The Rock

That's the affectionate name given to Newfoundland. No snakes.  No poison ivy.   And by the chill in the air, I suspect there are very few swimsuit competitions either.

Jay, Michelle, Paul and Moie (Jay's cousin and wife) drove for about 6 hours on Tuesday and arrived at the tip of Cape Breton and camped in preparation of a morning departure on the ferry to Newfoundland.  The KOA campground was pleasantly situated on a river and was only 10 miles or so from the ferry terminal.  We had an easy dinner of hamburgers.  And a wee bit of libations.

Alright.  That's not quite accurate.

They were Cheeseburgers.

We boarded a ferry that was the sister ship to this one, and drove Big Blue right into it's nose.  The inside of this ship looked like it could house multiple football fields, and it virtually swallowed Big Blue up, and made her feel small.

This isn't yer Grandma's ferry....

Inside the ferry, we enjoyed an afternoon of surprisingly good folk music in a lounge area and free internet.

Roughing it.  Pure roughing it.

Michelle was able to keep up with her Facebook...

Ms. Technology

And after 5 hours, we saw land.

Newfin' Land.

Ha!  The "sunset" you see is actually the
camera flash!

It was a short drive to the campground and we arrived to the applause of adjacent campers who were impressed that Jay could actually back the big contraption into the campsite without taking out numerous trees.

This is the scenic view in front of Big Blue
at the campgound

From the moment we started our drive from the ferry terminal, the unique beauty of Newfoundland started to make it's appearance.  We are in an area called the Codroy Valley, and unfortunately we are going to leave this area without any sight-seeing excursions as we make our way to the Gros Morne park later this afternoon.  But here is one more look at the view in front of Big Blue at our campground, this time without Blue in it.

Fog gently hugs the "table top" mountians

After Michelle cooks a big breakfast for us all, we will pack up and head to Gros Morne for 4 nights of camping.

No, Jay's cooking breakfast.

No, Michelle is.

No...

Stay tuned.

More LobsterShop...

Our friend Jim Davis was gracious enough to add a few more videos from LobsterShop.  Here's the link..

http://www.youtube.com/user/lobstershopns

Enjoy!

LobsterShop!

I think this says it all....

We had food.

We had song.

We had FUN.

Lots of MacGillivray's and other notable Nova Scotians, Canadians (and a stray Norwegian) along with the WORLD FAMOUS Montagne Sisters and Last Minute converged at Notre Mer to deliver a one-in-a-lifetime event.

LobsterShop.

The young women of Last Minute (with best friend Kayla, of course) showed their bravery by holding lobsters for the first time -

Kayla, Deidra, Sherida, Becca and Erica gave last rites
to these little guys

In fact, Sherida developed a keen affection for this one:

It tasted great too.

Jay did the annual sacrifice back to the Great Lobster in the Sky.  This fella gets to live for a another season...

Hey - You have to do something
to ensure a bountiful harvest next year!

It started with a big breakfast to get our stomaches good and stretched out for the meal ahead...

Slowly.... slowly... she's becoming
Canadian!

And then Jay gave over 100 lbs of lobster a nice hot tub experience....

He threatened Dee Dee the Dinosaur
with a similar fate if she didn't stop
showing up in his pictures

And of course there was the event itself:

Last Minute was a total WOW

And then that famous group from the 70's:

The Montagne Sisters
Brenda, Michelle, Melissa and Dee-Dee
(Melissa observed that the last time they were coached,
the members of Last Minute weren't even born....)

And you were simply under-dressed if you didn't have this attire!

What?  Who you looking at?

And cousin Paul even sang an old Scottish ballad.  Shazam!  It was a night to enjoy and remember.   Our friends Jim and Bea (the best decorators in Nova Scotia!) joined us, and it was Bea's birthday - so Last Minute gave her some proper birthday wishes!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PEGWjdOp2U&feature=autoplay&list=UL2lZEB9W9dmQ&index=4&playnext=4

We'll try to get some more video for other performance moments, but this gives you a sense of the event.

We are off to Newfoundland on Tuesday.  We'll look for some moosemeat and "fill our boots".

Hope you enjoyed this too!

The Place is Heatin' Up!

And we ain't just talking about the weather!

The two nicest people in New Bern, NC just arrived in the province.

Jay likes Bev and Arne.  They make him
feel tall!

Not only are they warriors of the 7 Seas, but they are also road warriors as well!  Over 1600 miles in 3 days, and they arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.  Yikes!  Bev was always a very capable assistant, and now she runs a tight ship with Arne!

Jay took a picture of the dog hair that accumulates on the tile floor EACH DAY.  

And the culprit is napping there,
looking so innocent...

He thought it would be fun to title todays Blog "There's No 5 Second Rule at Notre Mer", acknowledging the vast amount of hair on the floor.

And then he dropped dinner on the floor.... nearly ALL OF IT.... as he transferred dinner from the oven to the counter top.

There is a 5 second rule at Notre Mer now!

Our guests graciously picked the dog hair out of their short ribs, and were even nice enough to not comment about it.  Put this dinner down as one for the memory books.

The quartet "Last Minute" arrives tonight, and LobsterShop occurs tomorrow.  So, we are busy with the details, and that means this blog has got to end!

We'll bombard you with pictures on Sunday.  Have a great weekend!

Padre's Day

The heck with the French.  I only know a bit of Spanish.

We join you today with Michelle's three sisters in attendance.  It's always GREAT to have the four sisters together.

Baywatch  beware.

It's nice to have them together, because this is what they do....

They sing.

And they're practicing up somethin' special.  But you have to be here for LobsterShop on June 24th to hear it.

Michelle bought Jay a hammock for Father's day. It seems he likes it...

He's only being polite with his
present.  Really.

And if you want to know what it looks like when you are in it, here are a few pics:

This is all the girls on his right.

Another view from the same vantage point:

And the ocean on his left.  So how do you
 choose between to two choices of beauty??

All of the kids sent their wishes for a nice Father's Day, and it was indeed a wonderful day.

We head into a busy and fun week with the Montagne girls here, as well as into LobsterShop on Friday. We look forward to a wonderful time with friends and family.

We hope that your weekend was equally fun and look forward to catching up with you later in the week.

Cheers!

Hockey Night!

Canucks ?, Bruins??

We are hunkering down for game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. 

God, we feel like real Canadians.

We started out with a quiet dinner in our favourite (whoops!  A Canadian spelling!) restaurant on the ocean, just a mere 10 minutes away.

It's nice when you have the place to yourself at 7pm:

Umm... there wasn't a wait.

The restaurant we enjoy is called The Quarterdeck, and it is surprisingly delightful for a place that is this empty on a Wednesday night.  Jay was just so happy to have his bride home, that it didn't matter where they ate!

But, make no mistake about it, he was with the prettiest girl in the place.

Can't have her.  She's mine.

Sorry for the anemic update - but it's Hockey night, and we are hunkering down.  We are quite excited about the arrival of Michelle's sisters on Saturday, and then the group Last Minute (from Nashville) next week as we prepare for LobsterShop on the 24th.   Now THAT will generate a lot of pictures and stories!!

Take care.  Go Bruins!

A Boot. A Boot. A Boot. Five Dollars.

How much did the stuttering Maritime fellow pay for a beer at the bar?

A boot, a boot, a boot five dollars.

On Saturday night I decided to be a man about town, and see what was happening on a Saturday night in Liverpool. Michelle is "down South", so I was foot-loose and fancy free.  So what was "happening" in the citi-center on a Saturday night?

Nothing.  Actually, I need to correct that.  NOTHING.

I went to one of the two local bars and interrupted the bartender's nap.  Literally. And it was 9:30 pm on Saturday night.  It was one of those moments that you realize this person would actually prefer to have their work shift NOT be interrupted in deference to the tranquility of an empty establishment.  But interrupt I did.

The only other fellow who straggled in was a local who seems to ride his bicycle as a vocation, and he likes to come in a chew a little fat.  The poor guy had a pretty bad stutter, and in all honesty it was hard for me to discern which words were rapid-fire repeats of the same word, and which were simply English with a local Maritime twang.  I did a lot of nodding and smiling.

Both he and the bartender were affable chaps.  We discussed lawnmowers, HOCKEY, the closure of a local clothing store, and a little more hockey.  Thank God I have been watching the Stanley Cup Finals and had a semblance of instinct on when to nod agreement to the opinions of others.

Now, in the States you can participate in football discussions with very, very little substance.  (It's much like politics!)  Statements such as "We're going to have to put some points on the board" and "We need some offense" receive strong grunts of approval from your tipsy colleagues.  Lord knows that "WE NEED SOME D!!!" will always get you out of a tight squeeze.

I'm trying to develop my hockey lingo, so that I can achieve more complete status as a Canadian and gain the deep respect of the locals.  Here is my list of planned retorts:

• We have to move that puck!
• We're not using the Power Play!!
• He's gotta protect that net!!
• Argh!  He's not getting any help!! 
• Set it up! SET IT UP!!
• What??  That was a late hit!!

I know, I know.  You think I might be ready to start coaching.

The week was not ALL about social outings.  I did help Cousin Ian set up his dock, an annual activity for those on the river.

Thank God for bug spray!!  (And the bugs "aren't bad"...?)  I think I inhaled more than a few.  The little black flies are one of the blessing of June.

Ian took a gratuitous photo of me
feigning work

Ian and Kathy have a darling cottage on the Broad River, about 10 minutes away from ours.  It is great for recreation, and you can kayak to the ocean and a great beach in mere minutes from their cottage. (One of the strong influences of purchasing where we did was to be sort of close to them).  We moved the dock sections down the hill, toward the water, floated them into position and connected them.  Easy for two people, harder for just one.

I'm thinking that when it's time to put the dock sections back - uphill - next fall, I'LL BE LONG GONE.  (Oh. Dang.  Ian reads this).

Tonight I will enjoy dinner in the home of one the the best cooks in the world (Moie and Paul), and we will discuss the logistics of our Newfoundland trip later this month.

That's about all!  It's a bit overcast and cool today, but typical of Nova Scotia, it's always glorious.

Have a great week!

Whirrrrrrlllllll....... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

That's the sound of life slowing down so much, I just don't know what to say.  This is what life felt like about a month ago.

An actual photo taken from our deck by
friend Jim Davis, during a hurricane
that came through two years ago.

This is what it feels like now:

Same deck.  Same ocean.  Different times.

And what have we been doing?  We did some sight-seeing this week.  We went to Annapolis Royal, the area that the Acadians settled in (the source of Cajuns!).  We saw Fort Anne, the oldest European settlement in North America.  This is a VERY charming town that is slightly less than 2 hours away and well worth visiting.

A few days later we drove to Yarmouth and visited with Jay's cousin Boyd and wife Claire.  Boyd is, without a question, a character that tells the most animated stories you ever heard.  And as a commercial diver with approximately 40 years of experiences working all over the world, he has a bunch of them.  The icing on the cake is that he is one of the most authentic people you will ever meet - and a true "sea salt" - and a visit with him always translates into a memorable experience.

Michelle headed back to Nashville yesterday, for a weekend of Sweet Adeline activities and a few personal errands around town.   Jay is at the cottage alone with the his dog Toby and that other porcupine-attracting pillow-head of a dog.

Michelle's trip to Nashville did have a way of putting a perspective on our cottage life here; it turns out that it was a great way to get her iPhone fixed.  It appears that when she had it connected to her MacBook and was syncing the two devices, that the iPhone blew a gasket in some way and needs to be majorly re-programmed.  In Nashville you can run to the nearby mall to a "genius center" (Apple store) and they will get'r'dun for you.  If you live in our cottage in White Point, Nova Scotia you must travel to Maine for such services.  (Or, of course, mail your device in).   It's a wonder that we have fresh lettuce here.

After Jay took Michelle to the airport (another data point regarding the realities of a remote cottage location.  The airport is a two-hour drive along a pine-studded highway.) He ran some important errands:  He bought a new, larger flag...

We affectionately call this "Uncle Tony's Flag Pole".
It's a big 30 footer.

He also visited with his cousin Janet.  He then picked up Big Blue from the Big Truck repair shop.  It seemed to run a bit "stronger" up hills, but it didn't have the RV attached.  We'll see.  It's funny, but after dragging a huge camper around, it feels like a bit of a sports car when you drive it unhitched!

The week ahead (at the cottage) anticipates Jay helping his cousin Ian work on his dock; planning our trip to Newfoundland, catching up on various personal details from 1500 miles away and, of course, relaxing.  Dang it.  The cottage needs some cleaning too.

Michelle!!!!.....

Well, sorry this is a day late.  But that calendar thing has been hard to keep track of.....

Have a great week!

Pokey Critters, Kilts and Sunshine

It's probably going to take you a few moments to figure out this one.

What's this?

These are about 3" long

We think you know what this is:

It's a target, that's what it is.

Put the two together, and you have a porcupine using Keji as a pin cushion.  Michelle saw two needles hanging out of his nose and pulled them out.  He's pretty lucky!  Some of the pictures we have seen on the internet are pretty gory when a dog meet's a needle-maker!  Jay has seen a porcupine waddle past the deck before, on a previous trip.  We don't know if it was "him", or if we have a family of them, but we're hoping that our pea-size brained dog learns a lesson from it...

On Saturday we went into Liverpool, the quaint town near our cottage for some "supplies".  We ran into the most charming procession of a newly-married couple and their wedding party.  All in Kilts, in a horse-drawn wagon, pulled by two prancing white horses.   Where else but Nova Scotia?

The cars behind honked their horns in raucous support of the new union.  If this was NYC, it would be due to impatience... but it was likely the highlight of the month in Liverpool.

You can click on any picture to see it larger

Next up, boys and girls is a picture of what Michelle does when the sun shines:

She swings.  Many times.

We've had a chance to get out on our little golf course next to our cottage.  Of course, Michelle's little tag along Dee-Dee the Dinosaur always comes along....

Dee-Dee just sitting on a bench, looking at our house
across the bay

And we are enjoying some of the best (first) weather of the summer:

The view off our deck this morning.  It's a beautiful
mid-70s day....

And we had a nice dinner with Jay's cousin's Ian and Paul, and Paul's wife Moie, and lot's of indulgent deck time.   Sorry, there's not too much to report on other than the Blood Pressure Report is showing some historic lows!

Jay took Big Blue into Bridgewater for a little check up.  It seemed that it was losing a bit of speed up modest hills, which for our load it shouldn't.  Sure enough they found a few air hoses leaking around the turbocharger, so we hope we will be "Strong Like Bull" on our next trip.

Which brings us to our last news - we decided to take advantage of having "the rig" here, during this wonderful time of year, and head off to Newfoundland after our LobsterShop event on June 24th.  And Paul and Moie will join us!  We will board the dogs locally and the four of us will drive up to Cape Breton to take a ferry (cruise ship, sort of) to Newfoundland.  Yes, they can put all 72' of our rig on the ship.  Then we will drive from one end of Newfoundland to the easternmost edge to camp in St. Johns.   When we finish, we will start the trip back to Nova Scotia, and then quickly begin our journey to California.  Talk about a coast to coast trip!!

And so went our week!  

We hope this finds you well, and we look forward to crossing trails with you soon!

Umm. Boring but Wonderful.

A quick update to let you know that we aren't real newsy right now.  I'm sure Sunday will be jam-packed!

We have spent the last few days getting caught up at the cottage; moving the contents of a LARGE RV into the cottage (you have NO IDEA how many clothes Michelle packed.  NO IDEA).

We played some golf.  We went for a long walk along the ocean.  We enjoyed morning coffee with a warm fire in the fireplace.  Then warm afternoons on the deck.  Then cool evenings with a warm fire again.  Late May in Nova Scotia.  Simply grand.

With the exception of black flies, this is a wonderful place in the world.  Michelle is sporting a number of HUGE bites on her neck and none the happier for it.  Jay's dear cousin Paul explains that the black flies don't bite;  they gnaw.  A lovely mental image.  Of course, this is the same fellow that made us a homemade blueberry pie and confided that he enjoyed making pie crusts from scratch, because when he was done his fingernails were so clean.


Jay has some great cousins!


Michelle departs for Nashville next Wednesday for quartet commitments.  Jay will have a week alone.  He might just have to get some fishin' done.


He'll be just fine.


That's all for now folks.  We are really enjoying our time here.  Our best to you.