We left Oklahoma City with Starbucks in hand. The freeway was fast and I was busy observing signs of interest, for instance this is the home of Garth Brooks. We crossed through Chisholm Trail where huge cattle drives on their way from Texas to Kansas, today they move them by truck or train.
Further on down the road things got a little more exciting......we could see a police car, siren going and lights flashing coming up behind us. No worries, we knew we weren’t speeding. Soon we were pulling over and they pulled up behind us. We know to wait in the car till they approach, one officer came to each side of us. We knew too to follow proper procedure, sunglasses off, hands visible on steering wheel for driver. When asked to present his licences Jeff asked for permission to get his jacket from the back seat.....which was granted. The officer on my side asked if we knew why we were stopped. Apparently the “state”on our rear licence plate was not visible and must be visible to,officers from a distance of 50feet. They then queried us about where we were from and what we were doing.....blah blah we told them we were on a big road trip.....and they let us go. As Jeff says, they see two old people and odds are low that we’re up to no good!
On our way again, it’s cotton fields and windmill farms, don’t mess with Texas signs. Yes, we crossed into Amarillo Texas, everything is horsey, cowboy and big. The road is long and straight......and leads into New Mexico, through Alberquerque, we decided to push on a little further and ended up for the night in a place called Gallup. Our hotel upgraded us to a suite, gave us a recommendation for dinner and off we went to Badlands Grill. It was probably the best meal we have had on the entire trip, steak for us both.....Jeff’s a 16oz for the princely sum of $37. and mine a respectable 6oz for $32.
Washed down with Dos Cervasas.
Tomorrow we head for Carefree Arizona where we will enjoy being relatively stationary for the rest of November.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
November 1st moving on
This morning we got an early start at just after 8, found a stand alone coffee shop in Fayetteville, as there was not Starbucks. We set our gps first to Memphis, it was to be a long drive. Highway 40 as opposed to the mainly secondary roads we had been on for most of our trip.
We saw cotton fields, some already stripped, some still white balls of cotton on the fields. We took a bridge over the Mississippi River into Arkansas then into the state of Oklahoma. Trucks, trucks and more trucks, reminding us of how all those goods get moved around the country. The ugly side of road trips, semis in the fast lane and gas station bathrooms!
We had purchased some cold meat, cheese and crackers so had lunch on the road, with just stops for gas. At one such stop I came out of the bathroom and wondered, where was Jeff? Then I noticed him cleaning the windows of a car at another gas pump, the woman in the car had seen him cleaning our windows and said she would pay him $2 if he would clean hers too! He of course said I’ll clean your windows but you don’t have to pay me......as I came over she proceeded to tell me she was gassing up for a trip tomorrow, where she was going and staying...blah blah blah!
On the road again....we settled for the night in Midwest Oklahoma where there is a large air base. We have been staying in so many best westerns we have again qualified for a free night. A little workout in the gym and a light meal at Chili’s restaurant with a pretty good margarita!
We saw cotton fields, some already stripped, some still white balls of cotton on the fields. We took a bridge over the Mississippi River into Arkansas then into the state of Oklahoma. Trucks, trucks and more trucks, reminding us of how all those goods get moved around the country. The ugly side of road trips, semis in the fast lane and gas station bathrooms!
We had purchased some cold meat, cheese and crackers so had lunch on the road, with just stops for gas. At one such stop I came out of the bathroom and wondered, where was Jeff? Then I noticed him cleaning the windows of a car at another gas pump, the woman in the car had seen him cleaning our windows and said she would pay him $2 if he would clean hers too! He of course said I’ll clean your windows but you don’t have to pay me......as I came over she proceeded to tell me she was gassing up for a trip tomorrow, where she was going and staying...blah blah blah!
On the road again....we settled for the night in Midwest Oklahoma where there is a large air base. We have been staying in so many best westerns we have again qualified for a free night. A little workout in the gym and a light meal at Chili’s restaurant with a pretty good margarita!
Oct 31/17 Halloween in Lynchburg Tennessee
We left Kingsport , found a Starbucks a ways down the road, it is about 4 1/2hours to Lynchburg Tennessee. The countryside is very pleasant, large properties in the towns we pass through, very well kept. Graveyards are present in all the churchyards, well tended with lots of floral arrangements, mostly plastic. This is moonshine country, Chattanooga, Tallahassee, Tulahola. We see signs to the Davy Crockett homestead.
We arrive in Lynchburg and it is about lunchtime. We go into Lynchburg Fixin’s, as we enter the girl calls out Y’all set where u’all like, the tables are Formica topped, chairs are chrome, totally fifties diner style, not fancy, its always been like this, it is not a reproduction!
Lynchburg exists because of Jack Daniels Whiskey.
We see a sign for Jack Daniels tours .....”there are road trips, and then there are pilgrimages” another proclaimed “Jack Daniels, every drop, made right here, welcome to the source”
Before we took the tour we visited the Jack Daniels House.....this house is only for Squires or for purchasers of a full barrel of Jack Daniels. Jeff is a Squire, nominated by his friend Preston Westmoreland. We took a few photos and then went to the visitor area to sign up for a walking tour. Jeff as a Squire was “welcomed home” and exempted from the tour Fee.
A little history......
Jack Daniels was the 10th born child in his family, his mother died in childbirth, his father remarried and Jack and his stepmother did not see eye to eye. Jack left home age 6 to live with the Green family, where he learns to distill at age 7. Members of the Green family are still employed in the business today. Jack registered his distillery at age 16, it was the first ever registered in America.
Jack died at the young age of 61, he kicked his safe early one morning when he had forgotten the combination, resulting in a broken toe, left unattended it became gangrenous and although he had subsequent amputations it eventually killed him months later. The business went to his nephew Lem who worked with him, but was shut down in prohibition for 30 years. Lem’s sons who inherited the business sold it in 1953 for $20 million to the Browns who still own it today.
A couple of other interesting facts .......all the JD in the world is made right here in Lynchburg, a dry country where you cannot purchase a drink or consume one. The whiskey is fermented 4-7 years and aged in Oak barrels which are only used one time then sold all over the world.
Lastly, the 620 employees in Lynchburg each receive a bottle of Old no.7 on the first Friday of every month.....they call it Good Friday !
A very interesting tour which we highly recommend. We moved on down the road to Fayetteville for the night. Finished our day with dinner at Tammy’s Outback.....a bizarre bar where Halloween costumes were in vogue....everyone seemed to know everyone else......good people watching!
Monday, October 30, 2017
Oct. 30/17 Virginia/West Virginia/Maryland/Tennessee
We left the town of Front Royal this morning, cold but sunny, an improvement on yesterday! Shenandoah National Park ($25 entrance fee) on a 2 lane road, right away we could tell it was going to be a beautiful drive. Our first clue of things to come was a glimmer of frost on the roadside. Th3n the frost became snow😜. We were at 950 meters elevation. Not too worried.....yet.
The foliage is dropping, it has its own beauty when you can see through the tree trunks, light shining and the wind swirling the leaves all around . A young buck was so close on the road, he darted into the woods on hearing us approach. There is lots of debris on the road, branches as well as leaves from last nights wind. Soon we were seeing cars coming toward us with fairly heavy snow on them. We concluded they must have overnighted somewhere in the Park .
At about 1098 meters traffic stopped. We could see an ambulance, a police car and a school bus ahead. At this point there was also a lot more snow on the sides of the road.
After waiting to see what was going on a Ranger was approaching each vehicle in front of us and having a chat. We could hear her tell the car in front of us they had to turn around and go back the way they came. It was our turn next! We were asked about our vehicle....4wheel Drive, all season tires. Then the police officer was at our window......assessing our capabilities and comfort level with continuing on. The officer upon asking where we were from......Vancouver....said, oh you are used to this, if you were from Florida I’d be worried. The school bus had hit black ice and started to slide and was partially blocking the road. The bus was full of kids which they were going to unload and wait till the sun melted the ice enough for them to continue. They allowed us to pass!
Further on in the park we climbed a little higher, deer and a buck jumping across the road beside and in front of us or nibbling on the grass as we came around a corner. The road dropped thousands of feet on either side of the road as we made our way, breathtaking but a bit unnerving with the snow. Descending we decided to take a turn off to get something to eat......a sign directing us to Steelers Tavern sounded good, 5/6 miles, on a winding road......we finally found it, it was a b&b!!! A guy was raking leaves in the yard, I asked if they served food.....ha! No...it’s a B&b they serve breakfast! I told him they shouldn't call it a tavern! We had just driven 10 miles return trip on a terrible road! Grrrr. In Vesuvius on our way to the tavern I had seen a sign for Gerties Cafe .....it looked ramshackle but we decided to try it.....mediocre eggs on toast. We bought some water, (one of which turned out to be watermelon flavour) ugh! and hit the road.
Soon we were out of the Shenandoah Park and onto Blueridge Parkway. Jeff and Jon rode it on their motorcycles 7 or so years ago 45 miles per hour and no trucks allowed. He has been wanting to take me there ever since. The drive is very similar to the Shenandoah but so far without the snow. The elevation rises to above 6,000 so who knows what we would have found. We travelled about 1/2 of the route and came off to Hwy 81 and the town of Kingston Tennessee, as it was getting to be dusk.
Alas we will abandon the rest of the Blueridge Parkway, a hard choice, we will head for Lynchburg tomorrow as time is of the essence. Perhaps we will return on the motorbike in warmer weather.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Rain, rain, go away!
It is Sunday today, my sister, Dorothy’s Birthday, and it’s raining in Pennsylvania!
We discovered that everything (almost) is closed in Amish country. What a let down. We check with our hotel and find that a few miles down the road in Paradise there is an antiques mall, so off we went. It turned out to be a giant flea market,! Not to be daunted we entered shortly after opening, all of 4 customers in rows and rows of stalls. BUT all was not in vein, I was rewarded! I found a couple of Andrew Wyeth books, not the autobio I am looking for but nice nonetheless, I purchased one of the books......a treasure in my eyes.
We then continued on to Gettysburgh. We have so far driven 11,000 km from home. It continued to rain all day. We toured a bit of the civil war grounds, viewing monuments from the inside of the car, too wet to see much.
We pushed south toward Frederick Maryland and soon we were crossing into West Virginia and Harpers Ferry. A further 22 miles down highway 30 we stopped for the night in Front Royal .......amusingly at a golf resort. Not wanting to brave the weather any longer we opted for dinner at the attached restaurant.
Praying for a dryer day tomorrow as we drive the Blue mountain parkway towards Lynchburg Tennessee.......a dry county where they make the worlds supply of Jack Daniels. Jeff is a squire and owns a square inch of the county, so we will visit his land! He will sit in the special Squire room and sip a JD.
We discovered that everything (almost) is closed in Amish country. What a let down. We check with our hotel and find that a few miles down the road in Paradise there is an antiques mall, so off we went. It turned out to be a giant flea market,! Not to be daunted we entered shortly after opening, all of 4 customers in rows and rows of stalls. BUT all was not in vein, I was rewarded! I found a couple of Andrew Wyeth books, not the autobio I am looking for but nice nonetheless, I purchased one of the books......a treasure in my eyes.
We then continued on to Gettysburgh. We have so far driven 11,000 km from home. It continued to rain all day. We toured a bit of the civil war grounds, viewing monuments from the inside of the car, too wet to see much.
We pushed south toward Frederick Maryland and soon we were crossing into West Virginia and Harpers Ferry. A further 22 miles down highway 30 we stopped for the night in Front Royal .......amusingly at a golf resort. Not wanting to brave the weather any longer we opted for dinner at the attached restaurant.
Praying for a dryer day tomorrow as we drive the Blue mountain parkway towards Lynchburg Tennessee.......a dry county where they make the worlds supply of Jack Daniels. Jeff is a squire and owns a square inch of the county, so we will visit his land! He will sit in the special Squire room and sip a JD.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
10 Hour Drive New Hampshire/Vermont/New York/Pennsylvania
We started our day at Starbucks, the first in quite awhile.. New Hampshire this morning was foggy to begin, rural road, ponds like glass and rapid streams. Sunlight breaking through glorious foliage. Soon we left N.H. for Vermont, much the same countryside, quaint names like Brattleboro, Bennington, and in one town Wellington, Dot’s Restaurant (RiP aunt Dot,) .
There are frequent warnings to watch out for moose on the roads. We also saw our first covered bridge! At about 11am we crossed the state line into upstate New York. We stopped at a little clapboard coffee shack. The old gal owner and her dad were inside the tiny place.......we ordered a latte and an americano.....she said, I only take cash. We said, hold on, while I check my wallet in the car. She told Jeff if we didn’t have the $ she would give us the coffee for free and next time we were by we could pay! We laughed and said it would be a long time! She still said it would be gratis, but I discovered I had a $10 as well as a few $1’s. The darn US bills look the same.
We were on the road again driving inland, colours were muted as most of the leaves are fallen now, but still beautiful areas to photograph. We are constantly putting our destination into the GPS by voice command and are amazed at what ”she” understands and what she doesn’t! “She” had no problem with Schenectady but could not get Concord! We have seen interesting road signs......NY state law says 3text violations you lose your licence. Many more Moose warning signs.
I’m always amazed at the size of the graveyards, more dead people than the population in many cases, also some towns the headstones are lined up so precise and straight while others are scattered like thrown stones....not sure which I prefer, I like them all.
In Pennsylvania we stopped at an information building after we crossed out of New York. We got a wealth of maps and info about the Amish area we want to visit.......Lancaster county.
We are staying in a town called Intercourse.....which has a funny story about its name, apparently the Amish wanted to change it but after trying unsuccessfully the name stuck. As we approached our hotel we came up behind our first of many horse drawn black carriages......three little children peering out the back window.....the boys wearing straw boater hats and the little girl in an old fashioned bonnet ❤️. I took a photo and then waved and one of the children waved back just a little.
We settled into our hotel and inquired about where to get a beer.......not possible, Dry town! We could go 7 miles down the road to another town and have a beer and dinner.....which we did.
Tomorrow we will explore the area before moving on.
Friday, October 27, 2017
New Hampshire & Andrew Wyeth
Our hosts at the Spouter Inn in Lincolnville cooked us a 3 course breakfast this morning, which we had chosen from three options the night before. Jeff had eggs and crab cakes, I had a German puffed eggy thing....they said if I googled Dutch baby I would get a similar recipe. We both had homemade applesauce with cranberry swirl with shortbread pecan bites, lovely latte and coffees. Our hosts were very kind and accommodating.....especially with my multiple requests to fill my hot water bottle!
A very short way down the road was the town of Camden, bit on the Tony side we were told and the homes were stately, well cared for, many inns and b&b’s. Interesting names, Blue Inn, Green Gables, The Droughty Bear, Snow Squall Inn, Schooner Inn, Ossipee!
Next up was the town of Rockport, which was more industrial......and a few miles further we came to
Rockland and the Farnsworth Museum. Maine is the birthplace and home of Andrew Wyeth and the Farnsworth has a building dedicated to his works. His most famous painting is “Christina” a painting of a young girl in the foreground of a field, with a house (hers) in the background. Christina was a neighbour who was handicapped, she could not walk......anyway he painted many of her family members and their home. His medium was mainly watercolour. BUT the painting is not at this gallery but in the MOMA in NYC! There were many awesome paintings and drawings to enjoy. I will probably never be back in Rockland so was so glad we took the time to stop.
Back on the road again 🎶🎶 we were passing apple farms, a field full of turkeys....all of them Snow White., there must of been 200 of them, and a big sign....order your turkeys now! Numerous towns, homes from another time, old fashioned screen doors or screened in porches complete with rocking chairs and porch swings. So many galleries, every town has several.
The leaves are rusty Brown now, ready to fall in the next wind. New Hampshire is lovely.
We are in the town of Concord for the night, a sizeable town. It was a great sunshiny day!
A very short way down the road was the town of Camden, bit on the Tony side we were told and the homes were stately, well cared for, many inns and b&b’s. Interesting names, Blue Inn, Green Gables, The Droughty Bear, Snow Squall Inn, Schooner Inn, Ossipee!
Next up was the town of Rockport, which was more industrial......and a few miles further we came to
Rockland and the Farnsworth Museum. Maine is the birthplace and home of Andrew Wyeth and the Farnsworth has a building dedicated to his works. His most famous painting is “Christina” a painting of a young girl in the foreground of a field, with a house (hers) in the background. Christina was a neighbour who was handicapped, she could not walk......anyway he painted many of her family members and their home. His medium was mainly watercolour. BUT the painting is not at this gallery but in the MOMA in NYC! There were many awesome paintings and drawings to enjoy. I will probably never be back in Rockland so was so glad we took the time to stop.
Back on the road again 🎶🎶 we were passing apple farms, a field full of turkeys....all of them Snow White., there must of been 200 of them, and a big sign....order your turkeys now! Numerous towns, homes from another time, old fashioned screen doors or screened in porches complete with rocking chairs and porch swings. So many galleries, every town has several.
The leaves are rusty Brown now, ready to fall in the next wind. New Hampshire is lovely.
We are in the town of Concord for the night, a sizeable town. It was a great sunshiny day!
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Maine, USA
We left the Algonquin Resort Hotel in blinding rain and fierce wind! We came through the pretty town of St Stephen then crossed the border into Maine. The border guard asked us a lot of questions.....were we retired, did we own a house in Arizona, how long will you be in the USA, what did you do when you worked, ....we actually got a smile when I answered the question about work when I replied sometime banker! Maine, what we can see through the rain is beautiful charming homes from another era right on the water. We can picture how busy they are in the summer. Down the main streets there is a lot of Halloween decor. We go through, Bucksport, Ellesmere, Belfast, many businesses and accommodations are closed for the season, usually we can find one store and sometimes a gas station. The rain has lightened us and we can see better.
We decided about 10days ago to subscribe to serusis (sp!) radio and have been listening to great music, talk shows and such. Today there was a discussion about Newfoundland and 911, one guy said.....38 planes carrying 6,700 passengers landed that day! At one time the airport in Gander was the largest airport in North America.......this was because the planes of the day couldn’t carry enough fuel and many coming long distances had to stop to refuel. .....little bit of trivia.
At around 3pm we decided we had had enough driving for the day and we stopped in Lincolnville, a small town right on the sea and we found a b&b called The Spouter. There is another couple who are also staying.. we checked into our upstairs room, very charming, gave our hosts our breakfast choices and went off to find a beer at the one pub and restaurant that remains open.....The Whale’sTooth.
We had a beer and chatted to an old guy who was there by himself, from neighbouring Belfast, just a few miles down the road, he gave us quite a bit of information about the area.....particularly a museum/art gallery in the next town where there are some Andrew Wyeth paintings 👍🎨 and some kind of transportation Museum Jeff might like. We also looked in some of the fifty/artist shops along the front. Since the pub had the only restaurant open in town, back we went an hour or so later. I had a delicious lamb shepherds pie and Jeff had seafood,chowder and Mac and cheese...declaring both to be the finest he had ever eaten!!!!
It was raining again when we walked the 100yds to our b&b. Before heading up to our room we sat in the living room and read a few of the publications on the immediate area.....some plans for tomorrow!
We decided about 10days ago to subscribe to serusis (sp!) radio and have been listening to great music, talk shows and such. Today there was a discussion about Newfoundland and 911, one guy said.....38 planes carrying 6,700 passengers landed that day! At one time the airport in Gander was the largest airport in North America.......this was because the planes of the day couldn’t carry enough fuel and many coming long distances had to stop to refuel. .....little bit of trivia.
At around 3pm we decided we had had enough driving for the day and we stopped in Lincolnville, a small town right on the sea and we found a b&b called The Spouter. There is another couple who are also staying.. we checked into our upstairs room, very charming, gave our hosts our breakfast choices and went off to find a beer at the one pub and restaurant that remains open.....The Whale’sTooth.
We had a beer and chatted to an old guy who was there by himself, from neighbouring Belfast, just a few miles down the road, he gave us quite a bit of information about the area.....particularly a museum/art gallery in the next town where there are some Andrew Wyeth paintings 👍🎨 and some kind of transportation Museum Jeff might like. We also looked in some of the fifty/artist shops along the front. Since the pub had the only restaurant open in town, back we went an hour or so later. I had a delicious lamb shepherds pie and Jeff had seafood,chowder and Mac and cheese...declaring both to be the finest he had ever eaten!!!!
It was raining again when we walked the 100yds to our b&b. Before heading up to our room we sat in the living room and read a few of the publications on the immediate area.....some plans for tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Digby to Cornwallis to St Andrews By The Sea
Our B&B in Digby is called Come From Away, our hosts explained the name.....if you are not from Nova Scotia, you Came From Away. Interesting that I had just seen the musical by that name in NYC. Our b&b hosts have their B&b up for sale, price $499,000......cheap by our standards and it’s been for sale for 1-1/2 yrs! It is a beautiful old Victoria house with 4 rooms inside the main house and 6 rooms out back right on the ocean. We stayed out back right on the ocean, chairs on the deck of our room. The sunrise this morning was like none we had ever seen, pillowy clouds lit by beautiful pinks of different hues.
We had breakfast in the main house and chatted to Joe who says when his house sells he is changing careers.....to be an artist. It is a small world as we found out he once lived several years in Vernon BC.
We were off to Cornwallis to see Jeff’s childhood home in what was navy quarters, he lived on The Dingle.......we found the house and took a few photos, Jeff reminiscing to me things he remembered, pointing out his school and his friend Gary’s house. We then drove towards Annapolis Royal, so picturesque, driving through falling leaves, they were as thick as falling snow, a two lane country road. We passed the Raven Hill Winery, The vines were covered with cloth that looked like cheesecloth, winter protection I think. A little side detour took us to the town of Wolfville, which is where Acadia University is, we had been through it 20 years ago and it still looks the same....very beautiful old homes, the uni walls covered in ivy.
Soon we were to say goodbye to Nova Scotia and enter New Brunswick. We arrived in St John in a blinding rainstorm, so wet there was no point in getting out for a walk around so we pushed on to St Andrews, high wind, lightening and rain to the Algonquin Resort. We have a suite with a view of the ocean, Bay of Fundy, alas we can’t see it for rain! We have been extremely fortunate having good weather so can’t complain.
Dinner at the resort and hopefully a break in the weather to have a look around tomorrow before we leave for the USA state of Maine.
We had breakfast in the main house and chatted to Joe who says when his house sells he is changing careers.....to be an artist. It is a small world as we found out he once lived several years in Vernon BC.
We were off to Cornwallis to see Jeff’s childhood home in what was navy quarters, he lived on The Dingle.......we found the house and took a few photos, Jeff reminiscing to me things he remembered, pointing out his school and his friend Gary’s house. We then drove towards Annapolis Royal, so picturesque, driving through falling leaves, they were as thick as falling snow, a two lane country road. We passed the Raven Hill Winery, The vines were covered with cloth that looked like cheesecloth, winter protection I think. A little side detour took us to the town of Wolfville, which is where Acadia University is, we had been through it 20 years ago and it still looks the same....very beautiful old homes, the uni walls covered in ivy.
Soon we were to say goodbye to Nova Scotia and enter New Brunswick. We arrived in St John in a blinding rainstorm, so wet there was no point in getting out for a walk around so we pushed on to St Andrews, high wind, lightening and rain to the Algonquin Resort. We have a suite with a view of the ocean, Bay of Fundy, alas we can’t see it for rain! We have been extremely fortunate having good weather so can’t complain.
Dinner at the resort and hopefully a break in the weather to have a look around tomorrow before we leave for the USA state of Maine.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
On To Halifax
Best Western breakfast this morning was better than most. We packed up and headed for Starbucks (Jeff) and the Nova Scotia Art Gallery (me)! The NSAG is the largest in the Atlantic provinces. The Maude Lewis exhibit is my focus. It was wonderful, sad and very thought provoking what this tiny challenged woman endured. Jeff joined me at the gallery and we enjoyed the Maude exhibit together then purchased a book on her life in the gift shop.
Next we were onto Peggy’s Cove, we had been there with our friends Reva and Mike some 20 years ago when the four of us traveled to Nova Scotia and celebrated their daughter Nikka’s 21st birthday.
This morning the Cove was very busy with tourists everywhere. We stayed for a few photos and a walk up to the lighthouse then drove a short way from the hustle to a small cafe serving lobster rolls which we sat on their porch and devoured.
The drive down the coast toward Chester was exquisite.....so many coves and little bays, neat little places , some for sale, Jeff wants them all! But today he found his favourite just outside of a Peggy’s Cove.
We booked a b&b in Digby and were here about 5pm. Our room is overlooking the sea, charming and the hosts are friendly, we will breakfast tomorrow at 8.
After we settled in we walked down the seafront to a bar called Dockside, had a beer and dinner.....a seafood sampler for me and a dish of scallops for Jeff. Both delicious. We sat at the bar and had good conversation with another customer and the two bar girls.....it was a quiet night.....off season, mid week! Just how we like it sometimes......although fiddle music would be welcome.....we miss you Cape Breton!!!
A short walk back to our b&b. Nite nite.
Next we were onto Peggy’s Cove, we had been there with our friends Reva and Mike some 20 years ago when the four of us traveled to Nova Scotia and celebrated their daughter Nikka’s 21st birthday.
This morning the Cove was very busy with tourists everywhere. We stayed for a few photos and a walk up to the lighthouse then drove a short way from the hustle to a small cafe serving lobster rolls which we sat on their porch and devoured.
The drive down the coast toward Chester was exquisite.....so many coves and little bays, neat little places , some for sale, Jeff wants them all! But today he found his favourite just outside of a Peggy’s Cove.
We booked a b&b in Digby and were here about 5pm. Our room is overlooking the sea, charming and the hosts are friendly, we will breakfast tomorrow at 8.
After we settled in we walked down the seafront to a bar called Dockside, had a beer and dinner.....a seafood sampler for me and a dish of scallops for Jeff. Both delicious. We sat at the bar and had good conversation with another customer and the two bar girls.....it was a quiet night.....off season, mid week! Just how we like it sometimes......although fiddle music would be welcome.....we miss you Cape Breton!!!
A short walk back to our b&b. Nite nite.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Sydney to Baddeck to Halifax
Breakfast at our b&b this morning we were joined at our table by a couple from Ontario who were flying to Newfoundland to visit their daughter. They told us much about Newfoundland as they had been there a few times......it has been scratched from our trip this time unfortunately but we feel strongly it is a place to visit. The problem this time...is time! Because we are off season, the ferry we want to take has stopped running, this means a ferry to the east side of the island then a 11/12 hour drive around to St Johns, then reverse it all to return to Nova Scotia .......we will plan another trip and fly Van/Tor/syd/st Johns.
Talk8ng with our breakfast mates one subject led to another and lo and behold they brought up the places they knew people in BC.....Kitimat @nd Chilliwack. Small world!
It’s another pretty day in Cape Breton. As we drive around the Bras’d’Or area we see many English place names with the Gaelic name below. We have seen quite a lot of fly fishing in the rivers, particularly the Margaree , (travis Dowle) best in the world they say!
The Bras’d’Or area encircles several lakes around the town of Baddeck. Baddeck is wher3 the Alexander Graham Bell Museum is located and it is a must see if you are in the area. What an interesting, intelligent, compassionate man. He was born 101 years before me in Edinburgh Scotland. He is best known for inventing the telephone, which gave him the financial freedom to do other works more dear to his heart. H3cwas apparently not a very good student with a brilliant mind. He is most proud of his work with and for the deaf. Helen Kellars father was a good friend and he came to Bell to ask for help for his daughter. Bell’s father and grandfather were both experts in speech therapy , which is likely why his interest in the deaf arose, he greatly admired his grandfather. Bell had a student who he taught, Mabel, who eventually became his wife at 18. She had been deaf since the age of 5 from Scarlett fever. In the museum I saw this quote ......
“I have loved you with a passionate attachment that you cannot understand, and that is to myself new and incomprehensible. I.....wish to make you my wife-if you would let me try to win your love”
So beautiful.....I could go on and on about this man who I now so admire. One more interesting fact!
Bell was also very instrumental in aviation. In the museum there is note of Bjarni Tryggvason, who is now a professor of flight at Western University , he flew a replica of Alexander Bells first plane in February 2009. Bjarni spent part of his schooling in Kitimat, Richmond high, and UBC!
There is a book called How the Scots Invented the World , which I have at home, I’m sure it will tell me more about this amazing man.
We hit the road again and are staying the night in Halifax....visiting Maude Lewis house in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery tomorrow.
Nite nite.....we miss Cape Breton already.
Talk8ng with our breakfast mates one subject led to another and lo and behold they brought up the places they knew people in BC.....Kitimat @nd Chilliwack. Small world!
It’s another pretty day in Cape Breton. As we drive around the Bras’d’Or area we see many English place names with the Gaelic name below. We have seen quite a lot of fly fishing in the rivers, particularly the Margaree , (travis Dowle) best in the world they say!
The Bras’d’Or area encircles several lakes around the town of Baddeck. Baddeck is wher3 the Alexander Graham Bell Museum is located and it is a must see if you are in the area. What an interesting, intelligent, compassionate man. He was born 101 years before me in Edinburgh Scotland. He is best known for inventing the telephone, which gave him the financial freedom to do other works more dear to his heart. H3cwas apparently not a very good student with a brilliant mind. He is most proud of his work with and for the deaf. Helen Kellars father was a good friend and he came to Bell to ask for help for his daughter. Bell’s father and grandfather were both experts in speech therapy , which is likely why his interest in the deaf arose, he greatly admired his grandfather. Bell had a student who he taught, Mabel, who eventually became his wife at 18. She had been deaf since the age of 5 from Scarlett fever. In the museum I saw this quote ......
“I have loved you with a passionate attachment that you cannot understand, and that is to myself new and incomprehensible. I.....wish to make you my wife-if you would let me try to win your love”
So beautiful.....I could go on and on about this man who I now so admire. One more interesting fact!
Bell was also very instrumental in aviation. In the museum there is note of Bjarni Tryggvason, who is now a professor of flight at Western University , he flew a replica of Alexander Bells first plane in February 2009. Bjarni spent part of his schooling in Kitimat, Richmond high, and UBC!
There is a book called How the Scots Invented the World , which I have at home, I’m sure it will tell me more about this amazing man.
We hit the road again and are staying the night in Halifax....visiting Maude Lewis house in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery tomorrow.
Nite nite.....we miss Cape Breton already.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Sunday, Trip to Louisbourg
Our breakfast this morning was enormous, fit for royalty and too much for me! Even still I almost ate it all......we didn’t need to eat again until dinner.
We drove out to Fort Louisbourg, the oldest Fort in North America. There were students in residence as it also serves as a music and navigation Center. Life at The Fort is re-enacted by actors in full period dress in season.......we were off season. There was still one fellow dressed in a guard outfit who gave a little talk about the early times, and answered any questions. There is a fairly large sized chapel that we were able to visit, and a guard room, all the other parts of the Fort were closed.
After a little walk around in the cold wind we were back in the car driving on to the next sight.
The cementary is in a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. Some may say ....what a waste of prime
real estate, but I believe it is a peaceful resting place for ones who are gone. There were many family names, over and over we saw Popes, Leheys, McNeils, multi generational together again. Quite peaceful actually to see them together.
Further on down the road we drove to the lighthouse, built by the French and the first ever built in Canada, second in North America. There is also a 5km hike through the woods and by the sea we could have taken but due to the areas we wanted to get to Today and the wind, we didn’t hike. Very unpilgrim-Like I know!!
Back in the car again we drove over bumpy narrow roads mainly on the coast for what seemed like ages.....we passed by Loch Lomand, Big Pond where Rita McNeil has a tea house.....also closed for the season. When you travel off season you run the risk of closures....but you also miss the crowds, and the traffic.....a fair trade in our book.
I had been admiring all the birch trees that we see, usually at the edges of roadways. I like to paint birch trees and wondered why and how these were so white looking.....more so than the ones at home. Well today I saw a sign naming them silver birches! They look the same but are more white.
Today was all about covering ground plus it being Sunday it was pretty quiet.
Back at our residence, The School House, it being on School Street, we chilled out before heading out for dinner.....again at The Governors Pub. We got there to discover Sunday night is “open mike” and also at 9pm they would be honouring Geord Dowie of Trajically Hip. Our kids think it’s sac religious......but we are not big fans!
We ordered some seafood chowder and calamari, which was served to us lukewarm......we apologized for complaining and they brought us fresh hot bowls.....yummy.
That was our day, a bit quieter than usual which was nice.....tomorrow we head towards Halifax and the Nova Scotia Art Gallery...... can’t wait! 👍🎨🤗
We drove out to Fort Louisbourg, the oldest Fort in North America. There were students in residence as it also serves as a music and navigation Center. Life at The Fort is re-enacted by actors in full period dress in season.......we were off season. There was still one fellow dressed in a guard outfit who gave a little talk about the early times, and answered any questions. There is a fairly large sized chapel that we were able to visit, and a guard room, all the other parts of the Fort were closed.
After a little walk around in the cold wind we were back in the car driving on to the next sight.
The cementary is in a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. Some may say ....what a waste of prime
real estate, but I believe it is a peaceful resting place for ones who are gone. There were many family names, over and over we saw Popes, Leheys, McNeils, multi generational together again. Quite peaceful actually to see them together.
Further on down the road we drove to the lighthouse, built by the French and the first ever built in Canada, second in North America. There is also a 5km hike through the woods and by the sea we could have taken but due to the areas we wanted to get to Today and the wind, we didn’t hike. Very unpilgrim-Like I know!!
Back in the car again we drove over bumpy narrow roads mainly on the coast for what seemed like ages.....we passed by Loch Lomand, Big Pond where Rita McNeil has a tea house.....also closed for the season. When you travel off season you run the risk of closures....but you also miss the crowds, and the traffic.....a fair trade in our book.
I had been admiring all the birch trees that we see, usually at the edges of roadways. I like to paint birch trees and wondered why and how these were so white looking.....more so than the ones at home. Well today I saw a sign naming them silver birches! They look the same but are more white.
Today was all about covering ground plus it being Sunday it was pretty quiet.
Back at our residence, The School House, it being on School Street, we chilled out before heading out for dinner.....again at The Governors Pub. We got there to discover Sunday night is “open mike” and also at 9pm they would be honouring Geord Dowie of Trajically Hip. Our kids think it’s sac religious......but we are not big fans!
We ordered some seafood chowder and calamari, which was served to us lukewarm......we apologized for complaining and they brought us fresh hot bowls.....yummy.
That was our day, a bit quieter than usual which was nice.....tomorrow we head towards Halifax and the Nova Scotia Art Gallery...... can’t wait! 👍🎨🤗
Saturday, October 21, 2017
The Days Just Get Better.
When we left The Normaway Inn it was cold, windy and raining. We were heading a few km down the road to a cafe called The Dancing Goat. It seemed like half the residents of the Margaree Valley had the same idea. We purchased coffees and a muffin and were on our way to Cape North and Meat Cove, the northern most point of Cape Breton. Winds were gale force, that combined with less than smooth roads and rain on the windshield did not make for great photos. Nonetheless the scenery was spectacular and I took many photos anyway......many deleted later.
Many of the places have interesting....and Scottish names, the Scots being the ones who populated the island and stayed, keeping their strong culture and traditions. Aspy Bay, Ingonish, Wreck Cove, St. Ann’s to name a few. Then there are the unusual names on shops.....The Dancing Moose, The Clucking Hen Bakery and Cafe.
At about 4pm we arrived in Sydney and checked into a The Colby House B&B ......our second question (first was, what time is breakfast) was, is there any music today?
There is music every day in Cape Breton! We didn’t even unpack but headed straight to the Governors House, where fiddler Colin Grant was playing. He is considered a god among fiddlers. The place was packed and we were prepared to stand, but in no time at all a couple of girls were waving us over to share their table. At the table also was a fellow called Bill .....a guy they met by sharing his table. Soon we were all new friends.
Jeff struck up a conversation with Dennis at yet another table, they got to chatting and next thing I knew Dennis tapped me on the shoulder, stuck out his hand and said Bon Camino! Yes he had done it or part of it in 2014. All the while the fiddle player was going like crazy, people were stomping feet, clapping hands, us included. and a couple of young girls were up on the small dance area stepping! Awesome to watch, soon there were more, both guys and girls, young and not so young, all stepping and stomping. Next there were 8 on the floor doing a reel! It was exactly what my parents, The Watsons, The Sinclairs, The Blaikies, The Barrs used to do back in the Kitimat days. It was quite emotional watching and remembering. You don’t have to go all the way to Scotland to find a bit of Scotland ....it’s alive and well in Cape Breton.
I confessed to the girls Laurie and Joanne that I had bought a fiddle and hadn’t started lessons yet. They excitedly (it was the beer) told me I must return next year and attend the Gaelic college in St Ann. One can take workshops in fiddling, speaking Gaelic, stepping, highland dance. In fact the college has students who come all the way from Scotland attending to learn Gaelic, it’s one of few places in the world to teach it. They promise to come to my end of class recital! We sure had a lot of fun.
I forgot to mention the fiddler Brenda who we heard fiddling at the barn last night was self taught, she had never had a lesson, taught herself to play by ear, also wrote her own music, produced the music into books that are used today in the Orkneys and the Heberdies in Scotland.
Cape Breton is full of wonderful down to earth folk , at least all the ones we have met are that way.
It’s definitely a place we would recommend worth a visit or two......and we would love to come b@ck someday. The Celtic Colours are held for a week starting on Canadian Thanksgiving.....and that is all about the fiddling and the dancing..
It’s just like hame ❤️
Many of the places have interesting....and Scottish names, the Scots being the ones who populated the island and stayed, keeping their strong culture and traditions. Aspy Bay, Ingonish, Wreck Cove, St. Ann’s to name a few. Then there are the unusual names on shops.....The Dancing Moose, The Clucking Hen Bakery and Cafe.
At about 4pm we arrived in Sydney and checked into a The Colby House B&B ......our second question (first was, what time is breakfast) was, is there any music today?
There is music every day in Cape Breton! We didn’t even unpack but headed straight to the Governors House, where fiddler Colin Grant was playing. He is considered a god among fiddlers. The place was packed and we were prepared to stand, but in no time at all a couple of girls were waving us over to share their table. At the table also was a fellow called Bill .....a guy they met by sharing his table. Soon we were all new friends.
Jeff struck up a conversation with Dennis at yet another table, they got to chatting and next thing I knew Dennis tapped me on the shoulder, stuck out his hand and said Bon Camino! Yes he had done it or part of it in 2014. All the while the fiddle player was going like crazy, people were stomping feet, clapping hands, us included. and a couple of young girls were up on the small dance area stepping! Awesome to watch, soon there were more, both guys and girls, young and not so young, all stepping and stomping. Next there were 8 on the floor doing a reel! It was exactly what my parents, The Watsons, The Sinclairs, The Blaikies, The Barrs used to do back in the Kitimat days. It was quite emotional watching and remembering. You don’t have to go all the way to Scotland to find a bit of Scotland ....it’s alive and well in Cape Breton.
I confessed to the girls Laurie and Joanne that I had bought a fiddle and hadn’t started lessons yet. They excitedly (it was the beer) told me I must return next year and attend the Gaelic college in St Ann. One can take workshops in fiddling, speaking Gaelic, stepping, highland dance. In fact the college has students who come all the way from Scotland attending to learn Gaelic, it’s one of few places in the world to teach it. They promise to come to my end of class recital! We sure had a lot of fun.
I forgot to mention the fiddler Brenda who we heard fiddling at the barn last night was self taught, she had never had a lesson, taught herself to play by ear, also wrote her own music, produced the music into books that are used today in the Orkneys and the Heberdies in Scotland.
Cape Breton is full of wonderful down to earth folk , at least all the ones we have met are that way.
It’s definitely a place we would recommend worth a visit or two......and we would love to come b@ck someday. The Celtic Colours are held for a week starting on Canadian Thanksgiving.....and that is all about the fiddling and the dancing..
It’s just like hame ❤️
Friday, October 20, 2017
Charlottetown PEI to Cape Breton Island
It was our last morning at the Eden Hall b&b, we were having breakfast in the dining room when a woman came in with her little guy Jack, about 9 months old......she sat at our table and within a few minutes we found out we are both from Vancouver. , ! What are the odds! We talked about the area comparing notes on what to do. She said they had stopped at a place just before the confederation bridge called Victoria and since the artist shops were closing for the season everything was 25% off and she had bought some beautiful pottery. The shop owner said come back tomorrow everything is 50% off! So guess were we were going on our way out of PEI ! We had also been told about this same sale by a local couple we met the night before. It was a great stop, very busy with shoppers. We purchased some gifts and a very special Grey rock with a crow image embedded on it.
Our trip over the bridge took us 10minutes this time and we were back in New Brunswick. Soon we were leaving New Brunswick and entering Nova Scotia, we stopped at the information station and the girl who we spoke to was most helpful. We left armed with maps and books of the areas we wanted to see, and best of all information about a fiddle/piano concert tonight.
Our drive was every bit as picturesque as we hoped, the weather was perfect. Leaves were beginning to be muted, yellows, oranges , apricot and some reds of varying degrees.....a bit like a faded antique carpet with flashes of red. We were told that strong winds had taken their toll on the foliage. It was, and is, still beautiful.
There are four distinct trails on Cape Breton and the first we were on Today was the Ceildhs Trail, (Scottish word pronounced Kay-lee) . We were heading for the Margaree Valley, which took us by Ainslie Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Nova Scotia. We are staying at a resort called Noraway Inn......it is eons old,charming but not too well maintained. The inn closes tomorrow and tonight it is full, the owners had already let most of the staff go so we were not able to stay for dinner but had to drive 8 minutes down the road.....and be back for the fiddle concert at 8pm.
The concert is in a barn on the property and we had tickets for the “balcony” which is the loft of the barn. The fiddlers, Brenda Stobbard, and George ? They Were really good, they both also played the piano. Brendas daughter who was in the audience with her beau was asked to come down from the loft and do some stepping, which she did. It was entertaining with some folk style jokes/stories and finished up with both fiddlers playing a piece together.
Back at the Inn we sat in the living room with a couple of other guests and chatted for a short while before turning in for the night.
It was a satisfying day, tomorrow we hope to find the music again. 🎶👍
Our trip over the bridge took us 10minutes this time and we were back in New Brunswick. Soon we were leaving New Brunswick and entering Nova Scotia, we stopped at the information station and the girl who we spoke to was most helpful. We left armed with maps and books of the areas we wanted to see, and best of all information about a fiddle/piano concert tonight.
Our drive was every bit as picturesque as we hoped, the weather was perfect. Leaves were beginning to be muted, yellows, oranges , apricot and some reds of varying degrees.....a bit like a faded antique carpet with flashes of red. We were told that strong winds had taken their toll on the foliage. It was, and is, still beautiful.
There are four distinct trails on Cape Breton and the first we were on Today was the Ceildhs Trail, (Scottish word pronounced Kay-lee) . We were heading for the Margaree Valley, which took us by Ainslie Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Nova Scotia. We are staying at a resort called Noraway Inn......it is eons old,charming but not too well maintained. The inn closes tomorrow and tonight it is full, the owners had already let most of the staff go so we were not able to stay for dinner but had to drive 8 minutes down the road.....and be back for the fiddle concert at 8pm.
The concert is in a barn on the property and we had tickets for the “balcony” which is the loft of the barn. The fiddlers, Brenda Stobbard, and George ? They Were really good, they both also played the piano. Brendas daughter who was in the audience with her beau was asked to come down from the loft and do some stepping, which she did. It was entertaining with some folk style jokes/stories and finished up with both fiddlers playing a piece together.
Back at the Inn we sat in the living room with a couple of other guests and chatted for a short while before turning in for the night.
It was a satisfying day, tomorrow we hope to find the music again. 🎶👍
Thursday, October 19, 2017
What a day!
Breakfast at Eden Hall b&b our friendly girl on the day shift, Judy, enticed us to stay another night. We had to move from our king suite to a queen suite as the king was booked for tonight. The queen downstairs is still very nice.
Another couple who are also guests were telling us about all the music going on tonight, that cemented our reason to stay.
Judy, the hostess is an enthusiastic girl, she is also a Newfie. I told her that I had just been in a NYC and had gone to......before I could say Come From Away.....she said it for me! She was so excited, and told me about when the play opened in New York how all the Newfies who were involved got on a bus to New York and attended the premiere. When they left the play and got back to their bus they found notes pasted to it thanking them again for all they did.
Soon we were moving on to explore more of the island. ....jeff was still not convinced we would not find my sun glasses so on our way we stopped again at McDonalds. We looked on the ground in the parking lot (we had stopped there yesterday to use the bathroom) and i again went in to ask if they could check their lost and found......much to my shock and amazement, they had them! I was over the moon!
We drove to a town called Rustico 20km outside Charlottetown, more Rowan trees and colourful rural scenery. Many businesses closed now as the busy season is past. Next up was the town of Cavendish, many towns with Scottish names. There are many wild red fox in the area and we came across one basking in the sun on the grassy verge right next to the road. He was not at all bothered we were there! Just down the road we parked and walked to a lookout where the red clay cliffs fell sharply to the sea.....erosion quite evident. In the water lies the remains of the clipper ship Marco Polo, many of the crew are buried in the Cavendish cementary. Also in the cementary is the grave of Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables. Many of the descendants of the Montgomery’s still live on the island as do many descendants of the original immigrants.
We paid a visit to the home Lucy grew up in and wrote her story of Anne. Entry was free, as are all parks in Canada for our 150th birthday celebration. It was a joy to visit without the crowds there are in the high season.
We had covered quite a bit of the island, over 250 km, a prosperous island, with corn, potatoes, llamas, goats, Holstein cows, lobster fishing and oyster beds.
Back to our b&b for a quick stop then a walk into town to The Churchill Pub for a cleansing ale, or two before we crossed the street to The Steak and Lobster House. An early dinner of mussels, scallops and seafood chowder as we were going to the Triangle Pub for the music.
It is sort of like the pickers circle in Luckenback Texas where musicians drop in and play together. This pub hosts drop ins every Thursday. Tonight there were 14 playing fiddles, a keyboard, guitar, drums and one fellow singing. The musicians ranged in age from youngins to grandmas! We joined a table with a couple and their 12 yr old daughter, who told us more about what to do and see before we left PEI. It is fun to get to know the friendly locals. Just before we left one of the musicians came over to talk to us and when jeff told him I played the fiddle (#*&,!)eek! He went and got me a copy of a publication called Island Fiddler😛!
It was a really good day....I got my expensive sunglasses back and we enjoyed fiddling music.....and we were told the leaves and the fiddling in Cape Breton are stellar ........where we are heading tomorrow!
Another couple who are also guests were telling us about all the music going on tonight, that cemented our reason to stay.
Judy, the hostess is an enthusiastic girl, she is also a Newfie. I told her that I had just been in a NYC and had gone to......before I could say Come From Away.....she said it for me! She was so excited, and told me about when the play opened in New York how all the Newfies who were involved got on a bus to New York and attended the premiere. When they left the play and got back to their bus they found notes pasted to it thanking them again for all they did.
Soon we were moving on to explore more of the island. ....jeff was still not convinced we would not find my sun glasses so on our way we stopped again at McDonalds. We looked on the ground in the parking lot (we had stopped there yesterday to use the bathroom) and i again went in to ask if they could check their lost and found......much to my shock and amazement, they had them! I was over the moon!
We drove to a town called Rustico 20km outside Charlottetown, more Rowan trees and colourful rural scenery. Many businesses closed now as the busy season is past. Next up was the town of Cavendish, many towns with Scottish names. There are many wild red fox in the area and we came across one basking in the sun on the grassy verge right next to the road. He was not at all bothered we were there! Just down the road we parked and walked to a lookout where the red clay cliffs fell sharply to the sea.....erosion quite evident. In the water lies the remains of the clipper ship Marco Polo, many of the crew are buried in the Cavendish cementary. Also in the cementary is the grave of Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables. Many of the descendants of the Montgomery’s still live on the island as do many descendants of the original immigrants.
We paid a visit to the home Lucy grew up in and wrote her story of Anne. Entry was free, as are all parks in Canada for our 150th birthday celebration. It was a joy to visit without the crowds there are in the high season.
We had covered quite a bit of the island, over 250 km, a prosperous island, with corn, potatoes, llamas, goats, Holstein cows, lobster fishing and oyster beds.
Back to our b&b for a quick stop then a walk into town to The Churchill Pub for a cleansing ale, or two before we crossed the street to The Steak and Lobster House. An early dinner of mussels, scallops and seafood chowder as we were going to the Triangle Pub for the music.
It is sort of like the pickers circle in Luckenback Texas where musicians drop in and play together. This pub hosts drop ins every Thursday. Tonight there were 14 playing fiddles, a keyboard, guitar, drums and one fellow singing. The musicians ranged in age from youngins to grandmas! We joined a table with a couple and their 12 yr old daughter, who told us more about what to do and see before we left PEI. It is fun to get to know the friendly locals. Just before we left one of the musicians came over to talk to us and when jeff told him I played the fiddle (#*&,!)eek! He went and got me a copy of a publication called Island Fiddler😛!
It was a really good day....I got my expensive sunglasses back and we enjoyed fiddling music.....and we were told the leaves and the fiddling in Cape Breton are stellar ........where we are heading tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Good day, Bad day!
Last night we stayed in a best western in Moncton New Brunswick which was very nice, excellent in fact! We woke about 7:30 and decided to do some laundry before leaving for PEI. We had no trouble finding a Starbucks in the old town area so we were off to a good start. I think the barista thought I as American but after we chatted about where I was from she became friendlier and as I left she said to me she really liked my outfit! This gave me a lift! Traveling for days on end one certainly doesn’t feel very put together.
The day was fine and not having been to PEI before we were quite looking forward to seeing something brand new. Jeff had camped somewhere in PEI as a kid but had no recollection of where. We are still hoping to see more red colour in the leaves and we did see bursts of it today. A few days ago in Quebec a local told us the red leaves were the first to fall and we missed them........😡 but we say lots of red going toward Shediac.
We came up to confederation bridge to cross into PEI and discovered it is toll bridge, which is paid as you leave the island. All good.....so far. They say it takes 15minutes to drive across this very long bridge. I timed it at 90km it took us 12minutes......the speed limit is 80km.
Driving to Charlottetown the scenery is very rural, Little farms, rolling hills and neat well kept homes. It looks idyllic. Not having had breakfast I prepared some crackers, cheese, pate and fruit as we drove along. We soon arrived in Charlottetown and were surprised to find it busy with traffic and all manner of shops, H&M, Winners, and Walmart.
We were driving towards the waterfront when I discovered my sunglasses were missing.....NOT GOOD! Searching the car thoroughly, backtracking our day in our head we couldn’t come up with them.....not your ordinary drug store sunglasses! We decided to find accommodation and them make some phone calls to last nights hotel, this morning Starbucks etc. .......we checked into a charming old house b&b called Eden Hall, I think they have 6 or 7 rooms. Phone calls did not turn up the aglasses. Forget about them.
We walked into town and visited the St Dunstan,s basilica, originally built in 1816, burned to the ground in 1913, reconstructed by Scottish architect J.M. Hunter inspired by St Patrick’s cathedral in NYC. When it was completed in 1919 it was the largest and most fireproof in the maritimes.
Next we popped into a few of the local shops......a knitwear and garden shop where the ladies were busy at the back of the store on a some large looms making the sweaters scarves, socks, mitts, hats that were sold in the front of the store. Jeff picked out a sweater put wanted some changes made....no problem, ....how long were we staying in town.? It could be done in a day. As we were planning to leave in less than a day it would have to be mailed to us. Meanwhile I found a stack of bonnets, or as my dad called them...Bunnets! I decided girls can wear them too and bought one for myself.
The clerks in the store were very chatty and we eventually had to say...we have to go!
It was time now to find a pub and that we did...The Churchill, an English pub. We sat at a small table and ordered beer, soon a gentlemen came in alone and sat down next to us and said do you mind if I join you? Jeff replied sure as long as you talk to us! Well what an interesting chat we had for a good little while, he turned out to have spent most of his career as a banker and later as an investment manager (which nicely allowed me to brag about our son and the awards he won just yesterday) we chatted about family, Cape Breton, what to do, where to go, where to stay. Jeff had a second beer, our new friend had a big plate of bangers and mash. Soon he was off and we said our goodbyes. There were a lot of people waiting for tables and we asked our server for our bill.....our new friend had paid our bill too! We were touched but dismayed we couldn’t thank him......the server said he came in about once a week for bangers and mash and she would thank him for us! So that was the GOOD THING that happened today.
We walked back to our b&b feeling grateful and good about humanity, and decided we would pay it forward soon.
We asked at our b & b for a dinner recommend and right away were told of a seafood place The Corner Shop at Water and Prince (streets) . We had a reservation for 7pm. I had delicious lobster and a small bowl of seafood chowder, Jeff had halibut, we shared a slice of coconut cream pie, homemade.
Walking back we stopped at a bar for a cleansing ale., a good day.
Tomorrow will be another good day as we move on.
The day was fine and not having been to PEI before we were quite looking forward to seeing something brand new. Jeff had camped somewhere in PEI as a kid but had no recollection of where. We are still hoping to see more red colour in the leaves and we did see bursts of it today. A few days ago in Quebec a local told us the red leaves were the first to fall and we missed them........😡 but we say lots of red going toward Shediac.
We came up to confederation bridge to cross into PEI and discovered it is toll bridge, which is paid as you leave the island. All good.....so far. They say it takes 15minutes to drive across this very long bridge. I timed it at 90km it took us 12minutes......the speed limit is 80km.
Driving to Charlottetown the scenery is very rural, Little farms, rolling hills and neat well kept homes. It looks idyllic. Not having had breakfast I prepared some crackers, cheese, pate and fruit as we drove along. We soon arrived in Charlottetown and were surprised to find it busy with traffic and all manner of shops, H&M, Winners, and Walmart.
We were driving towards the waterfront when I discovered my sunglasses were missing.....NOT GOOD! Searching the car thoroughly, backtracking our day in our head we couldn’t come up with them.....not your ordinary drug store sunglasses! We decided to find accommodation and them make some phone calls to last nights hotel, this morning Starbucks etc. .......we checked into a charming old house b&b called Eden Hall, I think they have 6 or 7 rooms. Phone calls did not turn up the aglasses. Forget about them.
We walked into town and visited the St Dunstan,s basilica, originally built in 1816, burned to the ground in 1913, reconstructed by Scottish architect J.M. Hunter inspired by St Patrick’s cathedral in NYC. When it was completed in 1919 it was the largest and most fireproof in the maritimes.
Next we popped into a few of the local shops......a knitwear and garden shop where the ladies were busy at the back of the store on a some large looms making the sweaters scarves, socks, mitts, hats that were sold in the front of the store. Jeff picked out a sweater put wanted some changes made....no problem, ....how long were we staying in town.? It could be done in a day. As we were planning to leave in less than a day it would have to be mailed to us. Meanwhile I found a stack of bonnets, or as my dad called them...Bunnets! I decided girls can wear them too and bought one for myself.
The clerks in the store were very chatty and we eventually had to say...we have to go!
It was time now to find a pub and that we did...The Churchill, an English pub. We sat at a small table and ordered beer, soon a gentlemen came in alone and sat down next to us and said do you mind if I join you? Jeff replied sure as long as you talk to us! Well what an interesting chat we had for a good little while, he turned out to have spent most of his career as a banker and later as an investment manager (which nicely allowed me to brag about our son and the awards he won just yesterday) we chatted about family, Cape Breton, what to do, where to go, where to stay. Jeff had a second beer, our new friend had a big plate of bangers and mash. Soon he was off and we said our goodbyes. There were a lot of people waiting for tables and we asked our server for our bill.....our new friend had paid our bill too! We were touched but dismayed we couldn’t thank him......the server said he came in about once a week for bangers and mash and she would thank him for us! So that was the GOOD THING that happened today.
We walked back to our b&b feeling grateful and good about humanity, and decided we would pay it forward soon.
We asked at our b & b for a dinner recommend and right away were told of a seafood place The Corner Shop at Water and Prince (streets) . We had a reservation for 7pm. I had delicious lobster and a small bowl of seafood chowder, Jeff had halibut, we shared a slice of coconut cream pie, homemade.
Walking back we stopped at a bar for a cleansing ale., a good day.
Tomorrow will be another good day as we move on.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Long day on the road
We left Paspebiac (how do you pronounce that anyway! Just after 9am......on our usual hunt for coffee which we did locate after about an hour on the road! We continued to enjoy the French countryside with its colourful and well kept homes....we particularly like the tiny ones making us think about space and just how much does one really need. They are not all tiny, some are large and all without exception have lovely green lawns and coordinating decor on their porches. Lots of Halloween decorations, some very elaborate, and many with lots of pumpkins. So many town that have no visible means of commerce causes us to wonder what do they do!!!! We speculate they are artists, potters, sculptors, writers, b&b hosts, restaurateurs.....all servicing the tourist industry.
Today we traveled around the Chaleur Bay, which goes around the bottom of the Gaspe peninsula.
The towns, New Carlisle, Caplin, New Richmond, Carlton sur Mer, Dalhousie, Point Verte, Beresford, Bathurst, Caraquet, Miramichi, Baei St Anne, Shediac and finally into Moncton New Brunswick. We checked into a best western and did a short walk to a nearby bar where we watched the Vancouver Ottawa hockey game while eating dinner.
Today was all about driving, tomorrow we will do some laundry and have a look around Moncton before leaving for Charlottetown PEI which is less than two hours away.
Nite nite all,
Murielle (still frenchified)
Ps.....congrats to our middle son, Travis who won two big awards in his profession today #veryproudmum
Today we traveled around the Chaleur Bay, which goes around the bottom of the Gaspe peninsula.
The towns, New Carlisle, Caplin, New Richmond, Carlton sur Mer, Dalhousie, Point Verte, Beresford, Bathurst, Caraquet, Miramichi, Baei St Anne, Shediac and finally into Moncton New Brunswick. We checked into a best western and did a short walk to a nearby bar where we watched the Vancouver Ottawa hockey game while eating dinner.
Today was all about driving, tomorrow we will do some laundry and have a look around Moncton before leaving for Charlottetown PEI which is less than two hours away.
Nite nite all,
Murielle (still frenchified)
Ps.....congrats to our middle son, Travis who won two big awards in his profession today #veryproudmum
Monday, October 16, 2017
The Fun Continues!
We left St. Anne Des Monts this morning in pretty nice weather, compared to last nights storm. We had a quick walk on the beach before leaving our hotel but it was still cold, cold but clear.
First on each days agenda is to find "good" coffee. A little drive around town and I spotted a red sign for a Cafe Bistro.....yay. I ran in to check if they were equipped with the "right" kind of machines! Second yay! They were! The Cafe was also a very nice looking store with lots of interesting items.....but there was no storekeeper in sight, then I noticed it was a bit dim. We eventually ordered our very good coffees and got back in the car.....only to hear the door click locked behind us! They actually were not open for the day yet. A sign on the door said ouvert 10am and it was just gone 9.
The drive today was as beautiful as yesterday but better because it wasn't raining. St Lawerence on one side and adorable, colourful little houses scattered on the beach above. Most houses have stacks of firewood neatly lined up beside the house. We passed many with signs signifying there was an artist in residence.....alas none appeared to be open. We know we are traveling in the off season, there are perks to that but also drawbacks. From St Anne's we passed through, Cap au Reynard, Rivière la Madeleine, Grand Valley, Gaspe, Perce, Chandler and our final stop Paspebiac.
Of course there were many more towns not mentioned, it seemed like we came upon one every 10km.
We stopped for an hour in Gaspe for coffee (me) jeff (beer) and a walk around the Main Street, we could see it would attract a lot of summer visitors, there are always lots of motels in every town, many closed. The town of Perce was most stunning as the cliffs were enormous dropping what seemed like hundreds of meters into the seaway. Picturesque just does not describe it. I will post photos of it on my fb page. One of these days I will learn to post photos here! ( note to son Terry) Today we have traveled 400 plus km.
Our stay tonight in Parpebiac is at the Auberge Du Parc Inn, it is a 200 year old grand lady of a house, beautifully restored to glory. The house (inn) is managed by a lady who grew up in the house, it is also a full spa, treatments take place in the house itself while guests stay on the grounds in a row of rooms. The grounds are peaceful green with many groves of trees, deer in the yard.
Dinner at the house is a set menu for a set price in a delightful small dining rooms, which there were several. We had our tea in one of the drawing rooms and then looked at some photo books. Lastly we went to the game room where Jeff beat me at two games of pool.
Bon nuit xo
First on each days agenda is to find "good" coffee. A little drive around town and I spotted a red sign for a Cafe Bistro.....yay. I ran in to check if they were equipped with the "right" kind of machines! Second yay! They were! The Cafe was also a very nice looking store with lots of interesting items.....but there was no storekeeper in sight, then I noticed it was a bit dim. We eventually ordered our very good coffees and got back in the car.....only to hear the door click locked behind us! They actually were not open for the day yet. A sign on the door said ouvert 10am and it was just gone 9.
The drive today was as beautiful as yesterday but better because it wasn't raining. St Lawerence on one side and adorable, colourful little houses scattered on the beach above. Most houses have stacks of firewood neatly lined up beside the house. We passed many with signs signifying there was an artist in residence.....alas none appeared to be open. We know we are traveling in the off season, there are perks to that but also drawbacks. From St Anne's we passed through, Cap au Reynard, Rivière la Madeleine, Grand Valley, Gaspe, Perce, Chandler and our final stop Paspebiac.
Of course there were many more towns not mentioned, it seemed like we came upon one every 10km.
We stopped for an hour in Gaspe for coffee (me) jeff (beer) and a walk around the Main Street, we could see it would attract a lot of summer visitors, there are always lots of motels in every town, many closed. The town of Perce was most stunning as the cliffs were enormous dropping what seemed like hundreds of meters into the seaway. Picturesque just does not describe it. I will post photos of it on my fb page. One of these days I will learn to post photos here! ( note to son Terry) Today we have traveled 400 plus km.
Our stay tonight in Parpebiac is at the Auberge Du Parc Inn, it is a 200 year old grand lady of a house, beautifully restored to glory. The house (inn) is managed by a lady who grew up in the house, it is also a full spa, treatments take place in the house itself while guests stay on the grounds in a row of rooms. The grounds are peaceful green with many groves of trees, deer in the yard.
Dinner at the house is a set menu for a set price in a delightful small dining rooms, which there were several. We had our tea in one of the drawing rooms and then looked at some photo books. Lastly we went to the game room where Jeff beat me at two games of pool.
Bon nuit xo
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Montmagny to St Anne Des Mont Quebec Oct. 15/17
We left Montmagny this morning in a rainstorm.......not a Starbucks in sight. Our plan was to drive a little and hopefully hit a private little cafe. Right away we spotted a Macdonalds and then a Tim Hortens.....not for us! Further on down the coast we finally succumbed to macdonalds! Surprisingly decent coffee. I don't think Starbucks has come to small town Quebec.
Our drive took us along the coast beside the st Lawrence river, or better known as the st. Lawerence seaway. There are many little towns, very well kept houses and gardens, painted in lots of different colours, red, yellow, white, grey, brilliant greens too!
We purchased some cheeses, pate, salami, & fruit which we will have for lunch for a couple of days
The leaves are changing but I'd say not finished yet.....colours are yellow, apricot, orange, some green and some red. The weather is very wet so a bit difficult for taking photos or strolling about. This is also Sunday which means most places are closed. We saw lots of cars parked in churchyards.
We are staying in a "motel" right on the Seaway which at this point looks like the ocean. It is blustery and wet out there, fun to see the seagulls hanging in the wind currents and hear the sound of the water. Our abode will close for the season tomorrow!
Tonight we will go out for a meal as we have been told there are a couple of options.
Hoping for better weather tomorrow as we will make our way to Gaspe and beyond.
Au revoir
Murielle (frenchified) xo
Our drive took us along the coast beside the st Lawrence river, or better known as the st. Lawerence seaway. There are many little towns, very well kept houses and gardens, painted in lots of different colours, red, yellow, white, grey, brilliant greens too!
We purchased some cheeses, pate, salami, & fruit which we will have for lunch for a couple of days
The leaves are changing but I'd say not finished yet.....colours are yellow, apricot, orange, some green and some red. The weather is very wet so a bit difficult for taking photos or strolling about. This is also Sunday which means most places are closed. We saw lots of cars parked in churchyards.
We are staying in a "motel" right on the Seaway which at this point looks like the ocean. It is blustery and wet out there, fun to see the seagulls hanging in the wind currents and hear the sound of the water. Our abode will close for the season tomorrow!
Tonight we will go out for a meal as we have been told there are a couple of options.
Hoping for better weather tomorrow as we will make our way to Gaspe and beyond.
Au revoir
Murielle (frenchified) xo
Road Trip Continues October 15/2017
Just arrived in a very small Quebec town Montmagny.....motel called Sympathetic! Spellings are correct! It's clean but old. We wanted to stop in daylight for a change. This morning we had coffee and croissants at niece Shainas and got on the road. They, Shaina and Greg put us up for the night and cooked us a delicious dinner.
We haven't hit the pretty little villages yet but expect to tomorrow . English is not common anywhere which is ok and expected , wish I had brought my French dictionary.Getting my day a bit garbled here......before leaving Ottawa we went to a garden exhibit right near the patliament buildings......called the Mosaicanada150/207 many sculptures that look like topiaries but are sculpted structures filed with live plants......they were to be dismantled this weekend.
Yesterday in Ottawa we went to the national gallery museum.....we were there about 2 1/2 hours, not long enough to take it all in properly but we were weary. I bought a massive tome on the group of seven so will enjoy that.Bon Nuit ,
Murielle (frenchified)
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Vancouver to Newfoundland October 8/2017
We left Vancouver less than 24 hours after I returned from NYC and jeff returned from Arizona........
Driving south into the states where the gas prices are half of that in Canada.
Our days were long as the objective was to get to Toronto on the weekend while ainsley was off work.
We traveled through Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wisconsin, Michigan. Early one morning we left the town of Bismarck and drove into low cloud, it was like a science fiction movie. Lots of small town America, cute little homes lining main streets, many flying the Stars and Stripes. Sadly many were run down as well. Pumpkins were everywhere and many places were already decorated for Halloween. Getting way ahead of the season, we saw our first fully decorated and lit Christmas tree in an American legion!!
We arrived in Toronto late and went to pick up ainsley at Adrian's place.....and Arrow! We went in for drinks, met the fellows and two more doggies.
Happy to be here and sleep in tomorrow. Terry's big birthday ❤️🎶🎂🍾🎉
Nite nite
Driving south into the states where the gas prices are half of that in Canada.
Our days were long as the objective was to get to Toronto on the weekend while ainsley was off work.
We traveled through Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wisconsin, Michigan. Early one morning we left the town of Bismarck and drove into low cloud, it was like a science fiction movie. Lots of small town America, cute little homes lining main streets, many flying the Stars and Stripes. Sadly many were run down as well. Pumpkins were everywhere and many places were already decorated for Halloween. Getting way ahead of the season, we saw our first fully decorated and lit Christmas tree in an American legion!!
We arrived in Toronto late and went to pick up ainsley at Adrian's place.....and Arrow! We went in for drinks, met the fellows and two more doggies.
Happy to be here and sleep in tomorrow. Terry's big birthday ❤️🎶🎂🍾🎉
Nite nite
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Last Day in New York City
We had a few hours left and decided to visit Grand Central Station....an iconic landmark. Joanie, Sandy, Jan and myself opted to do this, the other three went shopping.
We took the subway to Park and 42nd street.
The building outside is impressive with a large iron eagle on one corner and a magnificent Tiffany clock with Greek sculpture over the main entrance. The clock is the largest in the world and weighs 1500tons! When you enter you can't help but look upwards in the main hall and stare at the zodiac art on the ceiling, it is a pale greenish turquoise colour and the constellations of the crab, Milky Way, Perseus, etc are etched in white. Interestingly the constellations are backwards, the Vanderbilt insist this was done purposefully with a divine perspective rather than a human one. The ceiling is now clean but before its restoration it was grimy and dirty, with 70% of the grime being from nicotine......you would have expected it to be soot and ash from the trains.
There is one area called the Whispering Gallery, it is an acoustical anomaly in that sound travels across the chamber, if you stand in opposite corners against the wall and whisper a greeting to someone on the other wall they will hear you. It is not known if this was planned or random.
If you look high up at the many panes windows on each end of the main hall you can see the odd person silhouetted walking across a walkway....the windows are double panes with a narrow walkway built between. This was done to allow office workers on the adjoining buildings to walk between. It is quite a sight to see! Unfortunately not for us to experience.
There is so much more to this place than trains, restaurants, markets, little shops and beautiful architecture, marble and on and on.
The station now only has commuter trains and trains to other towns in NYC state., now the cross country trains depart from Penn Station. I arrived at Grand Central in December 1954 as a child with my mother, brother and baby sister.......I remember being told by mum to sit still on a bench with my brother and to behave ouselves.!!!! Today I sat on one of these same benches and behaved myself. What a great way to finish our vacation. We returned to our hotel and relaxed on the rooftop deck until our transport to the airport arrived. Judy, Marion and Joan returned as well after a successful shopping trip.
Goodbye New York, till the next time xo
We took the subway to Park and 42nd street.
The building outside is impressive with a large iron eagle on one corner and a magnificent Tiffany clock with Greek sculpture over the main entrance. The clock is the largest in the world and weighs 1500tons! When you enter you can't help but look upwards in the main hall and stare at the zodiac art on the ceiling, it is a pale greenish turquoise colour and the constellations of the crab, Milky Way, Perseus, etc are etched in white. Interestingly the constellations are backwards, the Vanderbilt insist this was done purposefully with a divine perspective rather than a human one. The ceiling is now clean but before its restoration it was grimy and dirty, with 70% of the grime being from nicotine......you would have expected it to be soot and ash from the trains.
There is one area called the Whispering Gallery, it is an acoustical anomaly in that sound travels across the chamber, if you stand in opposite corners against the wall and whisper a greeting to someone on the other wall they will hear you. It is not known if this was planned or random.
If you look high up at the many panes windows on each end of the main hall you can see the odd person silhouetted walking across a walkway....the windows are double panes with a narrow walkway built between. This was done to allow office workers on the adjoining buildings to walk between. It is quite a sight to see! Unfortunately not for us to experience.
There is so much more to this place than trains, restaurants, markets, little shops and beautiful architecture, marble and on and on.
The station now only has commuter trains and trains to other towns in NYC state., now the cross country trains depart from Penn Station. I arrived at Grand Central in December 1954 as a child with my mother, brother and baby sister.......I remember being told by mum to sit still on a bench with my brother and to behave ouselves.!!!! Today I sat on one of these same benches and behaved myself. What a great way to finish our vacation. We returned to our hotel and relaxed on the rooftop deck until our transport to the airport arrived. Judy, Marion and Joan returned as well after a successful shopping trip.
Goodbye New York, till the next time xo
Monday, October 2, 2017
Bucket List......tick!
This morning, our second last day in New York we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was quite busy with walkers, cyclists and the odd jogger. The weather was sunny and warm, no wind. A city worker could be seen with a large cutting tool cutting "love locks" off the bridge. Signs on the bridge warn of a big fine if you are caught putting a lock on the bridge. The area on the Brooklyn side, under the bridge is called DUMBO.....which stands for down under manhatten Bridge overpass. There are quite a few small galleries in the Neighbourhood but most seemed to be closed on Monday. We saw a bit of graffiti on our walk and attempted to "read" the bubble letters, which are the artists signature. We had a short walk on the waterfront and took the metro back to the Manhatten side. Next on the bucket list was the Staten Island Ferry. The best part of the ferry, besides the fact that it is free, is the route goes by the Statue of Liberty for a very nice view. It is also a spectacular view looking at Manhatten from the water. It was now a long time since breakfast and back in Manhatten near our hotel we had late lunch at Pazza Norte, pizza is very good, we had a fungi, a chicken BBQ, and arugula prosciutto!
A jam packed day for all.....and it wasn't over yet as we were going to the theatre. Marion and Jan were seeing Kinky Boots, an excellent production that the rest of us had seen, so we went to Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon is a reality play, about Americans in the Vietnam war, very mixed emotions, and also an excellent production.
All good days come to an end and we finished up as has been our usual with wine and then tea all together in one of our hotel rooms.
Tomorrow we will divide and conquer....some of us touring Grand Central Station and others going for retail therapy. I plan on Grand Central as it was where my mother arrived in New York with myself, my brother and baby sister.
Soon after we will be airport bound for our flight back to Vancouver.
Good night New York, New York ! ❤️
A jam packed day for all.....and it wasn't over yet as we were going to the theatre. Marion and Jan were seeing Kinky Boots, an excellent production that the rest of us had seen, so we went to Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon is a reality play, about Americans in the Vietnam war, very mixed emotions, and also an excellent production.
All good days come to an end and we finished up as has been our usual with wine and then tea all together in one of our hotel rooms.
Tomorrow we will divide and conquer....some of us touring Grand Central Station and others going for retail therapy. I plan on Grand Central as it was where my mother arrived in New York with myself, my brother and baby sister.
Soon after we will be airport bound for our flight back to Vancouver.
Good night New York, New York ! ❤️
Sunday, October 1, 2017
A day In Brooklyn
It was an early start today for the four P's as we elected to go to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for the 9am service. Our 3 cohorts would meet us later in the morning.
We left our hotel at 8:15 for the subway to Brooklyn. Trains we have found are not quite as reliable on some days as they could be closed for various reasons......as on Sunday when they are closed for track maintenance. All things considered we arrived at the Tabernacle only a few minutes late. Today was special as there was a large choir visiting, with choir members from around the globe, along with the in house choir which has about 130 members there was an additional 200. The service was lively with lots of singing, standing, swaying and clapping. We were told to greet our seat mates, join hands and praise the lord! The church community were friendly and welcoming. The service lasted just over one hour. We next made our way, by subway to another part of Brooklyn, Bushwick collective on Troutman St. where we were meeting up with Judy, Marion and Joan at a cafe. We joined them for coffee and awaited Brent who we had engaged to take us on a graffiti street tour. It was quite interesting to people watch the very artsy types in this area.
When Brent arrived he gave us a little history of the area and how the graffiti movement got started. The area encompassed a few square blocks that is mainly light industrial, buildings made of corrugated tin, low rise for the most part. There is a young fellow, age 30, named Joe whose father owned a factory in the area. Joes father passed away quite tragically, he was mugged and murdered, shortly after this his mother became ill with cancer and passed away. Joe was left with his fathers factory, and he wanted to do something in the neighbourhood. There were young people tagging buildings and he took charge encouraging businesses to have their walls, which were ugly grey and industrial painted by these talented young artists. This artistry grew and now many buildings are beautifully decorated and people come from all over the world to view them. The Painters are from Japan, Los Angeles and also the locals who were born and raised in the area. The art changes, pretty much once a year most of the art is turned over. At the beginning of June the artists take two days and whitewash over the art readying it for new work. This two day period turns into a giant party scene. There are three styles of art, bubble, which is basically fat lettering, wild and mechanical. To learn more about this fascinating area you can go to you tube bushwick collective style wars (1983). There are well known graffiti artists whose work you can follow....@whiste, @sipros_sipros , @leehill and @leaf. Our guide Brent is leaf. After a very interesting tour of the area we went to Brents studio and participated in making a large canvas of our very own graffiti art. It was fun to learn how to apply the spray paint and we all enjoyed it very much.
Definitely a highlight for us all.
Brent told us of a good restaurant in the area where we got very fresh Mexican food. We then made our way to the subway for our trip back to Manhattan. . We arrived back at our hotel to put our feet up and prepare for dinner out. Drinks on the 23rd floor till 7 then we walked out to the Fig and Olive restaurant. Everyone had a wonderful meal!
On the way back we enjoyed the window displays at Bergdorf' Goodmans.
Tea in the party room and a few laughs and agreement on a meeting time for breakfast tomorrow.
Goodnight New York!
We left our hotel at 8:15 for the subway to Brooklyn. Trains we have found are not quite as reliable on some days as they could be closed for various reasons......as on Sunday when they are closed for track maintenance. All things considered we arrived at the Tabernacle only a few minutes late. Today was special as there was a large choir visiting, with choir members from around the globe, along with the in house choir which has about 130 members there was an additional 200. The service was lively with lots of singing, standing, swaying and clapping. We were told to greet our seat mates, join hands and praise the lord! The church community were friendly and welcoming. The service lasted just over one hour. We next made our way, by subway to another part of Brooklyn, Bushwick collective on Troutman St. where we were meeting up with Judy, Marion and Joan at a cafe. We joined them for coffee and awaited Brent who we had engaged to take us on a graffiti street tour. It was quite interesting to people watch the very artsy types in this area.
When Brent arrived he gave us a little history of the area and how the graffiti movement got started. The area encompassed a few square blocks that is mainly light industrial, buildings made of corrugated tin, low rise for the most part. There is a young fellow, age 30, named Joe whose father owned a factory in the area. Joes father passed away quite tragically, he was mugged and murdered, shortly after this his mother became ill with cancer and passed away. Joe was left with his fathers factory, and he wanted to do something in the neighbourhood. There were young people tagging buildings and he took charge encouraging businesses to have their walls, which were ugly grey and industrial painted by these talented young artists. This artistry grew and now many buildings are beautifully decorated and people come from all over the world to view them. The Painters are from Japan, Los Angeles and also the locals who were born and raised in the area. The art changes, pretty much once a year most of the art is turned over. At the beginning of June the artists take two days and whitewash over the art readying it for new work. This two day period turns into a giant party scene. There are three styles of art, bubble, which is basically fat lettering, wild and mechanical. To learn more about this fascinating area you can go to you tube bushwick collective style wars (1983). There are well known graffiti artists whose work you can follow....@whiste, @sipros_sipros , @leehill and @leaf. Our guide Brent is leaf. After a very interesting tour of the area we went to Brents studio and participated in making a large canvas of our very own graffiti art. It was fun to learn how to apply the spray paint and we all enjoyed it very much.
Definitely a highlight for us all.
Brent told us of a good restaurant in the area where we got very fresh Mexican food. We then made our way to the subway for our trip back to Manhattan. . We arrived back at our hotel to put our feet up and prepare for dinner out. Drinks on the 23rd floor till 7 then we walked out to the Fig and Olive restaurant. Everyone had a wonderful meal!
On the way back we enjoyed the window displays at Bergdorf' Goodmans.
Tea in the party room and a few laughs and agreement on a meeting time for breakfast tomorrow.
Goodnight New York!
Saturday, September 30, 2017
The pearly girls, joan, marion, judy, sandy, joanie, jan and myself started our NYC day as per usual having breakfast in our hotel. We had a full agenda and left for the high line walk at 9:30 , taking the subway to the starting point. The high line walk is an elevated walkway built on an old elevated railway that is approximately 2 km in length. It follows the Hudson River for the most part and has beautiful planted gardens all along the way. Being that it is early fall, the summer plants were mostly finished and there were plenty of grasses, asters, lots of different colours, styles and varieties. There are many resting places along the route and people can be seen stopping for a rest along the way reclining on chaises and benches. The garden way is also scattered with different art works from all over the world. We came across a sculpture of silver shoes in the bushes that were the art work of an artist from qualicum BC.
At the end of the walkway we entered the Whitney Gallery. The 7th floor was dedicated to American artists and we enjoyed, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Hopper and others. There was an interesting display of many different types of mobile art. Another floor was dedicated to artistic protest and we felt it was depressing to witness.
Leaving the gallery we walked to the nearby Chelsea Market where we had lunch in an Italian cafe, quite delicious pastas, salads and frittatas. All over the Chelsea area we visited many small art galleries, enjoyed a gelato and some windy weather. Soon it was time to head back to our hotel to rest up for the evening adventure.
We all met up again for drinks in the hotel rooftop bar before heading to the subway. Our evening was spent in the Bronx at the New York botanical gardens. This required a long subway ride including an 8 block walk to the gardens. We had purchased tickets to the night showing of the Chuhily exhibit and it did not disappoint ! Large colourful sculptures lit with floodlights were spread about the grounds. It was a magical sight! After our tour of the gardens and exhibits we returned to our hotel via bus/subway and bought some food at the deli on the corner. It had been a very long day.....fit bits were telling us it was over 25,000 steps!
We retired to one room and shared some deli food and wine before retiring for the night.
At the end of the walkway we entered the Whitney Gallery. The 7th floor was dedicated to American artists and we enjoyed, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Hopper and others. There was an interesting display of many different types of mobile art. Another floor was dedicated to artistic protest and we felt it was depressing to witness.
Leaving the gallery we walked to the nearby Chelsea Market where we had lunch in an Italian cafe, quite delicious pastas, salads and frittatas. All over the Chelsea area we visited many small art galleries, enjoyed a gelato and some windy weather. Soon it was time to head back to our hotel to rest up for the evening adventure.
We all met up again for drinks in the hotel rooftop bar before heading to the subway. Our evening was spent in the Bronx at the New York botanical gardens. This required a long subway ride including an 8 block walk to the gardens. We had purchased tickets to the night showing of the Chuhily exhibit and it did not disappoint ! Large colourful sculptures lit with floodlights were spread about the grounds. It was a magical sight! After our tour of the gardens and exhibits we returned to our hotel via bus/subway and bought some food at the deli on the corner. It had been a very long day.....fit bits were telling us it was over 25,000 steps!
We retired to one room and shared some deli food and wine before retiring for the night.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Day of Galleries
We spent a long time at the MOMA today, probably the favourite of all the galleries we have seen, and we have all been here more than once.
We witnessed a disturbing scene as we were about to end our time there.....a young woman was asked by a guard to leave the premises, she became argumentative and a tussle ensued.....it got quite violent as a number of guards rushed her and wrestled her to the ground and the police were on the scene.....we left not knowing what the problem had been.
Leaving the Museum of Modern Art (which I always find interesting that it is called " modern"art, ) we walked to,The Plaza Hotel where we were reserved for,high tea at 1:45. Tea was in the Palm Court which is a fantasticlly beautiful high ceiling room with giant palm trees and magicifigant flower displays, smartly attired waiters and exquisite table settings. We all ordered our own selection of tea and The NewYorker high tea., for the princely sum of $75 each. Brought to the table for each pair of us was the three tiered stand full of warm scones, assorted delicate sandwiches, and enough desserts for twice as many diners! We did our very best but could not eat all the desserts.. it was definitely a treat not to be experienced too often!
Leaving the plaza we walked to the Frick museum which was the residence of Henry Frick, an art collector who made his millions in Steel in Pittsburgh.
Another walk and we came to The iconic Carlyle Hotel ....and the Bemelmans Bar where the walls are painted with scenes from Central Park and from the famous children's book The Madeline's , by Lugwig Bemelman the illustrator. Ludwig and his family were allowed to live at the Carlyle for a year and a half in exchange For the art illustrations which dress the walls to this day. .after perusing the cocktail list we ordered our poison three .pisco sours, high and tight tequila, passion royal, earl grey martini, and one lone glass of white wine....the owner of which shall remain nameless.
After all this food and drink decadence we sauntered home picking up more wine on the way.
Another great day in the big Apple.
We witnessed a disturbing scene as we were about to end our time there.....a young woman was asked by a guard to leave the premises, she became argumentative and a tussle ensued.....it got quite violent as a number of guards rushed her and wrestled her to the ground and the police were on the scene.....we left not knowing what the problem had been.
Leaving the Museum of Modern Art (which I always find interesting that it is called " modern"art, ) we walked to,The Plaza Hotel where we were reserved for,high tea at 1:45. Tea was in the Palm Court which is a fantasticlly beautiful high ceiling room with giant palm trees and magicifigant flower displays, smartly attired waiters and exquisite table settings. We all ordered our own selection of tea and The NewYorker high tea., for the princely sum of $75 each. Brought to the table for each pair of us was the three tiered stand full of warm scones, assorted delicate sandwiches, and enough desserts for twice as many diners! We did our very best but could not eat all the desserts.. it was definitely a treat not to be experienced too often!
Leaving the plaza we walked to the Frick museum which was the residence of Henry Frick, an art collector who made his millions in Steel in Pittsburgh.
Another walk and we came to The iconic Carlyle Hotel ....and the Bemelmans Bar where the walls are painted with scenes from Central Park and from the famous children's book The Madeline's , by Lugwig Bemelman the illustrator. Ludwig and his family were allowed to live at the Carlyle for a year and a half in exchange For the art illustrations which dress the walls to this day. .after perusing the cocktail list we ordered our poison three .pisco sours, high and tight tequila, passion royal, earl grey martini, and one lone glass of white wine....the owner of which shall remain nameless.
After all this food and drink decadence we sauntered home picking up more wine on the way.
Another great day in the big Apple.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Pearly Girls Take New York!
We arrived in NYC on Wednesday Sept 27 at about 5pm. After picking up our baggage we made our way to curbside for our pre booked car. We were disappointed that a smart looking driver in uniform Was not greeting us with a nicely letter sign! The van was kind of junky and there were other passengers as well! Never mind we arrived and nothing could dampen our spirits.
After sorting ourselves out in our rooms, which are quite lovely, we hightailed it to the 23rd floor for prosecco and snacks.
We had booked dinner at a restaurant in Nolita called the Emporium.......pizza recommended by Sandy's daughter and another friend and it did not disappoint! We saw quite a few interesting shops on our walk to and from. And so ended our first day.
Day Two
We are so busy, such a full schedule here in New York that I hardly find time to record our day! This morning after a quick breakfast at our hotel, The Westhouse, we walked to Central Park enjoying being out and about in the cooler morning air. It would be heating up as the day went on.
We took the subway to Nolita for our food tour, we were meeting our guide Bert at the Little Cupcake Shop on Prince Street. Soon we were off to our first stop, Emporio a pizza joint. But first at the cupcake shop we were treated to a fine chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. Interestingly we had a recommendation from Sandy's daughter Kelly to eat at the Emporio so we had done just that last night. Our guide was most entertaining and informative about the area and the food......pizza was cooked as we watched and then devoured! Next stop was the Tartinery where we were served a glass of red wine along with two sandwich offerings, a rare beef and a chicken dressed with a celery topping. The restaurant was below street level, down a wrought iron staircase, the walls were encased in a grid of iron squares from which lots of black and white framed photos were displayed.....a most interesting eclectic setting. At the Oficina Latina , a Latin restaurant, we were served a folded over pie containing short ribs. The decor here was a motorcycle theme, with a display of motorcycle gas tanks on the wall and shelves with old helmets. From there we moved to the Cafe Habana, which appeared to be an old garage turned restaurant......painted messages on the brick walled interior, an old Volkswagen bus was part of the decor. We were served a concoction of corn and cheese with a chipotle sauce, quite spicy.. ...to cool us down we finished with a delicious shot of icy cold watermelon juice. Our final stop was for a hand painted salted chocolate caramel, a new shop on the tour....of which I forget the name.
We next stopped at the Artist and the Flea for a little shopping.
The Neue (pronounced noise) was a small gallery with just a Klimt exhibition, we were most interested to see the painting "woman in gold" . As the gallery had no other works at this time we were just asked to make a donation instead of the usual fee.
Back at our hotel we enjoyed a glass of wine and a light snack before walking to the theatre district for Come From Away. This musical is about the planes of people who landed in a Gander Newfoundland on 911. The theatre was sold out and we could see a group of people sitting not far from us who were waving Flags, which we at first didn't recognize, they were Newfies! The play was very emotional and we doubted there was a dry eye in the house.
We walked back to our hotel marvelling at the wonder that is Times Square. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. On our return we picked up wine and toasted our day and said goodnight.
After sorting ourselves out in our rooms, which are quite lovely, we hightailed it to the 23rd floor for prosecco and snacks.
We had booked dinner at a restaurant in Nolita called the Emporium.......pizza recommended by Sandy's daughter and another friend and it did not disappoint! We saw quite a few interesting shops on our walk to and from. And so ended our first day.
Day Two
We are so busy, such a full schedule here in New York that I hardly find time to record our day! This morning after a quick breakfast at our hotel, The Westhouse, we walked to Central Park enjoying being out and about in the cooler morning air. It would be heating up as the day went on.
We took the subway to Nolita for our food tour, we were meeting our guide Bert at the Little Cupcake Shop on Prince Street. Soon we were off to our first stop, Emporio a pizza joint. But first at the cupcake shop we were treated to a fine chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. Interestingly we had a recommendation from Sandy's daughter Kelly to eat at the Emporio so we had done just that last night. Our guide was most entertaining and informative about the area and the food......pizza was cooked as we watched and then devoured! Next stop was the Tartinery where we were served a glass of red wine along with two sandwich offerings, a rare beef and a chicken dressed with a celery topping. The restaurant was below street level, down a wrought iron staircase, the walls were encased in a grid of iron squares from which lots of black and white framed photos were displayed.....a most interesting eclectic setting. At the Oficina Latina , a Latin restaurant, we were served a folded over pie containing short ribs. The decor here was a motorcycle theme, with a display of motorcycle gas tanks on the wall and shelves with old helmets. From there we moved to the Cafe Habana, which appeared to be an old garage turned restaurant......painted messages on the brick walled interior, an old Volkswagen bus was part of the decor. We were served a concoction of corn and cheese with a chipotle sauce, quite spicy.. ...to cool us down we finished with a delicious shot of icy cold watermelon juice. Our final stop was for a hand painted salted chocolate caramel, a new shop on the tour....of which I forget the name.
We next stopped at the Artist and the Flea for a little shopping.
The Neue (pronounced noise) was a small gallery with just a Klimt exhibition, we were most interested to see the painting "woman in gold" . As the gallery had no other works at this time we were just asked to make a donation instead of the usual fee.
Back at our hotel we enjoyed a glass of wine and a light snack before walking to the theatre district for Come From Away. This musical is about the planes of people who landed in a Gander Newfoundland on 911. The theatre was sold out and we could see a group of people sitting not far from us who were waving Flags, which we at first didn't recognize, they were Newfies! The play was very emotional and we doubted there was a dry eye in the house.
We walked back to our hotel marvelling at the wonder that is Times Square. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. On our return we picked up wine and toasted our day and said goodnight.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Driving South to Carefree 03/21/17
We left Vancouver a day later than planned. It was a 12 hour day which started out well. We usually get quite a few questions at the border when entering the Usa 🇺🇸. Much to our surprise this time we breezed through in seconds!
The I-5 was busy but fine. We had carefully checked the weather and chose our route accordingly, the Porsche is not equipped for snow having only summer tires. YEP, we ran into snow in Lassan Park. At first it was just rain but we could see from the side of the road it had snowed very recently. Soon the raindrops turned to snowflakes! They didn't seem to be sticking to the road so we pressed on. We came upon a works truck and stopped to ask him about conditions ahead; he assured us we would be fine as he had just plowed where we were headed, saying this was definitely not in the forecast.
It was tense in places but we felt too committed to reverse. That little drama over we continued with our day. We ended up in Grants Pass at a Best Western......the desk clerk was very chatty telling us all about his life! He gave us a recommendation for dinner, The Wild River Pub, his directions were totally mixed up and we ended up finding it by pure fluke.
Next morning, day 2, we stopped at a nearby Starbucks and were on the road 🎶🚘👍again. We were enjoying the scenery and deciding on how long we wanted to drive. We got on the wrong road at one point and by the time we figured it out had done an additional 35 miles. We had been looking for an alternate route around Las Vegas, which required us to go from the town of Fallon to Hawthorne. En route we were held up for over an hour by a serious semi trailer accident, the semi had crashed through a guard rail, by the time we were able to pass by the remains of the semi left little to the imagination. It left one feeling quite ill. Next we entered the little town of Hawthorne. It is known for having the largest supply of ammunition in the world. We had wondered as we approached the town what all the structures were, and on the opposite end of town saw many bunkers built into the ground, more storage facilities......good to know we are prepared.
By this time it was getting late, for us and hundreds of others delayed by the accident. There were no hotels in Hawthorne, darkness was looming. We decided to phone ahead to the Best Western in Tonopah AND lucky we did as we booked the last room. We arrived in Tonopah at 8pm, dark and cold, but thankful. At 6,000 ft elevation we realized it could actually snow.....but it did not. We settled in and walked across the street to the Bbq eatery and shared a sandwich.
It had been a long day and the plan was to rise early and drive to Carefree the next day.
Day 3 we left Tonopah just before 8 am, it was a beautiful morning, cold and the mountains all around us were dusted with icing sugar snow. The cloud formations were spectacular, some like UFO's. The road was long and straight with desert on each side and ringed with mountains. I took a few photos of the clouds, grey, white, fluffy, dark, with a beautiful blue visible in places.
Many semis on the road again today and lots of traffic. We figured out how to avoid going through Las Vegas but decided it really wasn't much better traffic or time wise.
We arrived at our sweet little abode at 5 pm today......home sweet home.
The I-5 was busy but fine. We had carefully checked the weather and chose our route accordingly, the Porsche is not equipped for snow having only summer tires. YEP, we ran into snow in Lassan Park. At first it was just rain but we could see from the side of the road it had snowed very recently. Soon the raindrops turned to snowflakes! They didn't seem to be sticking to the road so we pressed on. We came upon a works truck and stopped to ask him about conditions ahead; he assured us we would be fine as he had just plowed where we were headed, saying this was definitely not in the forecast.
It was tense in places but we felt too committed to reverse. That little drama over we continued with our day. We ended up in Grants Pass at a Best Western......the desk clerk was very chatty telling us all about his life! He gave us a recommendation for dinner, The Wild River Pub, his directions were totally mixed up and we ended up finding it by pure fluke.
Next morning, day 2, we stopped at a nearby Starbucks and were on the road 🎶🚘👍again. We were enjoying the scenery and deciding on how long we wanted to drive. We got on the wrong road at one point and by the time we figured it out had done an additional 35 miles. We had been looking for an alternate route around Las Vegas, which required us to go from the town of Fallon to Hawthorne. En route we were held up for over an hour by a serious semi trailer accident, the semi had crashed through a guard rail, by the time we were able to pass by the remains of the semi left little to the imagination. It left one feeling quite ill. Next we entered the little town of Hawthorne. It is known for having the largest supply of ammunition in the world. We had wondered as we approached the town what all the structures were, and on the opposite end of town saw many bunkers built into the ground, more storage facilities......good to know we are prepared.
By this time it was getting late, for us and hundreds of others delayed by the accident. There were no hotels in Hawthorne, darkness was looming. We decided to phone ahead to the Best Western in Tonopah AND lucky we did as we booked the last room. We arrived in Tonopah at 8pm, dark and cold, but thankful. At 6,000 ft elevation we realized it could actually snow.....but it did not. We settled in and walked across the street to the Bbq eatery and shared a sandwich.
It had been a long day and the plan was to rise early and drive to Carefree the next day.
Day 3 we left Tonopah just before 8 am, it was a beautiful morning, cold and the mountains all around us were dusted with icing sugar snow. The cloud formations were spectacular, some like UFO's. The road was long and straight with desert on each side and ringed with mountains. I took a few photos of the clouds, grey, white, fluffy, dark, with a beautiful blue visible in places.
Many semis on the road again today and lots of traffic. We figured out how to avoid going through Las Vegas but decided it really wasn't much better traffic or time wise.
We arrived at our sweet little abode at 5 pm today......home sweet home.
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