The homework assignment

Weekly face-time chats and laughter with chums Sara and Kelly has been a real tonic during these unusual times.

After our "chats" I always feel better.    All that laughing really gives me an endorphin hit.

And now for something completely different we've added homework to our weekly agenda.

Kelly when next we chat will be presenting a design of a new section of her garden; Sara a newly taken insect photo.  Me a report on "See(ing) ruins".

These are ruins that I've been looking for for ages.  I learned about them first through a FB group on abandoned places in Nova Scotia.  Kelly and Sara and I went looking for them once.  We must have been close but couldn't find the ruins despite rambling around in circles for ages through the woods. 

Now thanks to the twinning expansion of highway 103 the ruins not only are easy to find, they are in danger of disappearing.  They are high atop a hill.  The land between the stone house and the highway is to be blasted and brought down to road level.  Current thought is that the act of blasting will create enough of a vibration to cause the house to fall down.

Today I set off to do my homework and find those ruins.  I spotted a couple of cars pulled off to the side of the highway, and joined them.

See my little blue car parked way down there ?

A well worn path snaked up the hill.  The trees had been cut right up to the door.

I wasn't the only visitor.  

Originally named "Bonavista Lodge", the beach-stone cottage tucked into the woods near Exit 6 at Hubbards was built around 1926 by George Guilford Harnish.  The getaway was named for its stunning panoramic view of Fox Point Lake in the distance.

The remote compound, consisting of the main stone building as well as a "maid's quarters" and wooden bunk houses -- enough space to sleep eight to 10 people.  But it functioned more as a "man cave" than a family cottage, where the owner would invite his friends to stay for hunting and fishing trips led by local guides.

A FaceBook group created to protect the future of the stone house: "Save the Simms settlement stone house" warns against visiting the ruins, though there is no signage to that effect there at the moment.

I'm glad I went when I did, though I'm not sure I could have stayed away even if I knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope the girls will give me a good mark on my homework.

  

A Birthday outing ...

Blogging buddies Sara and Kelly and I always make sure to get together on each other's birthdays.

For Kelly's recent birthday we agreed to meet up in Port Williams, a tiny town on a tidal river of the Bay of Fundy.

We met up for a marvellous lunch at The Noodle Guy.

Holding pics from birthdays past.

Part way through lunch I asked what time it was and then I tore outside to check out the unusually high tide.  The water had almost reached the girders on the underside of the bridge.  

My past visits to Port Williams have been around low tide when the mud flats are exposed and the water is 35-40 feet below the bridge.   Like this ...

It's a very different view at low and high tide looking across the river.

The dogs often romp in the foreground water-logged grassy area that is covered by water at high tide.

Walking along the top of the dyke.

Kelly is such a good sport.  She wore her Birthday "tiara" throughout the day and received Birthday greetings from everyone we met.

We sauntered along the dyke for half an hour and were rewarded with this distant view of Wolfville with the prominent white silhouette of Acadia University. 

We turned and walked back to Port Williams as we had something else to check out. 






Kelly had heard of this antiques barn that she felt we should check out.

I'm not normally one for antiques stores but this place left me breathless.  Three floors of the most chaotic clutter !   

We could have spent hours and hours exploring.   Each of us was looking for something in particular.  Kelly found some glass insulators.  Sara found a glass bowl that usually would hold flowers in individual holes but was going to put it to use for holding pens and pencils.  And I found a marvellous bottle that I have turned into a terrarium.

If you're ever in Port Williams make sure you check out the barn !

Seriously ?

Seriously ?   My last blog post was in September ?  I blame Facebook.  Well Facebook or Donald Trump.   

I can't believe that my last outing I told you about was to LaHave.   That means I haven't told you about Micou's Island,  the Port Williams Dyke hike, the "bully walk rally" in Halifax, Kingswood Park, Rainbow Haven or Grand Pre and Horton's Landing ! 

Where to start ?

Micou's Island was my latest outing with Sara and Kelly so let's start there.  

Like many amazing places here, I have driven by the turn off to this kewlest of kewl places many times without knowing it.  It's just off the road to Peggy's Cove and about 40 minutes from my home.  You wouldn't believe how many marvellous places are under an hour from my home.

Once more the girls suggested we meet up at a nearby bakery prior to our hike.  How do they know about all these damn bakeries ?   And how on Earth could I have driven by this bakery and not noticed it before ?   I mean, look at it  !   

So we met up.  Had sandwiches made for our lunch, got a HUGE piece of carrot cake to share, and set off.

The unique thing about 22 acre Micou's Island is that it's only reachable during a 5 hour window around low tide.   You can rest assured that we checked the tide schedule before we went, and arrived NOT at low tide but a couple of hours before to give ourselves that window.

The spit of land that appears for 5 hours at low tide connecting the island to the mainland.

The island is protected public land with trails and a building maintained by a group of local volunteers.

Did I say they maintained the trails ?   Hmmmm.

The trail that led into the woods was most promising at first, but then it vanished forcing us to backtrack and opt for the shore trail instead.

The shore trail wove its way through the woods too but we were never far from the shore.

Don't be fooled.  Just because they call it "Sandy Beach Trail" does not mean you're walking along a sandy beach.  See.

Notice how high the water comes at high tie.

A memorial to the donors of the island.  

We did manage to find a spot along the shore to eat our lunches; and eventually the trail lead through the trees to a lovely open area,




where we sat and admired the view for a while,

or went down to the shore to photograph the nearby island.

Once back on the trail, it curved back inland and soon brought us to a meadow with a beautifully restored fisher's cottage.   

The weathered wood is so beautiful and I took shot after shot ...

I even peered in through the window.  

Apparently members of the stewardship association who take care of the island occasionally stay in the "cottage".   

I would love to do that -- just not in Winter !

Perhaps if we sit at the door someone will let us in.  

Sara and Kelly.

Though we'd been on the island for several hours the spit of land was wider when we left that when we arrived.  I know we'd all been secretly worried about discovering it gone and having to wade back to the mainland.  Silly us !   

Sara, writes for a local newspaper and our walk at Micou's Island was mentioned in her article about the joy of walking.  You can read it here.

Clearly I've become spoiled.

How many places have I explored in Nova Scotia and come away not having my high expectations met ?   I'm used to constantly being delighted and surprised by stunning scenery, so I guess it was inevitable I would finally go some where that let me down.

The days was sunny and hot when I met up with Sara and Kelly in Chester to catch the 10:30 am ferry to Big Tancook Island.  The 50 minute ferry ride cost $7 (return).  Before the boat left we were entertained to watch various pieces of cargo being loaded onto the open back deck.

Once everything was loaded we were allowed onto the upper deck and soon were underway.

I was a tad worried that one of the dogs might be sea sick or anxious about being on a rocking boat but they were marvellous.  I laid my denim jacket down on the deck and asked them to lie down and that's how they spent the trip.

Their good behaviour did not go unnoticed.

Once on the island we were given maps and a brief low down on what's where, and we set off.  We walked up the hill from the wharf,

where we saw this rather baffling sign.

I wanted to ask how much the "Free" bike rentals were.

We chose a direction and set off along the dusty road.  

We stopped to explore a cemetery.

A sad marker for a three-day old child.
"Rest for the little sleeper"

I'm fascinated by the iconography displayed on headstones and how the symbolism has changed through the years.  I haven't been able to find out what the "2 1/2" means.  

I expected to see quaint, brightly painted homes on our walk.  Instead we saw untended fields, front yards laden with rusting abandoned cars and many abandoned homes.  There was a bleak feeling to the walk.

Abandoned cars lined the route.

It would appear even God has left the island ...

The abandoned manse next to the church

Sara taking a photo through the front window.

The walk across the island was under 2 km.  

Our goal was a cove that proved to be crowded, noisy and weed-covered so we continued on the road and found a spot where the dogs could run off-leash and cool off in the ocean.

A fog bank clouded the horizon far out at sea.

The road came to an abrupt end facing this scenic spot.  It was getting late and we had to walk back along the same route to find somewhere to eat before we caught the 4:30 ferry home.  Miss the ferry and you're stuck overnight on the island !

After slogging it back to "town" we sought out photo opportunities while looking for somewhere to eat.

Kelly taking a shot of the most colourful house on the island.  

"I must be a mermaid, I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living"

Wendy and Sooki humour me and pose for yet another picture.

I got snapped taking the above snap

We snagged a stranger to take our photo before we had a very late lunch and caught the 4:30 ferry back to Chester.

Me, Sara and Kelly with a couple of fed up dogs.

All-in-all it was a good outing with friends.  Like I said.  Clearly I've become spoiled.