After a 7 month absence, it's time to start writing again and bring you up to date on the changes that have taken place in the past few months.
Several things happened to trigger these changes. We fell in love with the "French Shore" and the Clare area. The ocean, the beaches, the Acadian culture, the food and the climate. At the same time we realised that our ability to travel in the 5th wheel and truck would become more difficult due to steadily increasing fuel costs, currently $1.45/L. Our dreams of living full time in this rig were slowly dissolving. Other factors are health related as all of my body parts are well beyond the best before date.
While spending the summer at Belle Baie RV park last year we started looking at the possibility of buying a house in the area for all of the above reasons. In August we finally found a house we wanted. It was bigger than we planned but was only 17 years old, constructed to R2000 standards, sitting on four and one half acres with 200 feet of beach frontage. There was plenty of paved parking with room for the 5th wheel and truck. We closed down our apartment and moved in during September.
The house is surrounded by lawn with no plants or flowers of any kind. Because of this we spent many of the winter evenings planning and designing flower and veggie beds. The work to create the beds would begin in the spring.
It was an easy winter this year. Hardly any snow, the biggest storm might have given us 6 inches of snow. Temperatures were well above normal and we were able to spend time walking the beaches each week looking for beach glass and other "treasures". We spent the fall and winter getting to know our neighbors and the area. Started taking tai chi lessons as well as ballroom dancing.
Spring came early and temperatures stayed well above normal. Windy and cool some days but we were able to build our raised beds and dig up areas for flower gardens. We are planting perennials only plus greens, tomatoes and herbs for our own consumption. The raised beds have been covered with with a hoop house system and we have been able to get an early start on a lot of greens. Seeds were planted on March 17 and are up and growing fast. Fresh salad greens coming soon.
We are spending the summer here and the "gypsies" travel plans are aimed at the southwestern area of N.S. Lots to see in this area and there will be lots to write about.
Sadly, we have our 5th wheel and Ford F350 up for sale. It is the end of our traveling adventures with a rig this big. However, in a year or so we'll be looking at something smaller so we can still visit those far away places.
Stay tuned, more to follow!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Festival Acadien de Clare (Part 2)
On July 30th the festivities got underway. We were up early and went to a community breakfast at the Knights of Colombus Hall in Comeauville. Big serving of blueberry pancakes and sausages, juice and tea. The servers were dressed up in traditional clothing. We got there a bit too early because as we were leaving three locals arrived with guitars and fiddles and were setting up to provide breakfast music.
We did not attend the opening ceremonies as we had other commitments but we did not miss the opening concert in the evening. It had been raining off and on over the day but cleared up and the sun came out just before the concert got underway. Rain would not have bothered us as the concert was held in a large tent that could hold 1600. All we had to bring were our own chairs.
The first two acts were very good local musicians who played a combination of jigs and reels, modern music and traditional music. The hit of this portion was a young lady of about 12 years old who wowed the audience with a number of great vocal performances.
During the times that the acts were changing on the stage (different instruments being hooked up and different electronics) we were entertained by Baie en Joie. (www.baieenjoie.ca). They were absolutely fantastic. Twenty local young ladies ranging in age from 12 to 18 were as skilled and as well choreographed as the famed Riverdance Show. They are recognized internationally and have performed in France and were part of the opening ceremonies at the winter olympics. If you ever get a chance to see them, don't miss it! You're feet will not stop dancing as you watch them!
The highlight of the evening was the almost two hour non-stop performance of Angele Arsenault. (www.admirateurangelearsenault.freeservers.com/index.html) Her music career has spanned 35 years and she considered to be one of the top stars and icons of french music. She was backed up by a trio of ladies who in themselves were very talented, played several different instruments and contributed vocally to many of the songs. Many of the traditional songs that were performed by Angele were hits with much of the audience bringing cheers and tears as she performed. Baie en Joie came on stage and performed in one of her numbers.
Just after eleven o'clock, the final group came on stage. Hert LeBlanc and his group play bluegrass, country and rock and roll. They certainly are popular and loud! I had to remove my hearing aids. After their first number , we, along with most of the other "older" people in the the tent, made our way to the parking lot. As we were exiting, a new younger crowd was entering and you knew it was going to a long loud night of fun and dancing. All in all it was a fantastic evening of music and song. Going to be back next year for sure!
Sunday was sunny and hot. A lot of activities happening but we decided to stay put on the beach and walk up to Church Point later in the day. We missed the grand parade, the lumberjack competition and a demonstration of circus skills, but later in the day we did make it up to the Bazaar. Many people were on the way home, hot, tired and sunburnt but the Bazaar was still going strong with multiple food outlets, handcraft stalls, entertainment for the kids and of course the all time favorite Bingo.
Monday was a much slower day with sandcastles being built as Mavillette Beach, kitchen parties at many of the local restaurants and a quilt expo. This was a great exhibition. The church was full of quilts designed and quilted by local people, both male and female! You can see their work at (www.Quilt-Expo-Couvertes.com).
Early Tuesday morning the severe t-storms began and lasted until 4pm, about 12 hours of solid rain, heavy at times, thunder and lightning and high winds. Any festival activities we either postponed or cancelled, if they were outdoors.
Our next big night is this Saturday when the second big concert takes place. Three groups are appearing, Les Malfecteurs. Cedric Watson and the Cadiens. The focus will be on Cajun and Creole music. Will tell you all about it next week.
Quote of the day:
In Heaven all the interesting people are missing. Friedrich Nietzsche
We did not attend the opening ceremonies as we had other commitments but we did not miss the opening concert in the evening. It had been raining off and on over the day but cleared up and the sun came out just before the concert got underway. Rain would not have bothered us as the concert was held in a large tent that could hold 1600. All we had to bring were our own chairs.
The first two acts were very good local musicians who played a combination of jigs and reels, modern music and traditional music. The hit of this portion was a young lady of about 12 years old who wowed the audience with a number of great vocal performances.
During the times that the acts were changing on the stage (different instruments being hooked up and different electronics) we were entertained by Baie en Joie. (www.baieenjoie.ca). They were absolutely fantastic. Twenty local young ladies ranging in age from 12 to 18 were as skilled and as well choreographed as the famed Riverdance Show. They are recognized internationally and have performed in France and were part of the opening ceremonies at the winter olympics. If you ever get a chance to see them, don't miss it! You're feet will not stop dancing as you watch them!
The highlight of the evening was the almost two hour non-stop performance of Angele Arsenault. (www.admirateurangelearsenault.freeservers.com/index.html) Her music career has spanned 35 years and she considered to be one of the top stars and icons of french music. She was backed up by a trio of ladies who in themselves were very talented, played several different instruments and contributed vocally to many of the songs. Many of the traditional songs that were performed by Angele were hits with much of the audience bringing cheers and tears as she performed. Baie en Joie came on stage and performed in one of her numbers.
Just after eleven o'clock, the final group came on stage. Hert LeBlanc and his group play bluegrass, country and rock and roll. They certainly are popular and loud! I had to remove my hearing aids. After their first number , we, along with most of the other "older" people in the the tent, made our way to the parking lot. As we were exiting, a new younger crowd was entering and you knew it was going to a long loud night of fun and dancing. All in all it was a fantastic evening of music and song. Going to be back next year for sure!
Sunday was sunny and hot. A lot of activities happening but we decided to stay put on the beach and walk up to Church Point later in the day. We missed the grand parade, the lumberjack competition and a demonstration of circus skills, but later in the day we did make it up to the Bazaar. Many people were on the way home, hot, tired and sunburnt but the Bazaar was still going strong with multiple food outlets, handcraft stalls, entertainment for the kids and of course the all time favorite Bingo.
Monday was a much slower day with sandcastles being built as Mavillette Beach, kitchen parties at many of the local restaurants and a quilt expo. This was a great exhibition. The church was full of quilts designed and quilted by local people, both male and female! You can see their work at (www.Quilt-Expo-Couvertes.com).
Early Tuesday morning the severe t-storms began and lasted until 4pm, about 12 hours of solid rain, heavy at times, thunder and lightning and high winds. Any festival activities we either postponed or cancelled, if they were outdoors.
Our next big night is this Saturday when the second big concert takes place. Three groups are appearing, Les Malfecteurs. Cedric Watson and the Cadiens. The focus will be on Cajun and Creole music. Will tell you all about it next week.
Quote of the day:
In Heaven all the interesting people are missing. Friedrich Nietzsche
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Festival Acadien de Clare
Today is the opening day of the Acadian Festival in southwestern Nova Scotia in the Municipality of Clare. The two week festival runs until August 15th and celebrates the history, music and the long living culture of the Acadians since the historic expulsion,
The opening day weather is not the best with a combination of rain and strong winds trying to put a damper on events. We started out the day at the K of C hall enjoying a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, sausages, tea and juice. We finished up and were just leaving when a musical group arrived and were setting up to provide music.
We headed out to Belliveau Cove to the farmers market, which was not at full operation due to the rain. However we were able to pick up new potatoes, young carrots, green and yellow beans as well as fresh basil, cucumbers and swiss chard. With our fresh fish and scallops we bought yesterday we are set for some fine meals over the next two or three days.
The Festival opening ceremonies start at 2 PM but if it is still as wet and windy as it is now we will miss them.
We will not miss the opening concert tonight as they have set up a tent that will hold 1600 people. Starting at 7:30 PM it promises to be a lot of fun with many different groups with all types of Acadian music and dancing. It should be a blast! There are two more concerts over the next couple of weeks and we have tickets to all of them.
We will see and do a lot over the next few days. There will be fun runs, parades, bazaars, lumberjack competitions, bingo, lots of music, sand sculpture contests, quilt expo, storytellers evenings, kitchen parties, lobster clam and crab suppers, picnics, wine tasting, a bluegrass festival and fireworks to name some of the events. It is a very full two weeks of activities.
As the days progress, we'll try to keep you up to date on what we have seen and done by adding to this post. Stay with us and enjoy!
The opening day weather is not the best with a combination of rain and strong winds trying to put a damper on events. We started out the day at the K of C hall enjoying a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, sausages, tea and juice. We finished up and were just leaving when a musical group arrived and were setting up to provide music.
We headed out to Belliveau Cove to the farmers market, which was not at full operation due to the rain. However we were able to pick up new potatoes, young carrots, green and yellow beans as well as fresh basil, cucumbers and swiss chard. With our fresh fish and scallops we bought yesterday we are set for some fine meals over the next two or three days.
The Festival opening ceremonies start at 2 PM but if it is still as wet and windy as it is now we will miss them.
We will not miss the opening concert tonight as they have set up a tent that will hold 1600 people. Starting at 7:30 PM it promises to be a lot of fun with many different groups with all types of Acadian music and dancing. It should be a blast! There are two more concerts over the next couple of weeks and we have tickets to all of them.
We will see and do a lot over the next few days. There will be fun runs, parades, bazaars, lumberjack competitions, bingo, lots of music, sand sculpture contests, quilt expo, storytellers evenings, kitchen parties, lobster clam and crab suppers, picnics, wine tasting, a bluegrass festival and fireworks to name some of the events. It is a very full two weeks of activities.
As the days progress, we'll try to keep you up to date on what we have seen and done by adding to this post. Stay with us and enjoy!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Whales
One of the interesting things we are discovering is that our home province has a lot to offer in the way of interesting activities. You tend to take the things close at hand for granted instead of looking at them from the perspective of an "out of towner."
We decided to drive to Briar Island and go whale watching. Now we know this has been a great area for whale watching, read about it and heard lots about it BUT we have never driven to the end of Digby Neck to Briar Island to do it.
We started out on a beautiful, warm Monday morning. The weather forecast was good, sunny, warm and light winds and the marine forecast indicated that it would be a fog free day, which is something rare for the Fundy Shore! The drive to Briar Island was great. Nice scenery, and our timing was perfect as we were the last vehicle on the 1st ferry to Long Island and drove right on to the second ferry to Briar Island.
Westport is a beautiful little village that was originally settled in 1769 as a fishing station. Some of today's family names originate from the eleven Loyalist families that arrived in 1783. Perhaps Westport's most famous person was Captain Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail around the world solo in his sloop "Spray." Slocum"s mother was born on Briar Island and he made Westport his first port of call after leaving Boston for his famed voyage. He visited the area many times and there is a monument erected on the southern end of the island in his honour.
We has a couple of hours to spare before our whale watching trip so we walked around the village sightseeing. The tour company we had our reservation with was Briar Island Whale and Seabird Cruises Ltd. They are also heavily involved in Whale research and studies so the knowledge of their staff is excellent.
Our boat left at 5:30 in the evening and it looked like a full load of whale watchers of all ages. The water was extremely calm, winds were almost non-existent and it was quite warm, although later in the evening everyone would be adding the sweaters and jackets they were advised to bring. On our way out we passed harbour seals and began to see various seabirds such as murres, puffins and shearwaters. There were others, but our limited knowledge of seabirds did not let us identify them. After about an hour out we saw our first whales. They were humpbacks, but a fair distance from the boat. However about 20 minutes later we slowed down and came to a stop, with four humpbacks surfacing, diving and feeding right next to us. What a fantastic sight! They were three adults and a calf. The calf was not named but our crew recognized the three adults as Luna, Little Spot and 0034. Humpback whales have distinctive markings on their tails (flukes) that are like a fingerprint. Apparently no two are the same. This is how the researchers identify each whale and are able to keep track of its location and frequency of sighting.
The whales seemed to have no level of discomfort with the boat so close (the engines were shut off) and actually seemed to be performing for us. These are large animals. They can reach 50 feet in length (ours were around 40 feet long) and weigh many tons. They are so streamlined that they barely disturb the water as they move through it. They would surface, spout and then dive again and barely leave a ripple on the water.
Time was starting to run out and we had to head for home port as it was getting late. As we were approaching land, the boat changed course and stopped. We were all looking around as the Captain had obviously seen something we had not. I looked over the side of the boat and thought I could see white sand bottom, but it was moving. A humpback just passed under us and surfaced within 10 feet of the boat. There were two of them and they put on a spectacular performance for us by waving flippers and tails at us for about 10 minutes. What a way to wind up the evening!! 20 minutes later we were back in our truck and heading away from Briar Island, tired but extremely happy with the fantastic day we had and magnificent creatures we were privileged to spend some time with. If you ever have the chance, go watch the whales! Watch for a whale photo library to be posted soon with some of the 200 pictures we took.
P & N
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
- Don Marquis
We decided to drive to Briar Island and go whale watching. Now we know this has been a great area for whale watching, read about it and heard lots about it BUT we have never driven to the end of Digby Neck to Briar Island to do it.
We started out on a beautiful, warm Monday morning. The weather forecast was good, sunny, warm and light winds and the marine forecast indicated that it would be a fog free day, which is something rare for the Fundy Shore! The drive to Briar Island was great. Nice scenery, and our timing was perfect as we were the last vehicle on the 1st ferry to Long Island and drove right on to the second ferry to Briar Island.
Westport is a beautiful little village that was originally settled in 1769 as a fishing station. Some of today's family names originate from the eleven Loyalist families that arrived in 1783. Perhaps Westport's most famous person was Captain Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail around the world solo in his sloop "Spray." Slocum"s mother was born on Briar Island and he made Westport his first port of call after leaving Boston for his famed voyage. He visited the area many times and there is a monument erected on the southern end of the island in his honour.
Our boat left at 5:30 in the evening and it looked like a full load of whale watchers of all ages. The water was extremely calm, winds were almost non-existent and it was quite warm, although later in the evening everyone would be adding the sweaters and jackets they were advised to bring. On our way out we passed harbour seals and began to see various seabirds such as murres, puffins and shearwaters. There were others, but our limited knowledge of seabirds did not let us identify them. After about an hour out we saw our first whales. They were humpbacks, but a fair distance from the boat. However about 20 minutes later we slowed down and came to a stop, with four humpbacks surfacing, diving and feeding right next to us. What a fantastic sight! They were three adults and a calf. The calf was not named but our crew recognized the three adults as Luna, Little Spot and 0034. Humpback whales have distinctive markings on their tails (flukes) that are like a fingerprint. Apparently no two are the same. This is how the researchers identify each whale and are able to keep track of its location and frequency of sighting.The whales seemed to have no level of discomfort with the boat so close (the engines were shut off) and actually seemed to be performing for us. These are large animals. They can reach 50 feet in length (ours were around 40 feet long) and weigh many tons. They are so streamlined that they barely disturb the water as they move through it. They would surface, spout and then dive again and barely leave a ripple on the water.
Time was starting to run out and we had to head for home port as it was getting late. As we were approaching land, the boat changed course and stopped. We were all looking around as the Captain had obviously seen something we had not. I looked over the side of the boat and thought I could see white sand bottom, but it was moving. A humpback just passed under us and surfaced within 10 feet of the boat. There were two of them and they put on a spectacular performance for us by waving flippers and tails at us for about 10 minutes. What a way to wind up the evening!! 20 minutes later we were back in our truck and heading away from Briar Island, tired but extremely happy with the fantastic day we had and magnificent creatures we were privileged to spend some time with. If you ever have the chance, go watch the whales! Watch for a whale photo library to be posted soon with some of the 200 pictures we took.
P & N
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
- Don Marquis
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Eating Fine!!
We have been able to spend one to two hours a day walking the beaches in the area. Depending on the wind, wave height etc. the beaches change daily. Never the same. One day rocks are exposed, the next, they are covered with sand. Sea birds around all of the time feeding in the shallows, diving for their food, finding fish, crabs, mussels and other shellfish. Of course, what they eat we eat as well. Steamed clams whenever we want to dig them, or a neighbor brings some over. Fresh fish, smoked fish and dried fish is always available at a local wharf or fish market. If you don't want to drive to get you fish, some one will be knocking on the trailer door selling fish out of their truck.
We had a great treat a couple of days ago when one of the neighbors came over with some dried mackerel fillets that he prepared himself. Unlike dried salted fish, dried fish is only soaked in a salt brine for a very short period of time before it is dried. This means that you can eat it "as is" without having to soak it for 24 hours in fresh water like you do with salt cod or salt pollock. Our neighbor caught his mackerel off the local wharf, filleted it, soaked it in salt water (salty enough to float a potato) for 5 minutes and dried them for several hours over low heat. Excellent eating.
Another new treat for us is salted green onions. You can make them yourself or buy them at any local store in this area. The really add flavor to any stew, chowder or dish you normally add green onions to. A word of caution- they are very salty if you try and eat them right out of the bottle. Add them to the food, a teaspoon at a time and let it cook! To make them, just chop up your green onions about 1/4 in thick, add them to a salt brine (again, strong enough to float a potato) mix well. Let sit for 24 hours. Fill up your bottle and seal tightly. They say it will keep forever???
Aside from seafood, we are also eating fresh berries. The strawberry season is starting to fade, but raspberries are plentiful. Fresh beets, carrots, beans. green leafy veggies and new potatoes are all available at the small local stores or from roadside vendors.
Needless to say meal planning is a very spontaneous event which totally depends on what we find during our travels each day.
We are eating "close to the earth". Everything we buy is local and fresh! In our view, we are eating fine!
Quote of the day:
Skill, is successfully walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. Intelligence, is not trying!
We had a great treat a couple of days ago when one of the neighbors came over with some dried mackerel fillets that he prepared himself. Unlike dried salted fish, dried fish is only soaked in a salt brine for a very short period of time before it is dried. This means that you can eat it "as is" without having to soak it for 24 hours in fresh water like you do with salt cod or salt pollock. Our neighbor caught his mackerel off the local wharf, filleted it, soaked it in salt water (salty enough to float a potato) for 5 minutes and dried them for several hours over low heat. Excellent eating.
Another new treat for us is salted green onions. You can make them yourself or buy them at any local store in this area. The really add flavor to any stew, chowder or dish you normally add green onions to. A word of caution- they are very salty if you try and eat them right out of the bottle. Add them to the food, a teaspoon at a time and let it cook! To make them, just chop up your green onions about 1/4 in thick, add them to a salt brine (again, strong enough to float a potato) mix well. Let sit for 24 hours. Fill up your bottle and seal tightly. They say it will keep forever???
Aside from seafood, we are also eating fresh berries. The strawberry season is starting to fade, but raspberries are plentiful. Fresh beets, carrots, beans. green leafy veggies and new potatoes are all available at the small local stores or from roadside vendors.
Needless to say meal planning is a very spontaneous event which totally depends on what we find during our travels each day.
We are eating "close to the earth". Everything we buy is local and fresh! In our view, we are eating fine!
Quote of the day:
Skill, is successfully walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. Intelligence, is not trying!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Finally Back
Well, after a winter and spring absence, here we are, back again!
After our trip last summer we settled in our apartment and hibernated for the winter. We spent a lot of time trying to decide what to do in 2011. Not being fans of apartment living, after living in our own house for years, we decided that we would start looking for a small house somewhere in Nova Scotia. So our winter and spring months were spent house hunting. We looked at a number of places but all had issues of one kind or another. I'm at a stage where I don't want to spend a lot of time to fix up a "fixer upper". We are at the stage now where we are thinking of building a small house to our own specifications.
Spring and early summer arrived and the gypsy urge started to hit us, the apartment was closing in on us, so we just had to get back on the road in some way. In order to keep looking for that "ideal" house, or to find a piece of land to build on we decided that our travels will be restricted to the Maritimes this year. With this in mind, we packed up the rig, hooked up and set out for the area of Nova Scotia that is located between Yarmouth and Digby. This area known as "the french shore" was always of interest to us. It is the home of a large Acadian community (I have Acadian roots), quiet, relatively undeveloped and full of history and french acadian culture.
We found a hidden gem of an RV Park in the small community of Grosse Coques. Belle Baie Park is located on Saint Mary's Bay. It is a quiet place with a combination of seasonal and overnight sites. Very neat and tidy, clean and well run.
We arrived in Belle Baie on July 5th planning to stay for 2 or 3 days. We liked the place so much and our site overlooking the Bay that we decided to stay for the rest of July and into the 1st week of August. The weather is nice here. Always a breeze and the temperatures are in the constant low 20's C. If you like hot muggy temperatures, go inland!
It only took a few days for us to find a lot of interesting places and fresh foods. The local fish plant has fresh fish daily and is only 4 KM away. We have been eating a lot of haddock, pollock, scallops etc. We have also located most of the locations that sell fresh local vegetables and berries. The strawberries have been fantastic but the season is drawing to a close. However the raspberries are coming out now so all is well. We are filling up on fresh greens, beans, peas, beets, new potatoes and have found a place that sells all kinds of fresh herbs. So, food wise we are doing great.
There is also a great restaurant about 5 KM away. Chez Christophe is a small establishment set up in an old country home. Probably has a seating capacity of about 35 and a menu that is loaded with fish dishes and traditional Acadian food. We were there a couple of weeks ago and had a great meal. (we learned that you need reservations because the first night we went, we could not get in. They were full). As well, every Thursday night they have local Acadian musicians in for the evening, playing traditional Acadian jigs and reels. Thursday night is booked solid for the rest of the year, with a long waiting list. They are taking Thursday night reservations for next year now!!
Our meal at Christophe's was a simple one. I had the lobster meat from one lobster fried in butter and cream, served over crusty home made bread with a side salad. DW (dear wife) has salted pollock fish cakes, fried golden brown with a side of homemade green tomato chow and a salad. Big servings and no room for dessert. We expect to go again next week.
It is an interesting experiment for us to be sitting in one spot for as long as we have. We are enjoying it and are using this experience to determine if this could be the way for us to go. Up here for the summer, and down south for the winter. To do this we have to stay in one spot at each end. The cost of fuel is increasing and the days of traveling 25 thousand KM in four months are becoming limited, at least for this pocket book.
So, getting back to Belle Baie Park, we talked to the owners to see what their seasonal rates were, and when they might have a seasonal lot available. Lo and behold, the rates are good and they had several lots to choose from. They were very accommodating for us and said we could spend the rest of the season here for what we had already paid. Needless to say, we picked a lot that overlooks the beach and the pond behind the sand dunes and beach and are now settled in here until the end of September. We have lots of time to explore, look at houses (maybe). We'll be posting every few days from now on as we explore this area, its history and its culture
After our trip last summer we settled in our apartment and hibernated for the winter. We spent a lot of time trying to decide what to do in 2011. Not being fans of apartment living, after living in our own house for years, we decided that we would start looking for a small house somewhere in Nova Scotia. So our winter and spring months were spent house hunting. We looked at a number of places but all had issues of one kind or another. I'm at a stage where I don't want to spend a lot of time to fix up a "fixer upper". We are at the stage now where we are thinking of building a small house to our own specifications.
Spring and early summer arrived and the gypsy urge started to hit us, the apartment was closing in on us, so we just had to get back on the road in some way. In order to keep looking for that "ideal" house, or to find a piece of land to build on we decided that our travels will be restricted to the Maritimes this year. With this in mind, we packed up the rig, hooked up and set out for the area of Nova Scotia that is located between Yarmouth and Digby. This area known as "the french shore" was always of interest to us. It is the home of a large Acadian community (I have Acadian roots), quiet, relatively undeveloped and full of history and french acadian culture.
We arrived in Belle Baie on July 5th planning to stay for 2 or 3 days. We liked the place so much and our site overlooking the Bay that we decided to stay for the rest of July and into the 1st week of August. The weather is nice here. Always a breeze and the temperatures are in the constant low 20's C. If you like hot muggy temperatures, go inland!
It only took a few days for us to find a lot of interesting places and fresh foods. The local fish plant has fresh fish daily and is only 4 KM away. We have been eating a lot of haddock, pollock, scallops etc. We have also located most of the locations that sell fresh local vegetables and berries. The strawberries have been fantastic but the season is drawing to a close. However the raspberries are coming out now so all is well. We are filling up on fresh greens, beans, peas, beets, new potatoes and have found a place that sells all kinds of fresh herbs. So, food wise we are doing great.
There is also a great restaurant about 5 KM away. Chez Christophe is a small establishment set up in an old country home. Probably has a seating capacity of about 35 and a menu that is loaded with fish dishes and traditional Acadian food. We were there a couple of weeks ago and had a great meal. (we learned that you need reservations because the first night we went, we could not get in. They were full). As well, every Thursday night they have local Acadian musicians in for the evening, playing traditional Acadian jigs and reels. Thursday night is booked solid for the rest of the year, with a long waiting list. They are taking Thursday night reservations for next year now!!
Our meal at Christophe's was a simple one. I had the lobster meat from one lobster fried in butter and cream, served over crusty home made bread with a side salad. DW (dear wife) has salted pollock fish cakes, fried golden brown with a side of homemade green tomato chow and a salad. Big servings and no room for dessert. We expect to go again next week.
It is an interesting experiment for us to be sitting in one spot for as long as we have. We are enjoying it and are using this experience to determine if this could be the way for us to go. Up here for the summer, and down south for the winter. To do this we have to stay in one spot at each end. The cost of fuel is increasing and the days of traveling 25 thousand KM in four months are becoming limited, at least for this pocket book.
So, getting back to Belle Baie Park, we talked to the owners to see what their seasonal rates were, and when they might have a seasonal lot available. Lo and behold, the rates are good and they had several lots to choose from. They were very accommodating for us and said we could spend the rest of the season here for what we had already paid. Needless to say, we picked a lot that overlooks the beach and the pond behind the sand dunes and beach and are now settled in here until the end of September. We have lots of time to explore, look at houses (maybe). We'll be posting every few days from now on as we explore this area, its history and its culture
Sunday, October 17, 2010
At Home
Well, we have been home for just over two weeks now. We have been fairly busy getting the Montana unloaded and in to the dealer, Bluenose RV, for a bunch of little things that can occur after 25000km of driving across the country. We told them not to hurry and do it right! The rig is still there and I have to go in tomorrow and add a couple more things to the list that have to be done.
We got the truck cleaned up, finally. It took a couple of days to get four months of bugs and tar removed. Quick washes throughout the trip got road grime and mud off, but the tar and bugs needed some special attention and a lot of elbow grease. I think I might have a bit of transmission problems with the truck. It seems to shudder a bit on downshifts. Noticed it in the last three days of our trip. Talked to another Ford owner, actually an oil pipeline contractor from Alberta, who has 27 Ford trucks. He says the transmission shudder is in all of them and Ford can’t find the solution. He also said that it does not seem to get any worse, just annoying! However, I don’t like annoying and am going to chase Ford on this one. The tranny fluid has a slight smell of burnt brown sugar but seems to be the proper pink color. I’ll go back to the dealer and if nothing comes out of that I’ll go to a commercial transmission shop and see what they say. Sure would like to get it solved before we head south this winter.
Our going south plans are progressing, but slowly. Too many options out there which seem to complicate planning. We are loosely setting a departure date for late in Dec. or early Jan. Broad plans will have us going directly south, down I81 to Cajun country and then west through Texas towards Arizona. The number and lengths of stops in between will vary. What we are doing is looking for that special spot that we can consider calling home for 5 months each winter. There is a lot down there to look at.
For those of you who might be interested in what it costs to make a trip like we did this summer, my dedicated navigator, accountant and money manager came up with the following numbers.
To keep these numbers in context, here are some of the factors. Our total combined weight (truck & trailer) was 21,750 lbs. Total mileage driven was 25,135 km and our fuel consumption averaged 24.4L/100km or 11.6mpg. My driving speed on good highways was between 90 and 100kph and probably averaged out at 95kph. It was much slower on secondary roads, rough roads (of which there were plenty), long mountain uphill grades etc.
We also cook almost all our own meals. In fact I think we only ate out three times during the whole trip.
We were gone for 124 days and stayed in 54 RV Parks. Two months and one week of this time was spent in Alberta, BC, the Yukon and the North West Territories.
Our costs have broken down like this.
Food (includes cleaning supplies & toiletries) $16.67/day
Campgrounds $27.71/day
Diesel Fuel $49.82/day
Misc. (Truck & Trailer Maintenance, eating out
Wine & spirits, museum admissions and anything
else that is not included in the above.) $34.25/day
We could have reduced our costs somewhat if we had spent at least one night a week at Wal-Mart or Truck Stop parking lots at no charge, as well as no services. We always planned to do this but never did.
This is all for now. We will post occasionally to keep you up to date on our winter travel plans.
Quote of the day: I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White
P & N
We got the truck cleaned up, finally. It took a couple of days to get four months of bugs and tar removed. Quick washes throughout the trip got road grime and mud off, but the tar and bugs needed some special attention and a lot of elbow grease. I think I might have a bit of transmission problems with the truck. It seems to shudder a bit on downshifts. Noticed it in the last three days of our trip. Talked to another Ford owner, actually an oil pipeline contractor from Alberta, who has 27 Ford trucks. He says the transmission shudder is in all of them and Ford can’t find the solution. He also said that it does not seem to get any worse, just annoying! However, I don’t like annoying and am going to chase Ford on this one. The tranny fluid has a slight smell of burnt brown sugar but seems to be the proper pink color. I’ll go back to the dealer and if nothing comes out of that I’ll go to a commercial transmission shop and see what they say. Sure would like to get it solved before we head south this winter.
Our going south plans are progressing, but slowly. Too many options out there which seem to complicate planning. We are loosely setting a departure date for late in Dec. or early Jan. Broad plans will have us going directly south, down I81 to Cajun country and then west through Texas towards Arizona. The number and lengths of stops in between will vary. What we are doing is looking for that special spot that we can consider calling home for 5 months each winter. There is a lot down there to look at.
For those of you who might be interested in what it costs to make a trip like we did this summer, my dedicated navigator, accountant and money manager came up with the following numbers.
To keep these numbers in context, here are some of the factors. Our total combined weight (truck & trailer) was 21,750 lbs. Total mileage driven was 25,135 km and our fuel consumption averaged 24.4L/100km or 11.6mpg. My driving speed on good highways was between 90 and 100kph and probably averaged out at 95kph. It was much slower on secondary roads, rough roads (of which there were plenty), long mountain uphill grades etc.
We also cook almost all our own meals. In fact I think we only ate out three times during the whole trip.
We were gone for 124 days and stayed in 54 RV Parks. Two months and one week of this time was spent in Alberta, BC, the Yukon and the North West Territories.
Our costs have broken down like this.
Food (includes cleaning supplies & toiletries) $16.67/day
Campgrounds $27.71/day
Diesel Fuel $49.82/day
Misc. (Truck & Trailer Maintenance, eating out
Wine & spirits, museum admissions and anything
else that is not included in the above.) $34.25/day
We could have reduced our costs somewhat if we had spent at least one night a week at Wal-Mart or Truck Stop parking lots at no charge, as well as no services. We always planned to do this but never did.
This is all for now. We will post occasionally to keep you up to date on our winter travel plans.
Quote of the day: I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White
P & N
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