Nova Scotia - Baddeck

Who knows what famous person lived in Baddeck?  I had no clue until we visited the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, dedicated to the inventor of the telephone. Bell once said, "I have traveled around the globe... and for simple beauty, Cape Breton Island out-rivals them all."  Well, I must agree that this is one of the most lovely places to visit.

 The museum sits up on a hill and the views are amazing.

A tour of the museum was a must.  I learned more about Bell then I ever thought.  I was clueless that he was so into aviation and the artifacts that were on display were quite numerous.  His hydrofoil boat was so interesting.  A visit here gave us a different type of look into history, which we completely enjoyed.

We stayed in Gisele's Inn, and again had a room overlooking the water.  It seems like most everywhere you stay in Nova Scotia comes with a water view!

The rooms were spacious and the beds comfy.  What more could we ask for!

And for my knitting buddies, I found a yarn shop just a block away from our Inn!  I got so excited that I forgot to take a photo of it.  But take my word, it was warm, colorful, and friendly.  I wanted to get some yarn that was "native" to the area and ended up buying some beautifully soft, hand dyed yarn in shades of green.  It's called Grassy Knoll from Casbah and resembles the soft yellow greens of the surrounding land.

Any suggestions as to what I should make with it?

After making everyone tag along to my yarn adventure we decided it was time for a drink.  Well, Baddeck has quite an assortment of coffee shops but we were looking for something a little bit stronger. After walking up and down the main street we decided to head down to the waterfront and found the local yacht club.  Of course, most of the yachts were gone for the season, but the club was still open and they invited us in for a pint.  Look at yet another view!

Yes, Baddeck is certainly another one of those places that I could spend more time at and hopefully will one day.  But our journey must continue, and the next and last stop is Peggy's Cove and back to Halifax.


                                 Until next time....
                                      Terri

Needle Picking for Baskets

I'm taking another short break from my travelog to tell you about my walk in the woods to gather pine needles.  Making pine needle baskets is one of my passions and the fall is the perfect time to gather a fresh supply of long leaf pine needles.  Normally I do this in early November, but we've had a very untypically warm fall and I suddenly realized it is almost Christmas and I hadn't replenished my supply!  Something else to do when my plate is already full trying to get everything put up, bought, wrapped, sent....
and trying to find the perfect present for everyone...The stress is on!

But I did want to share a few of my favorite fruits of my labors. 

 This oval basket is made with sweetgrass in addition to pine needles.

Wish you could feel how smooth these are.

 This one won 3rd place at the Florida State Fair!

 

An unusual way to display your business cards on this one of a kind card holder.

I also enjoy making pendants as they, like the baskets, are very unique.

All of these and more are in my Etsy Shop - Pine Designs

just in case you are still in need of something special for someone special.

Until next time...

Terri

Nova Scotia - Cape Breton & the Cabot Trail

After leaving PEI we took the ferry back to Nova Scotia and headed to Cheticamp.  

This delightful, french speaking Acadian fishing village is almost untouched by mass civilization and tourism, although I did learn that hikers and bikers wanting to explore the Cabot Trail will often start out from here.

Not a Walmart for miles and miles!

This is the view from our balcony. 

 I've traveled to many, many places and am always interested in visiting local churches.  

But for such a small village, this church was something else!

This was taken while looking down from the balcony.

I would have loved to hear what this organ sounded like.

 The view from the second story looking back toward the road and the inlet.

So peaceful and beautiful.

And religion is what leads in to the following...

 As you can imagine, winters are very cold and very long.  The water in the harbor area freezes to three feet deep!  Hard to imagine when coming from Florida.

So they invented, or should I say, improved upon the French tradition of Mardi Gras.
According to what we were told, folks were not permitted to party due to religious reasons, so masks and disguises were worn so partying could happen without anyone being recognized.
Their celebration includes the entire town and lasts a week!  Costumes and masks are vital to the celebration

and an entire museum showcases this art at the

La Mi-Careme/Mask Museum.

What fun for a cold winter!

 Headed up the Cabot Trail it was impossible not to stop for photo ops!

 Even though it was a bit foggy, the scenery was still spectacular.

Picture postcard perfect!

From mountain overviews to the rocky coast, each turn in the road 

was a delight to the eye.

I hope you are enjoying the journey.  Our next stop is Baddeck, so

Until next time...

Terri

A New Look for the Grow Your Blog Party!

I am so excited that I just had to interrupt my travel adventures to show you my new look! 

Many thanks to Karen Valentine who somehow got inside my mind and figured out exactly what I was looking for in a new blog design, even though I didn't know what I wanted.  Now that is talent!
And if you haven't visited Karen's blog, My Desert Cottage, you are missing out.  It is a beautiful blog.

Also, Vicki at 2 Bags Full is hosting another Grow Your Blog party!  Last year I met so many wonderful folks through her party that I couldn't imagine not participating again. It's so much fun and the giveaways are awesome.  I'm already working on something special for my giveaway this year, so be sure to visit Vicki and sign up!


Until next time ~
 Terri

Prince Edward Island

After our visit to the Bay of Fundy, we crossed the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island.  PEI, as it's commonly known, is one of the prettiest and cleanest places I've ever seen!  Every yard is kept to perfection. I don't know where they hide their trash containers, but none were to be seen!  Such a lovely place to be and to drive through.

We headed to the site of Anne of Green Gables house.  If you've not read the book or not read it in many years, which was my case, I suggest getting a copy.  It's a heartwarming story, no matter your age.

After entering throug the visitors center you step back in time.

I love the lack of crowds!

The grounds are beautiful.  You can imagine the story coming alive.

And the inside of the house was remarkable. 

The furnishings and detail of the accessories was far above what I had expected.

This is the view looking back toward the barn.

And the path to the secret woods!

We hiked this path which followed a small stream.

I could have stayed here forever!

But we had to move on.  More wonderful places to discover!

Our next stop, Cape Breton.

Until next time ~

Terri

Nova Scotia - Bay of Fundy

I don't know what I was expecting to see at the Bay of Fundy.  I know the tides there are tremendous, coming in and going out at record times and in such vast quantities.  But it's hard to imagine this when you are only there for a short time and the tide is out.

The Flowerpot Rocks, however, are amazing.  We climbed down the cliff to the beach and looking up at the size of these rocks, realizing that in a few hours they would almost be submersed is hard to imagine.

It can be dangerous on the beach when the tide comes in.  We were told that if we stood at the water's edge the tide would cover our shoes in a matter of minutes.  This sign says it all.

The water reaches the top of the rocks!

Look how small we are!



I really want to go back and stay a while and witness the full event.  All I can say is amazing!

Our next stop...Prince Edward Island, locally known as PEI, and a visit to Anne of Green Gables.


                   Until next time ~

                              Terri

Nova Scotia Travels

We have returned from a wonderful trip through Nova Scotia and all I can say is "WOW"!  What a beautiful country!  We toured Halifax, traveled to the Bay of Fundy to see the Flowerpot Rocks, went across the Confederate Bridge to Prince Edward Island, visited the site of Anne of Green Gables, took the ferry back to Nova Scotia and went up the coast to Chiticamp in Cape Breton, went around the Cabot Trail to Baddeck, out to Peggy's Cove and back to Halifax.  Quite a few miles and many sights and memories.  I'll be sharing some of the highlights with you and hope you enjoy them

We traveled with our friends, Barb and Roy.  If you recall, we first met them in Italy when we had no luggage and they loaned us everything!  Acts like this can really seal a friendship and we've been traveling together ever since.

We started out in Halifax and I must say it was pretty nippy after the heat and humidity of Florida.  The weather was a brisk 48 degrees and overcast with rain threatening.  So I got out my hardly ever used Winter Silks and added a few more layers and was ready to go and explore.

It was Sunday and the town was pretty much deserted.  I personally like it that way.  No cruise ships in port and no other tourists!  Now how great is that!

 

Doesn't this look like something from a postcard?

We explored the town and the waterfront and then checked out the Keith's Pale Ale tour which was actually more of a show.

  Lots of fun and 2 pints later....it was time to eat.

All I heard for weeks before our trip was that my hubby wanted lobster.  Lobster was a top priority for our other male companion as well so we headed back to the wharf for lunch. 

Think he was in shock!

This was the first lobster of the trip.

The rain started and we headed back to our hotel.

Next stop... the Bay of Fundy and the Flowerpot Rocks.

                                Until next time....
                                     Terri

A Day at the Beach

I know....I haven't posted in a loooong time.  But I do have a good excuse. Well, it's an excuse but maybe not so good when I see how much all of you get done and still manage to post.  But anyway, it seems I failed retirement!  And sadly, this isn't the first time.

I have gone back to work and am loving it.  But it does take up a good chunk of my time, and that creates choices.  Do I knit?  Make a basket? Travel? Blog? Clean the house?  You get the idea.  And lately, blogging has gone to the bottom of the list. 

But last weekend we took a day trip to the beach and I knew I wanted to share it with you, so I took a few pictures along the way.

In case you haven't heard, the southeast is no longer in a drought.  In fact, for the month of July we only had 4 days without rain! And August hasn't been much better.  So we headed out on a cloudy morning, hoping things would improve.

Tallahassee is only 17 miles from the coast, but to get to the beach, at least the ones with the beautiful white sand and sea grass dunes, it's a 2 hour drive.  We normally head for St. George Island, which is near Apalachicola.  Well, about 45 minutes from our destination it's normally time for a pit stop and the small town of Carabelle has a lovely little beach and restroom facilities. As I came out of the bath house there were dolphins swimming along the shore!  Of course my camera was in the car, so I raced back and grabbed it and then ran back to the beach.  If you look real hard you can see them.

This guy was standing nearby and had no problem posing. 

The bridge to the island was destroyed by a hurricane a few years back and is now used as a fishing pier.  It reminds me of the bridge to Key West.

The day remained pretty cloudy, but there was a nice breeze.  By early afternoon we were able to see some sunshine.  Sarah wasn't too sure about the water.

Or the sand. Eventually she got the idea and had fun playing with her bucket. 

Before long it was time to head home and another memory making day was over.  

We will be traveling to Nova Scotia soon and I will share our adventures when we get home. 

               Until next time.....

                   Terri