Nova Scotia week ten: Denouement

Hello Everyone,

This is our last week before returning to Ottawa. As much as I am looking forward to seeing my family, leaving the idyllic, Covid-free cocoon of Nova Scotia, and our adventures here, is a sweet sadness.

We have started packing a bit, and have realized that our eyes for souvenirs, gifts and baby clothes may have been bigger than the Green Dragon's cargo capacity. It's a sports car, after all, not a mini van. Some hard decisions will have to be made about what's coming home with us.

On Saturday, our normal West Dublin farmer's market became a craft fair. It was hard not to go in for a few more woolen items and some more local art (who doesn't want a chickadee painted on an old barn board, honestly?), but we had to hold back. Fortunately, there was also a bake sale, and I, at least, didn't have to hold back there. When Emilie asked if they had anything gluten free, she was directed to the bag of apples.

Our vegetable people were also out for the last weekend of the year, which was great and meant we could load up with food for the week ahead and the ride home. I don't think there's as much variation in the taste of carrots as there is in something like wine or steak, so the fact that theirs were so noticeably better than anything I've ever had, is remarkable.

Later, we drove into Dartmouth to visit a friend of Emilie's family. She had retired from the farm she and her late husband had owned, and had moved to a condo with amazing views of the harbour. She is the kind of person with seemingly boundless energy. Even though there's no covid here, we ate lunch outside. It was pretty chilly, but I tried not to show how cold I was, given that our company, a lady in her mid seventies, showed no apparent discomfort.

On Sunday, Emilie and I drove back to our first rental cottage and hiked the nearby trail, Gaffe Point. It's only been two months since we were last there, but it feels longer. In 2020, two months is a decade. We did the hike in an hour and a half, straight through with no breaks, which was no mean feat given the other progress that's been made in these last two months.

We lingered on the beach briefly at the end of the hike, at the foot of the path back to the cottage. It's the same spot where we first saw the ocean on the day we arrived. The sun was setting behind us, just as it was on that evening in September, throwing a soft light along the shore. We took a last look at the beach, and walked back to the car.

Wes

Photos

Long shadows already, when we set out on our hike at Gaffe Point.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who would shudder at the thought of sauerkraut in a wax paper carton, and those who prowl the darkest corners of the grocery store for the weirdest thing they can find and are instantly sold by the old school schooner design. This picture was taken on my countertop. I am of the latter.

A bright orange fungi, taken on our hike on Sunday.

A quiet Arthur after a good day on the trails.