Maritimes Trip - Day 14 BONUS

                                                 A fond farewell to Mineville, Nova Scotia!

Maritimes Trip - Day 14

                             Into every life a bit of rain must fall...or in some cases a lot of rain.
                                         However, the key is to make the most of it anyway.

The kids were off doing things with their kids so Karen and I decided to take a drive to see some of the numerous little harbours northeast of Halifax. It was a truly abysmal day so I did not take many photos at all. Not many more than this.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving this amazing place and on to the wilds of New Brunswick in Kouchibouguac National Park. I hate to leave the Owl and the Otter but we have to move on.

Maritimes Trip - Day 13

                     We are having such a great time in this airbnb. The kids are having a ball...

There's no question in my mind that Halifax is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada. You could spend a good deal of time exploring the waterfront. Taking the Dartmouth ferry is unquestionably better than driving to Halifax and looking for somewhere nearby to park. 

                                                              We're here - saddle up!

The story of the Hadhad family is tragic but so heart-warming. In 2012 their chocolate factory in Syria was destroyed by bombs. They emigrated to Antigonish, NS in Canada where they rebuilt their factory and became a rapid success. Here's where the story gets touching. They began pouring a percentage back into the economy of the country that took them in and the rest, as they say, is history. There's a valuable lesson in their journey. We need more people like the Hadhads.

It was a wonderful day...a little hot but a nice breeze helped. The kids loved it. Adam took his family to the beach and refreshing 13 degree water - we were not with them. We were in Halifax with Gavin et al and hooked up with Adam later.

Maritimes Trip - Day 12

We stayed overnight with a good friend of mine and his wife. It was a short stay but wonderful. They've done a great job with their new home and are adjusting nicely to life in Nova Scotia.

The airbnb my son selected in Mineville is an amazing place. Life here for three nights is going to be awesome. This is the first time the whole family has been together in over two years so this is a moment we've all been looking forward to. The evening meal of spaghetti, garlic bread and Caesar salad was wonderful - it had a Big Chill feel to it but for a much happier occasion.

Dinner was truly a momentous occasion and you could easily see everyone was having a good time. A visit to the Halifax waterfront is on tap for tomorrow.

Maritimes Trip - Day 11

Today was a reminder of why I don't travel in the summer. I hate crowds at the best of times but today was an absolute zoo. We came through Lunenburg and, yes, we pretty much just drove through. It was so busy there were very few places to stop much less park. Managed to take a quick walk and see some of the historic homes but nothing else.

Peggys Cove was even worse. The cars were parked on the highway for a kilometre on either side of the entrance, all spots were full on the grounds - there must have been 10,000 people there. Peggys Cove is a place every Canadian should see and enjoy - just don't try it in the summer.

We got an email from Gayle in Mineville asking if we could squeeze a quick visit in before they leave for Ontario in the early morning. Nothing could make us happier and we spent a wonderful hour with our very dear friends. That made it a great day.

We are now staying overnight with another friend. I've known Paul for 49 years and a visit with him is always a good thing.

Maritimes Trip - Day 10

Well, the weather caught up with us today and it was truly dismal so we drove out to Cape Sable Island for a visit. It is Nova Scotia's southernmost point and is only about an hour's drive from where we're staying outside Shelburne. On the way out of our cottage we noticed, once again, the bunny crossing sign...

                                                                   ...and sure enough

As we crossed the causeway onto the island we saw this very interesting tree. Truly unique decorations. Made me think of Christmas.

The blowing wind, the pouring rain and the ever-present fog lent atmosphere to this nature shot.

Mama was out for a walk with the kids - they don't care about the rain they're already as wet as they can be.

The lupins were quite pretty, even in the rain and wind. I'm shocked the photo is as clear as it is...the wind was howling and the plants were flapping.

We were told before we left home the island was inundated with sheep - we were most definitely misinformed, all we saw on the whole island was this guy.

You cannot control the weather but you can make sure you don't let it prevent you from having a good time exploring. 😊

Maritimes Trip - Day 9

If there is anything better than a peaceful sunrise to start the day I have not found it yet. This is from Boulder Cove near Shelburne, NS at 5:30 this morning from the deck of our "cottage".

Shelburne is a town in the southwest of Nova Scotia known for the Black Loyalists seeking freedom in the late 18th century. The historic waterfront is intriguing and we lucked out on our visit today...right around noon on Canada Day and not a soul to be seen, I love it!!!

                                                                  This place rocks!!!

                                     I hope everyone had as enjoyable a Canada Day as we did.