Hello everyone,
Well, it is almost Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner. We purchased some of our Christmas presents today. I have a long way to go.
I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a meal we are planning at Duane's home. Vicky has sent out the invitations and I need to get the groceries. We do not know exactly how many will be coming but it sure looks more than 25 people. I will get my "Fix" for cooking again. It is a pleasure to have a big kitchen and ovens that really work well.
We will have Christmas here with the kids and grandkids and then we will go to Ohio for our next Christmas with the rest of the family.
We left Ohio on the ninth of November and spent an evening in Berea, Kentucky, and had dinner with some good friends. The next morning we did the drive from Berea to Denver, N.C. Since we have been here it has been a whwhirlwind of activities. My Mom and brother came down to Charlotte on Monday so we have been busy driving an hour to have activites with them since they are staying in Charlotte. Tomorrow Walt is going to the Nascar Museum with my brother in Charlotte. I have the plan to do some shipping on my very own. I may just have to look around because it is not a day for bargains.
Talk to you soon.Marge
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
October 6, 2010
We have been spending time with family here in north eastern Ohio. We have finally got a plan to fix our RV, alleluia!!! We will leave this area on Thursday and pull to Howe, Indiana and they will do the repair done on Friday. We do not know how long it will take, so we will be going ‘by ear.’
Tuesday we went to Chardon and the surrounding area to check out RV parks in that area. Since son # 4 has taken a job in that area we needed to know where to park when we visit the boys. They will be moving as soon as they find a house. He is driving 1½ hours each morning and each evening to get to work and back home. Needless to say, that is not a good schedule after working a good 8 hour shift.
Today we plan to meet our friends from Cleveland for lunch and review the many things we saw on our wonderful trip to PEI and Nova Scotia. They planned the trip but were not able to go with us because of health issues.
I will be doing the blog in a shorter version in the future, so check back with me occasionally to know what we are doing in our life.
Tuesday we went to Chardon and the surrounding area to check out RV parks in that area. Since son # 4 has taken a job in that area we needed to know where to park when we visit the boys. They will be moving as soon as they find a house. He is driving 1½ hours each morning and each evening to get to work and back home. Needless to say, that is not a good schedule after working a good 8 hour shift.
Today we plan to meet our friends from Cleveland for lunch and review the many things we saw on our wonderful trip to PEI and Nova Scotia. They planned the trip but were not able to go with us because of health issues.
I will be doing the blog in a shorter version in the future, so check back with me occasionally to know what we are doing in our life.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October 2, 2010
Today was family day. We went to Sam’s soccer game. Her team won 2 to 1. It was a hard fought
Game because the other team was much larger than her team. Sam made one goal so she was entitled to a shake from DQ. The whole family did the same. It was cold at the game so when we came out of DQ we were very cold.
In the evening Walt and our two boys in this area went out for dinner and a social at a local bar and grill. It was 10:30 when they came home. Long dinner. I went with our two daughter-in-laws and the two younger grandkids for dinner. The older teen had other commitments. We had a nice time at the spagetti warehouse. We had a very interesting discussion about Walt and I being able to pick up a stone off of the ocean floor without getting wet. Nice day.
Game because the other team was much larger than her team. Sam made one goal so she was entitled to a shake from DQ. The whole family did the same. It was cold at the game so when we came out of DQ we were very cold.
In the evening Walt and our two boys in this area went out for dinner and a social at a local bar and grill. It was 10:30 when they came home. Long dinner. I went with our two daughter-in-laws and the two younger grandkids for dinner. The older teen had other commitments. We had a nice time at the spagetti warehouse. We had a very interesting discussion about Walt and I being able to pick up a stone off of the ocean floor without getting wet. Nice day.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
October 1, 2010
It is still raining. When we went to bed last night the Deleware River, which was just down the hill from our site, was 6.8 feet when we went to bed. They were expecting a crest of 16 feet on Saturday. Well, the river is at 18 feet and they say it was crest at 22 feet tomorrow morning. Walt says that when he walked Bart this a.m. he thought the water was flowing at about 20 miles per hour. The managers of the camp are moving anything that may be flooded, like sheds, tables, trash canes and they are even emptying a storage shed.
As we began our travels we had 359 miles to go today to get to the park at Louisville, Ohio. The jack on the rig would not go up all the way, but we had it high enough to drive. When we reached Milford, PA., a little town near the park, we were very pleased with the main part of town. Even though the mall was a few miles down the road their downtown was bustling with activity and I did not see a unoccupied store front. It seems they have a good group of people who kept on the top of things. Unlike some of the downtowns in our area they are doing well.
Our trip was long an tedious. This amount of miles in one day does many things to the occupants of the truck. We stopped about every 2 ½ to 3 hours and stopped for a long lunch but we still got at the park at about 5:30 p.m. We did hit sunshine at about noon time, but driving on the interstate all day is not very interesting.
When we tried to extend the jack we were having problems with it would not go up or down. So we pulled out the 3 ½ ton floor jack that Walt had bought for the occasion and we have one corner of the RV standing on that one piece of equipment. It will do until we can get an appointment to have it fixed in Elkart, Indiana.
Needless to say we are ready for bed
As we began our travels we had 359 miles to go today to get to the park at Louisville, Ohio. The jack on the rig would not go up all the way, but we had it high enough to drive. When we reached Milford, PA., a little town near the park, we were very pleased with the main part of town. Even though the mall was a few miles down the road their downtown was bustling with activity and I did not see a unoccupied store front. It seems they have a good group of people who kept on the top of things. Unlike some of the downtowns in our area they are doing well.
Our trip was long an tedious. This amount of miles in one day does many things to the occupants of the truck. We stopped about every 2 ½ to 3 hours and stopped for a long lunch but we still got at the park at about 5:30 p.m. We did hit sunshine at about noon time, but driving on the interstate all day is not very interesting.
When we tried to extend the jack we were having problems with it would not go up or down. So we pulled out the 3 ½ ton floor jack that Walt had bought for the occasion and we have one corner of the RV standing on that one piece of equipment. It will do until we can get an appointment to have it fixed in Elkart, Indiana.
Needless to say we are ready for bed
October 1, 2010
It is still raining. When we went to bed last night the Deleware River, which was just down the hill from our site, was 6.8 feet when we went to bed. They were expecting a crest of 16 feet on Saturday. Well, the river is at 18 feet and they say it was crest at 22 feet tomorrow morning. Walt says that when he walked Bart this a.m. he thought the water was flowing at about 20 miles per hour. The managers of the camp are moving anything that may be flooded, like sheds, tables, trash canes and they are even emptying a storage shed.
As we began our travels we had 359 miles to go today to get to the park at Louisville, Ohio. The jack on the rig would not go up all the way, but we had it high enough to drive. When we reached Milford, PA., a little town near the park, we were very pleased with the main part of town. Even though the mall was a few miles down the road their downtown was bustling with activity and I did not see a unoccupied store front. It seems they have a good group of people who kept on the top of things. Unlike some of the downtowns in our area they are doing well.
Our trip was long an tedious. This amount of miles in one day does many things to the occupants of the truck. We stopped about every 2 ½ to 3 hours and stopped for a long lunch but we still got at the park at about 5:30 p.m. We did hit sunshine at about noon time, but driving on the interstate all day is not very interesting.
When we tried to extend the jack we were having problems with it would not go up or down. So we pulled out the 3 ½ ton floor jack that Walt had bought for the occasion and we have one corner of the RV standing on that one piece of equipment. It will do until we can get an appointment to have it fixed in Elkart, Indiana.
Needless to say we are ready for bed.
As we began our travels we had 359 miles to go today to get to the park at Louisville, Ohio. The jack on the rig would not go up all the way, but we had it high enough to drive. When we reached Milford, PA., a little town near the park, we were very pleased with the main part of town. Even though the mall was a few miles down the road their downtown was bustling with activity and I did not see a unoccupied store front. It seems they have a good group of people who kept on the top of things. Unlike some of the downtowns in our area they are doing well.
Our trip was long an tedious. This amount of miles in one day does many things to the occupants of the truck. We stopped about every 2 ½ to 3 hours and stopped for a long lunch but we still got at the park at about 5:30 p.m. We did hit sunshine at about noon time, but driving on the interstate all day is not very interesting.
When we tried to extend the jack we were having problems with it would not go up or down. So we pulled out the 3 ½ ton floor jack that Walt had bought for the occasion and we have one corner of the RV standing on that one piece of equipment. It will do until we can get an appointment to have it fixed in Elkart, Indiana.
Needless to say we are ready for bed.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
September 30, 2010
Happy Birthday, Eric!!! Have a Great day. Dad and I are really getting to a mature age when we look at our children. Oh, Amanda and Courtney I send you a belated birthday. We remembered your birthdays but I forgot to put it on the post.
Today we traveled thru Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and finally reached Pennsylvania. It is a study of geography in one trip. We actually did not see anything because we were on the Interstate all day. We really found out how congested some of these areas really are around the interstates. I believe we traveled through every large city in our pathway. Sometimes we left one and were right back into another. It rained all day in varying degrees. We got on the road in dry weather but hit rain as soon as we reached the interstate.
When we got in Pennsylvania we took the first exit and within 3 miles we were at the park we were to stay at tonight. Needless to say, we had to set up in the rain. Thank goodness, we did not have to block up the wheels and our injured jack did extend as needed.
We have spent the night in the R.V. except for a trip to the gas station for some diesel fuel which was 3.29 per gallon. Record for this trip.
Goodnight for today.
Today we traveled thru Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and finally reached Pennsylvania. It is a study of geography in one trip. We actually did not see anything because we were on the Interstate all day. We really found out how congested some of these areas really are around the interstates. I believe we traveled through every large city in our pathway. Sometimes we left one and were right back into another. It rained all day in varying degrees. We got on the road in dry weather but hit rain as soon as we reached the interstate.
When we got in Pennsylvania we took the first exit and within 3 miles we were at the park we were to stay at tonight. Needless to say, we had to set up in the rain. Thank goodness, we did not have to block up the wheels and our injured jack did extend as needed.
We have spent the night in the R.V. except for a trip to the gas station for some diesel fuel which was 3.29 per gallon. Record for this trip.
Goodnight for today.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
September 29, 2010
Well, we made it out of the muddy site and emptied our tanks at the dump station. Then we were on our way. We went to Route 9 thru Calais, which is near the border, and headed for interstate 95. After a few toll stations and about 4 hours we arrived in Baddiford, Maine, just south of Portland, Maine.
The park is very nice and we pulled into our site and the rig was level. Hurrah, we finally got a good level and dry site. When we put the jacks down we heard some very unusual sounds from the jack we had fixed. We do hope we can make it home before it completely stops working. We may have to go to Elkart, Indiana, and get it fixed before we can really settle in Mercer County. I guess our home is like any home—You always have different things to fix even with a home on wheels.
After we got settled we drove into Baddiford and picked up some medication for Walt and stopped at a grocery store for some fruit and milk. We have TV tonight, so we will spend a lazy night at home watching the TV.
Tomorrow will be a very long day of driving so we will turn in early.
The park is very nice and we pulled into our site and the rig was level. Hurrah, we finally got a good level and dry site. When we put the jacks down we heard some very unusual sounds from the jack we had fixed. We do hope we can make it home before it completely stops working. We may have to go to Elkart, Indiana, and get it fixed before we can really settle in Mercer County. I guess our home is like any home—You always have different things to fix even with a home on wheels.
After we got settled we drove into Baddiford and picked up some medication for Walt and stopped at a grocery store for some fruit and milk. We have TV tonight, so we will spend a lazy night at home watching the TV.
Tomorrow will be a very long day of driving so we will turn in early.
September 28,2010
We slept late this morning-It seems we have finally run out of steam. It felt good to sleep late, but I was not up the par as of this morning. We went to Eastport this morning and found a nice place for lunch. This is one of only two towns along the coast which has not gotten real tourist hungry. There were the simple buildings and shops like any other small town away from the ocean except it had a working harbor with fishing boats and one 2 mast schooner which gave rides of the coast line for any interested party.
We also did a ‘look and see’ at the St. Croix International Historic Site. Apparently in 1605, a Pierre Dugua from France started a settlement on St. Croix Island with 78 men to build the buildings. They had brought the frame work for the buildings from France and finished them up with local timber. After spending a very cold and stressful winter he ordered the men to take the buildings to Port Royal and rebuild the settlement. He returned to France to keep his venture going, but he never returned to St. Croix. In 1607 the settlement was left in the hands of the Mi’kmaq and the French went back to France. After 1607 there was a contest between the French and the British as to who will control the new land. In 1783 The St. Croix River was determined to be the boundary between Canada and the United States. There are many more facts about the area but I have not added all of them to this report.
After the little tour we went back home and then at about 5 pm we drove 20 miles to Baileyville to have dinner at the home of our friends. They had been our neighbors in Florida for the past 2 years so we were very glad to see them. They are a very gracious and wonderful couple. We had a few things in common—they have two sons in North Carolina just as we also have two sons in North Carolina. The food was great and the company was a joy.
We also did a ‘look and see’ at the St. Croix International Historic Site. Apparently in 1605, a Pierre Dugua from France started a settlement on St. Croix Island with 78 men to build the buildings. They had brought the frame work for the buildings from France and finished them up with local timber. After spending a very cold and stressful winter he ordered the men to take the buildings to Port Royal and rebuild the settlement. He returned to France to keep his venture going, but he never returned to St. Croix. In 1607 the settlement was left in the hands of the Mi’kmaq and the French went back to France. After 1607 there was a contest between the French and the British as to who will control the new land. In 1783 The St. Croix River was determined to be the boundary between Canada and the United States. There are many more facts about the area but I have not added all of them to this report.
After the little tour we went back home and then at about 5 pm we drove 20 miles to Baileyville to have dinner at the home of our friends. They had been our neighbors in Florida for the past 2 years so we were very glad to see them. They are a very gracious and wonderful couple. We had a few things in common—they have two sons in North Carolina just as we also have two sons in North Carolina. The food was great and the company was a joy.
September 27,2010
Tonight we are in Calais, Maine. We are finally in the US and we hoped for a little least rustic parks than what we have been in since we left the states. Well, we were wishing too much because we certainly have a rustic park with a double on the rustic. We had about 6 sites to pick from and after trying one site we moved to another site. The first one was just too uneven. We would have had to do many layers of blocks to unhook and then we may have had trouble unhooking the truck so we moved to another site. This one was very soft and as I was driving the back wheels slipped on the wet grass and ground, so the differential locks and the back of the truck was having convulsions. Walt took over and he even had problems but we finally got in a good spot and we did not have to block up any of the wheels.
After eating lunch we rested until about 3:30 and then some friends came over for drinks and we went out to eat at a very fascinating restaurant along St. Andrews Bay. The restaurant was in the back of an old house. The house had a very steep roof with a black roof and black fret work around the edge of the roof and around the windows. The house was definitely a style of other old homes in this area which are located along the bay. When we went into Calais we also saw a few old houses which had been renovated and still had a lot of fret work also. The food at dinner was very good. We all had the special for the evening which was a seafood casserole. It will take me a few days to get over this rich food since I have not been eating that kind of meal for the last 6 months.
Tomorrow we hope to visit the shoreline, especially Eastport, Maine.
After eating lunch we rested until about 3:30 and then some friends came over for drinks and we went out to eat at a very fascinating restaurant along St. Andrews Bay. The restaurant was in the back of an old house. The house had a very steep roof with a black roof and black fret work around the edge of the roof and around the windows. The house was definitely a style of other old homes in this area which are located along the bay. When we went into Calais we also saw a few old houses which had been renovated and still had a lot of fret work also. The food at dinner was very good. We all had the special for the evening which was a seafood casserole. It will take me a few days to get over this rich food since I have not been eating that kind of meal for the last 6 months.
Tomorrow we hope to visit the shoreline, especially Eastport, Maine.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
September 26, 2010,
Today is Sunday. We went to mass at a church across town. The town and area of Moncton have 15 Catholic Churches and 7 have English Masses and the rest are in French.
After Mass we did some shopping because there was a large shopping center near to the park. I did a kitchen store, Michaels and then we did a pet store. When we had no luck with the pet store we went to Walmart and picked up some eggs and milk at a Sobeys Grocery Store. We had planned a quiet Sunday but it was busy anyway.
Tomorrow is a travel day. Goodnight.
After Mass we did some shopping because there was a large shopping center near to the park. I did a kitchen store, Michaels and then we did a pet store. When we had no luck with the pet store we went to Walmart and picked up some eggs and milk at a Sobeys Grocery Store. We had planned a quiet Sunday but it was busy anyway.
Tomorrow is a travel day. Goodnight.
September 25, 2010
Well, today Walt planned our day and it was a very busy day. We started out very early, like 7:30 am. We left so early because the first stop was Hopewell Rocks. It was about a 30 minute drive on a very rainy day. They are rocks that look like Flower Pots when the tide is out. Flowerpot rocks created by the clash of continents, carved by melting glaciers, then sculpted by the highest tides in the world. The tides are one hundred billion tons of water drawn by nature’s force, flowing into the Bay of Fundy. The tide changed 36 feet today. We arrived so early because we wanted to see the site when the tide was at the low point. We had to wait until 9 am to get in the park and everyone would have to leave the site at 11:45 am because the tide would come in again. We bought our ticket and started to walk to the beach. It was a long ¼ mile hike and I made it with ease. Then we had 99 steps to go down to the beach. They had decks after 10 steps to go down a different direction. When we got to the bottom we saw these huge rocks which were like columns in weird shapes and with trees on the top standing on the ocean floor. The people who were walking thru them and around them looked like little ants compared to their height. We spent time walking around on the ocean floor and choose a few small rocks to say that “we had some rocks from the ocean floor”. Then I went up the steps and Walt took a longer walk and came up another stairs. Well, I made it up the steps with less difficulty than I had imagined. After the tour we went to the café and had breakfast. This was at 11 am.
After the rock excursion we went back to Amherst, Nova Scotia. This was about a 1 hour drive. The reason we went to Amherst was that there is a famous rug hooker who has a studio in that city. Her shop was a high point for me. She has a web site and I have researched it, so I knew what I was going to see. Deanne Fitzpatrick was not in the studio today but she had a very nice lady who answered my questions and gave me all kind of info when I said I did not know how to hook.
Deanne began hooking rugs in 1990. What began as a way of warming the cool floors of an old farm house, developed in an art that allowed her to tell stories, express ideas, and create a livelihood. She uses narrow strips of wool, yarn, ribbon and whatever will work to make a whimsical picture on her rugs. She is known for her whacky houses and large bottomed women. She uses very bright colors and a lot of seaside settings. If you would like to know more you can visit her web site at www.hookingrugs.com. It is a very nice website. When I get done with some quilts I may give rug hooking a try.
Our next stop was Fort Beausejour or Fort Cumberland. It depends if you use the French or English version. The star shaped Fort Beausejour, overlooking the Bay of Fundy, was built by the French in 1751 to defend their interests in the area. The fort fell to the British in 1755, and was renamed Fort Cumberland and repelled American and local rebel attacks in 1776. Reinforced for the War of 1812, it was abandoned in 1835 and declared a national historic site in 1926. Walt loved the tour. He cannot pass a fort or a lock when he is in the area of either one.
Next stop was at a winery called the Magnetic Hill Winery. They had renovated a 1856 house and the winery was in the lower level. Jeff, the owner, gave us a lecture about the wine industry in this area and how they were using fruits as their base for wines instead of grapes because they have not been able to find a grape that will survive the winters in this area. He said that Minnesota was working on some vines that would survive in their area so he was more confident about getting some vines from that area which may produce the grapes for grape based wines. We met a couple from Quebec who were traveling to Cape Breton for a week. We gave them some pointers of what to see and then we followed them to our next attraction.
We drove to the area just back of the winery to a park that had what was called a magnetic hill. The hill is the number 3 visitors’ attraction of the province, You pay $5 to stop at the top of a hill and put your car in neutral and the magnetic pull will hold the vehicle so it goes down at a very slow rate. Then when you get to the bottom you put your car in neutral and the magnetic pull takes you back up the hill. When we got about halfway we were moving at about 10 miles per hour. Walt had to try it a few more times and so did the couple we had met at the winery.
The Magnetic hill was only a few miles from the park that we were staying at, so we drove a few more miles to a grocery store and then went home for supper. It was a long but interesting day.
Talk to you soon because we get back to the US in the early afternoon if all goes well.
We have had internet service at this park so I hope we have the same in Maine.
After the rock excursion we went back to Amherst, Nova Scotia. This was about a 1 hour drive. The reason we went to Amherst was that there is a famous rug hooker who has a studio in that city. Her shop was a high point for me. She has a web site and I have researched it, so I knew what I was going to see. Deanne Fitzpatrick was not in the studio today but she had a very nice lady who answered my questions and gave me all kind of info when I said I did not know how to hook.
Deanne began hooking rugs in 1990. What began as a way of warming the cool floors of an old farm house, developed in an art that allowed her to tell stories, express ideas, and create a livelihood. She uses narrow strips of wool, yarn, ribbon and whatever will work to make a whimsical picture on her rugs. She is known for her whacky houses and large bottomed women. She uses very bright colors and a lot of seaside settings. If you would like to know more you can visit her web site at www.hookingrugs.com. It is a very nice website. When I get done with some quilts I may give rug hooking a try.
Our next stop was Fort Beausejour or Fort Cumberland. It depends if you use the French or English version. The star shaped Fort Beausejour, overlooking the Bay of Fundy, was built by the French in 1751 to defend their interests in the area. The fort fell to the British in 1755, and was renamed Fort Cumberland and repelled American and local rebel attacks in 1776. Reinforced for the War of 1812, it was abandoned in 1835 and declared a national historic site in 1926. Walt loved the tour. He cannot pass a fort or a lock when he is in the area of either one.
Next stop was at a winery called the Magnetic Hill Winery. They had renovated a 1856 house and the winery was in the lower level. Jeff, the owner, gave us a lecture about the wine industry in this area and how they were using fruits as their base for wines instead of grapes because they have not been able to find a grape that will survive the winters in this area. He said that Minnesota was working on some vines that would survive in their area so he was more confident about getting some vines from that area which may produce the grapes for grape based wines. We met a couple from Quebec who were traveling to Cape Breton for a week. We gave them some pointers of what to see and then we followed them to our next attraction.
We drove to the area just back of the winery to a park that had what was called a magnetic hill. The hill is the number 3 visitors’ attraction of the province, You pay $5 to stop at the top of a hill and put your car in neutral and the magnetic pull will hold the vehicle so it goes down at a very slow rate. Then when you get to the bottom you put your car in neutral and the magnetic pull takes you back up the hill. When we got about halfway we were moving at about 10 miles per hour. Walt had to try it a few more times and so did the couple we had met at the winery.
The Magnetic hill was only a few miles from the park that we were staying at, so we drove a few more miles to a grocery store and then went home for supper. It was a long but interesting day.
Talk to you soon because we get back to the US in the early afternoon if all goes well.
We have had internet service at this park so I hope we have the same in Maine.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
September 24, 2010
Today we had an interesting day. The trip from Peggy’s Cove to Moncton, NB was very uneventful but it did rain the whole way. We were on the interstate for most of the trip and Lizzie behaved herself. We did not have any strange directions.
When we got to the park in Moncton we did not know what we were in for in this park. The driveway was paved and lined with trees, but the drive had a severe downgrade. When we got to the bottom of the drive everything looked good. When Walt came out with our site number I could not believe it was on a grassy field where the grass had just been mowed and it had rained most of the day. The staff was trimming trees at the back of our lot because the mountain (name for a huge self contained unit) next to us needed more height so they could get the RV back far enough to park. They started trimming our tree also so we could back into the lot.
Then interesting things started to happen. The lot was very uneven and slanted to one side. Walt did the directions and I did the backing. We were on wet grass and with the rugged terrain I had to really watch what I was doing. When we got on the site Walt checked the angle and we put 4 inches of blocks under the off door side. The jacks went down very well even though we also had to put extra blocks on the off door side. Then when I backed up and Walt released the latch on the hitch we were still doing okay. Then I slowly pulled forward and the RV jumped and we had the RV unlatched from the hitch but not able to move out of the hitch area. We definitely were anxious about the fact that we had a 8 ton home balanced on a sliding hitch. Well, after a few attempts to get the hitch latched again we had to do something different. I was sitting behind the wheel asking the Lord to get us out of this very perilous situation. All I could think of having the front of our home go down on the ground. Well, the good Lord helped Walt adjust the height of the RV on the jacks and we finally got it hitched again. Then we attempted another unhitch and it finally went fine. Our trouble was that we had leveled the trailer but had not leveled the truck. So I guess we had some operator error and some site problems. We have done hundreds of unhitches, so we got some more experience of what to do.
Thank God for his inspiration so we could fix the problem. The rest of the day we relaxed and planned our Saturday trips.
When we got to the park in Moncton we did not know what we were in for in this park. The driveway was paved and lined with trees, but the drive had a severe downgrade. When we got to the bottom of the drive everything looked good. When Walt came out with our site number I could not believe it was on a grassy field where the grass had just been mowed and it had rained most of the day. The staff was trimming trees at the back of our lot because the mountain (name for a huge self contained unit) next to us needed more height so they could get the RV back far enough to park. They started trimming our tree also so we could back into the lot.
Then interesting things started to happen. The lot was very uneven and slanted to one side. Walt did the directions and I did the backing. We were on wet grass and with the rugged terrain I had to really watch what I was doing. When we got on the site Walt checked the angle and we put 4 inches of blocks under the off door side. The jacks went down very well even though we also had to put extra blocks on the off door side. Then when I backed up and Walt released the latch on the hitch we were still doing okay. Then I slowly pulled forward and the RV jumped and we had the RV unlatched from the hitch but not able to move out of the hitch area. We definitely were anxious about the fact that we had a 8 ton home balanced on a sliding hitch. Well, after a few attempts to get the hitch latched again we had to do something different. I was sitting behind the wheel asking the Lord to get us out of this very perilous situation. All I could think of having the front of our home go down on the ground. Well, the good Lord helped Walt adjust the height of the RV on the jacks and we finally got it hitched again. Then we attempted another unhitch and it finally went fine. Our trouble was that we had leveled the trailer but had not leveled the truck. So I guess we had some operator error and some site problems. We have done hundreds of unhitches, so we got some more experience of what to do.
Thank God for his inspiration so we could fix the problem. The rest of the day we relaxed and planned our Saturday trips.
Friday, September 24, 2010
September 23, 2010
Today we had a goal of finding some back roads and search for some farm country. We had some literature of a farm museum at New Ross, Nova Scotia. It was just above the Lunenburg area. When we reached the museum we found it was an outdoor museum geared mainly for children to experience how the farmers lived in the 18th century. We had been there and done that so we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch called the “Vittles Restaurant”. The patrons of the diner were the local’s in the area. It was fun listening to them talk about local events and the food was definitely homemade. Walt ordered the special which was meatloaf. When he got the food it was a large plate with 2 thick slices of meatloaf, two scoops of potatoes covered with gravy and mixed vegetables. I had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread which was great. As we left the restaurant we asked some of the patrons if there were any farms in the area and they suggested we turn left at the stop light and keep driving to Springfield on Route 10. Well, we never did see more than two or three very small farms but they did have hay fields that sprouted the large bales.
When we reached Springfield we stopped at a Canadian Tire store and had the oil changed in the truck and we explored the store while the work was being done. It is a store with clothes, hardware, dishes, small amount of food and other household necessities. Our next stop was a salon so Walt and I could get our hair cut. They did a nice job but Walt was perplexed when the stylist wanted him to have his hair washed. He had never been in a place to get his hair cut and they wanted to wash his hair as part of the deal. When we went to pay the bill he was amazed at the cost. They charged the same for him as they did for my haircut and style. He was totally shocked!!! He said, “I don’t have that much hair.”
When we reached home it was 6 p.m. and sunset was at 7 pm. We stopped and gave Bart a quick walk and then went to Peggy’s Cove for the sunset. It was fantastic -----And there were only a few people. We met 2 buses as we drove up to the lighthouse. The pictures I got were phenomenal.
Then we went back home for supper and did some planning for the next few days and called it a day.
When we reached Springfield we stopped at a Canadian Tire store and had the oil changed in the truck and we explored the store while the work was being done. It is a store with clothes, hardware, dishes, small amount of food and other household necessities. Our next stop was a salon so Walt and I could get our hair cut. They did a nice job but Walt was perplexed when the stylist wanted him to have his hair washed. He had never been in a place to get his hair cut and they wanted to wash his hair as part of the deal. When we went to pay the bill he was amazed at the cost. They charged the same for him as they did for my haircut and style. He was totally shocked!!! He said, “I don’t have that much hair.”
When we reached home it was 6 p.m. and sunset was at 7 pm. We stopped and gave Bart a quick walk and then went to Peggy’s Cove for the sunset. It was fantastic -----And there were only a few people. We met 2 buses as we drove up to the lighthouse. The pictures I got were phenomenal.
Then we went back home for supper and did some planning for the next few days and called it a day.
September 22, 2010
Today was a “pull yourself up by the boot straps” kind of day. But I made it through the day and will go to bed early so I am ready for tomorrow. They were forecasting very warm weather today, but it was not that hot. We were by the ocean most of the day and with the wind it was fairly good.
Our first stop was the memorial to the 229 men, women and children who died on the Swiss Air Flight 111 off the shores of Nova Scotia on September 2, 1998. They set up the memorial in line with the crash area which was off the shore. It was an impressive place. The wind was strong and cold with rough ocean waves. It certainly made you think of the conditions the rescue worker had to work in on that memorable day.
We then went back to the RV, which was only a few miles away, and got our winter coats, We were beginning to wonder if the weather forecast was wrong. Then we drove to Peggy’s Cove to see the lighthouse. Well, we were very surprised at the whole experience. While we were there we saw probably 10 to 12 buses deliver passengers to the site and leave with their passengers. It was like a whole bunch of ants walking on the huge rocks to see the view. It was a privately owned area which had been settled by 6 fisherman and their families in the 18th century. They received the land from some nobleman who owned the property probably from France.
You cannot describe the rocks upon which the lighthouse stands. These enormous granite rocks are the work of a glacier twenty thousand years ago. When the glaciers melted, they left behind the boulders we see today. The striations (deep groves and scratches) are a result of rocks lodged in the base of the glacier. This is what made Peggy’s Cove one of the most photographed area in the world. I know I did my share of taking pictures in this area.
After crawling all over the rocks taking pictures and taking in the spectacular view we went to the restaurant in the parking lot of the lighthouse. Since this land is all privately owned a man by the name of Jack Campbell established the Sou’Wester in 1967. The establishment has the best hot tea or maybe it was because I was absolutely frozen after spending some time out in the wind and cold air.
After leaving the lighthouse we drove the Bullnose Trail. This trail goes south west along the coast of Nova Scotia. We followed the trail around the first little finger of land jutting in the sea and found we would never get to Lunenburg by driving along the coastline so we picked up Route 103 which was a divided highway just a few miles above the trail. We had Lunenburg because it had the studio of Laurie Swim, a fiber art designer and the Fisherman’s Museum. On the way we stopped at a little restaurant along the drive which had a very nice outdoor patio and we both ordered a very nice 3 egg omelet with homemade whole wheat toast. It was simple but very delicious. They do not add cheese to anything here in Nova Scotia unless you ask for it and then it is usually an extra charge. They definitely know how to live with less calories than the states.
As we arrived in Lunenburg we found Laurie’s studio right on a prominent street. She had some of her wall art quilts displayed and had many prints of other pieces of her work. She usually works from a picture which she has taken in the area. Then she uses hand dyed fabric and thread to paint her picture. She used fabric with texture in the design, small snippets of fabric for texture and many other mediums to make it look like a picture. I had “googled” her shop before we went on our trip so I knew a little about her techniques. It was a worthwhile stop.
We then went to the harbor in town and Walt took a tour through the museum. My attention span for the day was very poor, so I browsed the gift shop and pick up a pewter picture holder from the Amos Studio here on the island. The rest of the day I did some people watching and some reading. It was kind of nice to have some time to do this kind of activity after all of the fast paced days we have had in the past few weeks.
By the time we got home it was to late to go back to Peggy’s Cove to see the sunset so we decided to do that tomorrow. After a quick supper Walt went out to a neighbors campfire and I was in bed by 8:15. Good night.
Our first stop was the memorial to the 229 men, women and children who died on the Swiss Air Flight 111 off the shores of Nova Scotia on September 2, 1998. They set up the memorial in line with the crash area which was off the shore. It was an impressive place. The wind was strong and cold with rough ocean waves. It certainly made you think of the conditions the rescue worker had to work in on that memorable day.
We then went back to the RV, which was only a few miles away, and got our winter coats, We were beginning to wonder if the weather forecast was wrong. Then we drove to Peggy’s Cove to see the lighthouse. Well, we were very surprised at the whole experience. While we were there we saw probably 10 to 12 buses deliver passengers to the site and leave with their passengers. It was like a whole bunch of ants walking on the huge rocks to see the view. It was a privately owned area which had been settled by 6 fisherman and their families in the 18th century. They received the land from some nobleman who owned the property probably from France.
You cannot describe the rocks upon which the lighthouse stands. These enormous granite rocks are the work of a glacier twenty thousand years ago. When the glaciers melted, they left behind the boulders we see today. The striations (deep groves and scratches) are a result of rocks lodged in the base of the glacier. This is what made Peggy’s Cove one of the most photographed area in the world. I know I did my share of taking pictures in this area.
After crawling all over the rocks taking pictures and taking in the spectacular view we went to the restaurant in the parking lot of the lighthouse. Since this land is all privately owned a man by the name of Jack Campbell established the Sou’Wester in 1967. The establishment has the best hot tea or maybe it was because I was absolutely frozen after spending some time out in the wind and cold air.
After leaving the lighthouse we drove the Bullnose Trail. This trail goes south west along the coast of Nova Scotia. We followed the trail around the first little finger of land jutting in the sea and found we would never get to Lunenburg by driving along the coastline so we picked up Route 103 which was a divided highway just a few miles above the trail. We had Lunenburg because it had the studio of Laurie Swim, a fiber art designer and the Fisherman’s Museum. On the way we stopped at a little restaurant along the drive which had a very nice outdoor patio and we both ordered a very nice 3 egg omelet with homemade whole wheat toast. It was simple but very delicious. They do not add cheese to anything here in Nova Scotia unless you ask for it and then it is usually an extra charge. They definitely know how to live with less calories than the states.
As we arrived in Lunenburg we found Laurie’s studio right on a prominent street. She had some of her wall art quilts displayed and had many prints of other pieces of her work. She usually works from a picture which she has taken in the area. Then she uses hand dyed fabric and thread to paint her picture. She used fabric with texture in the design, small snippets of fabric for texture and many other mediums to make it look like a picture. I had “googled” her shop before we went on our trip so I knew a little about her techniques. It was a worthwhile stop.
We then went to the harbor in town and Walt took a tour through the museum. My attention span for the day was very poor, so I browsed the gift shop and pick up a pewter picture holder from the Amos Studio here on the island. The rest of the day I did some people watching and some reading. It was kind of nice to have some time to do this kind of activity after all of the fast paced days we have had in the past few weeks.
By the time we got home it was to late to go back to Peggy’s Cove to see the sunset so we decided to do that tomorrow. After a quick supper Walt went out to a neighbors campfire and I was in bed by 8:15. Good night.
September 21, 2010
Happy Birthday to Kim and Janelle. Hope you had a great day.
Well, we were up early and were at Fraizier Way R.V. by 8:30 after a 45 minute drive. We were taken care of by noon. They did a repair to the jack, but they say it is only 90% right, so Walt decided to by a 4 ton floor jack to hold us thru the trip if the jack goes out again. We are so fortunate that we have insurance for breakdowns. It is a shame they don’t have the same for home owners.
In the afternoon we stopped at Walmart for R.V. supplies and a few groceries (they do not have super stores in Canada). We then went to Sobey’s, a full service grocery store, for the rest of our needs. Needless to say, we spent a lot of money today.
Well, tomorrow is another day.
Well, we were up early and were at Fraizier Way R.V. by 8:30 after a 45 minute drive. We were taken care of by noon. They did a repair to the jack, but they say it is only 90% right, so Walt decided to by a 4 ton floor jack to hold us thru the trip if the jack goes out again. We are so fortunate that we have insurance for breakdowns. It is a shame they don’t have the same for home owners.
In the afternoon we stopped at Walmart for R.V. supplies and a few groceries (they do not have super stores in Canada). We then went to Sobey’s, a full service grocery store, for the rest of our needs. Needless to say, we spent a lot of money today.
Well, tomorrow is another day.
Monday, September 20, 2010
September 20, 2010
Today has been a day!!!!!
We left Shelbrook at the normal time and headed to Peggy's Cove. Lizzie wanted us to go back to Antigonish then to New Glasgow and onto Truro and Peggy's Cove. We decided to follow her plan.
Our drive went well and we found our campground. The parking was a bit tense but we got in place without and trouble and THEN--------
I pushed the button to put the front jacks down and one on the drivers side gave a screeching sound and would not move. After Walt tore the basement apart and got to the jack he finally decided that he could not solve the problem.
He went to the office of the campground and they called a mechanic to check it out and he arrived in about 10 minutes. He agreed with Walt and said we needed some parts to fix the problem.
The Camper place is about 40 minutes away so we decided we could not get there in time to have it fixed, so we will go in the morning to get the verdict.
In the meantime, we put two slides out and will stay hooked to the truck for the night. Tomorrow is another day for repairs.
We left Shelbrook at the normal time and headed to Peggy's Cove. Lizzie wanted us to go back to Antigonish then to New Glasgow and onto Truro and Peggy's Cove. We decided to follow her plan.
Our drive went well and we found our campground. The parking was a bit tense but we got in place without and trouble and THEN--------
I pushed the button to put the front jacks down and one on the drivers side gave a screeching sound and would not move. After Walt tore the basement apart and got to the jack he finally decided that he could not solve the problem.
He went to the office of the campground and they called a mechanic to check it out and he arrived in about 10 minutes. He agreed with Walt and said we needed some parts to fix the problem.
The Camper place is about 40 minutes away so we decided we could not get there in time to have it fixed, so we will go in the morning to get the verdict.
In the meantime, we put two slides out and will stay hooked to the truck for the night. Tomorrow is another day for repairs.
September 19, 2010
I got up early this morning even though we did not have to leave home until about 11:10 for Mass at 11:30. My reward for getting up early was to see the lake in the early morning light. The water was like a mirror with a reflection of the trees in the water. The bonus this morning is the little patches of mist and fog in different areas of the lake. Everything is just so quiet and calm. We do not get periods of time with such a silence in the world today. When Walt got up at 8:30 to drive into town for the paper and he returned, he said, “The town is dead as a door nail, there isn’t even a dog walking around.” This tells you how small and quiet this area is most of the day.
When we went to Mass we were welcomed with open arms. The congregation was made up of mostly retired people. There were only a few people under the age of 50 and maybe a handful of children. Father was a substitute priest and looked like he had been retired for years.
After we left the church we went to the local attraction: Sherbrooke Village. It was the best restored village we had ever seen in our days of travel. They took 31 buildings which were original to the town and either moved them or worked with other buildings to make a small town setting. The buildings had original fixtures and contents with some additional antiques. It was very enjoyable. They even had boxes of buttons in the tailors shop which dated back to the early 1900’s.
The French were the first Eurpoean visitors to Sherbrooke, as early as 1655. The settlement was known as Fort Sainte Marie.
By 1815 the settlement which developed at the head of the navigable waters became known as Sherbrook, in honour of Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
The Sherbrooke Village Restoration Area was established in 1969 to conserve a part of Sherbrooke and depict a typical Nova Scotian village in the 19th Century.
As we entered the village they had a restaurant in the old motel so we enjoyed our lunch with a cup of tea and coffee. You see I am getting into the hot tea mode. It was very chilly in the church so the hot tea warmed my inners and my cold hands. After visiting the exhibits and 3 hours and 45 minutes later we stopped and had some ice cream and coffee and hot tea again. I still have not found the right tea pot as a souvenir.
It had been misting all afternoon but when we got home it rained for a short time. Some of the locals told us that the leaves were not changing color because when the hurricane came thru the sea salt had been blown inland and killed all the blooming flowers and tree leaves. You don’t know things like that until you talk to the local people.
Tomorrow we move to Peggy’s Cove, until then Goodnight.
When we went to Mass we were welcomed with open arms. The congregation was made up of mostly retired people. There were only a few people under the age of 50 and maybe a handful of children. Father was a substitute priest and looked like he had been retired for years.
After we left the church we went to the local attraction: Sherbrooke Village. It was the best restored village we had ever seen in our days of travel. They took 31 buildings which were original to the town and either moved them or worked with other buildings to make a small town setting. The buildings had original fixtures and contents with some additional antiques. It was very enjoyable. They even had boxes of buttons in the tailors shop which dated back to the early 1900’s.
The French were the first Eurpoean visitors to Sherbrooke, as early as 1655. The settlement was known as Fort Sainte Marie.
By 1815 the settlement which developed at the head of the navigable waters became known as Sherbrook, in honour of Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
The Sherbrooke Village Restoration Area was established in 1969 to conserve a part of Sherbrooke and depict a typical Nova Scotian village in the 19th Century.
As we entered the village they had a restaurant in the old motel so we enjoyed our lunch with a cup of tea and coffee. You see I am getting into the hot tea mode. It was very chilly in the church so the hot tea warmed my inners and my cold hands. After visiting the exhibits and 3 hours and 45 minutes later we stopped and had some ice cream and coffee and hot tea again. I still have not found the right tea pot as a souvenir.
It had been misting all afternoon but when we got home it rained for a short time. Some of the locals told us that the leaves were not changing color because when the hurricane came thru the sea salt had been blown inland and killed all the blooming flowers and tree leaves. You don’t know things like that until you talk to the local people.
Tomorrow we move to Peggy’s Cove, until then Goodnight.
September 18, 2010
Today we had a good drive. We had to start the day by tackling the construction on the Cabot Trail. It was a slow process and Walt drove over one cone so he only made 10 points for the day. Each cone was valued at 10 points. At one point we were driving right along the water, maybe 5 feet between us and swimming. We had the Lord watching over us and we came through in one piece. The rest of the trip was fairly good roads and we reached our camp site by noon or a little later. When we drove into the park we were amazed. There were sites along one drive way that were parallel with the shore line. Walt directed and I drove the rig until we finally found a spot about 5 feet from the water. You know you trust your husband when he is directing you to back up in the direction of the shore line. My only request was “ tell me to stop before we hit the water.” It ended up being a very nice view once we raised our drivers side about 3 inches to be level. The sunset over the water was great. Since I am the sunset grandma I received my wish for the day.
We also took a short drive along the coast line and it is very rugged. We went off the road about 2 miles up a curvy dirt road and found the most exquisite view of all times. I believe I could have stayed up in that area for a day. The waves were going over some deep water shelves and it made the most fabulous crashing waves against the huge rocks. Some local people were there also and they talk about how the tropical storm in the Bahamas are affecting the waves way up here in this area. They said they are much more dramatic now because of the storm. (Port Bickerton)
We then came back to Shelbrook were our home is located and spent the evening in pure quiet since we cannot get any T.V. or internet hookup. I do hope we have something when we go to Peggy’s Cove on Monday. We certainly should have the things of the modern world since it is close to Halifax.
Time for lights out.!!
We also took a short drive along the coast line and it is very rugged. We went off the road about 2 miles up a curvy dirt road and found the most exquisite view of all times. I believe I could have stayed up in that area for a day. The waves were going over some deep water shelves and it made the most fabulous crashing waves against the huge rocks. Some local people were there also and they talk about how the tropical storm in the Bahamas are affecting the waves way up here in this area. They said they are much more dramatic now because of the storm. (Port Bickerton)
We then came back to Shelbrook were our home is located and spent the evening in pure quiet since we cannot get any T.V. or internet hookup. I do hope we have something when we go to Peggy’s Cove on Monday. We certainly should have the things of the modern world since it is close to Halifax.
Time for lights out.!!
September 17,2010
Today when we left home, which was about 10 am., we pointed our truck to the Gaelic community on Cape Breton Island. We went across St Ann’s Bay on the Angus McAllister Ferry and went to the Cabot Trail. At one point on the Trail is the Gaelic University. This university has a summer program for anyone who is interested in Gaelic singing, the Gaelic language, piping, playing bagpipes, Gaelic dancing and Gaelic story telling. It had a very informative interpretive center and beautiful grounds. They advertise that they have the most original and wonderful craft shop. Well, I was looking for a place like that to buy a gift but I could not find one thing in my price range. So, I will have to look somewhere else.
After we left the university we pointed our truck in the direction of Iona. This is a town that is located on a little piece of land sticking between St. Andrew’s Channel, St. Patrick’s Channel and Bras d’Or Lake. We used a ferry to cross St. Andrew’s Channel to get to the area.
The Highland’s Interpretive Center was a beautiful place. Even though it was raining we really enjoyed the center. We stopped at a restaurant which was connected to the center for lunch. We had a table next to a wall of windows that looked over the Lake. We were high above the water so we looked down on the lake. It was an awesome view even though it was raining. They say in this area “just wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.” They seem to have small weather pockets that makes the weather different in each area depending on the lay of the land.
I have another GPS story. When we got off the ferry Lizzie told us to turn right so that is what we did. Well, after a few moments I looked at the map and I told Walt that we were taking the long way to Iona. Well, we soon found out she was going to take us across country to get to Iona. We have not figured out why because we ended up going over another dirt road which was very slippery when wet. It went up and down over steep hills and Walt was beside himself. We do not like this GPS. We will see how it does when we get it in the states. If it works okay there we will probably give it to someone or sell it over ebay.
Well, the interpretive center was great. A busload of people came into the greeting area at the same time we came in and they showed them a video that was very informative about the Gaelic community. They also served coffee, tea and oat cakes. I have a recipe for the oat cakes, but I will also try to get some at the coop (grocery store) in the area. The cakes were very good and high in fiber.
After watching the video we went to the out building for the exhibit. They had homes from the first settlers to the homes of the 20th century. They used the switch board for the telephone unto 1975 when they went to the normal telephone company. You do not see people use cell phones on the island. The reason for this is probably because of the reception in the rural areas. They probably use them in the Sydney area. We have had difficulty using a cell phone and computer.
The ladies and gentlemen were dressed in period costumes and were very informed. If you asked a question they could give a very detailed answer. We even attended a cialiah (Kay-lee). This is when you would visit someone and they would talk, tell stories, drink tea, dance and play a fiddle.
The costumed guides did the program and we all watched and listened. The Gaelic language is much different than the German language so I did not understand any of the language. One of the guides would translate the meaning. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. We left Iona and used the map instead of Lizzie and got home just as the sun was setting.
When we got home I made some haddock which a neighboring park person had caught in St. Ann’s Bay last evening. Walt really enjoyed them. He said I should make the filets which had been fried the same way next time. I told him that my cooking was not always that accurate to recreate something the same way two times in a row. We will see what happens the next time.
It was laundry night so Walt did the laundry as I did some housekeeping chores, which was doing dishes and general household pick up and cleaning.
It is 10 pm and time for bed.
After we left the university we pointed our truck in the direction of Iona. This is a town that is located on a little piece of land sticking between St. Andrew’s Channel, St. Patrick’s Channel and Bras d’Or Lake. We used a ferry to cross St. Andrew’s Channel to get to the area.
The Highland’s Interpretive Center was a beautiful place. Even though it was raining we really enjoyed the center. We stopped at a restaurant which was connected to the center for lunch. We had a table next to a wall of windows that looked over the Lake. We were high above the water so we looked down on the lake. It was an awesome view even though it was raining. They say in this area “just wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.” They seem to have small weather pockets that makes the weather different in each area depending on the lay of the land.
I have another GPS story. When we got off the ferry Lizzie told us to turn right so that is what we did. Well, after a few moments I looked at the map and I told Walt that we were taking the long way to Iona. Well, we soon found out she was going to take us across country to get to Iona. We have not figured out why because we ended up going over another dirt road which was very slippery when wet. It went up and down over steep hills and Walt was beside himself. We do not like this GPS. We will see how it does when we get it in the states. If it works okay there we will probably give it to someone or sell it over ebay.
Well, the interpretive center was great. A busload of people came into the greeting area at the same time we came in and they showed them a video that was very informative about the Gaelic community. They also served coffee, tea and oat cakes. I have a recipe for the oat cakes, but I will also try to get some at the coop (grocery store) in the area. The cakes were very good and high in fiber.
After watching the video we went to the out building for the exhibit. They had homes from the first settlers to the homes of the 20th century. They used the switch board for the telephone unto 1975 when they went to the normal telephone company. You do not see people use cell phones on the island. The reason for this is probably because of the reception in the rural areas. They probably use them in the Sydney area. We have had difficulty using a cell phone and computer.
The ladies and gentlemen were dressed in period costumes and were very informed. If you asked a question they could give a very detailed answer. We even attended a cialiah (Kay-lee). This is when you would visit someone and they would talk, tell stories, drink tea, dance and play a fiddle.
The costumed guides did the program and we all watched and listened. The Gaelic language is much different than the German language so I did not understand any of the language. One of the guides would translate the meaning. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. We left Iona and used the map instead of Lizzie and got home just as the sun was setting.
When we got home I made some haddock which a neighboring park person had caught in St. Ann’s Bay last evening. Walt really enjoyed them. He said I should make the filets which had been fried the same way next time. I told him that my cooking was not always that accurate to recreate something the same way two times in a row. We will see what happens the next time.
It was laundry night so Walt did the laundry as I did some housekeeping chores, which was doing dishes and general household pick up and cleaning.
It is 10 pm and time for bed.
September 16, 2010
Today when we left home, which was about 10 am., we pointed our truck to the Gaelic community on Cape Breton Island. We went across St Ann’s Bay on the Angus McAllister Ferry and went to the Cabot Trail. At one point on the Trail is the Gaelic University. This university has a summer program for anyone who is interested in Gaelic singing, the Gaelic language, piping, playing bagpipes, Gaelic dancing and Gaelic story telling. It had a very informative interpretive center and beautiful grounds. They advertise that they have the most original and wonderful craft shop. Well, I was looking for a place like that to buy a gift but I could not find one thing in my price range. So, I will have to look somewhere else.
After we left the university we pointed our truck in the direction of Iona. This is a town that is located on a little piece of land sticking between St. Andrew’s Channel, St. Patrick’s Channel and Bras d’Or Lake. We used a ferry to cross St. Andrew’s Channel to get to the area.
The Highland’s Interpretive Center was a beautiful place. Even though it was raining we really enjoyed the center. We stopped at a restaurant which was connected to the center for lunch. We had a table next to a wall of windows that looked over the Lake. We were high above the water so we looked down on the lake. It was an awesome view even though it was raining. They say in this area “just wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.” They seem to have small weather pockets that makes the weather different in each area depending on the lay of the land.
I have another GPS story. When we got off the ferry Lizzie told us to turn right so that is what we did. Well, after a few moments I looked at the map and I told Walt that we were taking the long way to Iona. Well, we soon found out she was going to take us across country to get to Iona. We have not figured out why because we ended up going over another dirt road which was very slippery when wet. It went up and down over steep hills and Walt was beside himself. We do not like this GPS. We will see how it does when we get it in the states. If it works okay there we will probably give it to someone or sell it over ebay.
Well, the interpretive center was great. A busload of people came into the greeting area at the same time we came in and they showed them a video that was very informative about the Gaelic community. They also served coffee, tea and oat cakes. I have a recipe for the oat cakes, but I will also try to get some at the coop (grocery store) in the area. The cakes were very good and high in fiber.
After watching the video we went to the out building for the exhibit. They had homes from the first settlers to the homes of the 20th century. They used the switch board for the telephone unto 1975 when they went to the normal telephone company. You do not see people use cell phones on the island. The reason for this is probably because of the reception in the rural areas. They probably use them in the Sydney area. We have had difficulty using a cell phone and computer.
The ladies and gentlemen were dressed in period costumes and were very informed. If you asked a question they could give a very detailed answer. We even attended a cialiah (Kay-lee). This is when you would visit someone and they would talk, tell stories, drink tea, dance and play a fiddle.
The costumed guides did the program and we all watched and listened. The Gaelic language is much different than the German language so I did not understand any of the language. One of the guides would translate the meaning. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. We left Iona and used the map instead of Lizzie and got home just as the sun was setting.
When we got home I made some haddock which a neighboring park person had caught in St. Ann’s Bay last evening. Walt really enjoyed them. He said I should make the filets which had been fried the same way next time. I told him that my cooking was not always that accurate to recreate something the same way two times in a row. We will see what happens the next time.
It was laundry night so Walt did the laundry as I did some housekeeping chores, which was doing dishes and general household pick up and cleaning.
It is 10 pm and time for bed.
After we left the university we pointed our truck in the direction of Iona. This is a town that is located on a little piece of land sticking between St. Andrew’s Channel, St. Patrick’s Channel and Bras d’Or Lake. We used a ferry to cross St. Andrew’s Channel to get to the area.
The Highland’s Interpretive Center was a beautiful place. Even though it was raining we really enjoyed the center. We stopped at a restaurant which was connected to the center for lunch. We had a table next to a wall of windows that looked over the Lake. We were high above the water so we looked down on the lake. It was an awesome view even though it was raining. They say in this area “just wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.” They seem to have small weather pockets that makes the weather different in each area depending on the lay of the land.
I have another GPS story. When we got off the ferry Lizzie told us to turn right so that is what we did. Well, after a few moments I looked at the map and I told Walt that we were taking the long way to Iona. Well, we soon found out she was going to take us across country to get to Iona. We have not figured out why because we ended up going over another dirt road which was very slippery when wet. It went up and down over steep hills and Walt was beside himself. We do not like this GPS. We will see how it does when we get it in the states. If it works okay there we will probably give it to someone or sell it over ebay.
Well, the interpretive center was great. A busload of people came into the greeting area at the same time we came in and they showed them a video that was very informative about the Gaelic community. They also served coffee, tea and oat cakes. I have a recipe for the oat cakes, but I will also try to get some at the coop (grocery store) in the area. The cakes were very good and high in fiber.
After watching the video we went to the out building for the exhibit. They had homes from the first settlers to the homes of the 20th century. They used the switch board for the telephone unto 1975 when they went to the normal telephone company. You do not see people use cell phones on the island. The reason for this is probably because of the reception in the rural areas. They probably use them in the Sydney area. We have had difficulty using a cell phone and computer.
The ladies and gentlemen were dressed in period costumes and were very informed. If you asked a question they could give a very detailed answer. We even attended a cialiah (Kay-lee). This is when you would visit someone and they would talk, tell stories, drink tea, dance and play a fiddle.
The costumed guides did the program and we all watched and listened. The Gaelic language is much different than the German language so I did not understand any of the language. One of the guides would translate the meaning. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. We left Iona and used the map instead of Lizzie and got home just as the sun was setting.
When we got home I made some haddock which a neighboring park person had caught in St. Ann’s Bay last evening. Walt really enjoyed them. He said I should make the filets which had been fried the same way next time. I told him that my cooking was not always that accurate to recreate something the same way two times in a row. We will see what happens the next time.
It was laundry night so Walt did the laundry as I did some housekeeping chores, which was doing dishes and general household pick up and cleaning.
It is 10 pm and time for bed.
September 15, 2010
It is 8:05 am and we are on our way to the Cabot Trail. We have to go just five miles from the park to get to the Cabot Trail. As we were driving along we suddenly saw two moose in the side ditch, but when we got close they disappeared into the pine forest. We missed our chance. Then in a few more miles we saw a great piece of scenery. We looked out onto St Ann’s Bay and the water was like a mirror and the sky was hazy and met the water with the same look. Breathtaking!!! My pictures are fabulous. I will treasure them for a long time.
We traveled along the trail and we had 4 mountains to cross and many miles of seashore. They say you can travel the trail in 8 hours but we were gone for 11 hours. This included a long trip to an art quilt studio. I will tell you about that a little later.
The first small town, which spread along the trail for a few miles, was called Ingonish. It was a community in the mountains. They had a ski area and a golf course. We also hit our first construction for the day. Canada has a stimulus plan like the US and it is called Canada Action Plan and they have signs on each project just as the US has for the stimulus plan. They are doing a major makeover of the tourist roads in the area. When you get off the tourist roads it is alarming as to the condition of the roads. This little town also advertised whale watching tours.
Our next stop was at a drive off were we could see the ocean. The view was something I cannot put in words. There was a very rugged shoreline of huge red rocks and the water made crushing waves on the rocks. The sky was overcast so you could hardly tell where the sky stopped and the sea began except for the coastline which jetted out into the ocean. God certainly did a good job when he created the earth.
Neils was our next attraction and it is located to the northern edge of the trail. It was overcast until we reached this harbor and the sun began to come out and the scenery was even more beautiful. The soft puffy clouds gave everything a new dimension. We took some pictures of the light house and the harbor which was small. Our greatest picture here was the pointed roof house which had seagulls sitting on it’s peak and seagull do-do ran down the roof. Nasty but funny!!!
We did stop at Asby Bay and go into a gift shop hoping we would find a bathroom. Well, the shop was stocked with many good quality items that we never did ask for the bathroom. They had some witches balls that are supposed to chase out bad omens in your house. It definitely is something that not every home will have in it.
We continued our trip by swinging to the west side(kinda west) of the cape that looks out on the Northumberland Strait. We reached Pleasant Bay by 10:45 am. Shortly after driving past Pleasant Bay we stopped at a drive out and saw a beautiful ocean scene. We stepped up to the wall and Walt immediately saw a whale blowing thru his blow hole. Well, that set off a panic with everyone who had stopped and they pulled out their binoculars to see the whales. We stayed for about 15 minutes watching the three whales and the whale watching boat which had come from Cheticamp. Later when we ate lunch at Cheticamp we watched the whale watching boats come in the harbor.
When we left Cheticamp we asked if they knew a place which had hooked rugs. These are not the latch hook rugs which we have done in the past. This is a whole different thing. They use yarn but it is tight on the backing and not with yarns sticking up out of the canvas. We did find her shop and it was very interesting to have her show me how she did it and the differences in yarns and canvas. She was a lady who was proud to be a hooker. The gal and her sister have been hooking since they have been 8 or 9 and she was probably in her late forties. So she could do it so fast you could hardly imagine how she did it. They had many consigned pieces in the shop and they ranged from 30 dollars to 150 dollars. After hearing her demonstration I could see which was done well and which one had been done by a 94 year old hooker.
Our next adventure definitely turned out to be an adventure. We had a brochure about KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art. Everyone seemed to know her and gave us instructions about where to go to find her. She was in Margaree Valley and “you go on the Cabot Trail south of Chiticamp to Two Macs gift shop. You turn left on the road next to the shop and follow the signs.”
Well, this is when the adventure started. We were driving south of Chiticamp and we ran into construction so we listened to our GPS and she said we were to turn earlier. We followed her instructions and drove for a while without a clue to where she was taking us. After a while we stopped at a coop (grocery store) and got some more instructions. Finally after finding the start road we proceeded to follow the written instructions on the publicity card. We finally ended up running out of paved road and drove 7 ½ miles on a dirt washboard, pot holed road to her home in the middle of a large valley. The place was absolutely beautiful and very quiet. It was in no man’s land.
When we entered her studio we were greeted warmly and I was absolutely blown away by the quilts she had on display. Her name is Anne Morrell Robinson and she has been doing art quilts for over 30 years and has designed many quilts which have been in National and International shows. She had one in the quilt frame which was 112 x 112 and was hand appliquéd. She spent 4 winters doing the hand appliqués and has started hand quilting the quilt. She says it will probably take her another year to finish the quilting. She is doing the quilting a very scant one fourth inch apart using many different designs. She plans on sending the quilt to all the large quilt shows in the world. She also designs patterns and they are also hand appliqué. She teaches classes on how to do primitive rug hooking using scant ¼ inch strips of wool. This lady must have a very persistent personality to stick with such detailed projects. And by the way here studio was to die for. (Since I do my quilting in a fifth wheel, which is not adapted to serve as a studio, it is a dream to reach for some day.) Her stash of fabric was huge. She lived in the boonies and she could not run out to the quilt store on a whim to get supplies.
Now our next adventure was to get out of the valley. We asked our gal on the GPS to get us home. Well, we started off okay but when she made us make 3 right turns in a row we knew we were in trouble. Needless to say, none of the roads run in a square grid like they do at home. After we saw the same church for the third time we knew we were in severe trouble. Finally we stopped at a home which had some cars in the drive and asked for directions. Well, once we got good down home instructions and did not listen to Lizzie, we drove out of the valley in a few miles. The thing that got us in trouble is that when we got to the Cabot Road we ran into construction and the first turn should have done was when we reached TwoMacs, which was just beyond TwoMacs. So as of now we have more negative things to say about this new GPS.
We did stop at a Fish Nursery on our way out of Margaree Valley, but it was too late and they were not open anymore so we continued to drive on the trail until we came to our exit and stopped to get supper because it was almost sunset already. We had some seafood which was only fair but we did meet some very nice people from Traverse City, Michigan. He was raised in Iowa and she was raised in South Dakota. They had lived all over the United States and knew where Maria Stein, Ohio was located. They were a lovely couple and we could have talked with them for many hours.
When we got to the ferry to take us across the St. Anne’s Bay we were delighted to know we were only a few miles from our home. Bart, our dog was glad to see us after our long absence.
It was a very wonderful day and thank the Lord that we have been able to do all of this traveling
We traveled along the trail and we had 4 mountains to cross and many miles of seashore. They say you can travel the trail in 8 hours but we were gone for 11 hours. This included a long trip to an art quilt studio. I will tell you about that a little later.
The first small town, which spread along the trail for a few miles, was called Ingonish. It was a community in the mountains. They had a ski area and a golf course. We also hit our first construction for the day. Canada has a stimulus plan like the US and it is called Canada Action Plan and they have signs on each project just as the US has for the stimulus plan. They are doing a major makeover of the tourist roads in the area. When you get off the tourist roads it is alarming as to the condition of the roads. This little town also advertised whale watching tours.
Our next stop was at a drive off were we could see the ocean. The view was something I cannot put in words. There was a very rugged shoreline of huge red rocks and the water made crushing waves on the rocks. The sky was overcast so you could hardly tell where the sky stopped and the sea began except for the coastline which jetted out into the ocean. God certainly did a good job when he created the earth.
Neils was our next attraction and it is located to the northern edge of the trail. It was overcast until we reached this harbor and the sun began to come out and the scenery was even more beautiful. The soft puffy clouds gave everything a new dimension. We took some pictures of the light house and the harbor which was small. Our greatest picture here was the pointed roof house which had seagulls sitting on it’s peak and seagull do-do ran down the roof. Nasty but funny!!!
We did stop at Asby Bay and go into a gift shop hoping we would find a bathroom. Well, the shop was stocked with many good quality items that we never did ask for the bathroom. They had some witches balls that are supposed to chase out bad omens in your house. It definitely is something that not every home will have in it.
We continued our trip by swinging to the west side(kinda west) of the cape that looks out on the Northumberland Strait. We reached Pleasant Bay by 10:45 am. Shortly after driving past Pleasant Bay we stopped at a drive out and saw a beautiful ocean scene. We stepped up to the wall and Walt immediately saw a whale blowing thru his blow hole. Well, that set off a panic with everyone who had stopped and they pulled out their binoculars to see the whales. We stayed for about 15 minutes watching the three whales and the whale watching boat which had come from Cheticamp. Later when we ate lunch at Cheticamp we watched the whale watching boats come in the harbor.
When we left Cheticamp we asked if they knew a place which had hooked rugs. These are not the latch hook rugs which we have done in the past. This is a whole different thing. They use yarn but it is tight on the backing and not with yarns sticking up out of the canvas. We did find her shop and it was very interesting to have her show me how she did it and the differences in yarns and canvas. She was a lady who was proud to be a hooker. The gal and her sister have been hooking since they have been 8 or 9 and she was probably in her late forties. So she could do it so fast you could hardly imagine how she did it. They had many consigned pieces in the shop and they ranged from 30 dollars to 150 dollars. After hearing her demonstration I could see which was done well and which one had been done by a 94 year old hooker.
Our next adventure definitely turned out to be an adventure. We had a brochure about KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art. Everyone seemed to know her and gave us instructions about where to go to find her. She was in Margaree Valley and “you go on the Cabot Trail south of Chiticamp to Two Macs gift shop. You turn left on the road next to the shop and follow the signs.”
Well, this is when the adventure started. We were driving south of Chiticamp and we ran into construction so we listened to our GPS and she said we were to turn earlier. We followed her instructions and drove for a while without a clue to where she was taking us. After a while we stopped at a coop (grocery store) and got some more instructions. Finally after finding the start road we proceeded to follow the written instructions on the publicity card. We finally ended up running out of paved road and drove 7 ½ miles on a dirt washboard, pot holed road to her home in the middle of a large valley. The place was absolutely beautiful and very quiet. It was in no man’s land.
When we entered her studio we were greeted warmly and I was absolutely blown away by the quilts she had on display. Her name is Anne Morrell Robinson and she has been doing art quilts for over 30 years and has designed many quilts which have been in National and International shows. She had one in the quilt frame which was 112 x 112 and was hand appliquéd. She spent 4 winters doing the hand appliqués and has started hand quilting the quilt. She says it will probably take her another year to finish the quilting. She is doing the quilting a very scant one fourth inch apart using many different designs. She plans on sending the quilt to all the large quilt shows in the world. She also designs patterns and they are also hand appliqué. She teaches classes on how to do primitive rug hooking using scant ¼ inch strips of wool. This lady must have a very persistent personality to stick with such detailed projects. And by the way here studio was to die for. (Since I do my quilting in a fifth wheel, which is not adapted to serve as a studio, it is a dream to reach for some day.) Her stash of fabric was huge. She lived in the boonies and she could not run out to the quilt store on a whim to get supplies.
Now our next adventure was to get out of the valley. We asked our gal on the GPS to get us home. Well, we started off okay but when she made us make 3 right turns in a row we knew we were in trouble. Needless to say, none of the roads run in a square grid like they do at home. After we saw the same church for the third time we knew we were in severe trouble. Finally we stopped at a home which had some cars in the drive and asked for directions. Well, once we got good down home instructions and did not listen to Lizzie, we drove out of the valley in a few miles. The thing that got us in trouble is that when we got to the Cabot Road we ran into construction and the first turn should have done was when we reached TwoMacs, which was just beyond TwoMacs. So as of now we have more negative things to say about this new GPS.
We did stop at a Fish Nursery on our way out of Margaree Valley, but it was too late and they were not open anymore so we continued to drive on the trail until we came to our exit and stopped to get supper because it was almost sunset already. We had some seafood which was only fair but we did meet some very nice people from Traverse City, Michigan. He was raised in Iowa and she was raised in South Dakota. They had lived all over the United States and knew where Maria Stein, Ohio was located. They were a lovely couple and we could have talked with them for many hours.
When we got to the ferry to take us across the St. Anne’s Bay we were delighted to know we were only a few miles from our home. Bart, our dog was glad to see us after our long absence.
It was a very wonderful day and thank the Lord that we have been able to do all of this traveling
September 14, 2010
It is 8:05 am and we are on our way to the Cabot Trail. We have to go just five miles from the park to get to the Cabot Trail. As we were driving along we suddenly saw two moose in the side ditch, but when we got close they disappeared into the pine forest. We missed our chance. Then in a few more miles we saw a great piece of scenery. We looked out onto St Ann’s Bay and the water was like a mirror and the sky was hazy and met the water with the same look. Breathtaking!!! My pictures are fabulous. I will treasure them for a long time.
We traveled along the trail and we had 4 mountains to cross and many miles of seashore. They say you can travel the trail in 8 hours but we were gone for 11 hours. This included a long trip to an art quilt studio. I will tell you about that a little later.
The first small town, which spread along the trail for a few miles, was called Ingonish. It was a community in the mountains. They had a ski area and a golf course. We also hit our first construction for the day. Canada has a stimulus plan like the US and it is called Canada Action Plan and they have signs on each project just as the US has for the stimulus plan. They are doing a major makeover of the tourist roads in the area. When you get off the tourist roads it is alarming as to the condition of the roads. This little town also advertised whale watching tours.
Our next stop was at a drive off were we could see the ocean. The view was something I cannot put in words. There was a very rugged shoreline of huge red rocks and the water made crushing waves on the rocks. The sky was overcast so you could hardly tell where the sky stopped and the sea began except for the coastline which jetted out into the ocean. God certainly did a good job when he created the earth.
Neils was our next attraction and it is located to the northern edge of the trail. It was overcast until we reached this harbor and the sun began to come out and the scenery was even more beautiful. The soft puffy clouds gave everything a new dimension. We took some pictures of the light house and the harbor which was small. Our greatest picture here was the pointed roof house which had seagulls sitting on it’s peak and seagull do-do ran down the roof. Nasty but funny!!!
We did stop at Asby Bay and go into a gift shop hoping we would find a bathroom. Well, the shop was stocked with many good quality items that we never did ask for the bathroom. They had some witches balls that are supposed to chase out bad omens in your house. It definitely is something that not every home will have in it.
We continued our trip by swinging to the west side(kinda west) of the cape that looks out on the Northumberland Strait. We reached Pleasant Bay by 10:45 am. Shortly after driving past Pleasant Bay we stopped at a drive out and saw a beautiful ocean scene. We stepped up to the wall and Walt immediately saw a whale blowing thru his blow hole. Well, that set off a panic with everyone who had stopped and they pulled out their binoculars to see the whales. We stayed for about 15 minutes watching the three whales and the whale watching boat which had come from Cheticamp. Later when we ate lunch at Cheticamp we watched the whale watching boats come in the harbor.
When we left Cheticamp we asked if they knew a place which had hooked rugs. These are not the latch hook rugs which we have done in the past. This is a whole different thing. They use yarn but it is tight on the backing and not with yarns sticking up out of the canvas. We did find her shop and it was very interesting to have her show me how she did it and the differences in yarns and canvas. She was a lady who was proud to be a hooker. The gal and her sister have been hooking since they have been 8 or 9 and she was probably in her late forties. So she could do it so fast you could hardly imagine how she did it. They had many consigned pieces in the shop and they ranged from 30 dollars to 150 dollars. After hearing her demonstration I could see which was done well and which one had been done by a 94 year old hooker.
Our next adventure definitely turned out to be an adventure. We had a brochure about KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art. Everyone seemed to know her and gave us instructions about where to go to find her. She was in Margaree Valley and “you go on the Cabot Trail south of Chiticamp to Two Macs gift shop. You turn left on the road next to the shop and follow the signs.”
Well, this is when the adventure started. We were driving south of Chiticamp and we ran into construction so we listened to our GPS and she said we were to turn earlier. We followed her instructions and drove for a while without a clue to where she was taking us. After a while we stopped at a coop (grocery store) and got some more instructions. Finally after finding the start road we proceeded to follow the written instructions on the publicity card. We finally ended up running out of paved road and drove 7 ½ miles on a dirt washboard, pot holed road to her home in the middle of a large valley. The place was absolutely beautiful and very quiet. It was in no man’s land.
When we entered her studio we were greeted warmly and I was absolutely blown away by the quilts she had on display. Her name is Anne Morrell Robinson and she has been doing art quilts for over 30 years and has designed many quilts which have been in National and International shows. She had one in the quilt frame which was 112 x 112 and was hand appliquéd. She spent 4 winters doing the hand appliqués and has started hand quilting the quilt. She says it will probably take her another year to finish the quilting. She is doing the quilting a very scant one fourth inch apart using many different designs. She plans on sending the quilt to all the large quilt shows in the world. She also designs patterns and they are also hand appliqué. She teaches classes on how to do primitive rug hooking using scant ¼ inch strips of wool. This lady must have a very persistent personality to stick with such detailed projects. And by the way here studio was to die for. (Since I do my quilting in a fifth wheel, which is not adapted to serve as a studio, it is a dream to reach for some day.) Her stash of fabric was huge. She lived in the boonies and she could not run out to the quilt store on a whim to get supplies.
Now our next adventure was to get out of the valley. We asked our gal on the GPS to get us home. Well, we started off okay but when she made us make 3 right turns in a row we knew we were in trouble. Needless to say, none of the roads run in a square grid like they do at home. After we saw the same church for the third time we knew we were in severe trouble. Finally we stopped at a home which had some cars in the drive and asked for directions. Well, once we got good down home instructions and did not listen to Lizzie, we drove out of the valley in a few miles. The thing that got us in trouble is that when we got to the Cabot Road we ran into construction and the first turn should have done was when we reached TwoMacs, which was just beyond TwoMacs. So as of now we have more negative things to say about this new GPS.
We did stop at a Fish Nursery on our way out of Margaree Valley, but it was too late and they were not open anymore so we continued to drive on the trail until we came to our exit and stopped to get supper because it was almost sunset already. We had some seafood which was only fair but we did meet some very nice people from Traverse City, Michigan. He was raised in Iowa and she was raised in South Dakota. They had lived all over the United States and knew where Maria Stein, Ohio was located. They were a lovely couple and we could have talked with them for many hours.
When we got to the ferry to take us across the St. Anne’s Bay we were delighted to know we were only a few miles from our home. Bart, our dog was glad to see us after our long absence.
It was a very wonderful day and thank the Lord that we have been able to do all of this traveling
We traveled along the trail and we had 4 mountains to cross and many miles of seashore. They say you can travel the trail in 8 hours but we were gone for 11 hours. This included a long trip to an art quilt studio. I will tell you about that a little later.
The first small town, which spread along the trail for a few miles, was called Ingonish. It was a community in the mountains. They had a ski area and a golf course. We also hit our first construction for the day. Canada has a stimulus plan like the US and it is called Canada Action Plan and they have signs on each project just as the US has for the stimulus plan. They are doing a major makeover of the tourist roads in the area. When you get off the tourist roads it is alarming as to the condition of the roads. This little town also advertised whale watching tours.
Our next stop was at a drive off were we could see the ocean. The view was something I cannot put in words. There was a very rugged shoreline of huge red rocks and the water made crushing waves on the rocks. The sky was overcast so you could hardly tell where the sky stopped and the sea began except for the coastline which jetted out into the ocean. God certainly did a good job when he created the earth.
Neils was our next attraction and it is located to the northern edge of the trail. It was overcast until we reached this harbor and the sun began to come out and the scenery was even more beautiful. The soft puffy clouds gave everything a new dimension. We took some pictures of the light house and the harbor which was small. Our greatest picture here was the pointed roof house which had seagulls sitting on it’s peak and seagull do-do ran down the roof. Nasty but funny!!!
We did stop at Asby Bay and go into a gift shop hoping we would find a bathroom. Well, the shop was stocked with many good quality items that we never did ask for the bathroom. They had some witches balls that are supposed to chase out bad omens in your house. It definitely is something that not every home will have in it.
We continued our trip by swinging to the west side(kinda west) of the cape that looks out on the Northumberland Strait. We reached Pleasant Bay by 10:45 am. Shortly after driving past Pleasant Bay we stopped at a drive out and saw a beautiful ocean scene. We stepped up to the wall and Walt immediately saw a whale blowing thru his blow hole. Well, that set off a panic with everyone who had stopped and they pulled out their binoculars to see the whales. We stayed for about 15 minutes watching the three whales and the whale watching boat which had come from Cheticamp. Later when we ate lunch at Cheticamp we watched the whale watching boats come in the harbor.
When we left Cheticamp we asked if they knew a place which had hooked rugs. These are not the latch hook rugs which we have done in the past. This is a whole different thing. They use yarn but it is tight on the backing and not with yarns sticking up out of the canvas. We did find her shop and it was very interesting to have her show me how she did it and the differences in yarns and canvas. She was a lady who was proud to be a hooker. The gal and her sister have been hooking since they have been 8 or 9 and she was probably in her late forties. So she could do it so fast you could hardly imagine how she did it. They had many consigned pieces in the shop and they ranged from 30 dollars to 150 dollars. After hearing her demonstration I could see which was done well and which one had been done by a 94 year old hooker.
Our next adventure definitely turned out to be an adventure. We had a brochure about KingRoss Quilts and Fibre Art. Everyone seemed to know her and gave us instructions about where to go to find her. She was in Margaree Valley and “you go on the Cabot Trail south of Chiticamp to Two Macs gift shop. You turn left on the road next to the shop and follow the signs.”
Well, this is when the adventure started. We were driving south of Chiticamp and we ran into construction so we listened to our GPS and she said we were to turn earlier. We followed her instructions and drove for a while without a clue to where she was taking us. After a while we stopped at a coop (grocery store) and got some more instructions. Finally after finding the start road we proceeded to follow the written instructions on the publicity card. We finally ended up running out of paved road and drove 7 ½ miles on a dirt washboard, pot holed road to her home in the middle of a large valley. The place was absolutely beautiful and very quiet. It was in no man’s land.
When we entered her studio we were greeted warmly and I was absolutely blown away by the quilts she had on display. Her name is Anne Morrell Robinson and she has been doing art quilts for over 30 years and has designed many quilts which have been in National and International shows. She had one in the quilt frame which was 112 x 112 and was hand appliquéd. She spent 4 winters doing the hand appliqués and has started hand quilting the quilt. She says it will probably take her another year to finish the quilting. She is doing the quilting a very scant one fourth inch apart using many different designs. She plans on sending the quilt to all the large quilt shows in the world. She also designs patterns and they are also hand appliqué. She teaches classes on how to do primitive rug hooking using scant ¼ inch strips of wool. This lady must have a very persistent personality to stick with such detailed projects. And by the way here studio was to die for. (Since I do my quilting in a fifth wheel, which is not adapted to serve as a studio, it is a dream to reach for some day.) Her stash of fabric was huge. She lived in the boonies and she could not run out to the quilt store on a whim to get supplies.
Now our next adventure was to get out of the valley. We asked our gal on the GPS to get us home. Well, we started off okay but when she made us make 3 right turns in a row we knew we were in trouble. Needless to say, none of the roads run in a square grid like they do at home. After we saw the same church for the third time we knew we were in severe trouble. Finally we stopped at a home which had some cars in the drive and asked for directions. Well, once we got good down home instructions and did not listen to Lizzie, we drove out of the valley in a few miles. The thing that got us in trouble is that when we got to the Cabot Road we ran into construction and the first turn should have done was when we reached TwoMacs, which was just beyond TwoMacs. So as of now we have more negative things to say about this new GPS.
We did stop at a Fish Nursery on our way out of Margaree Valley, but it was too late and they were not open anymore so we continued to drive on the trail until we came to our exit and stopped to get supper because it was almost sunset already. We had some seafood which was only fair but we did meet some very nice people from Traverse City, Michigan. He was raised in Iowa and she was raised in South Dakota. They had lived all over the United States and knew where Maria Stein, Ohio was located. They were a lovely couple and we could have talked with them for many hours.
When we got to the ferry to take us across the St. Anne’s Bay we were delighted to know we were only a few miles from our home. Bart, our dog was glad to see us after our long absence.
It was a very wonderful day and thank the Lord that we have been able to do all of this traveling
September 13-correct edition
We did all of our morning chores in 1 hour and we were on our way by 8 a.m. Our GPS said we should be at St. Ann Campground by 11:30 am. Well it did not turn out that way.
We took 104 to Cape Breton and the road was great. Smooth hills and valleys with forests on each side. Some of the evergreen trees were quite tall and then there were patches of small trees. It looked a reforesting project. When we got to St. Georges Bay we started to see some farmland which had been carved out of the wooded area. Near Monastery we were on the high road thru the foothills. Suddenly we saw a sign that said “Danger Blowing Snow Zone”.
When we got to the Cabot Trail we saw a sign which read “Cabot Trail-Experience the Masterpiece”. What we saw today was a masterpiece so tomorrow we will plan to do more of the Cabot Trail. When we passed over the Canso Causeway we had a view of the bay with high cliffs and the water looked like a mirror.
We had switched to Rt. 105 which was a nice road with views of water as we passed St Patricks Channel . When we reached exit 12 we were diverted to a narrow curvy road to the ferry which crossed St. Ann’s Bay. As we waited to go on the ferry we could see it was going to be a short deep enter and exit from the ferry. When the ferry came to our side the captain of the ferry came to talk to us. He said most big rigs will drag the back of the rig on the ramp as they go on and off. Walt and the captain looked at the underside of the back and found a rub bar which would be an extra safety so you did not scrape the bottom of the RV. He said the other choice is to go back to exit 11 and take the long way to the campground. His advice was not to take a rig like ours over that road because there was some construction on the road and it would be worse than taking the rig on the ferry. He said he would not take his rig on that road. So we decided to go on the ferry. When he came in he made sure he was as close to the shore so the angle would not be as steep. Well, we did scrape but had no damage. We did not hardly scrape when we went off the ferry. So we finally arrived at our camp by 12:09 pm. The camp is almost all seasonal campers so it was deserted except for two old gentlemen. One guarded the upper end of the grounds and the other guarded the lower end. The gentlemen did this as a hobby and making sure they knew everyone. Our site was a bit hard to get into but when we did the rig was standing perfectly level so we set up in a hurry. No extra ramps to level the rig. When we look out of the windows on the back of the house we can see St. Ann’s Bay. It was very nice scenery.
We did a quick lunch and jumped in our truck to go to a local information center so we could plan our tour. The trip took us to a pewter gallery just north of us. We did a purchase of some very nice Celtic napkin rings. We then drove south on the road that we were told was very rough. The captain was very correct but the scenery in areas were breathtaking. The construction area was part of the stimulus package of Canada and it was rough and difficult to travel. After the construction area the road was just wonderful. This road led us into the town of Baddeck.
As we were coming into Baddeck we spotted the Alexander Graham Bell Exhibit. We had planned to visit this museum so we stopped. The display was small but very interesting. Bell was a teacher, scientist and inventor. Bell devoted his life, with unusual success, to the benefit of mankind. Known chiefly as the inventor of the telephone, he also produced important inventions and discoveries in medicine, aeronautics, marine engineering, genetics and electrical science, and greatly advanced the methods and practices of teaching the deaf to communicate. Born in Scotland, citizen of the United States and longtime resident of Canada, Bell is himself a symbol of the international impact of his achievements.
After the tour we went to a Tea Room and had some tea and scones as we looked over the St. Andrews Channel. It was about 4 pm so it was time for high tea. The tea set they used was from England and it was quite nice. We then went to the information center and picked up some literature and drove back to the campground.
Trivia: We are in the remotest area we have been in for a long time. We have no internet, cell phones or television. We cannot even watch a movie because we have to have television service to watch a video.
We have seen parks in Nova Scotia with the barrel from a automatic washer used as a fire ring. We had one last Friday night and it was nicer than an open fire.
A very long day so good-night.
We took 104 to Cape Breton and the road was great. Smooth hills and valleys with forests on each side. Some of the evergreen trees were quite tall and then there were patches of small trees. It looked a reforesting project. When we got to St. Georges Bay we started to see some farmland which had been carved out of the wooded area. Near Monastery we were on the high road thru the foothills. Suddenly we saw a sign that said “Danger Blowing Snow Zone”.
When we got to the Cabot Trail we saw a sign which read “Cabot Trail-Experience the Masterpiece”. What we saw today was a masterpiece so tomorrow we will plan to do more of the Cabot Trail. When we passed over the Canso Causeway we had a view of the bay with high cliffs and the water looked like a mirror.
We had switched to Rt. 105 which was a nice road with views of water as we passed St Patricks Channel . When we reached exit 12 we were diverted to a narrow curvy road to the ferry which crossed St. Ann’s Bay. As we waited to go on the ferry we could see it was going to be a short deep enter and exit from the ferry. When the ferry came to our side the captain of the ferry came to talk to us. He said most big rigs will drag the back of the rig on the ramp as they go on and off. Walt and the captain looked at the underside of the back and found a rub bar which would be an extra safety so you did not scrape the bottom of the RV. He said the other choice is to go back to exit 11 and take the long way to the campground. His advice was not to take a rig like ours over that road because there was some construction on the road and it would be worse than taking the rig on the ferry. He said he would not take his rig on that road. So we decided to go on the ferry. When he came in he made sure he was as close to the shore so the angle would not be as steep. Well, we did scrape but had no damage. We did not hardly scrape when we went off the ferry. So we finally arrived at our camp by 12:09 pm. The camp is almost all seasonal campers so it was deserted except for two old gentlemen. One guarded the upper end of the grounds and the other guarded the lower end. The gentlemen did this as a hobby and making sure they knew everyone. Our site was a bit hard to get into but when we did the rig was standing perfectly level so we set up in a hurry. No extra ramps to level the rig. When we look out of the windows on the back of the house we can see St. Ann’s Bay. It was very nice scenery.
We did a quick lunch and jumped in our truck to go to a local information center so we could plan our tour. The trip took us to a pewter gallery just north of us. We did a purchase of some very nice Celtic napkin rings. We then drove south on the road that we were told was very rough. The captain was very correct but the scenery in areas were breathtaking. The construction area was part of the stimulus package of Canada and it was rough and difficult to travel. After the construction area the road was just wonderful. This road led us into the town of Baddeck.
As we were coming into Baddeck we spotted the Alexander Graham Bell Exhibit. We had planned to visit this museum so we stopped. The display was small but very interesting. Bell was a teacher, scientist and inventor. Bell devoted his life, with unusual success, to the benefit of mankind. Known chiefly as the inventor of the telephone, he also produced important inventions and discoveries in medicine, aeronautics, marine engineering, genetics and electrical science, and greatly advanced the methods and practices of teaching the deaf to communicate. Born in Scotland, citizen of the United States and longtime resident of Canada, Bell is himself a symbol of the international impact of his achievements.
After the tour we went to a Tea Room and had some tea and scones as we looked over the St. Andrews Channel. It was about 4 pm so it was time for high tea. The tea set they used was from England and it was quite nice. We then went to the information center and picked up some literature and drove back to the campground.
Trivia: We are in the remotest area we have been in for a long time. We have no internet, cell phones or television. We cannot even watch a movie because we have to have television service to watch a video.
We have seen parks in Nova Scotia with the barrel from a automatic washer used as a fire ring. We had one last Friday night and it was nicer than an open fire.
A very long day so good-night.
September 13, 2010
Today we did a sleep-in and decided to go to mass in Pictou at the Stella Maris Catholic Church. When we walked into the church the musical director was playing on the piano near the sacristy and there was background music accompanying him. I finally came to the conclusion that they had stereo speakers were the extra music was coming from and it filled the church from top to bottom an in every niche. This is the second church we attended that had the same name. Stella Maris is Latin, and translates to ‘Star of the Sea.’
The apostleship of the Sea, a Catholic Church organization for the support of sailors, is also known as Stella Maris. “Stella Maris’ is the name by which many seafarers know the Apostleship of the Sea. This is because many of AOS seafarers’ clubs and hostels around the world are named ‘Stella Maris’, in honor of our patron, Our Lady Stella Maris.
'Stella Maris', 'Star of the Sea', is an ancient title for Our Lady, used by seafarers and others associated with the sea. Just as seafarers have traditionally depended on the stars for navigation, so they trust in the protection and guidance of Our Lady."
The singing in this was just amazing because the parishioners sang with real gusto. We have never attended a church with such participation from the parishioners. The choir was in a few rows at the front of church and the male voices filled the whole church. Such enthusiasm is wonderful.
After mass we went to the harbor for lunch and then walked to the curling club because they still had the Farmers Market in the building. I had seen some prints which were perfect as a small souvenir by purchasing a 5 x 7 card which I can frame and put in the R.V.
While we were in the Market, Walt asked one of the ladies sitting at a booth about the curling club. Well, he hit pay dirt. Joyce and her husband had a booth with wooden utensils and machine embroidered items. She had been an avid curler. She explained how they put an inch of ice on the floor from October to March each year. They had 3 lanes with a elevated walkway around the outside walls of the building. She also showed us the curling stone weighed 42 pounds of granite with a handle on it. She said they never lift the stone but only set it on the side so it moves only on a thin ridge which is under the stone. She was so vibrant and really could answer all our questions.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September 12, 2010
Today we did a sleep-in and decided to go to mass in Pictou at the Stella Maris Catholic Church. When we walked into the church the musical director was playing on the piano near the sacristy and there was background music accompanying him. I finally came to the conclusion that they had stereo speakers were the extra music was coming from and it filled the church from top to bottom an in every niche. This is the second church we attended that had the same name. Stella Maris is Latin, and translates to ‘Star of the Sea.’
The apostleship of the Sea, a Catholic Church organization for the support of sailors, is also known as Stella Maris. “Stella Maris’ is the name by which many seafarers know the Apostleship of the Sea. This is because many of AOS seafarers’ clubs and hostels around the world are named ‘Stella Maris’, in honor of our patron, Our Lady Stella Maris.
'Stella Maris', 'Star of the Sea', is an ancient title for Our Lady, used by seafarers and others associated with the sea. Just as seafarers have traditionally depended on the stars for navigation, so they trust in the protection and guidance of Our Lady."
The singing in this was just amazing because the parishioners sang with real gusto. We have never attended a church with such participation from the parishioners. The choir was in a few rows at the front of church and the male voices filled the whole church. Such enthusiasm is wonderful.
After mass we went to the harbor for lunch and then walked to the curling club because they still had the Farmers Market in the building. I had seen some prints which were perfect as a small souvenir by purchasing a 5 x 7 card which I can frame and put in the R.V.
While we were in the Market, Walt asked one of the ladies sitting at a booth about the curling club. Well, he hit pay dirt. Joyce and her husband had a booth with wooden utensils and machine embroidered items. She had been an avid curler. She explained how they put an inch of ice on the floor from October to March each year. They had 3 lanes with a elevated walkway around the outside walls of the building. She also showed us the curling stone weighed 42 pounds of granite with a handle on it. She said they never lift the stone but only set it on the side so it moves only on a thin ridge which is under the stone. She was so vibrant and really could answer all our questions.
After our curling lesson we went back home and spent the afternoon with no special activities scheduled. We have gotten things ready for our move in the morning and are watching the only TV station we can get with our antenna.
September 11, 2010
Burr!!! It has been cold and rainy all day. I wore my winter coat while we were gone today and now I have my winter garb on here in the house. We left early this morning and had breakfast at Sharon’s Restaurant in Pictou, N.S.. This restaurant was recommended by the locals in the park as being the best breakfast in Pictou. It was very good and it was the busiest place filled with locals and a few tourists. Everyone knew everyone. This area is Scottish and they have voices which are loud and dynamic. It was fun just listening to the chatter while we drank our coffee and tea. Yes, I am drinking hot tea. I tried all over PEI to get cold unsweet tea and I failed miserably, so I have finally joined the crowd and have ordered hot tea. I am really starting to enjoy it with some sweetner. When we were in PEI I picked up some tablets which have honey and lemon in them to put in your. I bought some so I must give that a try.
Sharon’s was a short distance from our camp. The locals say it is 8 minutes to Pictou. Everyone on PEI and Nova Scotia give directions by minutes not kilometers or miles. They say they have so many curvy roads that the minutes are more accurate. Our goal for the day was to drive the Northumberland Drive. We each had a spot we wanted to stop at. My spot of interest was a quilt shop in or near River John, and Walt wanted to stop at a winery near Malagash.
But as we left the restaurant we asked a man on the corner where the Farmers Market was located in the town. He pointed towards the harbor and said (Its over there). Not real directions but we went were he pointed and finally found it a few blocks from where he had pointed. It was not a typical farmers market—it was a craft show. Some local craftsmen bought their products in the local Curling Club for the market. Their was a man by the door on the outside who had some plants like hostas, Autumn Joy Sedium, and other perennials. Then just in the door was a young man who made small wood turnings for key chains, whistles, pens and letter openers. All done very well. Some of the other booths had homemade bread, jewelry, handmade beads, natural lotions and soap, beautiful wood benches and stools with inlay, sewn objects and prints from and artists paintings. It was very nice.
As we left Pictou our GPS started us on a beautiful smooth road but after we went a few miles she sent us on a shorter back road. Well, needless to say it was not smooth and it shook us and rattled our brains. I have come to the conclusion that Nova Scotia repairs the main tourist roads and forgets about the other roads.
After many miles on the rough road we finally turned off onto another road (just as bad) and found the quilt shop which was a blue house in the country. When I left the truck I told Walt to come and find me in a little while in case I got lost. When I walked in the door I was on a little porch with some fabric leaning against the wall and a sign above the fabric saying it was $3.95 per yard. Needless to say, I was not impressed. When I opened the door I was in a room cluttered with fabric, books, notions and patterns. There was another lady in the room talking to the owner and when I came in they stopped talking even though I said “Good Morning”. I certainly did not have a good impression of the shop. You can walk in a quilt shop and immediately know if you want to be there or not. Well, I spent some time in the shop and Walt came in to find me. We picked out some fat quarters (a quilt term for a piece of fabric 22 x 18 inches) for my stash and left the shop.
We got to the truck and quickly turned it in the direction of the scenic road and finally gave a cheer when we hit the tourist road—it was SMOOTH. We were again on the way to the winery. The road hugged the shoreline of the Northumberland Strait and some of the views would have been awesome if it had not been for the wind and pounding rain. They also had intermittent farm areas, some were small farms with hay as their main crop and in another area we saw dairy farm which extended right to the shore line.
We drove many miles before we arrived at the winery on another back road. This road was not quite as bad and we saw the winery we were immediately impressed. They had the vineyards and the buildings looked like pictures of vineyards in magazines. When we went inside we saw a very interesting room before us with little tables set up displaying their different wines. I went up to the loft and looked thru the many accessories for home and woman. They had very nice and unusual gifts for everyone. When we left Walt had bottles of wine and vowed to bring one bottle home to the Gehret wine parties. They have an open house each week for conversation wine tasting and drinking.
It is now 1 pm and it is 57 degrees with rain and high wind off the strait. Our next order of business was to find a spot for lunch and then onto Amherst to find a Hook Rug shop. I have become interested in the hook rug hobby done by women in this area. It is more popular than quilting. They take strips of wool and hook it in a canvas that has a pattern printed on it. These are not like the hook rugs you do with yarn. The top side of the rug is smooth. They are a piece of art when they are finished. Walt said I should get a kit and then we could use it at the entrance of our home. I immediately said it would be a piece of art on the wall and not something for him to wipe his feet on.
Well, we found lunch at a little café along the highway near Pugwash . Their décor was bright, clean and with a lot of window. They had glass mosaics on the wall with 3 large round mirrors with a 6 inch band of mosaic around the mirror. Very impressive!!! They have long winters in this area so everyone must have a hobby to keep the winter months interesting.
When we left the café and looked at our time schedule and we noted it was too late to make it to Amherst before the stores closed so we turned back to Pictou. As we approached Tatamaguiche we spotted signs for a grist mill so we turned off of our prized smooth road to go to the grist mill. Well, before we arrived at the grist mill we saw a sign for a Southerland Steam Mill. Well, by this time, I had lost all of my energy so Walt did the tour. He had a one on one tour with the guide.
Alexander Sutherland, founder of the mill, learned his trade as a carriage maker in West Branch, Pictou County at the McKenzie Carriage Factory. In 1891 he purchased a parcel of land beside the newly completed Oxfort to Pictou railroad. Here he set up his first saw mill which housed a portable steam power mill. By this time steam mills were replacing the conventional water powered mill. A steam mil could turn out 10 to 20 times the footage of the older types of mills.
While a larger mill was under construction, a fire broke out destroying the new building and the portable steam mill a new mill was started almost immediately, it is the present structure, and was completed in 1894. Alexander Sutherland managed the mill for a few years and then his brother, John Thomas joined him and they formed a partnership. Alexander specialized in the manufactured carriages, sleighs and sleds while Thomas looked after the house construction part of the business.
During the winter months, local residents would bring their supply of logs to the mill to be sawn. As many as sixty piles of logs would be piled behind the mill with each owner’s name attached awaiting to be cut into lumber in the spring.
In 1910, Thomas moved from the area leaving Alexander to manage the mill alone. In 1912 Alexander married and in 1914 a son, Wilfred, was born. Wilfred entered his father’s business when he was 16 years old. In 1940, Alexander retired and the business was continued by his son.
The war years brought about an increase in the demand for lumber in domestic and foreign markets. Wilfred expanded the operations to meet the export demand for lumber. The lumber for the export trade was cut in the mill, loaded onto railway cars next to the mill and shipped to Pictou or Pugwash to loaded onto ships for England. Although business slowed down somewhat after the war, it was still good and in 1952 Wilfred extended the roof over the saw mill to make room for a separate assembly room for windows and doors.
Alexander died in 1953 and Wilfred retire in 1958 and closed the mill.
As we got on the road again, the weather got very blustery but Walt wanted to go to the grist mill. The Barmoral Grist Mill Museum is a three-storey mill tucked away in a wooded gorge on Matheson’s Brook. The mill operates as it did when it was opened in 1874. They grind buck wheat and oats.
Our final drive back to our home went well and we spent the evening in front of the fireplace.
Friday, September 10, 2010
September 10,2010
Hello to everyone from Nova Scotia.
We left this morning at about 8:30 this morning with our new GPS set for Wood Island, PEI. We did well until we had to go thru the middle of Charlottetown and Walt was upset because it should have taken us around the city. Walt is not sure we have a GPS like our old one. Maybe it is operator error. Anyway we stopped for a break and they said we were on our way to the ferry. We arrived at about 10:15 and the boat started loading at 11 am. The trip to Nova Scotia was good and then we started our ground travel to Pictou, Nova Scotia. We did not listen to Lizzie and we ended on the wrong side of the bridge. So, we turned around and finally got to Pictuo. Lizzie took us right downtown and so we again stopped for info. and we finally got to our park.
It had rained very hard in the area so the sight we were scheduled for was to wet for our big rig, so they put us on a better site. We cut down in the lot but got setup in no time. We have some great neighbors and we are getting acclimated quickly.
After about an hour we went to the info center and got an armful of new brochures. We will have to go through the pile of brochures and plan our next 2 days. We will be leaving Monday morning and go to St. Annes, NS which is in the northern part of the island.
When we walk about a ¼ block we are right at the Northumberland Strait shore. It is beautiful and Walt and Bart took a walk on the beach this afternoon when it was low tide.
We are invited to a camp fire this evening so I will close.
We left this morning at about 8:30 this morning with our new GPS set for Wood Island, PEI. We did well until we had to go thru the middle of Charlottetown and Walt was upset because it should have taken us around the city. Walt is not sure we have a GPS like our old one. Maybe it is operator error. Anyway we stopped for a break and they said we were on our way to the ferry. We arrived at about 10:15 and the boat started loading at 11 am. The trip to Nova Scotia was good and then we started our ground travel to Pictou, Nova Scotia. We did not listen to Lizzie and we ended on the wrong side of the bridge. So, we turned around and finally got to Pictuo. Lizzie took us right downtown and so we again stopped for info. and we finally got to our park.
It had rained very hard in the area so the sight we were scheduled for was to wet for our big rig, so they put us on a better site. We cut down in the lot but got setup in no time. We have some great neighbors and we are getting acclimated quickly.
After about an hour we went to the info center and got an armful of new brochures. We will have to go through the pile of brochures and plan our next 2 days. We will be leaving Monday morning and go to St. Annes, NS which is in the northern part of the island.
When we walk about a ¼ block we are right at the Northumberland Strait shore. It is beautiful and Walt and Bart took a walk on the beach this afternoon when it was low tide.
We are invited to a camp fire this evening so I will close.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
September 9, 2010
Today was a day of shopping in Charlottetown. We did not leave for the town until about 10 am. It was a short drive to the Future store to pick up our GPS. After purchasing the new toy we went to the harbor area and old historic Charlottetown for lunch. This was a done when I had to read a small map of the town. Well we finally made it and chose a wonderful restaurant. They had a special of haddock with rice and a wonderful sauce over the fish. The sauce was grape tomatoes with mushrooms in a very tasty sauce. It was light and wonderful.
After lunch Walt played with his new toy as it went to Walmart for some essentials. They Walt could not get his GPS to do what he wanted to do so he dropped me off at Michaels and he went back to Future and pick the brain of the salesperson. After a great deal of time I had gone over every inch of Michaels so I called him and he finally came to pick me up. After a visit to Home Depot and a fabric store we headed for home. It was 4:30 pm and rush hour again. The GPS worked well on our way home, but Walt continued to explore the new technology road.
Tomorrow we move to Nova Scotia so some housekeeping needs to be done tonight – talk to you soon. I believe we will take the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia. More news tomorrow.
September 8, 2010
Well, today we did the Cavendish attractions and went to Charlottetown to try and get our GPS fixed or by a new one.
We started out early and arrived at the Green Gables. After we had bought our tickets we looked to the parking lot and saw 4 tour buses park and let of their passengers. We hurried with another couple to the barn and then to the gardens and the house. We were fortunate that we kept a few steps ahead of the mad rush and got the pictures we wanted. The gift shop was my next stop while Walt tried the lovers lane and the haunted woods. He found out after walking a little while that it would take 48 minutes, so he gave up and met me at the gift shop. I believe half of the people from the bus went straight to the gift shop and never went through the exhibit. They were definitely on a mission and they had 4 registers going as fast as possible.
We then went to a few more exhibits about Anne of Green Gables, but it was not as good as we had expected the exhibit to be. It definitely draws people to the area.
It had rained most of the morning so we went back to the RV and warmed up and dried off. We also ate lunch before we went to Charlottetown.
We checked on the internet for the stores which dealt with Garmin GPS”s. We found 3 stores in the town. Two of them were the Canadian Tire Company. When we got to the store the little clerk was very frank and said this is an antique: that is, our old GPS. Well, it was only 5 years old and very expensive and Walt had got so accustomed to it that it was hard for him to follow my instructions while I was reading the map. When he gets stressed so do I. When the clerk checked with her manager he said there was nothing he could do with it. He said it was dead. Then we asked if they carried Garmin’s and so she showed us some, but encouraged us to go to a store called “Future”. She even took us to the door and showed us were the store was and were the GPS was located in the store. The store was a very large electronic store and we got immediate assistance. After checking all of the GPS’s out we decided on a Garmin at one fifth the cost of our first Garmin. The big catch was that they had sold out of the one we wanted and it would be in the store by the next day. After all of this we said we would be back in the store tomorrow.
The area we were in was a crowded area with construction so we left that area and drove to the harbor area. We drove through it and started for home because it was rush hour by this time and we wanted to get out of the city.
We arrived home safely and prepared for another day in the morning.
September 7, 2010
The North Cape Coastal Drive is our target for today. We had done the southern part on last Saturday so today we hope to finish the drive.
It was raining when we left Cavendish, so we hope we can still get some interesting pictures. We have not heard how many days a week it rains on the PEI, but as I remember when we were here it rained the whole time we were here.
Let me talk about ecology for a moment—first, there is no litter anywhere on the island. All the ditches are perfectly clean and at least 80 percent of the houses and farms are very neat and clean. They do recycling everywhere you go. They have similar bins in stores, restaurants, on the streets and in the restrooms. The bins are usually 3 setting together in one area. Bottles, Plastics and Refuse are the labels on each bin. They also have recycling areas where you can drop off you waste. I believe the US needs to get more in step and we would not see the inmates cleaning the ditches like they do in the south.
We left Cavendish on route 6 to a new route we have not traveled. This new route was 254 to route 2 and then we drove to the North Cape Coastal Drive on route 122. When we were on Route 2 we passed on of the traditional Catholic Churches on the island. The Church was St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. It was a large yellow beige wooden church with white trim. The windows were fairly tall windows with round tops. The balustrades on the side of the church were white with black accents cut on a 45 degree angle at the top. The main entrance , as all the other doors on the church, had huge white pillars capped with the black 45 degree cap at each floor level and came to a peak with more black accents. The fret work around the church just above the large windows was white with black accents. The steeple was stripped horizontally in the colors of black and yellow beige bands with white accents as trim. The church sat on a hill so it shinned in the sunshine and it could be seen for miles. It was a very impressive building.
Our first stop of the day was at the Green Park Provincial Park just south of Lennox Island. This stop became one of the most memorable stop on our whole trip to PEI. As we drove up to the interpretive center there was one car parked at the entrance and one car in the parking lot. So it seemed like no one was there at the time. So we went in the front door and was met by a very friendly person who said she was filling in for one of the staff as she left on an errand. We wanted to pay admission and she did not have her glasses so she ran to her car to get her purse. When she came in with her purse she could not find her glasses until she dug to the bottom of her purse. While she was doing all of this hunting she continued to talk about her day and how blind she was without her glasses. When she finally started to use her credit card machine the second person came up and helped her. They then gave us a tour of the center and add more personal info.-like one of the first shipbuilders was her great grandfather. Then we were asked if we wanted to see
the house he had built. So both ladies had us follow them in their car to the house. It was a large Victorian house on a hill which was built in 1865. It had been occupied until 1950’s by a family member. The next relative to own the house was not able to restore it so she sold the 200 plus acres and the house to the province. They restored the house and furnishings and made the farm a park.
When we got in the door they asked if we would like some coffee. Well they had some Home made buttermilk biscuits and a percolator with them. So as one of the girls made the coffee the other gal showed us the house with much detail. When we reached the kitchen she had the table set with biscuits and coffee. When they found out I did not drink coffee they made me a cup of tea. Both gals were now dressed in period dress as maids. There was a large fireplace in the room across from the table. They had a quilt hanging by the back stairway and they had just taken it off of the quilt frame. It was a beautiful quilt in period fabrics. As we were talking about our families I happened to say something about the tin sitz tub they had next to the fire place and one comment lead to another and before we knew it Walt was sitting in the tub with one of the maids helping him lather up. We all laughed so much we had a hard time taking pictures. They were just incredible people and we had a lovely tea party with them. It was hard to express how much we enjoyed this tour.
When we left these lovely ladies we drove to Lennox Island and the First Nation. They had a interpretive center which explained their customs and beliefs. We had a private tour again. It was given by a lovely native girl. She used some of her families language to name certain animals. She also explained basket making because her father had been a basket weaver. She also showed us photographs of some honored people who had lived in their area. She had known many of them and she could describe their lifetime works. She also had some paintings which described their religious beliefs. It was amazing how it was somewhat like our beliefs in God. The twin sons of their God were like Cain and Abel in our bible.
After we left Lennox Island we looked for a place to eat lunch. It was found in a small town at a local eating establishment. The food was homemade and was really good. We had a simple Western Omelet and some toast. It was light and just what we needed.
Then we drove to the northern most part of the west drive. This place was called North Cape. As we approached North Cape the skyline was filled with the moving blades of the towers in the wind farm. They have a facility tests the wind turbines and they are a leader in wind energy research. The largest wind turbine in North America has been tried and evaluated here.
The North Cape has been famous for the longest natural rock reef in North America and the ‘meeting of the waters.’ At low tide, you can walk out almost a kilometer onto the reef. As the tide moves in, you can see the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait merge together over the reef. It made some beautiful pictures.
After we left the North Cape we drove to Miminegash. This area is known for its Irish Moss harvesters. They harvest the moss from boats or by the traditional method using horse-drawn rakes in the surf and on the shore. This seaweed is used in the food industry in jellies, ice cream and also for lotions and cosmetics. While we were driving thru the area we had seen many Belgian horses eating the grass in the fields. Well they use these horses to drag the rakes in water after or during high waves with a storm.
The other place we were told to try Seaweed Pie. Well, we found The Seaweed Pie café and we ordered a piece of pie to share. It had a layer of angel food cake on the bottom with a light filling on it with some whip cream on top. It was good but not special like everyone else tried to tell us.
After we left the café we decided we needed to point our truck towards Cavendish.
It had been a long day with rain for the first hour and then we had occasional sunshine. Thank goodness we did not have a cold rain all day. When we got close to Cavendish Walt decided to go to North Rustico and get some seafood. Well, he came out with some salmon and a cooked lobster. He had wanted to eat some lobster since we stepped our feet on PEI, but he could not pay the 30 dollars in the restaurants. So they have a thing called a cooked lobster which is done and all you have to do is crack the shell and dig in. He definitely enjoyed the meal.
That was the end to another good day for the Albers.
September 6, 2010
It is Labor Day today and the Canadians also celebrate the day. We have seen a few less people at the park this morning and we continue to see travelers at the sites of attraction. Our first stop was a cup of coffee for Walt and then we traveled east on Route 6. The Prince Edward Island National Park, Brackley-Dalvay was our first park for the day. We arrived before 10 a.m. so we did not have to pay an entrance fee. The park was known for the sand dunes which were covered with sea grass and other vegetation. They were very high so we could not see the St. Lawrence Bay. We also took some pictures of the lighthouse at Covehead Bay. The beach was wide and went for miles. There were a few brave souls in the water but they froze when they came out of the water and stood in the strong ocean breezes. I would have loved to see one empty beach during this trip but that has not happened as of today. When we left the park it was 10:30 and it was 67 degrees with a stiff breeze.
Our next stop was the information center at Mount Stewart. We pick up one map and they suggested that we go to St. Peter for more information. After stopping at St Peter and receiving a whole handful of information and suggestions on were to stop for lunch we left the center and did a few shops in the little shopping mall. Most of the stores had only a few things to sell and they were on sale. It seems after Labor Day most of these stores close for the season. There was a bookstore and a high end home décor shop which had many things but they were not on sale. Then we started on our way to find a little café to eat a quick lunch. We found only one place open in the town and they had fish and chips and sandwiches. None of the items were on our diet so we split a fish and chips. The most difficult part about it all was that we had to sit outdoors on the deck and the wind was very strong and raw. We finally got our winter coats out of the car and ate our lunch.
The harbor at Naufrage claimed they had white beaches. We looked high and low for the white sand and only found some sand that looked a little beige in color only when the sun shined directly on it. I guess we are to accustomed to the white sands of Destin, Florida.
Just as we were about to look for the town of Hermanville we saw a distillery. The ladies in the St. Peter information center had told us about this place so we were watching for the spot. The person who was in charge said she had been a descendent of a person who had run a distillery so she came to PEI to do the same thing. They make their vodka from potatoes and another vodka is made from blueberries. The mash from the potato vodka was fed to the hogs they had on the back of their property. When the hogs went to market they were tagged and marketed as hogs who had been fed potato mash from making vodka. It was a big hit in the expensive restaurants on the island. – Well, I guess you can make a buck on anything if you have the right strategy. Walt took a tour and he said the sample was a very few drops but it went down smooth. The bottle of the vodka was 47 dollars. Needless to say, we don’t drink that type of alcohol. Just give the men a good dark ale.
North Lake Harbor was a place noted for fishing boats and fishing. They had fishing boats anchored all over the harbor. Since today is Labor Day the fishing boats all seemed to be safe in harbor. Also, they all tied them down real well for Earl who was to come over PEI last Saturday. Just next to the fishing harbor were many farms. It seems most of the men who were fisherman were also farmers when they came to PEI. They worked together very well. Like our farmer friend in Bedeque said “Everyone works well with the farmer because they are everywhere on the island.” We also saw some farmers combining their wheat the conventional way with a combine. In the southern part of PEI we saw wheat that had been cut and rolled into piles like we do the hay and then when it was dry they ran a combine thru the field. I do not know why they did it.
We reached East Point and the lighthouse at the very north east point of PEI. This area is known for the area where 3 tides meet at one point. The Atlantic Ocean Tide, the Gulf of St. Lawrence Tide, and the Northumberland Strait Tide meet to make the most treacherous area for ships in this part of the world. The pictures we took are breath taking just as it was to stand on the cliff above the area and watch as the tides met and made huge rough waves against the shore. You could be put in a trace by watching the waves.
As Walt went to the lighthouse I went into the gift shop and they had an area where you could use a computer. I finally got a chance to see the email that Krista had wanted me to see for a few days. It was so nice to have a computer that did not fight me when I was trying to get on the internet. By the way, we will be grandparents again in March of 2011. That will make 21 grandchildren. We have 11 granddaughters and 9 grandsons, so we will be happy with whatever sex we can add to the family tree.
After we left the lighthouse it was getting very late so we stopped at Sourie for a short time and then found the shortest way home. Since our GPS has died I have been the map watcher. It definitely takes the joy out of traveling when you must be sure we are always on the right road. We have found they do not have the signs done like we see in the states. Sometimes we do not know what road will be coming next and if that is the road we want to take so we can get home. They have so many gravel roads so you need to be right the first time.
When we got home it was about 7:30 pm and the sun was just setting over the hills to the west, so we were able to get the most wonderful pictures of the sunset. As some people know I am the “Sunset Grandma” and Walt is the “Ice Cream Grandpa”.
Good night again.
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