Last Sunday found Kelly and I joining up with a stalwart group of Scotian Hiker fans on one of his marvellous hikes; this one to Polly's Cove.
The Polly's Cove trailhead is about 2 km down the road from the much more famous Peggy's Cove.
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| Kelly in her marvellous Killer Whale knit hat. |
There was a bit more rock scrambling that my knees like; so with each groan-inducing leg-lift I reminded myself "move it or lose it".
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| Kelly leading the way |
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| Kelly through an metal "eye" in a rock. |
It was lovely to sit and eat our packed lunches on sunny rocks by the sea.
This is the life !
There seems to be much debate about the origins of these foundations; whatever they are they add an element of mystery to the walk.
After our walk Kelly and I headed back to Peggy's Cove.
Somehow I'd always thought the lighthouse would be bigger than that. 😉
The Harbour in Peggy's Cove is almost as famous as the lighthouse itself.
Located across the road from the Cove's Information building and parking lot is a feature that should be better known, but often goes unnoticed by visitors to Peggy's Cove. It is a 30 m (100 ft) granite outcropping that over the period of years beginning in the late 1970's was carved as a monument to Nova Scotia fishermen by local artist William de Garthe.
deGarthe was in his 70's when he began this sculpture after seeing the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The work was 80% finished when deGarthe died in 1983.
The figures are grouped in three sections from left to right -- Grace, Bounty and Work. Work shows the fishermen hauling nets, pulling a dory and catching fish. In the centre section along with the bounty of the sea a figure can be seen carrying a basket; it is the legendary "Peggy", the sole-survivor of a shipwreck who made the cove her home. On the left is a guardian angel who watches over a fisherman and his family.
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| In the white box is a silhouette of the artist and his wife. |
I think it is fitting the Mr. deGarthe's ashes are interred in the wall.
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BTW for Kelly's take on our outing please check out her blog posts ... yep I said posts. Not to be outdone she created TWO posts about our outing. Here is her second post.
Such a fun day, and great pictures! Thanks for the details about the carving a Peggy's Cove, I had forgotten a lot of the information. My brain is a sieve! Looking forward to our next adventure!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos! I've been to Peggy's Cove several times over the years (essentially, every time I'm in Nova Scotia, lol!) and yes, I've seen the deGarthe wall. It is great and I agree -- should be much better known than it is.
ReplyDeletePeggy's Cove must be famous ~ I found a cookbook of recipes from Peggy's Cove in the stuff we got from Tim's family when they sold the family home. I love the sculptures in the stones, and the picture of the tiny lighthouse. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe deGarthe sculpture is a wonderful memorial. No matter that the artist intended more. All of us plan more. Well, I do. But I have a long way to go before I've made anything half so wonderful to leave behind.
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