Canadian Adventure, Part Two
Life is Better on the Bay
I was practically a full Canadian by the time Kevin crashed my Canadian adventure. After all, I’d tried almost the full menu at Tim Hortons. We’d almost become besties.
The afternoon Kevin got in, we took a break and had a lovely and relaxing dinner at Ethan’s sister’s house. His family was so welcoming and wholesome. After dinner, Ethan’s mom gifted us a weekend stay at her charming cottage on Minas Basin, which connects to the Bay of Fundy. We were both dumbfounded, and I couldn’t find words to accept and adequately convey my appreciation.
The next day was very long, dirty, and tiring, but satisfying, working at the house and future sanctuary. A job well done is its own reward. At the end of the day, the yard was cleared of more little trees than I thought could even grow, and I’d discovered some easy-care flowers under the choking brush. But the project that was imminent and made a dent in the sanctuary preparation was a huge fenced area with predator-deterring netting around the coop. I don’t know if you know what happy ducks and geese look like, but I do. When the enclosure was ready, Ceres, the patriarch, marched his flock around the space. It was adorable watching the other four geese, then all the ducks trailing like swaying train cars. Finally, they branched out, and the curious birds pecked around, exploring the accommodations.
Late that evening, we had dinner at The Church Brewing, sneaking in shortly before closing time. They were pleased to welcome us. As evidence of our hunger, the chatter fell silent when our food arrived. Sleep came easily that night.
The next morning, after our tired bones and muscles awoke, the work was short, allowing a scenic drive with our friends, learning a little local lore, and enjoying an ice cream cone on the mountain overlooking the valley and basin. The sign on the building read, “Look and Lick”.
Our little tour ended at Ethan’s mom’s house, where he grew up, which is just a stone’s throw from the cottage. Her home is an idyllic red two-story with a detached two-story garage and shed. The house had been added onto a couple of times by Ethan’s dad, and it was beautiful.
When we arrived at the cottage, the first thing that drew me in was the picturesque view of the bay, drawing us through the front door. The second was an unexpected and thoughtful gift and card left by his mother and her equally delightful partner. Again, I have no words to convey my gratitude. Just…extraordinary.
The next couple of days were blissful. We thoroughly enjoyed the cottage—the view from inside or out was breathtaking. The basin boasts the most extreme tidal forces on the planet, with tidal variations of over fifty feet. Watching it was wondrous!
A Foodie Haven
Our activities included dinner at a local foodie restaurant, recommended by Ethan’s sister, frequenting some breweries and wineries, cozying up to the fireplace with a book, and enjoying a hike to Blue Beach (a.k.a the fossil beach). We got rained on, but it didn’t dampen our lovely day. That evening, we stayed in with snacks, wine, and a movie, overlooking the rising and falling water.
As self-proclaimed foodies and boozies, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share my top three favorite establishments (although we didn’t go anywhere that I wouldn’t love to return).
We ate at Dickie Baxter in Canning. I couldn’t even decide what to order. If only a main-dish flight were an option. I settled on a lobster po’ boy, because when by the sea… Kevin’s meal was equally stellar. I would fly back to Nova Scotia solely to eat there.
Of course, in true E & K style, we tried (unintentionally) to crash a wedding at a brewery. We went back the next day to Sea Level Brewing at Millstone Harvest Brewhouse, also in Canning. The beertenders were interesting conversationalists. They use their own fresh produce—the cider I enjoyed was crafted from home-grown little sour kiwis and raspberries. Yeah, we left with some merch- duh!
We had lunch at Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards. What a lovely, modern, open space, and the food and wine—phenomenal. We got a wood-fired garlic formaggi pizza with donair sauce. I’d go back just for this, too. Not familiar with donairs? Go to Nova Scotia (thanks to Ethan for the introduction). It was from this establishment that we procured the wine for our evening.
Classic Wine Flight
On Monday, our only “to-do” was to return for a foot tour of our friends’ acreage with a hard-and-fast departure time of 11:30 am. We secured some bird feed and a bucket of goodies for the resident murder of crows, and off we wandered into the woods.
It began innocently enough…a mowed path through the tall grass, a trail cut through the woods, a stream I stepped in. And then a pause, realizing we might be a little lost. At that point, Danyelle mentioned how the last time she ventured into the timber, she lost herself with the birds for two and a half hours. Were we lost? Or were we communing with the birds? You decide. We made it back in time.
Alas, all good things must end, and we had to say our goodbyes to Danyelle and all her kids. Ethan was also returning to the Midwest for a stint. We took our leave to catch the big bird to bring us home, as we made our way to Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
In my “real” daily life, every morning, I journal something that I learned. In these couple of weeks, I didn’t have the time, nor the room in my daily planner to scribble all tidbits of knowledge—some tiny little things, some things that may be useful someday, a figure-it-out mentality, some fascinating facts, some things that awed me, and some lessons. It’s always the lessons that resonate with me most. Allow me to share.
I stand firm in my belief that most people are inherently good. I’ve been touched by great kindness in my life, and I try to take note and pay it forward when able. In fact, my daily practice also includes writing down five things for which I’m grateful from the previous twenty-four hours.
A mini vacation on the bay had not been on the original agenda for this trip. When we arrived at the cottage and sat on the back deck, we couldn’t make sense of our good fortune. I can’t even describe the feeling. As I previously mentioned, it was like a dream. This was truly the kindest, most unexpected gesture. We were in awe. The only logical reasoning was thinking of it as a lesson in kindness—you get what you give. Good people attract good people, and kind people are rewarded. This gift truly displayed the generosity and kindness of good people, but the bonus is that it made us feel good about ourselves, too. We felt like we must be nice people because kindness works in a loop.
In the past, I would have felt so unworthy of such a gift (I’m not going to lie—a little of that old thought pattern tried to sneak in), but a lot of self-work has helped rewire my brain to shift my perspective.
The universe has a way of bestowing good fortune upon those who open their hearts to others. This begs the analogy: What comes first? The chicken (or duck) or the egg? Or…What comes first? Gratitude (and noticing the good) or good fortune (which elicits gratitude)? They work in a loop.
In the end, after all the driving, work, and stress (for them—I only had to show up with my passport and help however I could), our final takeaways were light and simple. Primarily, kindness begets kindness. Additionally, we recognized that life by the sea encourages people to slow down, to enjoy, and to relax.
Perhaps we were intoxicated by the fresh sea air; maybe the lovely people of Nova Scotia cast a spell, but our hearts were full and our minds refreshed.
Cheers to the Canadian coast and to our gracious friends—until next time.
Fossil Hunting at Blue Beach