Fun Things to Do – Page 36 – Just An East Coast Girl

Life’s a BEACH!

Sandy Ocean Beaches, Lake Beaches, Rock Shore Beaches… Nova Scotia has some AMAZING Beaches! Nova Scotia Beaches aren’t known as “warm” beaches. Not like beaches in the Caribbean or South America that we’ve swam in BUT Nova Scotia has some of the most beautiful clean water beaches around and if you can brave the cold ( or get a really nice warm current in the middle of August) …you’ll see.

One thing on our list of “to see/do” this summer is checking out some of the”local” beaches. The ones closest to home. Back to our favourites, some we haven’t been to for awhile and also some new ones that we’ve never been to.

So to start… I REALLY, REALLY wanted to go to Carter’s Beach! It was always a favourite of ours. A little distance to drive but ah… so lovely!

Fort Point Beach about 20 minutes from Bridgewater.

Risser’s Beach~ About 30 minutes from home. I love the boardwalk there.

Crescent Beach~ is close too, just before Risser’s and the beach that we go to the most. It’s great for walking, and it’s the ONLY beach around that cars can actually drive on the beach.

Feltzen South Beach~ a rocky beach especially when the tide is high. Supposed to be a great beach to find glass but we went at high tide, so we’ll have to go back. It was a beautiful view.

Rose Bay Beach…aka. Sand Dollar Beach

“The Beach” to find sand dollars in the area. Well, that is if you get there first BUT on a HOT, SUNNY beautiful Nova Scotia Saturday that’s kinda hard because many people, locals and tourists flock the beaches.

The tide was low and so the shore line long and ripply. We went for a drive and a walk along the beach with our “Goode Family” on reunion day. It’s not a beach to lay on the beach and tan but the water was warm like bath water to do a little wading and we did manage to find 3 sand dollars among our group.

Clam Harbour Beach~ 2hours away in Clam Harbour on the Eastern Shore

Home to the Annual Clam Harbour Sand Castle Competition. We went on “the” busiest day of the year. But I really wanted to see what made this beach famous. Unfortunately, it was so foggy and very crowded that we weren’t able to get a good view BUT the beach had wonderful sand, was very clean, and the sand castles were AMAZING, some of the best we’ve seen. Our son and his fiance were there on a different day (far less busy) and this beach is one I definitely would like to visit again. And this beach…if you’re lucky…you’ll see starfishes!

And just so you can see what a beautiful beach it is…here are a couple of Andrew & Kristina’s pics

Queensland Beach~ Hubbards

Queensland Beach was one of the original 15 beaches first supervised by the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service in 1973. Queensland Beach Provincial Park is situated in the South Shore region, along a beautiful coastal drive. Although not large, it is one of the most popular on the South Shore. The warm air and sand draw large crowds on hot days in July and August.

Well, it’s the week after Labour Day and even though we still have a week vacation in September we probably won’t get chance to do anymore beach exploring. If we do it will be back to a familiar one, one that is close. So…with all the amazing beaches here, I guess I’ll just have to do another post next summer.

LOVE our Nova Scotia beaches!

Stay Calm… LONG WEEKEND ahead!

Yep! The September long weekend that represents the END of SUMMER starts today!

Relaxing weekend, last beach weekend, last camping trip, family gathering, picnic…or is it a WORK weekend? Labor Day weekend, what is it for you?

For many it will be the last hurrah before school and Fall routine, BUT for me and my house… David will be working!!! Today and tomorrow on our son’s roof, re-shingling. And Sunday and Monday …long days…at Michelin.

For me (and Abby girl) ..I am hoping for a relaxing weekend. No cookin’, No cleanin’, Just chillin’ 😀

These are PERFECT days!!! Not too hot , not too cold, breezy and blue skies.

I just love weekends like this

These simple pleasures, relaxing sunny days with no agenda, taking a few minutes to enjoy the simple delights… of a farmer’s market

…and a local bakery

It’s S’morelicious

Well… what can I say?

It is the last weekend of August which I guess in my books kinda means the end of summer, although not “officially” until September 23rd. It just gets busy. Kids go back to school this week, programs and activities start up, temperatures are cooler…it’s just different. Gone are the lazy days of summer. David keeps saying he’s got to get out on the bike more!!! He took a drive down to Blue Rocks. It was a perfect night for a photo, full moon and all.

So to say goodbye August weekends and to get ready for September and Fall, we had a campfire and of course s’mores. S’mores are summertime treats. Ooey gooey roasted over an open campfire marshmallow sandwiched in between two graham crackers and oh, don’t forget the little piece of chocolate tucked in there too that melts ever so lightly because of the heat of the marshmallow. Oh yum!!!

This is the inaugural campfire and marshmallow roast! Our backyard renovation still ongoing, but some things complete. I know summer is over but having a fire within town limits is a little more difficult than country living ( we attempted a couple times). But it’s ready and we’ll use it in to the fall and winter too.

Tonight was S’morelicious!

Delightful

I LOVE our summer adventures. Out in our car and off to adventures unknown…

We stopped at interesting little spot for lunch this weekend. It gets great reviews!

And no wonder!! This is the kind of bakery and deli that makes David drool. We shared a Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich, one of the deli’s specialties. We sampled the sugar pie ( delish) and each chose a treat and a coffee for the road. Owners Jacques & Carolyn, natives from Montreal Quebec have the perfect spot. They look after the main dishes and the baked goodies are made daily by their daughter with fresh ingredients, no preservatives and high quality. YUM!! I want to go back for sure. If only we lived a bit closer…but then again maybe not a good idea.

Man’s Best Friend 🐶

Dog days of Summer? Hot and sticky, high humidity!!! ugh…not fun. Today is raining so hopefully it will clear the air a bit.

In other dog news…

August 26th is National Dog Day! A Holiday to Honor Dogs

The U.S. Humane Society estimates that 47 percent of households in the United States own at least one dog. They are commonly referred to as “Man’s best friend” due to their impact on human society. It may be a holiday in the U.S. But I like it and so…

Here’s to you, Abby! 🐶

Don’t Get LOST!!!

Do you like puzzles? How about mazes? What about life-size mazes that you walk through?

Sunflowers. I LOVE them. With their sunny heads greeting, they make me smile. AND…in the Annapolis valley there are fields of sunflowers!

and one farm even advertises a Sunflower Maze.

I got thinking about sunflowers when a memory popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. 4 years ago living in China and a Saturday outing to the sunflower field. Sunflowers in China are shy though, and were never facing the camera for photos. This was funny and so unlike China culture.

So…another weekend adventure, off we went to the Sunflower field!

Sunflowers make me smile! Have a great day!!

See you on the Wharf!

Another weekend…another race!

This time it’s a foggy morning at the wharf in Lunenburg where Canada competes against the USA in international dory racing competition!!

What is a dory, you ask?

The dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about 5 to 7 metres long. It is usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. Dory boats are easy to build because of their simple lines. For centuries, dories have been used as traditional fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the open sea.

And how did dory racing begin?

In 1951, Lloyd Heisler of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia and Tom Frontiero of Gloucester, Massachusetts, met in a bar in Lunenburg. They began a conversation that turned into a debate about which dory rowers from which fishing town were the superior rowers. They decided that the only way to settle the matter was to challenge each other to a race. Tom took the idea of this challenge with him back to Gloucester and the process of the International Dory races had begun.
In June of 1952, Lloyd and his dory mate arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts to settle the bet. Although the race did go to the Canadian team, the competition and comradery that developed between the two fishing towns could not be forgotten. Every June since 1952, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia sends their best teams of rowers from each category to race against their American counterparts in Gloucester, and every August since 1952, Gloucester teams take their turn coming to Lunenburg to race in Canadian waters. This year will mark the 63rd anniversary of dory racing and the tradition is still going strong. These past 63 years has continued to strengthen the bond between these two fishing towns, and every year we once again look forward to some fun and competition with our American friends. Dory racing is a part of our heritage and we hope to continue this tradition many years into the future.

Today on the Adams & Knickle wharf, Canada meets USA again as is tradition, and this time we were there…

An overcast, foggy, misty morning… typical Lunenburg. 5 races. Juniors. Mixed. Women’s. Over 50. Seniors.We didn’t know what to expect. Believe it or not we never watched these races before. Let’s just say TODAY in Lunenburg, Canada that the Canadian Dory Teams didn’t disappoint. They WON ALL 5 races!!! Wow!!

And that’s it for another year! It was so interesting and so much fun!!!

They’re Rivals!

An old-time rival of the famous Bluenose is in Lunenburg. The Gloucester fishing schooner Columbia was launched in August 2014. This replica was built in Panama City, Fla., by Eastern Shipbuilding Group.

BluenoseII ( not my photo)

Columbia ( not my photo)

The Columbia and its eight crew members are spending a few weeks here. The Columbia schooner was built from original Bluenose blueprints and will be here to get a few repairs and adjustments as well as enjoy some sea time along side her rival Bluenose. Many of Columbia’s parts were built in Lunenberg and then shipped to Florida.

While it would have been nice to see the Columbia along side of the Bluenose ( we still might get chance) the Bluenose is sailing along Nova Scotia’s coast to Cape Breton stopping for visits in Sydney and Port Hawkesbury and won’t be back in port until later in the week when the Columbia is scheduled to leave.

We enjoyed a nice evening yesterday and got a few pictures…just to say we saw her!

**** Update Friday August 21, 2015

The Bluenose II sailed back into it’s home port of Lunenburg yesterday after being on tour around the province and the Columbia sailed out to meet her. These few photos along with others were on the NS website. I’m not sure who the brilliant photographer was but his/her name should be on these fantastic photos. This is what I had hoped to see. Here they are…the rivals…side by side…SPECTACULAR!!!

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A Walk on the Weekend

Who doesn’t love a stroll around a beautiful park and a chance to admire some flower gardens. Halifax’s Public Gardens have been open since 1867 and are Victorian formal, a popular setting for wedding and prom photos.

We used to take our kids all the time when they were little but it’s been a few years since we were there.

Here are a few pictures from our walk on the weekend.