#10: Learning to Kayak. Check!

Remember my To Do List for 2011?  Number 10 on that list was learning to kayak. Well, late June I stumbled on the perfect opportunity - join a paddling club!

 As it turns out HRM has a number of Canoe Clubs. I signed up for the "Masters" program at Sackawa on First Lake in Lower Sackville. All "Masters" means is "adult". It by no means implies any level of competency. In fact, most of us were newbies, and spent the first evening just trying to staying afloat in the kayak, let alone actually paddle anywhere.

But confidence and experience, and maybe even a little skill, comes with practice. Sure enough, by the second evening I could get in the kayak without flipping it, and by the third evening was paddling across the (narrow part of the) lake without too much trouble.  And by the end of summer, I felt pretty chuffed with the praise I received from my instructor and for my ability to not tip, even in choppy waters (and in a leaky boat, too, I might add!).

 

These kayaks are a little different - they're racing kayaks, which are a bit more tippy than recreational kayaks. And they have rudders (which took some getting used to). One week we did have the numbers (12-14) to try the war canoe, but holy cow it was hard! It was all I could do to keep myself balanced, let alone paddle. And all kinds of muscles were killing me afterwards (for days!). Since I'm a novice in the kayak, I figured I would focus on that this summer and maybe try the war canoe (if there's enough people) or solo canoe next year.

 

Kudos to R. for mastering the solo canoe in just 3 evenings!  

McNab's Island Adventure

Another weekend. Another island. Another lighthouse.

There is no doubt that Halifax is a military town. Almost everywhere you look there is some kind of fortifcation, either historic or modern. And they're fun to explore! What strikes me the most is that, aside from the Citadel where you have to pay admission to go in and look around, most of the others are open to the public and free (York Redoubt, Fort McNab, and the batteries at Point Pleasant Park). Sadly, and perhaps because they're free, a lot of these fortifications are getting very little attention or upkeep and are at risk of crumbling away. 

Departing Eastern Passage

Well, last weekend, I finally got to McNab's Island. It's not that difficult, really, but you do need to plan ahead a little (Tip #1). As it happened, we really didn't. We called the McNabs Island Ferry about 45 mins before we arrived - fortunately "Captain Red Beard" was pretty accommodating and took us over without any complaint about the last-minute notice.

Captain Red Beard bringing us back

I have to confess, I was a little surprised at the "Ferry". I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a speed boat. Also, this was the first time I'd been in a speed boat (that I can remember) and the ride was a bit...uh...thrilling. (ie. I was holding on for dear life.)

Captain Red Beard is pretty experienced with taking tourists over to McNabs. He rattled off safety rules, tidbits of history of the Island, and the best route to take, all without taking a breath. If you're not listening closely you could easily miss a lot.   

Tip #2: Get yourself a Map of the Island. Fortunately Captain Red Beard had one to spare and marked out points and a route for us. As we only had less than 2 hours, we decided to keep the route relatively simple (but still managed a couple diversions).

Tip #3: Give yourself a good day to explore. McNab's is a surprisingly big island, and there's a lot of nooks and crannies to explore. We had less than 2 hours, which basically got us a quick look around Fort McNab, then down the Garrison Rd. to the Tea House and back. There's a lot more to see, for sure!



 Tip #4: Don't wait until the last minute to download geocaches. Sigh. For some reason, 10 minutes before I had to leave, I wasn't able to download the half a dozen geocaches on the Island. Next time I shall be more prepared! 

Tip #5: Take binoculars. You never know what you're going to see. Like this pair of deer. Coincidentally, we spotted these deer not a minute after we were wondering aloud if there were deer on the island. Clearly, there are! Also, there's probably some good birdwatching on McNabs.

So, I think it was decided that McNab's Island would make for a lovely fall daytrip, and the plan is to visit again soon, with more time to explore (and geocaches loaded!).
 
And last, but not least.....Look! A Lighthouse! :)


 

Sambro Island Adventure

Did you know that the Sambro Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in North and South America? Well, it is. It's been operating since 1758 and has a fascinating history, which you can read for yourself.  Once a year, the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society opens up the island for public tours and this year I finally managed to go! 

 












It takes about 30 minutes by fishing boat to get to Sambro Island, and there's no wharf when you dock so you're basically jumping from boat to the rocks.

 

Dan Conlin from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic showed us around the island, pointing out the buildings (the Gas House, the Lightkeepers' dwellings, or what's left of them, and of course the Lighthouse), explaining their purpose and a little bit about their architecture and history. 
He also told us about the resident ghost, "Double Alex", guI'll let you look up that story on your own.

I took a lot of pictures and can't help but to share a few more. So, here they are!

 

As you can see, the Gas House (above, right and below) is precariously perched on the rocks. Sadly, this building is falling apart and is at risk of total demise if the Canadian Coast Guard, which owns and maintains the island, doesn't soon do something about it.

Good-bye Sambro! Until next time!

Summer Playlist

I thought I'd share some of the music that has turned into my 2011 Summer Playlist with you. I've actually been listening to some of these songs for quite a while, but finally compiled them onto a CD to listen to on my drives hither and tither this summer.

Jenn Grant - Dreamer 
Buck65 + Jenn Grant - Paper Airplanes
Jill Barber - Oh My My
David Myles -  When It Comes My Turn
Said the Whale - Goodnight Moon
Wailin' Jennys - One Voice and Devil's Paintbrush Road
Royal Wood - A Good Enough Day and Juliet
Be Good Tanyas - Littlest Birds
Elliot Brood - Write It All Down For You
Coco Love Alcorn - Compassion and Revolution

I'm also still listening to good ol' Alexi Murdoch and The Weepies on a fairly regular rotation.

What are you listening to this summer?

Cottage Highlights

As promised, here are some pictures and highlights from my vacation week at the cottage:

My birthday dinner, celebrated with as many family as could be there. (The best way to celebrate family, in my opinion!). Truth is, it's not just a celebration of my birthday, but all the July birthdays and anniversaries in the family - there are many in July. But I got to pick the cake: a Lime Coconut Cheesecake. Thanks, Mom!


My very first pedicure. I don't usually go for frivolous things like pedicures, but it was one of those things I'd always been curious about. It was fun, and I was pleased with the end result. It's not something I'll do very often; the price is a bit hard to justify.

Peace and quiet with only the sound of birds, the occasionally plopping of fish jumping in the water, the wind through the trees.

Perfect spot for hulling straberries, eh?

 Gorgeous sunsets that never disappoint.(Click for larger images)

And the best seat in the house

There were also some stunning sunrises...though, admittedly, I missed the first few. 

 

I went for a few bike rides, to check out a couple spots I had never been on the other side of the lake. Like this old cottage.

There was some "communing with nature", mostly in the form of spying on a bunny that frequented the lawns around the cottage, and pestering a very large (bull?) frog under the wharf. Seriously, this frog didn't even blink at us for a good few minutes. It wasn't until we "tickled" *giggle giggle* it with a stick that it actually moved. And, yes, we are grown-ups. I couldn't bring myself to actually try to grab it; I'm okay with the baby frogs, but the big ones make me shudder!

There was also a rescue mission (well, for my mom, not me): to rescue a baby bird from certain doom where it was in the middle of the dirt road. Mom figured it had fall from his nest, and that the nest was nearby given that the parents were flying around mimicing broken-wings. We searched for the nest but couldn't find it. Also, we think the birds were yellow-bellied warblers.

There was a whole lot of reading on the porch swing, and knitting whilst watching long period dramas. Very few photos of those activities.:) And there was a visit from friends, during which we had a spectacular thunder and lightning storm. Our power went out for about 6 hours and the lightning lasted for at least 2 hours (started around 10pm, ended around 12:30am). Taking photos of lightning over the lake proved difficult, but I did get a pretty great video which is about 8mins of me narrating the storm. If you're interested, here it is.

I'm already looking forward to next year's stay at the cottage. Or, maybe, with a little arm-twisting, I can squeeze another weekend in before the summer is over?

Solitude

There's something really special about having quiet time at the cottage. Since it has been so busy lately (see my earlier post), having time just to do things without being interrupted, to not have to rush to get things done inbetween commitments, to not have a day filled with routine and schedules is really, really delightful. I can do what I want, when I want and for as long as I want. Sounds rather indulgent, doesn't it?

I actually associate the cottage with family-time. And this vacation will have some of that too (friends and family will be popping in here and there through-out my stay). But for the most part, I've got the place to myself.  And I've got plenty with me to keep me busy:

I brought a couple Victorian lit books to keep up with Item # 2 on my 2011 To Do List. I'm currently reading Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and next will be A House To Let (1858) which is a collection of short stories edited by Charles Dickens.
And speaking of Dickens, I brought with me the 2009 BBC series Little Dorrit. It's got to be my favourite of the period dramas and is perfect to knit to, since I've already watched it in it's entirety twice. 
I've started a Feather & Fan Shawl. This should help deplete my wool stash, but with 390 stitches to cast on and knit row by row, it's going to take awhile. Thankfully the pattern repeats are simple, and I think I might have just enough yarn, even if I did cast on with the wrong colour. (sigh!). I also brought a box of David Lewis material  to appraise. I haven't made a whole lot of progress with the appraisal process of DEL's scrapbooks since my last post on the other blog but my goal is to get through the first box this week. I've got 5 of 12 volumes appraised,  and with some time to dedicate to it, I think the rest can be done.
I also brought my bike and my swimsuit. I plan to use both this week. In fact, I'm considering a swim as soon as I get back to the cottage - it's been hot and humid these last couple of days and a swim would be refreshing (as long as I've got my watershoes on!). I've been hesitating with the bike as there are hills everywhere, and I'm intimidated by the hills. We'll see....
I brought my journal. I'm about as faithful to journalling as I am to blogging, and so have some thoughts to put down to paper as well as to put up here on the internet.

Who knows how much I'll get done, but I've got lots to keep me occupied should I wish to be occupied. This week isn't so much about being busy as enjoy the quiet and opportunity to not be busy!  I'm not going to lie to you, the first afternoon on my own at the cottage was not spent in the sunshine by the lake, it was spent on the cot sleeping! (That other delight of the cottage!)

My solitude has been broken up a few times today, first by telemarketers (4 today! ugh!), and a door-to-door Jehovah's Witness. The latter was completely unexpected (as you can imagine), and his knock just about startled me out of my flipflops! I had my back to the door hulling strawberries at the kitchen counter when he knocked; and thought initially maybe he was a friend of my grandparents until I saw the tell-tale "Watchtower"+ Bible in hand. I politely declined his offer for literature to read on my vacation (seriously!?); and tried to shoo him away without being rude.


Well, that's it from me for today. I'll probably pop back here later to post more before the end of the week. As much as I love being unplugged, I also enjoy being able to plug in and catch-up on the blog.

P.S. Forgive any grammar, spelling mistakes. I'm on my netbook and find it tricky using the smaller keyboard. I'm also not doing my typical read-over to check for typos and edit my post (which is why this one is longer than most). 
P.P.S Pictures will follow later.

Hiatus

Well, life has been busy and the blog has been put on the back-burner for a bit. I keep thinking of things to post, but never really get around to it. And that's just fine; I refuse to feel guilty for my absences. Afterall, blogging is not an obligation.


So, here I am, on my vacation, sitting in a diner, eating pie and sipping ice water, overlooking the river and considering what to write first. It's slightly ironic that I'm using my vacation time to try and catch-up with blogging, considering I'm without internet access at the cottage.

It's been fun finding free WiFi in the area. Last night's spot, on a picnic table overlooking Digby Gut was by far the best yet.

EDO Monday

My To Do List is long today, but I'm checking things off one-by-one.

• Library returns and pick-ups - check!  Picked up three DVDs, "The Visitor", "Run Lola, Run", and Deepa Mehta's "Fire".
• Take recycling to the depot - check! 
• Exchange new, but non-functioning cordless phone for a new, hopefully functioning cordless phone - check! (Thank goodness for extended warranties!)
• Take expired medications etc. to Shoppers for disposal - check!  (You're not supposed to flush or trash your expired meds. Instead, take them to the drugstore where they can dispose of them properly.)
• Gas up, and clean out the car - mostly check. Will have to vacuum someday when it's not raining out. 
• Blog - check! 
• Clean bbq
• Meal plan for the week, then shop for groceries.
• Tidy/file papers on desk.

 Today, I also decided to experiment with hats.

The Bay at the West End Mall in Halifax is closing and everything is 70% off the last ticketed price. Among many things, including the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Mittens (on sale for $3), cloth napkins and table runners, facecloths and a few other items, I picked up two hats. The ticketed price on the hats was $5.99 and $10.00; that's $4.50ish total for both. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this deal may even beat out Frenchy's! 

As it turns out, rainy days are perfect hat days. I didn't have to wipe my glasses once while I was out and about.

All things bright and beautiful

You know how the song goes, right? 

All things bright and beautiful.... 

Did you see the full moon a couple weeks ago? It was the largest moon in about 20 years and was quite the spectacle. I tried taking a picture, knowing full well it wouldn't do it justice, but who cares. The photograph will remind me of that spectacular moon and the lovely (albeit slightly comical) evening that was had, and that's what a photo is supposed to do, right? 

Sunny Sunday afternoons at the beach also fall into the "bright and beautiful" category. Spring is here, my friends, and warm weather is sure to follow.  There's nothing better than spending time with friends listening to the waves.       

All creatures great and small...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I'm supposed to be appreciative of all creatures great and small, but right now I'm not lovin' one of God's littlest creatures...the mouse.
I've been having a mouse problem since Christmas. Actually, the problem started about in the Fall 2009 when I started hearing mice in my walls and found droppings behind my fridge. I plugged up the holes I could find with steel wool and duct tape and went on my merry way. Well, since Christmas the mice have been making appearances. Unwelcome appearances. Millie has been earning her keep - catching about 4 of them, and probably startling and letting even more get away. I've caught one in a snap-trap (ugh!), and tonight I caught another in a plastic container. This last one was particularly stupid. I found it in my bedroom beside my bed, being eyed by Millie (but not bothered); it just sat there dumbfounded while I went to retrieve a plastic container to put it in. When I came back it was in the same spot, quivering but clearly still quite alive.  So now it's in a plastic container until I can figure out what to do with the poor little creature. I must admit, it's sooooo tiny and I'm feeling rather sorry for it. But what am I to do? 

I've done all I can to deter these little creatures - plugged holes, put down mouse traps, praised the cat for her valiant efforts at keeping the mice at bay. I even have those ultrasonic thingys that plug into your wall and emit a frequency that is supposed to keep mice away (thank-you B!). All to no avail. 
I've been hesitant to put down poison because of Millie, but I'm getting closer and closer to calling pest-control and seeing if they can do anything. Ahh the joys of living in apartments!   

All things wise and wonderful...

I had a lovely visit with my Grandparents on the weekend, during which my grandfather informed me that he keeps an eye on my blog. And all of a sudden I was reminded that I'm way overdue for a blog-post. Sigh. Despite my best of intentions, I'm doing no better this year than last at posting. In fact, I'm getting this post in under the wire. No posts in February and almost no posts in March....

Anyway, back to "wise and wonderful". You know who's wise and wonderful? My grandparents, that's who. I do enjoy the time I get to spend with them and the conversations we have. I have a lot of respect and admiration for these two people, and know without a doubt that they are truly a gift from God! 

The only pictures I have from this last visit are photos of some of the loot my grandmother sent home with me, which I wanted to post anyway. In her wisdom, Gram saved these glass mayonnaise jars knowing that they would come in handy later on. These jars are great - their mouths are wide and standard size to large mason jars (so large mason jar lids fit them). Gram sent me home with nearly 10, plus 1 extra large bottle (at the end), plus an old (vintage/antique) "malted milk" bottle, plus a beautiful wooden "fly paper" crate. 
I spent a lovely day filling the bottles and find them new homes. It was nice to transfer dried goods into the bottles and get rid of the plastic packaging. 
I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with the crate. It's quite lovely and rustic, but doesn't really have a home yet. Any suggestions?  

...The Lord God made them all.

2011 is going to be a busy year!

Here it is, the (long!) To Do list for 2011: 

1. Process the 12+ boxes of David E. Lewis papers that have been sitting in my storeroom for years. Arrangements have been made for the records to go to the Esther Clark Wright Archives at Acadia Univiersity, where DEL did his undergraduate degree and teacher's degree. However, I've committed to archivally processing the records first (being that I'm an archivist by profession). The records consist mainly of magnetic albums (remember those albums with the sticky pages? Yeah, those...) with newspaper and magazine clippings, greeting cards, correspondence, photographs, publisher's correspondence, and other bits and bobs. "Processing" will involve taking digital images of the albums, page-by-page, to record the original context of how the documents were kept by David Lewis, then disassembling the albums and rehousing the documents in archival folders. It'll be a labour intensive process and, quite frankly, not one I relish to do. The only reason I'm doing it is because this happens to be a research interest of mine, and I'd like to have first crack at the research potential. It may, or may not go anywhere, but at least I'll know what's there. I plan to keep a blog about this process, with the hope that the blog will keep me accountable to making progress and getting it done. Also, I fully realise that this project may require more than a year, though it'd be great if it didn't.   
2. Participate in the Victorian Literature Reading Challenge.  I'm going to aim for the "Sense & Sensibility" track -- to read 1-4 Victorian books. And I'm totally counting Anna Karenina as one of the four books; even though it's Russian, it was written in the Victorian time period. I know AK is a carry-over from 2010, but I'm determined to finish it in 2011. I'll save the details for another post later. 
3. Finish knitting the sock I started knitting in 2010 + its mate.  
4. Find 100 geocaches. I think this is a reasonable expectation. I'm up to 15 now. And there are thousands in Nova Scotia (more than 500 in HRM alone). If I find roughly 2 a week, I'll meet my goal. Keeping in mind, of course, that I don't always FIND the caches I'm looking for.  
5. Experiment with Ethiopian cooking (5a) and learn to make sushi (5b), not necessarily at the same time.  
6. Go on more daytrips. I should make a point of seeing more of the province. There's still a lot of places I've never explored, mostly on the Eastern side of the province. I should take advantage of having a car and do more sightseeing trips, which can work well with Goal #4. 
7. Get my files in order. It's shameful to admit, but my paper files are atrocious (bad archivist!). I seriously need to go through them and weed out the unnecessary bits of paper and get a proper filing cabinet. Due to space constraints, I can only do this once I've eliminated about half of the 12 boxes from Goal #1 (which is why getting those boxes processed _is_ Goal #1).  
8. Keep track of my steps. I have a pedometer thanks to Heart & Stroke's Walkabout program and I think it's a great way to measure my physical activity. I usually forget to wear it most of the time, but it would be great to get in the habit of wearing it and pushing myself to get in those 10000 steps daily, which sadly I don't usually make (unless I'm in Toronto, apparently). 
9. Donate blood. There is absolutely no reason why I can't, and shouldn't. I just never think about it, that's all. So my thought is, if I write it down, and be intentional about giving blood, I'll actually remember to do it.  
10. Get more experience in a kayak. I thoroughly enjoyed my kayaking experience last fall and think it's about high-time I learn to kayak properly. 2011 is going to be the year!

So, I've been planning to post more photos and links to go with this list, but haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet. I'm going to post this already and get started at working towards checking off some of the items on the list. 

2010's To Do List

Wow. It's been a while. The last couple of months have been busy, but mostly I fell out of the habit of blogging. That happens, I guess. I actually have a 2011 To Do List to post, but figured I should probably report on the progress I made with the 2010 To Do List first. Don't get your hopes up, my progress was minimal.

1. Print digital pictures and put them in photo albums.  Didn't get this done, however I did back-up my photos and sort the digital files/folders. That's a start right?

2. Knit a pair of socks. Thanks to Aunt S., I have a pair started - toe-up socks, even! I love the toe-up concept. You tackle the hardest parts first - the toe, then the heel - then the rest is clear sailing, plus you don't have to worry about running out of yarn! I've got the toe of one knit, when I get to the heel, I'll have to arrange another visit with Aunt S. to get good instructions.

3. Buy a GPS and go geocaching. Done! GPS purchased and 14 geocaches located by the end of 2010. It's very fun and there are caches in just about every corner of the province. I foresee getting a lot of use out of this gadget!

4. Make a fabric/ribbon memo board.  Scratched this one.  I haven't forgotten about it entirely. I'd like to have one at home and even at work, but it's not a high priority.

5. Read Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina Started!  As of the end of 2010, I got to page 237. I stalled after part of the second section due to life (actually, due to another book I was reading for my Small Group Bible Study).

6. Get involved in my church in Sept. Haven't yet, but will. I'm ashamed to admit that I've held back this long from getting involved. That's not exactly a good example of "living in community" is it? Part of the problem is shyness of all things. For some reason I find myself extremely timid at church. This is weirdness I have to overcome, and I'm sure it'll dissipate  the more I get involved.

7. Frame my gerbera print. Scratched from list. I still love the gerbera print, but noticed that it's starting to lose some of the colour. The cost of framing just isn't worth it. Instead, I've repurposed it as a background image on my desk, which seems to work quite well.

8. Buy a headboard for my bed. Not done. I couldn't settle on any one bedframe, and also found them to be overpriced . I've been surfing Kijiji for potentials and have even considered making my own. Again, it's not a huge priority, just another one of those things it would be nice to have.

9. Attempt a pie crust (again!). Didn't do it. Should've done it. But do I really want to be trying to master pie crusts? Is that really a good idea?? 

10. Become a Host in the YMCA's Immigrant Host Program. Not done. I've held off from this because I'm a little concerned about the commitment. I don't want to sign-up for something and find I can't follow-up with it. Already I have the Big/Little commitment + pottery lessons this Winter. I still like the idea though.

11. Learn to kayak. Check!  This was an unofficial item on the To Do List. Actually, I added it in the summer. I was so pleased to have the chance to learn to kayak at the Becoming an Outdoor Woman weekend. It was definitely a highlight of the year, and I'd definitely like to get more practice in a kayak.

One last thing to add: While these were all things I aimed to do in 2010, I'm not terribly disappointed I was only able to check a couple things off the list. This year was a big year for other reasons (conference planning took up a good 6 months of it!) and mostly these are just things I'd like to get to eventually. Even still, my priorities shift from the beginning of the year to the end. Some of these just aren't really that important to worry about. Next year's list may be a bit more focussed, you'll have to wait and see.  ;)