Return to Bedford

We weren't in a hurry to get on the road to Bedford/Halifax, so lazed around a bit in the morning. After our complimentary breakfast, D and Eli went to the pool one more time, and then we packed up. Funny story, we were shuffling things in the bags when we found a television remote. Somehow it had fallen into one of our bags when we left the motel in Baddeck!  I called the motel to let them know we had it, and would drop it off on our way through that morning.

Before we left the Antigonish area, we headed to Pomquet Beach. We had planned to visit the beach when we were on our way to Baddeck, but the weather had been rainy and cool. Not so, this day, it was already quite warm and the temps would get hot later in the day.

The beach is on the Northumberland Strait, which is part of the Atlantic ocean. D had wanted to be able to put her toes in the ocean the entire trip, and Bras D'Or lake was close, but this was the real thing. The beach is 3 km. (about 2 miles) long, a mix of sand and rock. We didn't go swimming but satisfied ourselves with a walk along the beach front.

We looked for shells and pretty rocks as we walked. There was no one on the beach when we first arrived but a young woman and her toddler came soon after. They were clearly prepared to stay the day, with a small tent for shade, a mat, and toys in a wagon. 

Looking at this photo, I'm certain this beach rivals many I've had to privilege to visit in the Caribbean. 

Back in the car, we made a short stop in the community of Pomquet at the Sainte Croix cemetery.

D and I wandered around a bit looking for the oldest marker...there were many. The photo below is just a small portion of the cemetery. It extends beyond the church and quite a distance in the other direction. It is clearly well-maintained, and a very peaceful place.

I should note, we had hoped to visit Fairview Cemetery in Halifax, to see the Titanic memorial. However, though we tried, we never found the appropriate gates and it is located in traffic heavy area.

Back on the road, we stopped and picked up fast food in New Glasgow and went on to Trenton to the aptly named Trenton Park.

The park has playground equipment, a splash pad and a pool. As he had eaten his lunch in the car, Eli made use of the first two while D and I found a spot to sit and watch him play.

The splash pad was popular, as it was getting very hot. We stayed about a half hour, and noticed it was getting very busy. It turned out the community was gathering for their Canada Day celebration. We decided it was time to head back to the highway and our hotel

When we arrived back in Bedford, we decided to check out deWolf Park, where Canada Day activities were in full swing. It was just a few blocks from our hotel (the same Comfort Inn we'd stayed at earlier in the trip). After a slow, slow drive through the park, we weren't able to find parking so turned around and made our way back to Bedford Highway to the hotel. It was a good afternoon to go for a dip in the unheated pool. I went too!

We had thought about getting pizza for dinner, but I vetoed the idea because there would be leftovers and we were flying out the next day. I found a place called Boomburger COWS ice cream not far away. It reminded me of Five Guys burgers here in Saskatchewan, where your food is prepared in front of you and the fries are tossed into a bag. I treated myself to a beer, the first I'd had during the entire trip. (I promise I didn't drink it until I got back to the hotel.)

There were planned activities in the basin in the evening, but late afternoon the fog came rolling in. We could not see the bridge across the basin and it was pea soup in front of the hotel. As a result the boat parade and the fireworks were postponed, to a later date to be determined, so instead of propping our eyelids open, we turned in early.

Our flight the next day wasn't scheduled until 6 p.m. so we had another half day or so left to enjoy the area. I can assure you we did! More on that in the next post.

Back on pace

This week started off with a busy, busy day! Eli and D had doctor's appointments in the city, and we were on the highway by 8 a.m. Their first appointment was with the neurologist to discuss Eli's medications and to address his hand tremor. This neurologist doesn't generally treat children, but all of the ped neurologists are unable to see him at this time. We think Dr I enjoys seeing Eli, at least based on his conversations with D. He's decided to request another EEG to determine if Eli is continuing to have mild momentary seizures that are not evident. D got a call later in the week with an appointment for early October in the city.

This appointment was short - I'd run to Value Village (no deals worth getting) and had arrived back at the office just as they came out.  We headed over to my son's house. He was fast asleep and we didn't wake him, but Saku (the cat) was happy to see me. Eli watched a bit of television, before I went to pick up lunch for all of us. We left about an hour before the next appointment and found a park where Eli could run and play. It was stinking hot and humid at 32C/90F and after 40 minutes I was more than ready to drop them off at the doctor's office. These appointments were with their GP. 

I made a run over to the nearby Home Depot to pick up nail strips so we can hang some peg board in the basement. There was a bit of time to kill, as I knew Dr J often runs late. So, I wandered through Walmart, and as I pulled back into the lot, I received a text from D saying they were ready. Perfect timing. 

Our last stop on the way out of the city was at the Costco. OMG, that place was insane. Eli wore his noise cancelling headphones and I was wishing I had a pair. We managed to get everything on our list...plus there were several impulse buys (my daughter). There is good reason why I don't let her grocery shop with me very often. We were home by about 4:30 p.m. I was exhausted by this point, so it was a quiet evening.

I slept late on Tuesday morning (until 7!). I was happy to see we'd had rain overnight, nearly 3/8th's of an inch. Poor Stanley wasn't happy because I didn't have my tea outdoors that morning. It was too wet, humid and buggy!

D had another appointment at 11, this one by telephone, so I took Eli out for an hour or so. We dropped by Canadian Tire, Pet Valu (where we visited with Marmalade, a wee orange kitten), McDonald's for lunch, and then a stop at the park where he played with several friends. He climbed the tree, the playground apparatus, and played in the splash pad. He wasn't happy when I said we needed to leave, so we drove around looking for houses numbered 303. Don't ask me, it has something to do with the video games he plays or maybe it is part of the videos he watches. His mom was just finishing up her conversation when we walked into the house.

In the afternoon, we decided to spend some time at the pool. It was closing on Thursday as the student lifeguards are going back to school soon. It was again, a hot afternoon but dipping into the pool to cool off, we spent over two hours there. I managed to read a portion of my book.

The temperature dropped a bit on Wednesday, but it was very humid. I did have my morning tea with Stanley in the catio, but only stayed outdoors for a half hour or so. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, as the clouds would roll in and it would look as if we were in for a thunderstorm, but then the sun would return. We decided to take the day off and got some meal planning and housework done instead while Eli played in the basement. He has the most interesting way of watching television!

BTW, the carrot he was holding in the Wednesday photo was one of the seeds he had planted. I didn't thin the plants as well as I ought to have, so I'm not sure how many more we'll see from his planting.

We had a thunderstorm roll through on Wednesday night and by morning we'd had about a 1/2 inch of rain. It is well appreciated. I did the weekly grocery shop in the morning and took Stanley out for a half hour or so just around lunch time. It was heating up, although the temperature was 23C (73F) with the humidity it felt more like 26C (79F). He didn't sit in the sun long, and found his way to the portion of the catio I'd placed in the shade. Meanwhile, I did some deadheading, pulled a few weeds, and gave the petunias in the front yard a haircut. They were getting very leggy but will come back fuller in a couple of weeks. When I got back to Stan, he was asking to be let out of the catio, so we headed back indoors.

D and Eli ran a couple of errands and then we all got ready to go the pool for the last afternoon. I was expecting a big crowd for the last day, but it wasn't too bad at all. I cooled off in the pool for a bit, then sat in the sun to read. It didn't take long to feel heated in the sun, so back in the pool again for another dip and back out for more reading. We didn't stay too long, just over an hour, but we all felt refreshed. At home, Stanley and I went out again so I could read and he could hang in the catio. The book I'm reading isn't very good, but I'm determined to finish it because I want to know, "who done it".

We haven't made it to the nearby lake and beach yet this summer, so Friday was to be our day. However, we woke to heavy smoke from the forest fires blanketing the area. I had left a window open overnight, and woke coughing about 4 a.m. It was closed in a hurry, but although I dozed a bit, I was up for the day.

It may look like rain, but that is all smoke. It didn't dissipate until mid-afternoon. D and I tackled some more housework including vacuuming and laundry. I also tackled the pantry, sorting and reorganizing. Eli was happy to hang out in his basement - it too could use some clean-up and organizing, but his mom says she'll wait until he's back in school before tackling that area.

This weekend we're planning to go to the rodeo in town. There are horse races both days, but on Sunday the youth rodeo will be held featured with barrel riding, steer riding, and the event I always find hilarious, mutton busting. Imagine a child (usually from 6-12) leaping onto the back of a sheep, that is being sort of held by two other youngsters. The goal is to ride the sheep for as long as one can...think seconds, not minutes. We likely won't stay at the park long enough to watch that event, but we'll see.

We had more rain overnight, just over a quarter inch, with thunderstorms expected throughout the day. Unless the sun comes out, I suspect we won't venture far today either. I've got rhubarb out to make a galette, the kitchen floor needs washing, and D has some things to do for Eli for school and fall activities.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Mother's Day weekend update

This won't be a wordless Wednesday!

The weekend at D's was wonderful. We did some gardening, a bit of garage sale shopping, a few trips to the nearby park, and G'ma got lots of hugs and cuddles from her favorite grandson. The weather was perfect, in the mid 20's celsius (mid-70's fahrenheit), which meant lots of time outdoors. While D worked on the area out front, I tackled the large bed in the back yard, that can be seen from her neighbour's living room. It has several perennials, including rose bushes, day lilies, a cedar, and variety of lamium. Those were kept, but all the little trees and weeds were cleared, and I cut back the branches on a couple of larger bushes that have been allowed to grow. It will take a stronger person than I to dig these out. There was also a patch of thistles that had me saying blue words. The prickles found their way through my gloves!

I took a water break mid-way through on the front deck. D's neighbour K, returned from a garage sale, and after seeing what she had found, we decided we'd clean up a bit and head over. It was the most amazing garage sale I've ever seen. K told us, the husband had recently passed away, and his current spouse (he had been a widower when they met), was attempting to clear out some outbuildings. There were four buildings attached to one another, one of which was originally a garage. The first building we entered wasn't packed with items, but each of the following buildings were. There were walls covered in shelves full of salt and pepper shakers, mugs, cookie jars, teapots, and other glassware of all sorts. There were collectibles too, magnets, toys, and so forth. In the second building, there were a multitude of windchimes hanging from the ceiling, and every room was a maze of shelving from floor to ceiling. In some spaces one had to sidle down the aisles. Eli picked a most practical item, a ruler, while his mother and I found items we couldn't live without. :)  

The set is marked Ineke Canada and the pottery set includes the salt and pepper, a oil/vinegar cruet and a small container for mustard as well as the tray. Information from the web suggests it was manufactured in the 1980's or early 1990's. I just liked it!

I also purchased a tumble up teapot that I left at D's. The tumble up refers to the cup that fits over the lid of the teapot. I didn't use it while I was there, but it will be nice to have on future visits. Total cost $4!

D found several pieces of blue glass, and made another visit on Monday, while Eli was at school to pick up more. I had purchased a blue glass candle holder for Eli to give her on Mother's Day and she has now increased her collection significantly. 

We made one more stop at a garage sale across from Eli's school. There I found a small wooden bookcase on wheels. While it had a little damage, it was still in decent condition so I grabbed it for $15. This garage sale was different too, as it was primarily items the owner had picked up at various auctions. The bookcase was actually being used as a display...we had to clear things off of it so I could take it away. It's now set up in the craft room with a few supplies tucked away. 

I can't forget the visits to the park. We visited after our garage sale foray, and then again later that afternoon with a followup visit on Sunday. The spray park was open, and Eli had a lot of fun running through the water. He watched some older boys playing basketball and eventually joined in briefly. He doesn't know how to dribble the ball but he had fun running back and forth on the court.

As usual he and I slept in his big boy bed - which isn't big at all, and especially when Sheldon (one of the cats) joins us. At one point, I slept on the floor beside the bed for an hour or so. So apparently, I can sleep on the ground and get back to my feet. :p  We read several books each night, and told scary stories. I learned that Eli is as much afraid of spiders as I am, so no more scary spider stories for either of us. 

I'm also no longer the scary stranger for Spencer, D's recent rescue cat.  Although she was cautious around me for the first day she did let me touch her, by Sunday she was coming to me for pets an even jumped up on my lap while I was sitting with Eli on the couch. She's definitely my daughter's cat, and comes when she's called. Spencer gets along with the two older cats, and gives as good as she gets in the tussles. 

The drive to and from were good, with light traffic and the weather cooperated throughout. I'll be heading back again in a few weeks for Eli's birthday party. While his birthday is in March, his mother has his party in the park so it has to wait until the weather is decent. It's a great place to hold a party with a covered area with picnic tables, the spray park, lots of playground equipment, as well as outdoor washrooms. 

I'll keep the remainder of the update from this week to Saturday's post. It's been busy and productive, and today...very smoky!