Gadding About With Dorian in Cape Breton

Leaving North Carolina for a brief vacation in Cape Breton, I thought I would leave Dorian, who was heading for the Carolinas, behind.  Not so!  Dorian followed me to Cape Breton.

I picked up Zach and Rachel at the airport on Friday in Halifax, and we thought it best to hunker down in Halifax for the night when Dorian was expected to hit. Their hotel had a generator, and I was staying with Becky and Bruce with no generator, but with the well-prepared for a hurricane couple.

Dorian arrived in Halifax around 6 pm.  It was raining hard and there was a swift wind when at 9:00pm on Friday we lost power.  Never fret,  Bruce was prepared.  He fetched his little Lee Valley Lantern and voila we had power of a sort. (Reminder: Add purchasing one of these to my to-do list.)

Juno, their newest Husky, by lantern light. 

Breakfast Saturday morning was no problem for Bruce, a scout leader.  Out on the deck with a Coleman griddle, he prepared breakfast of eggs, toast and sausage.

Breakfast from the griddle. 

Saturday morning was beautiful, clear and sunny.  Zach, Rachel, and I decided to go to our house in Marble Mountain, knowing that we would be off the grid for our brief stay there.  It would be an adventure of sorts.  No water, no power, no Wifi, no cell phone, no landline.  Just the beautiful scenery and helpful neighbors.  We did have a supply of bottled water and half a bottle of Marble Mountain red wine.   And we picked up sandwich supplies at Sobeys in Port Hawkesbury.

A good local wine.  This vineyard is just down the road from our place in Marble Mountain. 

The most fun perhaps was playing Scrabble by candlelight and flashlights.

Scrabble by candlelight. 

We had external chargers to keep our cell phones charged so the phone flashlights worked.  There were two candles in the house and three flashlights. And wine!

Rachel used a head lantern. 

Zach in the glow of Rachel's headlamp contemplating a play. 

This may be the first time that Zach has been completely off the grid for 24 hours.  He survived, and we were pleased that we made the trip out.  There was no kayaking, ergo, this calls for another trip to Marble Mountain!

Lunch with Norman and Frances

Frances

Norman

Two of my best friends in Nova Scotia are Norman and Frances Oram (Frances is the daughter of another best friend, Michealette, and I've known her since she was a preteen.) Top of my list on this trip was to visit in St. Peter's with these two, so Michealette and I drove over for lunch. Frances and Norman can fix something delicious on the spur of the moment.  (I offered to take them out for lunch, but Frances wanted to prepare lunch.)

Delicious homemade chicken soup really fit the bill.  I contributed Cedar House tea biscuits that I had bought the day before.  A green salad topped off a delicious lunch.

The desserts, however, were the icing on the cake.  The homemade blueberry cake (sorry I didn't get a photo, I was too busy enjoying it) with just a simple vanilla icing was soooo good.  The other option was Smores.  The Smores were made inside, so no bugs! You may find it hard to believe, but I had never eaten Smores.  So I had both desserts.  Yum!!!

My very first Smores.  I loved it. 

Will-O the family cat who will sit at the dining table and not make a move to get on the table joined us.  Well-behaved cat I must say! He's such a handsome fellow too with an unusual coat pattern.

Will-O sitting politely at the table. 

Frances always has the table decorated colorfully.

Pretty table.  

I find their house so beautifully decorated, and not surprising, they are both extremely talented and artistic.

As we left,  Frances demonstrated the porch swing that Norman made for her.

This visit was a great beginning to my vacation in Cape Breton this summer.

p.s. Norman always has frozen mackerel for me, because he knows it is my favorite fish.  Michealette and I took this home for dinner that night. Thanks, Norman.

Frozen mackerel.