October 2016 – Page 2 – Just An East Coast Girl

Vacation is over…back to work!

The last day of David’s Fall vacation. What to do? Another gorgeous day and the leaves are still so beautiful. James was actually up early to capture this beauty at the old train bridge in Bridgewater.

We decided another drive…a Sunday drive …a different route…a different part of the coast. We are so blessed to live in a province that has coast on all sides.

We skipped church today and left early so it wouldn’t be a late day, took Abby for a short drive to Nana’s ( she LOVES the car) and headed to the valley.

We took Hwy 8 passing Kejimkujik National Park on the way. We wanted to see the site of the really bad forest fires this summer. Such devastation.

Saw this beauty after all the brown and char from the fire.

This drive put us in the quaint town of Annapolis Royal. We walked around Fort Anne and downtown, then crossed the causeway to have lunch at Vicki’s.

After lunch it was out to the coast to Port Royal, Habitation , Victoria Beach and Digby Gut. We thought we could get all the way around the coast on this area but there were no roads so we had to back track and cross over to Parker’s cove. This is a lovely area over looking the Bay of Fundy. I would love to have a cottage here. We followed this route along to Hampton, Port Lorne and Port George before cutting across to Middleton and then catching Hwy 10 home to Bridgewater.

We had a gorgeous day to do a little more sight seeing. It was a wonderful vacation exploring more of our own province. A place where tourists from all over the world visit especially in the Fall.

And it’s back to work for David.

We were actually heading off to bed at 9pm when he got a call from work with a major situation and he had to go in. Technically he’s still on vacation but it’s back to work!

Today I am getting back to my routine and cooking up a special Birthday dinner for our sweet daughter who is 27 today!!! Whoa! How can that be?

david-laura-james Have a great week friends!

Foraging in the Forest

Saturday was a beauty. Our youngest son James has been enjoying his Saturday’s off now that he is back to University and working full time. BUT today…he was up at 5am ( I saw him when I took Abby out to pee) He was getting ready to head off to the woods to look for mushrooms and Chaga. Remember the post I did in May?

Chaga

He and a friend wanted to get an early morning start to see what they could find. And find they did!!

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40lbs of Chaga, hedgehog mushrooms, hollow stem boletes and even… yellow foot chanterelles!!

And I had fun cooking some up for dinner…

Yum!!! Thanks so much James. You can go foraging anytime.

And since it was just such a beauty of a day, David & I went to Indian Falls.

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PS. And This is where our oldest son and his wife are today…

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So…This family spent a day enjoying the forest in different parts of our beautiful province. It’s so wonderful to take the opportunity to enjoy it…before long it will be cold and snowy!

A little project…

It’s always nice to get some things accomplished around the house on vacation. While we spent most of our time exploring and on adventures, David was antsy to do a project too. Gee, you’d think after the paint project ( painted the whole upstairs in our home) he would want to rest. BUT, No!!! And because this little project has been “bugging us” and because of circumstance…it seemed like the right time to try it.

One of the days we were on our way to the city, we heard on the radio that Fabricville had a sale…40% off their upholstery fabric. Hmmm? That got us thinking and we stopped in. We actually bought 5m of fabric at an excellent price! And that’s why he was antsy…he wanted to see if he could do it. We have never reupholstered anything

So here’s the project!

We have a fabric/bonded leather loveseat and big comfy chair in our living room. We’ve had it for 8 years or so. Well the arms haven’t been wearing so well and is cracking and damaged and umm…then…someone set a hot cup of coffee on the arm and the material lifted off. And then someone else did it and before long…I was so frustrated!! Why is this happening?! We take really good care of our things so they last and everything else about this set is in excellent condition. Why is certain areas breaking down? There is absolutely no wear showing at all. We like the colour and it just suits our decor right now. What to do? We couldn’t find a complete match for fabric but we did manage to find one pretty close. And because we decided to just do the arms which is wrapping and stapling, no sewing involved…I think it will be ok.

Here goes! Fingers crossed

Staples after staples…( and this is just 1 arm. There’s 3 more to do!)

This is what we’re doing…

The first arm is the worst, right? You know to get a pattern and see how it’s done!

The arm chair is finished!! It turned out pretty good, especially for a first time project.

Now to do the love seat…

Did I mention my husband is AMAZING!!!!! ❤️

Three Churches

Mahone Bay is a small town located on the northwest shore of the south shore of Nova Scotia. It is famous for it’s 3 iconic, frequently photographed, picturesque, “seen on postcards” and ornaments churches. I have photographed them many times and in many seasons.

The town also has a number of upscale shops and restaurants, festivals and events which almost universally are designed to appeal to the tourist trade. Mahone Bay is a great little town to visit, shop, and have lunch.

We are in Mahone Bay often as David’s parents live just outside of town. We also get our Abby girl’s special peanut butter treats at the Dog Shop there.

Today we were driving through to do a couple errands and we couldn’t help but snap a few pictures. It’s the tail end of vacay and we need to take advantage of such beautiful days!

Such an interesting skyline in the harbour…

Then a quick drive along Shingle Mill Rd. The colours here prompted a quick photoshoot.

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I have been enjoying these days so much!! Exploring and hanging out with my husband is THE BEST!!! What am I gonna do when he’s back to work next week? screen-shot-2016-10-13-at-4-48-58-pm

Enjoy your weekend !

Art Amazed

There is a maze being built close to my home. It is due to open sometime in 2018. I love seeing the progress as I drive by and decided to get a closer look hoping the artists and creators would be on site so I could ask a few questions. However, this time they weren’t, so I just took a peak…a bit closer than driving by.

It’s so cool. I love the inspiration and creativity that goes into stuff like this!

How High Do Your Tides Rise?

Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy has bragging rights to the Highest Tides in the World!

Twice each day the Bay of Fundy fills and empties its 160 billion tons of water creating the highest tides in the world. In 1975 The Guinness Book of World Records listed Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia as the site of the greatest average tide of 47.5 feet with an extreme range of 53.6 feet.

Today we went to Burntcoat Head. This spectacular place has been on my 2016 list of places to visit since our son James was there and photographed this place.

Below are two of James’ photos…

13482923_818760718223947_3763846001643129102_o Yes, amazing right?

Today we went!

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Well…my pictures weren’t quite like James’ but we had fun at this amazing place!

It was a beautiful day for a drive…

This afternoon we went for a beautiful drive along the coast…a different road, a new route in a place we haven’t been before. There’s something about old weathered boat and lobster sheds that grab my attention.

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How many of these kind of pictures do I need? Sorry, I love them.

We ended our day at the waterfront. Five cruise ships in port today and lots of people around. I love walking the boardwalk.

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Canadian Thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍂🌰

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

And somehow…I just think it’s better celebrated in October…when the summer’s hardwork pays off with a bountiful harvest of various produce and the leaves are all in brilliant colour. We are so blessed!

Today is a rainy day for Thanksgiving. It’s supposed to rain all day BUT this year I am so thankful for the rain. I think everyone is. It has been the driest summer in 40 years and the water in the lakes and rivers is so low going in to the Fall and Winter months. So we are especially thankful for this steady rain today!

Cranberries are made. Turkey is in the oven. Desserts are made. Table is set. Just waiting for the family to arrive…

It was a wonderful time spent with Family. So blessed, so thankful!

The CHURCH at Grand-Pré

Today is Sunday. Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday and I wish I was off to church with James and David but I’m not able to this morning. There is just so much to be Thankful about living in our beautiful country. Days like yesterday when you see the beautiful “Colour of Fall” on display against a gorgeous blue backdrop is one of many reasons.

One of our stops yesterday was Grand-Pré in the Annapolis Valley. Grand-Pré is a rural community in Nova Scotia. Its French name translates to “Great Meadow” and the community lies at the eastern edge of the valley on a peninsula jutting into the Minas Basin surrounded by extensive dyked farm fields, framed by the Gaspereau River and Cornwallis River. Grand-Pré was made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Evangeline. On June 30, 2012, the Landscape of Grand-Pré was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The church and statue at Grand-Pré are beautiful to photograph.