Vacation Part 2: Nova Scotia

With campmeeting and Nova Scotia back to back that meant we left campmeeting and drove straight to Nova Scotia.  Fortunately, campmeeting is already a good two hours north from my parents' house so it saved us some of our driving time.  Since we wanted to have as much time as possible up there and since the weather was not the best anyway, we decided to leave Saturday night and drive through the night.  That would seem like an obvious statement since for about the last nine years we have ALWAYS driven through the night when we take longer trips.  But, with the kids older now, I almost prefer to drive during the day because it's not necessarily that comfortable overnight for the girls in their boosters (as opposed to car seats that recline).  I also knew we would have my mom with us (or, we would be with her since it is indeed HER van) and with seven jammed into a van, it may not be super comfortable either.  In the end, after I remembered that we could fit three kids in the backseat so I could sit in one of the captain chairs, it was decided.  All night it would be.  Duncan was awesome and drove just about the entire way (ten hours) with me contributing about the last 1.5 hours or so.

Our time this year could be summed up in one sentence: What a difference a year makes!  Last year was miserable with rain almost the whole time.  We barely saw the sun - - in fact, I don't think we saw it until the last day.  It was a complete 180 this year. We had sun virtually every day and oh, how much nicer it was.  Duncan purchased two inflatable paddle boards which sounds strange but when you blow them up, they are like a regular paddle board.  They come in a backpack and he checked them as luggage on the way up.  They were a big hit.  One of the paddle boards was a smaller kid size which holds up to 120 pounds.  Duncan would take one of the boys on his and then Calleigh would do the other one with another kid on hers.  Given that, we (or they) were definitely on the lake every day.  Devin brought up his speed boat and much to my delight and surprise, the G8 (as the four older couples are called) had brought in a bunch of sand to dump on our "beach" so that one could actually sit and lounge while others were in the water.

The pumping part is a bit tedious so Duncan plans on getting an electric one.

Taking a swim off the board.

One day Camille and Duncan took a long trip to explore a stream of the lake hoping they could go all the way down it and out. Unfortunately they eventually couldn't go any farther and had to turn back.

Proof that I was on it.  It was hard at first to steady myself but I didn't fall off.

Our beach.

The kids loved to go frog hunting on the beach.

Tubing...Bode, Finley, and Camden

Aubree, Brady, and Acadia. Brady looks a little freaked out but he did it!

Mia enjoying the paddle board.

The kids also did some fishing.  Brady apparently rolled out of bed and headed down in his pajamas.

You think you escape these when you leave Florida...

Duncan took the girls on the paddle boards to explore an island.

Some changes had been made to our cabin while we were gone.  We had a local put in a loft, insulation, electrical outlets, and overhead lights.  We still have to use an extension cord from the main house but now we have it set up so that it attaches to a receptacle outside our cabin that then transfers it throughout.  It is so nice to be able to just plug in things to the wall.  We haven't put up the actual walls yet so we could see the insulation behind the plastic coverings but it made a huge difference moderating the temperature inside.  We were never cold or hot which was a big change.  In prior years, we often had many blankets piled on us at night.  Between now and next year, we have more work to be done.  We will finish off the walls and extend the loft so that it is the entire upper floor with the goal of all four kids sleeping up there.  This year the girls slept up in the loft, Brady slept on an inflatable mattress, and Colby was in his pack-n-play.  The kids slept SO great.  I think Aubree woke up once in the middle of the night and that was it.  They would sleep until about 7:30- 8:00 every morning.

Brady's bed

The loft.

This year Ricky and Ana built their cabin, the ninth (not sure if the tenth will ever be built.  Jonathan and family who are the last ones aren't usually able to make it up because of scheduling).  Because Ricky had to be back at school in Mississippi for August 1, they came up while we were all at campmeeting to start the build and then left on Thursday of the week we arrived (which was Sunday) with pretty much everything completed.  Brady, especially, loved following Uncle Ricky around, handing him tools and doing whatever help he needed.  He said it was one of his favorite things about being in Nova Scotia.

Colby got in on the action.

One thing we did this year that was different was that we went to the circus in Port Hawkesbury (this is the town that has the closest Walmart, about a 30 minute drive). We saw an ad for the Great Benjamin's Circus coming to Port Hawkesbury for two showings.  I contacted them for group tickets and ironically, they were headquartered out of Florida.  They gave us a good deal at the time which was about $15 per adult and kids were free.  I say "at the time" because once the circus started we quickly realized we had overpaid!  First of all, it was under a tent which we sort of knew going in but hadn't really thought about.  We went to a 5:00 pm showing and it was terribly hot, even by Florida standards.  The show started a good twenty minute late so it wasn't off to a good start.  Then, when it finally started, there were these six woman and one little girl in like leotards/dance outfits doing a routine but it wasn't in sync or anything.  It's like they found them off the street and said "Hey, we are having a circus tonight.  Do you want to come perform?" It was so bad it was funny.  What followed was pretty much as bad.  At one point, they had some ladies performing way up high but had no safety cushions or anything underneath them and we were all holding our breaths. If they were to fall, it would be on cement. We did have fun taking note of who was doing multiple things...like the clown was the same as the announcer and the guy taking our tickets was the same guy swallowing the fire. Anyway, we made a memory I guess!  But never again.

This was at least pretty decent...when they drove motor bikes in this ball.

We capped off the circus with a stop at A & W.

Nova Scotia (as we call being up there) is known for its games.  Back when I was a kid and teenager, this meant a lot of sports like baseball, volleyball, etc but also card and board games.  Nowadays, the sports have taken a back seat (will they reappear as kids get older?) but card and board games are still alive and well.  One game that has surfaced as a favorite the last two years is the card game Monopoly Deal which the girls have learned to play but is mostly a favorite of the adults.  Normally, my late night game of choice was playing Dutch Blitz with Alison and Kelly.  Unfortunately, Alison bailed on us in coming to Nova Scotia this year (long story) so that put a crimp in things although Ana did play with Kelly and me a few nights.  But then she left after a few days and that left me with nothing.  Rad to the rescue.  When he was at my house in January, he and I played a bunch of Monopoly Deal and so we renewed our competition.  He and I would play it after everyone else had gone to bed - - which would often go until 1:00 am or later.  I like fast moving games, not ones where you sit and wait while your opponent(s) think of their move (this is why I don't think I could ever play Chess) and MD moves quickly with just two people.  We played best of five each evening and he would beat me each time, 3-2.  The last night we played best of seven and I beat him 4-0. It was a very joyous feeling!

My playing partner, Rad, with his son, Levi.  They are expecting another boy in December so we all had fun giving them some name suggestions.

Playing the "Name Game" which the younger generation (my generation) loves to play just to see the "old" folks have to act things out and give clues.

The other big game is Mafia which you play with a big group of people.  It's nice because it's all just talking so there isn't anything you have to purchase and you don't have to sit around a table or anything.  If you are ever in a big group (like 10+), look up the game.  It's so much fun!!  Basically, you have to be able to lie to win but it's all in the name of the game.  It makes for some very interesting scenarios.  One of the nights it came down to Rad trying to convince Mia and my Dad that he wasn't the mafia even though the rest of us knew he was.  A visiting cousin, Kathleen, thought that he was and in order for Rad NOT to win, she needed to convince Mia and my Dad that he was.  It was very entertaining and in the end, Kathleen brought them to her side and Rad lost.  We played mafia pretty much every night (after the kids were all in bed) and it's definitely a family favorite.

Rad trying to work on the girls while my dad looks on.

We let Calleigh and Aubree stay up late for one night and watch the game.

For sure there was a lot of fun on the vacation but there was a very scary time.  As you will recall, our original cabin burned to the ground two years ago and last year it was rebuilt.  During that fire, a lot of the surrounding trees got singed and burned and we have been having some small, controlled fires each day to try and get rid of all those trees.  All of this happening with the permission of the local fire department.  One day towards the end of our time up there, a bunch of us went to a local baseball game while about six or eight adults (and a few little kids) stayed behind.  Around about 8:15, just as the game was ending, I get a call from Rad..."Just to let you know, we have an uncontrolled fire here. We called 911.  I'm going down to the lake right now to get water.  Bye." OH MY WORD.  My heart was in my throat.  I immediately told the others and we all jumped from our seats to get into the van and hurry back as fast as we could to help.  Just then, the third out was made to end the game and we saw a few people jumping up really quickly too.  As we peeled out down the road, we saw some other vehicles doing the same thing and we realized that they were the firefighters.  With an island population of only about 4,000, it is a volunteer fire department.

Having fun at the ballgame before the call.

Driving those approximately 12 minutes back were some of the most stressful minutes of my life.  Calleigh was hysterical.  The other three kids were pretty calm.  I tried to be calm but my mind was racing.  I was alternately praying and imagining that the place was going to be burned down and nobody would insure us ever again because we would have had two fires in two year and that would mean we couldn't rebuild and come back up here. We watched the skyline closely to see if we saw billows of smoke. We honestly didn't know what we would find.  Would the place already be on fire? Would it have spread the other way and the woods would all be on fire?  Not knowing is so hard!

We finally pulled into the driveway and we couldn't see any billows of smoke above the tree line so that made us feel a little better.  We got to the house and it was still standing, all in one piece.  That was a huge sigh of relief.  We could hear sirens in the background but we had beaten the fire department there.  We went around back to where the fire was and most of it was out.  Nevertheless, within about two minutes, three fire trucks came barreling up the driveway and they got their hoses out to put out the last bit of it and to make sure nothing re-started.  It was quite a first hand event for the kids who thought it was pretty cool. But all the while I was thinking "They must think we Americans are so dumb to have this happen again.

Watching the fire trucks come up the driveway.

After they finished, they had the kids come sit in the trucks and try on the hats.  There were about 10 guys and they were all so incredibly nice.  One of them joked that it was their annual trip to our place but he didn't say it rudely or anything.  We thanked them profusely over and over again.  The next day we made cards and my mom made brownies and they dropped those off and some cash (just as a gift, not that we needed to) to them.

Family heroes, Camille and Rad, who raced to the lake for water.

The story on the fire is that we had been burning every day with no problems.  Uncle Terry had sprayed down the area between the house and where the fire would be for quite a while, taking all the proper precautions.  When they lit the fire, for some reason it seemed to really spark and spread quickly.  They tried to spray it down with the hose which probably would have easily fixed the situation but there was no water pressure coming out of the hose.  We surmise it is because they had just done dishes (for 40 people) and some had been doing baths and laundry which had all lowered the water in the tank.  This is when they called 911 and then Rad and Camille drove down to the lake to try and bring up water in buckets and whatever they could find.  It all worked, apparently, since it was basically out by the time we got there.  A good ending to something that could have ended very badly.  A lot of thank you prayers were said that evening.

Some other pictures...

All the cousins present this year.

It rained only one morning and yes, the kids had to play in it and get all wet and dirty.

I organized a scavenger hunt. One of the items was to take a picture of a person with glasses.

The winning team.  Calleigh was happy to have gone with Mia.

Our annual day trip to Baddeck, one of my favorites.

Peering through the glass at the ice cream shop waiting for the parents to get some.

The boys found a random strap attached to a building, probably for a dog, and had a great time playing with it.

Lunch at a pizza joint.

Duncan brought the paddle boards so he and Calleigh could paddle around the Bras d'Or Lake.  You can see them starting off if you look closely.

Meanwhile, the rest of us took a boat over to the island to the beach.

Calleigh on the way back.

One afternoon the G8 and four guys (Duncan, Rad, David, and Devin) played a round of golf at Dundee.  The four women were the victors (courtesy of a handicap, of course.

Lovely view.

Enjoying some popsicles.  I guess Colby was napping and missed out.

Steve and Kelly brought a little pool.

Colby loved their dogs, Kody and Kylie.

A trip to the Co-Op with these two = fun times.

Return trip to the ladies with the garden (last year Aubree and I had gotten stuck in the bathroom in their house so they definitely remembered us).  This year they added a kid's play area.

Cousin love.  Brady and Winnie.

Colby and Winnie.

Calleigh and Kaitlyn in their matching stripes.

Acadia and Aubree.  This year was a turning point for these two.  In year's past, Aubree gravitated towards Camden since they are the same age but this year, she because much better friends with Acadia (two years younger) and they were together most of the time.  It works out well since Brady is paired up with Camden now.

One morning the seven couples went out to breakfast in St. Peters while the G8 babysat.

Missing Ricky and Ana (who had already left), Alison and Heath, and Jonathan and Marcela.  The latter two didn't come this year.

David and Yully with the latest cousin, Karlie, born on May 1.

We are hoping to get grass really planted this offseason.  The kids still spent much of their time roaming around outside, nice grass or not.

David and Yully who built their cabin last year, built a nice fire pit this year which we all enjoyed.

Can't beat this weather!

Camille leading out in songs on Sabbath morning.

Aunt Sherrie telling a story.

Later on Sabbath afternoon we went to Point Michaud.  Remembering prior years, I brought my kids all a change of clothes thinking they wouldn't be able to resist going in the water. Sure enough... Not sure why we didn't put them in bathing suits to begin with - - sometimes its really cold so I guess we thought it would be again.

Our picnic spot.

Found Colby napping like this one day.

We did get in a little baseball at least.

Bode and Brady were good pals.

My mom and her sisters' cousin, Gary, and his wife, Mary, and daughter, Kathleen (although it would have been cool if they named her Karri), from California came to visit us for a few days.  Kathleen had her 12th birthday while there.

Shawn was kind enough to take some family pictures at a nearby park one evening.  This was one of my pictures in between poses.

Not sure what he was doing here.

Having some fun in between pictures.  Here they were getting ready for a race.  Love how Colby is posed to run in the opposite direction of everyone else!

Aunt Sherrie, who is a teacher, talking to Calleigh about some math.

Helping to rake the front yard on the last day.  Hoping this will be covered with grass next year!

More clean up as we got ready to leave.

New sign this year.

Parting shot by the last to leave.

One super, super nice thing this year is that right after we left last year, they procured two washers and dryers.  I can't even tell you how nice it is to have those onsite rather than going to a laundry mat.  The only downside is that somehow some of my white stuff got a yellowish stain on them but it was only a few things and I was able to get some off at home.  But seriously, I was happy as a pig in the mud because I came home with about 75% of our clothes clean.  Next year I'll be able to pack much less too.

We left on Thursday afternoon, August 4, hoping to get to Shawn and Camille's by midnight.  We weren't flying to come home until Sunday afternoon but thought it would be fun to spend a little time at their place.  About two hours into our trip, we came to a blocked road and they directed us on to this side road where we came to a dead standstill.  People were all getting out of their cars and walking around.  We had no idea what was going on but Duncan was greatly perturbed.  After about thirty minutes we drove again a little ways back on to the main road where a cop told us there was a bad accident and the road would be closed for several hours.  We had to backtrack thirty minutes and then take a long circuitous route up and around.  During our backtracking, we got stuck in really bad traffic again and there were some unhappy people in the car.  Actually, really just one.  Anyway, we lost a couple hours on the whole thing and didn't get to their house until about 3:00 am.

But, it was all worth it because we had a great time at their house, particularly at the small water park they have within walking distance.

Aubree was apprehensive to go down the slides but came around and then did them over and over again.

Colby even took a nap.

We went to Shawn's church on Sabbath and the kids did special music.

Sabbath afternoon walk.  It started raining and then thundering.  Remember what I said about Aubree and thunder and lightening...

Just a little bit dirty.  I can't believe it but I got all of that out.

We caught Brady taking a leak in the FRONT yard.  Good grief!

It's so hard to say good-bye.  Miss these guys so much.

We left Saturday evening to go to my parents house to sleep and then Sunday afternoon we were off back to Florida which went off with a small delay but other than that, seamlessly.

So ends Nova Scotia 2016.  Another great year!