Raindrops Keep Falling on Our Heads……
June 15 - 17, 2006
Who knew the clouds could hold so much moisture? It changed our plans somewhat when we woke to the socked in downpour. We had intended to visit Port Royal and Fort Anne historic sites and take a drive down Digby neck, but what was the point – we wouldn’t see anything. Instead, we headed inland across to Bridgewater. I had phoned ahead to the Walmart and the fellow I talked to said the welcome mat was waiting. The drive wasn’t pleasant with the driving rain and we were happy to pull in to Walmart, until we noticed signs clearly stating that there was no overnight RV Parking allowed. I was furious that the man I spoke to had given me improper information and marched into the store. They were most apologetic and explained to me that if it was up to them, they’d be pleased to have us, but the town has proclaimed “No RV parking”.
The weather was lousy but it was early in the day so we drove over to Lunenburg, parking Maggie a few blocks from the historical centre and braving the downpour in our raincoats, hats and duck shoes. We couldn’t use umbrellas because the wind was starting to really blow.
Caesar stayed behind in the warm and dry. By the time we returned after taking a cursory look at the old town, we were drenched and changed into dry clothes. We figured the only thing to do was head to Halifax, about an hour north. The drive was interminable; the rain was driving and sudden gusts of wind felt as if they would take Maggie away with them. It was a long and arduous drive and we were so happy to arrive in Halifax safely. It was late in the afternoon and the wind was worse than ever blowing puddles across the parking lot in sheets of water. We got soaked in the five minutes it took to unhook the car and had to get changed into dry clothes again – every available space was hung with wet clothes. Maggie was really rocking by now. Later on that evening we realized that what we were experiencing was the tail end of Hurricane Alberto. I know we’ll never drive again in such weather.
We decided on dinner out and a movie as we were in the middle of a huge shopping / restaurant / movie complex. We tried a restaurant, which must be an east coast chain “Jack Astor’s”, and it reminded us of Earl’s in Vancouver but the food was so much better. I had a Thai Chicken Curry and Fernie Butter Chicken – Wow! We intended to see the film “The DaVinci Code” in spite of the bad write-ups, but Fernie talked me in to a more light-hearted movie “RV” with Robin Williams. This one too had been slammed by the critics and we do agree it’s drivel, but we found we could relate to a lot of the RV incidents and got quite a few chuckles.
Caesar was so afraid of the terrible wind that he wouldn’t do his duty when Fernie put him out on the grass beside the motorhome. So we drove him out looking for a spot that would be sheltered. We did at the very end of the shopping complexes, a high wall and a corner that the wind didn’t enter and I blocked the other side with my car and VOILA! Success. We all went back home and snuggled into bed together while the storm shook and battered us – but we felt quite safe.
I woke in the night and the wind was still strong but there was no more rain. Next time I woke, it was silent. I looked out the window – dawn was breaking to a beautiful clear and still day. Amazing!
It was perfect weather for our early morning walk along the Halifax waterfront and our climb up to the Citadel. Time passed quickly and we were in the fort for the noon firing of the big cannon – a big fuss of pipers, dynamite carriers and other Scottish Guards. This was our second visit to Halifax and not much had changed but we enjoyed our stroll and as the day went on, the temperature got quite high – about 25 degrees and I was wearing a black sweatshirt.
A huge group of men and women young and old in period costume appeared about the same time and we thought that they were part of the performance, so I was busy snapping pictures and making fun of the young woman in running shoes beneath her black dress. I was so embarrassed when the realization hit me that they were a tour group of Mennonites or Hutterites. I do hope they didn’t notice.
We had a 3:30 appointment at a Honda dealership for the CRV to have a check-up and the oil changed. Since we had to put in a new battery in Hanover, Ontario, the radio would not work. The anti-theft feature needs a code to be entered and we don’t have it. We phoned Vancouver Honda where we bought it but they didn’t have it and told us to get another Honda dealer to pull out the radio – a number should be behind it and with that number Honda head office will give us a code. What a rigmarole! We asked a Honda dealer in Toronto how much they’d charge and they quoted $90. YIKES! We’ll go without at that price. The Halifax dealer said it would an additional $78 so we said “No thank you”. So what a surprise when our total bill for check-up etc. was $81 and when we turned on the car, the radio worked.
Fernie is a vacuum cleaner fanatic and when our cordless Shark broke, he was almost in tears. So we bought him a new Dirt Devil mini today at Walmart and he’s cleaned Maggie from top to bottom. I’m not really complaining.
Saturday bloomed into a gorgeous day, even warmer than yesterday. The farmers’ market in the centre of town is only open on Saturdays, so we took a trip down and bought fresh local strawberries, salt cod cakes and some homemade red pepper jelly. It’s a lively marketplace with small nooks and crannies instead of the usual wide-open affair. There were musicians playing where they could find space and the small town atmosphere of Halifax was apparent as friends greeted each other effusively.
I hesitate to describe how succulent the salt cod cakes were not wanting to appear a total glutton….but oh ‘what the heck’ – they were delectable. With fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert and of course a fine wine pairing.
Peggy’s Cove used to be such a quiet little fishing village but not anymore. It’s teeming with day-trippers and I can’t imagine how horrid it would be when a cruise ship disengorges its bevy of passengers onto buses headed for Peggy’s Cove. People were swarming across the massive boulders and up to the lighthouse, cameras clicking, kids screaming but it’s still a marvellously beautiful spot. An old car pulled in beside us in the parking lot as we were preparing to pull out. A tough overweight fellow in a muscle shirt jumped out of the driver’s seat and stalked as fast as he could over to the restaurant. 
From the passenger side tumbled a tiny but also tough lil’ gal with a mop of bright auburn hair. “Git the hell back here” she yelled at the top of her maritime voice.
“I’m not puttin’ up with any of this fxxxing sxxx,” he growled back at her from fifty feet away. She ran as fast as her tiny little legs would carry her and threw the heavy bunch of car keys at him. More screaming and growling ensued and a sullen teenage girl emerged from the back seat of the car as the redhead stormed back. “He’s a fxxxxxx axxxxxx and you can just go to hell with him. He wants you up there, so fxxxxxx git up there to the restaurant with him – fxxxxxx get away from me” We figured this was a good time to make our exit.
A couple of miles along St. Margaret’s Bay from Peggy’s Cove is a memorial to the Swissair Flight #111 that crashed just off the coast in 1998. I had forgotten about it until we chanced upon the monument and then it brought back the memories of how the locals had done so much to assist the people that poured in after the tragedy.
My only brother lives in Halifax and I was so lucky to manage to get in touch with two of his children, Hilary and Sam whom I hadn’t seen in sixteen years. They were three and four years old then – now they’re 19 and 20.
Hilary’s just finished her first year of Anthropology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and Sam’s just completed his first year of Architecture at Dalhousie in Halifax. My other nephew, Matthew, the eldest is 22 and doing a co-op out of town for his final year of engineering. It was a delight meeting them! They were a delight! They drove up to see us on Sam’s motorbike and I would have recognized them on the street by their resemblance to their parents. Sam, so much like my brother and Hilary a carbon copy of her mother. We vowed not to lose touch in the future.
While Fernie was watching a Stanley cup final hockey game, I found a super wifi spot not far from our motorhome and was able to catch up a lot of email, banking and blogging. I still miss not having internet 24/7.
Who knew the clouds could hold so much moisture? It changed our plans somewhat when we woke to the socked in downpour. We had intended to visit Port Royal and Fort Anne historic sites and take a drive down Digby neck, but what was the point – we wouldn’t see anything. Instead, we headed inland across to Bridgewater. I had phoned ahead to the Walmart and the fellow I talked to said the welcome mat was waiting. The drive wasn’t pleasant with the driving rain and we were happy to pull in to Walmart, until we noticed signs clearly stating that there was no overnight RV Parking allowed. I was furious that the man I spoke to had given me improper information and marched into the store. They were most apologetic and explained to me that if it was up to them, they’d be pleased to have us, but the town has proclaimed “No RV parking”. The weather was lousy but it was early in the day so we drove over to Lunenburg, parking Maggie a few blocks from the historical centre and braving the downpour in our raincoats, hats and duck shoes. We couldn’t use umbrellas because the wind was starting to really blow.
Caesar stayed behind in the warm and dry. By the time we returned after taking a cursory look at the old town, we were drenched and changed into dry clothes. We figured the only thing to do was head to Halifax, about an hour north. The drive was interminable; the rain was driving and sudden gusts of wind felt as if they would take Maggie away with them. It was a long and arduous drive and we were so happy to arrive in Halifax safely. It was late in the afternoon and the wind was worse than ever blowing puddles across the parking lot in sheets of water. We got soaked in the five minutes it took to unhook the car and had to get changed into dry clothes again – every available space was hung with wet clothes. Maggie was really rocking by now. Later on that evening we realized that what we were experiencing was the tail end of Hurricane Alberto. I know we’ll never drive again in such weather.
We decided on dinner out and a movie as we were in the middle of a huge shopping / restaurant / movie complex. We tried a restaurant, which must be an east coast chain “Jack Astor’s”, and it reminded us of Earl’s in Vancouver but the food was so much better. I had a Thai Chicken Curry and Fernie Butter Chicken – Wow! We intended to see the film “The DaVinci Code” in spite of the bad write-ups, but Fernie talked me in to a more light-hearted movie “RV” with Robin Williams. This one too had been slammed by the critics and we do agree it’s drivel, but we found we could relate to a lot of the RV incidents and got quite a few chuckles.Caesar was so afraid of the terrible wind that he wouldn’t do his duty when Fernie put him out on the grass beside the motorhome. So we drove him out looking for a spot that would be sheltered. We did at the very end of the shopping complexes, a high wall and a corner that the wind didn’t enter and I blocked the other side with my car and VOILA! Success. We all went back home and snuggled into bed together while the storm shook and battered us – but we felt quite safe.
I woke in the night and the wind was still strong but there was no more rain. Next time I woke, it was silent. I looked out the window – dawn was breaking to a beautiful clear and still day. Amazing!
It was perfect weather for our early morning walk along the Halifax waterfront and our climb up to the Citadel. Time passed quickly and we were in the fort for the noon firing of the big cannon – a big fuss of pipers, dynamite carriers and other Scottish Guards. This was our second visit to Halifax and not much had changed but we enjoyed our stroll and as the day went on, the temperature got quite high – about 25 degrees and I was wearing a black sweatshirt.
A huge group of men and women young and old in period costume appeared about the same time and we thought that they were part of the performance, so I was busy snapping pictures and making fun of the young woman in running shoes beneath her black dress. I was so embarrassed when the realization hit me that they were a tour group of Mennonites or Hutterites. I do hope they didn’t notice.
We had a 3:30 appointment at a Honda dealership for the CRV to have a check-up and the oil changed. Since we had to put in a new battery in Hanover, Ontario, the radio would not work. The anti-theft feature needs a code to be entered and we don’t have it. We phoned Vancouver Honda where we bought it but they didn’t have it and told us to get another Honda dealer to pull out the radio – a number should be behind it and with that number Honda head office will give us a code. What a rigmarole! We asked a Honda dealer in Toronto how much they’d charge and they quoted $90. YIKES! We’ll go without at that price. The Halifax dealer said it would an additional $78 so we said “No thank you”. So what a surprise when our total bill for check-up etc. was $81 and when we turned on the car, the radio worked.
Fernie is a vacuum cleaner fanatic and when our cordless Shark broke, he was almost in tears. So we bought him a new Dirt Devil mini today at Walmart and he’s cleaned Maggie from top to bottom. I’m not really complaining.
Saturday bloomed into a gorgeous day, even warmer than yesterday. The farmers’ market in the centre of town is only open on Saturdays, so we took a trip down and bought fresh local strawberries, salt cod cakes and some homemade red pepper jelly. It’s a lively marketplace with small nooks and crannies instead of the usual wide-open affair. There were musicians playing where they could find space and the small town atmosphere of Halifax was apparent as friends greeted each other effusively.
I hesitate to describe how succulent the salt cod cakes were not wanting to appear a total glutton….but oh ‘what the heck’ – they were delectable. With fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert and of course a fine wine pairing.
Peggy’s Cove used to be such a quiet little fishing village but not anymore. It’s teeming with day-trippers and I can’t imagine how horrid it would be when a cruise ship disengorges its bevy of passengers onto buses headed for Peggy’s Cove. People were swarming across the massive boulders and up to the lighthouse, cameras clicking, kids screaming but it’s still a marvellously beautiful spot. An old car pulled in beside us in the parking lot as we were preparing to pull out. A tough overweight fellow in a muscle shirt jumped out of the driver’s seat and stalked as fast as he could over to the restaurant. 
From the passenger side tumbled a tiny but also tough lil’ gal with a mop of bright auburn hair. “Git the hell back here” she yelled at the top of her maritime voice.“I’m not puttin’ up with any of this fxxxing sxxx,” he growled back at her from fifty feet away. She ran as fast as her tiny little legs would carry her and threw the heavy bunch of car keys at him. More screaming and growling ensued and a sullen teenage girl emerged from the back seat of the car as the redhead stormed back. “He’s a fxxxxxx axxxxxx and you can just go to hell with him. He wants you up there, so fxxxxxx git up there to the restaurant with him – fxxxxxx get away from me” We figured this was a good time to make our exit.
A couple of miles along St. Margaret’s Bay from Peggy’s Cove is a memorial to the Swissair Flight #111 that crashed just off the coast in 1998. I had forgotten about it until we chanced upon the monument and then it brought back the memories of how the locals had done so much to assist the people that poured in after the tragedy.
My only brother lives in Halifax and I was so lucky to manage to get in touch with two of his children, Hilary and Sam whom I hadn’t seen in sixteen years. They were three and four years old then – now they’re 19 and 20.
Hilary’s just finished her first year of Anthropology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and Sam’s just completed his first year of Architecture at Dalhousie in Halifax. My other nephew, Matthew, the eldest is 22 and doing a co-op out of town for his final year of engineering. It was a delight meeting them! They were a delight! They drove up to see us on Sam’s motorbike and I would have recognized them on the street by their resemblance to their parents. Sam, so much like my brother and Hilary a carbon copy of her mother. We vowed not to lose touch in the future.While Fernie was watching a Stanley cup final hockey game, I found a super wifi spot not far from our motorhome and was able to catch up a lot of email, banking and blogging. I still miss not having internet 24/7.
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