was right for me, even if I didn't know.

And now, finally, I am here.  Sydney.  On the edge of the continent.  The fall colours were still vibrant as we drove from the airport to the harbour, where we had a lovely snack and a glass of wine, at the Governor's House (a restaurant and pub, not the real thing).  It used to really be the Governor's House and the waiter tells us that there is still a jail cell in the basement - but doesn't offer to show it to us.

We walk across to the harbour, where an enormous cruise ship blows it's horn, as it's final "all aboard" and starts to churn the water as it glides incredibly slowly away from the dock.  Ann and Brian assure me that we'll be able to see it go past their house when we get there, in New Waterford.  As we drive along, the fall colours really pop, Sydney is a city but there are many trees around.  I cross my fingers that the wind that has sprung up will not obliterate the colour as we have planned to hike a few trails along the Cabot Trail in the next couple of days.

It seems to take forever for the cruise ship to make it's way to the New Waterford area, and it is further out in the harbour than usual.  My hosts wonder if the ship has altered course slightly as they expecting a bad storm overnight.

A pot of salted meat is brewing on the wood stove - seriously - and we sit and enjoy a glass of wine and catch up a bit, as we haven't seen each other for a few years.  Ann tells me about her plans for the weekend, and about her family, some of whom I will have a chance to meet in the next couple of days.   We are going to Lewisburg tomorrow morning, and staying in Ingonish tomorrow night.  Supper is ready, and I'm treated to an east coast traditional meal of salt pork and potatoes, cabbage, carrots and turnip all in the same pot.  It's divine!  Oh ya, and homemade bread.  I knew I wouldn't starve this weekend, but boy, that was outstanding!

My hosts are impeccable in their service, and I feel right at home already.  It's a beautiful house, they built it new a few years ago, and as always, Ann selected the most lovely combination of colours in the decor.

After supper, Ann and I talk for a long time, catching up some more, getting to know each other better, and finally, my eyes start to feel very heavy.  Here I am in a large room, one of the B&B guest rooms, and listening to the "bad storm", the wind is howling as though it were the middle of winter, so our trek tomorrow may require the gloves, hat and extra layers I brought along.

The new hiking boots, tucked away neatly by the front door, have worked their magic once again, and I am living a new adventure that I didn't think I would have a chance to experience for a long time.

Peter Pan strikes again.