I left home early Friday morning to drive to Nova Scotia to spend the long weekend with 25 other photographers / supporters from the #Kennebecasis Valley Camera Club. We were “Glamping” (loose translation – sort of camping but staying in a motel – no underinflated air mattresses for this crew – we’re all well past voting age) and with indoor plumbing!
This charming gentleman “piped me in” through the fog at the border to Nova Scotia. There’s nothing like the scurl of bagpipes to stir the soul and get one’s feet moving.
After a stop for lunch in New Glasgow with a ‘cousin’, I drove through the hinterlands from there to Sherbrooke and checked in at our home base for the weekend, the Sherbrooke Village Inn. The accommodations were basic but clean and welcoming as our crew took over virtually the majority of available rooms.
Once everyone arrived, we headed along the shore to the #Liscomb Lodge for a scrumptious dinner. I had the planked salmon that was delightful, but filling and left no room for dessert (sob). Once back at the motel, most of us just crashed for the night to get rested up for the next day’s activities.
First on the agenda was a visit to the Sherbrooke Village Market – an open-air venue that offered delectable food, handcrafts and musical entertainment. Everyone enjoyed meeting the various friendly vendors, sampling some of their wares and definitely making some purchases. (Commercial plug: if you have a chance to buy some maple syrup made from Red Maple trees – do it! The taste is quite different from the syrup made from sugar maple sap – thicker, richer and sweeter – if that’s possible!)
We also met a few of the “Interpreters” from #sherbrookevillage, an historical site next door to the market (more on that later).
When we were “shopped out”, the group split up to explore the shore, and also to search for the elusive Ecum Secum – famous as my husband’s birthplace and for appearing on the regular weather reports on ATV! We drove many, many miles searching for it while stopping frequently to make some photos. We were a two-car convoy consisting of Cathy, Janet and Ella (the dog) in one car and Bob, Arlene and me in the other. All of us were constantly scanning for photo opportunities as well as things that might fulfill our scavenger hunt challenge. And, of course, Ecum Secum.
The day included so many stops and so many things to see. We stopped at a cove and noticed a garden filled with quirky items owned by Chester and Dorothy. Janet asked permission for us all to invade and take photos and Dorothy was delighted to show us all the things she had included. After that, we drove down a long dirt road and parked at the end to have our picnic lunch while listening to the waves of the ocean crashing on the shore.
We all thought we saw a whale breaching but finally decided we were mistaken; it was the waves crashing over a line of rocks.
Since we hadn’t yet found Ecum Secum, we kept heading down the shore, now aiming for Sheet Harbour – and a gas station, as Arlene’s tank was getting low! After filling that tank, we stopped at a roadside stand for ice cream treats and turned about heading back to our base! We were still looking for Ecum Secum. Then – the ONE SIGN appeared.
Mission Accomplished.
We explored an old graveyard, enjoyed Liscomb Falls and then stopped at the motel for a little rest. After that, it was off to Stillwater and the home of our BBQ hosts, Bob and Sheila Reynolds. It was a lovely evening sharing stories among the group of the assorted adventures, and mis-adventures, people experienced throughout the day. And the food… lots and lots of food!
Everyone slept well that night.
More to follow in the next post!
Capturing Cherished Memories 