Friends for 75 years!!!

Celebrating our 81st.  

Last week I was gadding about with Pat W. and PJ in Nova Scotia.  We've been friends since first grade which was 75 years ago and that means we were also celebrating the year that we all turned 81.  Yes 2018 has been a big year for us.

We arrived in Halifax, (Pat W was sitting in my wheelchair.) 

After flying from Charlotte to Toronto (where we missed our flight to Halifax but were able to get another one) we arrived in  Halifax to spend a couple of days.

I wanted to be sure my friends saw some of the South Shore of  the province.  We of course hit Peggy's Cove and then Mahone Bay and Lunenberg.  Along the way we had to have a meal at the famous Tim Horton's.

Peggy's Cove

Beautiful Church in Mahone Bay. 

A pretty B & B in Mahone Bay. 

Lunch at Tim Horton's. 

Back in Halifax we visited Becky, Bruce, and Sherri Campbell, and we were charmed by their new little husky Juno.

Juno, the newest member of the Campbell family. 

Then off to Marble Mountain in our rented Lincoln MKK, a vehicle too smart for us.  We were constantly having to check the manual to see how something worked. 

Our Lincoln MKK.  Leaving for Cape Breton.  

The weather was perfect  and after we arrived in Port Hawkesbury we had dinner at the Fleur de Lis, shopped for groceries and headed out to Marble Mountain.  (to be continued)

Gadding About in Nova Scotia with my Friend Jeanette

Our house in Marble Mountain as seen from our beach.

A few weeks ago my friend Jeanette traveled with me to our place in Cape Breton.  It was the first trip to Eastern Canada for Jeanette, and we tried to take in a lot of sights.

The first of the trip was very frustrating because we missed our connection from Toronto to Halifax because of bad weather and we were stuck in the Toronto Airport for most of a day.  I used this as an opportunity to introduce Jeanette to Tim Horton's, Canada's Krispy Kreme.  The maple frosted donuts are particularly tasty.

Maple frosted donuts. 

We spent a few days along the South Shore of Nova Scotia.  Blue Rocks, Mahone Bay, and Peggy's Cove are all worthy of a visit.

Blue Rocks. 

St. James Anglican Church in Mahone Bay.

Mahone Bay on the South Shore.

Peggy's Lighthouse. 

Dan's cousin Bruce and his wife Becky provided us lodging for the one night we were in Halifax.  It's always fun to see them, and we especially enjoyed their three Huskies.

The Huskies. 

Our main visit was to Cape Breton and our place in Marble Mountain.  It is such a pretty place that we need not have ventured away from there, but we did make a few day trips.

Full moon over the Lake with reflection on our pond.

St. Peter's is a pretty little town on the east coast of CB and has several little restaurants that I like to frequent.  While in that area we drove over to Isle Madame and enjoyed the scenic views from the Acadian Villages.

Jen and Christene having lunch in St. Peter's. 

Isle Madame

Jeanette is a native of Australia, so a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia was certainly on the agenda.  On the way over there is a lovely view from Kelly's Mountain looking down on the Seal Island Bridge that we traverse to reach Sydney.  A main attraction at the Sydney Port is the Giant Fiddle.

The Seal Island Bridge that we crossed to get to Sydney.

The Giant Fiddle in Sydney, NS. 

I believe Jeanette's favorite part of the trip was the visit to Bird Islands.  (Check back later for a blog on just the Bird Islands.)

Jen on the boat to Bird Islands. 

The last day we went to the Cabot Links Golf Course over in Inverness and up the Cabot Trail for just a bit.  A trip all the way round the Cabot Trail will have to wait for another time.

Looking out over the Cabot Links Golf Course. 

I hope I have whetted Jen's appetite for more trips to the Maritimes of  Eastern Canada for she is a gungho travel companion.

A Busy Sunday

Light house at Peggy's Cove on a foggy afternoon.

Last Sunday my grandson Brooks and his friend Missy and I flew to Nova Scotia.  The day started early.  We flew out of RDU at 6:00am and traveled via Toronto to Halifax landing there about 1:00 pm.  Immediately we took the shuttle to our motel near the airport where we also rented our car for the week. 

By 3:00pm we were on our way to Peggy's Cove.  Unfortunately it was a rather foggy day there.  I stayed in the parking lot while Brooks and Missy walked out to the lighthouse.  From my vantage point I could barely make out the outline of the lighthouse because of the fog.  But they had a better view close up. 

Lighthouse from the parking lot.

Then we headed to downtown Halifax and the Halifax waterfront.  I had never taken the ferry from Halifax over to Dartmouth so I suggested we do that.  It gave us a great view of the Halifax harbor from the other side. 


Brooks and Missy on the ferry to Dartmouth.

The Halifax waterfront from the Dartmouth side of the harbor.

Dinner at Salty's was good as usual.

Our view while having dinner at Salty's. 

 And then over to Cow's Ice Cream for dessert.

Cow's Ice Cream.

I was disappointed they didn't have my favorite flavor Maple Walnut,  Then we walked on over to the Casino where we had parked the car.  Brooks and I went into the Casino, but since Missy doesn't turn 19 until September, she had to wait in the lobby.


I won $63.00 on the penny slot machine in just three spins. 

 I sat down at a slot machine, put in $20.00 and on my third spin I was up to $83.00.  I said I'm quitting.  So I walked out $63.00 to the good. 


It was a long day.  But a fun one.