City of Halifax, Nova Scotia

After my recent trip, I was planning to post at least three entries detailing what I had learned on my informative tour. But I have made an executive decision ( I'm all alone here, so I am the executive and I am allowed to make all the decisions.) My decision is to leave it alone for now.

I am overwhelmed with some pretty interesting computer challenges at the moment, and something had to give. I may get back to it later, because I am obsessed with all things Halifax at the moment and doing lots of reading . I will cite good books when I do post.

Meanwhile, if you want to read a really interesting fiction book about the Explosion in Halifax Harbour in 1917, go to the library and get "Burden of Desire" by Robert McNeill of the original McNeill/Lehrer hour. He is from that area and it is very authentic and compelling reading

Halifax is across the harbor from the town of Dartmouth . The harbor itself consists of Bedford Bay, at the nw end, the Narrows and the main area, leading out to the sea. In some ways , from a visual point of view, it reminds me of Sarasota Bay. For those familiar with this area, imagine that , once you reach the shore of Sarasota, there is a large harborfront where City island is now located and that the city streets begin to rise uphill immediately.

The same is true on the other side, making it a sort of valley with the harbor in between.

(that would be Longboat Key with the same hills.) In another way, it reminds me of Seattle, the way the town immediately slopes up steeply and houses are all on a hilly street.

So, I came away with some not very explicit photos and a great curiosity about life in this fishing and shipping port and it's significance to Canada, the U.S., and the role it played in World War II.

My words do not do it justice and until I know more about it, I will hold comment.

My photos were taken at the Citadel, atop the hill overlooking the harbor.

Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia

Canada certainly has an interesting history! Since I can’t even remember all I learned about American History, it has taken me several weeks to make sense of the Maritime Provinces and their beginnings.

Canada was officially made a country in 1867. But it was not until 1982 that The Canada Act severed all constitutional and legislative ties with the UK. Can you believe that? Just 28 years ago!

In 2009, the population of Nova Scotia was 940,000. Almost 80 percent of Nova Scotia's population trace their ancestry either wholly or partly to the British Isles. French origin ranks second: 16.7 percent of residents have some French ancestry. The next largest groups by ancestry are German and Dutch. Residents of Nova Scotia are also of Polish, Italian, Chinese, and Lebanese descent. Over 6,400 residents of the province have African origins. About 28,560 residents have Amerindian origins, and primarily belong to the Micmac Nation.

Up there they are referred to as “First Nations people”.

So, it was difficult for me to unravel the tangled history of the Fortress at Louisbourg on the eastern shore of N.S. In 1713, mainland Nova Scotia was ceded to the British, and the French build the fortress on Cape Breton Island. In 1745, the fort was captured by a force from Maine. Later it was destroyed by the British and it was left in rubble. Because it was on a sheltered body of water it lay undisturbed for many years.

The government of Canada has now restored this fort in Nova Scotia,, to the state as it would have been in 1744. Thanks to documented inventories of the fort, archaeologists and historians were able to reconstruct the fort and outer buildings using much of the original materials into a condition that impresses one as being 'authentic.'

It’s good location offered ready access to fishing and links to colonies in the FrenchWest Indies, North America and France, so the settlement became a thriving town and seaport. It became one of the most significant fishing and commercial ports in North America

The fortress of Louisbourg became a National Historic Site in 1928. In 1961, Parks Canada began reconstruction of approximately 25 percent of the fortified town.

While we toured the fort, we were amused and intrigued by the ‘people of the village.” They were local residents, of course , and a fair number of college kids working there on summer vacation. Each person is given a role to play and they are trained in the habits, customs and events of the time. All that we encountered were excellent in answering our questions about what life was like for the soldiers inside the fort and for the townspeople who manned the taverns, bakery, blacksmith shop, and finer homes for the officers’ families. These are some of the photos I took which gives you a glimpse into the reinactment.

As we looked out over the harbor, we tried to imagine what it would be like at the end of a cold winter, when the ice melted and one kept a constant lookout for ships ,arriving with long awaited supplies from England or France..

Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail, Canada

My trip to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island

What is the difference in a province and a territory? How many of each

does Canada have? What are the maritime provinces? These, and many more questions circled through my mind as I began my tour of Nova Scotia and the two adjacent provinces, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

The territories of Canada have no inherent jurisdiction and only have those powers delegated to them by the federal government.

The federal government of Canada also has a responsibility over Native and Inuit peoples, who happen to be in a majority in the territories. It does not have the same obligation towards people in the provinces.

There are ten provinces and three territories. I visited three of the maritime provinces. I did NOT get to Newfoundland.

Although I flew into Halifax, NS , my tour bus took us immediately up the island to the northwest corner and out toward Cape Breton National Park. Traveling on the Cabot Trail, a 300 kilometer ride where we saw spectacular water views and beautiful, fir covered mountains.

At the beginning of the trail , we stopped at the Acadian village of Chéticamp on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Appalachian-like mountains sloped gently down to the sea. I have never wanted to ride a motorcycle before, but the gentle slopes and curves of the coastal mountains are a bewitching invitation to many motorcycle fans and they were welcomed at restaurants and hotels as warmly as we who rose buses or drove cars. Indeed, there is a summer event known as the Atlanticade motorcycle festival in the town of St. Andrews, where seven meter tides ebb and flow agains New Brunswick’s shore. Thousands converge on the little town and they are a boon to hotel owners and restaurant owners.

We stayed two nights at Chéticamp, a fishing community of almost 4,000 residents . A large number of them are Acadians as well as English. Chéticamp was once a fishing station used only during the summer months by a man from the Isle of Jersey. At one time, the town was a cashless society, with the fishermen being paid in skip that could be used in the company store, just like the miners in West Virginia used to do.

Fishing has declined somewhat and tourism has become the primary industry. They depend on Acadian music and food, whale watching ships, hotels and restaurants, and two local museums to bring in dollars. There is also an international Dance Festival.

Two local museums caught my fancy and , while I don’t have any photos of them, I’ll tell you what interested me.

One was a hooked rug museum. That is not the most exciting thing in the world to see, but when one visits the museum and sees how one woman started a cottage industry in this small, one can only admire her inventiveness. One gets the idea that every woman in town is a “hooker’, as they jokingly call themselves and makes a few nickels selling their wares at local shops.

From Wikipedia: “In its earliest years, rug hooking was a craft of poverty. The vogue for floor coverings in the United States came about after 1830 when factories produced machine-made carpets for the rich. Poor women began looking through their scrap bags for materials to employ in creating their own home-made floor coverings. Women employed whatever materials they had available.”

To read more about them use the following link:

http://www.cheticamphookedrugs.com/museum

or type “ hookers of Chéticamp” on Google.

The other fascinating museum (and story!) was The Centre de la “Mi Carême”. This is a tradition passed down from the French since the Middle Ages. On the third week of lent, people make masks and costumes and parade up and down the town streets, visiting homes and trying to make the hosts guess their identity. Hosts offered them food and drink. Sometimes there was dancing. Festivities went on throughout the night.In an area of a hard and simple life, this festival becomes the bright spot of the year.

Check it out at : http://micareme.ca/en/index.php

or type in "Mi Carême” on Google for more information and photos.

Houses in this little town were very simple. They have steep, gabled roofs ot let the show slide off in winter. Although they told us they had very little snow last year, they also mentioned that winds off the ocean can get up to 150 miles per hour. I think that is why the houses had very small windows and not many of them. Only rarely did we see plants of any kind. The one pictured is right along the main road and perhaps was given more attention

The soil is very shallow there, and the trees cling precariously to the rocks. The predominant tree was fir. However, we saw many trucks bearing loads of lumber, so timber must be big there, so there must be deciduous trees too.

As we left the area, we went across the rolling mountains over the Cabot Trail. We drove 105 Km (60 miles) journey through the western edge of the park which borders the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This is a jagged coastline with mountains up to 300 metres. Over the top and across large areas of forests. we descended on the south side to more beauty as we approaced the town of Ingonish. We saw many, many motorcycles and , again, I felt how it must be wonderful to be free of the confines of a bus when passing through this beautiful country.

Note: I have trouble placing photos in Blogger, so my photos are not in the story where I wanted them. If any of you bloggers can tell me how to do that, I would appreciate it.

Happy to be Three

The youngest grandson had a birthday party this week. He was three, and is proud of it, although he loves to hold up four fingers and grin mischievously as he tells you how old he is.
The party for him was held outside and the guests were mostly three year old friends from Day care who had brought their parents with them. There was wine and cold drinks, juice for the kids,fresh water , and lots of snacks to munch on.

I had three sons of my own back in the day and I mused on the idea of how little parties have changed in 45 years! There were balloons and whirlygigs. There were bikes and trikes to ride. Chalk to draw on the pavement. A rope swing and a swing set. And, thanks to the wonder of life in Florida, fresh air and sunshine in April.

The #1 favorite thing was the swing. "Push me higher , Daddy". There was also a plastic water/sand table which was the second favorite thing. Sam, the "big brother" tried his best to organize the reckless and recalcitrant pint-sized participants to no avail. Undaunted, Sam went into the house, and in his own best first grade printing, made a sign that said:
WARNING!
LAW # ONE:
Do not put water in the sand table.
LAW # TWO;
Do not put sand in the water table.

This dire warning went largely ignored. Sam moved on to bigger things. He and the several other big brothers found great glee in racing at breakneck speed around the driveway , narrowly missing the feet of parents and occasionally flattening an innocent bystander.

At one point, I went into the house and found, off in a corner, the birthday boy, playing happily with an old , favorite toy....all by himself.

I gave him emergent reading books by Eric Carle and he has memorized them already.He spends all day Monday at my house and we read lots of books together!

What a joy it is to be a grandparent!

Late start

wow! the last post was in October of 2009!

what have I been doing? I guess I lost interest when it became obvious that writing a blog took time, thought, and an audience to spur me on. I ask myself , what have I been doing since October. I'd like to say that I have been writing the great American novel, or raising hybrid tomatoes, or feeding the sick and hungry, I haven't been doing any of that.

I have been enjoying life, which is what retirement promises, so I guess that is not so bad.

I have the great privilege of living in the same town as three little grandsons, so I spend lots of time watching then grow, create, fight, love me, and explore the world. For myself, I am struggling to learn to speak and understand the spanish language. Not easy for a 75 year old.

I have done very little writing , partly due to having lots of great visitors. One set of guests each month for the past four months has kept me hopping and entertained. That is me with my dear friend, Claire and her darling dog, Davida.

I think I need to start this up again, so I will give that some thought and we'll just see when my next post comes out !

Waking up to happy news

Most mornings, NPR wakes me up with the early news. Most mornings it is bad news. Most mornings it is about car bombs. But this morning was different. This morning I heard that Barack Obama , our president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I was elated! I have great hope for him and what he can do for our country. I recognize that he is having a tough time of it now and that his detractors and even some of his supporters are not pleased with this event.

About the best his detractors can say is that it is too soon or that he was nominated right after he took office. Some think the prize should be awarded on the basis of accomplishments and not intentions.

I'd like to point out a few facts about the Prize itself and shed a little more light on the subject.
I wanted a photo of Obama but I can't steal the photos of others and I've never been close enough to him for a closeup. So, I am repeating a photo I took at a rally for him last November.
Look closely. That's him at the mike.

The Nobel Peace prize is dedicated to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". It's clear that he hasn't done the "most" in this area, but former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari, who was last year's Peace Prize laureate, said it was clear that the committee wanted to encourage Obama on the issues he has been discussing on the world stage. This award has only been made to two former U.S. Presidents and no incumbent president has received the award in the past 90 years.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 96 times to individuals and 23 times to organizations.
Three striking examples of people who did NOT receive the Prize are Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandi and Joseph Stalin. Stalin was nominated in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end WWII. Unbelievably, Hitler was nominated in 1939 , but the man who nominated him, a member of the Swedish parliament, withdrew the nomination . And Mahatma Gandhi, the strongest possible symbol of non-violence in the 20th century, was nominated five times but was never awarded the prize. The prize cannot be awarded posthumously.

So you see, it is a mixed bag. All the other Nobel prizes are presented in Sweden in December in the City hall . A friend of mine is fortunate enough to attend each year, as an active member of Amnesty International in Stockholm . The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, Norway.

I hope that this recognition will make it possible for people from around the world to once more respect and honor our American president.

A sunny day in Stockholm

I visit Stockholm often , because I have a son who lives there. Of all the places to sightsee, my favorite is Kolonistugor, the allotment gardens established as early as 1904. Back then, city dwellers lived in small apartments that barely offered room for a family. The inside courtyard might have some dirt or trees, but mostly they were concrete. A small window box was the best one could do to grow herbs or flowers.

The pictures are ones I took in Kolonistugor, on the island of Södermalm, on the south banks. Facing a lake, the gardens are made up of small parcels of land separated by narrow lanes and picket fences. Families wait many years for a plot to become available. Once they get one, they are likely to keep it for life. Families then can go out there on warm summer days, plant trees, bushes, flowers, and vegetables. The community provides public toilets. There is no electricity and small cottages hold only room for supplies and , perhaps, a table and chairs.
An outside water tap provides water for drinking and plants.
In 1904, an upper-class woman named Anna Lindhagen, a social-democratic leader , visited the allotment gardens of Copenhagen and determined to start them in Stockholm . The Swedish Federation of Leisure Gardening represents the more than 26,000 allotment and leisure gardeners in Sweden. The land is usually rented from local authorities.
It is my joy to roam idly through the gardens and along the paths, trying to learn a whole new set of birds and recognizing some delightful plants which grow in W.Va. (my native state) but not in Florida.
Rhododendron in many colors delight the eye. Poppies burst forth like Georgia O'Keefe paintings, Roses cover large bushes as abundantly as the gardenias do in Florida . Lilacs hang down where , standing on tiptoes, one can inhale their intoxicating fragrance. All sorts of fruit and flowering trees line the paths.
At the bottom of the hill, a wider path traces the banks of the lake and bikers, walkers, runners, mothers pushing strollers: all inhabit this wonderful world of color in the heart of town.

Kolonistugor means "weekend cottages".