The day dawned, as it had been, with dark cloudy skies. I sent a prayer to my dad, who my mom had declared was in charge of the weather after he passed, asking for a dry day for our activity: we were heading to the Atlantic side of Nova Scotia to go sea kayaking. As it turned out, to all you doubters, it stayed dry and only threatening until dark, when it started to pour! *G* But I am getting ahead of myself.
When I first proposed the kayaking excursion, I had Dan in mind as he had had a long interest, but Graham was concerned about the water temperature. After speaking with the man who runs program, I learned that the Gulf Stream is close to the eastern shore and the water temp there would be warmer than what we felt in the Bay of Fundy. So we planned to join a 4-hour trip.
We got to the area close to noon and noticed a sign for a smokehouse. The woman there told us that the nearest restaurant was at least 30 miles back the way we came, so besides buying some smoked salmon (hey! I realized in the trip planning phase that NOVA lox must come from…here!!), we also picked up small packs of various smoked fish and ate, picnic style, at their outside table.
We then went a few more miles down the road to Coastal Adventures where they also had a small B&B in the home they use in the off-season. At 1:00 they gathered 
14 of us and got us suited up with splash jackets (they DID keep us dry this day) and life jackets. Graham and I used a double kayak as did another couple, but everyone else were in singles.
The next morning, foggy a bit, we headed out to our next destination on Cape Breton.
14 of us and got us suited up with splash jackets (they DID keep us dry this day) and life jackets. Graham and I used a double kayak as did another couple, but everyone else were in singles.
We did really well for the first part of the trip, which was pretty much located in sheltered water, protected by islands. We finally headed out into the ocean and the wind and the waves wore both Sam and Lisa out a bit. We stopped in another sheltered cove and the leader moved Sam to Lisa’s shorter kayak and the woman in the other tandem kayak took Sam’s, letting Lisa join her husband in the tandem
.
. The man was visiting his family from Alberta. One of the other guys was an old school chum and when Lisa discovered he lived nearby, I said, “Gee, Charlie, maybe you could tell us where to go eat dinner.” Lisa immediately jumped in “I think we should eat at Charlie’s house!” Charlie grinned and opined “Maybe the Missus would prefer you to come over after you eat supper and we could have a kitchen party.”
And so we did. We ate a local lobster restaurant (no surprise there, eh?) and then, in the pouring rain, heavily relying on the Garmin, we found Charlie’s house. A kitchen party is a pretty regular thing in Nova Scotia (and perhaps other places). In places I have lived, they were called jam sessions. I had suggested to Graham that he bring his recorders on the trip but he brought, instead, his bodrhan (Celtic drum) and one recorder. It turned out to be a great choice! Charlie plays guitar and writes poetry and music. We got there a bit late, having ended the kayak excursion around 5, then washing up and heading out to the restaurant. We also gave the guide and his girlfriend a lift to a local store so they could grab a ride to Halifax for the weekend. We grabbed a bottle of rum for Charlie at the store and headed to his place.
Charlie is a lobster fisherman, so we learned a bit about that way of life. Lobstermen have to buy a license to fish in a certain proscribed region. Each region in Nova Scotia restricts the fishing season for lobsters to two months. So, that is it….Charlie needs to work like crazy those months. The license cost a lot, as much as a million dollars in some areas! Think about that the next time you pay for lobster.
I wish we had a recorder to save the songs and poetry Charlie shared. There were stories about local history and the way of life. Charlie, Shahnaz and Tammy…you are getting this edition of my trip journal…we plan to return and you and your family will ALWAYS have a place to stay here in West Virginia!! Thank you so much for inviting us into your home and sharing your wonderful hospitality!!
Graham is loving this!
And so we did. We ate a local lobster restaurant (no surprise there, eh?) and then, in the pouring rain, heavily relying on the Garmin, we found Charlie’s house. A kitchen party is a pretty regular thing in Nova Scotia (and perhaps other places). In places I have lived, they were called jam sessions. I had suggested to Graham that he bring his recorders on the trip but he brought, instead, his bodrhan (Celtic drum) and one recorder. It turned out to be a great choice! Charlie plays guitar and writes poetry and music. We got there a bit late, having ended the kayak excursion around 5, then washing up and heading out to the restaurant. We also gave the guide and his girlfriend a lift to a local store so they could grab a ride to Halifax for the weekend. We grabbed a bottle of rum for Charlie at the store and headed to his place.
Charlie is a lobster fisherman, so we learned a bit about that way of life. Lobstermen have to buy a license to fish in a certain proscribed region. Each region in Nova Scotia restricts the fishing season for lobsters to two months. So, that is it….Charlie needs to work like crazy those months. The license cost a lot, as much as a million dollars in some areas! Think about that the next time you pay for lobster.
I wish we had a recorder to save the songs and poetry Charlie shared. There were stories about local history and the way of life. Charlie, Shahnaz and Tammy…you are getting this edition of my trip journal…we plan to return and you and your family will ALWAYS have a place to stay here in West Virginia!! Thank you so much for inviting us into your home and sharing your wonderful hospitality!!
Graham is loving this!
The next morning, foggy a bit, we headed out to our next destination on Cape Breton.
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