These are a couple pictures from my favourite Provincial Park in Nova Scotia. It’s Taylor Head Provincial Park in Spry Bay, about an 1 hour and 15 minutes drive from Halifax, along the Eastern Shore.
Lately, Inukshuk’s have been popping up along the rocks and it’s been really nice to see. Cranberries grow like crazy here and if you want some for Thanksgiving dinner, you’d better start picking now.
Our house in Halifax backs onto a wooded area near Long Lake Provincial Park and it’s where “Teepee Town” is located. Teepee Town was built 2 years ago by my kids and a few of their friends. It’s a busy town. It’s constantly is going through upgrades, demolitions and additions.
Fallen trees from Hurricane Juan are perfect for building teepees and shelters. The currency there is tree bark and moss. Two slices of bark and a handful of moss will get you a ground floor condominium and a skylight.
There is even a mayor (my son, who appointed himself). Council meets infrequently and a couple times they’ve come close to a mutiny.
If you are walking along any shore in Nova Scotia and spot of blue piece of glass, where it’s edges is smoothed by the ocean, pick it up. These guys are hard to find. Sure, there is plenty of green, brown and white beach glass to be found but the real find is the blue kind. Let’s see if you can find red or pink!
My kids are world class architects and developers. They create cities, residential areas, freeways and industrial parks. Just add sand and lots of imagination. No tools necessary – seaweed, driftwood and rocks will do perfectly. I am assured they’re the greenest of cities, they rely on solar, tidal and wind power.
The beach at Taylor Head Provincial Park is a blank canvas that provides hours of fun. The rise of the tide creates opportunities for these urban planners to erect dikes, bridges or swimming pools. As the tide falls, new building materials expose themselves. Streams and sand bars appear that are in dire need of causeways.
No technical fishing knowledge or gear required. All you need is a wharf that you’ll share with the locals. Sometimes, if they are “running” you can catch 10 mackerel in 10 minutes. One time my sister tied a ring on the end of her line and a bunch of mackerel tried to bite it! They’ll bite at anything flashy. That’s because they are after huge schools of minnows.
Mackerel fishing is one of best childhood memories growing up along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It’s a social gathering for the locals. They welcome any newcomers, they might even give you some of their catch because their freezer at home is already full.
In this photo, my brother and daughter are showing off their big catch. No exaggerated fish stories here!
Originally posted in 2008
Each year my family gathers to celebrate the opening of lobster season along the Eastern Shore. It’s the equivalent of Thanksgiving but with the added mess of eating lobster. We all agree, this isn’t the event to introduce the new person you are dating. One is bound to “miss their bib” and it’s inevitable that something will get stuck in your teeth. It’s best to leave the first impressions for another time.
Take the challenge of counting how many steps there are climbing up to the Dingle Tower. When you reach the top your reward is a panoramic view of Northwest Arm. This park is also known as Flemming Park in Halifax.
Taylor’s Head Provincial Park
If it wasn’t located along the Eastern Shore, its sandy white beaches could be classified as a tropical oasis. A kayakers dream, a sandcastle builders mecca and a hikers paradise.
Every year, my family and I make a visit to Annapolis Royal. First thing on Saturday morning I head over to the Farmer’s Market. It’s an open air market that is bursting with the smells, sights and sounds of the Annapolis Valley. For a few locals it’s a weekly social gathering, for others it’s a plethora of local produce and fresh baked goods that can easily stir you to dizzying heights.
As I was walking past the local town crier who was handing out fliers for that evenings Kings Theatre performance, I glanced at a table of jellies and other preservatives. I never used to like jelly. Don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’m a messy eater and can imagine the inevitable.
As I handed over the cash, the nice lady standing behind the table must’ve sensed my trepidation when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a jar of lavender jelly.
“What?” I exclaimed, “Lavender jelly?” The lady told me that the recipe was her grandmothers and it’s one of her best sellers. Knowing this, I simply had to give it a try.
Monday morning when the toast popped up, I had the jar of lavender jelly and a knife ready to go. Suddenly, as I opened up the Mason jar a thought came to me. What if I hate it? What if the one thing I boasted about (before even tasting it) is something that will end up in the back of my fridge beside the expired prune yogurt and the baking soda box?
So I slathered it on my toast and took a huge bite. WOW! Thanks to lavender jelly for Annapolis Royal’s Farmers Market, I can enjoy summer from a jar on my toast and am now looking to experiment with other flavours.
By the way, I’m not a fan of marmalade!
The Right Coast Nova Scotia 