We left the Halifax area

 Bridgewater 

Bridgewater was our next stop.

In the morning we had our usual good breakfast. There was no need to hurry this morning it would not be a long drive to Bridgewater. Our luck continued and the day was beautiful, sunny and warm.

We arrived at Walmart at around 11:00. I had checked on the computer and it said that Walmart had card readers.... Google was correct and so I now have a reader and you should get photos soon. We also went to Dollarama in the same shopping area. We needed a nail file and of course that meant buying some snacks.

Next we headed for Petite Riviere. This is the home of Ken's cousin Dawn and her husband John. I gave her a painting of a lighthouse. It was well received. Ken and Dawn revived some memories and had a good visit. She also asked about our travels. 

She made us a lovely lunch and before we knew it time marched on and it was three o'clock. We said our good byes and headed to our accommodations .

 We are booked into the Days Inn. They do not have an elevator and we were booked into an upstairs room. When we realized that we asked for a change of rooms and luckily the receptionist was able to accommodate us.

When settled we decided to go out for dinner. They had a Swiss Chalet and that was our choice . When we arrived we saw 2 BLUE KNIGHTS in the parking lot. I went over to them and asked if I could take their picture for our friend Larry who was a Blue Knight. They were so obliging.

We arrived back here around six and for some unknown reason we both were tired so we were all tucked in by seven thirty.  Ken watched a little hockey but that did not last long either. I slept well until midnight. A loud alarm began beeping. I jumped out of bed and hurried to try to turn off Dr. Cox. We soon learned that it was not Dr Cox. There was an alarm clock on the night table and we were finally able to get it turned off and silence returned.

It took awhile to get back to sleep and I was awake at 6:15. I tried to conquer the card reader and failed. 

But I was able to conquer it tonight so there may be photos in the blog tomorrow. 

Visit to Hammond Plains

 This morning began again with Nova Scotia fog.

We had a good breakfast here. I had a wonderful waffle and some excellent coffee. We were scheduled to visit Harold and Carol Hawkins. These people have been good friends of Ken since he was a boy so he was really looking forward to seeing them again. I can't say I was excited about it because I did not know these people. I had met them before but only briefly.

I was so wrong!! They were so welcoming and warm that I felt like an old friend.

We left the motel around 9:20 and as had been the case Dr. Cox was a great guide. He told us of every bend in the road and every turn. We arrived at our destination at 10:03 and we were invited to arrive at ten.

On the way we were shocked to see the results of the Nova Scotia wild fires. We could not believe how the fire had jumped the highway. It was truly a miracle that no lives were lost.    

    

I gave Carol my mainly blue painting and she seemed to really like it.  

A wonderful lunch of a salad, home made chicken soup and delicious pumpkin pie was served. Carol is indeed a good cook.

We spent over 5 hours in their company and all through the afternoon you could hear the laughter as the 2 men remembered past good times.

We said our good byes with hugs and hopes that we may someday meet again, and stay well in the mean time.

Dr. Cox took us back here using a slightly different route but we got here safely and in good time, something we have come to expect.

Tomorrow we go to Bridgewater and a visit to Ken's cousin Dawn.

So Sorry!!

 I am sorry to tell you that it appears as if I will not be able to acquire a card reader. I guess they are not usually stocked and have to be special ordered and take about 10 days to be delivered. 

I will continue to take pictures but I will not be able to add them to the blog until I return home.

:-(

A Day of NS fog

 When we woke this morning we were greeted by Nova Scotia Fog. That brought back many memories.

We had a good breakfast and relaxed for a bit. Then we headed off to Porters Lake to visit with Heather Kaye. Dr. Cox was excellent as usual. Yeah Dr Cox. Heather is the widow of Barry Kaye. Barry and Ken grew up together and so there were lots of stories of childhood adventures, memories of happy times. But the conversation turned to how Barry died. He died of diabetic complications. It is thought that he had a diabetic coma from which he did not recover. The opinion was that had he taken better care of himself he would still be here to share all of the childhood memories.  

We enjoyed muffins and brownies and coffee and before long it was time to leave and say our good byes with lots of hugs and promises to meet again.

Ken knew the way back to the hotel so DR Cox was not really needed.

Back here we relaxed and before long it was time to head out again. We were meeting my cousin Clem at the ferry dock on the Halifax side. Because we had been there yesterday we did not need Dr Cox. We parked at the same parking lot and made our way to the Ferry . We did not have coins so we had to pay with a 5 dollar bill. Unfortunately the clerk could not make change. She directed us to the change machine. It ate our 5 dollar bill. The attendant came and after banging on the machine concluded that we would be given our 2 transfers and that we should call to get our dollar returned to us. We appreciated being given the fare and transfer but we will not call to get that dollar returned.

The ferry came within a few minutes and we boarded and sat on the main deck, we had sat upstairs the day before. The trip was uneventful and when we arrived we began to people watch and wait for Clem to arrive. We were early because we did not really know when we would get the ferry. We were scheduled to meet Clem on the water front in front of COWs at 3:30. The people watching kept us entertained until Clem arrived.   

He arrived and we exchanged big hugs. With him was his beautiful lady friend. She is from Uganda and her name is Faith. WE had a quick visit and decided to head uptown because we saw the waterfront yesterday. We made our way to Scotia Square which much to our surprise was mostly closed. This was Reconciliation Day. We were able to find a place to eat at the food court. We decided on Thai food. The entire time was spent visiting and catching up. This was the first time Clem and I had seen each other face to face. I gave Clem the paintings I had brought for him and Linda. Because Linda had a cold she did not come along. 

Before we knew it time had come to make our way to the ferry again.

The trip back was uneventful and again we did not need the help of Dr Cox.

Tomorrow we visit with Harold and Carol Hawkins.

Visit with Valerie

 September 29th

This was the day we had scheduled to meet Valerie. She is my first cousin and we are the same age and we grew up together.

We began the day by having a good breakfast here at the Inn. I had half of a pumpkin waffle and Ken had the other half plus he ate scrambled eggs and sausage. This was a step above the usual included breakfast.

We returned to our room and rested until it was time to head for Valerie's. We had no problem finding her place thanks to Dr. Cox. 

Dr Cox is the name I have given to the little man who lives inside our phone and gives us directions on how to get where we want to go. He is brilliant and he never gets upset or yells at us. We really like Dr Cox. He is going to make this a most enjoyable trip.

We checked out our destination using Google. Then at 10:45 we headed out. We did not have a problem and Valerie met us right at the parking lot. We visited in her beautiful home. I gave her the painting I had brought for her. It seemed strange to give her a painting when she was in the process of giving away dozens of beautiful art works because she had run our of room. What do they say?? It is the thought that counts.

Soon we headed out to get the ferry over to Halifax. It was a short but pleasant drive. The weather was great, sunny and warm. We roamed along the water front, taking pictures and peeking into some of the shops. My treasure purchase was a pewter Key hook displaying the light house at Peggy's cove and the bluenose.

We stopped for lunch at The Bicycle Thief and had a wonderful lunch. Valerie and I had fishcakes and Ken had a lobster roll. We also shared scallop appetizers. YUMMY

September 28th

 We had a wonderful day. Much to our surprise check out was not until noon. So we had a leisurly breakfast and came back to our room to get organized. 

We decided to go to our next hotel...The Comfort Inn. We were very lucky in that they allowed us to check in early. It is a nice place and the room is very well appointed and clean. We were able to get settled and organized before it was time to head out.

Our first stop was at the Black Cultural center. 

I was so very surprised to see how much information was there. It was very well organized. I saw displays of my cousin.. The singing miner. They even had Maurice's hard hat and miners light. I planned to purchase a coffee mug but they were out.

Next we headed to visit Barb and John. They have a beautiful home and they treated us like honoured guests. Even their dog Beau made us feel like long lost family members.  I presented her with her painting gift and they were very gracious.    

After appetizers we made our way to the restaurant at the golf course that is part of their complex. We dined outside on the patio. The food was very good. Ken had to help me eat my fish.

Then we returned to their apartment where we enjoyed strawberry shortcake. We soon realized that we had lingered too long and it was quickly getting dark. Ken has been having vision problems and he does not like to drive after dark. It was dark but we managed to get back to our hotel safely

It was not long before we called it a night. It had been an amazing day. Tomorrow we visit with Valerie.

Visiting Nova Scotia

 I was going to title this Home Again but since Abbotsford has been home for almost 19 years now I guess I can't say that.

This trip has been in the planning for almost a year. We thought about driving and pulling the trailer but decided that travelling this late in the season may cause us to be travelling in the snow. So we have opted to fly with West Jet. 

WE will be away from Abbotsford for 3 weeks and we will be visiting 21 different family members and old friends.  Right now we are at the Quality Inn at the Halifax airport. The trip yesterday went without a hitch but my oh my flying is not a comfortable thing to do. Those seats are so close that dropping something on the floor causes a real problem. Forget trying to bend down and pick it up. You almost have to be a contortionist.

We picked up our rental car and what a treat!! We were given a 2022 Chrysler 300. It sure makes the Jeep look old and tired. It is so roomy and so elegant , It will be such a pleasure to spend 3 weeks driving this. I should say being driven around in this. Ken is the driver.

This hotel is like most airport hotels. It is not elegant and not high end but it is clean and efficient. Rooms are a good size with tv and wifi, there is a heated pool and an exercise room and it included a buffet breakfast. Breakfast was varied and tasty. The big plus for most travelers would be the shuttle to and from the airport that runs every half hour. We plan to tb here at the end of this amazing trip and we will probably turn the car in the day before our flight and use the shuttle.

Today we plan to visit the Black cultural center and to visit with cousins. The sun is burning through the fog and the sun is making an appearance. Temperature expected to be 21 degrees... 

I took pictures but I do not have my card reader with me. I will try to purchase one today and I will add the pictures tomorrow... hopefully.