A Night in Beautiful Baddeck

Quite a few years ago, not long after I moved back home, I discovered a festival that takes place every August in the little village of Baddeck.  I love Baddeck and I love cultural events where I can try local food, buy local products, see local art and hear local music. 

 

The first time I attended, I had such a wonderful evening that I decided to make attending the festival a yearly tradition.  It usually falls on a Monday so I always drive straight to Baddeck right after work and get there just in time to enjoy the best of it.  Of course, it runs late and the drive home is long so I usually request the day off the next day.  My friend has her camper trailer parked at a nearby campground so we meet in Baddeck to attend the festivities and then I follow her back to the campground, where I stay the night. 

This year, Festiville was quite lively with several great bands playing and many vendors selling everything from homemade jewelry to homemade fudge.  We walked up and down the street several times, listening to the music and checking out the many vendors while eating ice cream and fudge. 

When it was all over, we weren't quite ready to leave so we just hung out on the docks admiring a huge yacht parked amongst the many smaller boats with the sparkling waters of the Bras d'Or Lakes lit by a full moon and sky full of twinkling stars. It was so calm and peaceful that I could have just slept right there with the sound of the water and trees rustling in a light, warm breeze. 

Back in the parking lot of the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, we walked to the deck attached to the museum and admired the moon shining over the lakes.  It was quite the sight.  I could live in a place like that.  Maybe someday.

The drive back to the trailer took about 30 to 40 minutes.  There was hardly any traffic by that point as everyone had already left town and headed back to wherever it was they were spending the night. It was equally as beautiful in Jersey Cove where the moon shone its beams down on the beach near the trailer.  I took a little stroll down there just sat and listened to the water rolling over the beach.

The next day, we drove to Ingonish hoping to enjoy a swim at Black Brook Beach.  The water was rough but I made an attempt anyway.  I didn't stay in long.  I prefer to swim in calm, clear water.  Being tossed around in the surf isn't all that enjoyable!  We left and drove to The Point in Ingonish and went for a much calmer dip in the water at the little sandy beach by the wharves.  The water was so clear and calm there that I even got to try out my new waterproof action camera!  

After dinner at the Seagull Restaurant, we headed back to the trailer where we parted ways and I headed home.  These are the moments that make summers in Cape Breton so memorable and why I have no desire to be anywhere else but here during those long summer days and nights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Songs that Take me Back Down Those Forgotten Roads

Many things bring back memories but for me, the one thing that can conjure up any memory, good or bad, is music. Every relationship I’ve been in had a theme song that reminds me of that person. Every bad breakup also has a song (unfortunately, one particular song, which happens to be one of my favourite songs, reminds me of a person I’d rather forget!).

There are songs that remind me of my childhood friends, people who passed away, people who moved away, moments I never want to forget and moments I wish never happened but can laugh at now.

There are also those songs that remind me of memorable things that have happened on the road or while traveling abroad.  Those songs set the backdrop for some interesting, sometimes funny and always unforgettable moments where people from different backgrounds and cultures were united in a moment of togetherness even when language wasn’t a common factor.

I can trace the connection between music and travel back to my grade school years when my class would pile into an old school bus and travel to various places around Cape Breton for field trips. All the way to our destination, we sang songs. Even the bus driver would join in.

The 90s - Teenage Rebellion and Walkmans

Road trips with my parents were much the same until I hit my teenage years and music took on a different form. It was no longer “cool” to sing along to campfire-like songs with my parents; My Walkman (yes, Walkman – it was the 90’s) was my steady companion on those long trips and I often retreated into my own little world as I watched the world go by through the car window. 

 

MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory and Technotronic. Again, it was the 90s.  My parents hated this because they saw it as me removing myself from their circle and being anti-social. I saw it as me discovering my own taste in music and setting my own soundtrack to the memories that were being made.

As I got older, I started leaving the portable music player at home and listened to the radio instead. I developed a taste in music similar to my mother’s. Dwight Yoakam, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Garrison Brothers, The BeeGees, Sheryl Crow and Nana Mouskouri. I started to appreciate well-written song lyrics and real instruments. Folk music, country music, rock music, world music.  I developed quite a diverse taste in music!

Now, when I hear “The Streets of Bakersfield” by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens or Roger Miller's version of "Me and Bobby McGee" I'm taken back to the days when Mom and I would drive around town with our coffee. 

The songs "Silver Seas" and "Massachusetts" bring me back to the days of watching mom carefully prepare dinner. Boney M's Christmas Album brings happy tears to my eyes because it reminds me of the time-honoured Christmas tradition of decorating the house with that album playing so loud, the whole house would shake. 

When I got my first car, the first things I did were make a bunch of mix tapes and CDs and raid the cheap bin at Wal Mart where they sold old cassettes of long-forgotten bands from the 70s and 80s. 

"Perry Mason" - Ozzy Osbourn - First Cape Breton Road Trip on my Own

When it comes to special memories made on the road, there are many and each one can be paired with a song. I remember the day I got my first car quite well. My parents surprised me with a white 1989 Honda Accord. I grabbed some tapes from my bedroom and jumped in the car to embark on my first solo mission behind the wheel of my very own car. Well, not really solo. I tool my sisters along. 

I remember the song that was playing when I pulled out of the driveway; Ozzy Osbourne’s “Perry Mason”. A few months later, I furnished that car with a brand new, state-of-the-art sound system with amps, subwoofers and a CD player, top of the line in those days! That faithful little Honda was my sanctuary for 6 road-trip-filled years. I figured I had put that poor car through enough when the odometer reached 425,000 kilometres.

The summer before I moved away for college, I took one last trip around TheCabot Trail. I still remember the song that was playing on the radio when I found myself driving along the lonely country road through the Margaree Valley; “Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter. 

  

The Harmonica Player

When I moved to Newfoundland in 2000, my car came with me.  The night of the ferry crossing from Cape Breton to Argentia was one filled with bitter-sweet emotions.  I was homesick before the ferry even docked but excited to be going on that new journey.  As I stood on the outside deck of that ferry and watched my hometown get smaller and smaller and the waters around me become dark and rough as we crossed into the open ocean, loneliness swept over me.

 Then, I heard a sound coming from above me in the shadows of the upper deck. It sounded like a harmonica. I followed the sounds until I noticed a shadow on a bench in a far corner. A young man was playing the harmonica and soon, that young man joined the band in the main lounge for a lively set that had me forgetting my sorrow for just a little while. 

 

"Sweet Child of Mine" - Guns N' Roses - Theme Song of my Youth (Or perhaps my entire generation)

Everyone has that one song that takes them back to the best years of their life.  That song for me is Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N' Roses.  Driving around the backroads of St. John's and touring the outports outside the city while a carload of us sing to this song at the top of our lungs is one of my fondest memories but this song was the backdrop to so many epic moments of my life.  

"Billy Jean" - Michael Jackson - My Song

 Everyone has that one song that everyone else knows as their song.  For me, it's Billy Jean.  I'm sure everyone on George St. in St. John's knew it was my song.  I know almost every DJ did!  I wouldn't have to say anything when I approached their booth.  They just knew and next thing you know, my song would be on. 

I liken my reaction to the first few beats of the song as the reaction you get from a cat who hears a can of tuna being opened...running to the dance floor, usually a few sheets to the wind but always with the intention of savouring every moment that song graced the interior of whatever club I happened to be in. 

 "Dirty Old Town" - The Pogues - St. John's, Newfoundland

I moved to St. John's, Newfoundland just out of High School so the first 11 years of my adulthood were spent there so I was heartbroken when I had to leave.  

 The night before I departed the city for good, I managed to get all of my friends together for one last night on George Street.  We hit all of our favourite haunts, enjoyed some of our favourite local bands, drank, ate and had a blast.  We ended the night at the same place we ended every other night we got together on George St. over the last 11 years.   

At last call, as I savoured my last Vodka and cranberry a familiar song came on. Fittingly, the song had been sort of a theme song for my life in St. John's.  Fittingly, Dirty Old Town was the last song that played that night. When I want to return to that special night many years ago, all I have to do is close my eyes and listen to that song and I'm taken back there. 

 

"We no Speak Americano" - Yolanda be Cool - Playa Del Carmen Mexico

A trip to Mexico many years ago turned into a complete disaster and in the background of every horrible moment that week, the song “We No Speak Americano” by Yolanda be Cool was blaring through the speakers in the common area of the hotel. I’m not sure why the staff had such an obsession with that particular song but even when I hear it today, I have flashbacks to that horrible week in Playa Del Carmen.

 

"Mambo #5" - Lou Bega - Varadero, Cuba

My trip to Cuba the following year was much better. The only problem? I had the song “Mambo #5” by Lou Bega stuck in my head for weeks after I returned home! For some reason, this song was played over and over again in the common areas of the resort. Now every time I hear that song, it reminds me of that week.\

 

 

"Freedom 90" - George Michael - Montezuma, Costa Rica

 And then there was Costa Rica, one of my most memorable trips. A week spent at a yoga retreat in paradise. I was too tired to walk back to the retreat after an evening spent wandering the little surf village of Montezuma so I hailed a cab. My driver couldn’t speak a word of English and we both struggled to communicate. After some pointing and hand gestures and broken words in English and Spanish, he understood where I wanted to go. We started the short journey up that steep hill to Anamaya Yoga Retreat in silence until he turned on the radio. One might assume that a Spanish song would be playing on a local station in a Spanish-speaking country but it was an English song. My driver recognized the song and that man who could not speak a word of English only a few minutes earlier began to sing along to George Michael’s “Freedom 90” at the top of his lungs…in clear, unbroken English!

 

Over the course of my life, I have had many such unplanned and unforgettable moments and I feel fortunate to have those memories and to be able to remember the songs that bring me back to those special moments frozen in time. Someday, I may forget those memories and I can only hope that the sound of a particular song will bring me back. I believe music has that much power. I’ve experienced that power many times.

 

A Long Drive in the Country, a Little Community Hall and some Live Music = A Perfect Evening

I’m always looking for new things to do around Cape Breton. Sometimes I just get in the car and go searching on my own, sometimes I hear about things going on via word of mouth or sometimes I search the internet to find out what is going on. At this point in my life, as long as it does not involve drinking until I pass out or frequenting bars, it’s something worth looking into. I’m well passed that stage in my life and now prefer low-key evenings strolling the beach, hiking a new trail, or taking in some live acoustic music. Just last week, as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, a post about a live music event coming up in Little Narrows caught my attention.

I clicked on the link about an event called “The Songbird Series”. Music lovers were being invited to attend a live event featuring Prince Edward Island singer-songwriter, Catherine MacLellan accompanied by Chris Gauthier. Live music and a long drive and an evening spent in the country for $15.00? Sounded like my kind of night! I purchased a ticket immediately.

You may or may not have heard of Catherine MacLellan but you most likely have heard of her father. Catherine in the daughter of legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan who wrote and performed the iconic song “Snowbird”. Catherine released her first solo album in 2004 and has since released several more. During that time, she won a number of industry awards including Female Solo Recording of the Year, Folk Recording of the Year and SOCAN Songwriter of the Year.

Although the concert didn’t start until 7PM that evening and it was only an hour-and-a-half drive, I left at 4PM. Not because I am anal and afraid I will get tied up in traffic and be late and not because I thought I might get lost (I know Cape Breton Island like the back of my hand despite a recent episode that saw me hopelessly lost in the Mabou Highlands) but because I like to turn one event into an entire evening’s excursion. In other words, I grabbed a coffee for the road and took the longest possible route to the concert and took my time enjoying the leisurely drive through Bras d’Or. Little Narrows is an interesting little place and confusing too believe it or not! A ferry crossing splits the little community in two and I thought the Little Narrow’s Community Center was located on the Trans Canada 105 side of the ferry. I was wrong. After driving up and down the little strip between the turn off from the highway and the ferry looking for the hall, I finally asked a man who was parked in his truck waiting for the ferry where it was located. Sure enough, it was on the other side. Good thing I had the exact amount of change needed to board.

I was a couple of minutes late and the concert had just started when I entered the little community hall and I was very happy to see that it was a full house. I love it when Cape Bretoners come out to support events like this. I took a seat at the back and was instantly pleased with what I was hearing. Over the next two hours, Catherine wowed that sold-out crowd with a diverse set that included soulful tunes of real life events and upbeat rhythm and bluesy tracks. A ten-minute intermission brought me outdoors for some fresh air where I spoke with a woman who was quite surprised that I had made such a long trip by myself to see the show. I get this all the time. Not many young woman like to drive alone in the country by themselves but it’s something I do all the time without giving it a second thought!

With some interesting and sometimes sad, sometimes funny stories of her youth and personal life thrown in the mix, Catherine put on quite a show that closed only after she flawlessly performed her father’s famous song to a standing ovation and encore. The event went so well that the community center is thinking of hosting some more similar events in the new year. I will definitely be watching for that announcement!

I had no choice but to take a different route home than I had taken to get there because I used up all my change on the ferry crossing and could not cross back. I didn’t really pay attention to my gas gauge and was a little nervous that I might not have enough fuel to reach North Sydney and there were no stations along the way. I drove through Iona, Grand Narrows, Boisdale and other sleepy communities until I reached the highway 125 in North Sydney and promptly filled up. Another night on The Cape and Another successful Cape Breton music event. I think I’ll start attending more of these!

A Spring Road Trip, Some Damn Good Music and a Leisurely Stroll Around Downtown Halifax

I was just recently unemployed so a road trip was almost certainly out-of-the-question this past May long weekend. I say almost because with enough arm-twisting and coaxing from the right person, I can be persuaded to do anything that involves a car, the open road and a night or more away from home.

I had many excuses to say no when my sister asked me to accompany her to a concert in Halifax. The fact that I was short on cash was just one of the excuses I came up with. In the end, the prospect of a spring road trip before starting my new job that following Monday was enough to get me to finally give in and start packing my bags for a weekend in the “big city”. I had no idea what was in store for me until the last minute. All I knew was there would be several bands playing at a small club called Michael's Bar & Grill. She had everything taken care of including the tickets and the hotel. All I had to do was be ready and waiting at my door when she arrived to pick me up that morning.

The drive to Halifax was like any other long drive. This was the first time I made a long trip in a vehicle as a passenger so I was able to notice a lot of things I never noticed before on the way up. One thing I noticed, despite all the talk about the dangers of texting and driving, is a lot of drivers still text and drive and there was a close call with one of these texting drivers near one of the turn offs into the city.

We checked into our hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading out. There was a very nice bar attached to it and we stopped there for a few drinks before hailing a cab to the show.

Michael's Bar & Grill wasn’t very far at all but our chatty cab driver had some advice for us before we got out. “Your going to Michael's eh? Better watch out for stray bullets”. Apparently there had been a shooting there in the past. Way to instill paranoia into a couple of young girls heading out for a night on the town to enjoy some live music.

The venue itself looked small and deserted from the outside. Even after we entered, it seemed this way. However, that small bar extended into a large back room where many people were gathered in front of a stage. I’d never heard of any of the bands that were playing but my sister did and she assured me that they were all good. Head of the Herd from Vancouver headlined the show with guests The Balconies and The Damn Truth taking the stage first. All the bands pulled off stellar sets and each one had a unique sound. I was quite surprised by the quality of the music considering I thought I was going to see some unknown local bands but soon discovered that these were well-seasoned, professional musicians from all over Canada.

We stayed behind for a while after the show chatting with some people we met at the bar and just hanging out on the outside deck finishing off our drinks before heading back to the hotel. A visit with a friend and a long drive home awaited us the next day so sleep was definitely in order.

After getting a little lost, as per usual on any road trip I go on, we made our way to Clayton Park to meet our friend and her baby. We started off with breakfast followed by a relaxing afternoon in the public gardens and a walk downtown. It had been years since I wandered around in downtown Halifax and it was only slightly different than I remembered.

The drive back was much the same as the drive there and, like any time spent on the road, I was in my element. It was the 5-hour closure to a great mini-vacation before heading back to work at my new job that started the next day.

Celtic Colours International Festival - It's a Wrap...Until Next Year

Cape Breton Island is world-renowned for being one of the most beautiful places on earth and the island has gained much publication and notoriety in recent years. It was voted second most beautiful island in the world. It was voted most beautiful island in North America. The Cabot Trail, the scenic route that winds along the coast of the northern portion of the island has been voted the most scenic drive on the continent.

So Cape Breton is obviously known for its beauty but it is also known for having North America’s only living Celtic culture. In the remote, rural areas of the island, some of the people still speak Gaelic, a language considered dead in most of the world and children are immersed into the world of Celtic music and dance at a very young age. Some of those “children” have grown up to become accomplished and widely known stars of Celtic music and there is even a Gaelic College located at St. Anne’s where students can learn the language and learn about the culture and visitors can take part in many events throughout the year. Some of the most popular events take place in Mid-October and are a part of the International Celtic Colours Festival which has events happening at dozens of other venues around the island. The festival takes place just as the fall foliage comes out in full bloom, making the famed Cabot Trail even more spectacular. The festival started back in 1997 and since I moved away to another province around that time, I never had the chance to experience it first hand. Over the years, the festival grew and attracted more sponsors, world-renowned Celtic artists and followers and is now known to be one of Canada’s top festivals. This year the celebration ran from October 11th to the 19th. Over the course of those nine days, visitors from all over the world took in a number of musical and cultural events including concerts, art displays, culinary events, farmers markets, guided hikes and story-telling sessions. Lucky for me, I happened to be in Cape Breton during that time and took in some of those events.

I love all types of music but the sound of the Scottish fiddle has always had a special place in my heart, particularly the style of Scottish fiddle that is unique to Cape Breton Island. I grew up to the sounds of the Rankin Family, Natalie MacMaster, The Barra MacNeils and Ashley MacIsaac, all well-accomplished Cape Breton musicians. Even while I was living away, I stayed on top of the new generation of musicians that were emerging on the local scene. So when a friend invited me to join her for a night of Celtic music, as part of the Celtic Colours Festival, at the Joan Harris Pavilion in Sydney, I jumped at the chance. I always wanted to attend the Festival and Lennie Gallant and Ashley MacIsaac, two of Atlantic Canada’s top acts, were headlining the show.

The show, titled “Taste of the Festival” featured artists in residence, Harald Haugaard from Denmark and homegrown talent, Kimberley Fraser. Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, a group of fiddlers from Norway, Sweden and Shetland played a beautiful set of traditional Nordic reels. Norwegian dancer, Hallgrim Hansegard wowed the crowd with his flawless dance routine and Lennie Gallant performed a mix of some of his most popular tunes, past and present. Ashley took the stage last and, as usual, left the crowd spellbound. His unique style of fiddle playing combined with the sounds of the Cape Breton piano, played by several notable Cape Breton pianists who were invited to the stage during his set, made for one heck of a closing performance! You can think what you want about him and some of his past actions but there is still no denying that Ashley always was and still is one of the best fiddle players to come out of Cape Breton…and maybe even Canada and all of North America.

Festival Club, a nightly event offering artists the opportunity to showcase their talents in an informal setting, was taking place at the Gaelic College in St. Anne’s right after the concert. Unfortunately, I had already had a few drinks and left my car at home, so making the hour drive to the college was out of the question. I wasn’t able to attend any more concerts during the festival due to other commitments but I did take in a few of the cultural events that were happening around the island as part of Celtic Colours.

One of the events I took part in was a historical hike in the town of Boisdale. I love learning about history and I love leisurely, morning walks in the country so this made for a perfect Sunday morning. And bonus: The fall foliage in that area of the island is usually very vibrant and this day was no exception. I met up with a small group of people at the fire hall in Boisdale and we made our way along the old railway track and up through the center of the village while our guides gave us the history of the area and its people. The walk lasted about two hours and ended at a small bungalow where a fire and some tea were waiting. Since I was in the area anyway, I made the short drive to Grand Narrows and poked around at the Farmer’s Market that was being held there that day and bought some homemade baked goods to bring home to have with my Thanksgiving Dinner that was taking place later that day.

So my first experience with Celtic Colours was enough to encourage me to make plans to take part in more of the festivities next year. And I won’t have any excuses. I know it is coming up so I can plan for it and I am living in Cape Breton full time now so I’ll have no reason to be out of town.

Taking part in Celtic Colours was a bit of an eye-opener for me. When the audience at the concert I attended was asked where they were from, it seemed that most of the people in attendance were from the United States, Europe and other parts of Canada. When I arrived for the hike in Boisdale and introduced myself to the other participants, I discovered that most of them were from away. Meeting all these people from far away places and hearing about their wonderful experiences traveling around Cape Breton gave me a sense of pride. But it also gave me a sense of disappointment. Hardly any of the people I met were from Cape Breton. I’m sure tons of Cape Bretoners took part in some of the events during the festival but, in my opinion, maybe not near as many as there should have been. The island hosts a world-renowned festival that sees guests from all over the world and many of my friends and acquaintances didn’t even really know what the festival was nor did they have any interest in finding out more…so hopefully next year, more Cape Bretoners will come out and support this homegrown cause and learn more about our unique culture and heritage.