The Pagan Sphinx: Nova Scotia 2009

Showing posts with label Nova Scotia 2009. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

At the Beginning and at the End

At the beginning and at the end

In the morning when you wake up, reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide-open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, think over what you've done. If you fulfilled your aspiration, even once, rejoice in that. If you went against your aspiration, rejoice that you are able to see what you did and are no longer living in ignorance. This way you will be inspired to go forward with increasing clarity, confidence, and compassion.

Pema Chödrön

Pema is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners. She has written several books: "The Wisdom of No Escape", "Start Where You Are", "When Things Fall Apart", "The Places that Scare You", "No Time to Lose" and "Practicing Peace in Times of War"

A couple of photos I took when we visited Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I hope to return there in 2012 or 13 and stay awhile.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Ruby Tuesday & Wheels Friday

Rubies 'Round Nova Scotia and a Red Set of Wheels

Part I

A Classic

and part of this over-all scene:

A Motorhead Finds a Home

A Motorhad Finds a Home

(Detail)

Wheels Friday

Ruby Tuesday

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Sky Watch Friday

click on photo for best viewing

Dramatic Sky Over Spencer's Island
Nova Scotia
2009

Sunday, August 23, 2009

We Dig Nova Scotia

click on all photos for best viewing

This year's trip netted us some cool new finds on the beautiful Fundy Shore. We had excellent weather, beyond the first day we spent in the Spencer's Island area, when it was somewhat overcast and on the cool side. We visited this location last year but this was our first time camping here.

click photos for best viewing

Spencer's Island, as seen from the campground. Once seasonally used but no longer inhabited.

Ron, the local gentleman pictured below (with dog Tinker) told us this crazy story about a local restaurateur who packed up his sheep flock and brought it to Spencer's Island for the summer, thinking how low-maintance they would be with plenty to eat and drink, only to discover when he went back for them, that they'd turned rouge and refused to cooperate when he tried to round them up. As legend has it, "he had to shoot 'em all so they wouldn't freeze over the winter". Hmmmm, you say? Well, Nova Scotia is a quirky place.

Spencer's Island Lighthouse
(dates back to 1904)

We hiked down a couple of very steep trails to two beautiful waterfalls to spend the hot afternoons. There are several more waiting to be discovered next year when we go back. See the post entitled Postcards from Nova Scotia for a waterfall picture.

And as if beautiful hot, sunny, relatively dry weather, good company and beautiful scenery weren't enough, we stumbled on the icing in the form of a blurr of brightly painted yellow concrete as we motored by The Charles McDonald Concrete House Museum and S culptur e Garden in the Annapolis Valley village of Centreville. We went to check it out, of course

and discovered the world of Nova Scotia folk artist Charles McDonald - a painter, builder, sculptor, sailor and socialist, who died in 1967. We were smitten with the quirkiness and character of the museum which was once Charles' and his wife Mabel's main home. We found out about several of the cottages that were also built by Charles McDonald in nearby Hall's Harbor and went to visit three of those as well.

Charles McDonald's cottages are often called "faerie houses". This is was referred to as The Blue Cottage, by Mr. McDonald's grand-nephew who arranged a tour of the inside for us. It's the absolute most charming and original little house I've ever seen; both outside and in. The chimney is made from painted rocks, there is an outdoor toilet and shower and it's a stone's throw to the beach, which we went directly to after our tour of the cottages. And the fireplace works. And there is a tiny balcony off the bedroom with a view of the beach below.

So guess where we're staying during next summer's visit to Nova Scotia? Yes. We fanagled a two week stay. I hope the faeries can keep themselves amused until we arrive, because I don't know how I am ever going to wait. I am happier than Mona Lisa, who was intepreted by "science" as being "83% Happy". Wait. Or was it 86%? I dare say for the first time in my life, I feel charmed. And I think it does have to do with faery magic, though I'm not quite sure how. ;-)