Caution: Dog lovers may experience some dog envy.
On a chilly afternoon, we decided to go for a walk around Point Pleasant Park in Halifax’s south end. Following along the popular main trail off Tower Road, we turned left and headed down the hill that led us to the outer edge of the park. The outer perimeter of Point Pleasant Park measures 3.2 kilometers, making it a fantastic stroll for walkers or a route for runners. One of Halifax’s great civic spaces, the park provides magnificent views of ships and yachts entering and leaving Halifax’s busy harbour. Its roads and trails wind through the forest and among military ruins, rocky hills and ravines.
At many locations along the trails you’ll come across feeders filled with seeds or oatmeal. Critters such as chickadees and squirrels find some sustenance in these feeders as well as from park visitors. Next time you go, fill your pockets with sunflower seeds. Look for a wooded area, stand really still, extend your hand with seeds and soon chickadees will appear and eat right out of your hand. This time of year is perfect for this because their food sources are low. Squirrels? I haven’t tried hand feeding them, yet.
Because of its location, the park is exposed to the harsh elements. Just a week before we visited, there was a bad winter storm. These storms wash up sea urchins, mussels, sea weed etc. It’s here where adults and children alike can crunch along as they stomp on shells. Seagulls and crows feast at low tide. It’s amazing to watch them put a mussel in their beak, then fly into the air and let the mussel drop onto the ground. Natures fast food.
In September, 2003, Point Pleasant Park was devastated by Hurricane Juan. Nearly three quarters of the park’s trees were knocked down and the park remained closed until June 2004. While there are still trees remaining, the park now has a very thin canopy. In some areas where you couldn’t see the ocean, now you can. However, in June 2008 over 70,000 Acadian forest trees have been planted in the park, surpassing the number of trees lost to Hurricane Juan.
In the wake of Hurricane Juan, it was realized that a long term vision and strategy was needed to renew the park. A steering committee of volunteers and city staff oversaw an international design competition to set this vision and strategy in motion. In October 2008, the Point Pleasant Park Comprehensive Plan was presented to HRM Regional Council. This plan will assist in the direction, management, and operation of Point Pleasant Park now, and for many years to come.
Useful links:
History
Maps
Prince of Wales National Historic Site
Shakespeare by the Sea
“I won’t buy anything from a bin”, this is what an out of province relative said when Guy’s Frenchys was described to her. The idea of buying used clothing was not appealing at all to her, in fact it was appalling. The eco-conscious will say it’s “recycled clothing”, I say roll up your sleeves and dig in.
There are so many diamonds in the ruff just waiting to be grabbed. Seasoned “Frenchys” goers have a particular method of how they sort through the clothing. Just like how you may have a strategy for hanging clothes on your clothesline or how you unload your dishwasher. It’s fascinating to watch them but then again, there’s no time to waste, there are diamonds to be found!
What started as a small store in Digby 
Growing up on Nova Scotia’s 
Willy Krauch came to Canada from Denmark and began smoking fish in 1956. Willy developed a method that was uniquely his own and using only Nova Scotia hard wood kindling and sawdust. Willy passed away several years ago and the business is now run by his sons. They continue the fine craft of smoking the finest quality fish. In the tiny village of Tangier, Nova Scotia (about 1 hour 20 minutes outside of Halifax) you can see smoke billowing from the smokehouse. Tours are available but I recommend contacting them first.
Her name is “Hailey”, after the pond she lives in. By the way, we have no clue of the sex and my daughter likes the idea of her being a girl anyway. So, Hailey’s den (lodge) has really taken shape over the past month as she prepares for her first winter in the pond. What began as a modest mound on the island now has a considerable shape to it. See the den in the middle of the picture on the right?
I think it’s fascinating having a beaver nearby. I’ve read online all about beavers and I’m proud it’s on our 5 cent coin. As long as no body gets hurt and she’s respected from a distance, I’m okay with Hailey being in the neighbourhood. In fact, a couple landowners have wrapped their favourite trees with steel mesh so they don’t fall victim to Hailey’s industriousness. To think that this beaver crossed a busy four lane highway from 
After about 15 minutes, here is the end product. I quickly moved on to finish the other three wreaths and then started looking around my fathers garage. I was on a roll. Interestingly enough, my father is sweet on collecting rope. Eureka! I made three more wreaths made from rope that, at one time, was tied to lobster traps. To me, this only adds more character.
It’s funny. For the past 5 years my family and I have visited the town of 
Along the trail were decorations hanging from trees or lying on the ground made from pine cones, birch bark and other natural materials that were a hit with the squirrels and birds. I was told later that these were made by art students at a local school.
Last weekend, my family and I made a quick visit to the village 
Today I had the chance to go to 
The Right Coast Nova Scotia 