Golfing at the Cabot Links in Inverness Nova Scotia

Panoramic view of Cabot Links Golf Course in Inverness, Cape Breton.

The highlight of our recent trip to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia was my grandson's, Brooks, round of golf at Cabot Links in Inverness, Nova Scotia.  This truly links 18 holes course hugs the Atlantic Ocean with a spectacular view.  Brooks played only nine holes with his friend Missy acting as his caddy.  It started out a cool, misty, windy morning, but quickly turned into a nice day. 

Clubs are ready. Just waiting for tee time.

What club should I use?

Panoramic view of Brooks playing golf. 

My friends, Michealette and Christene, went along and we enjoyed tooling around town while Brooks and Missy played golf.  We visited the Tears of Glass Jewelry shop while waiting.

Jewelry at Tears of Glass in Inverness.

Rare pieces of sea glass and marble at Tears of Glass

After their round of golf we killed a little more time until the award winning Panorama Restaurant that overlooks the 18th hole opened for dinner at 5:00 pm. 


View of 18th hole from Panorama Restaurant.

New addition to Panorama Restaurant that almost doubles the size.

Michealette and Missy waiting for dinner.

They have some truly spectacular dishes at the Panorama, in particular I enjoyed the scallops with risotto.  And their strawberry shortcake is interesting but not what you expect here in North Carolina.  We collectively tried all three of their desserts. 

Scallops over risotto.  My starter and main meal.  Delish!

Cabot Links version of Strawberry Shortcake.  Strawberries and rhubarb over strawberry syrup.  Three shortbread cookies with strawberry whipped cream in between.  Beautiful presentation.

If you are a golfer you should plan a trip to Cabot Links.

A Mermaid Tear for Grace

Sea glass among the pebbles on our beach.

While walking along the beach the other afternoon, I saw something shiny green among the small pebbles.  I had found another piece of sea glass.  Though never a serious collector, I have over the years  found  twenty or so pieces along our beach.  My favorite is one that is green and embossed on what must have been the bottom of a bottle with “Made in” .  I assume “Canada”, but one never knows. 

Sea glass, often called mermaid tears, is glass found on beaches of oceans or large lakes that has been tumbled and smoothed by the waves, water and sand, creating smooth, frosted shards of glass. Combing shorelines for sea glass is a hobby for many beach-goers either who collect or craft it into jewelry.

The beaches of Nova Scotia are among the best places in the world to collect sea glass, and in particular, the beaches at Inverness where we were last week.  We didn’t have time to go searching for sea glass, but near our cabin at Beach Village we noticed an avid collector’s license plate, C GLASS.

A sea glass collector's license plate.

A few of Brenda Reichel's rare pieces of sea glass.

There is a beautiful collection of sea glass at Brenda Reichel’s  Tears of Glass Studio in Inverness (www.tearsofglass.ca)  Brenda has collected sea glass since the age of 15, and now she crafts the most stunning jewelry using these pieces of glass that have been “turned by waves, tumbled through rocks and polished by sand into multi-coloured jewels”.

For my ten-year-old granddaughter, Grace, I chose a beautiful little pendant fashioned from  a single green “mermaid teardrop” and embellished with a tiny Swarovski* crystal. Brenda called this one "Sea Jewel for a Princess" and I thought the name and the necklace very fitting.  I hope Grace is going to like this tiny jewel from the sea.

"Sea Jewel for a Princess" designed and crafted by Brenda Reichel.

*The Swarovski Company of Austria has made the finest, precisely-cut crystals for over 100 years. (www.swarovski.com).