Mar 8, 2020 | Flotsam
The following is the story of our recent road trip to Bear River, Nova Scotia…
Hummingbird House
This is the amazing 150 year old captain’s house with a sprawling 5000 square feet of beauty, antiques and charm where we stayed. I had booked the two guest rooms well in advance for us and our friends and arranged for purchasing four tickets for the sold out performance of Hold Mommy’s Cigarette. So super excited but a bit nervous that maybe I just might be over-selling how wonderful it would all be. I needn’t have worried.
Hummingbird House
Before Shelley departed to prepare for her performance, she asked what time we wanted breakfast and before I could answer, she announced “OK, 11:00 it is then”. Always the comic! She told me that after the show she is usually drained and crashes while she regroups so I didn’t expect any special treatment
Hold Mommy’s Cigarette
She and her husband set up and prepare for the show with minimal help, the set simply a reproduction of her growing up environment.
The Set
During the performance she plays her seven year old self, her mother, her grandmother and her current self. She deals with such emotional and traumatic events with such ease, moving effortlessly from character to character. We belly laughed and at times felt our eyes welling up with tears. It was truly a world class performance.
Gramma Persona
Following, we returned to Hummingbird House, stripped down to our bathing suits and wrapped in the fluffy robes left for us in our rooms. We skipped the sauna warm up and headed straight to the Nordic salt water spa that overlooks the Bear River and soaked and soaked and soaked until pruney, chatting and sipping wine. Actually I think we stayed there relaxing with our friends until at least 1:00 in the morning.
Hot Tub Heaven
That night we slept with the angels. Morning came with the delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee and when we descended to explore we found the breakfast table already set for the four of us. Cereals, toast, homemade jams and cake, freshly squeezed orange juice.
Good Morning
The sign she left on the table for us made me smile. So very Shelley!
Host with the Most
Four hard boiled eggs gathered that morning, two blue, two brown, prepared with love and so much care.
Farm Fresh
We asked Shelley to join us while we sipped coffee and chatted about the show and her life in general. She truly has had quite a challenging life and has come through the other side with such dignity and strength. I could have sat there listening to her for hours. Even as draining as it must be for her to perform then change costumes to become super host she carried it out with such ease.
Super Host
After breakfast was cleared away we packed up our gear and headed down to the barn to visit with Jason (Shelley’s husband) and the Farmacy menagery.
Farmacy Visit
I have such a soft spot for ginger cats! There was Marlowe, Peewee, Junior and Archie. Lucy Maude, the momma ginger, had previously departed for unknown adventures. Then there’s Johnny the black feral barn cat who is not a favourite friend of the Gingers.
Lucie Maud’s Tribe
They have an impressive variety of critters all with very distinct personalities. The shy and very grumpy pot belly pig. The curious sheep. One somewhat aggressive alpha goat who was insistent on challenging Francois to a head butting competition. The cautious feral black cat with vampire fangs. The adopted cow that nobody wanted.
Oscar
Jason told us a hilarious story about the time Shelley called out to him and asked where Mork, the goat, was to which he answered: ‘out in the yard somewhere’. To which she replied: ‘no, just got a call, he’s down at the legion and it’s not even happy hour.’ They said that one or other of the animals with wander off into the town from time to time but they have become such a well known fixture in Bear River that it’s never really a problem.
The Farmily
Let me see if I can remember the names of Shelley and Jason’s crew. There’s Maynard the Indonesian Ayam Cemani Rooster (complete with black feathers, black internal organs and black bones), Rosie, Tammy the Silkie with feathered slippers and Susie. Then there’s Oscar the cow; Bean, Hana, Gilbert, Mork and Mindy the goats; Molly B, Seymour and Audrey the pigs; Sweetie the sheep; and last but definitely not least, Steve the pony. I think my favourite of their critters was Phyllis the Frizzle hen with her perpetual bad feather day.
Phyllis Diller
Shelley refers to these wonderful animals as her ‘farma-suitables’. We came home totally relaxed and refreshed. Great entertainment, beautiful healing surroundings. The very best medicine indeed!
Nov 24, 2018 | Flotsam
Wildling moments, AKA (also called) time with the grandkids. I decided to make this a blog story instead posting a bunch of pictures on social media. It was a bit of a milestone…an event worthy of more than just a few pictures. Two of our little wildlings will be spending their first ever over-night away from their Mom and Dad. Truly a treat for us…for the kids… and for sure for their parents.
It involved pick-up at day-care. I won’t get into the details but grandparents aren’t pre-wired to install new fangled car seats with all of the ‘rules’. It took Francois the better part of a half hour to make them secure. Driving back to R.E.D. by the Sea was fun. We took the shore road instead of the highway, a beautiful ride with so many “I spy” options.
Dinner was an event (everything is an event with these two) finishing with the bribe (if you eat all of your dinner there will be ice-cream”). Good to know that what worked for my kids still applies today.
The in-depth discussion followed: “so Gramma, exactly what’s wrong with eating an icecream cone with a big wooden spoon”?
And the discussion went on…
…and on…
…until the focus turned to a tiny spider in the light fixture, which brought on a rousing rendition of “there was an old lady who swallowed a fly”.
Dinner and dessert cleared away, the table became a staging ground for trains, trucks and helicopters.
…with that moment when a child discovers the magic of same-pole magnets.
…followed by a little calming post-dinner/pre-bed story time by the fire with Gramma.
“Moana” was the movie of choice with a bed picnic of popcorn and Christmas milk (AKA egg nog)
Impromptu bedtime stories continued well after the lights went out.
The light of the full moon shining through the window made for some very interesting versions of the Three Little Pigs and in the silence I could hear the whispered voice of a three-year old counting sheep up to one-hundred.
We all slept with the angels tonight.
Morning came early with more trains and trucks guided by camp lights…because turning on the room lights would be boring.
Another successful meal. Breakfast of Gramma’s waffles with yogurt and maple syrup dipping sauce.
Followed by more stories from Papa while we waited for Momma and Dad to return.
When it’s all over there’s always a wee touch of sadness…
…but it’s now time to re-set, crank up the tunes and get back to work on our next project.
You know by now that you can always count on us to have much more to come for sure.
Thanks for stopping by.
For those reading this in a language other than English, please forgive the automatic translation.
Oct 20, 2018 | Flotsam
You know you are living in paradise when you struggle with the idea of going away on vacation….but we did….for five days!
In our past life we would have thought five days was not nearly enough….one week either….two weeks minimum would have been needed to re-balance and re-set our stress levels. Now five days seemed like too much…but we did it.
Fall in Nova Scotia is really the best season. The air is fresher with a slight chill and the changing colours bring ‘leaf peepers’ by the bus load.
We had a couple of reasons to take a break from R.E.D. by the Sea. Francois had never travelled the Cabot Trail and neither of us had visited Fort Louisbourg. Next year the plan is to trailer R.E.D. to sail the Bras d’Or Lakes so we wanted to scope out marina locations in advance. And what better time to visit than Nova Scotia’s best season.
Cape Breton
We were not disappointed!
Peace by Chocolate
I had made a wish list of things to see, one of which was a stop in Antigonish to visit Peace by Chocolate. You can read all about this heart-warming success story here. What better way to support a local business than to purchase their delicious chocolates for gifting.
On the Road
It was difficult not to stop at every fence post to take pictures of the stunning colours but we resisted. There would be many more ahead of us.
Bilingualism in the Highlands
Many of the signs in Cape Breton are bilingual. English/Gaelic, because of a large Celtic population and English/French because of many French speaking communities as well.
#32
Free range critters were abundant along the way, both wild and domestic.
Iron Art and Photography
Cape Breton is also rich with artisans and very talented unique crafters. We stopped at a few looking for that perfect souvenir.
Room with a View
I had just one criterion for choosing our accomodations while away: a room with a view. Each one a vista of colour and salt water.
The route was a series of nail biting curves ( at least for me the acrophobically challenged) with hair pin turns that wound through the highlands.
From time to time we would encounter those less fearful. Sitings of extreme sports enthusiasts on road skiis and bicycles careening down the steep inclines were frequent.
Fog on the Water
When visiting the Cabot Trail, viewing in perfect weather is 50/50….a toss of the dice. Sometimes you could be socked in with fog, sometimes clear blue skies all the way. Throughout our five days we were lucky to have a mixture of sun, rain and fog which made for some interesting photography.
Vibrant Colours
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a variety of colours. So many shades of reds, oranges and yellows intermingled with the eternal greens.
Colours Everywhere
The hills were definitely alive with the energy of the season.
Never Far
No matter where you are in Nova Scotia you are never more than sixty-seven kilometres from the ocean and because it draws us like a magnet, we always seem to gravitate toward the shore.
Keltic Lodge
Ingonish Beach was a must see stopping point with waves crashing the shore.
Look Off
Side trips of hiking trails were the perfect way to stop, take a break, breathe in the salt air and get a little exercise. Some of the trails were closed though because, as the agent at the park entrance said, some tourists had upset the wildlife and the moose were retaliating.
Force of Nature
Reconnecting
Neils Harbour
North Shore Lobster Season
The Shed
Mira River
Our route took us along the Mira River and Marion Bridge bringing back memories Anne Murray and her “Song for the Mira”.
Out on the Mira
Red Chair Initiative
Our final stop was Fort Louisbourg, a Parks Canada site. Along the road toward the entrance were the two iconic red chairs placed in so many Parks Canada locations across the country.
“Whether it’s a place to rest after a leisurely stroll or to cheer your successful completion of a strenuous hike, the red chairs offer a place to slow down, to relax and to truly discover the best that Parks Canada has to offer.”
Harbour Lighhouse
Louisbourg Harbour was once a lake but with the rising waters it is now officially the entrance into the town of Louisbourg.
Prelude to Peace
I won’t go into details here but if interested you can read more about the very interesting history of the fort here
We pretty much had the place to ourselves. One of the guides gave us a personal tour with tons of information about the fort’s history and their plans for future changes. He was also an exceptional photographer proudly showing us images he had taken during special events at the fort.
Taking Flight
There were moments of silliness with Francois chanelling his inner Harry Potter…muggle!
Outside
Inside
Details
French Kitchen Garden
Beach Combing
We couldn’t leave without walking along the rocky shore past the fort to search for bits of unique driftwood.
The Entertainer
Our last supper and last night in Cape Breton was spent with Brenden and Nathan, owner and chef of a charming restaurant in Louisbourg. Actually it was the only restaurant open, as being a mainly tourist town, many businesses had closed for the season. Even if there had been other dining options it would have been sad to miss this experience.
The decor was quirky with old doors fronting the bar, rough barn board cladding the walls, interesting local art lining the walls and Brenden was so entertaining. We sank into comfy leather chairs in what Brenden called his living room and sipped a glass of chilled local wine while Nathan threw together for us the most delicious fish stew with homemade biscuits.
Melmerby Beach
Final on my must visit list was a stop at the much photographed beach, Melmerby, then we headed back to our dear R.E.D. by the Sea, loaded with treasures and so many great memories.
Our Souvenirs
So there you have it, another adventure completed for the crew of three: Captain Francois, Communication Officer and Galley Kat, and First Mate Major Pig.
We weren’t totally distracted by the Cape Breton beauty and hospitality though and did find the perfect location to launch R.E.D. into the waters of the Bras d’Or Lakes next year.
Bras d’Or Lake
For those who prefer to read our story in French, please forgive the automatic translation
