Shelburne

Preparation for Moby Dick

September 29, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Charlotte Lane.

I don't know what pleases me the most; the wonderful food, or the fact of this restaurant in Shelburne. Now I love eating excellent food, but having such a fine place in this little town pleases me even more. It all came about because of two people, Kathleen and Roland, who are married. They thought about it and dreamed about it and finally did it. The plan was to open a fine restaurant in a small town and keep it open for six months a year. The rest of the year they planned to travel.

At first, to raise capital, they both worked, Roland as the chef and Kathleen as the manager in the same restaurant in the big city. And they saved their money. They chose Shelburne because the prices were affordable and the tourists stop coming all winter. They bought a house, refurbished the place and lived in the apartment over the restaurant and hung out their shingle. They were fortunate. The second year of operation, their restaurant, Charlotte Lane, was named the best eating establishment in Nova Scotia. It became a destination. Two years ago they bought the house next door, fixed it up and now live there. But they still maintain their high standards of food and service. They still have space for 26 people at a time. Roland does all the cooking while Kathleen trains and hires the staff and manages the small gift shop.

I am always so impressed not only with the taste of the food but also with the execution of the plan. They dreamed it up and and put their plan into action. It is very admirable indeed. Today at lunch at Charlotte Lane, I could not decide what impressed me most, but I know Ken and I loved our Anniversary lunch, hosted by my friend Beverley.

September 28, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Cocktails.

It is such a misnomer, the cocktail party. All we ever serve is wine, sodas and water with an occasional glass of scotch., but we still it the cocktail hour. Even if we are not dining together, we always have cocktails together in someones home. Tonight it was at the Mitchell's home. As is our habit, the event was lively, with discussions about the daily activities of each of us and the activities in the town. The event does not last a long time. We were home just after seven, but a new topic is always popping up. Bev thinks out custom is just splendid and she has decided to institute the practice in Vancouver. It is so much easier to have a casual cocktail party than to give a whole dinner party.

Last evening at our home we all had dinner together to say goodbye to Carol and Ken, who left this morning. Before dinner we got onto the topic of burial and cremation. Tonight Mary related the story of her great uncle who was buried in the Family plot at the Mausoleum in Philadelphia. When her Father's remains were placed into the vault, it was determined that his mistress was buried alongside him, in the same vault, but no name except him was on the label. Now how did this happen? We will never know and neither will Mary. Mary and her sister are the oldest people in their family and neither of them know the answer.

I think we should rename the event from a cocktail party, but I can not come up with a suitable name. Ane suggestions?

September 27, 2009. Western Head, N.S. Beverley.

Beverley and I were Girl Guides together in Vancouver. We were fast friend then and we are fast friends now. It is such a pleasure to have a friend who knew you well when you were thirteen and still likes to spend time with you now that you are over seventy. It is a bit surprising too as she has continued to live in Vancouver while I moved to Toronto in 1953 and have lived in Texas, then Maryland. Tonight we were calculating the number of times we have seen each other since 1953 and we came up with quite a small number. But we wrote letters and we phoned and about eighteen years ago she visited us and visited me at work. She read my agent handbook, and suggested, not too gently, that perhaps it could be better. I challenged her to return and give me suggestions, which she did. She went through every word, making suggestions and forced me to write the introduction and a statement of our purpose, which ultimately made the handbook much more useful. Because we are such good friends, she will tell me what needs to be done and how, without causing hurt feelings. Her background, education and expertise was invaluable.

We both became teachers but after the children and graduate school, I turned to real estate for my career while she stayed in education, climbing up the ladder to the top. Perhaps that was one reason we stayed friends. She hassles me, telling me I am too bossy, and every so often she retreats to the carriage house in the middle of the day for a bit of peace and quiet. But we have fun together and I am always happy when she comes to visit. It is a long way from the west coast to the east coast, so one day soon Ken and I must go west, but not this year.

Beverley commented that all though she has only been here five days, she has had more social events here than the past six months in Vancouver. She has always been single and lives alone, so our life here is hectic and certainly very social. I think she will be ready for a rest when she gets home. Tonight we had dinner here for nine guests and tomorrow we have cocktails at the Mitchell's. But she and I have a bond and will be there until the end. She is one of the blessings in my life.

Sailing

Just Nova Scotia