(Parts One, Two, Three, Four, and Five)

Considering it has been two months since this trip, I think I should probably wrap this thing up, so here's the final installment of our Halifax trip photos.

Where were we?  Lighthouses, scarecrows, "whalewatching", beaches, scary animals...ah yes.  Well, after a few days outside the city, we decided to spend our last two days exploring Halifax itself.  Our first stop was the Public Gardens.  My camera and I were very happy there:

In the middle of the pond is a replica of the Titanic:

Loveliness all around.  I could have spent the entire day there, I think, and I hope to get back to Halifax some day to do just that.  It was really beautiful and, considering it's right in the heart of the city, remarkably peaceful.

We then went to the Discovery Centre, which is like a science centre-type place.  We had a lot of fun, but I have no decent photos to share.  We returned to the waterfront and made our way down toward Pier 21.

You may be familiar with Pier 21.  It is where many immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century arrived and first set foot on Canadian soil.  My maternal great grandmother Henna arrived here from Finland in 1927, with a four year old and a sick 4 month old in tow.  At times when I find myself complaining about the struggle to get my children out the door or another of a million frustrations, I think about Henna.  And then I whisper a thank you and shut my trap.  My paternal grandfather also immigrated to Halifax from Finland, in 1928 I believe, so the place holds a lot of significance for me.

I had hoped to be able to stand out on the pier, where my ancestors once stood, but because it is still an active pier and there were cruise ships docked, this was not permitted.  Curse you cruise ship!

I was pretty crushed, I must admit.  Almost as disappointing was discovering Pier 21 shot glasses in the gift shop, amongst other random paraphenalia completely removed from the history of the place.  But it does have to be said that the folks at the museum itself seem to be doing an excellent job of keeping the site's history alive and working to maintain and improve the records of those who arrived at the Pier.

We took some photos outside and, despite the tourists and the tacky gift shop offerings and the modern buildings encroaching on the pier, it felt good to be there and I felt like my ancestors would have been happy that we made the trip.  I'd like to take both my girls there again some day, when they're old enough to understand what the place is all about.

Wednesday October 12th was our last full day.  We spent the morning at an awesome park near the Museum of Natural History, and then had a wander through the Museum itself.  I have no interesting photos to share of either, but here's a pretty cool mural nearby:

We then headed back downtown.  We passed by St. Paul's Anglican Church where, the story goes, "as a result of the intense light and heat generated by the Halifax Explosion in 1917, the profile of one of the church's deacons was etched into one of the windows on the second storey."  Judge for yourself, why don't you:

An interesting story, in any case.  Next, we caught a ferry over to Dartmouth which afforded some nice views of Halifax from the water.  Unfortunately my camera did not do them justice.

Back in Halifax we went out for a last night dinner at a place called The Wooden Monkey.  Most enjoyable.  And then the morning of the 13th we had a quick trip to Point Pleasant Park before grabbing lunch and heading to the airport. 

It was an amazing trip.  It was fantastic to see my sister Leah and her boyfriend Chris, to spend so much one-on-one time with my sweet Isla who is growing up way too fast, and to see a beautiful part of the country.  And we had amazing weather to boot, with not one drop of rain until we were heading to the airport to go home.

We're hoping to get back some day, with the whole family in tow, so we'll have to start saving our pennies.  And next time, NEXT TIME, I will preorder my whales in advance. 

(Parts One, Two, Three and Four)

The computer is being fairly cooperative with me at the moment so I have managed to sort some more Nova Scotia photos.  Let's continue, shall we?  This one will be two, two, two days in one!

Following our less than inspiring wildlife excursion "whalewatching" in Lunenberg, the following day (the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend) we decided to take Isla out to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park, about 40 minutes outside of Halifax.  Animals in cages couldn't possibly elude us!  Before we headed out of town, we had a wee wander around the Hydrostone District of Halifax, a lovely neighbourhood of homes and shops built in 1920 following the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

And then it was animal time.

(Please excuse the brief break in proceedings, as Isla discovers that when she presses the letters on my computer they appear on the screen:)

AAAABBBCDYYYP578lVVUSSW321MBGHYU76TRFDCXS W32QSAXZCVVVNGGGGGG/////? HYRDXXCBHUI   N  ZFCCCC,KUTGBVFDEXSZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ    

(It really is rather amazing).

So, as I was saying, we then headed up to Shubenacadie.  The wildlife park was pretty awesome.  Just the right size to explore with a preschooler in a couple of hours. 

There were lots of deer which came right up to the fence to be pet and fed:

I'm not sure how this buck got so lucky, but he was the only one with about 8 or 9 doe, in a lovely large enclosure protected from predators and hunters, where people feed him.  Doesn't he look pleased with himself:

We had a really nice wander around and I took loads of pictures, most of which didn't turn out too well because animals don't pose on command (super annoying, animals!), but here are a few of the better shots. 

Now I've mentionned before in previous blogs that lynx freak me the hell out.  They look like magical creatures to me, like they should not exist in the real world.  It messes with my mind.  But this one, I'll admit, looks downright cuddly:

Okay, no, still freaky.  Gah, nightmares.  Somewhat less freaky was this owl.  Only somewhat.

Hmmm...it does sort of look like it's plotting your demise, doesn't it?  Okay, something cute!

Oh man, that fox totally wants a hug!  All better now.

A fun afternoon.  HOWEVER...I had been most interested in seeing Sable Island horses, as the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park is apparently the only place in the world you can see them other than Sable Island itself, and guess what?  They were not there!  I don't recall what the deal was, but I'm betting they were in cahoots with the whales.  Ah well, who needs 'em?  Stupid horses!

Isla's favourite part, of course, was feeding the ducks and geese.  You know, the part we could have done without paying admission.  Sigh. 

The next morning, Thanksgiving Monday, we headed out for Crystal Crescent Beach to meet up with my friend Heather and her son Garcin.  They used to live in Kingston and Garcin is the exact same age as Isla - they were born on the exact same day in the same hospital, only a few hours apart, although we didn't meet until the kids were about 10 or 11 months old.  A few years ago they moved to Halifax and we've managed to stay in touch.

The kids didn't really remember each other but that didn't stop them from having a blast playing together.  It was pretty neat to see these two kids who used to crawl around on a blanket at the park now jumping in and out of the water and scrambling up sandbanks, giggling all the while.  And they held hands walking along the boardwalk.  So cute.  Again, no pictures of the kidlets for you, but here are some pretty beach pics:

A beautiful place.

Leah also took a picture of Isla and I waving at the ocean.  This is part one of a two part project:  I'm hoping that when we go to the west coast of Ireland, hopefully next summer or the one after, I can get a companion picture of Isla and I waving the other way.  I think it would be really funny to put the two photos side by side, as if we're waving at ourselves across the ocean and across time.  Funny, right?  Not geeky?  That's what I thought.

The afternoon was spent preparing our Thanksgiving feast.  Leah and Chris are vegetarians so we made this amazing lentil nut loaf.  So, so good - I did not miss the turkey one bit!  And there was much thanks given for the chance to spend Thanksgiving together.

Next time:  Flowers yay!  Cruise ships boo!

(Parts One, Two, and Three)

If my computer had a soul and could talk, I'm sure it would express its heartfelt apology for the delay in Nova Scotia trip photos.  It can't believe that it has been such a jerk, all changing photo file names and rejecting rotate requests and duplicating photos at whim.  So much guilt.  So much remorse.  It will never happen again, baby, I swear!

So, where were we?  Oh yes, we had just left the beautiful but whale-free Lunenberg.  On our way back to Halifax, we had a quick stop back in Mahone Bay for carrot cake and scones (vacation!), and then my sister suggested we pop into a little place called Chester.  I think with a name like Chester, I was picturing the municipal-equivalent of a 50 year old man who lives with his mom and his many collections which he would be happy to tell you all about.  I was like "Meh, sure, if you think it's a nice place" and wasn't expecting much.   

Yes, well, here's what we found in Chester:

So yeah.  Breathtakingly beautiful.  We played around on the beach and, sorry not to share, but I got some amazing photos of my gorgeous daughter Isla with the sunlight reflecting on the water around her.  It was so peaceful and lovely. 

We got back in the car and started heading out but very quickly decided that yes, twist our arms, we would have dinner on Chester's beautiful waterfront at a restaurant called The Rope Loft, which had an outdoor patio on the water.  It doesn't get much better than fish and chips, good company, and this view:

An absolutely wonderful way to finish the day.

And now I am plotting my return to Chester and I think I've got it figured out.  I'm going to become the head of Chester's tourism department because it will mean (a) I get to live there and (b) I'll have the easiest job ever.  I would just have to post one of the photos above with the caption "What is your problem?  Why do you not live here already?"

Next time (technology-willing): Suck it whales, I fed a deer!

Part One
Part Two

I would have posted this days ago, but it seems that Windows and Picasa have joined forces to destroy what is left of my sanity.  All I want to do is be able to see my photos, label them, and resize them in a few easy steps, without programs crashing or taking four million years.  Just do what I want you to do, technology!  I am the boss of you! 

Back to things less angry-making (mostly).  Following an amazing first day at Peggy's Cove and Mahone Bay, on the morning of Saturday October 8th we got ourselves out the door pretty early and headed out to check out both the old and new farmers' markets, down on Halifax's waterfront.  The markets were awesome: lots of amazing food, local arts and crafts, buskers...a great energy.  I don't have a decent picture of either market because I was too preoccupied with taking in the sights, and watching in amazement as my 3 year old devoured a pretzel the size of her head (and this is not a small-headed child).  But here's a photo from out on the waterfront:

It was a gorgeous morning and I wish we had had more time to stay and poke around the markets, but we were off to Lunenberg to catch a boat for a whale-watching tour. 

We were ridiculously excited.  For me, other than spending time with my family, this was what I had been looking forward to most about our trip to the east coast.  We arrived in Lunenberg and went straight to the tour office, where we learned that the tour would only go if they had enough people turn up.  That's all fine, except they hadn't told us that in any of our numerous previous communications with them, and it doesn't say anything about a tour group minimum on their website.  And I had come all the way from Ontario, damnit, and I demanded whales!  It was still about an hour until tour time, so we grabbed some lunch and had a wander, and hoped that others would decide to join the tour. 

Lunenberg is pretty.  Bigger than I expected.  Here are a few shots I took while wandering about the town:

But truth be told, I was probably not appreciating Lunenberg's beauty as much as I should have been because I was feeling furious.  I was all prepared to have some angry words with the tour operator if we didn't end up going out on the boat.  Because I have worked in tourism, operating tours as a matter of fact, and I get that you need a minimum number of people to make it profitable but I also know that there is no excuse not to make your policies clear with your customers by all means possible.  Furious!

Fortunately, more people had shown up by tour time and the tour was a go.  Fortunately for the tour company!  Because angry words, I tell you!

So we set out.  It was an amazingly gorgeous day, have I mentionned that?  Lunenberg's charm was even more apparent from out on the water.

And there was a lot of pretty scenery:

Which is all well and good.  But what about whales?  As you may have guessed from the title of this post, there were no whales to be seen.  Not a one.  You know what their website did say?  That it is "very common" to see things like minke whales, pilot whales, and white-sided dolphins (and, although I tried not to get my hopes up, they had recently seen humpbacks and even a blue whale).  And I had told my daughter, on the strength of the website, that she would "definitely" see puffins which again are apparently "very common". 

Spot the rookie parenting mistake!  Never ever tell a three year old something will definitely happen.  Fortunately she was too busy sleeping on the boat to care.  This might have been related to the Gravol I gave her beforehand.

While the whales were apparently all away at a conference somewhere, we did manage to see some marine life.  Check it out:

Yeah, that's a seal.  And that's my best shot of it.  But wait until you see this next photo:

I swear to you that there are porpoises there.  Sorry what?  National Geographic is on the phone for me?  My sister tried to get me to look on the bright side by saying "Hey, you can check off 'seeing dolphins in the wild' from your list!" but no.  No no!  They were porpoises!  Not dolphins!  Not the same!

All said though, as disappointing as it was not to see whales, it was a beautiful day to be out on the ocean and we had a really good time.  But Nova Scotia, when next I visit, you better deliver me a whale.  A big one.  With a dolphin as the warm-up act.  Or I will seriously, SERIOUSLY write someone a letter.

Next time: Sunset in Chester, or Why Don't I Live Here It's So Freaking Pretty

(Here's Part 1, for your convenience.)

From Peggy's Cove and the Swissair Disaster Memorial we headed down to Mahone Bay.  We were in luck because we visited in time to enjoy their annual Scarecrow Festival.  Isla loved spotting all the scarecrows around town.  I might have loved it too.  Mahone Bay was a beautiful place.  It didn't hurt that the sun continued to shine and the ocean was wonderfully calm.  Here are a few of my favourite shots:

I'm not really one for organized religion but this church is awfully pretty.

The scarecrows were pretty amazing.  Some of them were truly works of art. And it must be said, there was not a crow in sight.

I thought this one of Jack Layton was rather nice:

And you know.  Pretty things at every turn. 

So that was day one, Peggy's Cove and Mahone Bay.  That's a lot of beautiful scenery for one day.  A fine start to our vacation.  Next time:  "Whale" watching in Lunenberg

Well hello there.  It has been too long.  Apologies and cake. 

There has been much busy-ness.  As previously mentioned, we decided as a family to all get sick at once.  It's nice to do things together.  Also, we had way too many boxes of Kleenex in the cupboard.  Something had to be done about that.

When not wiping noses, we cleared out a whole bunch of junk from our house and I am pleased to say that I have officially completed Thing 50: Get Rid of 101 Things.  Down with stuff!

And then fortunately we were well enough just in time for Isla and I to take off to sunny Halifax for a week's trip to visit my sister and her boyfriend and the ocean.  It was awesome.  More on that momentarily.  Or moomin-trolly as we say in our house.  Best of luck to you, children, in learning proper English.

Life continues to be busy.  D is off to a conference out of town, so I'm home alone with The Daughters, one of whom has a birthday coming up on Halloween.  Which is in less than two weeks.  And oh yeah, Halloween.  There are costumes to be made, because it's just a fact that children in store-bought costumes are sad, lonely creatures who get pelted with eggs and clearly have parents who don't love them (Jokes!  Believe me, if my inner Martha Stewart does not reveal herself, I will be singing the praises of Walmart).

I'm also trying to help my husband with some writing for a work project, desperately resisting the urge to use Goonies references and other such nonsense therein.  Oh, and to top things off, I'm still delusionally thinking that perhaps I can actually complete something for this most outrageous commitment I've ever made (and I got married at the age of 20), which would require me to have something in the mail two weeks from now.  I am a stupid person.

All this to say that October's going to continue to be a quiet month for this here website.  But wait!  Do not weep, dear friend!  I give you pictures!  Did you know that it's possible to take over 850 photos in one week?  Thank goodness for digital cameras, is all I've got to say.  I am painstakingly working through my Nova Scotia pictures and forcing myself to choose the "best of" for sharing and, over the course of the next few weeks, I'll post some of those here.  Enjoy!  I expect to return to my regularly scheduled goofballery in November when free time will abound, because it's not like there's a major holiday coming up soon after or anything.

So Nova Scotia.  Our first stop was Peggy's Cove.  Did you know there's a lighthouse there?  Check it:

Unfortunately there were tourists there screwing up my otherwise lovely photo.  Damn tourists!  On the plus side, they were all hanging around the lighthouse rather than walking through the village, so we ended up having that all to ourselves.  Sweet!

We also stopped to check out the Fisherman's Monument, a 100 foot sculpture made in granite by William deGarthe in the 1950s.  This is just a small part of it:

We then got back in the car and on the spur of the moment, decided to stop at the Swissair Disaster Memorial nearby.  I'm so glad we did.  It was a beautiful, peaceful spot and such a fitting place to honour those who perished.

A view back toward Peggy's Cove.  Fewer tourists in the way.

Beauty all around, really.  I took a ridiculous number of pictures of the ocean and sky.  You can see why:

I've never seen a body of water so sparkly.  I couldn't get over it.  It was breathtaking, and quite the impressive start to our trip.

Next time: Rockstars and Royalty in Mahone Bay