Nova Scotia - Day 3

Day 3. September 27, 2022.

Marcie and I woke up, showered, got dressed, lugged our suitcases downstairs to the car, left the room key in the room and began our drive to Shelburne. We drove north a bit to Bridgewater and ate at Fancy Pants Café. After consuming a good old fashion breakfast, we drove to Port Medway Lighthouse.

The day called for fog, with partly sunny around noon and lasting for the rest of the day. Our drive and visit to Port Medway were in the fog, and I loved it. My eyes scanned the wharf, the boats, the water, and even the anglers on the dock. I didn’t know what to shoot, so I shot it all. Looking back, I think my favorite picture of the entire trip came from here.

While walking along the pier, I spoke to an angler. He told me he was 69 years old and had been fishing for a few hours that morning for mackerel, but only had one catch. He told me, “Usually a bunch of seals up here. Sign of what to expect today. No fish, no seals.” There were about 8 boats tied up to the pier and he explained they were halibut angler but done for the day. He also explained to me about the gigantic machine I was standing next to and how it was used to get the fish off the boat. “That big hose is like a vacuum. Sucks the fish right off the boat, that thing filters out the junk, and then the fish come out of that chute into those big containers there.”

Our next stop was Beach Meadows Beach. The fog was so thick, like a Scooby Doo cartoon. We could not see over 20 feet offshore. A man was walking his dog along the beach. They disappeared into the mist, but I could snag a shot of them before they did so. In typical fashion, Marcie walked down to the water’s edge and put her hand in to gauge the temperature. “Not too bad, but cold.”

Continuing south, we arrived at Liverpool and first stopped at Fort Point Lighthouse. The doors were locked up, so we walked around a bit before I spotted a man in the harbor in a canoe. He waved, and I took his picture. There was also a group of ducks resting on nearby rocks while one was beating his wings in the water, repeatedly cleaning himself. The echo of his wings slapping the water sounded like deep gun shots. As the man and the canoe passed the ducks on the rock, they all flew off and disappeared into the fog. We drove back into Liverpool and ate at the Memories café before moving on to our next location.

Our next stop was Western Head Lighthouse. Like before, we could not see far from the lighthouse into the water and didn’t stay long as every 3-5 minutes the lighthouse horn was sounding. This place was surrounded by a large concrete wall and huge rocks on the shoreline.

Around noon the clouds broke and out came the sun. We continued along Lighthouse Route (Shore Road) and arrived at our next destination, which was Whispering Waves Cottages in Ingomar, NS. The road leading to the cottage of Shore Drive reminded me of North Carolina. A two lane, winding road, boarded by thick woods and fog in the treetops. As we got closer to the cottages, there were deer in the road and we would see more surrounding our cottage. They ate the apples on the ground and looked at us with no fear. Before we reached our accommodations, one deer even stopped in the middle of the road, which consequently forced me to do the same. She strolled to the driver’s side of our car; I rolled down the window, and she slowly meandered past us. I drove off, seeing her still in the middle of the road in my rear-view mirror.

After unloading our belongings, we drove back to Shelburne, where we ate at Mr. Fish. I had the fish burger, which I learned was just a fish sandwich and fries. It was delicious. We watched a young man order 2 double cheeseburgers and when they arrived; he made it one large sandwich. Four patties, double the bacon, cheese, and extras, only thing he removed was the extra two buns. He got the attention of everyone in the place, and the server asked to get a picture for their Facebook page. He was still eating it when we left.

Heading back to the cottage, we stopped on Highway 3, where it crossed Roseway River. The dark water, large boulders, surrounding woods and light mist made me again think of the mountain streams of North Carolina, yet we were only a few miles from the ocean. This river actually fed into the Atlantic Ocean.

Our last stop before heading back to the cottage was at Carleton Village Beach. As we parked and approached the beach, we say a man throwing a stick out into the ocean. His black lab Schooner was running full speed and diving then swimming to the stick, then bringing it back. We watched Schooner roll in the sand, dig in the sand, throw seaweed up in the air with his paws, run in circles and occasionally give the man the stick. The routine continued. While speaking to him, Schooner ran up to us, shook off the water onto us and ran back down to the water. Huge smiles on our faces while the man apologized. No need. I loved Schooner’s joy. He gave me some of that in that moment. We headed back to our car while they walked in the other direction down the beach. I turned and grabbed a snapshot of them. A smile covered my face as I thought about what Kota would have done.

We returned south to our cottage and relaxed while I waited for the sunset to grab a few more shots, then headed to bed. Marcie came out, took a picture, then went back inside. I stayed for a while, reflecting on the day we had and how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place. I also, as I always do, thought about what it would be like to live there. We would be back in Indiana a few days later because I know what she would say.

Until next time.

Tim (Kilmer)