August 12 and 13
Our last day on Nova Scotia dawned….with rain. Nothing new there, but we were able to pack up the car without getting too wet and then headed into Yarmouth to do some more laundry. This time we paid extra for the people who ran the laundry to actually move it from the washer to the dryer, and fold it, giving us most of the day to explore. We headed into the “downtown” area. Dan had seen some brightly painted lobster buoys when we were in Maine approaching Mt. Desert Island and noticed that they all said “Made in Canada”. We had figured that we could find one to buy in Nova Scotia. Charlie explained that the lobstermen had transitioned to Styrofoam buoys several years ago and some man had come and bought up all his old wooden ones, first offering $1.50 each but reducing it to one dollar each when he saw they looked “worn”! When we told Charlie that they had been selling fake buoys for $14 in Maine, he just shrugged. Seems that he is not one to waste any energy on something long gone. Another lesson we saw in action from Charlie. Anyway, we were on a search still for Dan’s buoy, and sure enough, found one in an antique shop, surprising him with it…although he did not notice it for a couple of days!
Our last day on Nova Scotia dawned….with rain. Nothing new there, but we were able to pack up the car without getting too wet and then headed into Yarmouth to do some more laundry. This time we paid extra for the people who ran the laundry to actually move it from the washer to the dryer, and fold it, giving us most of the day to explore. We headed into the “downtown” area. Dan had seen some brightly painted lobster buoys when we were in Maine approaching Mt. Desert Island and noticed that they all said “Made in Canada”. We had figured that we could find one to buy in Nova Scotia. Charlie explained that the lobstermen had transitioned to Styrofoam buoys several years ago and some man had come and bought up all his old wooden ones, first offering $1.50 each but reducing it to one dollar each when he saw they looked “worn”! When we told Charlie that they had been selling fake buoys for $14 in Maine, he just shrugged. Seems that he is not one to waste any energy on something long gone. Another lesson we saw in action from Charlie. Anyway, we were on a search still for Dan’s buoy, and sure enough, found one in an antique shop, surprising him with it…although he did not notice it for a couple of days!
Because it was raining we did not take advantage of the walking tour, but instead, drove out towards the lighthouse. We decided to stop at the Lobster Pound first and we never got to the lighthouse! As we’ve told you already, Nova Scotia limits fishing for lobsters to a 2-month season. The seasons vary geographically, but as in other areas of the world where banding together for a better price for production works (i.e., grain and corn silos in the MidWest, moshavs in Israel, ect) the lobstermen sell their catch to the local pound. The pound may be a natural saltwater pond, or a manmade pool where the lobsters are kept for months with careful water monitoring and feeding. The pound we visited was manmade, inside a large building kept very cool, so the lobsters would be sluggish. We saw a 14-pound lobster which was over 2 feet long. The man explained that he was getting a shipment ready to go by truck to Toronto that day. The lobsters would be transported without water; they can live 72 hours. Then the distributor would ship them off to restaurants and grocery stores where artificial seawater would keep them alive in large aquariums…you know, you’ve seen them.
He gave us one piece of information for selection of a lobster at a store or restaurant; since the lobsters have exoskeletons, their shells are actually molted when they grow. If you want a lobster as large as the shell appears, select one that has a lot of black mottling on the shell…it has been around a while. If the shell is completely red, it is new and the meat will not fill all the shell space.
We had lunch, of course, boiled fresh for us and served with melted butter at the picnic table which, thank goodness had a cover to keep 
out the rain. Sam is no longer a novice lobster eater!!
The lobster pound guys were very friendly even though we knew we had interrupted them getting their shipment ready. I think they enjoyed the questions we asked and they would have spent mroe time with us, but it was time for us to go pick up the laundry and get back to the Cat for our trip back to Maine. Because of the rain the crossing was foggy but when we got into Bar Harbor the weather cleared and you know what? We had sun the rest of the trip!!
out the rain. Sam is no longer a novice lobster eater!!
The lobster pound guys were very friendly even though we knew we had interrupted them getting their shipment ready. I think they enjoyed the questions we asked and they would have spent mroe time with us, but it was time for us to go pick up the laundry and get back to the Cat for our trip back to Maine. Because of the rain the crossing was foggy but when we got into Bar Harbor the weather cleared and you know what? We had sun the rest of the trip!!
Both ferry crossings we were among the first to drive on board, whcih meant we were also among the first to disembark the ferry when we reached the port. Each time we arrived to get on the ferry, we had to hand over proof of citizanship. We used passports most of the time, but they also accepted a birth certificate and driver's license. We also had to claim certain items when we crossed into Canada, but believe it or not, the paperwork for the US was less restictive and we claimed nothing.
On line at US customs. They asked me who I had in the car. “My family.” What else do you have in the car? “Dirty laundry” I reported. Everyone in the car laughed. “Oops," I said, "that is not true. We have CLEAN laundry.” By then the customs guy was smirking. I gave him our passports, he asked if we had any weapons, and then we were free to move on.
We drove about an hour north to Bangor and stayed the night in a TravelLodge, definitely not a good choice. No one needs to stay there based on our experience!
We headed on the next morning, all on back roads to enjoy the beautiful scenary of Maine and then we crossed into New Hampshire, passing just north of Mt Washington. 
On into Vermont, where Sam picked up another State Capital when we passed through Montpelier. And then we stopped at a Vermont winery, Grand View, where we were surprised at the way they were able to produce dry fruit wines.
We then headed to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. Sam had seen the Sound of Music while I was planning our trip in the spring and requested that destination. It is a pretty expensive place, but we very much enjoyed the dinner, breakfast and the rooms. It is a destination in itself and they have lots of activities, such as a sports center with an indoor pool and a climbing wall, gardens with guided walks, lots of hiking trails, and a class with the pastry chef.
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