Camper Adventures: Annapolis Royal Reflections

We spent a lot of time in our camper over the summer, visiting parts of Nova Scotia we'd not visited in a years. Our goals were three-fold: To identify any remaining mechanical or other issues with the camper, which we bought second-hand last fall; to get more comfortable with RVing, in particular boondocking (i.e. camping in public spaces without services); and to explore less populated areas of the province to see if we could maybe find a piece of land near the ocean to buy. 

Those who live in Nova Scotia will remember we had a fairly significant lockdown in the spring when covid infection numbers increased dramatically so our first camper outing didn't happen until early June, when we headed to Risser's Beach for a couple of days. (More on camping at Risser's in a future post.) Soon after, we reloaded the camper and headed to Annapolis Royal for our first road trip. 

Our original plan was to spend a day or two in the town, and another day or two hiking trails nearby. Once there, however, we realized we had an issue with our front tires so opted not to travel off the beaten track and spent the better part of three days in and around town instead.

One thing I've discovered is how difficult it is to find time for photography when we're traveling. There always seems to be too much else to do. I did, however, manage to break out my camera a few times on this trip. 

The first opportunity came when, after exploring the area around Annapolis Royal in the afternoon, we settled into a parking spot on the waterfront for the night. A big advantage of traveling in such a small RV is that it doesn't take up much more space than a large pickup truck so we can camp pretty much anywhere. In this case, we stopped in a public parking spot just across the street from a museum that was closed because of the pandemic, snuggling in just in time to watch the sunset while we had supper. 

The sunset was something of a disappointment as it turned out, but I loved the warm light on the wharf, which I photographed from the shoreline just behind where we parked. 

The next morning, I got up early and went for a photowalk. The weather was gorgeous for early June and there was almost no one on the streets - at least until a group of geriatric yogis gathered for a class on the wharf. As you can see from these photos, it was a perfect morning to grab some reflection shots.

Granville Ferry, a picturesque village just across the harbour

After wandering around town for a bit, we headed to Founders House, a local restaurant friends had been raving about, for a celebratory lunch belatedly marking our 31st wedding anniversary. What a treat! I didn't take any photos of the meal so you'll just have to take my word for it. If you find yourself in Annapolis Royal, do yourself a favour and go! The food, drinks and service were all terrific. 

After lunch, we headed to the Historic Gardens, which we'd never visited. I took my camera along but didn't get many photos I was happy with. The light was too harsh. However, we both really enjoyed exploring the gardens - particularly the heritage vegetable and rose gardens. I was quite enamoured with the water lilies as well. 

That evening, we parked near the town's old railway station for the night to avoid being in the way Saturday morning, when we expected downtown to be busier on account of the Farmer's Market, and spent a pleasant evening eating supper and playing cards until it was time to turn in for the night. 

Before leaving on Saturday, we stopped by the market and visited a few local galleries, before taking one last walk along the waterfront - dreaming about a longer trip to Annapolis Royal next summer, when we hope to visit more sites and go hiking as we planned. The town may be tiny but there's plenty to keep a visitor busy for three or four days at least. 

Riding the fourth wave

Once upon a time, words were my weapon of choice. I wrote quickly and effortlessly. I needed to write about the things that were on my mind. 

I still feel the need to write sometimes - still want to write - but the words don't come easily any longer. At least, not the words I want to write - the ones that tell what's in my heart as well as in my head.

Riding the fourth wave of the pandemic, I wonder if there's any point in even trying. 

But then I remember that writing used to bring me joy. And goodness knows we could all use a little more joy in our lives these days.

This week, I went looking for joy on the coastal barrens near Peggy's Cove. There's a reason Peggy's is iconic. The lighthouse is unremarkable, but the rocks on which it stands and the landscape surrounding it sometimes seem otherworldly.

These photos don't do it justice but they're the best of a bad lot. The light was harsh and I mostly used the wrong camera settlings. I'll have to try again another day.  

 

A long, hot weekend

The boardwalk at Risser's Beach

It's been an especially hot long weekend on the south shore (30+ degrees with high humidity making it feel even warmer), which made it hard to accomplish much. I did manage a short run into town and back early yesterday when it was cloudy but I was dripping with sweat by the time I got home so didn't attempt the same feat today in full sun. We also got some sorting and unpacking done yesterday while it rained. We've spent the rest of the weekend resting at the beach or on the back deck, cooking, reading, watching Netflix and playing with Jackie Blue.

I'd hoped to spend a few hours playing with my camera this weekend but ended up taking just a few shots when we took Jackie to the beach for a long walk Saturday morning. The rest of the time, it's been either too hot and sunny to be outside for long, or I was busy doing other things. The great thing about our walk on Saturday morning was that we had the beach pretty much to ourselves. Apparently, other people don't like the fog as much as we do.

The old wharf at the end of the beach is a favourite spot for stalking snails

The remnants of the wharf

Petite Riviere from the back beach at Risser's

I had a really hard time taking good photos of Jackie in the foggy conditions. She moves so quickly, most were out of focus, and she looked far too serious in many others. It made me realize just how difficult it is to capture her joy when she's doing something she loves. Here are few that almost do it. In the last two, she's waiting for Husband to throw her favourite toy (a rubber ring) so she can chase it down the beach.

After our walk, we popped up the road for a bite of lunch at the Ploughman's Lunch, before returning to the beach for a couple of hours of reading (Husband and me) and snoozing (Jackie Blue). The fog never lifted entirely but that was okay because it helped moderate the air temperature.

We spent most of yesterday at home but did a quick run to Mahone Bay for a bit of shopping in the afternoon. En route back, we popped in for a pint of excellent micro-brew and some live Celtic music (including a bagpipe) on the patio at Saltbox Brewery. It's a puppy-friendly place, so we took Jackie along and, as you can tell, she loved it!

Today, we headed back to the beach in an effort to escape the stifling temperatures at the house. Unfortunately, it was nearly as warm there and the beach was packed so we didn't enjoy it as much as we hoped to. On the upside, Jackie got some exercise, we squeezed in a short visit with my folks (who were camping nearby), and I got to take Patti for a spin. I have to admit it felt good to be back on my motorcycle - so long as I didn't think about too hard. I'm far too aware of my mortality to enjoy riding as much as I once did - especially in the heat!

I mentioned we watched Netflix this weekend. That's new for us. We're not big TV watchers and gave up cable years ago so have had limited options since. Very occasionally, we'd rent a movie on iTunes, break out an old DVD, or watch a TV show online, but mostly we just read books instead. Now that we have a Netflix account, that may change. There are heaps of movies and TV programs I've been wanting to see, and, as part of our big move, we've just set up a cozy den that will make watching them a lot more comfortable.

Speaking of our move, I have to say I've been a bit horrified to realize just how much stuff we've accumulated over the past decade. For much of that time, we had two or more "homes" and our belongings were spread out amongst them so we didn't really notice how much stuff we had. Consolidating everything to one house has been eye-opening, to say the least. We'll be months disposing of things we no longer need, and it will be challenging to find good homes for some of it, but we're determined to be ruthless so we can return to living in a relatively uncluttered space.

And that was our long weekend. It's back to the coalface for me tomorrow. Hope your long weekend was good, wherever you are! 

Food, beach, puppy, and books - what more could you want?

We're three weeks into the New Year and things are going well so far. I'm finally over the flu that laid me low over the holidays, work is busy in a good way, my weight is more or less where I want it, I've been doing yoga more regularly, and finally started running regularly again a couple of weeks ago (albeit only short distances). I haven't made it to the swimming pool yet but am hoping that will happen in the next week or two.

Yesterday morning first thing, I whipped up a batch of biscuits, which we ate warm from the oven with homemade strawberry jam and blackberry jelly. They weren't as good as mom's but my skills are improving. The trick is to avoid overworking the dough, and pray for the right barometric conditions so that the biscuits rise properly. Yesterday's were the best I've made in awhile so I was pleased with them.

After breakfast, Jackie Blue and I headed out for our first real run together. Now that she's nearly a year old, and runs several kilometres at a time on the beach, I figured it was safe to take her for an easy 5 km run into town and back. The challenge was to keep her from stopping too often or dashing into the road. She did well all in all - though she seemed anxious about going so far from home without "poppa". She kept stopping to look back with a worried expression on her face until we turned to retrace our steps - after which she ran along happily, grinning from ear to ear. I took this portrait when we stopped for a moment at the waterfront park in town.

With breakfast and a run out of the way, Husband and I got busy prepping to host a birthday party for my mom last night. She'd mentioned she was hungry for lobster and we missed having any over the holidays because I was sick, so we picked up some good sized bugs (nearly 2 pounds each!) from a local fisher in the afternoon and Husband boiled them in time for the party. I have to say there's not much that tastes better than fresh, perfectly cooked lobster dipped in melted butter. Everyone enjoyed them thoroughly. And the best part was there were leftovers!

Today was more low-key. I was pooped after a busy week so slept in for a few hours, then spent an hour or two helping Husband with post-party cleanup before calling my best friend for a lovely long chat. This afternoon, we trimmed Jackie' front claws - a chore we'd been postponing because she hates it - then headed to Risser's Beach for a good walk. The wind was offshore so the beach was relatively warm and none of us was in a hurry to get home.

As I write this, Jackie's crashed in front of the fireplace, exhausted by all the activity yesterday and today, Husband's in the kitchen putting leftovers together for supper for tonight, and I should be upstairs prepping for the week ahead - but I'm finding it hard to get motivated. I love being in the country so weekends never feel long enough. What I really want to do is curl up by the fire with a good book.

Speaking of books, I've got seven or eight on the go at the moment. I've nearly finished a couple on street and travel photography that I picked up at the library last week, and I'm more than half way through a book I gave Husband for Christmas, Sputnik's Children by Terri Favro, which is great fun. I'm also a few chapters into Joan Clark's An Audience of Chairs, which I started over the holidays, John Demont's The Long Way Home, which I purchased when we attended his reading the week before last, and Under the Tuscan Sun, which I'm rereading for the fourth or fifth time. The only book I've gotten all the way through since the new year is Jann Arden's Feeding My Mother, which I read in one sitting over the holidays and plan to reread soon. It was wonderful! There are two or three other half-read books beside our bed in town - including Virginia Woolf's Orlando - which I still hope to finish eventually. I think maybe one of my goals for January and February should be to get through as many of them as possible.

I didn't used to read this way - in fits and starts, hopping from one book to the next. It's partly a function of never having more than a few hours at a time, but it has as much to do with my smartphone-addiction as anything. When I was younger, I fell into books, losing myself entirely in the worlds they created. That still happens from time to time, when I'm not too tired and there's nothing to interrupt my reading but, more often than not, I struggle to focus for more than an hour or two, so it takes me forever to finish a book.

I've been reflecting on how I use my smartphone since I read this article in the Globe and Mail a few weeks ago. It infuriates me to think about how often we're manipulated by the apps and devices we use, and makes me more determined than ever to regain control. I deactivated most app notifications ages ago, and am now working on minimizing my time on social media and setting aside smartphone-free hours every morning and evening. I don't have my addiction entirely under control yet but I'm making progress and enjoy having more time for other things.

That's it for now. I'll be back soon with my 2018 running goals and an update on my wee surgery, which is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.  If you're looking for good stuff to read in the meantime, I'd encourage you to check our my friend Keith's blog. He writes much more regularly than I do and always seems to have interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking things to say. He shares lots of lovely photos too.

Until next time, happy running and writing!