A P.E.I. treat.

Back in August my brother and his wife, Janet, headed to Prince Edward Island to attend a friend's wedding.  Afterwards they stayed on at a B & B and invited me to join them there.

Have you ever been to P.E.I.?   Just getting there is an adventure.  The spectacularly beautiful Confederation Bridge spans the 19 km distance between the island and the mainland.  It's a toll bridge but cleverly you don't pay the $40 toll until you leave the island.

One day Darrell and I went to check out a couple of lighthouses.  We knew generally where one of the lighthouses was but couldn't figure out how to get to it.  Turns out we had to walk a kilometer down what appeared to be a single track farm lane.

It was a delightful easy walk.

The scenery surprised us.

You could almost imagine that you were in Saskatchewan standing on the vast prairie, and not on a tiny island surrounded by the sea...

... until you walk a bit farther.  turn your camera in THAT direction and suddenly see that you're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy.

The scenery was stunning.

 Sometimes it's best just to let the pictures do the talking ...

'cept perhaps to add that if you haven't been to P.E.I. you really should go.

In Summer.

Darrell's magical garden.

My brother Darrell lives in Ottawa.  Like me, he really enjoys gardening; however, his teeny, tiny city lot is even smaller than mine.

While I garden on every little bit of dirt available to me, Darrell creates new garden areas where none existed before.

It wasn't enough that Darrell built a lush, covered area on the back deck,

enveloped in planters with hanging and climbing plants.

He created one more planting area.

There it is just outside Darrell and Janet's bedroom window.  

Looks sorta like a meadow doesn't it ?

Guess what ?  

That window is on the second floor of their house. 

Now THAT is intensive gardening !

Darrell is my Obi Wan of gardening.

And yes,

I stood out on the roof to take this photo of him.

And yes,

he warned me not to take another step backward.

The bridge ...

Recently while visiting my brother Darrell in Ottawa, we went for a walk along an abandoned train track to a graffiti-covered bridge.

The Prince of Wales Bridge

Question the Answer

"Mr. P.con resists reduction to reproduction."
What the hell does that mean ?

Beware of radio active wood ?

What do you think this means ?
A commentary on how we care for the elderly ?

WHAT is this word ? 

"You don't love someone for their hair, their clothes,
or their fancy car.  But because they sing a song,
 only you can hear.  You are my song Cynthia"

Even the crumbling supports were adorned with colourful  stenciled flowers.

Not sure how to answer this one.

The Houses of Parliament framed by some novel artwork.

He's a super brother and I always treasure our walks together.

Snippets from Darrell's visit.

   

This is my third, and final, post about Darrell's visit.
What am I to do with the 200 photos that remain ?
I'm pretty sure I've shown you the view from Blomidon Lookoff before, but just in case ...

Darrell at the scenic Blomidon look off.

I think back in Ontario, we called scenic views, "look outs" and not "look offs".  What are they called in your area ?  Whatever they're called,  Blomidon, which is a pleasant one-hour drive from Halifax, merits adding to your "must see" list.  You are keeping a list, aren't you ?  Try to arrive when the tide is out, if you can.  The tidal basin is much more impressive when the mud flats are exposed..  Clearly, those are not mud flats in the above photo.  The tide was in, and it was hazy, so I pointed the camera the other direction. 

In Digby, we stayed at  "Holdsworth House", a circa 1784 historical home, which is now a B&B.  They owners have restored and furnished the home in period furniture.

The historical kitchen in the Holdsworth House
Bed & Breakfast in Digby, complete with dog curled in
front of the hearth..

Church and maple tree in Digby.

A nearby cemetery.

We did a fair bit of driving, but never felt rushed.  If something caught our eye, we'd stop to check it out.

We discovered this scenic spot at an unmarked lay-by.

Same spot.

Are you like me, when you travel ?   Do you snap photos, only to realize later, that you don't remember where they were taken ?

You'll have to ask Darrell where this lighthouse is, as I've forgotten.

The sound of rushing water drew us once more to a stop.

The water before us, was like silk as it cascaded over the lip of the low dam.  That smoothness, belied the treacherous water below.  

Prior to his return to Ontario, I wanted Darrell to meet my friends.  It's a testament to the kind of guy Darrell is, that HE prepared the meal that was s'pozed to be in his honour !  I'm not a great cook and he was teaching me how to properly make a stir fry.  The key was to have ALL the vegetables cut in advance and to cook on a very high heat.

We had a wonderful visit together.

I miss him already.

Darrell's visit - Part Deux

 
I'm still processing all the things Darrell and I did last week.

We crammed so much into a short period of time, I look at the images and wonder, "Was that taken in Digby or Liverpool?",  "Which beach is that?"  or "Where was that lovely historical house?".

However, there is no mixing up one scenic spot we visited -- Kejimkujik Seaside Park.  Within the park, there is a 2-3 km. hike on a fairly level, gravel trail to reach the sea shore.  Realizing we'd have to walk the same distance back, we hoped it would be worth the hike.  In places, we had to negotiate soggy sections, not always successfully.  And then there was this...

It's a BIG pile of scat, or poop as you may call it.  It's a bit messed up, as I'd poked at it with my hiking stick to see what it was made of.  As you can see, it's mostly berries.  A knowledgeable hiker informed us that it had been recently deposited there by a bear, and then cheerily added, "There's lots of them here.".

Darrell and I continued walking, only now our heads swiveled back and forth as we relentlessly scanned our surroundings for charging bears !

Now, added to our curiosity about whether the long walk would be worth it, was whether risking our lives was.

Click the image to get a better sense of the grandeur of this place.

The answer was a resounding  "Yes!".

Note the fearsome hiking stick which I'm sure would have kept us
both safe from marauding bears.  ;-)

The majestic beach stretched into the distance in a long, pale curve.  Due to strong winds, the surf was high, but the day sunny, and very warm for mid-October.

The aerial shot on the sign below, gives you an idea of the length of the beach.  There is a salt marsh, behind it, where endangered Piping Plovers nest from May to August.  Happily, since it was October, we were free to walk wherever we wished.

Using a spy glass set up just for that purpose, I was able to see five seals basking in the sun on an off-shore rock.  During less windy times, apparently they are often found on the beaches or on rocks closer to shore.

If you can't remember the name "Kejimkujik" (kej-i-mu-ku-jik), just call it "Keji" as many locals do.

Regardless of what you call it, just make sure to add it to your "must see" list, when you visit Nova Scotia.

A trip back east ... er ... west ...

Just got back from a lovely short holiday with family in Ottawa and Toronto courtesy of my wonderful brother Darrell.  No, you can't have him, he's taken.  No, he can't adopt you, but I fully understand why you'd wish he would.  This is the same brother who took me on a trip to the Greek Islands back in October.  If you're not already jealous enough -- he brought me tea in bed !   Nyahh, nyahh.

Together we made like tourists and saw some sights in Ottawa. We wandered around the parliament buildings.

 

While there, we checked out the feral cat colony that has existed in the shadow of the parliament buildings since the 1970's.  The cats are trapped, neutered and released to live out their "wild" lives in these very nice digs.  Apparently it's not just the cats who enjoy a free lunch.  Click the picture to see who's coming to dinner. 

Later we visited the Royal Canadian Mint. What luck ! It was free sample day !

Did you know Canada has two Mints ?  No, I'm not talking candies.  The Ottawa Mint does not make our circulation coins.  The Winnipeg mint produces all our circulation coins and also coins for many foregin countries who can't produce their own coins.  The Ottawa mint makes commemorative coins.  Heck,  your Canadian Tire commemorative coin was made there !  Canada has developed a technique to mint the purest gold in the world.  To commemorate our really swell gold, in 2007 the Mint made five 100-kg, .99999 pure gold bullion coins with a face value of one million dollars.  They were each the size of a small coffee table top, which is lucky because apparently some rich dude in UAE is using one of them for just that !  

We travelled by train from Ottawa to Toronto where we stayed with Darrell's eldest son and his lovely family. We went to their son's hockey game and to a musical at the Canon Theatre.

My other nephews and my niece dropped in for hugs and some stimulating conversations.  It was really a terrific visit.

And the best thing of all ?

My house was still intact when I got home.