Posted on September 11, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 4 comments

Paradise Found – Smith Settlement on the # 7 Highway

 

So much to tell you. So little space.

Let’s start with Peace by Chocolate. They had the grand opening of their new factory on Saturday. It was a perfect September afternoon weather wise. People started to arrive at 1:30 to get a tour of the facility, sample Syrian food , hear some speeches and watch the official ribbon cutting. The crowd was estimated at over 500 people.

I received a message from Tareq early Saturday morning that their Emcee would not be able to make it so I was asked to fill in. It was a great honor and I had a bird’s eye view of the entire proceedings. There was a lot of goodwill and love in evidence all afternoon. The highlight for most of us was the heart wrenching speech from Tareq’s mother, Shannaz. I think that all of the events of the previous years came to a head around this event. Through tear stained eyes, she tried to put into words what this day meant to her and the family. It was very moving and there weren’t many dry eyes.

There will always be naysayers but our Syrian families will add so much to our town, our province and our country.

What if our provincial government banned all recreational travel outside of the province for one year? First of all, they would be defeated in the next election! I’m only joking of course. The more I travel in Nova Scotia, the more I realize that we have one of the most beautiful places on the planet to call home. Those who don’t like winter might disagree. If everyone was forced to travel in the province for a year, it would be a great stimulus to the economy and people would quickly realize that they don’t have to go far or spend large amounts of money to have a first class vacation experience.

I spent a day on the South West coast of Nova Scotia last Friday. The Valley was lovely, as always, with apples aplenty in the orchards. I have never been beyond Digby before and decided to go to Church Point. If you’ve never gone there before, put this on your bucket list. If you get a beautiful day like I did, the scenery is breathtaking. You pass through Belliveau Cove, Grosses Coques, Church Point, Comeauville and Saulnierville.  Trip tip: If you love fresh seafood/ Acadian cuisine, you must go to La Cuisine Robicheau in Saulnierville. You won’t find fish and chips on the menu because they don’t use deep fryers. I sampled their fishcakes and seafood chowder. You simply won’t find any better anywhere.

I spent an hour wandering around the campus of Universite Sainte Anne. What a location for a university, only a few hundred yards from St. Mary’s Bay, an inlet of the Bay of Fundy.

But the main reason for traveling to Church Point was to visit the grave of my good friend Gary Boone. I was in Florida in November of 2013 when Gary passed away. I really liked Gary. He was a straight shooter on and off the golf course. He did so much for recreation in this province. Now finding his grave was another matter. If you thought finding a lost golf ball in Dundee was difficult ( for you golfers out there! ), trying to locate this particular  cemetery in Church Point required patience and several messages back and forth with Kim!

Gary was one of the good guys. Rest in peace, my friend.

The day before traveling to Church Point, I hopped on the boat and went to Charlottetown to see “ Million Dollar Quartet” at the Confederation Center For The Arts. I think I only saw one couple under the age of 65. If you grew up in the era of “ Rock and Roll”, this is a must see. The show depicts a night in Nashville back in the 1950’s when four up and coming stars spent an evening at SUN Studios. And what a foursome: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. The show lasted 90 minutes ( no intermission ) and the musicianship was amazing.

The last day of my mini vacation took me along the Eastern Shore after overnighting in Halifax. This is another beautiful drive. Where the 107 meets the 7 highway, traffic picked up considerably. Before I could turn around, I realized that I was caught in the snare of the 50 mile yard sale. Luckily I wasn’t in a hurry and I was going slow enough to catch the photograph seen above.

I think I have discovered the bleakest stretch of highway in the province. Exiting Sheet Harbor, I took the 374 cross country to Stellarton. There was a method to my madness. I wanted to stop by and see another dear friend who passed away while I was in India. Fr. Gerry MacInnis lived at the apartments at Sylvan Valley. I got to know him very well during the time my mother lived there. He was a modest priest with a wicked sense of humour and a brilliant bridge player. We shared so many good times together including weekly mass when I’d play my guitar.

Fr. Gerry is now resting under a beautiful tree surrounded by other family members. Requiescat in pace.

Have a great week.

P.S. Glad you liked my “ back to school poem.” Think I’ll throw a few more your way in the future.

 

Chowder at La Cuisine Robicheau. Simply the best!

 

 

Posted on September 7, 2017 under Storytelling with 5 comments

Getting ready for the first day of school

 

Twas the night before school and all through the house,

No lunches were packed, I felt like a louse.

The kids were excited, my nerves were quite shot,

I should have been cooler, but the temperature was hot.

The trip for groceries was a disaster in waiting,

The meltdown was gruesome, the lineups frustrating.

The clothes we had ordered, hadn’t arrived,

My cheery demeanor was all quite contrived.

The children were quite cranky, which wasn’t that nice,

And that’s when we discovered, a case of head lice.

I drove to the pharmacy , to purchase a kit,

In order to eradicate the unwelcome nits.

Now glue sticks, now scissors, now markers and stencils,

On notebooks, and crayons and bright colored pencils.

And what will I send for lunch on day one?

I haven’t a clue, maybe cheese in a bun.

A sleepless night, and a great deal of fuss.

Will they be on time to catch the bus?

You wave them off, with a tear in your eyes.

How day 1 will go is one big surprise.

Your exhaustion is total, there’s no way to fake it,

But you still drive to school just to be certain they make it.

The journey has started, it’s just me and you.

But what will you pack for their lunch on day 2?

 

 

 

Posted on September 4, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Merlin James – India

 

It’s a small world after all.

The population of India is approximately 1.325  ( 1,350,000,000 ) billion people. Out of this staggering number, two women were chosen to come to Antigonish to attend the Global Change Leaders Program. ( GCLP ) And I know one of these women. What are the odds of this happening?

According to the Coady Institute website the GCLP “enables women from developing countries to strengthen their leadership capacities in order to contribute to innovation and change in their organizations and communities.”

Like many Antigonishers, I have tended to take the Coady for granted most of my life. Every year since I was a child, I have watched people from all over the world come to our home town. We’re generally a friendly lot and say hello when seeing a participant on the Main. But not many of us truly appreciate the impact that the Coady Institute has abroad. Arguably, The Coady is better known in far flung places like India and Africa than in our own back yard.

My friend, Merlin ( pictured above ) from Kannykumari, India has just completed the 7 week Leadership course and because of her, I have a slightly better appreciation for the amazing things that happen right here on the campus of St.F.X University. I have spent time with the participants showing them this part of our beautiful province, sharing meals with them and even singing some songs. These women are leaders in their communities back home. They are well educated, motivated and caring individuals.

Having a mini United Nations right in our back yard is, simply put, amazing. What other small town anywhere on the planet can claim to have the best and the brightest from Chile, Bolivia, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Lesotho, Rwanda, Viet Nam, Nepal, Indonesia, Tajikistan,Bangladesh , Morocco , The Phillipines and India all under one roof, sharing knowledge and experience? They bring a global perspective and it is so interesting to hear their stories. Hopefully they have taken a bit of Antigonish back home with them.

I’m working on a story. A pair of sneakers has gone missing. No, we don’t think our 92 year old neighbor ran off with them! Do you find that as you age, things go missing more often? Or that you meet someone on the street that you know , haven’t seen in a while and have trouble remembering their name?  How about heading to another part of your house to get something and then forgetting what it was. I think it’s called aging.

The story is about forgetfulness. I just have to remember to write it!

Hope you have a great Labour Day holiday. The rhythm of life will resume later this week with the start of school and another academic year at St.F.X. Sadly summer is in the rear view mirror but our Falls can be every bit as spectacular.

Have a great day and enjoy your week.

P.S. I am often asked what “P.D.” stands for. My father, Peter Donald  ( P.D. ) MacDonald died 40 years ago yesterday. Back when there were very large families, you needed something to distinguish one MacDonald from the other. We became known as the “ P.D.’s ” We miss dad. He was a quiet, honest, hard working man and one of the first managers of the Bergengren Credit Union.