Maritime Memories

Looking in the rearview mirror (the little guy in the first photo is Auntie Patsy's dog Oisin, who immigrated all the way from Ireland to Halifax and never looked back), Miranda and I had a great time on "the other coast" with family and friends...even if she did sleep through some of it! Scroll down for some highlights of our Atlantic adventure...

Fond Farewell

Cousin Elle gave Miranda a lovely edition of Winnie the Pooh as a parting gift--both Elle and M were sad to say goodbye after a wonderful week together...

Puppy Love

We had a great shopping trip--despite the rain--and Auntie Patsy treated us to lunch at a waterfront cafe in Halifax; the real highlight of the day for Miranda was playing with puppy Oisin at Patsy's apartment!

Family Feast

Returning to Hali after a few days in NB, we had a lovely dinner with Andy, Jane, Alfie, Doug and Amanda. Alas, Miranda had already been feasted upon by several mosquitoes; plagued by a grand total of seventeen mosquito bites, she still managed to socialize a bit before drifting off to a comforting snooze on the way home to Fall River.

Seasons in the Sun

Splashing along the sandbars, discovering wee creatures in the shallows: what a treat for us three cousins (Tina, Elle and me) to see it all again through the eyes of a child!

Sunrise, Sunset

Actually, they're both sunset--we didn't get up early enough to see a sunrise (thank goodness)! The Bancrofts built a bonfire on their beachstone lookout to the Northumberland Strait; as Miranda slept blissfully in my arms, lulled to sleep (or bored beyond words) by my attempts to croon a few campfire tunes in her ear after a full day of swimming, sunning, and socializing with "Bluejean" Eugene and Isobel, Cousin Elle and I toasted marshmallows with Penny, Graeme and Leah, Kevin and Geraldine, Christina and Darryl. (If you made it through that long, complicated sentence, you're probably asleep yourself by now...)

Mahone Bay and Lunenburg

We took Auntie Patsy to historic, scenic Mahone Bay for a birthday luncheon and boutiquing, and stopped by to see Andy and Jane at the Lunenburg Marina on the way back to Elle and Jonathan's place.

Garden Tour: Nova Scotia Style

The first order of business after we arrived at Cousin Elle and Jonathan's house in Fall River NS was, Miranda insisted, "a garden tour"!

Kissin' Cousins Revisited (en route to airport...)

Cousin Theo and his reluctant paramour...how will they sustain this romance as he returns home to France???

The Rodents Have Left the Building

...and Steve is looking forward to a week of uninterrupted work in the outbuilding on our property (formerly "the rat house") as Miranda and I head off to the Maritimes!

A Party for Beautiful Katie!

Jackie and Andrew brought baby Katie over for a lovely afternoon (beautiful sunshine after a cloudy morning) to celebrate with us and a lovely group of friends. We had (charmingly depicted by my photographs mostly capturing the backs of their heads, alas!) a total of seven little girls here at Huckleberry Hill: definitely a first! Oh, and three of us (grown-up) Deborahs (Deborah, Debbie and Deb)--also a first! Deborah and Dean brought Adia; Debbie brought Charlotte and Helena; Cheryl brought Raia; Monica brought Lenya; and Miranda learned (reluctantly) the joys of sharing her toys and her pool with the girls (although she greatly preferred helping unwrap the gifts); and Katie slept blissfully through presents, chocolate ganache cake with strawberries, laughter, and even when we sang to her! Meanwhile, Lorna and John watched "the young people" (I believe they included us parents in that group!) with great enjoyment and amusement; a good time was had by all!

Move Over, Saint Francis

...Saint Steven is charming the birds off the trees!
(He's also pretty good with the lilies of the field)...

Country Girl

Miss Gumboots on her estate...enjoying every minute of the summertime.

Circle Time

We were fortunate indeed to be part of a potluck and drum circle evening with local musicians Brian and Shasta, good friends of Cheryl and Raia, who invited us along for this amazing sensory experience! Imagine a couple dozen drums and other percussion jammin' in a yert, with a full range of voices raised in ancient song of African tribes, and you get the basic idea. Definitely a first for Miranda--and for us, too. But not the last...this is a regular event on Bowen, part of the local culture we are learning to embrace. We are the drum!

Down the Garden Path

Moira visited from "the continent," bearing gifts of fresh cherries and triple creme brie; she's pictured here with the peach rose bush she gave us a year ago for our housewarming. While we were giving our guest a garden tour, Miranda discovered and conversed with this charming gargoyle, whom she referred to (oh, the indignity for the little fellow!) as a "critter." Steve's extensive work on the garden continues apace; i.e. the deer can eat it as fast as he plants it! Tycho hasn't been scaring the deer away, but maybe the gargoyle will...