September 30, 2012. Artemas, PA. C & O Canal.

Once upon a time, many years ago, Ken and I walked every mile  of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal., which runs from Georgetown, DC. to Cumberland, Md.   We walked it in six mile stints.  We would park the car and walk for six miles, then return back along the path back to the car.  The following Sunday, we would pick up where we left off.   If Dave and Irene were visiting us, they came along for the hike, and often seemed to walk the difficult parts.  It was a lovely walk.   Of recent years, we have paid  the old path no mind...until today.

Rita and Ian had never even seen the path or the canal so today we drove to Little Orleans to see the Potomac River and the Canal and the Little Orleans Aqueduct.   The drive from our farm is easy and we drove right down Fifteen Mile Creek Road, where we forded the creek twice before driving over to Orleans Road and down to Bill's Place and the river.  The canal is still beautiful.  Once you leave the camp ground and start walking, you never see another soul until you return.

Getting home was a different matter.  We drove home through Green Ridge State Forest.  After a thirty minute drive, we found highway 51, ending up in Cumberland..  The drive from our farm to the River took us fifteen minutes, but getting home took us ninety minutes.  But we enjoyed every minute, especially visiting our old friend, the C & O Canal.

September 29, 2012. Artemas, PA. A Day.

It was a day, just an ordinary day, but it was a wonderful day nonetheless.  Rita and I laughed about it this afternoon, the fact that we really did nothing, but we all four had a great day.  This afternoon, Ian made a fire in the fire pit.  It took awhile until the fire was big enough to burn the trash.  We three sat and gave him advice and eventually, we had a big fire and even burned all the trash along with the old mat.  It burned like a charm.

We all four watched the fun of the West Virginia/Baylor football game, but only for a few minutes.  We just found out the final score.  It sounded more like a basketball game.  Now we are watching the Texas game.  We must cheer hard for Texas.

We walked and we talked and we ate.  It was a perfectly ordinary day but it was a day to remember.

September 28, 2012. Artemas, PA. Rolling Hills Farm.

It is quite an operation, The Rolling Hills Farm.  It is as close to being self sufficient as any a farm can be,  in this day and age.  Yesterday we took Ian and Rita  to see the farm operated by Helen and Alan, along with their son Brian and his wife Tammy.   Between the four adults and five children, they run an effective operation.  Ian is a retired mining engineer, so he looks at a system and asks questions with a different perspective, which was interesting to observe.

We arrived at 5:00 and left at 7:15.   Lizzie, who is 12,  was feeding a new calf with mothers milk, and would soon feed all the calves.  Andrew, the youngest at 10, was helping his father Brian load the chopped corn into the silo.   Alan had been repairing the machine for loading the silo.  In addition to being a farmer, he is also a skilled mechanic.  Tammy was milking the cows herself.  Kelly normal helped with the milking but Kelly at 18 is in her first year at Penn. State University so they are missing her help.  Jacob, 16,  plays football so was at practice, soon to be followed by a team dinner at the coach's home.  He would need to be picked up later.   Erin, 14, was on the Volleyball team so would be brought home on a school bus.  Helen, the farmer's wife was decorating a fancy cake.  She has a cake decorating the business, which is a huge asset to the farm's income and keeps her very busy.

Those good folks are always busy.  Tammy takes vegetables from her big garden four times a week to the Farmer's Markets in Cumberland and Hagerstown.  She bakes the pies for Mike's Place Cafe in Clearville.   But yesterday, after Alan was finished his work, he sat with the four of us in the butchering shop where we had a drink together and explained  the how and why of farming in 2012.  Ian was most impressed with the level on independence.  It was interesting to see the operation through another set of eyes.

September 26, 2012. Artemas, PA. Rita and Ian.

They definitely got lost.  The GPS was taking them in an entirely different direction so after driving around for a bit seeking the Road Kill Cafe, they called me.   I knew they must be lost.  They left Pittsburgh at 9:00.  The drive should take a bit over two hours.  They called me at 1:30.  "Where are you?" I asked.  When I heard that they were at the Fairview Church, which is very close to our old farm,  I told them to stay put.  Ken and I went right over to lead them to the farm, so all was well once again.

Our afternoon was delightful.  After a cup of tea and a chat, we toured the house from top to bottom.  Next, Ken took Ian around the fields on the Gator while Rita and I went to the Jay's farm to get potatoes for dinner.   It turned out that everyone was there.  We chatted with Tammy and watched her making Gobs, all 2000 of them,  for the Fall Fair.   She moves like a whirling dervish, she moves so fast. I was intending to show Rita the butchering shop but ended up having a drink with the men.  We ate peanuts and cake too. and we talked.

When we finally came home,  we had a large bag of freshly picked beans along with a box of potatoes. So nice to have friends who are farmers.   Rita and Ian are visiting the farm for the first time and they are enjoying it.  We in turn are enjoying them.

September 25, 2012. Artemas, PA. Frances Itani.

I am very excited.  I am reading a book by a new author, Frances Itani, and she is wonderful.   I feel a fool.  She is a Canadian and already world famous and I am just now reading her first novel, Deafening.   Where have I been?   Until 2003 when Deafening was published, she was well known in literary circles in Canada for her several collections of short stories and essays, but when Deafening was published she became world famous and rich.  It couldn't happen to a better person.

It is always reassuring to find that an author has led a full life.   She is now in her 60's and is married and has grown children.   Obviously she is a smart lady, who speaks several languages and has travelled widely and lived in many places.  Her husband is an official with The International Red Cross, so they spend time in Geneva.   Ottawa has been a long time Canadian home.

Since publishing Deafening, she has written two books and is finishing up a fourth.  I wish her well with her writings and I will read everything she writes.

September 24, 2012. Artemas, PA. Conditioning.

Staying in good condition gets more difficult each year, especially if you allow yourself to get out of shape.   In the past, Ken and I walked for 10 to 12 miles at a time with no difficulty but since Ken's last surgery, he has been reluctant to do much walking.    What happens over time is that everything gets more difficult.   His problem is his lungs.  He gets very short of breath.  I prefer to walk with another person so when Ken would not walk, I also did not walk, at least, not enough.

Today for the first time since our arrival at the farm,  Ken and I went for a walk.  It was not a very long walk, but it was a walk,  so we are back on track.   We had always continued our exercises with light weights.   Several years ago, Mary M. gave us a set of exercises for those who are old, made by NIH,  and we keep weights everywhere we live, so we are diligent with that set of exercises.  The difficulty is that when you are lacking in condition, you have the tendency  to get injured, so Ken and I will regain our good level of conditioning slowly and steadily.  We will be like the turtles.  Slow and steady will win the race!!

September 23, 2012. Artemas, PA. The Door.

You just never know who will knock on your door, here at the farm.   Once an elderly lady drove up while we were sitting in the rocking chairs drinking tea.  She introduced herself and asked if we wanted to buy her 200 acres adjacent to our farm.  She assured us that Alan told her that we would be happy to buy it.  So we shook hands and and settled in three weeks.

Another time an old man came asking to rent the little house on the 200 acres.  For three weeks we said no.  Finally we went to look at the little house,  cleaned it up and finally rented it to Jim who was a tenant for eight years, until he died.

Today takes the cake.  This morning just before noon,  two men came knocking at our door, one about 50 and the other 25.  Fortunately I was dressed.  Ken was at the computer downstairs.   Greg who lives in the adjacent farm sent them here.  What they wanted was the right to trap for coyote and fox on the farm fields.  I did not even know there was a season for trapping.  From October 22 and for two weeks,  it is legal in Pennsylvania to trap and sell the pelts.  Although they live in Flintstone, they wanted permission to trap on our land.  As I know both the coyote and the fox eat the crops and the deer, we said yes, so after signing the permission form and driving them around the fields, they left very happy.  You just don't know who is coming knocking at our door, here at the farm.

September 22, 2012. Artemas, PA. One Person.

It is very impressive, watching the spirit and the numbers at the Lebanon church supper.  For years, the Lebanon church was just there like a lump, with a few old folks attending services on Sunday morning but not much additional activity for the community.  Many local folks attended the Bethel Church, up highway 26.  Then a younger man became the minister and bit by bit, the church began to grow.  He had a wife and three children and, is the custom in the country, he also was the pastor of another small church.

The church supper tonight  was a perfect example of the impact of one person.  The church supper was a huge success with good food and good spirit and good numbers.  More than five hundred people ate dinner.  The young people of the church worked hard clearing the tables while the adults remained to chat.  There were more people than I had even seen together in Artemas.  In addition, fifteen old classic cars and tractors were on display outside all owned by local people.   Many other activities take place at the Lebanon Church too.  Kate and Mary Frances attended Vacation Bible School and enjoyed it.  The church Sunday School is bursting out of their space and the church is full every Sunday morning.  The whole scene is impressive and it all came about by one man and his ideas and his hard work.

September 21, 2012. Artemas, PA. The Beautiful and Damned.

F. Scott Fitzgerald died thinking he was a failure.  He had been an alcoholic for many years and his income from the sale of his book was meager.  He was not treated well during his years in Hollywood, who apparently thought that the most important aspect of his life was his consumption of alcohol.   He wrote many many short stories for the Post and Esquire, just to pay his bills.  In their eyes he was a failed writer and he agreed with them.  in 1940 he died of a heart attack at age 44.  But by 1960, his name had not been forgotten.  Rather, the critics and the reading public realized the error of their ways.  Bit by bit, he became one of the finest writer of the 20th Century.

I have not read F. Scott Fitzgerald for many years...until now.  The Beautiful and Damned is the book I am reading now.   It was his second book and was free on my Kindle.  I down loaded it months ago.  I am astonished with the quality of the writing.  I read a lot, much written by historians or journalists.  But reading F. Scott Fitzgerald is a reminder that  fine writer is in a class apart.   His writing is succinct, colorful, pointed and interesting.  On one page, he describes the color changes a person makes from birth to old age.  It was all true.  He is a wonderful writer.  A recent article called The Great Gatsby the best American novel ever.   Pretty good for a failed writer.

September 20, 2012. Artemas, PA. Water.

You just can not function without water in a house.   Yesterday we discovered that no water was coming out of the taps in the old farm house.  To make it worse, we have never known the location of the well.  Pete the plumber came to check and hoped it merely needed a priming of the pump.  No such luck.  He thinks the footing of the pump needs replacing.   In 1997, we bought the farm from Bill and Shirley and have had no trouble with the well since then but this year was very dry and in our absence, the well might have gone dry.

Ken and Pete spend some time this morning searching for the well but to no avail.  Our only hope is Bill, but Ken recalls asking Bill and he did not recall where to find the retched well.  In truth, they purchased the farm in 1968 and the pump and the well has functioned well ever since, so no one ever needed to know the whereabouts of the well.  That is forty four years of excellent service so it is time attention was paid to the well.  Unfortunately, we can't fix what we can't find.

 No one is coming to visit and stay in the old farm house..  Good thing too.  We could always hand pump the water from the screened room and return to the 19th Century but it would not be fun.  Fortunately our home on the hill is perfect so friends will stay with us.  And we will find that well!!

September 19, 2012. Artemas, PA. Nora Ephrom

She was a very funny lady and I always enjoyed her style and competence.  But I found out today that she had died last June.  All kinds of thing happen around me of which I am oblivious.  How did this happen?  Perhaps because I never read or watch the news.

A friend sent me an essay written by her, but to be published after her death.  In her last piece, she discusses the whole ageing process.  The piece is funny and sad.  She states that no one really enjoyed being older than 60 and gives many examples why.  I disagree with her about that by the way but the essay is excellent.

She died from pneumonia but she had leukemia since 2006, but seemed to be doing well.  She was one of four daughters of screen writer parents.  All four sisters were writers.  Nora wrote or directed many movies you would remember.  Her bio was very impressive.  She always stood up for women but was not hostile or nasty.   Now she has died and at last, even I know it.

September 18, 2012. Artemas, PA. Rain.

The rain started in the middle of the night and kept on raining all day long.  Sometimes the rain came down hard, which reminded me of being in Texas.  It is still raining now, but now just drizzling.  Everyone here is delighted with the rain.  When we arrived yesterday, the creek was not running but not now.  Both the pond and the creek are full of water.

This house is a wonderful place to be on a rainy day.  The windows give you views of the rain in all directions and the metal roof makes the sounds of the rain feel as if the rain is right beside you.  I could sit in the corner, snug as a bug in a rug and both see and hear the rain almost as if right outside, except I was dry.

Today, I saw our friends the Jays.  They are happy with their season of farming.  All the barns are full of hay along with the sheds and the corn crib.  There is more hay to be cut but they have nowhere to put it.  After a day or two of sunshine, they will cut the corn and sorghum to make for silage for the cattle this winter.  But they were very happy with the almost three inches of rain today.  There is something nice about a day in the rain.

September 17, 2012. Artemas, PA. The Farm.

We have arrived at the farm and all is well.   Everything at the Hill House is working and the hills have just a hint of color on the trees.  Everything is beautiful.

Ken has ordered a new sports package to our TV viewing.   We subscribe to Dish satellite television service so we pay by the month.  When we know our firm arrival date, Ken activates our contract  on line for the next month.  On any  month, if Ken does not pay the bill, our system is turned off, so we only pay for when we are using the service.  As a gift for me,  Ken ordered this package, where we get horse racing, Spanish and Italian and English soccer, bicycle racing, plus football games both college and professional and lots of baseball.   It is amazing what you can find on TV, when you pay the ten dollars extra each month.  I think I am in heaven.

Ken is responding to my frequent complaints in Nova Scotia, where we have the most basic program, because we pay for many months although we are not there to us the system.  He did promise that next year, we will sign up for a better system.  But for now, I have everything I need for my television viewing, here at the farm.  What a surprise.

September 16, 2012. Pine Grove, PA. The Journey.

The journey has been pleasant.  This trip we are doing it differently.  We are driving four or fine hours a day.  To enforce our decision, we booked our motels ahead, so we would be forced to stop driving when we arrive at our prepaid motel.  Many times, we have decided to take it easy on the journey but we always ended up driving seven or eight hours a day.  But not this trip.  We forced ourselves to make the journey just as important as arriving.

The drive through western New York and Pennsylvania is lovely, with long hills up and down and forests every where you look.   We have stopped for the night in a tiny town with a new motel, right across from a fancy Diner.  Real country cooking.  In true Sunday fashion, we ate our main meal early in the day.   Both of us brought a carry out box of left overs, which we will pick at this evening, as we watch football games.

Tomorrow we will arrive at our lovely farm, arriving by noon.  I hope all will be well.

September 15, 2012. Great Barrington, MA. Touristing.

The Normal Rockwell Museum is certainly worth a visit.  It is even worth the price of admission!  His works are everywhere, including everyone that appeared on the front of the Post.  Most of his larger paintings I had never seen so it was wonderful to see all these originals, right in front of your eyes.  He was a wonderful painter as well as an excellent illustrator.  In addition, his studio in Stockbridge had been brought to the Museum grounds so we were able to view it too.  It is fascinating to hear and see how creative people work.  He painted every day year round which was why he was so productive.

His painting of the cityscape of Stockbridge was my favorite.  He lived there for many years and loved it too.

Between Great Barrington and Stockbridge, a tourist could be kept busy all day for a week or more.  We selected The Red Lion Inn for a very late lunch, an inn that has been in business since 1756.  The charming old inn served great food but the hit of the visit for me was their collection of teapots.  Hundreds of teapots were on display on high shelves, teapots both large and small.

The weather is wonderful with cool temperatures and sunny skies.  Huge houses everywhere.  Tomorrow we will leave.  The farm is calling us.

September 14, 2012. Great Barrington, Mass. Sweet Chili Thai.

The restaurant in Augusta was wonderful. But you needed to know about it.  You certainly wouldn't just stumble upon it when driving down the road, unless you were getting on an airplane.    Sweet Chili Thai is attached to the tiny airport, hidden right at the end of airport Road.    We ate an early dinner, as we had not eaten lunch on the road, but when we arrived, there were already three full tables and when we left at 6:30, the restaurant was almost full.  In addition, a steady number of customers were coming and going taking out carry out dinner.  Clearly, the good people in Augusta know about this fine restaurant.

How does this happen, that a fine restaurant in a small city, is being run by a family from Thailand?  How did they get there?  And how did they manage to run the only restaurant at the airport?    Now there are only two flights a day in and out of this tiny place, but still,  it is unusual for one of two excellent restaurants in Augusta is at the airport?  We were delighted with our dinner, both the food and the service.  Some times you just get lucky.

September 13, 2012. Augusta, Maine. Moncton.

I know nothing about Moncton.  I know no history, either political or economic.   We left at nine o'clock this morning after arriving yesterday afternoon at two.  I am definitely not an expert.  But I do know a few things.  First observation is that the people are friendly.   Every person we passed on our walk looked at us and said hello.  And these people like to eat.  The downtown area is full of restaurants.  Ken found four good restaurants on the Internet and we found several more when driving around downtown.

We spotted several major construction projects under way too, both in the town center and also out by the restaurant outside of town.   What is fueling this construction I wonder?  Our hotel itself was new too and lovely.

I do know some things though.  The city is on a river leading to the Bay of Fundy.  Even though thirty miles from the Bay, the tide still impacts the river.  It is quite a sight to watch the river reverse it's flow.  And Moncton is not the capital of New Brunswick.   Although Canada has both French and English as national languages, Moncton is the only truly bi-lingual city.  In other words, every one can speak both English and French.  Nifty huh!!

September 12, 2012. Moncton, NB. Travelling.

This is a great way to travel.  We drove for four and one half hours today and at 1:30 checked into our pre-arranged motel.   After a shower, we both took a nap.  Ken had already listed the four best restaurants in Moncton so while Ken was checking into the motel, I booked us for an early dinner.   Because we missed the restaurant, we drove all around the very attractive downtown area.  After parking we walked along the boardwalk, which runs right beside the river for a distance of many miles.  It was busy with local folks walking and biking.  The river is a tidal river that fills and empties from the Bay of Fundy.

Dinner was delicious and as we were the only customers in the restaurant, the service was superb too.  By the time we were leaving at 6:30, the place was filling up.   So here we are, staying in a new city, with the rest of the evening to read.  

Moncton seems to be a busy place.  We have seen several buildings under construction and the down town area is delightful.  Restaurants can be found all over town.   We enjoyed the travel today and our system seems to agree with us.    Everything in our garden is rosy...at least for today.

September 11, 2012. Western Head, NS. The Last Fire.

The evening was perfect for one last fire down by the shore.  We got lucky.  Ken wanted to burn the last of our papers and trash.  This morning, the wind was too strong but by late afternoon all elements agrees to a go for the fire.

The tide was very high and the surf was still strong, so sitting down by the water on the rocks made it seem like you were almost in the water.  Normally we sit on the back of the grass on a deck but all the chairs had been stored so we are forced to sit on the rocks.   With our backs to the sea facing the fire, the sound of the sea was overpowering.  Not having chairs turned out to be a good thing.

We did not linger long.  Once the job was done we came indoors.  Even though the evening was beautiful, it had also becoming chilly.  The setting was beautiful and we enjoyed our last fire of 2012 at Western Head.

September 10, 2012. Western Head, NS. Moving On.

Tomorrow we will put away the deck furniture and the barbecue grill.  And we will pack the truck with our limited belongings.   Normally, we leave the trash for Jackie but tomorrow Ken will make a fire and burn our paper and cardboard along with the trash.  The recycle stuff we will leave with Mary and Walt.  Then on Wednesday we will hit the road.

There is something exciting about going to new places.  On our way to the farm, we will stay for a few days in the Berkshires, an area new to us.  Our destination is a time share in Great Barrington.  We have been told that there are several art galleries close by so we are excited to get going.  Even though we love living here on the shore, we are ready to shut it all down and hit the road.   By this time tomorrow evening, everything will be ready but first I must do the sheets and a final laundry.  And we will eat the last of our food.  But first we will have a hot tub tonight.

September 9, 2012. Western Head, NS. Dinners.

For two evenings in a row, we have eaten dinner with friends in their own homes.    Talk about lucky.   Mary is an excellent cook and she regularly invites Ken and me for dinner but Saturday night, she invited three other friends too, friends we had not seen this summer.   The evening was a delight with excellent food and lively conversation although for one ten minute time period at dinner I wondered how long the two other ladies would discuss dog feed.

Then tonight Sandra and Bob invited us for dinner.  Another friend Barbara was there too.  Liverpool people are very gracious.  We met Bob and Sandra the first year we moved here. They were very welcoming and introduced us to many other local folks.  They are still good friends and the evening was a delight.   It seems that Bob will get medical results on Wednesday.  When we saw him last week he looked gray.  I hope all is well.

You can't beat home cooking in the homes of friends, , at least in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

September 8, 2012. Western Head, NS. The Good Old Days.

I prefer today.  Often, people will complain about the hectic life led today, but for me, I like things today, especially in the field of communications.   I enjoy communicating with my friends and relatives and I appreciated receiving immediate responses to my questions.   Fifty years ago, I wrote letters to my Mother and my friends,  but I much prefer the e mails.   And I love the cell phones too.  We have only one land line and that is here in Nova Scotia, and that is in deference to our friends.  

Both Ken and I would be dead without modern medicine.  We are both alive and well due to technical and medical improvements.  I am not interested in going back to the good old days of medical expertise .

For the past few days, I have benefited by today's technology.  Ken's cousin Richard lives in Calgary.  We visited him and his wife and three children several years ago.   Now Jordan, the number one child,  is attending Dalhousie University in Halifax.  It has been a pleasure for me to reconnect with Richard, even though we can not be much help to Jordan.  I have enjoyed chatting and catching up with their family.

And finally, in the modern world, we are able to live our vagabond lifestyle.  Without the Internet, life would be difficult for us.  But with the technology of today, Ken and I are good to go.  I like today.

September 7, 2012. Western Head, NS. Closing Up.

Today, Ken and I closed up the cottage.   It has been a wonderful summer at the cottage but now it is time to put it to bed.   I stripped the bed and brought the towels to be laundered.  The refrigerator and pantry are now empty.   Ken and I drove out to the cottage yesterday  after breakfast.  The weather was overcast and windy so we did nothing except stay inside the cottage and read.   I was hoping to sit by the water.  Instead we sat indoors, enjoying the cosy little cottage.

Actually, we don't close up the cottage all by ourselves.   Vinal and Billie and their wives spend a couple of days bringing in the dock and fishing.  Billie and Bunny bring their trailer.   When they are finished, they also put away the furniture, both down by the dock and on the deck.  Then, Vinal calls Robbie the plumber to come and shut down all the water.   By mid October, the cottage really will be shut down for the season.  Between Ken and me, along with our friends,  the cottage will once again wait for spring.

September 5, 2012. Western Head, NS. A Storm.

It is worth living here, just to hear the sound of the sea during a storm.  Actually, we are not having a storm, just the remains of one from Ontario, plus storm Leslie who is in the Atlantic Ocean just by Bermuda.  So right now at Western Head, we have lots of rain plus the heavy seas.  It is very exciting and a good day to be home, safe and sound.

It is the sound of the waves that you can hear all over the house.  If you had a husband or a son out at sea, that sound could drive you crazy, it is so loud.  The waves crash into the shore, one after another.   They just never stop, each louder than the last.

The storm Leslie is supposed to keep coming north and will affect us next week, perhaps on Monday.  Today, the sea is wild but next week it will get worse.  It is worth living here on Western Head, just to watch and hear the storms.

September 4, 2012. Western Head, NS. Surfing.

Before we moved here, I had never thought of Nova Scotia as a center for surfing, let alone Western Head.    Right now with a storm in the Atlantic Ocean heading for Bermuda, Gull Bay,  right in front of our home,  will be surfing central.   For the first time this summer,  the surf came up this afternoon.  Surfers got the message and tonight at dusk several cars of surfers were out in force, measuring the waves and checking it out.  Now it is dark and the sea is noisy but I bet some surfers are out surfing in the dark, even though it is dangerous.

For sure, when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will see the small black clad figures out in the bay, trying to catch a wave.   One of our Doctors is a surfer, so when surf is up, appointments are rescheduled.   For those who must go to work, the surfers start early before work, then return in the late afternoon.  This is the first time since May the surfers have been able to play.

People actually move to this area, just to be able to surf.  It is best for them in the winter so they pull on their dry suits and head out to sea to surf.  It is fun watching them.  Now the fun begins at Gull Bay.

September 3, 2012. Western Head, NS. The Last Supper.

Tomorrow, Gill,  Mary and Clif leave for home, so Sunday night we ate dinner together at our house, so we could all say a proper goodbye.  Mary and Walt came too.    The food was good and the conversation lively so everyone enjoyed the evening.   But when it was time to say goodbye, Gill refused, but instead said that we must meet for tea this afternoon to say a final goodbye, again at our house.

Our summer 2012 has been fantastic.  The weather has been magnificent.   Now it has been dry.  The lake is low and people are fearful of their wells, but the sun shines every day and the sky is always blue, which in Nova Scotia is unusual.   Perhaps that is why we are reluctant to see the end of the summer.

This afternoon, around our kitchen table,  we bid a fond and final farewell.  Gill is ready to be back to work and Mary and Clif are returning to Delaware and a construction project.   Soon Ken and I will begin our journey to the south, first to the farm, then on to Mississippi and Texas.  We expect to meet again next June, 2013,  when we will enjoy each others company again.  God willing and if the creek does not rise.  No telling what is around the corner at our age.

September 2, 2012. Western Head, NS. Autumn.

Yesterday, it felt like autumn.   The morning was chilly as was the wind.  There is no way to know, because I already knew the date,   but the day began as if autumn had arrived, which of course it did, as yesterday was the first day of September.   I have always felt that Labor Day weekend was the end of the summer and the beginning of the Fall.  For me, school always started after Labor Day, but in Texas and Mississippi, school begins in mid August so summer holidays are over early.

Yesterday at the cottage, the strong wind kept me out of the water.   When we arrived at the cottage on Thursday, we ate inside the cottage because it was cooler.  I spent the afternoon swimming and reading down by the dock.  Yesterday, on Friday, we ate dinner in the cottage again, because it was warmer inside.  I wore my bathing suit all day, expecting the wind to cease blowing  so I could be comfortable getting out of the water without feeling like I was freezing.  Finally, I gave up and changed clothes.

The day was lovely, but not a hot summer day.   Autumn had arrived.