August 31, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. September.

September in Nova Scotia if a hidden gem.  Many folks leave at the end of August but they often miss the best weather.   Today, the air was chilly so I knew the autumn weather will soon be here but the sun shines more in September than any month of the year.  We always look forward to September.  This year, all our Gull Bay Group will be here through most of the month which is unusual.  Last year we left on Labor Day  but this year we will be here until October 4 so we will enjoy the start of the Fall season.

We are hoping that the seas will rise.  If hurricanes come north into the North Atlantic we often get big seas even if we have no storms coming ashore.   This summer has been especially warm and sunny so perhaps we will have more rain then normal in September.  We certainly need rain, something I have never said before in Nova Scotia.    We have needed neither raincoat nor boots all summer.   Ken and I are looking forward to spending September in Nova Scotia.  We think that here  is the best month of the year.

August 30, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Another Treasure.

This morning, Gloria, Gary and I visited Bernard Bowles, our artist friend from Hunt's Point.   Visiting with him is always a pleasure.  His zest for his activities is enormous.   He is another hidden treasure.  This is the first time Gloria and Gary have met Bernie.  They had seen his work in our house both here and in Mississippi but they had neither met him nor seen his home.  

The home itself is a marvel with each room painted a deep and different color.  The living room is bright red, the kitchen orange, his studio lime green and the front room deep yellow.  From the kitchen ceiling you will see many bight objects he makes from tin cans.  There must be 500.  When the sun shines his kitchen just sparkles.  The living room ceiling is full of hanging seagulls, each with their own personality.  Of course, on the walls are his art, and Toni's art too.  The house is a marvel.

Recently he has not been painting.  He has been busy with his crafts.  The pigs are new.  There must be ten scattered around his house.  And he has recently been making note cards.  There are 100 or more sitting out drying.  His crafts are not for sale but he will sell his paintings.  Gloria bought a Toni painting that is quite charming.   His energy and enthusiasm for his work is never ending.   And he is also an excellent painter.  Bernard is another of those hidden treasures of living in Liverpool

August 29, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Walking.

I like to walk with a friend.  Ken and I walked long distances together but he only likes to walk if we are going somewhere.  He does not like to walk the same route time after time just to get some exercise.  He does walk up and down our driveway with his walker but he never ventures out on the road.  I am a bit nervous walking on the road by myself so I limit my walking around the house.  Once I walked to the Mitchells home and that was OK but I have not repeated the activity and I am not sure why not.

When I go to the grocery store I walk up and down every isle.  I do the same in the drug store.  And I walk outside on the deck.  But I know I should be walking more than I do.  The problem of course is my legs.  If I walk too far my legs ache.  If I do not walk enough my legs ache.  If I do not walk at all other than around the house my legs feel better, but only for a few days.  Then they get worse.   I am hoping that when Rita is here she will walk with me.   The problem is that she can walk much faster than me so she will need to slow down.  I keep thinking that I will take more walks but so far I have not done them.  I wonder why?

August 28, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Liverpool Treasures.

White Point Resort is surely one of the treasures we enjoy in Liverpool.  Today, Gloria, Gary, Ken and I went there for lunch.    The place was buzzing with children and adults swimming in the ocean and the pool as well as walking and playing on the beach.   This was the first visit to White Point this year and we were delighted to see the place looking happy.  The staff were friendly and efficient and the food was excellent.  After the fire, the rebuilt lodge has the same ambiance as the old but now  is brighter and modern.  The big fireplaces are still there.  We four did what everyone else does at the lodge: we had our picture taken in front of the fireplace.

Prior to lunch, we four visited another Liverpool treasure, which is the Sculpture Gardens behind Cosby's Nursery.   I had not been there for two years so this visit presented me with many new sculptures.  Ivan has made every sculpture.  And he installs them in the woods.  As you wander along the many paths, you come upon the most magnificent sculptures.  One dragon is huge.  Ivan told us it weighs several tons.   Today for the first time I saw three huge turtles on top of a hill.  The whole scene is astonishing.   In the center is a small hut,  made of wood.  On the top is a small boy sitting cross legged, overlooking the whole scene.   As is normal, no one else was there to see all the wonderful pieces.  My favorite is still the five dancers, arranged against the blue sky, looking at any time as if the could begin dancing.   I feel honored to be able to view these sculptures.  They are a treasure to Liverpool even though most people have never seen them.

We still hope to have Ivan make a piece for our place.   Gloria suggested a child holding a kite.  Or maybe a seal or two.   His work is wonderful.  He does it all for himself.  He just likes them.   And so do I.

August 27, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Steven Hanley.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.    Steven looks after our truck.  He is an auto mechanic and a good one.  Our truck is not new but Steven keeps it running like a top.  We have been dealing with him for 16 years and by now we know his good qualities.  He and I have had several conversations about retiring and cutting down the hours worked, as you get older.  Now he quits at 4:00 every day.  Every other weekend with his wife they take a long weekend in his big RV and leave for Kenji on Friday morning and returns Monday afternoon.   We are not social friends but we are friends.

My accident occurred right in front of his home and shop.  He did everything to be helpful to me.  He drove the truck and me to his yard and he sat me down in his office with a table by my side so I can make the calls.  He went and asked the man who hit me to come and give me his information and asked the police to do the same.  When all the paperwork was done and phone calls completed, he called the Mitchells to come and pick me up.  In other words, he looked after me because I was a friend in need.   I have always known him to be a gentle, kindly soul.  This time I saw him in action, helping me in every way possible.   I was fortunate with the location of the accident.  Some days you just get lucky.

August 26, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Accident.

Sitting in our driveway is a new Chevrolet truck.  The owner of the truck is Enterprise Car Rental.  We are allowed to drive it while the insurance company will make a determination as to how much the repair to our truck will cost.  I feel as if we have just done all this with the Escape in Mississippi.  Now we get to do it all again, but now in Nova Scotia.   Things worked out well with the Escape so we hope we will have the same good fortune here.

Wednesday afternoon I was driving to the grocery store on Shore Road.  My intention was to stop on the way to say hello to Walt and Mary, but I never got there.   A man backed into the road from his driveway and hit the front right of the truck.  He was backing up very fast because the sound brought our mechanic out to see what had happened.  I was directly in front of his house and shop.  From then on, the paper shufflers take over.  I called our insurance company.  The police were called and took statements.  The insurance company arranged for the rental.  Mary Mitchell came to drive me home.  The next morning, Enterprise brought us the truck.

I was not injured.  Our truck is big and heavy.   When I got home, I called Mary Mac. to see if she might be going to the grocery store and she was just leaving with Walt, so she picked me up and I was able to shop.   When we returned from shopping, Walt came in and had a short visit with Ken so something good came from the accident.  Ken was not aware of the accident until we came home from the grocery store.  Now the process is beginning.

August 25, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Gloria and Gary.

We have not seen Gloria and Gary since our 55th anniversary in Texas.  It is nice they are visiting us now in Nova Scotia.   On Wednesday,  I went to open windows in the Guest House as the days have been hot and I thought it would be stuffy.   During the night, a front came through.  This morning, the wind was high and the air was chilly so when I took them over to the Guest House after lunch, the room was downright cold.   Being polite, they assured me that after the 100 degrees they had experienced in Bethesda, they were ready for some cold air.  I think I should have closed the window this morning.

So far, all we have done is talk and eat.  I ordered the caterers again.   Both Gloria and I will enjoy not cooking.   After they arrived and ate lunch, we talked.  And we all took a nap.  The weather was blustery but the sun was strong so we drank a glass sitting on the deck enjoying the rough seas.  You can see white caps out as far as you can see.  The Ely's came by to say hello while we were on the deck.

Gloria and Gary approve of the Guest House.   They think they will be comfortable staying there for the week.  Tomorrow, they will stick around Liverpool.  Perhaps we will all go out to lunch.  Anyway, we are delighted they came to visit.   I am always surprised how many friends tell us they are coming to visit us in Nova Scotia but then never make a plan to come.  But Gloria and Gary made a plan and they are here.   We are happy.

August 24, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Internet.

The whole day went according to plan, until the time came for me to write my wee web log.  Then nothing would work.

Betty and Vinal came to the cottage mid morning.  Betty cooked fresh haddock for lunch along with the rice pilaf she had made.   It was a beautiful day sitting on the deck eating such good food.  Cup cakes for dessert.   They had purchased a Ford Escape so we were keen to inspect it.  We are hoping to replace our truck and one option is an Escape.  We enjoyed their visit but we both took a nap before organizing for home and we were late leaving.

Gill has three house guests and they were coming to dinner at 6:00.   Fortunately they are very understanding people because when they arrived, the dinner was still frozen solid.  But I had set the table and set out the wine so we sat on the deck enjoying the beautiful evening while the dinner thawed and heated.  The guests eat only vegetables so we ate the vegetable stir fried dish made by The River Band.   Great evening with Gill's friends.  The three ladies went to college with Gill, many years ago.

By the time I was ready to sit at the computer, the server would not connect to the internet.  Ken tried to figure things out, all to no avail so we went to sleep, thinking the service would be restored by morning.  But no luck.  I called East Link and they assured me that their technical problem was being rectified, but not soon enough.  I had plans for an expedition with Mary and Clif this morning.  By noon, service to the Internet was restored but this is the first time I have been able to sit at the computer.  Being without the Internet is not easy but it does keep us humble.

August 22, 2016. Pleasant field, Nova Scoria. Ancestors.

Ken has been spending lots of time and energy investigating his ancestors on the Internet.   Every so often, he spends time digging into hs family tree.    He sets it aside but eventually gets back to the digging.   So far he has gotten back to the 16th century.   It is great fun.   When we married, he told me that both his parents families came from Sxotland and Ireland but it turns out that they are a hodgepodge.   He has ancestors from England and Holland in addition to Scotland and Ireland.    And his ancestors arrived in North America very early.

Hs 4th grandfather was a ships captain who lived in Casteen, Maine.   Another was a draft dodger, avoiding the Civil War by living in Ontario.   It is fascinating stuff.

Ken has been also looking up my family, but the Buxkleys and Houghtons are difficult became they arrived in Canada in the early 20rh Century.    The web sites for England are not as good.   He has looked for Bowlers and Swallows but we can not determine what family is mine.   I know my grandfathers name was Walter Houghton but I do not know his middle name.    My Granmother Houghton was a Bowler but I do not even know my great grandmothers first name, let alone her maiden name.   I need my Mother or my Aunt Miriam to straighten me out.

But we are having a great time here at the cottage all by ourselves.   Except Ken keeps giving me interesting tidbits from his family tree so we are really visiting with all those folks that have gone before us.   Great sport.

August 21, 2016. . Pleasant field, Nova Scoria. The Cottage.

Our  cottage is charming.   Tiny too.   The big question of the evening is whether or not I will be able to sleep in the double bed.    Our plan is to come to the cottage this morning and stay until Tuesday after lunch.   I brought enough food.  But tomorrow the forecast is for rain all day, starting in the middle of the night.

Today the weather was perfect but we never made it down to the water.   All afternoon we read or slept.   I think I was catching up after my late nights watching the Olympics.    Now we will rest.

This place is unbelievably quiet.   No boats.   No neighbors.  No noise.   No people.

People often ask us why we ever leave the shore as our ocean home has such a beautiful setting.    We wonder ourselves.    But I have always enjoyed swimming and the lake water is pleasant and Ken was good with the conoe.  But Ken is not sure he can get out of a canoe and I am not sure about getting out of the water either.    The grandchildren enjoy the kayaks and conoes too along with the raft.    I like to sit and wait for the sound of the loons.   I will listen for it tonight.  And that is why we come to the cottage even though most people think we are nuts.   We like our little cottage.  

August 21, 2016. . Pleasant field, Nova Scoria. The Cottage.

Our  cottage is charming.   Tiny too.   The big question of the evening is whether or not I will be able to sleep in the double bed.    Our plan is to come to the cottage this morning and stay until Tuesday after lunch.   I brought enough food.  But tomorrow the forecast is for rain all day, starting in the middle of the night.

Today the weather was perfect but we never made it down to the water.   All afternoon we read or slept.   I think I was catching up after my late nights watching the Olympics.    Now we will rest.

This place is unbelievably quiet.   No boats.   No neighbors.  No noise.   No people.

People often ask us why we ever leave the shore as our ocean home has such a beautiful setting.    We wonder ourselves.    But I have always enjoyed swimming and the lake water is pleasant and Ken was good with the conoe.  But Ken is not sure he can get out of a canoe and I am not sure about getting out of the water either.    The grandchildren enjoy the kayaks and conoes too along with the raft.    I like to sit and wait for the sound of the loons.   I will listen for it tonight.  And that is why we come to the cottage even though most people think we are nuts.   We like our little cottage.  

August 20, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Calvin Trillin.

Tonight Calvin Trillin was the guest author at the Port Medway Readers' Festival.  The place was packed.  The tickets are always all sold but tonight there was a waiting list with people arriving hoping that some folks would not show up by the time the event begins at 7:00.   He has been writing essays and stories  for The New Yorker since 1962 so he was well known to both the locals and to the summer people from the US.  

The event was advertised as  readings from his latest book,  "Jackson, 1964,"  a collection of his essays about race in America over the years.   He was born in Kansas City and has lived in New York city for many years.  His connection with Nova Scotia is Port Medway.  He and his family bought a house and have spent every summer in Port Medway since 1975 so he is almost a local.

He decided not to read from his essays on race.  Instead he read pieces about Canada, some specifically Port Medway.  He is a very funny fellow and I enjoyed his readings.   He is clever too.  Those pieces can be found in his book "Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin."    Fortunately, we were sitting close to the front because Calvin speaks softly.  Even when asked to speak up,  which he did for a few minutes, he quickly resorted to speaking in a low voice.  Anyone who was hard of hearing would have had difficulty hearing him.  Even though the meeting room is small, he definitely needed a microphone.

Once again, the evening was delightful.  Peter drove Mary, Shirley and me.  And the food served at the firehall was delicious.   Now I will read what he had to say about race in America in his essays because I bought his book.  But I am somewhat apprehensive  as he is a Democrat, a Liberal and lives in New York City.   But he made great sport in his writing of the rules and instructions for trash collection so he can not be all bad.  His newest book to be published in a month is poems for children.  As I said before, he is a funny, clever fellow,  and I enjoyed the hour with him.

August 19, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Birthday Boy.

Today is Ken's birthday.  He turned 80.  Normally, he does not enjoy celebrating his birthday but this year he liked it.   Maybe not having a party pleased him but I think he likes the idea of being 80.   When we married in 1958, Ken had a life expectancy of 42 so he has beaten the odds.  Today in conversation with son David Ken suggested he might aim for 100.   His longevity is not accidental.  Modern antibiotics have been important as was moving to a warmer climate.  And he carefully monitors his body.   Getting old with all the trials that come with the process has been easier for Ken because he has had poor health all his life.  But here he is at 80, still walking and talking.

These two days of celebration have been quietly splendid.  Last evening, our Gull Bay Group came for a birthday dinner.  We 7 ate a delicious saimon dinner cooked by the River Bank.  And they baked butter tarts for his birthday dessert, Ken's favorite.  Tonight, Mary and Walt brought dinner, pasta with clam sauce.  For dessert, we ate Christina's gift to Ken, the most wonderful chocolate cake baked by Christina.  We celebrated his birthday while they were here but I froze the rest until the real birthday, so we ate a piece tonight.

Perhaps the celebration was sweeter this year celebrating with Walt.  Also I was not doing so well last year either.  This year, Ken was happy to celebrate for the two days quietly at home with our good friends.  Turning 80 was a good thing for Ken.

August 18, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Porcupines.

We see them all the time munching along in the grass.   I like them, but I don't have a dog.  Once a dog attacks a porcupine and ends up with a nose and mouth full of quills, the trip to the Vet will be expensive.   A smart dog learns to stay well away from a porcupine.

The other evening, Karen drove me home from Gills.  As she pulled into the parking area,  we spotted something under the picnic table that looked like a pile of rags.  But I do not keep old rags hanging around outside, so Karen drove closer to get a better view.  Then the rags moved.  A porcupine and a baby had been just sitting under the table.  When we disturbed them, they wadled off into the rose bushes.

They move quite slowly, unless they are alarmed.  When threatened, they turn around very quickly with their sharp quills ready to attack  Their quills are light in color while the rest of them are brown. I walked up the driveway yesterday to see a small one munching the grass behind the sitting lawnmower Ken uses for getting around.  From a distance, I could not understand why Ken would have put something right behind the wheel.  I watched the porcupine for ages.  They have poor vision.  While I stayed quiet and still he continues to eat away.  They do cut the bark from the spruce trees.  Often they will eat a ring around the tree, which results in one dead tree.  But the rest of the time they seem to do no harm.  In fact they help to cut the grass.  

August 17, 2016. Western Had, Nova Scotia. The Rains.

For the past several weeks, every day the  weather report showed rain.  Some times we would have a bit of a drizzle but ever since we have arrived here we have had no substantial amount of rain.  Ken would track the rain clouds on his phone and every day the rains were pushed back on land or further north.  Some places in Nova Scotia got rain, but not in Queen's County.

Last evening, Ken reported that we would have rain by midnight but when Ken checked before we went to bed, the forecast now showed we were to have rain at 2:00.  We turned out our lights at 12:30 with little hope the rain would actually fall.   but something wonderful happened.  At 2:00 it started to rain and it kept raining until almost noon.  Sometimes the rain fell hard and at other times we could hear the gentle rain that is the best kind.  By morning, the waves were rolling in and the winds were blowing.

The whole of Nova Scotia received rain so the forest fires are now out and the air advisory has been lifted.  The smoke in the air has been removed.  We can now visit the cottage.  The healing rains have arrived.

August 16, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Our Pond.

Our pond is small but it is a great source of pleasure.  This morning I went out to feed the fish.  I had been neglecting them.  When Mary Frances was here, she fed them every day so trained them to come to the surface immediately when she droppped the fish food in the water.   We liked to watch them come and gobble up the food.   Since she left, I have forgetting the fish.   A couple of weeks ago when Gill's granddaughter was here, we went out to let Sierra feed the fish, but the fish did not come to eat because I did not continue the training.  Sierra never did get to see the fish.

Today, after a few minutes, the fish came up to eat so I could see them.   But what I saw a lot of were frogs.  When I first went out, I heard splashing.  I could not see any fish so assumed frogs had jumped into the water when I appeared.   I heard the frogs but did not see them.  They are quicker than my eyes.  After feeding the fish, I moved the pond furniture.  That was when I both saw and heard lots of frogs, all jumping into the water to get away from me.   I must have heard or seen 15 splashes into the water.  

After sitting beside the pond admiring the lilies and the fish, I saw a big frog climb out of the water.  He was not more than a foot away from me.  He clambered onto a rock and looked at me long and hard.  I stayed still.  After looking at me for ages, he must have decided that I was a piece of furniture so he clambered under a bush and disappeared.  Although he was right beside me, I was never able to see him again.  Those frogs can hide in plain view and we never see them until they move.  Clever creatures, all living cheerfully around our charming little pond.  As we clearly have more frogs than fish I guess we should call it our frog pond!!.  Whatever the name, the pond brings me great pleasure.

August 15, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Olympics.

This is the first time in my life that I have been able to watch as much Olympics as I wished on TV.  We have no house guests and no children visiting us.  I am not working nor am I involved in regular activities, so I am able to watch TV all day and all evening.   Ken thinks I am nuts.   I am sure it is not good for me be sitting so much but I am enjoying the competition.

Watching the Rugby 7 final between Britain and Fiji was lots of fun.  I had never heard of Rugby7 until this Olympics but I enjoyed watching a bit of some games.   Early on, I saw the Fiji 7 team trounce the New Zealand All Blacks and sure enough, the Fiji team went on to win the gold, which was the only medal ever won by Fiji for all time.  All shops shut down in Fiji during the game.

Of course, I switch channels all the time.  Fortunately we have multiple channels so I never watch a commercial and I never watch a whole game.  I switch around, keeping track of lots of contests.  Today I even saw field hockey and fencing and badminton.  It certainly was not the same badminton I played in high school.

But I must admit that I am almost at the end of my sitting.  Even a good thing can be too much.

Gills Folly is underway

Sarah goes to school Un of Texas in Austin

August 14, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Freezer.

Ken and I are eating on the food from the freezer.   When we arrived, we had arranged for the caterers to bring us dinner every night.  This lasted until we had no company, which took three weeks.  Every night, Christina would carefully put the leftover food in plastic bags and put them into the chest freezer.  Each bag was well marked.  The problem is that things are one on top of the other so I do not  know where the meat was placed or where the vegetables could be found.

My solution is to take the top bag and eat whatever that it might be, so the other night we ate roasted potatoes and cowboy beans.   It actually tasted pretty good.   There is enough food in the freezer to last us until we leave in October.  The caterer always brings extra food.   I will not need to buy groceries except for milk, bread and fruit.    We have been by ourselves for almost two weeks and we have not made a dent in the freezer.  It is loaded with food.  I am having fun digging around finding stuff.  I have just removed frozen stuffed chicken and scalloped potatoes for tomorrow's dinner.  A full freezer is a good thing.

August 13, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Time Marches On.

Last year at this time,  our number 1 granddaughter Kate entered College, selecting Mississippi College for her university education.   When her Mother and Kate arrived to move her belongings into her dorm, the players on the football were there to welcome the incoming freshmen and to help carry their boxes into their dorm.  This was a very nice gesture and a big help to Kate and Christina.

Now number 2 granddaughter is entering University.  Sarah has selected The University of Texas and tomorrow she will take her belongings and move into her room, which is just off campus in a private dormitory.   I wish I could be part of the process because the whole family will be taking Sarah to College.  Abigail, Allison and Samantha want to see Sarah's dorm room and Sarah is happy to have them come and help,  so tomorrow, using two vehicles and all of Sarah's boxes,  David and Suzanne and the whole family will accompany Sarah to school.    I wish I was a fly on the wall.  They will have a great time leaving Sarah at university.

Time will continue to march on because next year Abigail will begin college and Mary Frances the year later.  Then after one year break, Allison and Samantha will start their University careers.   But we must wait 9 years for Molly.  Goodness.  I will be 87.  Time does march on in it's own wonderful way.

August 12, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Fog.

Every day begins the same way.  When I look out my bedroom window,  I see only fog.  I can not even see the ocean, even though I can hear it.  Usually we have fog in June and early July but right now we have fog in the morning.  Wendy is happy to see the fog.  She feels that the fog provides an additional element of mystery to life, which of course is true because you can not see anything.  I like the fog too, especially when the sun burns off the fog by noon.  By 9:00 in the evening, the fog comes in again.  You can watch it coming from the sea.   Well out at sea, you can see the fog bank just sitting on the horizon.  As the evening cools, in comes the fog and blows right past the house.  Soon we can not even see Gill's house across the bay.

Last night we wanted to see the meteor showers but we were doomed.  First the sky was cloudy but soon the fog was so thick you could not see anything, let alone the stars and the heavens.  Evidently the very hot daytime temperatures along with the cool nights are creating the fog.  But even though I can not see the ocean, I can still hear the waves.  The fog is not totally altered our lives.

August 11, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Visits.

One of the pleasures of living in Nova Scotia is that people stop by to say hello.  Today, our friends Betty and Vinal were in town and came out for a visit.  We spent a happy hour sitting at the kitchen table  drinking a cup of tea.  We talked about all sorts of things, from forest fires to travel plans.  Then they took their groceries home.  We were happy to see them.

Later Gill stopped to say hello.  She volunteers at the horse farm every Thursday and she came for a visit on her way home.  We watched the Olympics together for 30 minutes and we made plans to walk the main street tomorrow.   She will pick me up at 10:00 for our expedition.   My goal is to visit the new dress store in town.  Well, it was new three years ago but I haven't purchases a thing...yet, so Gill and I will explore their offerings.

And on Wednesday morning , Cliffie came to chat, and to tell us how much he and Mary have been enjoying staying in the Guest House.  Again, the visit was short, about 30 minutes, but it was pleasant.  We enjoy these impromptu visits and will miss them when we leave.

August 10, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Heather and Ross.

Late this morning I had a phone call from Heather.  "If you are going to be home for ten minutes,  we have something to bring you," said Heather.   I know she is a good baker so I certainly was willing to be at home until they arrived even though I was just getting organized to go to the grocery store.  Heather and Ross live in Milton but we know them from the cottage.  They have a large cottage just across the street from us at the cottage but they are not on the water.  The public beach is four lots along the shore which they have used through the years but we have encouraged them to use our beach and dock when their grandchildren come to visit, whether or not we are there.   They appreciate the privacy and quiet of our place.  We on the other hand, are pleased that people use the lovely little spot.

Sure enough, in a short time, they arrived at our home.  Heather had baked a strawberry/rhubarb pie just for us.  It was still piping hot straight out of the oven when she brought it into our kitchen.  They loved the view from our house but would not stay and after five minutes they were gone.  They had not driven out our driveway before I ate a piece of the hot pie.  It was delicious.  I had told Heather once that strawberry/rhubarb pie was my favorite so she made us a pie, just to be nice.  I am always astonished at how kind people are to us.   Last summer afternoon at the cottage they brought over two big pieces of lemon pie for us, again just to be nice.   Heather and Ross are good neighbors to us at the cottage.  In addition, we enjoy Heather's pies!!

August 9, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Fisherman Joe.

Fisherman Joe needs to be replaced.  He was installed in our front yard looking out to sea ten years ago and he is tired.  The winter storms have pelted water into any cracks in the wood so the wood is damp and the paint peels off.  Mal has painted Fisherman Joe three times and he will not paint him again unless we dry him out for a year inside.  As he weighs 600 pounds, moving him will be difficult.  Ken and I have decided to replace Fisherman Joe with another Fisherman Joe.

Ken has been looking and thinking.  Ivan owns and runs the Garden Store in town but what he really does is make sculptures.  In the back of his nursery is a Sculpture Garden, all done by Ivan.  The winters are long.  Ivan gives classes to budding artist and in addition he makes new pieces for his Garden.  Ken would love to have one of Ivan's sculptures.  Ken went to look this week but everything is sold, however,  he will accept commissions.   We are dithering with the decision which is unusual for us.  So far, we think we want another fisherman but whether we will commission it this year or next I do not know.   Ivan makes his sculpture out of concrete and he thinks it will withstand the weather along the shore.   Anyway, he told Ken if there is damage he would make repairs.

I think we are dithering because of the cost, which is expensive.  The other question is how long we will be able to spend time in Nova Scotia?    We need a crystal ball.

August 8, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Smoked Salmon.

Tonight at cocktails at Gill's house she served smoked salmon.  I had forgotten how good the smoked salmon in Nova Scotia tastes.  It is delicious.  The salmon is always fresh and the smoke is light so the salmon is not harsh or strong.   Gill's favorite is the salmon she buys by the large piece rather than the thin slices served with cream cheese.  The fish was smoked with maple syrup and was delicious.  You can only buy the smoked salmon in big pieces here in Nova Scotia.  I can buy sliced salmon other places but have never found the smoked salmon in pieces.  Even in Toronto Gill can not get it.

When we first moved here in 1999, The Mersey Point Fish Products was in business just along the shore.  We could stop by anytime and buy smoked salmon.  But the parents wanted to return to Holland so the son took over the business and moved it to Port Mouton in a larger facility.  It was not convenient but Dave and Irene always drove down to keep us supplied.  Two years ago they are closed.   The owner had financial difficulties but eventually he reopened, which pleased us.   Last summer, disaster struck and his plant burned to the ground.  At first he said he would rebuild but he has changed his mind.  Now we do what everyone else does which is to buy our smoked salmon in the grocery store.  Somehow it does not taste quite as good as when we bought from The Mersey Point Fish Products tiny plant just down the road.

August 7, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Forest Fires.

My e mails today included questions about forest fires in Queen's County, Nova Scotia, where we live.  In many ways, living here now is a bit like living in Texas.   The grass is mostly brown, something folks in Nova Scotia do not like.  No substantial rain has fallen for a month so the flowers are wilting.  People are fearful of their wells running dry so do not water either the grass or the flowers.  Normally they never water anything because the rains fall regularly.   The whole county has a burn ban.  No fires and no burning anywhere, even on the shore.

Now there are three small wild fires in the county.  One is in the big Kedji park, another is near Greenfield on the other side of Ponhook Lake, where we have our cottage, and the third is off highway 8 on the way to Annapolis Royal..  According to the county, the firefighters are having success with putting out the fires but they are not out yet.  One main difference with Texas is the temperature.  Today was a very hot 82 in town.  At the shore it was 75.

75 years ago there was a drought in Queen's County.  Along the shore from Sand Beach Road where Gill lives, the old maps show a road.   On the map you can see houses.   During the drought, a fire started in one of the houses burning trash, which started the woods ablaze and then the grasses.  Every house burned and all the forest.  The homes were only accessible along the one road and was not connected to highway 3.  In order to drive along the road you had to cross the creek and the creek had to be low.  The county never allowed the people to rebuild their homes after the fire because the fire department could not take their vehicles down the old road.  People in the county take forest fires seriously which always surprises us because mostly here it is so wet.  But sometimes it is dry.  Now we understand.

August 6, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Olympics.

Just how much can one watch of the Olympics before you get brain dead?  I might find out.  I am in hog heaven.   I might get an overdose of the Olympics soon and I have only been watching for a day and a half.  Last evening I watched the whole opening ceremony right to the lighting of the torch.  One problem with being in Nova Scotia is the time zone.   The last dog is hung very late here.

My situation is almost ideal.  We are in Canada so we can watch the Canadian and American channels.   I have lots of options.  And several Canadian channels show Olympics all day long, beginning at 7:00am.   We have no house guests and I have nothing to do.  Our television room is small.  For the last two Olympics we had guests so our TV room was full so I never watched as much of the Olympics as I wanted.  Not this year.   I have the room to myself and the clicker too.  I even watched a men's field hockey game!!  In addition, I watched tennis, beach volleyball, men's gymnastics, women's rugby, women's soccer, regular volleyball, rowing and swimming.  I loved every minute.  And today was just the first day of the competition.

The only thing better would to be in Vancouver on Pacific time where I could go to bed earlier.  I am not complaining.  I will enjoy the 2016 Olympics.

August 5, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Wind.

Today I could barely get out of my doors, the wind was so strong.    The doors to the deck I could not get out at all  because I was not strong enough to push open the doors.  The only way I could get out of the house was either through the big garage doors or the door by the pond.  For weeks the sea has been calm and the wind was slight but last evening the wind began to blow.  Today the wind was even stronger.

Two nights ago I called Mary and Walt to join us on the deck because the evening was beautiful, with just a light breeze to keep away the bugs with the sun keeping us warm.  The difference from tonight was dramatic.  I could barely walk along the deck, let along sit and watch for whales.   We forget from time to time that every so often, the wind blows very hard.  The trash cans must all be fixed under the stairs with their lids firmly attached or both cans and lids will go sailing.  This is the first really strong  winds we have felt this summer.  From inside the house the sea looks beautiful with whitecaps as far as you can see.  But I am happy to be on dry land and inside the house.  That wind today feels like you could get blown over.  I bet we see some rollers tomorrow with the surfers soon to follow.  Even with the windows closed we can hear the sea which is pretty nice.  Strong winds bring it's own reward.

August 4, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Folly.

Gill is building a Folly all by herself.  She is not contracting for a Folly to be made by George, she is making it with her own hands and by the sweat of her brow.  It will be built to the left of her house and closer to the ocean so she will hear the sound of the sea at all times.  Gill is not a novice at building with wood.  The coffee table she uses here she made in 1978.  And she has made two head boards for her home here, as well as the outside tables for both decks.  Recently, she assisted George with the renovations and made two bookcases, one built in and one free standing.

But this is the first time she has tackled an actual building.  It will be ten by sixteen with no electricity or plumbing.  There will be plenty of windows and one door.  At the moment she is working on the foundation, which is backbreaking work.  She estimates it will take four years before completion.  She and Ken are now in a contest as to who will finish their project first.  Ken has been working on his kayak for ten years but now the race is on as to whether he can finish it in before Gill's Folly.   Ken laughs that he is also building a Folly because by the time the kayak is finished he will not be able to get in and paddle it.

Gill even has a building permit.  She will have fun with her Folly and so will we, as we watch the little building take shape.   Now we need a proper name.

July 3, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Cocktails on the Lower Deck.

The intention was for the Ely Family and the Mitchell Family to fly kites and make a fire in our fire pit before returning home for dinner.  Both families had house guests and grandchildren, so they all came.   The weather was perfect on the deck so I called Walt and Mary to see if Walt would like to sit on our deck and enjoy the view of the sea, which they did.  And of course Gill was there too.  Tojo was elected to take the video of their Nova Scotia visit as Tucker was not there to perform the duty.

Unfortunately, the county is so dry there was a fire ban so no fires could be made, even on the shore.  But it was a happy event anyway.  Most folks stayed down by the water while the old folks stayed on the top deck.  Everyone was delighted to see Walt.  He was clearly enjoying the people and the whole lovely scene of the children playing beside the rocks and the water, as they tried to fly the kites.

The Ely family brought a cooler of beer along with cheese, salami and crackers which they kept on the lower deck.   Everyone was pleased to be together in this lovely spot.  The whole event was spontaneous,  short and delightful.   A good time was had by all.

August 2, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Sleeping In.

One of the great pleasures of being retired is getting up whenever I wake up.   For most of my life, I awoke to the clock radio, usually at 6:00.  But not any more.  I still wake up at 6:00  but I go back to sleep for another hour or so.  But today I did not wake up until 11:00.  I felt like one of the teenagers who sleep until noon.  It was almost noon when I was eating breakfast.   Such decadence.

I have gotten into the habit of going to bed around midnight, which is OK because I get up around 8:00 but what occurred for me to stay asleep until 11:00 is a mystery.   The only excuse I could think of was the lack of company.  This morning was the first day since we arrived that we had no house guests so I had no responsibilities.  This really makes no sense because our guests make the coffee and prepare their own breakfast but I must sense that I have tasks to do and people to see.  Now I am really and truly off duty.   I wonder when I will wake up tomorrow?

August 1, 2016. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Dinner With Gill.

Mid afternoon today Gill called to invite us for dinner tonight.  I suggested I would bring left over Bruschetta and Kale salad, which pleased her, so at 6:00 over we went.  The evening was lovely so we sat outside on her small deck in the comfortable chairs and looked out at sea and talked.  We had not had much chance to chat with Gill since we arrived as we seem to always be surrounded by people so tonight was a fine opportunity to catch up.

Gill is going to build a Folly on her property here.  It will be partially hidden by the trees to the left of her home but will have a wonderful view of the sea.  She says it will be a four year project as she will do it all herself.  Right now she is working on the foundation, which is backbreaking work.

Even our grandchildren have noticed how fortunate we are to be living closeby our good friends.  This evening is a perfect example.  Spur of the moment dinners are always good and Ken and I spent a delightful three hours with Gill in her lovely home.  The seals were plentiful as were the ducks.  The flowers at the front of her house are beautiful.  Her house looks great and we thoroughly enjoyed our quiet dinner with Gill.   She made us leave before dark as she worries over my night driving.  Always nice to have good friends looking after us.