Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Kejimkujik

Towering ancient Hemlocks and white pines, indigenous plants, a dark sky reserve, biking and hiking trails so plentiful that you can't possibly do them all in a short trip. What more could this nature lover want? More time. Keji, we will be back again.

The next leg of our journey brought us to the Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia. The hemlocks have grown so tall over time, that the sun seems to set an hour early and take her sweet time rising in the morning. We spent our three days there enjoying a mixture of lazy rainy day activities and pushing our kids physical limits. For the first time on our trip, we busted out the Lego. It served it's purpose wonderfully, providing the children with an outlet when it rained too hard to play outside. While the little ones played peacefully together, the adults took some time to relax, read and get caught up on journal entries. Little Autumn roller around on the floor, playing with odds and ends, trying her best to learn how to crawl in such a small space. She somehow came out triumphant, learning how to crawl a few days shy of seven months.

When the sun came out, we hitched the trailer onto the bike to pull the little girls behind us while we took the big kids on some of the trails. For two subsequent days, we pushed their little legs to do roughly 12 km trips. We explored the lake shore, finding all kinds of treasures, including a leech :(. We rode through majestic forests, that seem to have come straight out of a fairy tale, discovering new things in the world around us. We learned about lichens and how to identify some of the huge trees. We raced back to our site, trying and failing to outrun the rain. Our children learned how joyful it is to spin their little tires through puddles. A few deer bravely observed us from the side of the road, letting us see them up close. We trekked around drumlins, noticing the changes in the forest as we reached higher elevations. One of our hikes even took us through an old farm yard and apple orchard that has mostly been reclaimed by the land.

Overall, we had a magical time. I did leave a bit bummed out though, as we weren't able to see the stars because of the weather and there are many plants there that I had hoped to see, but didn't. Next time we venture this was, we will be sure to return and explore a little more.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Old Town Lunenburg

Let’s start by saying that this is not the place to be driving a 30 foot motorhome through, but because of construction, we did. There are many one way streets and the rest are narrow. My Brother and his new Bride cane here for their honeymoon and their description of the town was spot on. I love old towns and down towns. The architecture on the grand buildings found in Lunenburg pleased my soul, as did the merry colours and the ocean breeze. What an afternoon we had, walking along the docks (wharf?), looking through the cute shops, enjoying a pleasant lunch paired with local beer and taking in the atmosphere that surrounds this vibrant sea side town. Unfortunately we were too busy holding little hands to take any pictures of the town, but we managed to snap a few of something else that might please the viewers of this blog…The Bluenose II. All that I can say about this ship is, WOW. Feast your eyes on the ship with the largest working main sail in the world, the pride of Nova Scotia.











Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Graves Island Provincial Park

Situated on Mahone Bay, this little beauty is quite the spot to watch the sunset. We also happened to be here during a full moon on a clear night. We tried to secure an extra night, but they were booked solid for the weekend, which after spending the night, is very understandable. The following pictures hardly do this gem any justice, but it was too pretty not to acknowledge on our journey.





Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Visit a lighthouse

I don’t think that much needs to be said about today’s adventure. We went to see Canada’s most photographed lighthouse, Peggy’s Cove. The landscape is what draws tourists here. It is barren in some areas and the vegetation is very sparse in others. This unique rock formation was formed by a mixture of magma being forced up between earth’s plates and a 1 Km thick glacier slowly making its way across the area, moving granite boulders along with it. It is quite easy on the eyes, as is the weather worn town that calls it home. I’m glad that we came, although it was sadly too late in the season to see the bug eating plants that live here.









Monday, September 26, 2016

Read a Book

I have personally read many books lately, and am currently working through a few. Elijah recently finished Treasure Island and is working on another. This post will not be about us though, it will be about Katie. The reading program that we chose for her is called, “All About Reading”. She is doing level one, which has three books full of short stories that she progresses through. We love the program, with the exception of the reading review pages that Katie despises, we would likely be further by now, but these practice sheets take her quite a while to work through. That being said, she has officially finished the first book. Well done Katie! You’re well on your way.


Saturday, September 24, 2016

Highland Village


After leaving the Cabot Trail, I had requested that we take a detour off of the main road for a day trip to the Highland Village in Iona. Iona looks out over another section of the Bras D’or Lake. We had to pay $7 to take a cable ferry to get there, which luckily for us we had otherwise my field trip would have ended before it had begun. The Highland Village is a self-guided walking tour through 200 years of Gaelic history in Nova Scotia. At each stop are costumed employees in character for that era. They were all very knowledgeable and worked hard to make it a memorable experience. Please join us for a long picture post today, with descriptions from their pamphlet, as we take you back in time to the late 1700’s. Follow the Scottish immigrants to Nova Scotia and walk alongside them through 200 years of history.

Gaelic Scotland 1770's-1830's
An Taigh Dubh
The Black house
Living in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, we are rich in Gaelic tradition, story, song and music. We are a hardy and enduring people, close in kinship ties. We gather fireside to discuss rising rents, the promise of land grants and a new life across the ocean



The forests of Nova Scotia 1770's-1850's
An Taigh-logaichean
The log house ( obviously under construction)

Having crossed the ocean with little else but our language and culture, we are now settled on land we can call our own. We are well suited to a challenging life in the great Acadian Forest. Our hearth remains a comfortable place, where we gather to tell stories, sing songs and sometimes make music, or pray at the end of a long day's work.




Little make shift house


Taigh an t-Simileir
Centre Chimney House

Establishing fields and livestock will secure our land grant. Although living conditions have changed, our language and kinships remain the same. After weary days clearing fields from the forest, we visit by the kitchen fire to enjoy Gaelic stories, song and music.







An Sabhal
The Barn

The barn safeguards our equity earned by years of toil. Throughout the changing seasons, our barns and fields resonate with work songs. Gaelic music and song remain inseparable from every aspect of our lives.










Building new communities 1850's-1880's

An Eaglais
The church

In these early days of new communities, we are often without clergy. As churches are built, we walk or travel in sleighs, wagons and boats to attend Mass or Sunday services.



Taigh na Trannsa
Centre Hallway House

Many of our families have been in Nova Scotia for nearly 100 years and our land holdings are becoming secure. The open hearth is slowly being replaces with cast iron stoves, but the kitchen remains our main place to visit. Our communities are growing as our children and grand-children build new homes, though some have moved on to opportunities in Upper Canada, or the Boston states.








Gaelic Nove Scotia 1880's-1920's

An Taigh-sgoil
The School House

Teachers are instructed to teach in English only. Our children are often punished for speaking Gaelic in school. We are told that their futures lie in speaking English. On special evenings, and at times of celebration, we move desks aside to dance to music, or sing at the milling table.




An Taigh-marsantachd
The General Store

Merchants have opened stores to serve our needs for staples and merchandise. Credit is commonly extended. Sometimes, we settle bills by bartering butter, eggs and knitted items. Our store houses the local post office, where we often exchange news and songs with neighbours.





A' Cheardach
The Forge

The forge is our hardware store and repair shop. Since ancient times, the smith has been an esteemed trades person in Gaelic society. Our men gather here for Gaelic conversation, as ironwork is done and horses are shod.




Am Muileann-cardaidh
The Carding Mill

Wool, and its preparation, for spinning are very important to our rural life. With the carding mill, we no longer have to card large amounts of wool by hand. Many Gaels from nearby districts bring fleeces here to be picked and carded. For centuries, spun wool has been used on our looms to weave the great cloth used in making blankets and clothing.



Taigh Tus na Ficheadamh Linn
Turn of the Century House

Five generations on, stories are still told about the first Gaels arriving in Nova Scotia. We have modern conveniences, but the cows still have to be milked and the hay made. We speak Gaelic to each other and the older generations, but not much to the children. Although well established, rural communities are often unable to sustain our large families. Many have left for work, or adventure, and some are off to the Great War.