Thursday 7 March 2024

The soft flakes of snow drifted and swirled outside my window.  I sat in the comfort of my dining room with a hot cup of coffee, curling my hands around the warmth. Only a couple of days ago the winds were creating a white-out and we couldn't see the powerlines just a hundred metres from our backyard!  Today the gently falling snow had a calming effect on my spirit.

I gazed at the smooth blanket of white, spread like icing on a slightly lumpy cake.  The sun began to appear in the sky, the blue breaking through the clouds.  And then on the creamy surface, sunlight created glitter, like diamonds on the snow.

A single sparrow, grey and brown, constrasted against the pure white background.  The small bird, common and ordinary, alighted on the dark brown wicker patio chair.  Perched on the back of the partially buried chair, it cocked its head, hopped over and allowed another sparrow to join.  Always moving, they soon flew over to the birdfeeder hanging from our tamarack tree.  The long clear plastic feeder swayed with the weight of the birds, swinging them as they pecked at the seeds.   

Just as quickly, the birds startled and flew away.  I felt sad, my little friends leaving an emptiness.  I longed for spring when the geese would return, honking their arrival. The robins would sing their mating songs and search our yard for nest-building materials.  Blackbirds, grackles and sometimes yellow finches would make their appearance for a drink or a bath in our pond.

For now, I would marvel at the wintry wonders.  My heart perceived the glory of God through His beautiful creation: His gentleness in the soft snowflakes, His might through the storm earlier in the week,  His delight in the little creatures, His attention to detail to provide for their needs. 

Thank You, Lord, for revealing Yourself in the simple things.




Friday 1 March 2024

 My eyes were bleary as I slowly woke up.  I gradually gained consciousness, recognizing the pale blue walls of the camp's basement suite bedroom.  It was nice to realize we didn't have to rush anywhere today.  We could pack and tidy up the little apartment, have our quiet time and make our way across the road.  The Fawcetts were expecting us late morning for a visit and then lunch together.

Liz was making lunch preparations while the three girls were at the kitchen table working on their school projects and workboooks.  The small three-bedroom mobile home was a tight squeeze for three growing girls and a homeschool venue, as well! The housing situation was one of the items to talk about today as we spent time with the Fawcett family.  We enjoyed a second cup of coffee, with Walter and Grant visiting in the living room and I joining the ladies in the kitchen.

Over 30 years ago, some of the NCEM missionaries started the Arrowhead Native Bible Centre with the vision for Bible camp and hosting other retreats and events.  The Fawcetts had grown the Centre with a renovated dining hall basement space (50's diner theme!) and a new chapel.  Many volunteers and other NCEM missionaries helped build and paint and clean and cook as these projects happened.  We had toured earlier in our visit, so it was nice just to sit and visit and talk about the future of ANBC.

After lunch, we sat around the table, while the girls either played or sat and visited, as well.  The time flew and just as we were getting into more nitty-gritty details about a new home or an addition, we realized we had to leave for the airport in Moncton.

Hurried good-byes were followed by jumping into the mission truck, with Grant behind the wheel.  We wound our way back through the now-familiar roads that led to the TransCanada highway.  Light snow flurries were beginning to fly.  Grant apologized as he worried we would be late to the airport.  The traffic had slowed and was backed up at the turnoff to the airport road.  We looked at the time and felt the pressure.  Our flight was to leave at 6 pm.  We didn't want to miss our connection in Calgary - yes, we were backtracking exactly the flights back to Winnipeg.  Finally, Grant pulled up at the departures door and we retrieved our bags from the back of the truck.  A quick picture and we jogged to the automatic doors.  There was one person ahead of us in the line up and it seemed an eternity before the clerk was free!  

"Why are you so late?  You will have to hurry to get to the gate!"  The lady took our luggage and shooed us towards security.  My heart was racing as I really didn't want to miss our flight.  Once my brain had switched from visiting and seeing the sights of the Maritimes, I really was eager to get home.  

Glancing out the windows of the Moncton airport, the flurries had almost produced a whiteout!  My concern was if the airplane would be able to take off in this weather.  When we finally made it through security, lined up to board and then were sitting in our seats, I could breathe a sigh of relief.  Away we go!

The flight was uneventful.  We had our complimentary snacks and beverages, read, watched some free TV shows.  Finally, after almost 5 hours in the air, we landed in Calgary.  A quick turnaround and we boarded a plane for Winnipeg...and long-awaited sleep at the Best Western Airport Hotel.

Next day...a quick visit with our little granddaughter, Kaira!


Wednesday 24 January 2024

 "And don't worry about breakfast for us," Walter and I had conveyed our wishes to Cathy.  But she insisted on coffee and some pastries and fruit.  Carroll and Cathy were up and waiting for us as we made our way to the breakfast table.  The coffee tasted great and I put a few small items on my plate. We had a nice visit - watching the clock as Cathy had an appointment in Sussex at 10 o'clock.  

We packed our bags and again carried a few gifts that they insisted on giving us.  Carroll is an amazing artist and paints on canvas, antlers and wood slices from fallen trees.  We took the small Christmas scenes and candle holders, wondering how we would fit everything in our luggage!

Our next visit would be lots of fun!  Jane Ness lives in Sussex, so our trip was only about 20 minutes to her place.  It was grey and cloudy.  Small droplets of rain dotted our windshield.  We pulled into the guest parking near Jane's address.  Before we arrived on her doorstep, Jane had swung the door open and greeted us exuberantly!  "Come on in!  Welcome, Selkes!"  She embraced us in huge bear hugs and then let us in her small one-bedroom apartment suite.

Jane had completed the candidate training that our new missionaries take when they join NCEM last spring.  She had explored missions back in the mid-1980's, participating in the Northern Missionary Training Camp in La Loche, SK.  Then after that summer, she volunteered at Arrowhead Native Bible Centre for many years.  Her journey took her to work with children and she also took in foster kids.  After struggling with some health issues, Jane was finally able to pursue her dream of being a missionary.  So she applied to serve part time with NCEM, her heart being burdened for the First Nation community of Big Cove in New Brunswick.  

We had built a bond with Jane during the missionary training weeks and she was beyond excited to have us in her home.  She served us an amazing brunch of steak and potatoes, homemade biscuits and slices of tomato, plus coffee that could raise the dead! When I couldn't eat another bite, she brought out cinnamon buns!  We said we would enjoy them more later on so we moved into her cozy living room with our coffees to relax.

It was great to talk about the people we knew in common, and then find out more about her next trip planned for Big Cove.  We had a special time, especially as we closed our visit with prayer.  

As we left Jane's - with armfuls of Christmas ornaments she had leftover from the craft sale at Arrowhead - the rain had turned to mist.  We drove away with Jane waving goodbye through her front room window, tears flowing even though she smiled. It would be a few months until we saw each other again.

The drive back to Cumberland Bay was quiet as Walter and I processed the last couple of interactions with the Hills and Jane.  We had supper plans at the Strouts that evening, our last full day in the Maritimes.  First, we stopped at the camp to unload our luggage. Then we drove the ten minutes to Kevin and Marcia's place.  Their home was nicely decorated for Christmas and the smell of something tasty filled the house.  

The Strouts had just acquired a new puppy and their two teen aged sons were busy keeping track of the wiggling little thing!  (They also have two daughters who are away at college.)  So the six of us had an entertaining time watching the puppy's antics and making small talk.

Supper was a delicious turkey pot pie and butternut squash.  So good!  I actually turned down dessert as we had done nothing active all day to wear off the big meals we had consumed.  It was good to visit with the Strouts and reminisce about the week they spent in Regina with us ten or more years ago.  As part of their missionary training, they could choose a week on wilderness trails or a week in an urban trails program.  They chose Regina and we hosted their family along with some others in learning about urban ministry and inner city outreach.

By 9 o'clock, we were about done in.  We said our good-byes and felt we had learned a lot about their ministry and their family.  God had surely blessed us with faithful and diligent workers.

Needless to say, we were exhausted and still had some sorting to do of our clothes and souvenirs.  But that could wait until the morning!  We crashed hard, thankful we didn't need an alarm to wake us.



Monday 15 January 2024

 True friends are willing to get up hours before daylight to drive to the airport!  Carl and Laura were both up and ready to go when we came upstairs from the guest room.  The cold Labrador morning was brisk and refreshing.  It was bittersweet to say good bye after only a couple days with these folks.  The early mornings, the quick visits, seeing our missionaries and valuing them enough to make the long trip is what we do and why we love our job!

We entered the small terminal before  6 am and realized the only staff there were the maintenance people and the airline employees!  So we sat and waited until the security staff arrived and I wished we could have slept longer.

Once through security, we again waited.  It seemed like it would be a fairly empty flight but by the first boarding call, the little waiting room was packed.  We had to walk out on the tarmack to board the small plane.  The direct flight to Halifax was smooth and uneventful.  Walter and I both could grab a few winks of sleep almost anywhere by this point.  Just over 2 hours later, we were on the ground at Halifax airport and the surreal feelings of travel hit me.  How could we have covered so many miles in only 48 hours?  And be back in Nova Scotia only to be in New Brunswick for the night?  

No time for musings - time to find the Arrowhead camp truck, find some breakfast.  We ate on the way, driving along the highway from Halifax to Moncton and then to Smiths Creek.  We had hours to cover only 4 hours worth of travel so we relaxed as we listened to an audiobook and enjoyed the beautiful Nova Scotian landscape.  Bits of the song "Farewell to Nova Scotia" drifted through my memory.  We reminisced about our other friends, the Matthews, who had ministered in Nova Scotia as drove by Truro and Indian Brook.  

Just outside Moncton, we noticed a sign, just a simple sandwich board, advertising a Christmas Craft Sale.  Walter took the next exit off the highway and we drove into the little town, following more arrows and signs.  About the time we were wondering if this was a wild goose chase, we saw several vehicles and then some flea market type antiques and treasures displayed outdoors.  It was a sunny day, and a few folks were out and about.

We pulled up and entered the long, narrow building.  The unique aroma of leather, wood and dust assaulted our senses.  Our eyes were drawn to old metal toys, oak washstands, china, coins and all manner of knick-knacks and collectibles. Walter was drawn to some Volkswagen items.  I knew he'd be a while so I wandered among the crowded rows to see what caught my eye.  Always conscious that we had limited space for souvenirs, I was looking for something little, something representative of our travels.  Nothing grabbed my attention.  As I returned to the vendor where Walter was still negotiating, I found that he was waiting for the vendor's nephew to run home and get some more VW cars and vans that Walter may be interested in.  So we decided to wander through the hall together.  At the very back, we heard some male voices and laughter.  Thinking there may be a coffee shop or something, we peeked into the room.  About four or five Maritime men sat around a board playing a game that was a cross between crokinole and air hockey.  We couldn't understand the game nor some of the lingo they used in a heavy Maritime accent.  It was a fun moment that made us feel like tourists!

Walter held his bag full of miniature model VW treasures as we walked back to our vehicle.  Winding our way back through the little town, I noted another sign that was actually the Christmas Craft Sale!  So Walter obliged me and pulled in.  We were the only ones there.  Everything was set up in a two-car garage, which appeared to be a year-round sale.  Most items were Christmas decorations and ornaments, but there were a few whimsical plaques and souvenir type things.  I found a little white porcelain bell with a blue flower and "Labrador" written in gold lettering.  Perfect!  Tiny and representative of our trip!  So I made my purchase and chatted a little with the woman who took my toonie.  We loved the friendliness of these easterners!

Moncton was our next stop and we found ourselves feeling hungry.  A sign for St. Hubert's, a local chicken restaurant chain, drew us and we pulled in.  It was past any lunch rush so we were almost alone in the restaurant.  We sat in a booth and ordered a chicken poutine to share and a salad.  It was nice to have a bit of downtime before our visit with the Hills.

It was a short drive to Smiths Creek.  Sunshine and green grass in the ditches made it seem like early fall, not nearly winter.  We drove by Sussex, home of "Covered Bridge" potato chips!  A tasty treat.  A few turns and we arrived at Carroll and Cathy Hill's country home.  They have been with NCEM for about 60 years, serving in the Maritimes primarily and also as General Director and Candidate Secretary when we were just starting out as missionaries!  We were now taking on the roles they had 35 years ago.  

The Hills had built the house they were currently living in when they retired.  Their son is a carpenter and they had designed the floor plan themselves.  We enjoyed the delicious meal and a cup of tea with dessert.  Just like with the Welch's, we heard lots of stories from the early days of NCEM.  Sitting in the front room with a woodfire and the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, the long day was catching up with us.  Fortunately, the Hills also called it a night by 9 pm.

And that was Sunday!




Sunday 14 January 2024

Darkness made it difficult to make me believe it was actually morning.  Our packing routine had become very streamlined and we were dressed, wheeling our luggage and checking out of the hotel in half an hour.  Skipping the breakfast buffet, we chose instead to join the throng of early morning commuters.  Traffic wasn't too heavy as we followed the GPS instructions to the airport north of Halifax.  Half an hour or so had us at the airport.

A lonely employee of the Park 'N Fly stood in the lot to direct us to an open parking space.  We had repacked to have overnight bags only for our two-day stay in Happy Valley.  The shuttle was waiting for us with only one other passenger sitting near the driver.  We placed our bags on the luggage rack and sat on the other side of the bus.  Away we went about a mile or more to the actual terminal.  The airport was not busy but we still had to get through security and find our departure gate.  By this time in the journey, I was not nearly as stressed about flights or travel.  We were settling in to the pace.  Today marked the half-way point in our two week Maritime adventure.

We were plenty early for our flight so I took the opportunity to have my devotions.  It is kind of distracting with various people milling about, having random conversations and the announcements being broadcast throughout the waiting area.  But I sat in a wooden rocking chair - an unusual piece of furniture in an airport - and faced the eastern sky.  As the dawn broke, I felt overwhelmed by the beauty of the miracle of sunrise.  God's faithfulness to bring evening and morning, summer and winter reminded me that He is faithful to me, to us.  I wrote a few notes in my journal, read a small passage of Scripture and prayed through my daily list.  On Fridays, I pray specifically for our Bible camps, Tribal Trails and Generation Hope (a new initiative on YouTube for First Nations youth) besides my regular prayers for my husband and family.  By the time we were being called to board, I felt relaxed and ready to go.  

It was beautiful rising in the early morning sky, seeing the sunlight reflect off the Atlantic Ocean below.  We saw shoreline, some farms and roadways as we flew over Nova Scotia.  Soon, I was dozing as I listened to music on my phone through earbuds.  Next thing I knew, they were serving refreshments and I had water and some pretzels.  We would have a layover at our next stop so we would have time to grab coffee and food then. 

And then we landed at Saint John's, Newfoundland!  We have now been to every province and territory in Canada except Nunavut.  I was quite excited to land here - if only to spend our time in the airport - but it was fun all the same.  We walked to the seats at our next gate and settled in to wait for our next flight.  I offered to get coffee and breakfast for us at the Tim Horton's so walked back down the corridor.  I noted a couple of gift shops and planned to do some shopping for souvenirs before we left.  After eating, I wandered around and took pictures of the airport, since that's all we would see on this trip of Newfoundland.  They had puffins painted on the walls and a play area with other ocean critters in cartoon form.  I snapped a few more shots, including a selfie, and then headed to the gift shops.  

I selected several postcards, a puffin Christmas card and decided on a coral/pink coloured t-shirt with Saint John's NFLD on the front!  Then I returned to our seats while Walter took a stroll.  He needs to move about and keep the circulation going as 30+ years ago he had blood clots and could still have the risk of DVT's (deep vein thrombosis) from prolonged sitting.  Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes but there isn't much you can do by worrying about it.  We would get there when we got there!

The next flight was less than an hour - making a quick stop at Gander to drop off five passengers and taking on about the same.  Many people were military or miners on these flights.  The final leg of this journey was just around an hour long, so we enjoyed our complimentary beverage and snack and read or played games on our phones.  I was getting tired and it was only early afternoon!  How would I be able to visit with our next missionary couple and have any energy for engaging?

But somehow, the excitement of seeing our friends, Carl and Laura, and the adrenaline of landing and disembarking the plane gives that extra boost.  With our carry on luggage over our shoulders, we walked straight out and saw our friends waiting for us.  Hugs and hellos followed by stepping out into the fresh air woke me right up!

The sun was low in the afternoon sky.  Being late November, sunset would be about 4:30 pm.  So we had a very short drive from the airport in Goose Bay to the missionaries' home in Happy Valley.  They seem like one big community but they are separate.  We passed the airbase, some businesses, a Tim Horton's and the local highschool before turning in to a residential area.  We had been here to visit Carl and Laura back in 2018 but there had been snowbanks six feet tall that winter!  This year the snow was only six inches.  It was lovely to enter their home, put our bags in the guest room and sit in the kitchen with a hot drink while Laura prepared supper.

We had taken our missionary training back in 1990 with this newlywed couple.  They had served in the Maritimes all their career, raising a son and daughter.  Carl shared about his ministry in the local prison and the programs developed to help inmates adjust and be successful on the outside.  Laura and I talked about our children and family topics.  This is where Walter and I feel our sweet spot is in ministry: visiting, listening, sharing and building relationships.  Having a history with this couple helped make the conversation flow.  Carl brought out some old pictures and we laughed at how young we all looked back in our missionary training days!  

Saturday morning we slept as long as we wanted, made our own coffee and ate muffins and fruit that Laura had left out.  By mid-morning, we all met in the kitchen again for a second cup and to plot our day.  After a bowl of homemade soup for lunch, we set out for a drive.  Carl and Laura pointed out people's homes that they knew, lookout spots over the river and a port where goods came in to the community by ship back in the day.  Now that roads and highways have improved, they felt less isolated from the rest of the world.

Walter had brought his drone along, hoping to get some cool footage of this area.  But being in proximity to the airbase, we would have to drive an hour outside the area before we could use the drone.  With daylight being so short this time of year, it just didn't work out.  So we settled for a couple of pictures on our cell phones.  

We had offered to take our friends out for supper, so we could spend more time visiting and touring.  Laura was fine with that!  So they took us to the Moravian church where Carl preaches regularly and they consider their home church.  The Moravian missionaries who came from Germany back in the 1500's or so brought the Gospel to the Newfoundland/Labrador region before the Anglican or Roman Catholic churches arrived on Canadian soil.  Carl said the Moravian church would be considered the Indigenous church of Newfoundland/Labrador.  The simple beauty and reverence of the building with an old pump organ and hymnbooks in the Inuktitut language impacted us with the rich sense of history.  A tradition at Christmas is to have a Moravian Star decoration on the Christmas tree.  So Carl and Laura purchased one for us - sold by the church - in a small version that would fit in our luggage!  We felt very honoured to receive such a special souvenir.

As the sun was setting, we drove outside of town to a spot where the view would be lovely over the river. We enjoyed a brief sunset, then headed back to town.  They chose a favourite restaurant and we continued to visit and fellowship over our meals.  

Then back at their house, we watched the movie "Jesus Revolution" and had an encouraging discussion afterwards.  How we long for such a move of God in our day and especially among the First Nations people of Canada!  To see Jesus bring hope and life to so many who live in depression, fear and at best apathy to the Bible and the Church.  We need a revival!

Morning would come early as we caught a flight back to Halifax.  We said good night and set our alarms for 5:30 am.




Friday 12 January 2024

 "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." soft holiday music wafted through the restaurant.  Almost every table and booth was full.  The Best Western had this wonderful restaurant that served supper and provided the breakfast buffet included with the room.  Tinsel sparkled, greenery twined across the beams of the ceiling and red Christmas accents made the dining room warm and inviting.  We ordered our food, enjoying the ambiance.  It made my heart long to be home and be getting our home ready for Christmas.  It was only late November but my surroundings made me feel I was way behind in holiday preparations.  

Soon our food arrived and we at our smoked meat platter for two like we hadn't eaten in days!  The brisket, pulled pork and Chorizo with fries and deep fried mushrooms tasted amazing.  A couple of tables over was celebrating a birthday, and the customary "Happy Birthday" song rang out.  We smiled and clapped along with most of the restaurant patrons.  Then it settled back to the normal buzz.

Exhausted after a day of travel, we went to bed at our usual Selke 10 pm bedtime.  Back when we were dating, Walter's parents would sit visiting or watching TV in the evenings.  But at 10 pm sharp, the TV was turned off, all the lights were darkened and we would be staring at each other like, what just happened?  So we would often head out then to visit Walter's friends in town. Now we are the old folks that can't stay up past 10 pm!

In planning the trip, I was so glad how God arranged us to be able to have a full day in Halifax.  All our visits and flights worked out so we could participate in the Executive meeting back in Saskatchewan via Zoom.  Walter chaired the 6 hour meeting and I took minutes.  We had arranged the furniture in the hotel room to accommodate the tablet so we could see and hear our NCEM Executive team.  But no matter how comfortable we tried to make ourselves, it is still a very long day to be stuck inside when in an interesting city like Halifax!  When I took a look out the window, it was grey and raining most of the day.  By the time our meeting wound up at 5:30 pm (which was only 3:30 pm in SK), it was dark outside.  

As soon as the meeting adjourned, we disconnected from Zoom and decided to escape!  We put on our coats and jumped in the truck.  We didn't know where we were going but we headed to the harbour/wharf area.  Soon we realized we had no idea where to eat, no recommendations or directions to follow.  We drove up and down the narrow streets, but only saw a couple small pizza places and convenience stores open!  Obviously our wing it strategy wasn't working and the one-way streets had us heading away from the wharf.

Then we saw signs for the Halifax Shopping Centre and thought, hey, there could be restaurants in that vicinity.  Following those signs, we entered the parking lot and realized this mall was a smaller version of the West Ed Mall!  We memorized the parking lot number and the door we entered into so we wouldn't get lost.  Then we entered the mall - decked out in all festivity for the holidays.  Crowds were doing their Christmas shopping and another pang struck me!  But I tried to just enjoy the festive atmosphere and realize we were in no rush to get ready for Christmas.  It was over a month away!  And besides that, our kids would be gathering at New Years for our family celebration.  Lots of time!

We wandered the halls of the mall, then decided to search for the Food Court.  Teenagers sat or walked in big groups, older couples strolled hand in hand window shopping, young mothers pushed strollers and kiosks were set up with all manner of gift ideas.  We took an escalator down and found the Food Court bustling with hungry shoppers!  We walked up and down along all the fast food options and then came back to the Greek Souvlaki & Salad booth.  With our food containers and bottles of water on small trays, we looked for an empty table.  Soon, a group stood and left their spot and we quickly slid our trays to claim it.  Having only eaten our breakfast buffet and snacking on a muffin and fruit during our Executive meeting's lunch break, we were famished.  The Greek cuisine was delicious and we ate quickly.  Then we decided to vacate the table for other hungry patrons; we wandered through more of the mall but only browsed, not purchasing anything.

And then we headed to the parking lot and found our vehicle with no trouble.  It was nice to get a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery, but it was dark and we had an early morning flight to catch.  So, back to the hotel to pack up and prepare for our next adventure:  Happy Valley, Labrador!


                                                Halifax Harbour - stock photo!

 

Tuesday 9 January 2024

 Somehow the Welch's had heard the main ferry was out of commission, but there was a back-up ferry for such occasions.  We could simply look out their sun porch windows and see that the ferry was operating, so we had our coffee and quick breakfast, packed our belongings and said our good-byes.  They waved to us as we drove away.  

There were only two vehicles ahead of us in the line up and a few came behind, but we weren't in a hurry today.  Our plan was to take the two ferries and retrace our steps back to Digby, NS.  We had rushed through the quaint seaside town and we wanted to linger there a bit longer this day.

All of a sudden a half-ton pulls in quickly beside us and we turn to see Phil and Gracie waving and rolling down their window!  Walter obliged and rolled his window down - "We just wanted to let you know the ferry schedule is a little behind but you should still make the other ferry in good time!"

"Thanks for letting us know!"  Walter replied.  "I'm sure we'll make our connection just fine."  We smiled and said good-bye once again.  Small town hospitality.  They drove over rather than call our cell phone to give us that information.  It gave us a warm feeling.

Within minutes, the back-up ferry was pulling up and we were directed on the ferry.  Being the novices that we were, we didn't notice much difference between this ferry and the main one.  It got us across the channel to Long Island and we were cruising along that winding highway to Tiverton, on the next ferry without much delay and onto Digby Neck.  

It was cool, windy, chilly once we got to Digby.  My idea was to find a place for lunch that overlooked the harbour so we wound our way to the Old Downtown district.  We parked and thought we would walk a bit for exercise and exploration purposes.  Soon that icy wind drove us into the nearest open restaurant, which turned out to be a lovely dining place.  It was not busy on this midweek day, so we were seated at a table by the window directly facing the docks and various boats and fishing vessels.  Perfect.  We ordered scallops and shrimp, as they are the specialties of Digby.  I ordered hot tea, which came in the same glass lightbulb tea decanter that I drank out of at St. Mary's restaurant.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of it alongside a cup and sending it to Merrill!  He appreciated the humour!

After a tasty and relaxed lunch, we headed out to find a gift shop.  I wanted to pick up a souvenir representing our trip to the Maritimes.  Had I mentioned Walter had brought something from the Welch's?  On the shore of their cabin, a hump back whale carcass washed up.  Apparently it smelled nasty and was a wretched sight as it decayed that summer.  Phil had harvested some valuable rib bones and vertebrae that he cleaned up and sunbleached.  Of course, he insisted we take something back with us - how could we take such items on the plane back home?  Well, Walter conceded to taking a vertebrate, which was about two feet in length, figuring it would fit in his suitcase.  I shook my head.  How can you say no?

So I looked for something small and easy to pack in my suitcase but the selection of gifts was so varied.  I finally chose a torquoise glass anchor with a white cotton nautical rope tied to it: a Christmas tree ornament.  Walter chose some coasters that boasted colourful stained glass designed lighthouses.  Beautiful.  And much smaller than a whale bone!

It was time to drive to Halifax and I was excited to drive on a highway that we'd never been on before.  Liz Fawcett grew up in the Annapolis Valley and described the landscape and some fun places to stop and check out if we had time.  As we left Digby, it was snowing and raining.  So Walter concentrated on driving and we had to be satisfied with seeing the signs for the places Liz mentioned!  The drive was pretty through trees, by some little towns and villages and then it opened onto lush pasturelands and dairy farms dotting the countryside.  I would have loved to explore the museums and landmarks of the Acadian people - the French Canadians who had been expelled when the English controlled the region.  (I wrote a paper on this subject in grade 10 social studies - fascinating and tragic part of our history).  Alas, we kept on driving, arriving in Halifax just as rush hour traffic was at its height!

We found our way to the Best Western on Chocolate Lake.  We'd been there on our last trip to the Maritimes and so it felt familiar.  We had supper and I managed to get two loads of laundry done that evening.  Settling into the room for two nights made it feel like home.  With that, I say good night!