One Year Anniversary

Report: October, 2011

One Year Anniversary

As of October 10th we've been in Halifax for a whole year. After experiencing all the seasons have to offer we can safely say we're in a more mild section of Canada. We did a lot of reflecting concerning the past 12 months. There was a list of all of our likes and dislikes, the things we miss and the new things that have taken their place. In the end we know we are happy to call this corner of the world Home.


Guitar:

In the hopes of learning to play the guitar again I ended up registering for a class at the rec center. Since the guitar I already own is still sitting snugly in storage I figured I had better pick up a new one. I didn't want the exact same instrument I already owned since that one was picked out especially for me from some of my favorite people in the world. So I was off to a local store that was recommended by multiple people in town. The Halifax Folklore Centre is known for it's superior service and knowledge base. I ended up with a guitar that is smaller than my folk style so the sound is very different. Little did I think when I went into the shop would I walk out with a black guitar. I found out that Pierce Brosnan has been in town the last few weeks filming the latest Stephen King movie and ended up buying the same guitar that I did. So it seems that my new instrument already had a name. With Pierce in hand I headed to the check out ready for our lessons to begin.

A very small section of the store. There were a ton of guitars available for a test play.

Noah, my sales rep, was a total rockstar.

Welcome Home Pierce :)

Thanksgiving Road Trip - Peggys cove, Mahone bay, Lunenburg:

Due to our friends having a child emergency our scheduled Canadian Thanksgiving was postponed. We had already rented a car for the weekend to accommodate the hectic schedule so we figured why not check out a few places around the province that we've wanted to see but haven't made the time to. One quick look at Google Maps and we were off and running to see the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, the historic town of Lunenburg and a quick stroll around picturesque Mahone Bay.

The lighthouse at Peggy's Cove is your final stop after driving through a very rugged sea side landscape. 

Walking along the worn down rocky shore was breathtaking. We were really glad the weather was picture perfect.

Inukshuk was here! The direct native translation of the Inukshuk stone figure is "in the likeness of man" but it's more broad meanings are "someone was here, you are on the right path". They can also be used as directional markers, memorial sites, notification of strong spirits and good areas to forage.

Of course we didn't see this until we had already crawled all over the rocks and went right to the edge of the ocean. Maybe this sign should not be on the lighthouse that you have to walk over the rocks to see?

It wouldn't be Nova Scotia without a few lobster traps laying about.

Lunenburg is a small German settlement about an hour south of us. It's known for it 's old world charm and historic districts dating back to the 1750's.

A cute little view from the waterfront.

Almost every building had a bright contrasting paint than it's neighbor. 

Glad to see the foilage knows it's fall.

Mahone Bay is a tiny town that we passed through on the way to Lunenburg but it was so darn charming we stopped on the way back to take a look around.

A quaint shop showing a bit of color and pumpkin pride.

The town had beautiful waterways that fit perfectly around the city design.

Every October the town does a scarecrow contest.

A View directly across from Mahone Bay to it's neighboring shore. 

Another scenic view

He seemed to be waiting for a fish or two to pop out of the inlet.

The gorgeous sunset on the way home.

Windsor Pumpkin Festival:

Day two of the Thanksgiving weekend found us at the Great Pumpkin Regatta in the town of Windsor. It was everything a small town event should be. It had a parade down main street, fried food vendor galore, a chili cookoff, plus motor powered and hand paddled pumpkins. Weather was perfect so we couldn't ask for a better fall event.

Our official welcome sign

The parade crowd

This here is a giant pumpkin with a simple plank and motor attachment. 

A few more motorized pumpkins.

Because every event needs a morningstar/flail to keep folks in line. The opposite shore is packed with people too.

Time to cast your vote on your favorite chili.

This local event is so popular and the town is so small that authorities started having people park on the freeway off ramp to the town...

...in both directions! 

Nocturne at Night:

Nocturne art at Night is a fall festival that brings art and energy to the streets of Halifax between 6-Midnight. It's completely free and showcases the visual arts scene in Halifax. It is designed and planned by volunteers and is an opportunity for everyone to experience the art of Halifax in a whole new light. You walk around downtown and feel the most amazing energy from people as they appreciate what talented artists have to offer. I can't wait for next year.

The official program

Junk or Treasure?

This demonstration cracked Goose and I up. It's a party of folks protesting the treatment of coyotes in the province. The walked around as a group all night lamenting the death of the noble creatures. There is a whole backstory to the pelts which I won't get into here. We just found it interesting that the people we talked to that were involved had no concept what overpopulation was and how it could destroy the natural balance of Nova Scotian forests.

Most of the spots around town had titles for their art, others were left open to personal interpretation. I deemed this one Log Rabbits.

Pardon the distance on this photo, we tried to get closer to the fire breather but the area was packed.

My favorite idea of the evening was a project called Art in Motion. There were 6 white vans that rotated through town all with different mobile art displays. This one shows a fashion design student in a very complicated costume.

One alley had pottery with the most beautiful light and shadow displays.

Here's one close up...

...and here's the same pot with no flash.

The Halifax Cirque performers were another packed venue along the waterfront.

Time Travelers Ball:

Goose and I got the opportunity to work security at a halloween dance party titled The Time Travelers Ball at The Lord Nelson Hotel. We thoughts herding people in costumes for a few hours would prepare us for our volunteer time at next month's fantasy and science fiction convention. Besides, who doesn't like a good costume ball. The event was put on by Hal-Con and The Jules Verne Society. Goose and I were in charge of weapons check so folks didn't get silly and try to bring in implements of destruction even if they did go great with their costumes.

Sadly I did not use my camera phone since we were super busy at the front desk the whole evening. The second sad part of the event was the lack of advertising and web presence for the event as a whole. The only reason we found out was due to an email from the Hal-Con staff asking for people to work the event. I've been looking for a link that might have photos from attendees to share but they seem few and far between.

We've been throwing around the idea of attending the dance next year but we would have to pull out some serious costume magic.



Cooking Classes:

As you all know I'm a food junkie. I love shows, classes, demonstrations, and any type of hands on experience I can find I'll sign up for. The pics below show just a few of the items I made during an 8 week course at the Italian Canadian Cultural Centre. By the end of the 8 weeks I had made a rotating wine schedule, held food and wine tasting to match the courses we cooked and met some of the nicest people in the province. I'm not sure if it's the act of breaking bread, drinking wine or just enjoying a Tuesday night out every week with good people but it warms my heart just thinking about it.

Eagle Out