Where is Wally?

Mahone Bay Turns Everything into a Festival

2010-09-13T12:24:44Z

The Town of Mahone Bay on Nova Scotia's Southshore seems to have this thing about festivals and it never ceases to amaze me that no matter when I visit, the town is a beehive of activity.

Nestled on the western shore of a tiny bay from which it gets its name, Mahone Bay shares a maritime history with the icon of Nova Scotia seafaring towns, Lunenburg, located just a few miles away.

When I first began doing photography for Nova Scotia Tourism in the mid 1980s, Mahone Bay was a town you drove through on the way to Lunenburg, But that's all changed now and Mahone Bay has become a draw unto itself.

From my perspective, the reasons are many. For photographers like myself, there is plenty to capture in the architecture of houses along the main street. The most obvious shot is of the three waterfront churches reflected in the placid waters of the bay.

If you look closely at the top two photos, you'll see there are actually five steeples showing and there is probably not a person who's visited the town who has not stopped to take these same pictures.

Mahone Bay, the bay not the town, is a prime sailing area, mainly because of the hundreds of offshore islands and that make the town itself an obvious stopover for yachts cruising the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The protected waters are great too for kayakers and operators of small boats.

The town also has a fine array of eating places, craft shops and accommodations. Lodging is offered mostly in B&Bs in large historic homes . . . no brick and mortar hotels or motels here.

But what about festivals. There's one for wooden boats; another for scarecrows and carved pumpkins and even one in December for Father Christmas.

Have a look . . .

For more information on Mahone Bay and Southwest Nova Scotia click on some of these sites:
www.mahonebay.com
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com

Lunenburg: Wooden Architecture at its best

2010-09-08T12:53:14Z

Located on Nova Scotia's South Shore, the Town of Lunenburg has been tied to the sea from its early beginnings in the mid 1700s.

For centuries, the town thrived on fishing and shipping. It became known as 'the home of wooden ships and iron men'. Many ships were launched here, none more famous than the fishing schooner Bluenose, a Nova Scotian, and indeed, Canadian icon.

The shipwrights who built and maintained the vast fleet of wooden fishing schooners and coastal trading ships also had a hand in the construction of the town itself.

Men, skilled in the carving and shaping of wooden hulls and spars, used these same skills to construct the town's houses, churches and other buildings. Their distinct building techniques resulted in a treasure trove of wooden architecture that eventually led to the town being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lunenburg is built on the side of a steep hill that slopes down to the harbour. Unless you own a convertible, the best way to see this architecture for yourself is on foot.

That's why walking tours here are so popular. However, if you're not good at imitating a mountain goat, the other option is to take advantage of the many horse and carriage tours. The advantage of a tour is that you get expert information on what you're seeing.

For me, as a photographer, I like to go at my own pace . . . to stop and take pictures as the mood strikes me. There is plenty of interpretive signage scattered about the town, so I'm never at a loss for information.

(L) St. John's Anglican Church and (R) Lunenburg Academy

The pictures contained in this blog, with the exception of the two nighttime shots taken the night before, were captured in the space of two hours on a sunny Sunday morning walk.

If you haven't done a tour of Lunenburg, organized or otherwise, then you've missed some of Nova Scotia at its finest. Take a look . . .

Notice that each of the above houses has a variation of an architectural theme . . . the protrusion on the front known as the 'Lunenburg Bump" Some houses even have two of them.

So that's Lunenburg, or at least part of it. Would you believe I've only scratched the surface of what there is to see, do or photograph in this amazing town. Seeing is believing . . .

To see more on Lunenburg and the South Shore, visit these sites:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com
www.lunenburgns.com

Mixed Perceptions of the Bay of Fundy Tides

2010-09-08T11:21:44Z

View of the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy from The Lookoff near Canning; Below: Double Crested Cormorant

I was once asked how many times a month the tide in the Bay of Fundy changes and was greeted with skepticism when I said there are two high tides and two low tides each day.
This was an isolated incident, to be sure, but what is more common is for visitors to go to view the Fundy tides and expect it all to happen in the space of a few minutes.

The Bay of Fundy has the highest recorded tide in the world, 16.8 meters or 54.5 feet, although the average is about 14 meters or 45.5 feet. Twice each day 115 billion tones of water flow in and out of the 160-mile long bay.

Oceanography is not my bag, but as a photographer who travels frequently to the Bay of Fundy, I've developed a few tricks to make the experience as rewarding and safe as possible.

One of them is to always be sure which way the tide is going and when it is safe to venture out on the ocean bottom. I carry a tide app in my iPhone which gives me precise information on the tides in any given area around the Bay.

Many villages and parks along the Bay have tide times posted, so visitors can be aware of when it's safe to venture out onto the mud flats or along the cliff faces. Local fishermen or clam diggers can also be reliable sources of tide info, but if in doubt, don't go out. The tide comes in very quickly and it's no fun to find yourself surrounded by water or to get trapped against a cliff face with nowhere to go but up.

Another trick I use to see both sides of the tides is to confine my trip to a small area of the Bay and try to visit the same place four to six hours apart.

Hall's Harbour at low and high tides

Baxter's Harbour at low and high tides

The low and high tide photos in this blog were actually taken on two back-to-back days, but you could do the same thing on the same day by checking tide times and going to a place when it's low or high, then returning hours later when the tide is opposite to what it was on your first visit.

In my case, I visited Hall's Harbour and nearby Baxter's Harbour at low tide one day; camped overnight in Blomidon Provincial Park and then returned to the same places the following day when the tide was nearly high.

I say nearly high, as I dawdled at a few other places in the area shooting pictures and did not get to Baxter's Harbour until a half hour after the tide was fully high. By the time I reached Hall's Harbour, I'd missed high tide by almost an hour.

(L) Sunset at Blomidon Provincial Park and (R) Breakfast overlooking the Bay of Fundy

(L)Fishing boats at Delhaven and (R) Exploring the shore at Scott's Bay

(L) Low tide at Black Rock beach and (R) Green rocks contradict Black Rock's name

(L) High and dry at low tide in Harbourville and (R) Ladies only beach party at Harbourville

The Bay of Fundy is a fascinating place to visit and if you pay attention to which way the tide is moving it can be a safe experience.

(L) Hall's Harbour lobster pound and restaurant and (R) Beach at Hall's Harbour

If you're not the adventurous type who wants to get down ans dirty on the mud flats, you can always sit on a dock eating lobster as the tide changes.

Some websites to check for more info on the Bay of Fundy:
www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com

'Not Since Moses' race on the floor of the Bay of Fundy

2010-09-02T16:29:02Z

As a lover of the great outdoors, I've found few places to compare with Nova Scotia in terms of the diversity of its offerings for outdoor adventure.

With over 7,000 kilometers of coastline, thousands of lakes and streams and countless acres of wilderness areas, the possibilities oftentimes seem endless. And the beauty of it all is that most of the things I want to do can be found only an hour or two from my home.

On the weekend of August 14, as example, I spent Friday and Saturday nights camping with my two grown sons, their partners and two grand children in a provincial park on the shores of the Bay of Fundy.

On Saturday, I photographed over 1,100 runners of all ages and all shapes and sizes, including my family, as they ran and walked through mud, sand, rock and tidal pools left by the receding Fundy tides on the annual 'Not Since Moses' race.

That afternoon, we hiked a woodland trail to a hidden waterfall where we were the only ones enjoying the tranquility and a swim in the clear, but admittedly chilly pool beneath the falls.

In the evening, after an outdoor meal prepared with fresh food from a nearby farm market, we watched the sun slip out of sight behind the red sandstone cliffs of the Bay of Fundy. An hour later, we were treated to the sight of a meteor shower in the clear black sky, well away from the pollution of city lights.

The following morning we explored the floor of the Fundy at low tide, then returned to our car along a cliff top hiking trail with sweeping views of the tidal flats and sandstone rock formations.

To paraphrase a currently popular TV commercial:

Gasoline: $28.00
Camping Fee: $22.00
Food: $32.00
Experience: Priceless

Have a look at these photos and you be the judge.
Check out these websites for more on Nova Scotia outdoor adventure:
www.notsincemoses.com
www.novascotia.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.exploreourshores.com

Favourite Photos from Southwest Nova

2010-08-31T19:22:21Z

This seashore dragonfly is called a twelve-spotted skimmer.

During the many years I've traveled as a photographer around Nova Scotia, I've shot hundreds of thousands of photographs, some good, some not so good.

Many of those images were captured in the Southwestern part of the province and, to me, some stand out more than others. Some are my personal favourites while some others were selected time and again for publication in various Nova Scotia Tourism literature and brochures.

So, for my last full blog of the season for Destination Southwest Nova, I'd like to share a few of these photos with you. Hopefully, they will inspire you to get out to see, and perhaps photograph, these things for yourself.

In parting, I'll share a piece of advice that I've passed along to people I've taught photography to over the years . . . no matter how many times you visit a place, there is always something different to photograph.

The seasons change, the time of day might be different, the tide might be high one day and low the other, or the weather might be good or bad. These changing conditions offer new opportunities for pictures that are not the same old - same old.

As I've learned over the years, good photographs are 80% luck . . . being in the right place at the right time; 10% is recognizing you are in the right place and it is the right time; and the other 10% is the skill to take the picture.

Enjoy!

This image of the lighthouse at Cape Forchu near Yarmouth has been used extensively in a lot of tourism literature since it was shot in 2002. I had an hour or so to kill one evening in Yarmouth and drove to the nearby lighthouse to find the setting sun and cloud formations photo-perfect.

The church at Grand Pré National Historic Site near Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley is a focal point for many picture takers. The front of the church is lit by the sun in the morning and early afternoon. Add a few summer flowers and a clear blue sky and another 'keeper' photo is born.

This photo, taken at the fishing village of Northwest Cove on the Aspotogan Peninsula along the South Shore, is a prime example of being in the right place at the right time. The deep blue of twilight contrasts with the yellow fishing floats. The colourful buildings in the background add to the feeling of tranquility.

When the whale watching boat I was on first approached this humpback whale off Brier Island, the whale appeared to be dozing at the surface. With my boat on one side and another whale watching boat on the other, the humpback suddenly performed a series of tail whips where it lifted its massive tail high out of the water, twirled it around the air and then slapped it on the surface causing water to spew out in all directions.

This photo looks like a classic setup shot. In actual fact, I happened to stumble upon basket maker Murray Moores at a farmers market in the Acadian village of Belliveau's Cove and asked him if he minded if I photographed him while he worked. I used a little flash to fill in the facial shadows, but otherwise this is Murray as I found him . . . pipe, beat-up felt hat and all. Nova Scotia has lots of characters like him, so look for them during your travels. You'll almost always find them to be obliging photo subjects.

This image of the crashing surf at Peggy's Cove on the South Shore was not totally the result of good luck. It was taken a day after a hurricane had hit Nova Scotia and I purposely went to Peggy's knowing that the surf would be high. The warm glow of the crashing wave is the result of the setting sun which always provides a great backdrop for the much-photographed lighthouse.

For more information on Southwest Nova Scotia visit these sites:
www.novascotia.com

Museums of a Different Kind in Southwest Nova

2010-08-27T18:56:43Z


Le Musée Acadien, West Pubnico	Fort Point Lighthouse Museum, Liverpool

Museums are a way of keeping alive our history and our heritage. In Nova Scotia, where much of Canada's history began over 400 years ago, they form an important link to our past for both residents and visitors alike.

Hundreds of museums of all shapes and sizes dot the landscape of the province. Some are small, local or community museums, while others are large and offer broader insights into the history of Nova Scotia and its people.

But scattered among them are what I call niche museums . . . or museums featuring collections of artifacts related to one particular subject rather than to a broad range of topics of an historical nature.

I recently visited and photographed a number of these museums in Southwestern Nova Scotia . . . museums with collections of clocks, quilts, cameras, fire trucks, carved birds, airplanes and railroads.

As a photographer, the opportunity to see a collection of cameras dating back almost a hundred years was a definite draw. I saw many of the makes and models of cameras that I used over the years, including a Speed Graphic that I first used as a news photographer in the mid 1950s. I'm also a model train enthusiast and finding two museums related to Nova Scotia railroads was another plus.

I can't image a youngster who wouldn't want to see a museum devoted to trains or one with a collection of fire trucks dating back to the early 1800s, not to mention seeing and touching a World War II Lancaster bomber.

Mom would be thrilled to see a collection of quilts and Dad to see walls filled with clocks of all shapes and sizes.

Let's take a look at what I found during a three-day trip around the southwestern end of Nova Scotia and see if your don't agree that these are places for the whole family . . .

The Greenwood Military Aviation Museum houses permanent and temporary exhibits reflecting the history of aviation squadrons that have been based at the Annapolis Valley airfield.

The Macdonald Museum in Middleton is located in a former consolidated school building, the first of its kind in Canada. It operated as a school between 1901 and 1979. Among its featured exhibits is a collection of over 150 antique clocks. It also houses a recreated country story, a period school classroom and various rotating exhibits.

The Memory Lane Railway Museum in Middleton is housed in the former Dominion Atlantic Railway station and features extensive displays related to railroading in the Annapolis Valley. Outside the museum is an operating garden railroad.

The Firefighters Museum of Nova Scotia is located the the main street of Yarmouth houses an extensive collection of fire trucks and other firefighting appartus dating back to the early 1800s. All but one of the firetrucks on display served in a Nova Scotia fire department and all are in excellent condition.

The Wedgeport Sport Tuna Museum and Interpretive Centre is located the in the Acadian fishing village of Wedgeport. The museum keeps alove the history of the International Tuna matches that brought teams from all over the world to Wedgeport to fish for giant bluefin tuna. During its day, Wedgeport hosted such dignitaries as U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, singer Kate Smith, boer Gene Tunney, aviator Amelia Earhart and author Ernest Hemingway, among others.

Le Musée Acadien in West Pubnico houses extensive records related to early Acadian settlement in Nova Scotia, but it also features a collection of over 300 cameras dating back to 1895. Also on display are stunning examples of carved wooden birds, the work of a Richard d'Entremont, a local artisan who never considered himself an artist. He died in an unfortunate drowing accident while lobster fishing alone.

The Hank Snow Country Music Centre is housed in the former Liverpool railway station and chronicles the life of Country and Western music star Hank Williams who was born in nearby Brooklyn. The music centre also features information and displays on other Nova Scotia country and western musicians, including Wilf Carter who was born in the Annapolis Valley.

The Halifax & Southwestern Railway Museum in Lunenburg preserve the rich railroading history along the Nova Scotia South Shore between Halifax and Yarmouth. It is the brainchild of Duane Porter (above right) who is creating an detailed, S-guage model of the former 300-kilometer long railway.

Check the links for each of the above museums, or have a look at these websites:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinstionsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com
www.museum.gov.ns.ca
www.novascotiaheritage.ca

The Tail of a Whale on Digby Neck

2010-08-25T18:35:15Z

Every summer without fail, I make at least one or two trips to Digby Neck in Southwest Novs Scotia to photograph whales in the Bay of Fundy.

There are many things to see and do on Digby Neck . . . hiking, camping, bird watching and rock hounding to name a few . . . but it is undoubtedly whales that are the biggest attraction.

When I first went to see whales on Brier Island at the western tip of Digby Neck more than 20 years ago, whale watching, as we now know it, was something relatively new.

Carl Haycock, who was doing research on whales off Brier Island, began taking people out as a way of helping to fund his whale studies, Today, many of the whale watching boats that operate along Digby Neck are skippered by local fishermen who were always aware of the abundance of whales, but never realized their potential for additional income during the off season.

One thing I've learned over the years is that when you're dealing with mother nature, you deal with her on her terms . . . in other words whale sightings are not 100% guaranteed.

However, I've been out with Carl and most of the other skippers many times over the years and I have never failed to see at least one whale or two. The only times I've been skunked is when we weren't able to go out at all because of dense fog or a storm.

The Bay of Fundy is the summer home to a variety of whales including Minke, Finback, Humpback and the rare and endangered Right Whale. There are also a variety of sea birds, dolphins and seals to be seen. Most whale watching trips last about four hours and it pays to dress warmly as the air temperature drops noticeably when you're out on the water barely in sight of land.

The skippers of whale watching boats are friendly competitors and if one sights a whale, he is soon on the radio to alert other boats that there is a whale in the area.

However, they operate under a strict set of self-imposed rules. They never allow more that two to three boats, preferably two, near a whale at one time and try to keep a reasonable distance from the whales.

However, the distance rule is often broken by the whales themselves. When a boat is stationary with its engine stopped, it is not uncommon for a whale to approach and stick it's head out of the water beside the boat for closer look at the people on board.

Or they will slide silently under the boat with a head on one side and the tail on the other. The fin, humpback and right whales are much larger that the whale watching boats, but they are docile and seem to enjoy the company of people.

Whale watching is a great experience for the whole family and if you have an opportunity to do it on a visit to Nova Scotia, don't pass it up. I, for one, never tire of seeing these giant creatures up close and personal. Of course, they make for great photography. All the accompanying photos were taken on a single trip this summer.

Learn more about whale watching in Southwestern Nova Scotia at:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com

Diversity of Adventure in Southwest Nova Scotia

2010-08-14T15:34:47Z

Photography in a seaside marsh at Riverport on the South Shore

For anyone with a yearning for outdoor adventure, the southwestern part of Nova Scotia would have to be near the top of your wish list.

This area is bounded by two uniquely different bodies of salt water, the granite-strewn Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Bay of Fundy, home of the world's highest tides, on the other.

Sandwiched between them are wilderness acres dotted with hundreds of lakes; pristine rivers and streams and even the 150-kilometer swath of the Annapolis Valley, one of Canada's prime fruit and vegetable growing areas.

Although infinite possibilities for outdoor adventure abound, you are never far from a town or village where you can end the day with a fine meal and a variety of accommodations . . . everything from an historic country inn or B&B, to a resort, conventional motel or campground. However, it's outdoor adventure you came for so let's have a look at what awaits you in Southwest Nova Scotia.


Whale watchinng off Digby Neck	Schooner Bluenose II near Lunenburg

Motorcyclists at Annapolis Royal	Golfing at Chester on Mahone Bay

Fishing from a dock near Hubbards	Scuba diver and friend in South Shore waters

A lazy day at Kejimkujik National Park	Bird watching at Lower West Pubnico

Golfing at Lunenburg	Sailing regatta on Mahone Bay

Kayaker and friend at Port Mouton	Break at Summerville Beach

Dawn anglers at Ten Mile Lake	Surfer at Western Head near Liverpool

Successful Wedgeport tuna anglers	Kayakers on the Sissiboo River near Weymouth

Humpback whale shows its head . .	. . and tail before diving into the Bay of Fundy

Some website to check for more information on Southwest Nova Scotia:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com

South Shore Parks Preserve Fragile Shoreline

2010-08-12T14:23:23Z

One of the great things I like about traveling in Nova Scotia is that so much of the seashore is accessible to the outdoor adventurer.

In part, that is due to the fact that many of our secondary highways follow the winding seashore, leaving you mere steps from a sandy beach or a place to examine the vast array of beach rocks and perhaps discover a fossil or two.

Another reason the shoreline is so accessible is the network of parks that have been established to give access to and preserve valuable coastal areas.

I'm a kayaker, as well as photographer, and it's nice to be able to have this ready access . . . to drop my boat in the salt water on a whim and perhaps visit a nearby island or piece of seashore not readily accessible on foot.

Two of my favourite parks are located side by side near Port Joli on Nova Scotia's South Shore between the towns of Liverpool and Shelburne.

One is Kejimkujik Seaside Park, part of the inland Kejimkkujik National Park. The other is Thomas Raddall Provincial Park, a large camping and picnic park named after a well-known Nova Scotia author.

The parks are located on opposite shores of Port Joli Harbour, which itself is a bird sanctuary. The seashore at Keji is reached by a 25-minute walk from the information centre on the Port Joli road. At Thomas Raddall, the seashore and beaches are a mere 10-15 minute hike from the camping/picnic area.

Both parks offer a mix of white sand beaches and plenty of rocky shore to explore. They are prime bird watching areas; seals can be seen sunning on nearby rocks and the pure white sand is like powder in your hand.

As a bonus, there is the nearby fishing village of Port Mouton and it's collection of beaches including Carter's Beach. There is a small, but great seafood restaurant here as well as cottages if you're not into the camping scene.

I'll let you check out the web sites below if you want more information, but in the meantime have a look at these photos I took on a recent weekend.

Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct National Park

Thomas Raddall Provincial Park

Three rocks on the beach at Thomas Raddal Park could be mistaken for eggs of the endangered Piping Plover that sometimes nests there, so be careful where you step and what you pickup. Beach rocks have been smoothed and rounded from relentless pounding by the Atlantic surf.

Carter's Beach at Port Mouton

Websites to check:
www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/kejimkujik
parks.gov.ns.ca/parks/thraddall.asp
www.queens.ca
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.exploreourshores.com
www.novascotia.com

"Seeing is Believing" in Windsor, Nova Scotia

2010-08-10T13:27:57Z

A wall mural on a downtown Windsor building depicts the town's seafaring history.

If you've ever been near Windsor, but haven't stopped for a visit, then a miss is a good as a mile in this Annapolis Valley town where the early bird get the worm and sometimes it rains cats and dogs.

However, if you're quick as a wink or as sharp as a tack you may find that facts are stranger than fiction in Windsor. As any resident can tell you, every dog has his day and you're barking up the wrong tree if you should ever look a gift horse in the mouth or try to find a needle in a haystack.

I bet you didn't know that all these commonplace sayings (in red) were actually coined in Windsor in the 1830s by Judge Thomas Chandler Haliburton in his newspaper articles and books about The Clockmaker: The Sayings and Doings of Samual Slick of Slickville.

Judge Haliburton's home 'Clifton' is now part of the Nova Scotia Museum complex and is open to the public as are several other museums in the town where you can learn more about the town's history and its star character Sam Slick.


Clifton House Museum	The Shand House Museum	Fort Edward Blockhouse, a National Historic Site

Among other things, Windsor lays claim to the title 'birthplace of hockey' and points to a reference by Sam Slick talking about boys playing 'hurley' on ice on Windsor's Long Pond as proof. Hurley is a European game played on grass with a ball and curved-end stick.

Sam Slick also made mention of youngsters playing bass (two ss) ball, but Windsor doesn't lay claim to having invented this sport, although the town is twinned with Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

One claim to fame that can't be disputed is the fact that Windsor is home to 'giant' pumpkins. It was the late Windsor farmer Howard Dill who developed 'Dill's Atlantic Giant', the granddaddy of all giant pumpkins. The current world record is 767.7 kilograms or 1689 pounds and was produced from one of his seeds.

No matter how you cut it, that's a lot of pumpkin pies and some people even turn them into boats and race them. I'm sure if you met Sam Slick on the streets of Windsor today and he told you such a thing was for real, you would probably say: This country is going to the dogs if you expect me to believe that . . . I wasn't born yesterday. And he'd be apt to reply: Seeing is believing.


Historic downtown Windsor buildings	Large, ornate homes include The Clockmaker Inn

Large trains carry gypsum from nearby mines	Miniature trains take kids for rides

The Avon River flows around Windsor and is a good place to witness the power of the Bay of Fundy tides.

If you too have to see to believe, checkout these website for more on Windsor: It's as large as life and twice as natural if you believe Sam Slick.
www.birthplaceofhockey.com
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com

Destination Southwest Nova Scotia Overview

2010-08-06T19:00:36Z


Mahone Bay Churches The South Shore	Town of Yarmouth Yarmouth & Acadian Shores	Grand Pré National Historic Site Fundy Shore & Annapolis Valley

Over the last 24 years, I've logged several hundred thousand kilometers traveling to every nook and cranny of Nova Scotia as a provincial tourism photographer. During that time I've shot many hundreds of thousands of photographs (no exaggeration), both on film and digitally, and I've yet to run out of subject material for my cameras. Since the Southwestern part of Nova Scotia represents about one-third of the land mass of the province, it would be safe to say that a third of these photographs came from this area. During the next few months, I would like to share with you some of these photos, and the stories behind them, in a series of blogs (I think of them more as photo feature stories) on this website that was recently established to create awareness of this part of the province known as Destination Southwest Nova Scotia.

Drawing on my past experience as a photo journalist who has worked and traveled on assignment throughout North America, I would like to make these blogs both entertaining and informative, relying on little hype and few adjectives, but rather on lots of actual photos so you can better judge Southwest Nova Scotia for yourself. I hope you enjoy them and I'd welcome any comments or suggestions you might have. You can email them to:wallyhayes@exploreourshores.com Hopefully, my blogs will whet your appetite to see Southwestern Nova Scotia. You can get all the specific travel planning info you want by visiting www.exploreourshores.com or the Nova Scotia website at www.novascotia.com

Now let's put all the housekeeping details aside and get down to our main topic . . . Southwestern Nova Scotia. If you were to drive directly through the three regions, starting in Halifax and ending in Windsor, you could do it in about eight to nine hours. However, after nine hours in a car without a rest stop you'd be mighty hungry and cranky. On top of that, you wouldn't have seen much; so, let's not do that. Instead, we'll take our time and enjoy the experience. There are lobsters to be eaten; lighthouses to be photographed; a gazillion beaches to explore; museums to visit and cultures to experience, just to name a few.	Hubbards Lobster

Port George	Clare Acadians

Southwest Nova has two distinct coastlines, the Atlantic Ocean bordering one side and the Bay of Fundy along the other. They are as different as day and night. The Atlantic coast features and endless stretch of granite rock, broken here and there by pristine white sand beaches and a variety of towns, villages and fishing ports.

Oh! Did I mention lighthouses? There are lots of them and many you can drive to in your car . . . the Peggy's Cove lighthouse and the Cape Forchu lighthouse near Yarmouth just to name two. Others are located on offshore islands and many can be seen from tour boats or, for the more adventurous, by sea kayak and sailboat.


Peggy's Cove, South Shore	Cape Forchu, Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy shore, on the other hand, is mostly basalt rock and sandstone. It too has beaches, many distinctive towns and villages and gobs of history. Did you know that the first permanent settlement in Canada occurred here more than 400 years ago?. But the Bay of Fundy has something else that exists nowhere else on the planet . . . the world's highest tides. Without a word of exaggeration, you can sit at a dockside restaurant eating freshly cooked lobster and watch fishing boats floating beside the dock literally drop out of sight as the harbour empties of water and the boats are left high and dry on the muddy bottom. This full/empty cycle takes place all over the Bay of Fundy twice every 24 hours and there's no admission charge for the show.


Hall's Harbour at Low Tide	Hall's Harbour at High Tide

The word unique is often suspect when describing any place, but I can tell you from experience that there are indeed many unique things to be found in Southwest Nova, the Fundy tides being one of them. There's a national park, Kejimkujik, that is actually two parks . . . one part covering a vast area of rivers, lakes and hiking trails in the geographic heart of the region and the other on the seashore where seals and rare shorebirds make their homes.


Kejimkujik National Park	Kejimkujik Seaside Park

One town, Lunenburg, is a UNESCO world heritage site and a large tract of land that includes most of Southwest Nova is designated as a UNESCO biosphere.

Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

So this is a brief overview of Southwest Nova. In the next few blogs I'll take a close look at each of the three regions that comprise the area and after that, join me for a look at the people, places and things that make up the many experiences that are to be found here.

Nova Scotia's South Shore Region

2010-08-06T18:30:41Z

Entrance to Lunenburg Harbour

On a Nova Scotia tourism roadmap, the South Shore Region stretches from edge of the City of Halifax, southwest to just beyond Cape Sable Island, the most southerly point in Nova Scotia and the location of its tallest lighthouse.

The main travelway through this region is known as the Lighthouse Route. If you are a user of Google maps and printed maps by both the province and private map makers, the name Lighthouse Route appears prominently.

The Lighthouse Route essentially follows the old Route #3 highway between Halifax and the Town of Yarmouth, but keep an eye out for Lighthouse Route signs as they often point to coastal roads that take you to picturesque towns and villages steeped in history, much of it tied to the Atlantic Ocean which borders the entire region.

The South Shore is best known for its many and varied seaside communities. Among the best known and most visited is the fishing village of Peggy's Cove, with its much-photographed lighthouse perched on the seemingly endless granite shoreline. Although Peggy's, less than an hour's drive from Halifax, it is one of more visited tourism locations, I never tire of coming here, especially in the early morning and late in the day when there are few people about. (Stay tuned for a blog specifically on Peggy's Cove in the near future or, if you can't wait, visit one of the websites listed below.)

Peggy's Cove at Sunset

Another community that tops the list of must-see places on the South Shore is the town of Lunenburg. The wooden architecture in this town has to be seen to be believed. Don't take my word for it . . . UNESCO declared Lunenburg a World Heritage site some years ago, largely because of its imposing wooden houses and buildings, as well as its seafaring heritage. Nova Scotia's sailing icon, the fishing schooner Bluenose and its replica Bluenose II, were built here.

Lunenburg, UNESCO World Heritage Site

However, it's not fair to single out just Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg when there are a myriad of other towns and villages along the South Shore, each with their own distinctive character . . . places like Chester, Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, Liverpool, Lockeport and Shelburne, to name a few. (Shelburne is on my list of blog topics for next week)

Shelburne's Dock Street

But towns and villages are only one of the reasons for pointing yourself in the direction of the South Shore. The other main reason is the seacoast itself. Even the neighbourhood paint shop would be hard pressed to match the rainbow of colours on the boats, traps, nets and even houses in the small fishing ports that line the shore.

Anybody with even a casual interest in the outdoors will be impressed at what the seashore has to offer. There are beaches that you can call your own, especially if you kayak or sail to one of the hundreds of islands, many only a stones throw from the mainland. There are coastal and inland hiking trails . . . the most notable being in Kejimkujik National Park and its seaside adjunct located near Liverpool.

Since I'm a photographer, I best communicate with pictures, so let me finish off my narrative on Nova Scotia's South Shore Region with some photos from my collection to help you decide whether my words speak the truth. Enjoy!


Sailing at Chester	Privateer Days in Liverpool

Barrington Woolen Mill Museum	Mahone Bay

Surf Boarding at Western Head	Cycling along the LaHave River

For additional information or to make travel plans to visit the South Shore, check out these websites:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.novascotia.com
www.destinationasouthwestnova.com
www.novascotialife.com

Yarmouth & Acadian Shores Region

2010-08-06T18:16:55Z

Clare Acadian Festival

One thing you'll find in traveling through the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia is that French is the predominant language spoken in the region.

The exception is the immediate area around the Town of Yarmouth. However, language is not a problem for the visitor, as the Acadian French, who populate most of this region, are equally as fluent in English as they are their native tongue.

One of the things that I always marvel at as I travel through the Pubnicos or the Acadian communities along the Clare shore on either side of Yarmouth is that the French speaking residents seem to have an uncanny ability to recognize when they have an English-only speaking person in their midst.

Before I even open my mouth, they have switched from French to English. I often wonder whether I should look in a mirror to see if the word 'English' is stamped on my forehead.

This desire to accommodate the visitor is one of the more endearing characteristics of the Acadian people, not only the ones living in this region, but also those in other Acadian communities scattered throughout Nova Scotia.

The mixture of French and English presence in the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores region not only gives a foreign flare to your holiday, but the diversity of the area in other ways is a positive experience.


Start of lobster season in Lower West Pubnico . . .	and in Yarmouth

Fishing is the mainstay of this area, a fact that is all too evident in the many fishing villages scattered along the Atlantic shore between Cape Sable Island and Yarmouth and throughout the many communities of Clare that border the shores of St. Mary's Bay. The area is commonly referred to as the 'French Shore'.

Where there's seashore, there is bound to be beaches and some of the most pristine are found here. Also, where there's fishing villages, there's bound to be fresh seafood.

One of my favourites is the broiled haddock filet with lobster sauce served at a restaurant in West Pubnico. Also check out the 'rappie pie', a staple of the Acadian diet.

Outdoor adventure, food, festivals and fun are also staples of the area as the following photos will attest.

Tasty treats at the Yarmouth Seafest:

Haddock Fish Cakes	Steamed Mussels	Seafood Chowder


Artists at work in Clare	Bird Watching in West Pubnico

Heading out for the Wedgeport Tuna Tournament

For additional information on what's going on and when, or to make travel plans for the Yarmouth & Acadian Shores, check out these website sites:
www.exploreourshores.com
www.seafest.ca
www.novascotia.com

Fundy Shore & Annapolis Valley Region

2010-08-06T18:04:17Z


Town of Digby on the Bay of Fundy	Annapolis Valley from The Lookoff near Canning
One of the things that always appeals to me about traveling in Nova Scotia is the diversity of the scenery, both inland and along the various bodies of water that surround our 7,400 kilometers (4,600 miles) of coastline. The Fundy Shore & Annapolis Valley region is a prime example of that diversity. The Annapolis Valley is, as the name suggests, an agricultural area. It extends in an eight-kilometer wide swath for a distance of roughly 160 kilometers between the towns of Windsor and Digby. The valley is one of the prime agricultural regions of Canada and is lined with orchards of fruit trees, predominantly apples; scattered vineyards supporting a thriving wine industry; and, of course, rolling fields of vegetables and grains all nestled between North and South Mountains. The contrast comes when you take a short drive over North Mountain on any of a number of country roads that branch off the Evangeline Trail travelway that runs the length of the valley.

Annapolis Valley Apple Orchard	Annapolis Valley Vineyard
On the other side of the mountain is the Bay of Fundy shore with its mix of weathered basalt rock formations and colourful red sandstone cliffs. The villages dotting this coastline, that extends another 50 or so kilometers beyond Digby to the end of Digby Neck, are mostly small. They are supported by some agriculture, but mostly by fishing. Fishing in the Bay of Fundy is no mean feat as most of the harbours are devoid of water when the tide is out. This twice-a-day, in-out cycle of tides calls for some ingenuity on the part of fishermen, as their days are regulated by sailing out with the tide and then waiting for high tide to return home. This can mean up to 12 hours at sea and since the tide cycle varies by about an hour each day, so does their workday. One day they may leave port in the middle of the night and a few weeks later they leave in mid afternoon.

	Brier Island Basalt Cliffs

Cape Blomidon Sandstone Cliffs	Fundy Fishermen at Dawn
But for those of us on shore, the cycle is nothing short of fascinating. The highest tide in the world, just over 15 meters (nearly 50 feet) was recorded at Burntcoat Head, just outside this region, in the late 1800s. As a result, the Bay of Fundy is unlike few other places on earth, where you can actually walk on the ocean floor at low tide. However, caution is advised, as the tide comes in quickly and the prospect of trying to claw your way up a sandstone cliff with water lapping at your ankles is not a pleasant one. When I'm photographing fossils and unusual rock formations along the shore, I use an iPhone app call 'Clam Tide' that keeps me up to date on the current tide conditions. If you're not electronically inclined, most harbours post tide times to protect the unwary.

Searching for Fundy Fossils	Western Light on Brier Island
There is much to write about this region; the food and wine, the whale watching and the historic towns and villages, to name a few. But that's just scratching the surface, so as has been the pattern in my last few blogs, I'll let my pictures tell the story.

Port Royal National Historic Site	Fort Anne National Historic Site

Giant Pumpkin Racing at Windsor	Pumpkin People Festival in Kentville

Bear River Mi'kmaq Drummers	Whale Watching off Digby Neck
For additional information on what's going on and when, or to make travel plans for the Fundy Shore & Annapolis Valley region, check out these website sites: www.exploreourshores.com www.novascotia.com

Historic Shelburne on the South Shore

2010-08-06T17:57:09Z

Fishermen's Memorial Park on Dock Street, Shelburne

Apart from its heavily-indented coastline of harbours, bays and inlets, the collection of intriguing seaside towns and villages along Nova Scotia's South Shore is probably its foremost attraction.

The town of Lunenburg, partly because of its UNESCO World Heritage status and partly because it is home to Nova Scotia's sailing icon Bluenose, is one of the first South Shore towns to come to mind.

Being a photographer, I like to seek out towns & villages that have interesting history and architecture. Lunenburg is certainly one of them, but during the next few months I'd like to feature some of the other places that I have visited off and on over the years and share some of the photographs I've taken.

From these you'll see that each community has its own 'claim to fame' and you'll never be left with the feeling that 'once you've see one you've seen them all'. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

This time around, we'll look at the Town of Shelburne founded by Loyalists who came here by ship in 1783 from New York City following the American Revolution.


Welcoming Sign to Town of Shelburne	Loyalist Arrival Re-enactment

In a space of a few years, Shelburne's population swelled to nearly 16,000 people making it one of the largest settlements of its time along the east coast of North America, The nearby village of Birchtown was settled by 1,500 Blacks in the same year, making it the largest free black settlement on the continent.


Historic Dock Street	Black Loyalist Heritage Site, Birchtown

Today, Shelburne is a thriving town of museums, restored houses and buildings and people who celebrate their heritage through a number of annual festivals. Between July 15-18 the town will be alive with period costumed people as they celebrate Founder's Day and on Sept 18 & 19, it's time for the Whirligig & Weathervane Festival.


All Dressed up for Founder's Day	Betty Camp, owner of Whirligig Book Shop

I'm not the only photographer to recognize the potential of Shelburne and surrounding area. It has been chosen as the site for a number of Hollywood motion pictures including The Scarlet Letter featuring actors Demi Moore and Robert Duvall.

Since pictures are my main way of expressing myself, I'll let them do the talking. In the meantime, check back for a look at other interesting places in Destination Southwest Nova Scotia.


James Mackay, the Chainsaw Carver at Work	Timothy Gillespie conducting his Walking Tour

The Dory Shop Museum on Dock Street	Strolling on Dock Street at Sunset

Town Criers at Founder's Day	Evening Performance at Osprey Centre

For more information on Shelburne or the entire region, these websites will more than fill in the blanks in my narrative.
www.exploreourshores.com
www.novascotia.com
www.destinationalsouthwestnova.com
www.shelburnenovascotia.com