Sandy and Brenda's great adventure!

Conditions at 6:00 am: 9' and clear
Expected later: 11' and sun

On the New Brunswick side

What a great weekend! Saturday morning I worked at Toyota and then went to work at the store after. I was there until 7:30 then picked up the things I needed for Tuesday night's class. I went home and let the dog out and then wondered about whether or not they would need help at the Rec Centre as it was now 9:00. So I thought - what would James do? He would probably have said "Grandma, you have to go - what if they still have lots of work to do?" So I went over there but they were pretty much finished. I helped dry a couple of things but there was really not much to do. But as I wasn't working on Sunday after all, it did give Brenda and I a
chance to plan something for the next day. She suggested we try the Sunrise Trail in Nova Scotia and I said sure, let's give it a try. So bright and early Sunday morning we headed out. We probably didn't put on as many km's as we usually do on a Sunday but the prospect of going 'off island' is different. After checking oil, and looking the bikes over well, we were off. We stopped in Borden to set off the bikes and stretch a bit before heading across the big bridge. And what an experience that was. It was a little scary as it was quite windy  and just increased as you approached the high point in the middle. By the time we reached the other side we were both glad to be off the bridge. It was a little stressful but we made it! After that experience, the rest was a breeze. We stopped at a gas station a little way past the bridge and filled up and picked up a chocolate bar to snack on. Then we were off. It's a lovely ride as you have long stretches with views of the water.  Our first stop was Pugwash, where we spent quite a bit of time touring a lovely gift shop.  There were two young girls minding the store and there was music playing when we walked in - The Beatles - and that's what played the entire time we were there. I commented to one of the them about how much I liked their choice of tunes and they said they loved them. That always surprises me when I meet such young people who absolutely love the Beatles.

A mountain of salt from under the Strait

When we were done there, we headed out to Tatamagouche for lunch. When we got there we stopped at a lovely little place on the main street. They had a patio outside and since it was an absolutely gorgeous, warm day, we really had no other choice but to sit outside. The food was great and we really enjoyed sitting there enjoying the sunshine. But alas, the ferry was calling so we headed out. We passed all kinds of places that we would have liked to stop and explore but that will be for another time.
We arrived at the boat just in time to load. Needless to say, we timed that one pretty closely. Our boat ride was good except for the fact that the Cows Ice Cream shop was closed for the season so we had to be happy with tea and cinnamon rolls and yogurt. Before we knew it, we were back on the island for the trip home. It was a bit cooler when we got off the boat and we were glad we had our chaps with us. All in all, a really great day - something we will definitely do again next year.


View Larger Map - The Sunrise Trail

Monday wasn't quite as warm and a little windier so we were fortunate to have had such a great day on Sunday. I spent my day baking bread and something for dessert for supper at the Van Gaals. I made some crepes and an apple and cranberry  filling for them, with apples from our trees out front. They turned out not too bad, with a little whipped cream on top. Brenda and Bernie worked really hard all day painting the wall on the house that faces the driveway. I had a little bit done at the top earlier in the week and when I arrived last night it was all finished. It looks great with the two adjacent walls done. Now you can really see how the whole thing will look. ( I should have taken my camera and gotten a picture). We had a wonderful roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings and I'm ever so grateful they invited me over. It was a lovely Thanksgiving for me.

One more thing- Sir Paul got married on Saturday - I guess my invitation got lost in the mail!