Why Not?

Beginning in 1998, we have taken an anniversary trip (almost) every year with our friends Bob and Donna.  When we first met them we discovered we had way too much in common to not become friends.  Not only did we each have 4 children...basically the same ages, we were also married the same year...one month apart.  The similarities go far beyond sharing an anniversary year... it was inevitable that we would be friends, for many, many years.

On our 20th anniversary we started this tradition with a trip to Asheville, NC.  We laughed, we explored the area, we narrowly avoided being sideswiped on the freeway in Atlanta, we ate, we drank Dom Perignon, we listened to TJ slam the screen door multiple times very early in the morning while we tried to sleep in, we got to know each other much better and we vowed to do it again...and again.  Some years we only went as far as another city in Georgia, some years we visited new cities in the U.S., a few times we visited the other couple at their home and some years we travelled to foreign countries.  We have missed a few years... but not many.  In the years we did not take a special trip we would see each other at one of our kids' weddings or just a random visit and count it as our anniversary trip.

17 years ago

Who are these youngsters?

This year we decided to visit Portland, Oregon.  Why, you ask?  Why not!  Neither of us had been to Portland and it seemed like a good place to visit.  I really did not expect Oregon to be so beautiful! I don't know what I expected.  Bob and Donna arrived five days before we did and tempted tortured me with their beautiful pictures.  It only made me look more forward to the visit.

Tea rose at the International Test Rose Garden in Portland, Or 

and the theme of the trip!

We began and ended the trip looking at mother nature's beauty.  When you visit some cities you are there to see the city.  A trip to Portland is multi-dimensional.  The city has plenty to offer but outside the city there are amazing things to do and see in every direction!  Why not do our best to do it all?!  My introduction to Portland was a yummy lunch followed by a walk through the International Test Rose Garden.  The sun popped through the clouds at this point and the roses were stunning!

I could not take enough pictures, they were absolutely beautiful!

Our second day was spent outside again!  We explored the Columbia River Gorge and in spite of the typical northwest weather (fog, clouds and drizzle) we enjoyed the waterfalls and the scenic drive along the Columbia River.  I can just imagine how breathtaking it would all be on a clear day.  We hiked a bit to see some of the falls and deluded ourselves into thinking our exertion would justify all of the delicious food, beer and wine we found in the area!

On a clear day... we could have seen forever!

Yes, we hiked up to the bridge, why not?

That night we had dinner with my niece, her husband and the son of some friends back in Columbus.  I was expecting a nice table for 7 and found out we would be a party of 11!  Who knew we would also see another couple from Columbus and their daughter and son-in-law!  They were in the area, so why not get together?  It turned out to be quite the dinner!  Visiting everyone at a table of 11 is a challenge, so I got to have my niece and her husband all to myself and loved it!  I couldn't help but think as we dined with the newlyweds that I hope someday along their road they meet another couple like we did and form a friendship that survives time and distance and continues to grow for many years.

Saturday was the rainy day.  How does one spend a rainy day in Portland?  Wine tasting... why not?  Our driver, Roberto, chauffeured us to the Willamette Valley and we did our best to visit the most scenic wineries and taste some delicious pinot noirs and pinot gris.  It was tough work but we were up to the challenge!

Glad we all brought our rain jackets!

Beautiful....even in crappy weather!

That night we gave our dedicated driver a break and decided to stay home and eat and drink so he could participate.  It was a good idea but as "they" say, no good deed goes unpunished.  We played Euchre, snacked, drank and diligently did the dishes and started the dishwasher.  We were all fading and thinking about going to bed.  I went into the kitchen to get some water and looked down and my brain could not process what I was seeing.  A very large mass of white stuff on the floor....apparently coming out of the dishwasher!  All hands on deck!  Guess what happens when you put dish soap in the dishwasher instead of dishwasher soap?  BUBBLES!!!  Lots of bubbles!  We used every dry towel, a few sheets, bailed lots of bubbles and water out of the dishwasher, mopped and mopped, bailed and bailed, and watched very carefully when we restarted the machine.  None of us were very tired after beating down the bubbles.  We really should have gone out and let someone else do the dishes!  At least we all had a good laugh before bed!

Our last day started with donuts and ended with a sunset on the beach.  One of the most perfect days ever!  How could it not be with two of my favorite things in life?  I seldom indulge in donuts anymore because I can't stop at just one and more than one is just a road to Weight Watchers.  I do make exceptions and Blue Star donuts is an exception.  Their donuts are not just your garden variety donuts.  They have flavors like Blueberry Bourbon Basil, Buttermilk Old Fashioned, Real Maple and Bacon,  Lemon and Lime Curd to name a few.  I wanted one of each!  We ordered about 10 and shared them all so we could try the interesing flavors, why not?! The perfect way to start the day.

They sit and wait...calling my name! 

After we devoured the donuts, we walked them off at the Portland Sunday market before we headed to the coast with high hopes.  We at lunch at a brew pub and were seranaded by local sea lions, which are a town menace but great for tourists armed with cameras.

They are so LOUD!

Lunch with a view...and purple beer!

Next stop....the Pacific coast!  I expected it would be lovely and I was not wrong.  Again, the weather was not perfect but it was not bad either.  All day there was just enough blue in the sky to give us hope.  We timed our trip so we would end up at the coast in time to do a little exploring and end the day with sunset before we had to go.  I was beginning to feel like I had drug everyone on a wild goose chase in hopes of the perfect sunset that was obviously not going to happen judging by the cloud cover.  But we were so close... why not?  We were rewarded with some photo worthy vistas along the drive.

There were glimmers of hope on the horizon

And then there was just haze and clouds....

Haystack Rock is worth the drive alone.  We got lucky and it was low tide so we could walk right up to it which I think made the view even better!  I probably took 50 pictures at Haystack Rock.  It is hard to pick the best ones to share.  I was the paparazzi and the rock was the celebrity!  You know it is something to marvel when at sunset there are photographers lined up with cameras mounted on tripods waiting for the magic.  I only wish I had their knowledge....and equipment.

Aren't they cute?

So without further adieu

 Anatomy of a Sunset

The clouds are breaking, I have hope....

See?  Just wait!

Hang on, I see blue sky!  Ignore that cloud bank on the horizon.

This is our album cover photo, Odd Man Out.

I am highly encouraged by this sky!
 The low tide really was a photographer's blessing!

They are wondering if I "really" am going to wait for sunset...
or can we go now?
"yes...and no"

It's coming.....

Getting better!

Good things come to those who wait!

Thanks for waiting!
Happy37 years!

Perfect end to the perfect day!

It was a lovely evening and worth the wait....
at least for me!

Catalogs and Computers

One of the things we had to deal with once we got home is our long lost mail.  This year our mail seemed to have a bit of trouble finding us.  In other years, I would go to the post office, fill out a form and it would all be forwarded to the farmhouse.  This year, they apparently forgot where Nova Scotia was or decided they no longer forward to a foreign country.  Whatever happened, we had a lot of mail when we got home and the occasional envelope in our mailbox at the shore that was actually forwarded from the states.  There is no explaining the postal service!

One of the main things that greeted me at home were all of the fall cataloges. Remember them?  I love cataloges.  I have loved them ever since I was a kid.  I don't get as many as I used to ever since the Internet was invented!  Now I get emails from my favorite stores which I ususally delete unless I am looking for something or am very bored.  But to have a real printed cataloge is still a treat for me. So imagine my delight when I had several waiting for me when I got home.  Small things people!

Remember this catalog?

 I  remember a time when catalogs would hang around on my coffee table or in my bathroom and I would look at them over and over.  I would pick out tops, bottoms, favorite looks, dream pieces and imagine what they would look like on me.  Every time I looked at the same catalog I would find different things to love or hate.  In those days my clothing budget was limited... very limited.  So dreaming of clothes was a luxury I could afford.  On the good side, I had a body that resembled the ones in the catalog closer than the one I have now.  The looks in the book had a remote chance of looking similar on me back then!

My point is that those catalogs gave me such pleasure and provided me with delayed gratification.  Something there is a shortage of these days.  If there was something in the book that I became obsessed with or just couldn't live without I would look at it over and over and finally order the prized item.  I would wait weeks for it to arrive and sometimes be thrilled with it and others be sadly disappointed by the fit or quality and mail it back.  I bought my first pair of Reebok shoes out of a catalog before they were even sold in stores.  I just knew they were the perfect shoes for me to wear when I taught aerobics.  Yes, I was right there with Jane Fonda herself in the '80s teaching aerobics four times a week in my Reebok shoes, leg warmers and leotards!

I loved my Reeboks!

I just don't get the same pleasure out of a website on the computer.  I don't go back over and over and dream of certain things.  It just isn't the same.....so I am totally enjoying my fall catalogs!

It's Time to Go "Home"

The signs are all around me that is is time to head back south.  Yesterday we played our last round of golf at the course up here.  The skies were gray and it wasn't too warm...or too cold, but it was very wet.  We played anyway and enjoyed the last "air conditioned" golf for about another month.  I always pay attention to the trees on the course, from afar, because I never hit into the trees!  When we first arrived they were all light green with brand new leaves.  Yesterday the apple trees had apples on them and there were bright red berries on other trees, just waiting for the deer and bears to eat them and fatten up for the impending winter.  Fall is in the air and it makes me think it's time to fly...or drive...south.

Fall berries

As we drove home from the golf course I saw the first display of fall colored leaves.  I sometimes wish we could stay here long enough to enjoy the full display of leaf color.  I'm sure one day we will, but that day is not this year.

I can only imagine what it all looks like in full color!

Another sign that it is time to go back is when I start hearing from my friends "back home".  Real life starts knocking on my door or texting me or emailing me, coercing me to reengage.  It seems that everyone else has returned to their real lives and are ready to get together.  Summer in the south really is hibernation season.  All of us either leave town or stay inside and try not to exert too much energy lest we pass out from heat exhaustion.  Fall arrives and everyone gets a little more lively and the schedule seems to fill right up.  I find myself feeling like I am missing out on things back home and this can only be seen as a sign....that it's time to head south.

When everyone else has left the shore...it's time for us to go home.  This year a few of us have stayed on a bit longer than usual and it has been a lot of fun!  We really have had a lovely last month here and I look forward to a time when more and more of my friends and family stay longer and longer.  This also means that we will all be older and older which may or may not be a positive.  I guess it beats the alternative, to quote TJ.  I still haven't quite become a local, so as a summer person, when summer goes, so must I.

The garden is just about tapped out!  This may be one of the first times in history that we have consumed most of the garden.  We have done an admirable job of using our resources this year.  We have actually eaten or preserved most of our tomatoes.  Some years we leave before we even have ripe tomatoes.  This year we had a bumper crop and totally enjoyed them!  The garden is starting to look a bit tired and trampled and we have been less than diligent with the weeding.  Must be time to go.

I feel like one of the Von Trapp family singing, "the sun has gone to bed and so must I..." because when the days get shorter and the sun sets farther and farther along the horizon it can only mean it's time to go "home".   So on this final night of yet another wonderful summer, I reluctantly say goodbye to the best place on earth.  It really was a great summer....but aren't they all?

June 2015

Sunset September 2015
When the sun sets over the trees it's time to say goodbye.

Left Behind

I know everyone thinks "staying on" is all dinner parties, sunny days, beautiful sunsets, quiet walks on the sandbars and easy living.  I guess you are right to a certain extent.  What you don't know is the sad, ugly truth behind being the last ones to leave.  There are a few things the ones who stay a few weeks or simply rent a cottage and move on don't know.  The price we pay to "stay on" is.....the final refrigerator cleaning!  There are many jobs that need to get done before you can close up the cottage or the house for the winter.  But the worst, by far, if you ask me....is the refrigerator!

We get to turn this...

into this!

This transformation is not without it's hurdles.  Take for instance, the trash rules around here!  Add to those rules the fact that we have a septic system and no garbage disposal.  What does one do with 4 bottles of mustard, 6 bottles of half used salad dressing, 3 huge bottles of ketchup (I personally think no one should buy a huge bottle of ketchup for a 1-3 week vacation, no matter how much cheaper it is than the small one) and numerous other condiments that have been bestowed on you by those who came and went a long time ago?  You see, everyone hates to waste all those condiments when they leave so they "give" them to the ones who are "staying on".  It then becomes our job to use or get rid of the orphaned condiments.  I personally do not use one bottle of ketchup in a calendar year much less 3 in two weeks!  What to do?

I have decided I cannot let the great condiment invasion ruin my last few precious weeks.  I must detach myself from those bottles and allow myself to throw out their contents...guilt free.  I have the bin of joy to thank for making this part of "staying on" easier for me.  I threw away more stuff today than I have consumed all summer long.  I was shameless.  My green bin now has enough mayo, mustard, relish and salad dressing to last it about a year.  I hope it ultimately turns into some wonderful soil that will help someone grow a beautiful garden, full of tomatoes and cucumbers, to make more ketchup and relish!  I have chosen not to feel guilty about this...and you shouldn't either.

But seriously people... next year when you come for your vacation, splurge and buy the mini size condiments or just borrow from a neighbor who bought the ginormous bottle of ketchup and throw the leftovers away yourself, it's a very liberating feeling.  However, if you have any leftover wine...I will be more than happy to adopt it and dispose of it properly.

Dear Nova Scotia

Dear Nova Scotia,
How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  I love thee from shore to shore, sunrise to sunset and everything in between.

I love your rocky shores and extreme tides.  They are unlike anything I've ever seen before.

When high tide looks  like this.....

and low tide looks like this!

 I love that there are shores you can sit on and enjoy a day at the beach and shores that are so rocky they can only be enjoyed from afar.

Definitely enjoying this view!

I love that some days can be hopelessly dreary and cloudy and leave me feeling a little sluggish until evening comes and suddenly, as if Moses parted the clouds, a beautiful sky appears just in time for the sun to set and I forget all about the dreary day.

A cloudy day that ended well.  

I love the fact that I come here with my "real life" baggage and in a matter of days I am reset to a healthier, simpler life.  Not everyone has the opportunity to get back to what is really important and let go of all the clutter in their mind and their life.  I feel very lucky to have this place as my reset button every year.

I love your miles and miles of rugged coastline, green fields, forests and farms.  I love that there are cities to explore and enjoy the finer things in life and charming rural villages to appreciate the simple things in life.  I've had the pleasure to see both sides.

Enjoying the good life in Halifax!

Tatamagouche, one of the quaint towns in the area. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, people in Nova Scotia are creative!  There are arts and crafts all around the province.  Aside from all of the Scotia Women I know, who inspire me with their craftiness, there are some very good artists in the province.  I love visiting Bass River to see this lovely artist, even though all I can afford to do is look at her paintings and maybe buy a postcard or note card.  The drive is scenic and the gallery is lovely.  Not a year goes by without a visit to Sara Bonnyman , where I have purchased all of my favorite pottery.  I use it every day up here!  I find myself wondering why I don't have any of it in my real life in Houston.  Someday.....

I love your music!  My life would be very different if I had never heard The Rankin Family.  I can thank them for some of my favorite experiences ever!  One in particular reoccurs every year during the games.  It has also happened at each of the weddings of my three married children.  There is something joyous and overwhelming that happens when all of your favorite people circle around on the dance floor and The Mull River Shuffle begins with it's infectious piano banging and reeling fiddle!
Here is an ode to The Mull River Shuffle.....Amherst Shore version.

 "Picture this ladies and gentlemen..."
It's the first weekend in August in a small seaside community
At Lesley Brown's "barn".
It's Sunday night...
You've just finished a weekend of back breaking games
And you left it all on the field.... and on the sandbars.
You're standing around on the the dance floor
under the dim light of the "barn".
Everyone is laughing and joking and telling stories...
about their athletic prowess.
You're halfway through a case of......Kieth's IPA....
And you're getting aaaalllll fired up.....for the dance!

Finally, Nova Scotia, I love exploring your many shores.  I've been to the Annapolis Valley and seen the rolling hills and vineyards.  I've seen the Fundy Shore, Five Islands and Cape d'Or.  I've driven many of the miles along the Northumberland Shore.  But possibly my favorite drive is the Cabot Trail.  I am transported to another country when I visit Cape Breton.  Our visit last weekend only confirmed that it truly is a magnificent drive.

Where the golf courses look like this....

The scenery looks like this...

The highways never cease to amaze...

And sunset is worth the wait.

Nova Scotia, I look forward to discovering more reasons to fall in love with you!  Thanks for the rainy day to spend writing and the sunshine that followed.
Love,
Lisa

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!