Our Message Archive
June 2024
Sunday June 23
The Ramblers at Burntcoat Head
This week we will be having our natural gas furnace removed and a a heat pump installed. That has provided a good incentive to clear the basement of a lot of the junk that has accumulated over the last 35 years. There have been many messages issued of the "Does anybody want a ...?" variety and there are now various piles designated for one or another recipient. The pile of garbage is also mounting.
I have continued to watch the Stanley Cup Final over the past couple of weeks, suffering through the first three losses and, like many up here in the Great White North, getting happier at each successive victory by the Oilers. I'll be watching the grand finale tomorrow night.
Of course, we have continued going on bike rides with the Ramblers, Railers and Roadents. The Rambler ride last Saturday was moved to Sunday because of wet weather; however, Ann was needed in the choir at church so I went by myself. It was from Maitland to Burntcoat Head Park, along the south shore of Cobequid Bay at the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy. The tides there are the highest in the world, about 15 metres and, during the summer, you can eat lunch or dinner on the bottom of the bay at low tide. We arrived a bit before low tide as they were getting ready to set up the tables but we had to make do with the picnic lunches that we brought ourselves.
It was very hot and humid last Wednesday and Thursday, so we decided not to ride with the Roadents. It was a nicer temperature yesterday so we joined the Ramblers for a ride from Hantsport to Bent Ridge Winery where we ate lunch at their restaurant outside in a tent. We returned to Hantsport via Windsor.
On Thursday, Lauren and Kevin came to visit. Lauren will be spending the summer in Cape Breton finishing some field work for her thesis in Indigenous Studies (I think) at Trent University. Kevin will spend a few days here before flying back to Ontario. We took them to Fisherman's Cove in Eastern Passage to get some lobsters. We stopped for an ice cream while they were being cooked then returned home to have them for dinner on the back deck along with my fish chowder, Ann's bean salad, and some potato salad we got at the Superstore. Lauren and Kevin headed off to Kejimkujik Park the next morning.
Sunday June 9
A wilting tulip
Our tulips put on a spectacular display this year but they all wilted this week, sometimes providing quite beautiful displays as they faded away.
We have been on several rides this week. It was wet on Monday so the Railers ride was deferred until Tuesday. After Ann's stint at the food bank, we joined them at the start of the Salt Marsh Trail and rode to Lawrencetown Beach, then a couple of kilometers further to The Dutch Shop to buy chocolate and cheese. On the way back, we stopped for a picnic lunch at the picnic table at the start of the Atlantic View Trail (called Dougie's Diner by our friend Bob).
On Wednesday we joined the Roadents at Laurie Park to ride out to Monte Vista with a stop at Tim's for coffee and a treat on the way back. And today, we drove to Mahone Bay to join the Ramblers for a ride to Blue Rocks with a picnic lunch at a park in Lunenburg on the way back. Ann and I stopped for an ice cream cone before driving home.
On Friday, Ann hosted Heather, Paddy, Marilyn and Carol for Mahjong in what is now our games room (the bedroom off the kitchen). Several games were played and the cheese we got at The Dutch Shop and fruit from Dave's Vegetable Market made an appearance.
Last night I stayed up late to watch the first game of the Stanley Cup final since Edmonton is in it. Edmonton played well but it was ultimately disappointing since they could not score: Florida won 3–0.
Monday June 3
France, Great Britain and Canada in a Sail GP race (Canada won)
Last Wednesday was Ann's birthday so I was up early to make our traditional Eggs Benedict breakfast. We then joined the Roadents for the usual ride from Laurie Park to Monte Vista with a stop at the Tim's in Enfield on the way back. That evening Brendan, Carl and Roxanne, and Dave and Manon came for dinner on the back deck. David barbecued chicken which was augmented with several salads and chocolate cake with ice cream. Chapman and James C arrived a bit later for our usual Dave Brothers practice and Dave R sat in with us on mandolin.
On Saturday, Ann and I drove to the Annapolis Valley for a ride with the Ramblers to Halls Harbour on the Fundy shore. The official route started in Canning with a very long and steep hill up the North Mountain (the long ridge that separates the Annapolis Valley from the Bay of Fundy) then a more gradual descent down the other side into Halls Harbour. Prompted by one of the other riders, Gail, — who didn't even come on the ride in the end — we decided to avoid the worst climb by starting at The Lookoff which is at the top of the hill. Ann phoned an architecture studio there and asked if we could park in their driveway (they are closed on Saturday, though it is a home-run business) which they happily let us do. Dave and Manon met us there and the four of us rode along the crest of the hill to meet up with the Ramblers as they finished their climb. From there it was all downhill to Halls Harbour and lunch at the Halls Harbour Lobster Pound. The ride back to the car was all uphill but the significant portion of it was spread out over 10 kms so it was quite manageable. Unfortunately it began to rain, despite a forecast of only clouds, and we were all a bit damp by the time we got back.
This weekend Halifax hosted Sail GP races: catamarans with hydrofoils that can sail at over 50 knots. There were six races, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. We missed the Saturday races due to our ride but Ann and I went to see the ones on Sunday. We biked down to the trail along the Dartmouth waterfront and found a good spot between the sewage treatment plant and NS Community College where we had a clear view over the course. Because the conditions were quite gusty, to relieve congestion on the course the field was trimmed from 10 to 7 boats for the first race with the three crews who did the worst on Saturday (the US, Switzerland and Germany) having to sit it out. The first race was very exciting with Canada taking a lead after the first leg and holding onto it for the rest of the way. Before the next race, it began to rain and the visibility was greatly reduced. Germany was allowed into this one, so there were 8 boats. Canada was doing very well on the first leg but then committed a foul (which means they have to slow down to compensate) and never recovered; they finished dead last except for Australia, who capsized and didn't finish. That meant that they dropped from second to equal fourth overall and didn't make the cut for the final race (only the top three crews are in the final) which was easily won by Great Britain over France and Denmark.
My garden is now mostly planted with only the eggplants, peppers and basil waiting for a few more days until the night-time temperatures warm up by a degree or two.