Trip to Halifax
Jan 18th-29th, 2018
A trip to Nova Scotia with John in January 2018. A visit generated because of a sister of John's that is ill. Despite living on the other side of the country, John is close to his family.
It is so nice to see family connections are important. A characteristic I respect.
A couple of weeks prior to when we were leaving Halifax was in the throws of a "weather bomb" or "Noreaster" High winds and snow and rain.....resulting in a lot of damage done.
Thank goodness, it was finished by the time we were booked to travel and in the end weather was the best we could ask for for January.
The first of these photos is not mine! there were lots of photos out on the internet and this was one of a series posted re the winds at Peggy's Cove, one of John's and my favorite spots. Because I had been there before I recognized how furious the waves were and couldn't help editing with Photo Mania and getting a great photo......
Thankyou for whomever took the photo....beautiful....
Westjet "Redeye " to Halifax, waiting for boarding.
John and I decided to try taking the Redeye to Halifax leaving Calgary at 11 pm on the 18th, arriving Halifax around 7 am on the 19th....We did not sleep a wink....I do not remember a plane being so noisy! perhaps because we were sitting in the back! Needless to say we were exhausted upon arrival....
After grabbing some brekkie in the airport and picking up a rental car we headed over to the Holiday Inn Express and asked if we could get the room early,,,,, I begged....it worked they let us register and even gave us a larger suite so we would "get along"....so funny.
We had a well deserved nap for a couple of hours and then headed out to Laurie and Edna's home .
They have a beautiful little bungalow in East Gore, a warm cozy little nest.
Promptly got lost....it looks like we drove right by their place and onward for miles!!!
finally coming to our senses with GPS. This is what happens when you don't have the internet everywhere!!!!!
In reality, it didn't matter a toot we were lost. The roads were great and the view spectacular....
These little white churches are dotted along the roads everywhere in the Maritimes. I think they used the same pattern or drawings for all of them.....Usually with the steeple a different style and sometimes a feature window or two, but all the same and all white.....
The hotel was a great base for us in the 10 days we were there. Beds were so comfortable and there was a door separating the sitting area (coffee pot, bathroom etc.) so I didn't disturb John being a early riser, and also he being a night hawk did not disturb me.....In other words "we got along" just fine.
The next morning after brekkie we headed out to Peggy's Cove....The wind that day was bitter especially coming off the water. We of course took photos huddled in the car....The only disappointment was the restaurant was closed for renovations during the winter....No scallops for Heather....
Out favorite parking lot just north of the lighthouse always promises good views....It was covered in what I found later was normal for the area , icy slush, lots of it......
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| Rental Car, Dodge Durango.. |
Love this shot......I will have to get the shot he was taking!
I now have John's photos.....A few I took out the car window as we were travelling....Not something I like to do but sometimes its the only option. These roads are narrow....
First the shot John was getting when I got this one of him.....;-)
John and I both go our own way when we stop and see photos.....sometimes similar, sometimes different.....
Peggy's Cove area is littered with hugh boulders scattered everywhere....I will have to talk to John to find out if this is glacial...
There is Peggy, still there ;-)
The homes in the community are painted bright colors, they stand out even more in the snow....
I probably took the exact photos back in 2014, but how different in the winter....
On an overcast day like this, the water and sky are one...
Notice the Red Chairs!
Did not expect a teal boat........What a
bright spot on a bleak landscape.
Village of Peggy's Cove
John got a great shot of a building? Now why is it wet where it is? Can't be a leak, could be spray? Yet another discussion.
Love this...
OK I could go on forever, got to stop.....
I was always under the impression that ice did not freeze due to the salt content!!!! Well you learn something every day.....Yes it does...other than when there is a lot of wave action.....
This home must be a show stopper.....Just imagine how may photographs have been taken of this home....
During our trip, I believe we visited Edna and Laurie almost every day. We also had the pleasure of joining other family members for a supper, once out at the Mic Mac Bar and Grill (scallops) and another time at Russel and Helene's home for David's famous Donairs! I have to admit, I have never had a donair and did find it very good.....messy but good....
John and I decided one day after brekkie at the hotel, to wander north to the Bay of Fundy. Brad had told us of a view point that he had seen numerous photographers there, so of course we had to try it.....It was a sunny day and was beautiful....
Shubenacadie, NS River! (had to look that one up!) The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal bore in the world....and it empty's into the Shubenacadia River.....I am not sure how far inland the salt water comes but just by my observation, quite a way.....The interpretive centre was closed for the winter....
This channel was just around the corner, the tide going back out has left hugh dirty chunks of ice...amazing...
And there is another one....Some little towns have three or four in the same town...!
Bay of Fundy shoreline.
One of our delightful stops along the way was Wolfville N.S. home of Acadia University....
My goodness, I was so impressed with the stateliness of the buildings, beautiful, just as is Antigonish St. Francis Xavier University.
So unlike our institutions out west.
And Antigonish N.S.
These churchs are so small, my guess is it would be a pretty small congregation....
Edna tells us the church in her community was empty for years and they now use it for a food bank....
The focus of our trip was to visit with John's family and I think we had the pleasure of visiting with someone every day, especially Edna. She and Laurie are such a cute couple....Wherever they are they are not far from each other. Even on a couch they are sitting so close they touch....They touched my heart...
John wanted to visit his brother that still lives in Harve Boucher NS. which is about 2 hrs. from Halifax....The day turned out to be cooler -6 but raining and snowing....I was a little worried about the roads but they were fine, slushy.....Winds were cold....but we stopped at enough Timmy's to keep us warm....
We stayed overnight in Antigonish at the Claymore Inn and had supper again at Mother Webbs, a restaurant just outside of town that is clad with the barnboard from the farm that John first started his life.
John went to university in Antigonish at St. Francis Xavier .
Tracadie church. One of the more beautiful ones....Hugh centre window and larger size....
I think this is Tracadie Harbour......
Sea Ice in the harbor. Someone told me this is called filler ice or pack ice, and it does jam together especially in the Canso Channel and prevents the icebergs from coming into the channel.
There were piles of buoys on the shore, I would assume to protect them from the ice damaging them. all different colors and covered in what I thought were clams, told later it was mussels....????
The shells were beautiful colors....What you don't find if you get out of the car and spend 1/2 hr. on a dock .
We had an afternoon visit with Louie and Agatha another cute couple in Harve Boucher and headed back to Halifax....John suggested travelling along the coastline to see the views, but in fact not thinking by the time we got to the coast it was dark....so early at this time of year.....Which meant we travelled much longer on a narrow, twisty, hilly road all the way back to the airport.....But still seeing the wee towns as we drove through them...I still loved it...We will have to do it again......in the daylight!
Pilot's Cove.
Canso straight and the mill John used to work at....
MacDonald Toll Bridge, Dartmouth
Container dock just off the bridge...
We had a great family supper at Russel and Helena's in Lower Sackville. I was always under the assumption from my last visit that Sackville, Bedford etc were suburbs of Halifax but in fact they are cities of their own!
These are John's sisters Edna, Helena and Angela. David and Angela provided the supper, apparently David is the "King of Donairs" and not ever having one before, I enjoyed.
Laurie, Edna, John, Helena, Russell, Angela, David and Jocelyn.
And two of Helena and Russell's grandchildren.
Apparently Angela is a great sudoku player so John taught her is latest challenge "Ken Can"
I remember a similar one when I was growing up called Hi's IQ
John's family is very talented, the following are paintings done by Edna and John's mother
Beautiful.....
The first one is the same church I photographed at Tracadie.
Th
Edna's painting of the original homestead.
I so enjoyed the hospitality of this family, they made me feel very welcome. in their little nests..
The following morning John and I took it easy, relaxed and napped and I read Brad's book, then in the afternoon we decided to run into Halifax and stop at the Esquire Restaurant for their famous Clam Chowder....
HmmmHmmmm good.....
Across the water these guys were taking a break also...on the ice! just chillin ;-)))
Love the texture of the ice here.
We also had the pleasure of going to the Chicken Burger Place again.....
delicious. and one afternoon we took Jocelyn out for supper at Salty's (scallops again) and finally a great evg. out with the whole family at the Mic Mac Bar and Grill (scallops again)
I must say John and I know how to have fun.......;-)
Mic Mac Bar and Grill Bedford (scallops)
Salty's
Halifax Harbor, passenger ferries to Dartmouth
Halifax streets down on the harbor....A mix of the old and the new.
It was a cold cold wind....that made your eyes tear.
Chicken Burger
Now isn't this a lovely picture, enjoying my chicken burger ;-)
One of Edna's paintings at Andrew's
Sophia's video was to large so I can only download a trimmed size...
Flight home.......
I love exploring with John.....
Love them, although the photo does not do them justice.
