I'm not used to having vacation time from work. For the first time in my life, I have a job that comes with such a luxury and despite feeling a tad guilty for requesting a day off even though I wasn't sick, I went ahead and took one of those days that my managing team has assured me are there for me to use and not waste! I'm just not used to not being at the office when I'm feeling completely fine. I took that day which made my long weekend extra long this year; 5 glorious days just relaxing, doing things I enjoy and spending time with the people I just don't get to spend enough time with as of late.
Thursday wasn't all that exciting. My car broke down earlier in the week so it spend that whole day in the shop. I spent the day catching up on housecleaning bill-paying. Friday morning I got some troubling news; the part I needed for the car repairs still hadn't come in. All good. I ended up going with Dad to Framboise for the day and was reassured by my mechanic that it would be fixed time I got back that evening!
Framboise with Dad is a long-weekend tradition since I moved back home. The weather can be hit or miss on that side of the island. It was mostly nice but very windy and cool that day...good for keeping the flies away while fishing...bad for casting in little roadside brooks. After getting massively tangled in branches and rocks, I did manage to reel in a few decent-sized trout.
After a day of fishing, hiking and exploring, we rested on Ferguson Beach by the river that meets the sea. Sometimes at low tide, we can cross there but on this day, the tide was fairly high and the river had the passage completely blocked. Being too cold to remove our shoes and wade across, we sat on some driftwood on the sandy banks where we were sheltered from the wind and cracked open a beer each. I don't normally drink, but I do like a beer on the beach from time to time! As per normal on these trips, we drove up to St. Peter's, got a coffee and drove back...except this time, we went the other way through L'Ardoise and Point Michaud rather than taking the way we came.
I had planned to get my bike out of storage and go for a ride followed by an afternoon spent cleaning my car and sorting my camping gear. That evening when I got back from Framboise, I checked the weather and saw that it would be too windy for a bike ride. I also decided that I didn't feel like cleaning my car. That could wait. My friend who sets up her travel trailer in Englishtown every May long weekend invited me to take a drive there and pay her a visit. I only live once right? Why spend the first unofficial weekend of summer cleaning?
So Saturday morning, I went for morning coffee with Dad, paid a quick visit to my sister and her family, got some snacks ready and hit the road. It's not that far to Englishtown, about an hour and a half. But it's the just getting out of town and heading out into the country that made it sound so appealing. I don't do enough mini road trips anymore and the driving conditions were perfect! Sunny and warm enough to cruise with the sunroof and windows open and the music up loud!
I arrived at my friend's trailer late in the afternoon but it was still warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the natural surroundings and take in that fresh ocean air. After some catching up, we took a drive to a nearby hiking trail and set out to check it out. We had been saying for years we would check out this trail but never did. It was too long to do the whole thing but we hiked about 4 kilometers in until we reached a scenic outlook and turned back. It was nice to get out in nature and hear birds and sit by a babbling brook. I almost fell asleep listening to the sound of that brook as I sat beside it just taking it all in.
Instead of going straight home that evening, I made a little detour to Dominion Beach. I didn't intend to walk that night but I ended up walking the entire beach and back. Maybe it was out of habit as I walk it so much or maybe it was just because it was such a nice evening. I also think I was secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of some baby foxes I suspected were born further up the beach earlier in the spring. They usually come out around this time but, despite keeping an eye for them, I saw no foxes at all.
I was about ten feet away from my car when I spotted something small run at top speed under the boardwalk. I walked over to the spot where I saw whatever it was a second earlier and a little head popped out then a little fox kit appeared at my feet! What a surprise! But where was his mom? And his siblings? Surely there couldn't be just one kit alone so close to the road. Sure enough, mom appeared and sat about 30 feet away as her kit checked me out. She wasn't at all threatened by my presence or at her little one inching so close to me. No other kits appeared so I suspect he may be an only child. It was a nice experience to have a wild animal take such an interest in me but I'm concerned about Mom keeping her young one so close to people and cars.
By Sunday morning, my job feels like a distant memory. I'm just not used to having this much time off! Instead of getting up and getting ready for work, I got up and got ready for another day of hiking! Of course, I went for coffee with Dad first. After all, this has been a morning tradition since I moved back to Cape Breton! Before I met my friends at the trailhead in the Gardiner, I stopped off at the beach to check on the little fox kit. He was still there playing with a stick all by himself with mom watching a little ways away.
I hike the road where the wind turbines are in the Gardiner all the time but always wondered where the trail on the other side of the highway went. So I recruited a couple of friends to come check it out. We started out, us and an adorable little beagle pup, and walked into the unknown. It was a warm day but very windy. Not that I should complain about the wind because it kept the flies away! For a trail in the middle of a residential area, it certainly didn't seem that way! It was quiet with lots of trees, some streams and hardly any other people...just the I like my hikes. It was nice to be able to get out in nature without having to drive a few hours to get there!
Monday felt like Sunday but it was Monday and that meant come Tuesday, I'll only have a 4-day work week! I was tired but refreshed and ready to go back but I had every intention of making good use of my last day. After morning coffee and a drive, I cleaned my car and got my bike out for the first time this year. I didn't go for a long ride but one long enough to get my legs used to riding again. It was nice to have that cool ocean air hitting my face again as I sped down the highway. I have to say, I made good use of my time off and got a lot done....both things I had to get done and things I wanted to do for a long time but didn't have the chance. The next long one will be Canada Day which hopefully will bring some warmer temperatures and conditions ideal for more outdoor adventures!
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