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!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)