Tour de Texas

I've seen miles and miles of Texas over the last few weeks.  I guess before I go north for the summer it's good to see what I'll be missing.  Mother Nature has surprised us repeatedly with cool front after cool front, blue skies, low humidity (a rarity here!), moderate temperatures and a spring that has gone on much longer than usual.  These conditions have made driving back and forth from Houston to Baton Rouge, Houston to Dallas and Houston to Austin a real pleasure...even for a person who does not love driving long distances.

This is considered a "scenic overlook" in Texas

With the latest ventures across the state I have also noticed the different personalities of the cities in our state.  Dallas is new, shiny, and glitzy with nicer topography than Houston and a very "Texas" feel to me.  If Dallas were in high school it would be that popular football player or the cute cheerleader or the studly cowboy whose family has the biggest ranch in town.  Austin is hilly, lovely, the state capitol, home of the University of Texas....and it prides itself on being weird.  I like that!  Mix politics, education, music and a little weird all together and you get Austin.  If Austin were in high school it would be the artsy, tattooed, smart, more liberal, alternative kid with a future in politics (hehehe).  Houston is home... so my eyes don't really see it as others might.  To me Houston is big, diverse, industrial, a bit posh in places, not as pretty topographically speaking, with a little something for everyone.  Hard to say who Houston would be in high school but possibly it would be all the rest of the kids in the spectrum between the popular kids and the alternative kids.  Don't you just love stereotypes?  I must say I enjoyed experiencing each of these cities and seeing their unique personalities.

A fun Sunday night at Pete's Dueling Piano Bar in Austin!
Sight of the most fun I've ever had on 6th street!

Everything is bigger in Texas!
 Especially our football stadiums!

Back home in Houston, I realized it was less than a month before our departure to Nova Scotia.  This brought mixed emotions, as I knew it would.  Life at home has been good.  No complaints!  Usually I have the stifling weather to drive me north... not this year.  Usually I am bored with the everyday-ness of my life and am ready to change things up.  Usually the call of the shore beckons my soul well before I am able to leave.  The call is a faint whisper right now.  I know in a month it will be a shout that I will feel deep inside and won't be able to resist.  Heart vs. mind... a challenge in so many of life's choices.  In my mind, I know the reasons for our early migration and they are all legitimate and logical.  In my heart, I can't quite get there and embrace it yet.

This face is one reason my heart is hesitating to migrate so soon!

I know that as soon as I see the farmhouse, smell the fresh salt air, see my first of many beautiful sunsets and let myself enjoy the slower pace of life at the shore my heart will catch up with my head and all will be right in my world again....but until then I will be the one dragging my feet, struggling to figure out what to pack in my bags and burning daylight.

Local Goodness

One of the great things, and there are many, about being at the farmhouse all summer is the fact that I can eat an entire meal that has come from a person or place I know.  This place makes eating local easy.  I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver a few years ago and marveled at her family's discipline while living an entire year eating only food they grew or that was grown or raised within 100 miles.  ( a rough synopsis, sorry Mrs. Kingsolver).  It was such a great book that my husband and several of my children also read it. We all related to our wonderful summers here in rural Nova Scotia and the fresh foods we are lucky enough to eat while we are here.  It's a great book, I highly recommend  it!

I'll be one of the first people to admit that my diet could use a little tweeking.  I enjoy my share of sugar, fat,  processed foods and wine.   Up here I'm able to change to a healthier one, in spite of my attraction to Cheetos and cookies.  I try most of the time to eat a balanced diet, but am by no means fanatical about it, I'm not fanatical about much....except maybe sunsets.

All natural, locally produced, gluten free, dairy free... sunset!

My sister (the one I share a brain with) and I took a little road trip last weekend and somewhere between the farmer's market, the brewery, the winery and the oyster farm it hit me that we are able to eat locally for much of the summer.   The bacon and eggs we ate for breakfast were bought from someone down the road and the lobster is from the guy up the road who has his own lobster boat and caught them that day.  The lettuce in the salad was harvested in the backyard along with the carrots, beets, potatoes, zucchini, onions, beans, peas, and all the herbs we enjoy most of the summer.  Cooking dinner involves finding some protein, which I'll admit, much of it has been bought at the store, and going into the garden to see what needs to be picked.  Although, there are some occasions that the protein has been bought from the farmer up the road or a local fisherman or oyster farmer nearby.  It just has to be healthier, right?

The road between oysters and wine.

On our little field trip we went to the farmer's market where my sister bought some vegetables and  I bought farm fresh eggs.  We tasted maple cream, a delicious fudge-like substance that is pure goodness!  I refrained from buying any though, just what I don't need...pure, temptingly delicious sugar to snack on all day.  We bought some pottery from a local woman.  I also bought a meringue baked by another local person... I'm not a saint.  This market is something I wish we had where I live.  Yes, we have a farmer's market, but the produce is no where near the caliber of the produce grown up here in heaven!

This just makes me want to cook....and eat!

This is where the oysters grew up.....

Speaking of oysters.....one of our, now traditional,  evenings involves oysters and croquet.  We have found a new place, very nearby, to buy oysters.  You know they are fresh when you call in the morning, place your order, and the lady on the phone says, "Thanks, I'll go out in the boat and get them!".  We had our oysters with freshly processed horseradish from a neighbor's garden.  Super delicious!  We played croquet, ate oysters, drank beer from a nearby brewery and wine from the winery near the oyster farm.  Can't get any more local than that!

Playing croquet in the yard!  A new family tradition.

This is where we ate the delicious oysters!

One cute couple in the croquet photo booth!

The local brewery where we bought our beer!
Pure Tatamagoodness!

The grapes at Jost Winery where we bought
several bottles of wine!

We also enjoyed a couple glasses of Sangria.....
because it was hot and there was live music...and
the sun was shining!

One more example of a totally local meal.  Last night, we were having lobster for dinner with the same sister and her boys.  She picked the lobster up at the dock, right out of the fisherman's boat!  They were a bargain too, if you ask me.  We served the lobster with the best butter in the world, made in Nova Scotia.  The side dishes were carrots and beans from the local farmer's market.  Can't get any more local than that!  Delicious....you bet!

Dinner...before

Dinner.....after.
He can't wait to jump into that Tatamagouche butter bath!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner.....the best butter ever!
Cholesterol?  What cholesterol?

Since there are very few options, as far as dining out around here, I am very thankful for the bounty mother nature has provided for us in the summers up here.  Grocery shopping is very different when you virtually pass the produce department.  It feels very strange to pass up so many of my weekly purchases.  I still buy a few items though, because try as we may, we can't grow avocados and bananas up here!

Being Gigi

My summer started ages ago with the long road trip north in May and if I look at pictures it has been a pretty darn good summer.  The central figures of my summer have been these guys...

Daniel

Christopher

and John!

The trip began with the birth of John and getting to spend 11 days with their family while Mom, Dad, and the boys welcomed John.  I was there to cook, clean, help Mom, play with the boys and of course the most important job...rock-a-bye John.  A mere five weeks later they came to the shore for the summer!

When the boys got here they had to figure out shore life.  It is a different life than "real" life.  Anyone who reads this blog knows that the rules at the shore a a bit different than those at home and I'm not just talking trash sorting.  There is more freedom here, the leash is a little longer.  It is a place for kids to be kids and run around with sticks and play Star Wars, pretend, swim all day, stay up past their bedtimes and get dirtier than they ever get in "real" life.  In my mind, it has been a place for kids to learn some important life skills and lessons.  Yes, playing Star Wars with sticks instead of video games and getting dirty are life skills in my book!  Running around with a pack of cousins and friends of all ages, year after year, gives a person roots.

Star Wars Land

When Daniel and Christopher arrived they were fresh off welcoming their new baby brother.  Their lives had changed.  John was a little six week old baby and Mommy was still a bit tired.  When they left they were all still a little tired, this place does that to you, but they were tan and relaxed too.  John went from a newborn to a precious chattering baby whose smile can melt your heart.  The boys made friends that they will have forever... as long as they come back to the shore.

the first week...clean bathing suits and no tan lines

John's first week, not quite the smiling cooing little baby who left here five weeks later.

They all had a great summer and took to shore life like many of us have generation after generation.  This place gets into your blood!  Maybe it is all that red dirt....  Rachel was able to see the shore in a different light.  She came early in the summer and got to experience the calm and relatively quiet times.  She got to feel the pace begin to pick up and the craziness of the games.  Then she welcomed the return to the calmer days.  She also got to see a glimpse of what my life as a mother of four was like (survival mode) when Daddy was home working for three or four weeks and and what it felt like when Daddy finally rejoined the family (relief!).   I would not have traded a minute of it either!  I hope she feels the same way.

I am blessed to have been able to spend such a long time with my grandsons and my daughter.  I know there are families who live in the same town and get to spend a lot of time together but we live very far apart and I miss out on a lot of grandson moments.  This summer was my special time to get to know my grandsons.  I wasn't Gigi who shows up every few months and it is a frenzy of activity because we are together!  I was Gigi who they saw every day for five weeks, no frenzy needed.  It's a different thing if you know what I mean.

And now some cute grandson pictures from their summer....

Painting birdhouses in the basement.

Tummy time with John.

Tractor show!

Wearing neon for Don!

Exploring on the beach

watching the softball game

Mommy and Michelle with John and Ross, future friends for life!



Heading to the beach!

Bye guys!  It was a fun summer!  I love being your Gigi!

How to be a True "Scotia Woman"

My sisters and I have an ongoing conversation about "Scotia Woman".  We have spent many summers in Nova Scotia and since we were raised in the South there have been many qualities we have observed over the years as Scotia Woman characteristics.  These characteristics are uniquely different from the typical Southern Belle (even though we really aren't typical Southern Belles) lifestyle and so they stood out to us over the years. After our many summers here, we have adopted some of the behaviors and can only hope that some day we too can be true Scotia Women!  You may be a Scotia Woman yourself or know a Scotia Woman or even have Scotia Woman days, it's all  good!  Just in case you ever aspire to Scotia Womanhood, here are a few defining characteristics.

-Scotia Women don't wear make-up on a daily basis.  Who has the time and anyway, who needs it?  Sunscreen and bug spray however are applied frequently.

-Scotia Women have no problem with the weather.  Rain, wind, sun, it's all the same, don't let it keep you inside!




It's a lovely day for strawberry picking!



Scotia Woman trainee picking berries!

    
-Scotia Women always have the right clothing for the conditions.

Almost perfect attire for rainy day berry picking, or just taking a long walk.

There are a couple vital items that are missing from this photo.....

-Scotia Women own at least one pair of rubber boots and the classic yellow slicker!

or a whole family of rubber boots!

For day or night wear!

Some Scotia women have been known to get up in the wee hours of the morning, throw on their boots and slicker in the middle of a blowing rain storm and go down to the beach to check on all the boats on the shore to make sure they have not floated off to sea.

-Scotia Women are very aware of the weather conditions and are always willing to help a neighbor in need.

-Scotia Women hang their clothes on a clothesline to dry.  That's what sunny days are for! Clothes pegging is a dying art!

-Scotia Women like to be outdoors, for chores and recreation.

work and play





Perfect day for a Scotia Woman swim!

-Scotia Women are the do it yourself types.  Whether it be organic gardening, canning, or baking bread!  It all tastes so much better!
They can turn this-

Hand picked at the U-Pick

                                                                   Into this:

Delicious strawberry jam!

-Scotia Women are also crafty.....some are hookers (of the rug hooking variety), some paint, some quilt or knit.  I think this is due to the fact that winters are very long up here and the need to entertain yourself is high.  Maybe they are just more talented and creative than most.

-Scotia Women are not wimps!  I repeat, Scotia Women are not wimps!

-A Scotia Woman golfer is willing to play in the best and worst conditions at almost any time of day. 

I've crossed over!  Dew kicking golf.....check!

My sisters and I, along with our daughters (some who have been prominently featured in this post) have spent years trying to achieve true Scotia Womanhood.  It is not something easily achieved by girls raised in the South aka GRITS.  We like to dress in lightweight colorful clothes and wear makeup.  We are used to living in the air conditioning and we buy our jam at the store.  If we wear rubber boots they usually have Burberry plaid or some other equally trendy pattern on them.  We are not used to braving the elements on a daily basis, the most challenging elements we face are heat and humidity and their hair frizzing ability.  We only play golf when the weather is nice because you know if it isn't nice today it will be soon  and that goes for all 12 months of the year.  And if we hung our clothes out to dry they would end up stiff as a board and have a nice exfoliating quality when we wore them.

Spending 3 months living in a rural farmhouse has it's way of turning this southern girl into a Scotia Woman.  Well, at least for the summer!  Cheers to all the real Scotia Women!

So Long Farewell

It is the eve of my departure from one of the more memorable summers in my life. Well, at least now I remember it.

I have cleaned the bathrooms, mopped the floors, washed the towels and sheets, put everything away from the deck (sigh), bathed the dog, packed my suitcase, emptied the fridge (well, mostly), locked the windows that have been open almost every day for the last 2 months, checked my email about 100 times in an effort to not do all of these things and now it is almost time for bed. How can I make this time last forever? This summer has been the best!

I wondered at the beginning if I would be able to stay up here for 2 months. I can remember when I was a kid thinking that if I could stay here that long it would be awesome and then there were some years....when the kids were young, that I thought I would never be able to stay up here that long and why would I want to? I mean come on...no clothes dryer, no telephone (at the time), no TV, and I had to cook every meal! But I must be getting old or grown up or mature or something but I have embraced my time up here this year. Right time, right place, and oh, right weather. Did I mention that we had maybe 6 rainy days in 2 months? In my book, that is something to write home about. A summer to remember.

So it is with a bit of sadness that I will tuck in tonight. We put a lot of hard work into this farmhouse and this has been it's first real summer complete with visitors and family and dinners and sunsets and it has been all I anticipated. The place is starting to take shape. My/our vision is coming into focus. You can't always be sure things will work out the way you planned. So far, so good in this case.

Tomorrow, Sadie (super dog) and I head back down south. I hope she makes her flight...and gets through customs without any delay. I am going to put off reality for a few more days and stop off in NYC! Sadie will have to go all the way to Houston and keep TJ company. I will be acclimating myself back to civilization abruptly. Nothing like going from Green Acres to NYC in 2 hours! Whoo hoo, bring it on. I hope the wide eyed look when I come out of the train station doesn't give me away as a tourist. Do you think? It may take all of 10 minutes to become cityfied (it is in MY dictionary). Actually, it will be very unfortunate to lose all of this peace and tranquility in such a short amount of time. Houston will seem like a small town after the Big Apple.

So I bid you all farewell from my little piece of heaven....Nova Scotia and the farmhouse. Re-entry can be bumpy....stay tuned.