I’m back!

Hi everyone,

I’ve missed writing for The Right Coast Nova Scotia. I have no juicy excuse and get bummed thinking about all the cool things that weren’t blogged about over the last few months.

Things like:

Waterfront Winterfest in Halifax
Hiking Duncan’s Cove Trail (future blog post, promise)
Pond skating

Hey. Enough self-wallowing. It’s spring!

Time to get re-energized, re-charged.

Income taxes are filed. Yours?

Coming up, a post on a hike I did last fall with friends to Cape Split Provincial Reserve. It was fun.

It’s nice to be back.

Maria

Friends of Taylor Head Prov. Park Society – Beyond the gate

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Many of you already know that one of my favourite parks in this province is Taylor Head. I am not alone.

Summers were spent there as a kid. I remember when the park was became under provincial jurisdiction. As early as 1975, I remember the community meetings at the church hall, the new gravel road, the new boardwalks, the parking lots (eliminating the long line of cars parked along the road). Finally, this piece of heaven was easier to assess but only when the gate was open.

One time, Taylor Head was only open from May – October. Thanksgiving weekend meant a drive “down the head” for one last time before the gate was locked for the season. One time.

Now the gates to Taylor Head park are now open until early December. Thanks to the efforts of eleven people back in 2007, the Friends of Taylor Head Provincial Park was officially formed as a non-profit society in 2008.

“The society is about making Taylor Head Park a better place to visit and enjoy”, says Warren Parsons, President of Friends of Taylor Head Park Society, whose connection to the park also goes back to his childhood. “The Province has been very good and welcomed us as a participant in the future of the park. Our crowning achievement has been the opening of the gate for an extended period of time in the fall.”

The friends organize programming in the park during the summer months. From watercolour clinics to guided bird walks to astronomy nights, this dedicated group is creating opportunities to learn more about the park’s environment. “We will continue to organize activities and see what works and what does not”, says Warren.

It’s important to note that the park is not officially open but as long as the friends collect garbage and clean the toilets – the gate remains open.

At this time, the friends are negotiating a long-term agreement with Parks and Recreation on how they can work together in the future. All are hopeful and the friends appreciate the cooperativeness of the Province.

So this fall as you drive through the open gate at the entrance of Taylor Head Provincial Park, it’s the result of a dedicated group of people. Thank you!

The friends would like to increase their membership. My family and I attended a membership drive/bbq on Labour Day weekend where they were serving hot dogs and yummy chocolate chip cookies. For a nominal fee, it’s $10 for an individual membership, or $20 for a family. Get involved and stay in touch with upcoming events.

Membership form for Friends of Taylor Head Park Society

For further information, please contact Warren Parks(rosalieeast@ns.sympatico.ca)

Location of Taylor Head

Download a Taylor Head Prov. Park brochure

Read my previous blog posts on Taylor Head:

Cranberries and Inukshuks
Swimming at Taylor Head Prov. Park
Eastern Shore boats and buoys

Creepy Witch Fingers recipe

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Here’s a recipe post from last Halloween, just have to share it again:

Last night I made Creepy Witch’s Fingers, an annual tradition that grosses many people out. They are yummy sugar cookies, with a hint of almond extract.

While you are savouring these cookies, the garlic will help fend off vampires.

Creepy Witch’s Fingers

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp (5 mL) almond extract
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2-3/4 cups (675 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) whole blanched almonds
1 tube (19 g) red decorator gel (blood for fingers)

Preparation:

In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful (5 mL) of dough into finger shape for each cookie.

Press almond firmly into 1end for nail. Squeeze in centre to create knuckle shape; using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325°F (160°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove from baking sheets; let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough
Servings: 60

Credit: Canadian Living Magazine

Joe’s Scarecrows Roadside Attraction

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So here we were driving along outside Cheticamp, glancing back once in awhile to say good-bye to the mountains in the distance when out of the blue, we see scarecrows. Lots of them. They were hilarious! We actually had to turn around because they demanded our attention.

The place was Joe’s Scarecrows just 10 minutes outside Cheticamp in a community called St-Joseph-du-Moine. Here you can meet members of the royal family, political figures, music stars etc They all are dressed up with a caption written on a piece of cardboard that introduces who they are and their name.

There is a table with a donation box set up so you could help the owners dress for next year. Nearby you can buy a burger, fish & chips, meat pies, ice-cream and home made pastries.

Joe Delaney originated Joe’s Scarecrows.Mr. Delaney, who passed away in 1996, enjoyed a good laugh. The story of how it all began was back in the mid 1980’s when Mr. Delaney put up scarecrows to keep crows from eating vegetables in his garden. Joe, being a huge fan of Mi-Carême , put up two scarecrows dressed in funny costumes and masks. Right away, this created a road-side attraction that just kept getting bigger. I imagine the idea of having a garden was scrapped because I didn’t notice a garden (then gain, I was distracted).

Mi-Carême literally means the middle of Lent; the third Thursday of the forty days of fasting and penance before Easter. This day was reserved to give everyone the opportunity to celebrate and escape their Lenten duties. Brought to North America by French settlers, la Mi-Carême has survived in only four Canadian villages. For over 200 years, this celebration has been kept so strong in the Chéticamp, St-Joseph-du-Moine and Margaree region that instead of one day, people of this area have made it last a whole week.

Today, his family carry on the tradition of dressing up the scarecrows for the thousands of visitors every year who stumble upon the attraction.

Information on Joe Delaney

See more pictures from Joe’s Scarecrows on The Right Coast NS’s Flickr web album

Map location of St-Joseph-du-Moine

The Red Shoe Pub

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A month ago, my sister had her vacation and had every intention of going to The Red Shoe Pub but didn’t get there. I did the perfect “naa, naa” when I texted her to say that I was there (I know, I am a brat). It was the last day of our family vacation around Cape Breton and we had to put the brakes on while driving through Mabou, Inverness County. BTW, there should be a bumper sticker handed out at Cheticamp saying “I break for The Red Shoe Pub.”

Once inside, the place was busy, but then again, it was lunch time and we happened to nab the last four seats. This place is a mecca to The Rankin Family– their career and early family years. Mabou is where this musical family group were raised and is featured in their songs. One quickly realizes that this pub was designed for musical entertainment with a piano, speakers and audio equipment along the middle wall of the establishment. Musical entertainment is every night of the week featuring local artists providing suppertime music and ceilidh’s.

While living in British Columbia, listening to The Rankin Family kept me connected to Nova Scotia. Their first self-titled CD (released in 1989) brought me happy memories of “back home”. I’m certain that a lot of east coasters living away can relate.

There is a large sign that reads “Beaton Building”, this original sign was part of the 150 year old building. After an extensive restoration, it was sold to Rankin sisters Raylene, Heather and Cookie and it’s been a popular spot ever since. At the back corner of the pub, I noticed an elderly local man wearing a green hat with a plastic grocery bag at his table. He sat alone. Suggesting to those who walked in the door as to where to sit. Nobody noticed him but I was fascinated watching his quiet gestures. It made me wonder who he was. An old family friend of the Rankin’s? A local who liked to people watch? I think people like him add flavour to a place such as this.

There is an interesting story on how the pub got it’s name “The Red Shoe”. An adventurous shoemaker Angus D. MacEachern of Glendale, Cape Breton had stained his handmade shoes a bright crimson with Sherwin-Williams paint. Johnny Gillis of North East Mabou, came up with the name ‘Red Shoe’ as a tribute to Cape Breton fiddler Dan R. MacDonald who had contributed a lot to Cape Breton’s music culture. Do you know why shoes were painted red?

Enough about that. We actually went there to eat! The food was fantastic. Loved the Nova Scotia inspired menu and beer and wine selection. Particularly how the menu suggested wine pairings. I only wish we were there during dinner time, when there is live music.

If you go:

The Red Shoe Pub is a seasonal operation open from June 1st to mid-October.

Red Shoe Fan Club on Facebook

Skyline Trail – Cape Breton Highlands National Park

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Ever see a TV commercial or magazine ad of Cape Breton and wonder, “where is that place?” Well, I found the place. It’s called the Skyline trail.

The trail is #7 on Parks Canada’s Cape Breton Highlands visitor map and judging by the packed parking lot at the trail entrance, this 9.2 km (5.7 mi) trail is a popular one.

Since it was 26C, we packed a lot of water for the hike. We stopped for a quick break to see a presentation on moose delivered by two Parks Canada interpreters. This info was helpful because we did encounter a moose on the trail, busy eating grass while hikers quietly watched and kept their distance. While driving up MacKenzie Mountain that morning, we also encountered a moose who was oblivious to the dozens of people with cameras.

As we were hiking along the relatively flat trail, once in awhile you’d get a blast of refreshing ocean air. You could listen to the vehicles climbing or descending nearby French Mountain (455 m).

Once we reached the end, the landscape opened up and we were rewarded to a breathtaking panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. The trail led to wooden stairs – we counted 278 steps to the lower observation platform. As we soaked in the view and were cooled by the ocean breeze, we took a lot of pictures and picked wild blueberries that were growing just a short arms-length away from the platform.

Unfortunately it was time to go and hike back to the car. Although the trail map said that hike was 2 – 3 hours round-trip, we hiked it in 1 1/2 hours.

Helpful links:

Link to all the trails in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada.

Skyline Trail description

Broad Cove Campground – Cape Breton Highlands

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It was 8:20 p.m. when we pulled into campsite #189. We were in Broad Cove and it was the first night of our three day tour of Cape Breton.

Minutes earlier we entered the Cape Breton Highlands Park and paid our family rate (2 adults, 2 kids) of $19.60 / day at the ticket gate. After driving about five minutes, we arrived at the gate for Broad Cove campground where we were pleased that they had one campsite left but (to our kids disappointment) there was no fire pit.

The light was beginning to fade so we quickly set up camp and ate dinner. After quick showers, we crawled into our sleeping bags. No reason to stay up because there was no fire to watch- the kids made sure that we took note of this.

Somewhere between the woodpeckers and the crows my REM sleep was interrupted. I generally don’t mind crows but a nylon tent does not make a great sound buffer.

Before packing up to leave we walked down the beach where the kids played in a brook that flowed into a beach. The beach had a couple broken up lobster traps that were left over from a storm. Nearby a man wearing waders fished for mackerel and trout from the beach.

My husband headed back to the campsite while the kids and I explored the brook and beach. When we returned, everything was packed up and we were ready to go. This was awesome and the kids and I planned this perfectly 😉

Next stop? Many. It was the Cabot Trail and who knew what what around the corner.

See photos from our Cape Breton trip on Flickr

For more information:

Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada

Information on Broad Cove and other campsites in the park

Back to the Future at Fortress of Louisbourg

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On a foggy day in Cape Breton, my family and I stepped back in time to the year 1744. Actually, we drove there – to Louisbourg. After parking the car we went to the Parks Canada info centre where we jumped on a bus that took us to the largest re-constructed 18th century town in North America. Our curiosity was piqued on the bus ride for what was beyond the fog and then the town slowly appeared into view.

At the gate, we were greeted by an armed soldier who questioned the intention of our visit. This playful interpreter asked us what was the purpose of our trip, if we were English or French, even if we were spies (I’ll never tell). I still think my daughter thought the soldier was serious.

Once on the other side of the gate of the fortress, it was clear that you could spend a day at this impressive site. Friendly costumed interpreters smiled for pictures or said hello as they walked by. They also welcomed onlookers to watch them do tasks such as making fishing nets.

In 1744, the fortress was an important seaport for France. A thriving fishing industry and trade made Louisbourg a stronghold in what is now Atlantic Canada. At that time the soldiers’ rations over four days were: 4 oz of salt fish, 4 oz of vegetables, and 6 pounds of bread. These men worked a 24 hour watch (usually without any sleep) and then had 48 hours off. During their free time they’d hunt or fish (probably for more food :)) As many of the soldiers were criminals, Louisbourg was a lot better than prison in France. To these men, life as a soldier was better than prison. At least as soldier they had a roof over their head and food to eat. If they stepped out of line, they had to sit on a wooden horse with their hands tied and sacks tied to their legs. This was a form of humiliation because they’d be in clear view of everyone.

By 1760, Louisbourg lay in English hands and its fortification, destroyed. Fortunately, the French were meticulous record keepers because when the fortress was being re-constructed beginning in the 1960’s, there were 750,000 documents to sift through. The re-construction was a massive undertaking which included archeological digs etc to re-build everything as a carbon-copy of the original. Cape Breton miners were enlisted in the project for their valuable skills.

It was time well spent in this 18th century town. By late afternoon we had to jump into the car and set up camp in Broad Cove but we all said we’d like to go visit again someday.

See more pictures of Fortress of Louisbourg on Flickr.

Related links:
– Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
– The Louisbourg Institute of / L’ Institut de Louisbourg de Cape Breton University
– Destination Cape Breton
– Novascotia.com History comes alive

How to pick mussels

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Important!

Check before you dig! Make sure the area where you plan to harvest shellfish is open. When an area is officially “closed,” it is both illegal and unsafe to harvest shellfish from that area.

Check for shellfish harvesting closures.

————

There are many places along the coast of Nova Scotia to pick your very own mussels.

Growing up along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, picking mussels was one of my favourite pastimes. Some like to keep their mussel patches secret. One wouldn’t want to give away too good of a good thing right? So I’ll explain the “how to”, for now.

Blue mussels can be found in cold and warm waters all over the world, however many of them are found along the coast of Nova Scotia. They are a member of the clam family and are somewhat similar in appearance-except for the blue-black coloring.

Mussels can be picked at low tide. Unlike clams, they grow above the sand amongst seaweed around rocks. One can tell that mussels are in the area by noticing how many empty mussel sheets are lying around. If there are lots of empty shells, then walk to the waters edge, move aside the seaweed around the rocks, and have a look. There is no need to remove the seaweed, it generally stays where you want it to stay. Rocks can be slippery so be careful. If you notice a cluster of mussels, grab one and tug (they can attached themselves firmly to a rock).

In summer-time, mussels’ capacity to filter small particles makes them accumulators of the deadly red tide organism, Gonyaulax. Please check with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture before mussel picking to make sure your area is safe: aquaculture@gov.ns.ca. Don’t plan on pickin’ until you get the thumbs up!

Once picked, take your bounty home. Wash them well in the sink with cold water and gently tap two together at a time. If they stay tightly closed, they are good to eat. Discard the ones that don’t close and stay open. Now, try this fabulous recipe.

The difference in colour of the meat has nothing to do with a difference in taste. I’m told that the orange meat is a mature female mussel, whilst the pale cream meat mussels are males (or immature females). Yummy.

Blue mussell photo is Courtesy of Sean MacNeill.

Here’s a yummy Curry Cream Mussel recipe

A & K Lick-A-Chick

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In Bras D’Or (outside Sydney) is a restaurant called A&K Lick-A-Chick. After hearing about this place as the “best tasting fried chicken on the island”, we just had to stop in for a bite.

It was lunch time and judging by the number of people waiting in line, my husband and I knew we were in for a bit of a wait. We found a booth and with ticket stub in hand we passed the time listening to the locals, looking at the merchandise (taking note of the hats in individual plastic bags over the counter) and watching the traffic rush by. When our number was called, my husband and kids had to wait another 10 seconds while I took a picture of our delicious crispy chicken and fries. Then we ate like beasts from an episode of “Wild Kingdom.”

This place is such an icon that there are over 4300 fans on Facebook. A discussion item on the fan page asks “what is your favourite menu item” and it appears to be a toss-up between the 3 piece chicken dinner and the chicken fingers. A person named Sha wrote that “chickens don’t have fingers.”

After a satisfying lunch, we were back in the car and on our way to Louisbourg. Thinking that we should’ve drove across the street to Lick-A-Treat for an ice cream but, then again, we had one earlier that day in Baddeck.

Directions to A&K Lick-A-Chick.

See more pictures from our visit on Flickr