August adventures

 I've lived in Nova Scotia 12 years and as of a few weeks ago I had never visited Yarmouth.  I had travelled to the tip top of the province at Meat Cove, but had never ventured to the "bottom".

Happily that has now been rectified.

"I KEEM"  "HUT DOGZ"  "SAMMICHIZ"   

Just below Yarmouth, poking into the open Atlantic, warning ships at sea, is Cape Forchou; a well-known tourist destination.  These are some photos from along the spit of land leading to the lighthouse. Loads of photo op spots.

My travelling companion is always up to pose for a photo.

In spite of Covid, or perhaps because of it, the lighthouse is a popular destination.

The door was propped open revealing the narrowness of the unique "apple core"  lighthouse design.  

There is a pretty scenic walking trail around the cape.

Another goal on my adventure was to visit Shag Harbour.  You know about Shag Harbour ?

                                  

It was reported as a downed plane.  Many local fisher folk rushed out in their boats to look for survivors.  All they found was foam on the water and very briefly, lights under the water.  It is the World's best goverment documented UFO sighting and yet few are aware of it.

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One of the amazing things about Nova Scotia is the unexpected places you were NOT planning on visiting; but simply stumbled across.  Case in point: Cape Sable Island.

Dexter and I had many different beaches all to ourselves.  Keep in mind that this is a warm day in August !

It's hard not to stop as I drive down Nova Scotia backroads, having glimpsed a tucked away beach.  And once we stop, at the very least a wander is in order.

That teeny lighthouse in the distance is Cape Forchou!

Turns out Dexter is a marvellous travelling companion and we can't wait for our next adventure.

Summer, Sooki and Five Islands

 Summer has been interesting and it's only early August.

Gardening keeps me busy.

    

Hiking and exploring with Dexter and Sooki runs a close second.

In late June we were out for a walk in the woods and suddenly one of Sooki's hind legs seemed to be causing her great pain.  She couldn't walk home.  Kaitlyn had to pick us up.

Long story short ... she had a torn cruciate ligament.

The surgery was three weeks ago and she is recovering beautifully; my pocket book might take a bit longer to recover, but as I often say, "That's why God invented lines of credit".

To help her atropied leg muscles recover, we take her for lengthening leash walks each week.  We're up to three thirty minute walks a day.   No off leash walks for her for another two months !

Dexter sometimes goes with Sooki on her brief walks.

But most of the time Dexter and I go for off-leash walks together.

   

Exploring with Dexter is made all the more entertaining by his constant habit of climbing on whatever he can find.

Once I knew Sooki was recovering OK, I left her in Kaitlyn's capable hands and headed off on a camping trip that I had booked way back in April.  Five Islands Provincial Park is a beautiful park on the Bay of Fundy up near Parrsboro.  

I set up a mattress in the back of my car so I can sleep on a bed with real sheets and pillows.  The tent goes over the open hatch of the tent.  

There were many different trails for Dexter and I to explore.  This was my first time camping without Sooki and my first time with Dexter.  He turned out to be a good camper and he could out-hike me any day.

   

Before walking on Fundy it's important to know how much time you can spend safely walking on the ocean floor.  With tides over 40 feet you don't want to mess about.

So Dexter and I went for a walk on that floor.

Yeah and THAT happened.  I discovered the hard way that Fundy mud was VERY sucky.  Walking got harder and harder until I literally stepped out of my shoes.  Luckily I had a hiking pole to balance me while I reconciled myself to walking barefoot through the gloop.  BTW getting those shoes out of the mud was not easy.

It really is a magical place.

If you get a chance DO visit this park.

 

What I did on my summer vacation...

OK right off the top that's a stooopid title for a blog post.  What is a "summer vacation" when you're retired ?  It's my lazy way of saying I haven't posted for a while and have a bunch of photos I don't know how to distill into a cohesive blog post.

Ooooh Look ! Look !   I'm sitting on THE  red couch.  "Big freakin' deal" you say.  Well, to me it was. I'd heard about the red couch that would be touring Canada for our 150th birthday (I'm ignoring the fact that we claimed a land where people had been living for thousands of years).  I heard the couch would be at Pier 21 and sought it out so I could give my two cents about what Canada means to me.

I went camping.  I haven't camped in a couple of years so this was a big deal.   I've passed that age of wanting to sleep on the ground or a cot so I sleep on a mattress with real sheets and pillows ... in my Honda Fit !

Doesn't that look cozy ?

I have a Napier tent which goes over the open hatch of my car.  I don't bother to put in the tent poles as I don't need that much space ... and can't be bothered.

The tent has room for the cooler and a blanket for the dog to lie on and for a water bowl and room for me to change.

I drove up the Cabot Trail and from there took a gravel road to Meat Cove.  Once there, I was lucky enough to land this campsite overlooking the beach.   I could lie propped up in my bed and look out at the dark sky.   I woke briefly at 3 am to see a sliver of crescent moon and Venus rising above the sea and then at 5 am I woke to watch the sun rising.   Because the tent has "windows" that can provide fresh air I enjoyed a lovely bug-free sleep.  

Wendy and I hiked up a nearby hill with a marvellous view.

The trail was a bit narrow near the top and I feared I might slip and fall to my doom; but I didn't.

I travel quite light.  This is my stove.  It's a marvellous tiny little set up that nests inside itself when not needed.  I have two pots and a frying pan and most importantly can boil water for my mint tea in 3 minutes flat !

On my way to Meat Cove and the Cabot Trail I camped at Whycocomach  (say: why-co-go-mah) Provincial Park where Wendy and I (Sooki stayed home) had a marvellous hike.

 

The trail though less than a kilometer long was VERY steep, so I guess I should not have been surprised when a side path brought us out to this stunning view of the Bras d'Or Lakes.

To say that the Cabot Trail is a scenic drive would be like saying Everest is a big hill.   The trail winds its spectacular way around Cape Breton with frequent lay-bys where travellers stop to gawk at the stunning views.

It's hard not to stop at every opportunity.  

 There is a very difficult 12 km return trail that leads to remote Fishing Cove in the background (below).   The hike would be way out of my league.

I love the freedom of stopping whenever the mood moves me.

Cabot Landing.  How's that for summer crowds ?

On the way back I stopped in the town of Baddeck to see a photo exhibit of the works of Roberta Bondar at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.

 Through a friend I got invited along on a catamaran cruise on the Bras d'Or Lakes.  It was an unexpected treat.

It was the perfect end to a lovely holiday.

Who's a lucky girl !