Company

August 31, 2018
Linwood Harbour Campground
Linwood, NS

Momma got a text from some Florida friends who said they would pop by on their way from Baddeck to Pictou.  I waited on the outside steps until it turned too cool.

  Then  I waited patiently on the steps on the inside

because they said Martin was passing along some of his toys to me.  His Mom said he is finicky and wouldn't play with them. 

Don't worry, I've got that covered.  I'll play the heck out of them!! 

Well, as usual, Momma failed to get a pic of Ken and Rose Mary while they were here. 

They were just tooo busy chatting, eating and enjoying each other's company. Momma 'came to' as Ken, Rose Mary and Martin were departing and heading up the road after sharing a lunch. 

It was a cooler day for sure.  We even had to close our windows mid day and Momma was reaching for the hot chocolate when the evening temps dipped from 60's into 50's.

Did I mention that we can't see our Direct TV satellite and there are no over the air channels here in this area?  But the campground has several shelves of DVD's that they loan out...besides their beautiful ambiance!   All I need to keep me happy is a place to play JUG!  

Then I can I nap while M & D watch a movies.

I'm Chloe

Now this is more like it!

August 29, 2018
Linwood Harbour Campground
Linwood, NS

YEAH!!! We have left the blood thirsty mosquitoes behind and now have a gorgeous setting

with great weather temp and a nice breeze to cool the rig.  No AC needed here!!  We actually can sit outside and breath some fresh air as we look out over the water without a cloud of black descending upon us ready to suck the life out of us.

It's a good day for JUG play!!  I'm in heaven.

This campground is built on a slope and the owners planned well.  They have even provided wooden, movable platforms, cut on an angle, to use in case your steps leave you hanging in the air as the side of your site slopes away.

  The grass is mowed...unlike our last CG.  And there are lots of other campers here to socialize with.  Power is strong as is the WiFi.  Momma called to see if we could arrive a day early and luck was with us!!

I even have my own dog shelter here.  You may call it a picnic table but.....

As we motored on the Trans Can Highway, we passed some interesting signage.  The larger cities have colorful signs to announce their city.

My favorite was for Pictou but Momma wasn't quick enough with the camera.  Oh well....the windshield was rather dirty anyway.  But it was a pretty ride.

Interesting how some of the highway was so red.

I'm Chloe

Toe tapping

August 30, 2018

Celtic Interpretation Center

Lunch Ceilidh

Joe MacMaster and Allan Dewar were performing on stage at the Celtic Interpretation Center located on the Ceilidh Trail in Judique, NS during lunch time.

Momma and Dad said it was a strange experience. They arrived around 1 pm and the gal at the checkout counter handed them menus and told them to sit anywhere.  They looked around and  picked one of the many dirty tables...as no clean ones were available...and sat down.  Maybe the table busser was out sick?  There were two servers working the cafe.  The empty handed male server said, "We'll be right with you," as he passed by.  There was no hurry as the idea was to enjoy the music that had begun at 11:30 and would continue to 3:00.  Joe MacMaster was on the piano and Allan Dewar was playing fiddle.

  Each song/or collection of reels and jigs lasted for about 15 minutes.  Then they would sit quietly on stage for about 5 minutes resting up for the next medley.  We had piled the dirty dishes to one side of the table and made our menu selections.  The waiter arrived at our table with an electronic tablet and took our drink and food order....walking away and leaving the dirty dishes.  Maybe he didn't want to risk balancing the tablet with dishes?  At the end of the next medley, he arrived with our drink order on a small tray, placed our drinks on the table and walked away.....leaving the dirty dishes.  Hmmm?? Strange.  I notice our waiter delivering a food order to another table of three.  He carried two dishes from the kitchen. Delivered them to the table and then disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the third dish.  And still our dirty dishes remained, even though he had walked by them twice.  And the other tables in his area still had dishes waiting to be taken to the wash rack.  And he made a trip that way with empty hands several times.  Maybe the young man never received any wait staff training??  He eventually showed up with our order and I nudged the dishes toward him.  He hesitated and...wait for it.....FINALLY decided to remove the dishes.  Of course the table had never been wiped down.  Oh well....we were enjoying the music.  And there was no hurry to eat quickly while the food was hot as the fries were already barely warm.  At least we had ordered a cold sandwich so there wasn't any temperature disappointment there.  As we observed other customers departing, and others arriving, the dishes from the first diners were left for the second diners to eat around.  Strange procedure for sure.  I couldn't even imagine what service would be like if the cafe had been full with diners.  

The ride to and from Judique was beautiful.

There is a causeway that was build in 1955 that connects Cape Breton with the mainland.  The causeway has a swing bridge to allow ship passage.  

This is a gorgeous area ....but I'm not so sure how the winter months would be.  Our waiter mentioned that many Nova Scotia residences head to Florida during the winter to escape the cold.  And we mentioned that many Floridians head to Nova Scotia during the summer months to escape the heat.  We certainly have become a mobile society.

Every night the campground fills up. The owner was sharing with Dad that this is still a Good Sam Park but this will probably be the last year.  The $1500 a year GS charge is being raised to $2500 next year.  He has basically 2 months to make enough money to live on for the year and $2500 is a dent in that income that he really doesn't want to participate in.  Many only spend the night and move on the next day.  Even the tenters  have been one nighters.  That's a lot of setup for a one night stay.  Granted, the tenters that arrived via motorcycle didn't have as much gear.  I'd call that minimalist traveling.  No trailer being towed with gear.  Just what they could strap on the two bikes.  

We are still enjoying the area and will be here through Labor Day.  Tonight we have a rig with Florida plates parked next to us. Maybe I can make friends with that Floridian beagle.  

I'm Chloe

Tidal Bore

August 28, 2018
Merigomish, NS
Cranberry Campground

This is NOT my favorite campground.  All these pesky, blood thirsty mosquitoes are interfering with my outside play time.  I only had ONE SHORT outdoor jug play today....and then Dad had a LONG itch session.  I had to run from one end of the rig, up the stairs to the bedroom and fly back down the stairs to get my workout.  I think we may be leaving a day early if Momma can find us a spot.  All Dad and Momma do is itch...even when wearing bug spray.  These biters are relentless.  Part of the problem is the lack of blood.  All the seasonal people must just show up on the weekends as the population is very low.  Only saw action at two other campsites.  No one is here.....maybe because they know the mosquitoes are here????

Momma and Dad took off today to view the Tidal Bore in Truro.  Basically, the tide comes in.  The water rises.  And when the water level reaches higher than the narrow inlet water, the water forms a wave.  Truro has a narrow inlet of water that experiences a Tidal Bore twice a day.

  They post a schedule and everyone shows up on the banks, patiently waiting for the big event.  As the scheduled time gets closer, the audience grows larger. 

The wave passes by as cameras click

and then everyone disperses and the inlet continues to fill with water after the wave has passed.  As you can see from the picture, it's a mighty small wave.  Now if you really want to see some action, you need to experience St. John's River. Due to the location and shape of the river and it's bottom, there is enough 'action' to ride the huge waves and that has been capitalized on.  You climb on board the boat, don a rain coat and the boat frolics in the turbulent water.  It is advertised as a reversing falls.  Momma said after seeing the reversing falls in St. Johns several years ago, this was rather a ho-hum let down.  Dad's comment was, "And I drove an hour to view this?"  Oh well, at least the fresh catch dinner at Murphy's was outstanding.

I'm Chloe

Mud Bath

August 26, 2018
Five Islands

When the tide goes out, there is mud left behind.  Ahhh....a delightful playground of muck.  Now our neighbor who lives in Nova Scotia added a caution.  He stated that sometimes you could be walking along in the mud and sink, unexpectedly,  up to your waist.  We watched some kids spend about an hour in an area that had a bit of a slope to it...centered in the pic. 

It was just like sledding in the snow, only much warmer and dirtier.  Or maybe a slip and slide.   No, that's not a bronze statue. 

That's a mud gal...after an hour or so of 'play'.  A true mud bath.  Now we know what outside showers are for!!  

Momma and Dad decided to head to Spring Hill today.  Anne Murray's hometown.  Murray has a 'museum' in Spring Hill

dedicated to the miners...as Spring Hill was a mining community.  Her parents were in the medical field though with Dad being a doctor and mom a nurse.  The museum is a collection of her awards and is a visual biography of her life.  Murray was the only girl in a family of 6 children...3 older brothers and 2 younger.  "Mom" is in the center in red with her 6 children.

There wasn't much info on her immediate family so I Googled for more info only to discover that she dated a married man for several years, whom she finally married and then divorced.  I guess that is why there wasn't mention of her marital status depicted.  She was definitely blessed with a beautiful voice that served her well.  She viewed singing as 'just a job' and she is now retired.  The only singing she does now is when the family gets together.

This is such a great area for good fresh seafood and some 'two legged people' have been making the most of it while I get the same old dry tidbits to chew on.   Now tell me, does that sound fair?

I'm Chloe

Blood thirsty

August 27, 2018

Merigomish, NS

Cranberry Campground

We departed from our waterfront (when the tide was in) campsite and our new friends.  Momma didn't even grab a pic of our friends.  I couldn't believe it!!  Nice couples on either side of us.  Yep, they were dog lovers.  Nancy told us we DEFINITELY need to visit  Newfoundland. It is extraordinary.... and they have been more than once.  Well, not this trip....not enough time.  Add it to the bucket list.  She said August is the perfect month to spend there.  

Our departure was smooth and relaxed.  Dad had spoken with the campground owner about the tree branches that would definitely interfere with the side of our rig upon departure using the exit road and amazingly enough, he had trimmed the branches before our departure date.  It doesn't get any better.   

Dad had to stay focused on the early part of our trip as our lane on the two lane 'country road' was just wide enough for our rig and the shoulder had a drop off.  Then we picked up a four lane and buzzed right along until the last 20 miles.....DETOUR.  Momma caught a quick glance at a sign posted at the exit before our exit stating Detour to Hwy 4.  Hmmm....does that mean we should have gotten off?  Too late to do anything but travel the 4 miles to our scheduled exit and see what was in store for us.  Sure enough, back to the previous exit and follow the bright orange signs. 

 

When we finally arrived at Cranberry Campground,

Dad commented that we should have detoured and passed up this campground.  In the blink of an eye the word was out.  Fresh blood....and the mosquitoes were hungry.  Looks like we may get to try out the Thermacell that had been purchased to be used in Alaska but was never needed.  We need it all here....spray, Thermacell and a fogger.  It seems the rain hit 3 weeks ago and poof....mosquitoes.

My potty breaks are being rushed.  But that gives me more time to enjoy the wi-fi here.  No complaints there.

I'm Chloe

Nova Scotia here we are!!

August 24, 2018
Five Islands, Nova Scotia

I have to admit, we had quite a greeting when we entered Nova Scotia.  We stopped at the Welcome Center for our break. 

They had some lovely lush grass for me ....and that's when my REAL greeting began.  Hiding between those beautiful green blades of grass were the hungriest mosquitoes that just covered Dad's pants and painted them black.  They even tried to land on my nose and make me cross eyed.  Needless to say, we didn't linger!!  

We are once again camped on the water...without mosquitoes... until the sun goes down.  This campground isn't laid out with as much thought as our last.  Our nose is facing the water so we don't have an 'inside the rig' view to enjoy,

but the outdoor view is marvelous with huge tide changes once again as we are on the other side of Fundy Bay.  There is no problem determining when the tide is out. 

 

Dad and Momma went to That Dutchman's Cheese Farm today and returned with Gouda cheese.

  With added spices, etc, there were lots of flavor variations to choose from and of course that means there was plenty of sampling to be done.  The Farm is located in Upper Economy.  They traveled through Lower Economy and Central Economy before seeing the sign for Upper Economy.  Actually, if it there hadn't have been signs saying 'welcome to...' and 'Please come again' they wouldn't have known they were there.  Just a few houses grouped together and then the come back again sign.  Poor Dad couldn't even locate a cup of coffee as there was nothing ....nada... in that area.  We found we had to travel back the opposite direction 20+ miles from our campground to Parrsboro for fuel.  We also stopped at the Co-op which was surprisingly well stocked, as long as you like the brand they offer and the size the package comes in.  They even have two banks and a few restaurants in Parrsboro.  Yes, we feel like we are 'in the country'.  But it's friendly here for sure!!

I'm Chloe

Fundy washed in gray

August 23, 2018

Fundy Bay, New Brunswick

We are camped right on the water so we can watch the tides change every 6 hours and 13 minutes.  We have a super view of the water right out our back window.  The sites are staggered so we have a view between the rigs we back up to.  Those rigs have front windows that they use to enjoy the water views.  Great planning by the campground.

  I have decided that I like to take my dump on the rocks…that way Dad can carry the blue bag all along the beach  Heehee.  Everyone else carries their pretty stones they have collected…and there are LOADS to choose from.

It seems Momma and Dad picked a lousy weather day to view the Fundy Trail.  It was misting and all the views were washed with a gloomy gray.  Not as impressive as it should have been to earn those ooohs and ahhhs.  It is what it is ….and gray was the color of the day.

Tomorrow we will head into Nova Scotia and once again be on the water at Five Islands Resort.

Internet has been challenging here so you will probably receive many updates on the same day.

I'm Chloe