Category Archives: people and places

My Big Day Downtown at Argyle Fine Art

This summer I was thrilled to be selected, along some 30 other bloggers, to take part in Big Day Downtown, Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s clever new campaign.

I had $100 to spend any way I wanted in downtown Halifax, “as long as it’s legal” joked Executive Director Paul MacKinnon.

After some consideration, I picked Argyle Fine Art to slap down my VISA card.

I walked in, quickly cased the joint, then walked out.

Walked out!

Was I nuts?

Let’s pause for a second. I resisted the urge to delight my taste buds with the $100 bucks, even passed up the Harbour Hopper (never been) and other fun stuff. Yup, Argyle Fine Art was my pick. So why did I walk out?

I don’t know.

It certainly wasn’t the friendly assistant (Crystal) who was very helpful and sweet. Even when I was trying to remember the name of an artist from Annapolis Valley (duh, like there is only one!) You see, I felt a bit awkward and decided to come back later.

So I went for a walk around Historic Properties,
passed the ferry terminal,
rounded the corner,
and made a bee line for Argyle Fine Art.

Round two.

As soon as I walked through the door Crystal exclaimed excitedly “Ruth Marsh” Yes! That was the artist!

At this time owner Adriana Afford was in the gallery and brought up an email sent earlier from Ruth saying how she was stopping by the store that day to drop off new sketches. That was it. I had to have anything, something of Ruth’s in my possession.

Just as I was mulling over three encaustic tiles (hot bees wax paintings), in walks Ruth with her partner through the door. How awesome to meet this wonderful talented artist! However, things got complicated because Ruth brought the three sketches she mentioned in her email and now it was a toss up between the sparrow, the owl and the rose.

Rock, paper, scissors…Peach Sparrow won (Egg Tempra, Gold Leaf and Encaustic
4″ x 6″).

As my purchase was being wrapped up, I asked Adriana about her 8 year experience as gallery owner and how she started on Argyle Street then moved to the present location in Historic Properties. This gallery has a lot of activity year round, anything from live music performances, short films to art exhibitions can be found here. With a variety of contemporary art by established and emerging Canadian artists, the walls and shelves make you think you should pay admission.

Some of you may be wondering if I went over the $100. Well, I only paid the $15 sales tax.

I learned that this gallery has hidden treasure troves everywhere. With prices ranging from $100 to 6K, tell them what you have in mind and they’ll open up a drawer somewhere and pull out fabulous pieces. Crystal explained that they just can’t display everything so it’s a good idea to give them an idea of what you are looking for and don’t think that what they have on display is only what they have.

I was pleased as punch with my new purchase and my first experience at Argyle Fine Art, topped off with talking to the artist about the meaning behind my painting. This place provides a warm and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy art, learn about art and acquire art.

I will walk in again.

Thanks Big Day Downtown!

Join their very active Facebook page: ARGYLE FINE ART: The ART ADDICTS CLUB

Gallery location:
1869 Upper Water Street, Halifax
902 425 9456 or gallery@argylefa.com

Artist info:
Here’s a picture of Ruth holding Peach Sparrow. Ruth’s work imagines animals in an idealized form and in a sense of despair to motivate us into action to protect them. By portraying them as saints, they are appealing to us for help.

Read Ruth Marsh’s CV.

HRM Bike Week 2009

Leave a reply

I love my bike. Last summer I even did a tribute to “My new love”. The challenge of climbing a hill, the thrill of screaming down. Gearing down, gearing up.

Biking to work can be tricky. Halifax streets can sometimes be tough to maneuver but the reward of arriving to work on pedal power feels nice. Coffee tastes better.

So when I heard that HRM Bike Week 2009 is May 29th to June 7th, my pulse quickened like I was biking up Quinpool Road from the Rotary.

There are all kinds of interesting things planned. Like ride your bike to participating small businesses and receive discounts or board any Metro Transit Harbour Ferry or MetroLink bus (certain routes apply) with your bicycle and travel for free during Bike Week. There’s even a Family Picnic on the Commons that’s free from 12:00noon – 2:00pm for people and kids who enjoy cycling in Halifax and those interested in cycling as a family.

Here’s the full schedule for HRM Bike Week 2009.

Watch for the 2009 Edition of the HRM Bike Map – Bicycle Routes and Trails

See you on the street!

NS Eastern Shore boats and buoys

1 Reply

I grew up in a small fishing village along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. There where four fishermen in the bay, Guy Boutilier, Jackie Borgel, Guy Power and Peter Connors. Just as the buds on the trees are a sign of spring, so was the launching of the fishing boats in the bay. Men from our community as well from the neighbouring bay were called to help launch the boats from their winter berths to slide down the wooden ramps into the water. Another season had begun.

As kids, we’d set the alarm for 4:30 a.m., head down to the government wharf to meet the fishing crew. My first time was when I was 12. It would also be my last time. I was never so sick in my life. An appreciation for the life of a fisherman was gained that morning as I thought to myself “this must be what it’s like to be near death”. Guy Power was a kind man who thought if he stopped the boat and let me jig mackerel awhile, that I might feel better. Nope.

Driving along the gravel road to Taylor Head Beach lobster buoys dotted the rocky coastline. Locals could tell which buoys belonged to whom by their colour and number.

Two fisherman have since passed away (the two “Guys”) and younger men have taken on the livelihood. Now there are only two boats and they exclusively lobster fish.

Jost Vineyards

Leave a reply

“Wine is bottled poetry.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

The welcome area at Jost Vineyards in Malagash, Nova Scotia I love wine. That’s why, when my sister suggested that we take a trip to Malagash to visit Jost Vineyards, I got excited. I’ve heard great things about visiting this winery, especially in the summer when they let you stomp grapes in a barrel. In April though, this visit would be purely sampling wine and visiting their showroom and gift shop. Fine by me.

One time I asked a manager of a wine store in Halifax did he have a wine that was his personal favourite. His answer amazed me. He said, “Any wine made here in Nova Scotia.” When I asked why? He said, “Because I can taste the soil, I can taste Nova Scotia.” Neat response eh?

I can’t say that I’ve tasted salt water or blueberries but I’ll keep trying 🙂

Jost Vineyards Icewine Back to Jost, since moving to Nova Scotia from Germany in 1970, Hans Jost and his family have been gaining a lot of success. In 1999, Jost’s Vidal Icewine received accolades at the All-Canadian Wine Championships as Canada’s Wine of the Year. Jost Vineyards was the first winner outside of Ontario and British Columbia since the competition began 20 years earlier. Also, in 1999, the Vidal Icewine won the Andy Brandt Trophy for Best Dessert Wine.

When traveling around Nova Scotia, stop into one of the many wineries and have a taste of Nova Scotia.

Link:
Winery Association of Nova Scotia

Everything you wanted to know about Nova Scotia

4 Replies

Last week I started a new job. While sitting at my new desk opening up drawers and leafing through binders, I noticed a book sitting on a co-workers desk. I asked her if I could have a peak at it and she said “sure, it was cleaned out from your desk”.

The book is called “Nova Scotia Book of Everything” and it’s chock full of tidbits, slang words, best beaches, famous Nova Scotian’s etc.

Nova Scotia Book of Everything

Here are a couple interesting things I found while leafing through 176 pages:

* In 1901, Nova Scotia was the first province in Canada to manufacture cars – long before Ontario.

* That lobster was considered a “poor man’s food”, an everyday meal that children grudgingly took in their school lunches.

* The most winter lightning in Canada occurs in an area just south of Sable Island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now I’m going to give the book back, it’s week #2 and I still have to make a good first impression 🙂

The Right Coast Nova Scotia

1 Reply

The Right Coast is Nova Scotia. “You must mean east coast”, someone once said to me. That too but not exactly. Because I like to make lists, I’ll explain to you what I mean.

Fishing buoys in Peggy's Cove Nova Scotia 1. Geographically, if you’re looking at a map, Nova Scotia is on the right hand side of Canada. BC is on the left hand side. You know, the eye naturally falls to the right.

2. From west to east. I lived on the west coast for eleven years. My husband and I did what thousands of other new graduates do, we moved there to work. British Columbia was beautiful in many ways. Our children were born there, we made lifelong friends who made us part of the family at Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special occasions. My husband and I knew that there was something missing, even with a nice house and really good jobs, our lives were not complete. We realized that we wanted our children to not only see their grandparents and aunt and uncles every two years for a week or two at a time. It’s tough to form a relationship that way, yet alone maintain one. While it was a painful decision to uproot ourselves to move east, we made the plunge. And plunge we did. With no guarantee of a job in Nova Scotia, we quit our secure ones, sold our house and everything we owned. We made a right hand turn and kept going until be bumped our noses on the Atlantic.

3. This is home. I grew up in a small fishing community on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. I was envious of those who could watch cable television, hang out at an arcade and do all those cool things that a teenager could do. While my city slicker friends were mastering Pacman, I was jigging mackerel from the wharf. While none of these things are not necessarily better than the other, they are different and years later I realize that cleaning a fish is a good skill to have. My childhood experiences were humble yet rich.

Fishing buoy and wharf in Peggy's Cove Nova Scotia 4. The people here are “some” nice. On Twitter I asked the following question: What makes Nova Scotia the “right coast” for you to live? Basically all of the responses made reference to the people. Words like “authenticity”, “warm, kind and fun to be with” came up. Of course, people are nice wherever you go but it’s Nova Scotians who capture tourists hearts and uphold our reputation.

For these reasons, Nova Scotia truly is the right coast for me. What are yours?

Baking Bread, One Year at a Time

2 Replies

It’s been exactly one entire year that I’ve been baking bread. One whole big fat year of not bringing home the store made stuff. My mother in law taught me, then I was guided along by my father and uncle. I make my bread the traditional way, I don’t use a bread maker. I use good ol’ elbow grease.

I’m more and more surprised about how many people make their own bread. Once I was told that “men make the nicest bread because they knead it better.” Hmmm. Them’s fight’n words!

After a year of trial and error, I honestly think my ego would take a beating if I bought a loaf at the store. I take such pride in my bread making. It’s usually different every time. A handful of oatmeal or wheat germ or flax seed. Whatever is in the cupboard at the time. I love the creativity and simplicity of bread making.

My grandfather had a bakery near Bedford, Nova Scotia and he was well known for his bread. My uncle, who worked in the bakery alongside him, often gives me wonderful advise. When I was a young girl coming home from school, my father would just be taking bread out of the oven. Despite his warnings to never to cut into a warm loaf of bread, I’d cut into it anyway. Absolute heaven.

Fresh whole wheat bread As I sit here typing, I have dough rising. In a few minutes I’ll put it into pans to and put them in the oven. When the aroma is lofting throughout the house, the kids will appear. My daughter will make the margarine out of the fridge and get the Grohmann bread knife ready. The bread will be minutes old and still warm from the oven when the first slices are devoured. I won’t be telling my kids to wait until the bread is cooled before slicing. No way, I’ll be sitting in the kitchen eating a slice along with them.

An Early Sign of Spring

Leave a reply

Crocus bud in late January in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada It’s late January in Halifax, Nova Scotia and look what I found popping out of the snow yesterday. A crocus. Doesn’t it make your heart sing!

I think, just like novascotia.com’s annual Fall Leaf Watch updates, where people across Nova Scotia can give daily progress reports on the colours of leaves in their areas, there should also be a daffodil or crocus or tulip watch. Just a thought.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all seasons but a little greenery this time of year sure is nice.

Winter Retreat at Oak Island Resort

1 Reply

5 women
2 nights
1 chalet
= Good times at Oak Island Resort

On the coldest weekend of the year, we ventured along Nova Scotia’s South Shore for an all “girlz” weekend. A couple times a year, my girlfriends and I book a trip away. It could be Montreal, New York, or the Aspotogan Peninsula. We’re not fussy, anywhere we go we make our own fun. By the end of the weekend our sides hurt from laughing so much.

Sea smoke in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Canada The last girls weekend was no different. We checked into a chalet at Oak Island Resort on a Friday afternoon. Cocooned from the -23C temperatures outside. The next morning, we sat next to the warmth of the fireplace, sipped coffee and watched sea smoke billowing beside Oak Island, located off in the distance in Mahone Bay. You know it’s darn cold when there’s sea smoke. This picture was taken from a chair in our living room.

Jacuzzi hot tub at Oak Island Resort in Nova Scotia Canada While some of us had spa treatments, others worked out at the fully-equipped gym to be rewarded later in a refreshing swim in the pool and a soak in the hot tub. The pool and hot tub area is encased in large windows and offers a panoramic view of Mahone Bay and the marina. The sauna room was also taken advantage of, a welcome treat considering the frigid temperature outdoors.

Winter coastline at Oak Island Resort in Nova Scotia Canada Following our swim and soak, a couple of us stayed behind to read a book or make an earnest attempt at the Saturday crossword. One couldn’t help but look up from the lounge chair and out at the gorgeous view. Later, we moved to the large fireplace off the main lobby where we read the newspaper and munched on a plate of sweet potatoe fries. Before sunset, one sole adventurer couldn’t resist a walk along the shore and brought back beautiful pictures to our cozy chalet.

Pirate guarding Oak Island's Treasure Legend has it that there is treasure on Oak Island. The Oak Island Money Pit, “the worlds greatest treasure hunt”, is privately owned. For 200 years, men have attempted to dig through the booby traps and unscramble a secret code that leads to the treasure. Some say it’s a hoax but others are adamant that there is gold to be found. There is a lot of debate as to how the treasure got there to begin with, yet alone who buried it. Maybe pirates? The islands investors work closely with the Oak Island Tourism Society (OITS), and promote the Oak Island Money Pit as a fascinating heritage site with the aim of ‘securing the rights to operate guided tours on Oak Island’.

While the lure of hunting for treasure was far from our minds, we had our very own treasure in the form of friendship. A treasure that is priceless. For that, I am thankful.

For more info:
Oak Island Resort
Oak Island Treasure
Oak Island Tourism Society

10 Outdoor Winter Activities in NS

1 Reply

It’s early January and already I’m shack wacky. Even though I am getting lots of fresh air as I train for The Hypothermic Half Marathon, I still want to “do” something. For the last couple days I’ve been suffering a mild case of writers block. A few months ago I was bursting with ideas on things to blog about. Now it’s January and I’m not even inspired to clean the kitchen floor (okay, I’m never inspired to do that). I blame it on the January blahs. So, to help me shake out of it, I got a hair cut. Somewhere between the pungent smell of hair dye and purring like cat with someone playing with my hair, a thought popped into my head – write about how to get the “ick” out of January.

10 Activities to Get The “ick” Out of January– in no particular order:

1. Outdoor Photography
Yes, at this time of year we curse the ice and snow but before you reach for that shovel and ice pick, discover the beauty in the white stuff. Take a picture of it. Get close-up, and zoom in on an icicle.

The Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia motivates its members and guests with seminars, workshops and field trips for all levels of shutterbugs. Their next field trip is January 25th (Eagle Watching in Sheffield Mills).

2. Eagle Watching
January and February are the best months for viewing eagles and the Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch is where you’ll be guaranteed some action. This annual event runs Jan. 24 – 25, 2009 and Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2009 and is in its 18th year. Near Kentville, this community comes alive with eagle watchers. There are lots of viewing areas so bring your camera a knock off items #1 and #2 from this list.

3. Snowshoeing
If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Follow these handy tips and get ready to burn a lot of calories with this safe, low impact sport. Thanks to technological improvements from the cumbersome wooden variety, you can choose to do a leisurely stroll or a full out sprint.

Snowshoeing in Guysborough is easy. Just sign out a pair of snowshoes (they’re free) from the Guysborough Fitness Centre and then explore around the grounds of the Osprey Shores Golf Resort. I’m also told that snowshoeing is fabulous on Five Islands Provincial Park’s hiking trails. While the park is officially closed for the season, no one minds if you strap on your shoes. Be safe!
For more info:
Nova Scotia trails (maintained during winter)

4. Winter Surfing
Watch them, cheer them on while standing firmly with hot chocolate in hand from the beach. This is really something to see and at Lawrencetown beach is where you’ll find these brave people. Hot tub dude?
Click on the image to watch a winter surfing video (January 4th, 2009)
For more info:
Scotia Surfer
Surf Nova Scotia

5. Geo caching
Geocaching is an outdoor high-tech treasure hunting game by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches (with “treasures” inside), and then share your experiences online. If you take a treasure, you must leave one for the next person. Did you know that Nova Scotia’s first cache was also the first in Canada? Placed: Jun 18th, 2000. Today, there are 709,820 active geocaches around the world. Wow.
For more info:
Maritime Geocaching Association
Stonehame Lodge and Chalets-Weekend Geocaching Packages

6. Winter Camping
Grab your wool, polypropylene, hydrophobic, Polarguard, Hollofil, Quallofil, Primaloft, Microloft, Thinsulate, pile and fleece and do good research before you set out.
Kejimkujik National Park offers wonderful sites in Jeremy’s Bay and has four warm-up shelters. In the backcountry, 8 campsites and 2 backcountry cabins are available. Call the Visitor Centre (open on weekends) for more information and backcountry reservations (1-902-682-2772). Get inspired by watching an episode of Survivor Man.

7. Sliding
I’m usually corrected when I say “coasting” but I grew up saying it on the Eastern Shore. Must be a Maritime saying. Whatever you call it, it really gets the heart rate up. It’s self-explanatory, find a hill, get on something that slides and go. While it’s not wise to wear suede, it sure is fun.

There are too many hills to name but for a thrill, slide down the steep hills at Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal. What a rush.

Chedabucto Bay also calls tobogganing “coasting” (so there!) and a hill curving down to a dock in Mussel Cove is a local popular spot. No need to bring your own, as a guest at the DesBarres Manor Inn you’ll be provided with your own slider or coaster (whatever you call it). Nuff said.

8. Dog Sledding
Long before there were airplanes and snowmobiles, dog sled dogs were once one of the main methods of transportation in the Arctic regions. There is a lot of coordination in dog sledding. All dogs must run approximately the same velocity and be about the same size as the dog to their lateral position. Mushers have to be in good physical shape and carry tasty rewards for the dogs.

Simple sled dog commands:
“Mush!” — Let’s Go
“Gee!” — Turn Right
“Haw!” — Turn Left
“Whao!” — Slow or Stop
“On by!” — Straight Ahead
Click on the video to see one persons first dog sledding adventure in Cape Breton.
For more info:
Guided dog sledding tours in Cape Breton

9. Skiing
What’s your style? Downhill or Cross Country or Snowboard? These activities will get your cheeks red and give you a good nights sleep.

For more info:
Ski Martock
Ski Wentworth
Cross Country Ski Areas in Nova Scotia

10. Ice Fishing
Handy check-list:
Power Auger- check
Fishing rod- check
Fishing hut- check
Fish finder- check (hey, isn’t that cheating?)
No matter, there’s smelt and trout to be found in the cold water.
For more info
Canada Adventures Guide (they do hut rentals)
Pond skating in Nova Scotia, Canada
More winter activity ideas:
Bay of Fundy Tourism
Winter in Nova Scotia
Authentic Seacoast
novascotia.com Winter Packages

It’s your turn, what are YOUR 10 outdoor winter activities!