Labour Day weekend in Margaree

Labour Day; the final long weekend of the summer and one that I try to go all out for since I have nine months of fall, winter and spring to go through before the weather gets nice enough to do things comfortably outdoors again. 

Usually, Labour Day is spent with friends in Margaree and that's exactly where I headed on the Labour Day long weekend this past September. 

I didn't take the long way there this time because it was the only day that was supposed to be nice enough to go swimming all weekend and I wanted to get there in time to have lunch, stop at the house to change into my swimsuit and make the 40-minute drive to Inverness Beach.  

We arrived at the house with the incredible views of the sea in the early afternoon and after settling in and getting beach-ready, we headed to Inverness.  

While my friend wasn't in the least bit interested in going in the water, I couldn't wait to get in!  Even this late in the season, the water was still warm and the air was warm too.  I listened in amusement as some middle-aged men swimming nearby teased a tourist from a more southern destination.  They thought the water was warm like I did but the tourist just stood there shivering and refusing to get ducked.  

When I finally got out of the water, my friend was a long ways down the beach searching for sea glass.  I sat in my chair with a book and enjoyed the relaxing sounds of the gentle waves and seagulls above.  After I read a chapter and was dried off, I started down the beach.  I caught up with my friend who, by that time, had a baggie filled with colourful beach glass.  I stopped for a quick chat and continued down the beach for another long time.  I never realized how long that beach is.  When I turned back, I still hadn't reached the end!

We decided on Wabo's Pizza for supper  We left Inverness just before dark and stopped at the house to change out of our beach clothes.  By the time we were ready to head to Cheticamp, it was dark and we were hungry.  We still had another 30-minute drive before we reached the pizza shop.  We ordered just before we left and got there just as the shop was closing!  

That evening, we sat in the living room with the big windows overlooking the deck.  The air was cool but after a while of staring at this deck and being enticed to step outside and admire that night sky with all those stars, I decided to step outside for a bit. 

The air was crisp but there wasn't a cloud in sight!  The night sky in the country sure is something to see!  I took a few pictures to see if they would come out and was surprised to see something I wasn't expecting in some of them.  Some pink and purple strips were visible to the north.  I checked my Northern Lights finder app and sure enough, there was a good chance of spotting them that night and several of my friends who were camped out nearby already had pictures posted.  We don't usually see the Northern Lights this far south but they've been appearing in the night sky over Cape Breton quite a bit this past year!

The next day wasn't as warm and sunny as the day before but we set out early to make the most of it.  We started the day by driving to the Dancing Goat to pick up some sweets as we knew it would be closed on the way home the next day.  I hoped to see the giant sunflowers in Margaree along the way but we were too late; they had already bloomed and withered away for the season.  

We next headed to Cheticamp to attempt a hike along the Salmon Pools Trail.  We tried the trail a few years ago but turned around when it started to rain.  A few years before that we did hike quite a ways in but had to turn around when we ran out of time.  We didn't make it all the way to the end this time either but we got a little further than before and got to enjoy the late summer air and the peace of the river and forest sounds. 

I always hate leaving the country to go home.  I always said if I could find a way to make a living in a place like Cheticamp, Inverness or Ingonish, I would move there in a flash.  I guess there's always retirement! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Canada Day and the Official Start of summer

Another long weekend has come and gone and it was an extra extra long weekend for me with five days total to enjoy a fabulous time with friends, family and amazing weather. It was a weekend filled with bike rides, hikes, ocean swims, pool dips, family get-togethers and plenty of good food and beer. I even got to spend some time with an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time. 

 

Canada Day is always the long weekend that makes it officially summer for me.  The lifeguards start back at Dominion Beach again and my family heads out for our first outing of the season to celebrate the country's birthday at the Fortress of Louisbourg. Usually, the ocean water starts to warm up around this time too but that wasn't the case this year!  I went for a dip and was only able to stay in for about five minutes after my hands and feet went numb and I felt pins and needles everywhere else.  That being said, it was a refreshing welcome on a hot day and it was nice to not see a single one of those stinging jellyfish that are usually around at the start of summer. 

A few bike rides to Low Point Lighthouse, some hikes along Dominion Beach, refreshing dips, picnics, a scenic drive around Port Morien  and Donkin, sipping on beer at sunset, eating whatever I feel like without guilt...this is what summer weekends are all about....and it's only just started! 

This Canada Day was different.  My little nephew who was only born in December enjoyed his first Canada Day weekend.  It's so fun watching him grow up because everything is so new to him!  I'm sure he doesn't yet comprehend the meaning of the day but I'm sure he sensed something was special about it with so many people around.  

 So much more to look forward to this summer, so many more adventures to come!  I said this one was going to be the best yet and it's so far, summer is living up to that expectation. 

A family of Canada Geese on Canada Day!

My Ultimate Staycation....Hopefully Your Ultimate Vacation Someday

Many people around the world are disappointed with the fact that they won't be able to travel outside of their province or state for a while.  I consider myself lucky because I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Ok, I might be a little biased but ask anyone in the know and they will tell you that Cape Breton Island is quite the place!  It has been voted as one of the most scenic islands in the world, it's hosts a world class music festival every fall, it has the world-famous Cabot Trail which has been voted one of the most scenic drives in the world and it's steeped in history and culture.  When this Coronavirus is done with, why not pay my island home a visit?  The friendly people will welcome you with open arms and make you feel right at home!

Cape Breton Island has hundreds of miles of rocky coastline.  It's a place where the sea meets the land and sometimes that land happens to be a secluded sandy beach.  Hope to see you on my island this time next year...making up for lost time!

My Wish for Christmas and the Coming New Year

Well, it’s that time of year again; the time of year when everyone’s nerves are frazzled, we have so much to do that it stresses us out and our bank accounts are wiped out. Sounds like the Christmas season is upon us again; a time of year that was once reserved for celebrating the birth of Jesus with friends and family. Somewhere along the way, that meaning has been lost even though every die-hard Christian I know still maintains that that is the purpose of the season while they selfishly consume everything in sight and stress out over what they will buy everyone. Never mind the fact that there are many people in this world who will receive nothing for Christmas this year and they will probably be the ones with the less stress and be happier for it when it is all said and done.

The saddest, grumpiest, meanest people are at their saddest, meanest and grumpiest this time of year. I don’t mean to sound like the Grinch, but I always thought Christmas was a time of happiness and joy. I do not see that when I am out and about watching people cursing at one another, shoving each other in lineups at the mall and cutting one another off and intersections to get to a 50% percent off sale before everyone else. It wasn’t always this bad. I know it wasn’t this bad when I was a kid which was not that long ago. I barely remember a single Christmas present I received as a child but I remember times spent with family and friends, driving around looking at Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate while watching those classic holiday TV specials. Today it is all about the “gimme” generation who can never have enough when it comes to material items.

The selfishness and meanness going around this time of year makes me want to cancel Christmas. Again, I’m not meaning to sound like a Grinch but I can think of better ways to spend this holiday season. Jesus would be proud if his loyal followers spent his birthday in a way that benefits all of mankind and allows people to come together in a positive way? I’m not religious but I am aware that Christmas is a day meant to celebrate His birthday and I don’t know any Christians who have boycotted the mall or sang Happy Birthday for the holiday’s namesake. That is why I might go on strike next December. That’s right! I just might strike against Christmas. I’m striking against the needless consumption of items we don’t need while millions of children starve to death. I’m striking against the mall. I’m striking against the greedy corporations who have decided to cash out on people and this holiday that once had nothing to do with emptying out bank accounts. I’m striking against greed. And no I will not be standing outside the mall with a picket sign or going on a hunger strike; I will be spending the season doing things that matter like spending time with family and friends instead of wasting precious time waiting in line at the mall. I will be donating money to trusted charities that disperse food and other necessary items to people in need. Isn’t this what Jesus would want us to do. I don’t follow any particular religion but even I understand what this holiday is all about. Many people make fun of me and think I have gone mad when I tell them these things but it is me who will be laughing at them in the future when they are standing in long lineups at the mall to spend all their money on trivial items.

I get weird looks and unwanted opinions about my choice to not follow any particular religion. In fact, I don’t follow any religion at all and I don’t believe in the things that the bible or any other religious publication says. That is my opinion. I don’t call myself an atheist but that is what others would call me. I prefer not to label myself so I just live my life the way I want to live it. I don’t live it by a book; I live it by my heart and mind. I wake up each day and do the things I love, pull my weight and help others when they are in need. I do not steal, I do not hurt others, I do not break any laws or cause any problems for anyone; I just live a good clean life without praying to god every night that the starving children will be fed and the evils of this world will be stopped. I do not go to church and spend an hour praying for the troubles that be – since when does that do any good! But yet I still get people, almost daily, telling me that I am destined to burn in hell for eternity if I don’t change my ways. These same people are the ones who are selfishly standing in line at the mall spending their money on things they do not need in order to spoil their children into thinking that there is no suffering in the world. And I don’t believe in Hell anyway…if there is a Hell, I certainly don’t fit the description of someone who deserves to burn in it forever…except for the fact that I don’t spend hours on my knees mumbling prayers and telling others how bad they are for not being religious.

I guess by now you are wondering why I am getting on with such a rant so close to what should be the happiest day of the year. Well, that’s the thing. It SHOULD be the happiest day of the year but judging by the crabby faces and irritated drivers and people going broke from spending money on all these things they don’t need, it doesn’t seem very happy and cheerful to me. I also feel kind of guilty buying and accepting all these things I don’t need while there are wars and conflict going on in so many places. So many people are suffering and all we think about in the free world is how many more Ipods and Ipads we can accumulate. That is where my rant and I come in; My wish for Christmas and the New Year is for people to just relax and let go of this meaningless BS that is encompassing their lives. I’m not just talking about Christmas, I’m talking about throughout the entire year. Who cares how big your home is? Who cares what kind of car you drive? Who cares if your set of dishes don’t match or have a few cracks in them? Who cares if you don’t wear designer clothing? Who cares how much money you make? And who cares how much money you drop on your Christmas shopping or how tall your Christmas tree is or how many presents are underneath it? No one should care. What we should care about is what kind of world we are creating for future generations. We should care about the millions of people who suffer needlessly every day over nonsense that just shouldn’t be. It is possible for us all to get along. It is possible for us to be at peace. It is possible for everyone to be happy and have everything they need to survive. After all, wouldn’t this be the best birthday gift Jesus could ever ask for? That his loyal followers, who seem to have lost their way and no longer know the true meaning of Christmas, would finally just put aside their differences and help their fellow man and be at peace with one another in the world. Me? I want these things anyway. It has nothing to do with Jesus. I do not follow the bible or any religion; I do good because I want to do good and I see a world of possibilities for mankind in the future…now if only everyone else would see things the way I see it right now; together, we could put our energy into making this world a better place for each and every one of us; we could do a lot of good and turn our seriously misdirected society in the right direction before there is nothing left to save.