This is a post I wrote in 2007 and for some reason never published. Some possibly useful information if you do any renovations.
Three years ago, we bought a shower stall in Ottawa from Home Depot - it was a Maax product and seemed nice and roomy (38") and came in a nice flat box which we could easily transport to Lockeport. At that time, we were just about to begin renovating our downstairs bathroom. Due to the awkward shape of that room we finally decided it would be better to put the shower upstairs when we got around to doing the second bath.
That renovation began last summer and required much shoring up of old floor beams that had been cut into various times over the years for other bathroom work by other owners. By the end of last summer, we had wallboard up and tile on the floor but no plumbing done. 2 weeks ago our plumber, Jerry, finally hooked everything up and with his helper (another Gerry) installed the 3 year-old shower stall. It was then necessary for me to patch the drywall around the shower and sand, paint etc.
Monday, I finally tried out the new shower - alas we had a leak which turned out to be a lack of sealing putty in the drain - fixed by Jerry the next day. I also managed to knock out one of the pieces of plastic ribbon on the bottom of the shower door (the stuff that keeps the water IN the shower). Of course I broke it trying to reinsert it - it was only about 1 1/2 inches long but I still should have removed the door for correct installation.Later that morning, I was in Liverpool at Curves so I went to Home Hardware with my broken piece - nope, none there but a very helpful clerk looked up Mr. Plumber in Wileville (inland from Bridgewater) and suggested I try them since calling the manufacturer would be such a long protracted method of dealing with my problem.
I returned home and rather than call Mr. Plumber, I perversely dug out the installation manual for the shower and low and behold, there was an "after sales service" number. I called and got an actual human being and asked if I could order the part (the part number was on the installation directions). She said I had to speak to a technician. This gentleman was willing to help me figure out what model I had and therefore what exact part I needed - since I knew those, he took my name and address and said the part would be sent Tuesday and I'd have it before the end of the week. There was no question of me paying for it or how old the shower was - just "we'll send one".
This morning (Thursday, the part arrived at the post office - Express Post for a free part.
If you need to purchase any sort of bathroom fixtures, Take a look at what Maax has to offer
Monday, June 11, 2018
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Canada Day (s)
Lockeport knows how to celebrate - this year Canada Day was celebrated from June 27 to July 1st.
On June 27th there were several events starting with a party in Seacaps Park for the children run by our local community of disabled adults - games, food, balloons etc. Then there was a sidewalk chalk contest (Queen's Diamond Jubilee theme), and then we held our annual BakeWalk to raise money for the Ragged Islands Historical Society.
I was apprehensive when the July 1st Committee moved us to Wednesday evening but it turned out I was wrong - we had a fantastic turnout and made more money than we have for several years. The annual Variety Show was right after us and we got people from the Chalk contest on one end and early arrivals to the Variety Show on the other- also good weather helped. We really got a lot of baking donations including 7 cakes, muffins, cookies, fudge, pralines, bread, and pickles so there was lots of choice for the winners.
Part of the Variety Show is the choosing of the king and queen for Canada Day ( a draw from the names of those interested). The Queen was 4 year old Bella Taylor (one of the few children in town whom I actually know). Here she is presenting trophies at the Day Pass draw on Saturday (with mayor Darian Huskilson and Municipality of Shelburne Warden (and our good friend) Sherm Embree). What a little sweetheart - and she had a nice queenly wave in the parade.
Thursday, the 28th, I drove to Halifax early to pick up my friends Barb and Lynn with whom I worked for many years at Lady Evelyn Alternative school in Ottawa. They are visiting us until July 9th so getting to do lots of our wonderful small town events. They seem to have brought us good weather too - although thankfully not as hot as it has been in Ottawa.
Friday evening Wayne and I worked the gate at the Lockeport Rocks outdoor concert (Jimmy Flynn and 3 Way Radio) - Lynn and Barb came along and Barb said she had a "ripping" good time (she was tearing apart id bracelets for Wayne to put on attendees). It was a bit cool and the fog rolled in as our shift ended at 10:00PM but we had fun and everything balanced financially. Tim took over from us at 10:00 with June Harding-Scott. Total paid attendance was 218 which is pretty good for a town of less that 600 (and admission restricted to 19+).
Because July 1st is actually a Sunday this year and we are in Canada's Bible Belt, most of the celebrations were moved to Saturday. We went to the Craft Fair at 10:00AM, then had strawberry shortcake from the IODE in the Anglican church hall at 11:00AM, wandered around and looked at the booths and kid games. There was a zip-line this year and I didn't see it - apparently it's an awesome ride brought on a big flat bed - it was set up down on the baseball field and was about 40 ft in the air - first time it's been used in the Maritimes apparently.
We had lunch at the firemen's BBQ - sausage and a pop for $3.50. Lots more wandering around, waiting for the sailboats to arrive from the race from Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club to Lockeport. We had dinner at the White Gull sitting on the deck right beside the Heavy Water concert. Scallops and fries done really well - they were super busy too. The Town and Country and the new B&B (although not open or licensed yet - either of them) managed to do outside service of lobster rolls, drinks, and some BBQ stuff. We didn't eat any of that but we did stop at Beech Street Studios for giant cookies and fudge.
During the afternoon we watched the parade and went to the Day Pass draw. After dinner we walked over to South Wharf to watch some of the greased pole competition - I don't know how those brave participants can stand falling in the cold Atlantic, even if they are managing to grab money on the way down.
We were exhausted from all the sunshine and walking around town all day so we didn't make it to either the outdoor evening concert (which was free) or the adult dance at the firehall ( it didn't start unti 9:30PM). Tim decided to go and managed to get a ticket to the sold out dance ( the organizer printed him a ticket from the original computer file with the next number in sequence about an hour before the dance - it pays to be a nice guy).
Sunday Lynn and Barb and I went over to the Anglican Church's BBQ for lunch - we each had a hamburger and then we were still hungry so we went back for hot dogs. A new event so not very well attended it seemed. There is a gospel concert that we're going to this afternoon, followed by the Opening Ceremony (?) with flag raising, Oh Canada and birthday cake, and tonight the fireworks at 10:00PM. There's also the Poker Walk after supper but I doubt we'll do that one.
No soap box derby this year - I think the old cars finally got beyond repair. Maybe someone will make some new ones for next year.
Happy Birthday Canada!
On June 27th there were several events starting with a party in Seacaps Park for the children run by our local community of disabled adults - games, food, balloons etc. Then there was a sidewalk chalk contest (Queen's Diamond Jubilee theme), and then we held our annual BakeWalk to raise money for the Ragged Islands Historical Society.
I was apprehensive when the July 1st Committee moved us to Wednesday evening but it turned out I was wrong - we had a fantastic turnout and made more money than we have for several years. The annual Variety Show was right after us and we got people from the Chalk contest on one end and early arrivals to the Variety Show on the other- also good weather helped. We really got a lot of baking donations including 7 cakes, muffins, cookies, fudge, pralines, bread, and pickles so there was lots of choice for the winners.
Part of the Variety Show is the choosing of the king and queen for Canada Day ( a draw from the names of those interested). The Queen was 4 year old Bella Taylor (one of the few children in town whom I actually know). Here she is presenting trophies at the Day Pass draw on Saturday (with mayor Darian Huskilson and Municipality of Shelburne Warden (and our good friend) Sherm Embree). What a little sweetheart - and she had a nice queenly wave in the parade.
Thursday, the 28th, I drove to Halifax early to pick up my friends Barb and Lynn with whom I worked for many years at Lady Evelyn Alternative school in Ottawa. They are visiting us until July 9th so getting to do lots of our wonderful small town events. They seem to have brought us good weather too - although thankfully not as hot as it has been in Ottawa.
Friday evening Wayne and I worked the gate at the Lockeport Rocks outdoor concert (Jimmy Flynn and 3 Way Radio) - Lynn and Barb came along and Barb said she had a "ripping" good time (she was tearing apart id bracelets for Wayne to put on attendees). It was a bit cool and the fog rolled in as our shift ended at 10:00PM but we had fun and everything balanced financially. Tim took over from us at 10:00 with June Harding-Scott. Total paid attendance was 218 which is pretty good for a town of less that 600 (and admission restricted to 19+).
Because July 1st is actually a Sunday this year and we are in Canada's Bible Belt, most of the celebrations were moved to Saturday. We went to the Craft Fair at 10:00AM, then had strawberry shortcake from the IODE in the Anglican church hall at 11:00AM, wandered around and looked at the booths and kid games. There was a zip-line this year and I didn't see it - apparently it's an awesome ride brought on a big flat bed - it was set up down on the baseball field and was about 40 ft in the air - first time it's been used in the Maritimes apparently.
We had lunch at the firemen's BBQ - sausage and a pop for $3.50. Lots more wandering around, waiting for the sailboats to arrive from the race from Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club to Lockeport. We had dinner at the White Gull sitting on the deck right beside the Heavy Water concert. Scallops and fries done really well - they were super busy too. The Town and Country and the new B&B (although not open or licensed yet - either of them) managed to do outside service of lobster rolls, drinks, and some BBQ stuff. We didn't eat any of that but we did stop at Beech Street Studios for giant cookies and fudge.
During the afternoon we watched the parade and went to the Day Pass draw. After dinner we walked over to South Wharf to watch some of the greased pole competition - I don't know how those brave participants can stand falling in the cold Atlantic, even if they are managing to grab money on the way down.
Sailboats arriving
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| Getting ready for the parade to come by in front of our house |
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| Start of parade - one of Mac's cars |
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| Heavy Water performing |
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| Sailboats in the marina |
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| One of the Longboat Society's boats giving free rides |
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| People on the wharf watching the concert, Historical Streetscape in the background |
Sunday Lynn and Barb and I went over to the Anglican Church's BBQ for lunch - we each had a hamburger and then we were still hungry so we went back for hot dogs. A new event so not very well attended it seemed. There is a gospel concert that we're going to this afternoon, followed by the Opening Ceremony (?) with flag raising, Oh Canada and birthday cake, and tonight the fireworks at 10:00PM. There's also the Poker Walk after supper but I doubt we'll do that one.
No soap box derby this year - I think the old cars finally got beyond repair. Maybe someone will make some new ones for next year.
Happy Birthday Canada!
June 2012
Since I haven't written anything all month, I guess I'd better catch up again in one fell swoop.
Lobster Festival
As usual, Lobster Festival was very enjoyable. My brother, Bill,
came down from Ottawa for the 4 days and we ate entirely 2 much lobster
(if that is possible!). Also, on the Friday evening, there was a Place
for Dory Mates Concert at the Legion starring Coco Love Alcorn and Ian
Sherwood - what a great combination of musicians. They really
complemented each other and seemed to share the same sense of humour -
it was a fun evening. Coco and her daughter Ellie, her mom, Grace and
her friend David camped out at our house for the evening. It was nice to
see them again and how much Ellie has grown since last summer when they
stayed here.
Lobster Festival
Wayne enjoying lobster at Sandy Point Community Centre
Bill
Me
Lobster and Icelandic Shrimp, Mango, and Spinach salad at Charlotte Lane
Brandied Lobster and Scallops au Gratin with 7 grain rice at Charlotte Lane
Coco and Ian performing
New red and yellow Adirondack chairs from Bill, plus improved harbour view where Wayne moved the forsythia bush
Spring Fling 2012
This was a new event for me (although it was the event's 10th anniversary) - a combination hooking day and rug show held by the Yarmouth Rug Bees at the Burridge Campus of NSCC. There were 140 rug hookers present, 3 vendors with lots of supplies available, excellent breakfast and lunch, a few speeches (short - thankfully) and an impressive display of rugs. All-in-all a very enjoyable day.
I also saw a few new spots in Yarmouth including a health/natural food store which I did not know existed - thanks Louise!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Restaurant News
Eventually, if you gossip with enough people in town, you find out the true story of what's going on. I tried a lot of people before I talked to Vicki and got the scoop (I think).
The Town & Country has been purchased by a lady from Jordan Falls(?)who will be running the same sort of restaurant. The rumour about the Chinese restaurant in Shelburne (Luong's) being involved is only tangentially true - she's currently employed there - has lived in the area for about a year or so. She plans to serve the same sort of food as The Town & Country did - they've got possession and are in there working today - should open in a week or 2.
The B&B next door plans to do chowders and sandwiches for lunch plus breakfasts. If the Legion is doing a breakfast, the B&B won't - sounds like nice people! They may do dinners on the days The Parrot's Pins is closed. They hope to open by June 30th.
In Shelburne, Chez Patrick is going to open as a bistro of some sort with a fused glass gallery on the other side. A new sandwich place is opening at the corner of Hammond and George (the 3-way stop on the route to Sandy Point and the hospital), hoping to cash in on the increased business in the industrial park and the Irving shipyard.
Some sad news - a fire in Liverpool has destroyed the house which Zaari and Irene renovated (beside where they built their rental cabins, between McDonald's and the entrance to the Best Western/Queen's Place). Their Chef's Table in Sable River has not sold so perhaps they will be able to live there and commute to Liverpool. Otherwise they'll have to camp out in one of their cabins I guess.
The Woodpile in Liverpool closed over the winter, but there is a new similar place where Memory Lane used to be.
Reconstruction of the main lodge at White Point Resort is progressing - you can see how it's going here
The Town & Country has been purchased by a lady from Jordan Falls(?)who will be running the same sort of restaurant. The rumour about the Chinese restaurant in Shelburne (Luong's) being involved is only tangentially true - she's currently employed there - has lived in the area for about a year or so. She plans to serve the same sort of food as The Town & Country did - they've got possession and are in there working today - should open in a week or 2.
The B&B next door plans to do chowders and sandwiches for lunch plus breakfasts. If the Legion is doing a breakfast, the B&B won't - sounds like nice people! They may do dinners on the days The Parrot's Pins is closed. They hope to open by June 30th.
In Shelburne, Chez Patrick is going to open as a bistro of some sort with a fused glass gallery on the other side. A new sandwich place is opening at the corner of Hammond and George (the 3-way stop on the route to Sandy Point and the hospital), hoping to cash in on the increased business in the industrial park and the Irving shipyard.
Some sad news - a fire in Liverpool has destroyed the house which Zaari and Irene renovated (beside where they built their rental cabins, between McDonald's and the entrance to the Best Western/Queen's Place). Their Chef's Table in Sable River has not sold so perhaps they will be able to live there and commute to Liverpool. Otherwise they'll have to camp out in one of their cabins I guess.
The Woodpile in Liverpool closed over the winter, but there is a new similar place where Memory Lane used to be.
Reconstruction of the main lodge at White Point Resort is progressing - you can see how it's going here
Monday, May 28, 2012
May 28th, 2012
Yesterday morning Fred called from California, so after I talked to him I went for a little walk to see how his neighbour's property at the corner of John and South looks now. Unfortunately it's still the same mess with the exception that the bamboo/Japanese knotwood is growing up and starting to obscure some of the mess. I wish the town would get serious about their clean-up orders. The property on the Brighton Road across from the miniature boats is atrocious too.
Today is another rainy day (no fog though) - 30% chance of rain but it's been constant since beofre I got up at 6:00AM. Waiting for Irving to do our annual furnace maintenance.
Today is another rainy day (no fog though) - 30% chance of rain but it's been constant since beofre I got up at 6:00AM. Waiting for Irving to do our annual furnace maintenance.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Great play!
We went to see this play last night at the Osprey in Shelburne - the sets were amazing and the play is absolutely hilarious. It's set in a small town and much of the banter about small town life is spot on. The actors were great - handled the many comedic moments very well (especially Chet Buchanan who is SO good at facial expression and body language). It's a Canadian play written by Norm Foster - well worth the $15 admission.
We also had dinner at Luong's restaurant before the performance. As usual, their food was lovely and fresh - hadn't had any Chinese food since last fall so it was a pleasant treat. Latest rumour in Lockeport is that The Town and Country (WHICH HAS BEEN SOLD!!!) was purchased by someone connected with Luong's - true? or not? We'll know soon hopefully.
Also - on the up and down restaurant front - the new B&B/cafe is progressing well, roofed and the windows and doors are in, currently the men are working on the building wrap and exterior finishing. In Shelburne, apparently Chez Patrick, which has been for sale for several (6 maybe?) years seems to have been sold - there were lights on at 10:30 last night in the upstairs apartment - whether or not it will be a restaurant again also remains to be seen. It was a gem for the few years it existed - and a really nice place to go after a performance at the Osprey, a sophisticated French cafe/wine bar atmosphere.
Weather-wise - we're into fog season - we had some truly nice days this week but a preponderance of fog and rain. Today is one of those many yard sales days but the weather is the pits - supposed to be nicer later.
When we bought this house, one of the first things we had our plumber do was put in outside taps so we could water the garden - hah! Not something you need to do in Lockeport - everything is self-watering from the fog and sea-air - the problem here is keeping anything dry. I keep making little bags of rice to store with my baking supplies to absorb moisture and EVERYTHING needs to go in sealed plastic containers - I podged a whole bunch of coffee tins in pretty colours to store rice, sugar, etc but they all rapidly rust out So I'm gradually replacing them with plastic (and rice).
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
May 8th - Good News and/or Rumours
2 encouraging news items on the restaurant front today:
1. A big truck brought tons of wood etc to the site of the new bed and breakfast/cafe so maybe construction will speed up and it will open this summer
2. Rumour at our hooking meeting that A-1 Pizza is going to open the Town and Country for the summer as they did 2 years ago. I did see that someone was in there on Sunday (but it may have just been periodic check/maintenance in a closed building).
1. A big truck brought tons of wood etc to the site of the new bed and breakfast/cafe so maybe construction will speed up and it will open this summer
2. Rumour at our hooking meeting that A-1 Pizza is going to open the Town and Country for the summer as they did 2 years ago. I did see that someone was in there on Sunday (but it may have just been periodic check/maintenance in a closed building).
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Dory Mates Concert
Last night there was a Dory Mates concert, hosted by Harmony Bazaar, sponsored by NSLC at the Legion. The artist was Ruth Minnikin accompanied by Anna Plaskett. Turnout was atrocious - even for Lockeport - there were 13 people in the audience including Corey doing the sound system.
The music, however, was very nice - rocking folk for the most part. Anna played both French Horn (a very pleasant surprise) and guitar, as well as handling some of the vocals. Nice voice.
Ruth is an accomplished singer-song-writer. She has a lovely clear voice and a self-deprecating sense of humour - all-in-all it was a very enjoyable show.
Ruth and Anna stayed at our house last night - very nice young women. I hope we see them in Lockeport again.
The music, however, was very nice - rocking folk for the most part. Anna played both French Horn (a very pleasant surprise) and guitar, as well as handling some of the vocals. Nice voice.
Ruth is an accomplished singer-song-writer. She has a lovely clear voice and a self-deprecating sense of humour - all-in-all it was a very enjoyable show.
Ruth Minnikin
Anna Plaskett
Back in the Saddle Again!
Once again I've been getting complaints about my lack of output. Of course we were away from Lockeport for over 5 months between visiting Ottawa for the birth of grandchild number 4 (Benjamin Theodore Henry Cooper, December 4th, 2011),Christmas, our 3 months in Perdido Key, FL, and a return vsist to Ottawa to re-visit Ben, and all the rest of the family. We have now been back in Lockeport for over 2 weeks so I guess it's time to get off my duff.
There have been a few changes during our absence - nothing too major but here are a few pictures.
The new walkways and porch to the Little School Museum are complete - looks good, hope it's all enough if we get hit by more hurricane waters. Howard and Anne were painting the inside of the museum this week - now Cheryl has to move all the displays in and set them up yet again.
Other changes - Vanessa has closed her gift shop, all three local restaurants are for sale (yet the new B&B will include a restaurant - strange). At least the Parrot's Pins remains open (and serving delicious food as usual). Liz is advertising for servers for the summer so I guess The White Gull will be reopening too. According to the last census (2011), our population is down to 585 or so - steadily declining. When we bought our house in 2002 the population was 702.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Four Months Later
Once again, I haven't been doing any posting - my apologies, particularly to Fred who actually seems interested in what I write.
Summer is long gone now - it's been a pretty terrific fall here - a few storms as an occasional hurricane went past out at sea but nothing has directly hit us fortunately. So the reinforcement of the dunes done last winter and spring has not really been tested yet. Which is good.
The Little School Museum was closed this summer - the exhibits were on display (some of them anyway) at the Beach Centre. Work has begun on raising the museum building to protect it against all but the worst hurricanes and nor'easters. The foundation is in and the museum set back on it, the back-filling is done. Now a new porch needs to be built and an elevated walkway over to the boardwalk that was put in in front of the museum 2 years ago. Supposedly, this will all be done for next tourist season.
On the restaurant scene, things look somewhat bleak. The Town & Country has not sold, neither has Lothar's, or The White Gull. Apparently Sophia's is now for sale too. All of the seasonal restaurants are now closed and even The Parrot's Pins and Charlotte Lane are closed right now for mini-vacations. On the plus side, The Loyalist Inn and The SeaDog have done an exellent job of presenting entertainment on Friday evenings so locals have something to do.
There has been a great deal of animosity and in-fighting locally this year because of the salmon-farming issue. New licences have been granted to Cooke Aquaculture with next to no input from the public and, it seems, little research by the government bodies involved. Many more licences have been applied for - many locals who desperately need employment are eager for possible jobs while the enviromentalists and existing lobster fishermen are seriously concerned about the negative effects of open-cage farming on other species and the coastal waters. There seem to be massive problems everywhere these fish farms exist in NB, South America etc and Cooke's top executives have just been charged with serious pollution/extremination of species in NB waters. American regulations are much stricter than Canadian and Canada has just fired all kinds of scientists at Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans who should be watching our waters for us so even our lax rules won't be followed (IMHO). Cooke has also "promised" a plant to process the fish - at the same time they are trying to acquire Clearwater which already coincidentally has a plant here - if they manage to get it, I'm sure Cooke will just change what the plant handles (currently lobster and scallops) to salmon and very few new jobs will appear (although there may be more year-round ones available).
It's a terrible position for the area to be in - jobs are a MAJOR need but so are the ones that exist already which may be adversely affected by the salmon cages. And the pollution problem is a monstrous threat. I see both sides of this - it's too bad Cooke won't go to the expense of doing their farming in land-locked pens but that would clearly cut way down on their profit margin. Doing some farming of other filter species in combination with the salmon (like mussels, oysters) would improve the pollution problems too, but they don't seem interested. What will happen in the next few years is anyone's guess.
It's Remembrance Day - Wayne just left for the service at the Baptist Church - the largest one in town. Probably the wreath laying will have to be indoors as well as Tropical Storm Sean is going past and drenching us today. We had a significant storm last week too - the monstrous snow storm that swept through the States from Virginia to Maine arrived here as wind and rain (weird that the north got rain not snow). There are massive piles of seaweed (about 4-5 ft high and a dozen feet wide and a couple of hundred feet long) on the east end of the beach from that storm - maybe this one will wash it all back out to sea.
We're packing up - leaving in a few days for Ottawa to spend 6 weeks with our kids/grandkids before we head to Florida for another 3 months in Perdido Key. I've done some of my Christmas baking (so I could leave some here for Tim) and yesterday I mailed 11 Christmas cards to family/friends far way who get my wonderful (Ha Ha!) Christmas letter with pictures of the grandkids and my great-nieces. It''s pretty quiet here at this time of year - many of our friends are "summer" people who have returned to their winter homes. And one of our long-standing friends here, Alice Lloyd, has moved out to BC to be near her family again. That's a sentiment I very much understand as I miss my family a great deal. It's nice Tim moved here so I get to see 1 of my sons regularly at least.
New grandson arriving in about a month, a brother for Ava - part of the reason we're leaving here so early this year. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you in Ottawa, both family and friends.
Till the next time....
Summer is long gone now - it's been a pretty terrific fall here - a few storms as an occasional hurricane went past out at sea but nothing has directly hit us fortunately. So the reinforcement of the dunes done last winter and spring has not really been tested yet. Which is good.
The Little School Museum was closed this summer - the exhibits were on display (some of them anyway) at the Beach Centre. Work has begun on raising the museum building to protect it against all but the worst hurricanes and nor'easters. The foundation is in and the museum set back on it, the back-filling is done. Now a new porch needs to be built and an elevated walkway over to the boardwalk that was put in in front of the museum 2 years ago. Supposedly, this will all be done for next tourist season.
On the restaurant scene, things look somewhat bleak. The Town & Country has not sold, neither has Lothar's, or The White Gull. Apparently Sophia's is now for sale too. All of the seasonal restaurants are now closed and even The Parrot's Pins and Charlotte Lane are closed right now for mini-vacations. On the plus side, The Loyalist Inn and The SeaDog have done an exellent job of presenting entertainment on Friday evenings so locals have something to do.
There has been a great deal of animosity and in-fighting locally this year because of the salmon-farming issue. New licences have been granted to Cooke Aquaculture with next to no input from the public and, it seems, little research by the government bodies involved. Many more licences have been applied for - many locals who desperately need employment are eager for possible jobs while the enviromentalists and existing lobster fishermen are seriously concerned about the negative effects of open-cage farming on other species and the coastal waters. There seem to be massive problems everywhere these fish farms exist in NB, South America etc and Cooke's top executives have just been charged with serious pollution/extremination of species in NB waters. American regulations are much stricter than Canadian and Canada has just fired all kinds of scientists at Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans who should be watching our waters for us so even our lax rules won't be followed (IMHO). Cooke has also "promised" a plant to process the fish - at the same time they are trying to acquire Clearwater which already coincidentally has a plant here - if they manage to get it, I'm sure Cooke will just change what the plant handles (currently lobster and scallops) to salmon and very few new jobs will appear (although there may be more year-round ones available).
It's a terrible position for the area to be in - jobs are a MAJOR need but so are the ones that exist already which may be adversely affected by the salmon cages. And the pollution problem is a monstrous threat. I see both sides of this - it's too bad Cooke won't go to the expense of doing their farming in land-locked pens but that would clearly cut way down on their profit margin. Doing some farming of other filter species in combination with the salmon (like mussels, oysters) would improve the pollution problems too, but they don't seem interested. What will happen in the next few years is anyone's guess.
It's Remembrance Day - Wayne just left for the service at the Baptist Church - the largest one in town. Probably the wreath laying will have to be indoors as well as Tropical Storm Sean is going past and drenching us today. We had a significant storm last week too - the monstrous snow storm that swept through the States from Virginia to Maine arrived here as wind and rain (weird that the north got rain not snow). There are massive piles of seaweed (about 4-5 ft high and a dozen feet wide and a couple of hundred feet long) on the east end of the beach from that storm - maybe this one will wash it all back out to sea.
We're packing up - leaving in a few days for Ottawa to spend 6 weeks with our kids/grandkids before we head to Florida for another 3 months in Perdido Key. I've done some of my Christmas baking (so I could leave some here for Tim) and yesterday I mailed 11 Christmas cards to family/friends far way who get my wonderful (Ha Ha!) Christmas letter with pictures of the grandkids and my great-nieces. It''s pretty quiet here at this time of year - many of our friends are "summer" people who have returned to their winter homes. And one of our long-standing friends here, Alice Lloyd, has moved out to BC to be near her family again. That's a sentiment I very much understand as I miss my family a great deal. It's nice Tim moved here so I get to see 1 of my sons regularly at least.
New grandson arriving in about a month, a brother for Ava - part of the reason we're leaving here so early this year. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you in Ottawa, both family and friends.
Till the next time....
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Little World Celebrates Canada Day!
Once again I seem to be remiss in doing any posting. My life is not very exciting, it's true, but there is a bit going on these days.
July 1st was a wonderful day in Lockeport as it seems to be every year, Of course the festivities are stretched over a week (+), so it's a very busy time in town and everyone seems to be especially enthusiastic for a while :).
There were a few new things this year - Lockeport Rocks had 4 concerts and with the other musical events, there was music available for 9 days straight which was pretty special.
The first concert was the KISS tribute evening - Wayne and Tim and I worked in the bar to help out the Arthritis Society: Wayne bar-tending, Tim doing security and I sold BBQ and bar tickets. Pretty good attendance considering there had been a huge downpour earlier in the evening and a very good show. Dressed to Kill were great!
The second concert was a rap/hip-hop event in the Fire hall. Tim worked security again but, although we had tickets, we stayed home - not really our type of music. The acts were about an hour late but a couple of them were apparently quite good and about 70 of the local youth turned out. Afterwards Tim said one of the performers told him they would have gone with a "milder" set if they had known the crowd would be so young. They were apparently very nice well-spoken, polite men - not what you really expect from rap artists! (my age is showing)
Concert 3 was held in the pavilion in SeaCaps Park, with the tent sides up. Perpetual Detour was on first, an all-female group out of Halifax which will be appearing in Lockeport again at Harmony Bazaar at the end of July. Not the best acoustics for them, but an enjoyable alternative rock band anyway. It will be interesting to hear them on the big stage at HB. Perpetual Detour was followed by The Tripps, excellent show although EXTREMELY LOUD! There were only about 35 people there total but it was Grad day in Lockeport so lots of people were otherwise occupied. Once again Tim did security with Darren but there certainly wasn't much for them to do.
The final of the 4 concerts was the June 30th extravaganza - always a lot of fun. The weather was perfect, huge crowd, better bar configuration (you could actually see the show this time), and a true "holiday" atmosphere. Mike Balish opened with a solid hour of tunes - he's such a versatile artist and had a great selection for his set. Then the headliners - The Matt Minglewood Band. Lots of dancing, wonderful music, 2 full sets! Great night!
Canada Day morning, I headed back down to the Park for a new event - breakfast from a a shanty. The Park was immaculate by 7:30AM - kudos to the Canada Day Committee for a job well done. Breakfast was a very good bargain - eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and a beverage for $5 and was well-prepared and hot. A good addition to the day! Other "food" events included a quilt show in the Baptist Church (with coffee, muffins, scones etc), The Canada Day cake at the opening ceremonies (thanks Mary!), strawberry shortcake form the IODE at the Anglican Church (we're up to 11:00AM now), sausages from the Fire Dept. and from the Town Market, a BBQ by some students at the Hardware Store, and the Lions BBQ booth. Then there was assorted baking and fudge etc ine the craft fair area. Also a booth selling pizza (must have been the Bayman but I resisted getting close enough to find out). There was also a mini-donut truck, cotton candy etc.
In the afternoon, several of our friends dropped by to watch the parade from our elevated lawn. Sherm, Fred and Barbara, Bob and Kathy (the first July 1st they've made it to NS), Kelli, Gina and a whole slew of teenagers. The parade was short a few firetrucks this year - Clark's Harbour ran their own events which took some of the trucks from farther down the coast and Liverpool had an earlier than usual Privateers Days (due to the calendar I guess), which kept their firetrucks at home. But it was till good, noisy, small-town fun!
Later on there was still the greased pole, longboat rides in the harbour, Heavy Water concert by the White Gull, the dance in the park and the fireworks. A nice clear night - we only had to go out in our back yard for a perfect view - I still don't know how a place the size of Lockeport can put on a 30 minute fireworks show but it's always very good.
July 1st was a wonderful day in Lockeport as it seems to be every year, Of course the festivities are stretched over a week (+), so it's a very busy time in town and everyone seems to be especially enthusiastic for a while :).
There were a few new things this year - Lockeport Rocks had 4 concerts and with the other musical events, there was music available for 9 days straight which was pretty special.
The first concert was the KISS tribute evening - Wayne and Tim and I worked in the bar to help out the Arthritis Society: Wayne bar-tending, Tim doing security and I sold BBQ and bar tickets. Pretty good attendance considering there had been a huge downpour earlier in the evening and a very good show. Dressed to Kill were great!
The second concert was a rap/hip-hop event in the Fire hall. Tim worked security again but, although we had tickets, we stayed home - not really our type of music. The acts were about an hour late but a couple of them were apparently quite good and about 70 of the local youth turned out. Afterwards Tim said one of the performers told him they would have gone with a "milder" set if they had known the crowd would be so young. They were apparently very nice well-spoken, polite men - not what you really expect from rap artists! (my age is showing)
Concert 3 was held in the pavilion in SeaCaps Park, with the tent sides up. Perpetual Detour was on first, an all-female group out of Halifax which will be appearing in Lockeport again at Harmony Bazaar at the end of July. Not the best acoustics for them, but an enjoyable alternative rock band anyway. It will be interesting to hear them on the big stage at HB. Perpetual Detour was followed by The Tripps, excellent show although EXTREMELY LOUD! There were only about 35 people there total but it was Grad day in Lockeport so lots of people were otherwise occupied. Once again Tim did security with Darren but there certainly wasn't much for them to do.
The final of the 4 concerts was the June 30th extravaganza - always a lot of fun. The weather was perfect, huge crowd, better bar configuration (you could actually see the show this time), and a true "holiday" atmosphere. Mike Balish opened with a solid hour of tunes - he's such a versatile artist and had a great selection for his set. Then the headliners - The Matt Minglewood Band. Lots of dancing, wonderful music, 2 full sets! Great night!
Canada Day morning, I headed back down to the Park for a new event - breakfast from a a shanty. The Park was immaculate by 7:30AM - kudos to the Canada Day Committee for a job well done. Breakfast was a very good bargain - eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and a beverage for $5 and was well-prepared and hot. A good addition to the day! Other "food" events included a quilt show in the Baptist Church (with coffee, muffins, scones etc), The Canada Day cake at the opening ceremonies (thanks Mary!), strawberry shortcake form the IODE at the Anglican Church (we're up to 11:00AM now), sausages from the Fire Dept. and from the Town Market, a BBQ by some students at the Hardware Store, and the Lions BBQ booth. Then there was assorted baking and fudge etc ine the craft fair area. Also a booth selling pizza (must have been the Bayman but I resisted getting close enough to find out). There was also a mini-donut truck, cotton candy etc.
In the afternoon, several of our friends dropped by to watch the parade from our elevated lawn. Sherm, Fred and Barbara, Bob and Kathy (the first July 1st they've made it to NS), Kelli, Gina and a whole slew of teenagers. The parade was short a few firetrucks this year - Clark's Harbour ran their own events which took some of the trucks from farther down the coast and Liverpool had an earlier than usual Privateers Days (due to the calendar I guess), which kept their firetrucks at home. But it was till good, noisy, small-town fun!
Friday, June 24, 2011
June Restaurant Scene
Depressing is the best word.
In Lockeport, the wonderful Parrot's Pins continues to shine. The White Gull (for sale) has just reopened for the season - haven't been down to see if Liz has made any changes. The Town and Country is still for sale and not open.
The Chef's Table in Sable River is not opening this year.
The Bayman in Upper East Green Harbour is open - pizza is available not too far away at least.
Charlotte Lane is back but Lothar is catering another movie in Halifax but plans to reopen on July 2nd (and his restaurant is for sale). The old Shelburne Pastry has been purchased by Heritage Hall and is becoming a coffee and sandwich place (staffed by Heritage Hall clients) at some point. Otherwise all Shelburne restaurants are up and running.
Heading towards Liverpool, Seascape, The Quarterdeck, Seaside Seafoods have all opened again for the summer.
But the choices get a bit more limited each year - sigh.......
In Lockeport, the wonderful Parrot's Pins continues to shine. The White Gull (for sale) has just reopened for the season - haven't been down to see if Liz has made any changes. The Town and Country is still for sale and not open.
The Chef's Table in Sable River is not opening this year.
The Bayman in Upper East Green Harbour is open - pizza is available not too far away at least.
Charlotte Lane is back but Lothar is catering another movie in Halifax but plans to reopen on July 2nd (and his restaurant is for sale). The old Shelburne Pastry has been purchased by Heritage Hall and is becoming a coffee and sandwich place (staffed by Heritage Hall clients) at some point. Otherwise all Shelburne restaurants are up and running.
Heading towards Liverpool, Seascape, The Quarterdeck, Seaside Seafoods have all opened again for the summer.
But the choices get a bit more limited each year - sigh.......
All the Latest (or not)!
Can't believe I haven't posted anything since Mother's Day! Oh well!
We went back to Ottawa for 2 weeks at the end of May, beginning of June for Wayne to rebuild the deck at the Tattersall house. Despite the same crumby weather as we have had in Lockeport, he managed to get it done, and a bit of fence removed and a new, improved, non-broken cat door installed.
I finished Chris's birthday present (over 4 months early!!!!) and delivered it to him for his new office (they should be moving into the new house very soon - yay!)
We enjoyed the visit to Ottawa - saw a bunch of old friends and spent lots of time with family.
Back in Lockeport, we have found that several of our summer friends have arrived which always livens up our social life. There are more people at our weekly hooking meetings too.
The Ragged Islands Historical Society is gearing up for the summer months. Anne and Howard moved us (by themselves - no one volunteered to help) into the Beach Centre where we now have a new home which is considerably more affordable for us. Our first fund-raiser is tomorrow - the annual Bake Walk, which Vicki runs so well. Hope it is very successful this year although it doesn't sound like the weather will be all that great for a semi-outdoor activity.
We have hired a summer student with the government's help who will help keep the office open, give tours and info to tourists (and locals) and try and sort out some of the backlog of information. Welcome aboard Ashley - wish we could have you for more than 8 weeks!
RIHS is hoping to help out with an event at Harmony Bazaar again this year - on the Friday evening (July 29th) there will be a book launch at Holy Cross Anglican Church. The book is by Julie Balish and gives the history of the arts in Lockeport - we are starting to plan a reception to accompany that event. We also hope to do something like a gift basket raffle during the Sea Derby in August - most fund-raising is difficult since our number of active volunteers in VERY SMALL!!!
On a more positive note, Fred is working on several possible evening presentations about the history of the area - suggested topics which are likely to happen this summer are growing up in West Green Harbour during the 30's and 40's, dredgings of the Lockeport Harbour, and the sports history of Lockeport. If anyone has any good ideas, be sure to pass them on to Fred, Barb, Anne, Fae, Vicki or myself.
We are always looking for members and new blood. Membership is only $10/annum and we'll try not to get you involved in too many fund-raising activities, but we could use some help. Maybe you'd like to help in the office organizing the files or extracting info from old Coast Guard issues.
Canada Day Week (+ 1 day) has started - we missed the Variety Show last night because we went to dinner at the Parrot's Pins (excellent, of course!) and then Wayne and Fred played Fred's golf course on the shore and we sat around drinking wine and chatting for a few hours.
There is music scheduled for every day during the next week - 4 big concerts included. The Saturday night one headlines a stand-out Kiss tribute band - Dressed to Kill. Tim is doing security, Wayne is bar tending, and I'm selling bar and BBQ tickets. Hope the weather improves - it's cool, rainy and windy right now.
Other concerts include a hip-hop/rap concert Tuesday, Wednesday a solid rock event, and Thursday is Matt Minglewood. Should be a good week. Right now there is a youth dance in the park (and a pie-eating contest) - the kids must be freezing. It's so windy I can't hear the music from our house.
TTYS!
We went back to Ottawa for 2 weeks at the end of May, beginning of June for Wayne to rebuild the deck at the Tattersall house. Despite the same crumby weather as we have had in Lockeport, he managed to get it done, and a bit of fence removed and a new, improved, non-broken cat door installed.
I finished Chris's birthday present (over 4 months early!!!!) and delivered it to him for his new office (they should be moving into the new house very soon - yay!)
We enjoyed the visit to Ottawa - saw a bunch of old friends and spent lots of time with family.
Back in Lockeport, we have found that several of our summer friends have arrived which always livens up our social life. There are more people at our weekly hooking meetings too.
The Ragged Islands Historical Society is gearing up for the summer months. Anne and Howard moved us (by themselves - no one volunteered to help) into the Beach Centre where we now have a new home which is considerably more affordable for us. Our first fund-raiser is tomorrow - the annual Bake Walk, which Vicki runs so well. Hope it is very successful this year although it doesn't sound like the weather will be all that great for a semi-outdoor activity.
We have hired a summer student with the government's help who will help keep the office open, give tours and info to tourists (and locals) and try and sort out some of the backlog of information. Welcome aboard Ashley - wish we could have you for more than 8 weeks!
RIHS is hoping to help out with an event at Harmony Bazaar again this year - on the Friday evening (July 29th) there will be a book launch at Holy Cross Anglican Church. The book is by Julie Balish and gives the history of the arts in Lockeport - we are starting to plan a reception to accompany that event. We also hope to do something like a gift basket raffle during the Sea Derby in August - most fund-raising is difficult since our number of active volunteers in VERY SMALL!!!
On a more positive note, Fred is working on several possible evening presentations about the history of the area - suggested topics which are likely to happen this summer are growing up in West Green Harbour during the 30's and 40's, dredgings of the Lockeport Harbour, and the sports history of Lockeport. If anyone has any good ideas, be sure to pass them on to Fred, Barb, Anne, Fae, Vicki or myself.
We are always looking for members and new blood. Membership is only $10/annum and we'll try not to get you involved in too many fund-raising activities, but we could use some help. Maybe you'd like to help in the office organizing the files or extracting info from old Coast Guard issues.
Canada Day Week (+ 1 day) has started - we missed the Variety Show last night because we went to dinner at the Parrot's Pins (excellent, of course!) and then Wayne and Fred played Fred's golf course on the shore and we sat around drinking wine and chatting for a few hours.
My Haddock Rockefeller
Wayne and Tim had Shellfish Extravaganza
There is music scheduled for every day during the next week - 4 big concerts included. The Saturday night one headlines a stand-out Kiss tribute band - Dressed to Kill. Tim is doing security, Wayne is bar tending, and I'm selling bar and BBQ tickets. Hope the weather improves - it's cool, rainy and windy right now.
Other concerts include a hip-hop/rap concert Tuesday, Wednesday a solid rock event, and Thursday is Matt Minglewood. Should be a good week. Right now there is a youth dance in the park (and a pie-eating contest) - the kids must be freezing. It's so windy I can't hear the music from our house.
TTYS!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Dinner at Lothar's in Shelburne
Easter Four Course Gourmet Dinner
Reservations are REQUIRED!
TWO seatings: first at 5pm, second at 8:15pm
**served with fresh Roll and Butter
>Cream of Asparagus Soup
>Scallop Mousse with herb sauce
>Roasted leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary
served with Duchess potatoes and fresh Vegetables (carrots, broccoli)
>Biscuit roll filled with Strawberry parfait
Delicious!! Thanks Lothar!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Night on the Town
Saturday evening (April 23rd, 2011) we spent at a concert at the Osprey Arts Centre in Shelburne with our friend Gail. The performers were Erin Costelo and Ryan MacGrath, both musicians with wonderful voices. Erin plays piano while singing, Ryan guitar. They both write their own songs and it's always fun to hear the background of the songs as they are performed. Erin will be appearing at Harmony Bazaar this summer - it will be interesting to see how her musical style transfers to the great outdoors.
Unfortunately the crowd was very small - about 30 people including volunteers, most of them from the Lockeport area so gas-wise it would have been cheaper to have the concert somewhere here. But it was fun and we got to see several friends.
Catching up on news during the evening, I discovered that one of my good friends (Alice) has moved into beautiful downtown Lockeport from the Walls Lake area and that the Shelburne bookstore, The Whirligig, has been sold after being for sale for several years. Betty will finish out the month and then the new owners (more transplanted Ontario people) will reopen May 24th. Hopefully, they will continue to support the Osprey and sell tickets in their store.
Unfortunately the crowd was very small - about 30 people including volunteers, most of them from the Lockeport area so gas-wise it would have been cheaper to have the concert somewhere here. But it was fun and we got to see several friends.
Catching up on news during the evening, I discovered that one of my good friends (Alice) has moved into beautiful downtown Lockeport from the Walls Lake area and that the Shelburne bookstore, The Whirligig, has been sold after being for sale for several years. Betty will finish out the month and then the new owners (more transplanted Ontario people) will reopen May 24th. Hopefully, they will continue to support the Osprey and sell tickets in their store.
Friday, April 22, 2011
What's Happening Now?
Here are some shots of the work done this spring to bolster the dunes along the beach (work done by Harlow Construction). Stones/boulders have been added all along in front of Ocean Mist Cottages, down past the Little School Museum. On the road side, 2 sections of reinforcing boulders have been added. At the Beach Centre end of the beach, the dunes have been piled higher, apparently by scooping out the beach. Unfortunately only about 10% of the money required to do the whole beach properly was available, but I guess it's better than nothing - hopefully we'll survive a few more hurricanes before becoming an island.
Peter's renovations of the little store between the Town & Country and the Legion look very nice - helps improve the Beech Street street-scape which is looking very nice along the north side of the street.
On the restaurant scene, The Parrots Pins is the only one operating right now -both the T&C ($79,900) and The White Gull ($1.5M - including the Marina) are still for sale. Peter will be doing something food related with his new building we hope. There of course are some offerings for take-out at The Town Market and Beech Street Studios little cafe.
The Bayman in Upper East Green Harbour soldiers on but rumour has it that The Chef's Table in Sable River will not be opening this year due to Zaari's bad back - hope that is wrong.
In Shelburne, both The Loyalist Inn and The SeaDog are open and offering weekend entertainment. Lothar's is for sale but still operating on occasion (Easter brunch and dinner (going to that!! - Lothar's roast lamb!), Mother's Day) - no word on whether he will open for the entire summer season. Charlotte Lane is firing up - opening Mother's Day weekend. Roli and Kath have had some postings to their revised web-site (did I ever mention that Charlotte Lane won the best small restaurant in NS award last fall? - It is such a gem!!). Luong's, Scotia Lunch, Mr. Fish and Sophia's are still there, as are the 2 pizza places, Subway and Tim Horton's and, of course, The Beandock, one of my favourite places. Don't know yet if the yacht club will have Mr. Fish offerings again this summer. The old Shelburne Pastry?Cafe has been bought by Heritage Hall, which has moved their offices to the top floor. Some of the Shelburne clients will be trained to run the cafe with simple soups and sandwiches (supposedly), no known date for when that part will open.
There don't seem to be a lot of changes around Lockeport since we left at the end of November. Bevin has re-opened Lockeport Pharmacy, totally renovated after the November 11th fire. It is very clean and modern with a generous area for the actual pharmacy work now across the back of the store. Very nice job! Bevin and Tatum now have another son, Daniel - so 3 little ones to bolster the school population in a couple of years.
I've been having foot problems like 7-8 years ago so I haven't really walked anywhere in town since we've been back. I'm relying on Wayne and Tim for pictures and info. I have made it to the Post Office and Harmony Bazaar again has an office on the ground floor of the government building. Good to see the organization keep going and growing. Tomorrow evening they are sponsoring (with Music Nova Scotia) a Bringing It Home concert with Erin Costello and Ryan McGrath at the Osprey. Erin is appearing at Harmony Bazaar this summer (July 29-31). Advance tickets (which include a compilation CD) are on sale now.
We've attended 2 breakfasts since returning - the first one in Sable River as a fund-raiser for Jurnee Harlow and Kyle who are representing LRHS in August at a school raising in Kenya. The second was the (almost) monthly Legion breakfast here in Lockeport.
In the house, we are working on the north parlour (still) - currently scraping off old paint on trim before repainting. Wisely we have decided to hire Mike McCleod to do the crown moulding for us - 12 corners is just too many, we could waste a lot of wood! Tim did a good job of removing paint from the floor and plastering and priming while we were gone. Wayne just finished the top for the window seat so I now need to try and follow Kristina's instructions on how to make seat cushions for the space. We are working on a colour scheme for the rest of the room - debating painting the old coal fireplace some colour other than black, since it is non-operational it can be painted out. Maybe grey shades with white trim to make the mouldings pop - then do we make the fireplace darker or lighter? Hmmmmm.....
Today is my birthday and I made my wonderful Death By Chocolate cake (17oz of semisweet chocolate plus 4 tbsps of cocoa). Dawn Demings-Taylor is coming over to share some after dinner since it's her birthday too. Happy Birthday to us!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Newsflash from Lockeport
We're in Florida for another 10 days or so, then heading home via South Carolina (visit with old friend from my university days), then Ottawa (3 of our sons and their families) so we'll be back in Lockeport mid-April or so.
I was just chatting on FaceBook with our son in Lockeport and he said:
I interpret this as meaning something is being done about protecting/reinforcing the dunes so the causeway won't wash out Good news!
I was just chatting on FaceBook with our son in Lockeport and he said:
"It's been really nice the past week or so. 10-15 degrees and sunny during the day. They've been moving some stones around on the beach. I'm sure they're trying to do something, but to me it looks like dad with a backhoe. They're just moving rocks from one spot to another."
I interpret this as meaning something is being done about protecting/reinforcing the dunes so the causeway won't wash out Good news!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Hay Fever
Last night we attended the Basement Theatre's opening performance of Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" at the Osprey. Excellent set (several Shelburne homes must be missing a few antiques for a while) and costumes, good acting, lots of fun!
Judy Day as Judith Bliss, Pat Melanson as Sandy Tyrell and Angela Johnson as Myra Arundel were particularly good, as was May Lee Gonzaga as the maid, Clara. Appropriate 1920's music was played beforehand and during the intermissions.
A wonderful directorial debut for Ian Anderson - thanks!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Cold and Sunny
Last night we went to a concert at the Osprey - The Hupman Brothers with the full band including Caleb Miles on guitar and Ian Sherwood on sax - Ian just won the Nova Scotia Music Award for best musician of 2010. A fantastic show - the Osprey was sold out. Ryan and Scott released a new CD - Loveseat Vol 1 - volume 2 is coming in the new year. Can't wait.
It was a cool, blustery night driving in to Shelburne and by the time the show ended at 11:00PM it was snowing lightly (not seriously). This morning I awoke to a dusting on the car roofs and the flatter house roofs and down in the shade at the bottom of the yard but it's all gone now. Sabine posted a picture of their deck in Sable River and it looks like they got 1-2cm - Jane in Truro says they got 2 inches and it's very pretty. Let me go on record as preferring green to white. Wayne and Tim both got up late enough to miss the first snowfall.
One of the great things about last night's concert was that so many of the people we know here (that aren't summer people) were there. Had some nice visits with folks, met another blog reader. Lester passed on the info that the pharmacy fire on November 11th was indeed caused by the pop machine which literally went up in flames - since it was close to the front door it was caught on 2 of the security cameras. Apparently there was smoke damage to things like the lighting fixtures, besides ruining all the stock. So it will be a while till they are back in the store - the temporary place at 16 Spruce, across from the Town Office seems to be drawing the "crowds" away from the Beech/North intersection - went to the bank and it was empty - the tellers say they have realized they are not the big draw - LOL.
I spent Friday in Bridgewater (or mostly in Oak Hill at Atlantic Fabrics). Wayne and Tim are rebuilding our North Parlour - walls, ceiling, trim and a new window seat. I was shopping for materials for the cushion part of the seat which I'll make next spring when we get back from Florida. Forgot a calculator and had a lot of brain stretching to convert the actual bench size into cushion sizes I could wangle out of what foam was available, particularly since I wanted firm foam. Then I had to recalculate the amount of cording needed for piping and the amount of fabric. Of course the fabric I fell in love with had only 4 1/2 yards on the roll and I needed 9 - so compromise fabric was bought - it's actually quite nice - a charcoal with white and gold mix branches pattern, I'm going to pipe it in gold and cover the buttons in gold too. There were a few flurries driving to Bridgewater as I drove through Sable River and again in Danesville - hope serious winter holds off until we can get back to Ottawa. I always worry about the Cobequid Pass drive and the northern part of highway 20 in Quebec from Riviere-du-loup to Quebec City, where the winds blow off the St. Lawrence, causing white-outs.
I've been gradually doing my Christmas baking - some to leave here for Tim and the rest to pack off to Ottawa to my family (kids and grandkids) there. Just finished the red and green pinwheel dough - once it chills and is baked I am done until we get to Ottawa in about a week and a half and I have to ice my cakes and bonbons - may have to make Bob more pinwheels too since the recipe I used seemed to make about half the usual amount of dough. My traditional recipe is in a cookbook in Ottawa, so I used one from one of my Mom's cookbooks that is 75 or so years old.
Lots coming up this week - my last hooking of the fall on Tuesday, Thursday we have 9 guests coming for our annual American Thanksgiving (thanks to Aunt Grace and my mother-in-law, Tommie, (both now deceased) for getting us started so many years ago). Friday we'll be back to the Osprey for a Basement Theatre production of Hay Fever by Noel Coward, Saturday it's Irish Mythen at the Sea Dog Saloon. Sunday is our 35th anniversary but we're celebrating on Saturday since Wayne has hockey on Sunday evening in Barrington. Our present this year is an Ottawa Senators game when we are back in Ottawa.
We plan to head to Ottawa on the 29th of November and I plan to arrive on the 30th (I just have to convince the driver (Wayne) we're stopping overnight instead of driving 16-17 hours straight). Tim is staying in Lockeport to look after the house and cats so I may have news passed on occasionally over the winter - otherwise you'll be hearing about Canada's capital and the Pensacola area.
It was a cool, blustery night driving in to Shelburne and by the time the show ended at 11:00PM it was snowing lightly (not seriously). This morning I awoke to a dusting on the car roofs and the flatter house roofs and down in the shade at the bottom of the yard but it's all gone now. Sabine posted a picture of their deck in Sable River and it looks like they got 1-2cm - Jane in Truro says they got 2 inches and it's very pretty. Let me go on record as preferring green to white. Wayne and Tim both got up late enough to miss the first snowfall.
One of the great things about last night's concert was that so many of the people we know here (that aren't summer people) were there. Had some nice visits with folks, met another blog reader. Lester passed on the info that the pharmacy fire on November 11th was indeed caused by the pop machine which literally went up in flames - since it was close to the front door it was caught on 2 of the security cameras. Apparently there was smoke damage to things like the lighting fixtures, besides ruining all the stock. So it will be a while till they are back in the store - the temporary place at 16 Spruce, across from the Town Office seems to be drawing the "crowds" away from the Beech/North intersection - went to the bank and it was empty - the tellers say they have realized they are not the big draw - LOL.
I spent Friday in Bridgewater (or mostly in Oak Hill at Atlantic Fabrics). Wayne and Tim are rebuilding our North Parlour - walls, ceiling, trim and a new window seat. I was shopping for materials for the cushion part of the seat which I'll make next spring when we get back from Florida. Forgot a calculator and had a lot of brain stretching to convert the actual bench size into cushion sizes I could wangle out of what foam was available, particularly since I wanted firm foam. Then I had to recalculate the amount of cording needed for piping and the amount of fabric. Of course the fabric I fell in love with had only 4 1/2 yards on the roll and I needed 9 - so compromise fabric was bought - it's actually quite nice - a charcoal with white and gold mix branches pattern, I'm going to pipe it in gold and cover the buttons in gold too. There were a few flurries driving to Bridgewater as I drove through Sable River and again in Danesville - hope serious winter holds off until we can get back to Ottawa. I always worry about the Cobequid Pass drive and the northern part of highway 20 in Quebec from Riviere-du-loup to Quebec City, where the winds blow off the St. Lawrence, causing white-outs.
I've been gradually doing my Christmas baking - some to leave here for Tim and the rest to pack off to Ottawa to my family (kids and grandkids) there. Just finished the red and green pinwheel dough - once it chills and is baked I am done until we get to Ottawa in about a week and a half and I have to ice my cakes and bonbons - may have to make Bob more pinwheels too since the recipe I used seemed to make about half the usual amount of dough. My traditional recipe is in a cookbook in Ottawa, so I used one from one of my Mom's cookbooks that is 75 or so years old.
Lots coming up this week - my last hooking of the fall on Tuesday, Thursday we have 9 guests coming for our annual American Thanksgiving (thanks to Aunt Grace and my mother-in-law, Tommie, (both now deceased) for getting us started so many years ago). Friday we'll be back to the Osprey for a Basement Theatre production of Hay Fever by Noel Coward, Saturday it's Irish Mythen at the Sea Dog Saloon. Sunday is our 35th anniversary but we're celebrating on Saturday since Wayne has hockey on Sunday evening in Barrington. Our present this year is an Ottawa Senators game when we are back in Ottawa.
We plan to head to Ottawa on the 29th of November and I plan to arrive on the 30th (I just have to convince the driver (Wayne) we're stopping overnight instead of driving 16-17 hours straight). Tim is staying in Lockeport to look after the house and cats so I may have news passed on occasionally over the winter - otherwise you'll be hearing about Canada's capital and the Pensacola area.
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