Is volunteering a staycation?

On July 25th and 26th Lunenburg hosted eight of the tall ships that are visiting Nova Scotia. When I heard they were looking for volunteers to help during the two day visit I thought it would be a great idea if my husband and I volunteered...in fact I volunteered us both. What a great experience. We only worked for half of the day until 1:00 pm. The skies were blue and the crowds were wonderful. People from all over North America and a few from Europe were there enjoying the moment. And Lunenburg rolled out the welcome mat as they do so very well. The town is a tourist destination and it boasts a very high reputation for ship building for the past 250 years. Put all of that together with the crews from the eight ships visiting the area for the first time and you have everything needed for a very successful festival.

I'm not sure if others would call this a staycation, but I certainly do. I had fun, I learned a lot, I enjoyed meeting new people and I got to share a little bit of the South Shore with others. What more could you ask for? My husband had a similar experience. He was working with the security folks for most of day one and he was assisting at one of the gates on day two. He got to meet new people and learn about their reasons for visiting and their expectation...he also helped to make those expectations reality.

Below are a few pictures that will give you a small hint of the atmosphere. Enjoy. If you are in Nova Scotia and have not yet seen any of the tall ships, they are in Shelburne on the 28th and 29th. There are also tall ships in Pugwash and Pictou on July 28th and 29th.

Two of the visiting tall ships

Welcome to the visitors

A visitor to the wharf and the tall ships

Another visitor

More of the Tall Ships tied at the wharf

Good will ambassador to answer questions and help the visitors.

StayCation July 21, 2012

Wow I am really liking this trial retirement...it may become permanent...time will tell. Today was another one day staycation trip, this time to Wolfville, Windsor and some places in between.

 We left home at about 8:00 am and took our trusty dog with us. That meant that we wouldn't be leaving him for very long in the car by himself...minutes only. That dictates where and how long we visit.

Our first stop in the valley was the Wolfville Farmers' Market. They have over 70 vendors, although I didn't take the time to count them. There was everything there, veggies of course, fish chowder, artisans, wine, art, honey, candles, and live music. Most of the vendors are inside but there are a few outside tents. I visited the market while my husband and our dog went for a walk around the surrounding area. I have a few pictures of the market and the hustle and bustle. If anyone is a farmers'market fan, this is definitely a must see and do. They are open on Wednesday evenings and on Saturday mornings, and they are a year round market. Pretty impressive for a small community like Wolfville,

Our next stop was a wonderful fabric shop in Avondale. I always like to pick up a "few things" when I am there. Quilting supplies and patterns, and they also carry knitting supplies and other fabric art/craft supplies. Another must see if you are into fabric arts.

On to Windsor. We had picked two or three things we wanted to do and decided to return another day for more fun stuff. In Windsor at Kings/Edgehill there was a British car display as well as a cricket match and other "British" related activities. It was the cars that drew us and we were really surprised at the number of cars on display, one from Washington State, some from Ontario and of course all of the Maritime provinces.

We then backtracked to Blomidon lookoff and then to Halls Harbour. Both of these are beautiful and allowed us to walk freely with our dog. He always was a perfect gentleman as he visited all those beautiful cars in Windsor.

We decided that we had had a great day, filled with both the unexpected and the expected and neither disappointed. We learned that there was also a "Big Rig" display at the Windsor Exhibition grounds. While this wasn't something that we were particularly interested in, it looked to be of interest to several people, at least as we drove past to the highway.

Another great day. July has been a beautiful month so far, great experiences and fun, and a great dinner at the Galley restaurant for our anniversary.

Blomidon Lookoff

Car Show in Windsor

Halls Harbour

Statue of Howard Dill in Windsor

Anniversary Dinner

Frank and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary yesterday. Wow. For our anniversary dinner we chose the Galley Restaurant and Lounge at the boat club just west of Chester, NS. The food was fantastic. My cup of Galley Chowder was thick and rich, full of lobster, scallops, haddock, clams and potatoes and leeks and the list goes on. Delicious! I chose the Buttermilk Baked Haddock with curry sauce for my main course. And if possible it was even better than the chowder. Frank chose the Pan Seared Fresh Tuna which he thoroughly enjoyed. Relaxing atmosphere, beautiful view, great service and wonderful food...what more can you ask for?

For the details of hours of operation and menus visit  http://galleyrestaurant.ca/

A couple of the pictures of the great view.

Warm Summer day on the South Shore of NS

Beautiful warm summer day on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. A few of the beautiful beaches were almost empty, what a great chance for beach lovers. A few of our pictures from today's drive along the shore line, a stop at Medway River Lighthouse, pictures of Beach Meadows, and a few pictures of wild flowers in full bloom.

Wild Roses at Port Medway Lighthouse

Port Medway Lighthouse

Wharf at Port Medway

Picnic Shelter at Port Medway

Beach Meadows in Queens County

Beautiful beach at Beach Meadows

Hardly any visitors to this beautiful beach on a hot sunny July day

Staycation or Nearcation

This summer my husband and I are planning to explore our own province, Nova Scotia, and maybe visit our neighbours, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I have recently learned that a staycation is often a day trip and a nearcation is an overnighter or longer but still within your own province. I'm not sure if this definition is correct but I am going to use it as my guide as I post through the summer months about our adventures near our home.  

We have just returned from a nearcation trip to Cape Breton Island. The first night was spent in New Glasgow visiting with a friend and planning our next couple of days in CB. We have "done" the Cabot Trail several times, so this trip was going to be a bit different. We would travel up the shoreline to Port Hood, Mabou and then turn inland to Baddeck and then on to Sydney. We would visit gift shops and local tourist attractions on our way and if we saw something interesting we would stop. 

One gem that we discovered was the little day park in Port Hood. Easy access, great signage and a well maintained boardwalk, sandy beach (practically deserted) picnic tables and a beautiful view of the water. A wonderful breather, a peaceful place to stop and stretch your legs.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Glenora Distillery while listening to genuine Cape Breton music provided by a musical duo, one planning the guitar and the other the fiddle.I highly recommend the Maritime Seafood Chowder on the Distillery's lunch time menu, a generous sized serving with a flaky homemade biscuit. Scallops, fish and potatoes all hot and flavourful. 

And of course the charming community of Baddeck and the surrounding area also is a delight for the senses. The skies were overcast for most of the second and third day and we only had a couple of heavy rain showers...one when we were inside a restaurant looking out and another on our way into the hotel.

We were a little disappointed about a couple of our planned stops, we couldn't find them. They may have gone out of business or maybe the problem was poor signage. Just a note to anyone trying to sell things, if people can't find you...

The following pictures are a few of our memories of the trip. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed the experiences. 

Ship loading at the quarry at the Causeway

Port Hood Day Park, a nice surprise

Port Hood Day Park, tables and broadwalk

Port Hood Day Park, great chance for a long walk

We arrived in time for a very tasty lunch and the early afternoon music. Tours are available. Beautiful grounds and friendly people.

Just outside Baddeck

Although a cloudy day, the rain held off

From the top of the mountain looking down to where we will be crossing.  Winding road...good brakes are a must.

Orangedale museum

Inside the dormer train depot at Orangedale

Orangedale Museum. A must see for railway buffs.

Approaching the causeway on our way home. Fog hugging the mountain tops.