14 & 15 AUG 2010

Today we are still in Halifax with plans to be tourists. As we got up we all headed for our laptops to check on emails, work on blogs etc. It seems that the four of us (Wes, Helmet, Stephen and myself) all have technology engrained in our lives so morning involved coffee and laptop.


We once again ended up spending time chatting and visiting even though all of us had plans for the morning. Before we were aware it was 10:30 and we had not moved from the table. Eventually we got our day started.

Wes and I had decided to go over to Point Pleasant Park which is a park that is similar to Stanley Park (much smaller) but with great trails, walks and views along the water front. There was an opportunity for Wes to put his hand in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

In addition to well planned trails the ocean breeze was refreshing. We actually saw a wedding being set up with a ‘rug rolled out’ for the bride to walk down. We did not see the wedding, just the preparation. There is lots of history in the area and this is embedded in the park.

We had our lunch in the shade of a tree and watched a helicopter land. At the beach there was lots of excitement as a jellyfish was spotted.
I was able to get a picture.

We walked back to the car to head off to Peggy’s Cove. This involved a drive down the coast on a windy road. The drive was really nice but it does seem that patience is tested as drivers seem to feel slow and slower is the best policy. My patience was tested and I survived. Ask Wes how well - maybe.

Peggy’s Cove, for those who have not heard of it, is a famous landmark in Nova Scotia. The lighthouse has been a marker for the east side of St Margaret’s Bay for years. The town site itself has been around as a fishing community and grown as a tourist attraction area. The area looks much like an alpine region with stunted trees and brushes.

The rock is smooth and rounded so easy to walk over and provides incredible views of the bay and ocean. I am sure that when it is stormy these same rocks would be hazardous.

We returned to Sharon and Helmet’s for a bit of rest, dinner and discussions. After dinner we went for a driving tour heading up the southern coastline to see some of the coast guard installations that Helmet supported as the technician. This took us to areas we would never have thought to drive and areas I have never been to before. We ended up at the Halifax Waterfront which has been set up as a promenade along the harbour with shops, activities and events going. From this dock is a shuttle ferry that goes between Halifax and Dartmouth across the harbour. We took a ride across to Dartmouth and back which gave us a fantastic view of the cities from the water. I highly recommend that any visitor do so.

The Waterfront is a high energy area and right now the Halifax International Buskerfest is happening. Tonight we happened to come to a fire tossing, acrobat and dance group and ended up watching. They were very good and entertaining. What a great way to end this day so we headed back to Sharon and Helmet’s to call it a day.

Motorbike on Dock

Sunday the 15th started with sunshine and a goal to get to Lunenburg. Before we could leave we decided to help Sharon with a computer problem she was having. After all, between Wes and I we are fairly knowledgeable about computers.

Once on the road we started up the GPS to get directions (not really required since it is not a secret place at all) to discover that it no longer wanted to function properly. Ok, maybe it needs to be turned off and on – nope did not work. Lets just do a reset – but how? This involved some exploration on the blackberry, and guess what? It reset everything – including appeared to wipe out all maps. GREAT!!!! It needs to be hooked up to a computer and reloaded – so we think. Well later today we set up the computer and Wes started to ‘fix’ it. After much struggle it seems that the maps file is corrupted and not deleted. But to sort it out involves removing that file from the Garmin and reloading. Ok, doable, but it costs to reload the maps – rats. We have really enjoyed the GPS, so we pay the fee but will talk to the support people when we can and see if we can sort this out. The adventure of techies on the road, as I type this on my net book, never ends.

We travel out to Lunenburg and pass through Mahone Bay on the highway along the coast line. What a busy place this was with cars parked along the road leaving only a single lane through for both directions. People were everywhere but considering how incredibly picturesque this area is I understand. I was just glad we only passed on through rather than try to stop and visit.

Lunenburg is a historic fishing village (what isn’t in Nova Scotia?) noted for its ship building and fishing. This is the place where the Blue Nose and Blue Nose II were built and moored. There is a fisheries museum and several streets to walk around with brightly painted houses. There is a historical church in the town center with beautiful stained glass what we enjoyed touring. As we wondered around town we noted a group of people sitting in a town square so we checked it out.

It was a group listening to a folk group who were singing with harmonies that made you want to just stop and enjoy – so we did. We also stopped at a couple of local crafts shops to study the types of crafts being produced. One in particular was a quilt art shop where incredible pictures were being created using quilting techniques.

Of course we went looking for the Blue Nose II to discover it was in dock for refitting. It was actually moored in the ship yard area and had all the masts removed so there really was not much to see. Sigh.

 We finished the day with a visit with friends of Alicia and Anne – Paula and Paula. We had been invited to a fresh lobster dinner at their place. First they have a beautiful house outside of Halifax with a very private yard. We enjoyed meeting their dog who has many cat like characteristics when playing. This timid and energetic Chihuahua was so much fun to watch.

Dinner involved lobster and Paula was very gracious to teach us how to eat a lobster. Neither Wes nor I have had much experience with lobster, but with Paula’s instruction we learned so much about the best approach for eating. Thank you Paula and I am sure your kitchen will recover. The entire evening was so much fun as we visited and expand our list of friends.

The drive back to Sharon’s was uneventful but early enough to work on the GPS. Setting up the download and going to bed worked well since it took a few hours to download all the maps. We will contact Garmin today to sort out warrantee issues and hopefully recover the cost of downloading new maps.

Flowers in Sharon's garden