Pictou, Nova Scotia

Good Morning

I don't know what it is about a foreign bed and pillow that keeps the Sandman at bay, but I don't need much sleep when I am on vacation. I slept well, but awoke early and decided to take a look around the place by the morning light. Warren, who apparently has the same condition, had already gone for a walk and come back with reports of the volume and voracity of the mosquitoes and black flies outside.

I opted to stay in and look out the window, but the view in front of me soon lured me outside, swatting wildly. The MacDonalds live in a beautiful house, on an incredible property that opens out onto a private beach.

Waking up to a view of the water is one of my favourite ways to wake up. I haven't done that since I was in Thailand, years ago. I walked out across the backyard and descended the stairs to the rocky beach. The tide was up pretty high, so there wasn't much for me to walk, so I just sat at the foot of the stairs and listened to the water lap up onto the shore. I felt what I can only describe as a little bit of my soul returning.

A few minutes later, I was cruelly dragged back into reality by excited barking. I turned to see two little dogs peering down at me from over the ledge. They continued to yip and yelp as I walked back up the stairs and raced off when I got to the top.

By this time, everyone else was up and I found breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen.

Over coffee and the crossword puzzle in the morning paper, we planned out what we were going to do for the day. Amanda suggested that we check out the cottage, then go into town to look around. After that, we'd head over to Bible Hill and the Shubenacadie River to do some tidal bore rafting.

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The Cottage

Not only does the MacDonald family have a kick-ass house, they also have a kick-ass cottage that's about 10 minutes away. The cottage also has a private beach (private beaches for everyone!).

As we pulled up, I noted that there was a wood pile near the cottage. One thing I've always wanted to do is learn how to split wood. Unfortunately, this wouldn't come to pass on this trip - which might have been for the better, considering all the drinking we were doing.

We went down to the beach, in hopes of seeing seals, which often spend time soaking up the sun on the sand banks. I didn't see any at first, but it didn't take long for Mike and Amanda to spot a group of them hanging out in the distance. They disappeared back into the water before I could whip out my camera.

After exploring the beach a little more, we retired to the cottage for some rest and refreshments. While cracking open a beer, I noticed an old-style stereoscope that was lodged up on the mantle. Warren pulled it down and we began to peruse through the stack of stereograms that lay next to it. The scenes ranged from Victorian settings in (presumably) New England to scenes from the Indian War to bizarre, downright creepy photographs of spectres visiting newlyweds at night. The things people did before TV.

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Pictou Town

We started to get a little hungry and Amanda suggested that we make our way into town for lunch at Murphy's. Apparently, they have the best fish and chips in town - which is quite a feat, considering that every other restaurant makes that claim.

The drive into town was short and we easily found parking. The place was almost completely devoid of pedestrian traffic, save for a few stragglers here and there. Amanda warned us that while it be relatively empty now, in a few days the streets would swell with lobster festival pilgrims from all around the neighbouring provinces. But for now, we'd have the luxury of not walking into people on the sidewalk, nor having to wait for a seat.

We looked around the town for a bit before heading into Murphy's. And I'm glad we did because:

Each time I felt homesick on this trip, I just thought of this moment and it washed all my troubles away.

As promised, the fish and chips at Murphy's retroactively made all the other fish and chips I've had to date taste like day old rat shit. While at the restuarant though, I managed to accidentally flip some switch on my camera that effectively disabled it. I eventually figured it out (still have no idea what that stupid switch does), but I'd missed out on many a photo op in the restaurant. Pity.

Off to the Shubenacadie River to ride the tidal bore.

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Big man, less-than-manly donut

Warren had this dainty little treat as we killed time in the local Tim Horton's in Bible Hill.

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Tidal Bore

If you're like me, you just nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world when Amanda said that we should check out the tidal bore. I had no idea what the tidal bore was and frankly, I'm glad I didn't because I probably wouldn't have agreed to it.

How to make your own tidal bore: take a Zeus-sized (or Jupiter-sized for you Roman god types) glass of chocolate milk, sprinkle liberally with salt and pour into a giant snowglobe. Chill overnight. Inflate a tiny raft, fill with 8 tourists in bright red/orange suits and throw into the snowglobe. Shake with vigour.

Tidal bore rafting is like white water rafting, without the rocks and silly helmets. The tide rises incredibly fast in this area and all the water is forced through a narrow channel, creating a briny vortex of chaos.

We arrived early and had some time to explore the area. Mildly distressing were all the suits they had dangling from the trees to dry. On first glance, it appeared to be the bodies of all the patrons who didn't make it. On second glance, Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit come alive.

Beside the base station was a boardwalk leading down to the boarding area. As the tide wasn't in yet, all we saw was mud leading down to the shore. (By the time we got back from being out on the water, the water level had risen so high that all the mud and grass were hidden from view. As we got off the raft, our guide warned us that if we missed the boardwalk, we'd drop into the abyss below.)

Here is Warren's video from his water/shock proof camera: