September 30, 2019. San Antonio, Texas. I Got Here.

I had a delicious dinner of smoked salmon, rice and asparagus. David smoked the salmon and Suzanne prepared everything else. I felt fortunate to be dining with my Texas family. My journey today went as planned. Both flights on time. But it was a long day. Staying at the airport hotel last night worked well. I walked from the hotel to the airport yesterday afternoon, just to be sure I could do it this morning at 5:00. I did not use a wheel chair in Halifax and I did fine. David picked me up at 1:00 and he stayed home all afternoon. The first thing he did was to introduce me to Linc. He is 6 month old and he is a lovely dog. He is obedient and loving. He thinks he is a lap dog and often tries to sit on David's lap. Linc follows David everywhere. It is sweet. Linc already retrieves well. He is much better behaved than I expected a 6 month old puppy would be. He is a good addition to this family. Tonight I hope to get a good night's sleep. The most important item of the day was to get here, and I did. Tomorrow I will be ready to attend Allison's volleyball game which I will enjoy. David smoked lamb chops and pork tenderloins, which I will eat for lunches here. They are all looking after me.

September 29, 2019. The journey begins.

This morning I ate the last bowl of wild blueberries. The timing was perfect because today I am moving on. My journey begins today. I will spend the evening at the ALT hotel at the Halifax airport. Tomorrow morning at 7:00 I fly to Chicago, then on to San Antonio. I am looking forward to seeing my Texas family and the new dog. And I will try hard to make my journey into an expedition not a trial. I hear many folks saying that flying is not fun but I have tried to figure out why. I finally decided that these folks have just taken too many flights and they are jaded. Flying is not easy I know but I am not sure that the experience is any different than 20 years ago. Ken and I have had the habit of evaluating our home when we are about to depart. Because we like projects, we like to be sure the home is better when leaving than when we arrived. This is true for me now. I have had many improvements to this old house, so I am pleased. I had only one misstep and that was with the path next door. Other than that, the house looks good, both inside and out. The last thing I did was to install a big pipe that. bypasses the front driveway. We will need a good rain to see if the driveway will wash out. I hope not. So here I go. This place is beautiful and I look forward to returning in mid June of 2020. God willing.

September 28, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. My last Day.

Today I experienced the best of living in Nova Scotia. Again the weather was glorious, clear and sunny and 65. With a healthy dose of wind. Perfect Fall day. In the middle of the morning, Wendy and Clausen came for tea and to say goodbye.. Conversations with them are always lively and entertaining and I enjoyed their company. After they left, I read the latest edition of the Canadian History magazine. I intend to finish it before I leave. I have studied Canadian history a long time ago so a refresher is always useful. While I ate lunch I watched the TV. I have a wonderful sports package so I can almost always find a game to keep me company. Today I was switching around the college football games which I enjoyed. At 4:30, Mary picked me up for dinner at their house with Walt's cousin Marsh. Marsh is one of those people who you would always wish you could see more often, but you never do. He is an interesting fellow. He just returned from a two week trip to Italy so I enjoyed hearing about his excursions. Mary is a good cook. We are salad, made of apples, cottage. cheese, nuts and a bit of lettuce. It was delicious. Roast beef, scalloped potatoes and asparagus for the main course, and fresh berries and ice cream for dessert. Our dinner was delicious. After dinner we talked in the living room for quite a while. Marsh usually leaves right after dinner but this evening we had a living discussion of places Marsh has not seen. And we discussed the places he would like to see but is unable to visit due to security issues. Then Mary and Walt brought me home. We sat admiring the beautiful skylight and the rough seas. And we three were all pleased we live in Liverpool. My day was a perfect example of my days here. Life is not fancy but is a series of small pleasant events. I have enjoyed my summer here.

September 27, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Liverpool.

In 1999, we purchased our home just outside Liverpool, knowing nothing about Liverpool. But we were pleased to be living close to a town that had a good sized grocery store and a library. I read a book with the history of Queens County, which includes the town of Liverpool. The little book was published in 1892. The last paragraph states that although Queens County is suffering difficult times, the writer assured the readers that because the residents are hard working and educated, the community would thrive. I read this little book in 2000, and I laughed and suggested that it had been over a century and the economy did not seem much better than 1892. But times have changed. When I drove the first time to the house, I saw lots of sold signs. This was unusual. Then at the first Readers' Festival I chatted with two ladies from Chester and they told me of a conversation they had with a real estate agent in Chester, which is the closest town to Halifax. The agent said that she had been showing homes to three couples who were moving to the shore from Ontario. Much to her surprise, they bought in Liverpool. She was horrified. This had never happened to her, so she asked them why. They gave answers: 1. The Astor Theater, which has movies and plays all year. 2. The Queens Place/Emera Center, which keeps the ice in all year, has a hockey team, and brings in big shows. Also they liked the fitness center and the walking paths, both inside and out and all at the arena. 3. The social life. They talked with people up and down the street and everyone told them about the active social life in Liverpool. 4. Finally, they discover that Liverpool has an active intellectual component. Lecture are gives thoughout the winter, Trivial pursuit evenings are held at Lanes, and there are a host of artists and writers in the area. Since we moved here in 1999, many people have moved here to retire. Now the town is buzzing with activity. The retired folks have brought expertise and energy and they are willing to play their part. So now finally, that last chapter in the little history book has come true. Liverpool is doing very well.

September 26, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Country Music.

Fortunately, the series has ended so I can go to bed at a decent time, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the PBS shows. My brother was smarter and recorded them, and now are watching one at a time in the afternoon. . The movies are really the history and evolution of Country Music and the industry that grew around it. Most of my life I have been listening to these singers so I was interested to find out how these folks got famous. I am always keen to see the early development of talent. During the series we saw 6 and 8 year old children performing and playing. Marty Stuart started touring at age 13 with the Scraggs band. I hope the modern musicians do a better job of looking after themselves. So many died early due to drug or alcohol abuse. I was startled to discover that Hank Williams died at 30. Not good. And I love the early pictures and recordings of the Carter family. The first series done by Ken Burns was wonderful, which was The Civil War. After that early movie, his quality dropped and became political. But this series I really enjoyed, perhaps because I am a history buff and perhaps because most of the artists are familiar to me. And I have heard most of the tunes. No matter what, staying up at night to watch Country Music evolve right in front of me was worth the time. But tonight I am ready to go to bed early.

September 25, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. My Schedule.

Several folks have e mailed me wanting to know my schedule for the rest of the year, so here it is: September 29, I drive to Halifax with Gill. Mr. Gaskell will drive us. Gill flies to Toronto. September 30, I Fly to San Antonio, changing planes in Chicago. I am looking forward to visiting David, Suzanne and the twins at their home. And I am keen to meet their new dog Linc. October 11 I fly to Jackson, changing planes in Houston. I stay at home the fest of the Autumn. December 18 I fly to Hamilton, Ontario for Christmas, where I will celebrate the Buckley birthday celebration. I have never been able to celebrate the birthdays with the Buckley until now. I will stay with Dave and Irene. Fortunately for me, Anne and Kenny from Vancouver will be there too. January 5 I fly to Puerto Vallarta with Wonderful Wendy and Ken. They will stay a month. Rita and Ian hope to join me in PV for February. February 29 I fly to Jackson, Mississippi where I stay until mid May when I go on the St. Lawrence River cruise. Today at lunch I had lunch at the home of Sandra. Nancy and John, the former mayor was there too. Sandra is a wonderful hostess. She is a good cook and often will try a new recipe for guests, which she did today. We ate chicken cooked in the oven with garlic, olives and broth. It was delicious. We all ate two pieces. And we ate rice cooked with chicken broth and peas. Cucumber salad in a light yogurt dressing was a perfect match along with cheese straws. For dessert we ate home made apple sauce and ginger cookies. Delicious. Today was the first time I have visited with Nancy and John this season so I was pleased to see them. I believe this is officially the last of my last chance social event and I enjoyed it.

September 24, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Final Visit.

A public sale of the paintings and crafts was held on Saturday in the house of Bernard Bowles, our artist friend. I did not attend as our Gull Bay Group ladies said their final goodby, and were able to select any items to buy. Somehow or another, my brain was not in gear so all I bought was a cat, a pig and a mask. Since then I have thought of several items I should have bought. Cathy and Brian went to the sale on Saturday and decided to return today. Randy, the executor of the estate agreed to return. Several other people wanted to return too. I asked Brian to pick me up to accompany them. I had a wonderful time. I shop quickly so after ten minutes I had selected three paintings: two small pieces of Tony's and one larger one by Bernie. We arrived at 10:20 and we left at !:00. The rest of the time, after paying my bill, I sat in the sitting room enjoying myself, looking at the art and talking to the folks were selecting their art. The time just flew by. The house is also for sale at a price that I believe is too high, but we will see. Today was the final visit for me to see Bernard's home and art. From now on the only items I can enjoy will be in my own home. Ken and I enjoyed many pleasant visits with Bernie over the years. The most impressive part of Bernies legacy was his zest for living and art. He loved creating and he loved his life. He made his income from his art work. He was frugal and happy. He was a happy man. Today I said a final goodbye and a final thank you to Bernie, an artist of note.