The Maritimes, 1975

[vaneramos]

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia (1975)


I'm taking Marian and Brenna camping in the Maritimes for two weeks in August.

I only visited Canada's Atlantic coast once when I was 11. I remember driving past apple orchards in the Annapolis Valley. Mom's youngest sister, Nancy, lived there. Her husband was stationed at the army base. Cousin Jim was a few months younger than me. I had to run everywhere to keep up with him at Kejimkujik National Park. We canoed and found a Blanding's turtle.

Uncle Jack was later transferred to St. John's, so cousins Jim and Tracy developed Newfie accents. I haven't seen them since that summer of '75.

There was an outbreak of caterpillars. Everywhere in the forest they hung dangling on silk threads. On Cape Breton it rained. I bought a Highland pin with a glass jewel and feathers.

I don't remember the Bay of Fundy.

On Prince Edward Island we visited Green Gables. Multi-coloured lupines filled the ditches; Mom had never seen them before and brought seeds back home, but they never took.

I best remember North Rustico, where we camped and boiled lobster. I built red sand castles on the beach. At dusk we saw a young couple digging for clams.

Comments

[tbone1961.livejournal.com]

WOW!!!

Memories flashing back in an instant.

The ex and I spent our honeymoon in Nova Scotia, and hit Peggy's Cove. In fact, if she lets me have it, considering the fact she hasn't rehung it after the holidays, I took a really great picture of the surf off the coast. And she had it enlarged and framed for our first anniversary. It'd better be a good one. I laid on the cliffs for half an hour to get just the right shot. And seeing how we were there in late Sept, non tourist season, the environment was very low key and laid back.

Some good memories. Thanks Van!!!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I hope things won't be too busy in August. I'm planning now so I can think about reserving campsites.

If you're interested in travelling again, I wouldn't mind some adult company part of the time (and the girls are always happier with more people around). Although there will probably be better times and opportunities for us to get to know each other in person.

[tbone1961.livejournal.com]

that WILL be great, in whatever time, capacity, environment!!!!

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

If you want any advice on destinations, don't hesitate to ask.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do! Besides remembering that North Rustico and Peggy's Cove would be interesting to explore, and knowing that the Bay of Fundy and Cape Breton are worthwhile destinations in general, I don't have much specific knowledge.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

That will be a great trip for you I am sure.

I drove from Boston to Nova Scotia about 40 years ago and really liked Cape Breton Island. It would be nice to return again since my recollection is pretty fuzzy.

About 30 years ago rsc and I went to Newfoundland. Such an incredibly remote place that isn't that far away. We took the overnight ferry from North Sydney to Port-au-Basques and then the next day took a boat to Grand Bruit on the south coast. The pictures on this web site which were taken in 2000 show that nothing much has changed. No roads lead to Grand Bruit. We planned on camping out but someone we met on the boat invited us to stay in his house. His wife really hated it there - in this isolated community of ~200 people. They had only gotten a power plant a couple of years before so everyone now had TV sets. The next day the boat didn't come because of a storm and we spent the night in the shed on the dock. My impression was that Newfoundlanders mumble with their mouths closed so it is very hard to understand what they said.

We went on to the island of St Pierre, a department of France, where we stayed in a B&B mostly full of French speaking people from Quebec. It was the only place on this trip where the food in restaurants was good. Bad weather prevented us from going to Miquelon. Later we went to St John having a rented car and drove around on some of the worst roads I've ever seen. We saw an iceberg, too.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether we'll have time for it, but I would love to take them to Newfoundland. I've never been there, myself. I think we would need a few days more than the two weeks, and budgeting is going to be a problem already. Thanks for the link and travalogue, though. If I can swing it, we will.

[artricia.livejournal.com]

God, what a great picture. I want to move there, even though the weather's actually been nice in Atlanta lately.

I miss the Northeast. I miss home. Ocean or inland, New England, New York, or parts of Canada, doesn't matter: I want to be there.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Do you find Atlanta too hot? I know I would, in the more humid parts of the South. But it sounds like you're thinking about more than just the weather.