Posted on July 9, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

School’s out

“No more pencils, no more books,

No more teacher’s dirty looks,

Out for summer, out ‘til fall,

We might not come back at all.”

School’s Out – Alice Cooper

If you are a young person, is there anything more delicious than the last day of school?

Surely you all remember that feeling of pure joy when the bell rang one final time and you were set free, with two endless months of anticipation at your disposal. It’s impossible to describe the feeling but if you’ve lived it, you know what I mean.

I was a golf nut. Let me rephrase that. I was a nut who liked to play golf. (My children often admonish me for using labels). The moment that I got home from school, and after showing my parents my report cards (some of which I still possess), I would head to the golf course where I spent entire days. The rest of the time, I was shirtless and hatless at the beach (and clueless as it turns out). Little did I know that all that time spent in the sun would leave me in stitches (sutures, actually) later in life.

Summers lasted forever.

The school year ended in our province on June 30^th. I’m sure those in authority can explain the timing but dragging students back for one hour on the Monday before Canada Day seemed like an odd call to me and almost every other teacher, parent and student. I was actually surprised at how many students showed up.

I hadn’t planned to go to the school, knowing the chaos of the final few hours, but the timing of my morning walk coincided with the final bell. Just as I was passing the school, the front doors of the school exploded and all the grade 8s came cascading out into the courtyard. This was to be their final day at SAJS as they would be attending the Regional High School in September.

I stood alongside a few teachers and administrators and started dishing out high 5s. I spent a lot of time with the grade 8s this past year until I stumbled into oblivion in the parking lot at Sobey’s in early April – my own version of an April Fool’s joke, me being the fool.

These students had come outside for a class picture and a few moments later, they re-entered the school to grab their personal belongings including their yearbooks. I had the honor of signing many of these.

I chatted with several members of staff and then left. A few hours later, the school would be empty, no longer an educational institution but just a mass of brick and mortar. The key ingredient in a school is the children. No kids. No school. Just a building until September comes a calling.

Many local businesses hand out free treats to students on the final day. Students, resembling packs of wolves, were seen marauding the streets of Antigonish. I have a suspicion that many of these young people ended up with upset tummies after this avalanche of sugar.

In all likelihood, I was the only person at school that day who was sad to see the year end. Had I expressed these sentiments out loud, I might have been put in a straight jacket and hauled off to the psychiatric unit at the hospital. For once, I had the good sense to keep my mouth shut.

Most of us aging souls know that having a purpose is every bit as important as diet and exercise. Substitute teaching gives me purpose and much more. It has become my community. Unlike discussions with my peers, conversations with young people don’t involve surgeries, artificial body parts, canes and walkers. We talk about hockey and horses and hairdos (I remain mute on this last one!) … and “tats”. For you very uncool oldies, tats is short for tattoos. I have one on my upper arm which instantly makes me cool in the eyes of my students.

Will I return in September? You betcha…the good Lord willin’.

“See you in September,

See you when the summer’s through.”

See You in September – The Happenings

Have a great weekend

Posted on July 2, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

Beautiful in red and white

 

“Oh, Canada,

Our home and native land”

I will openly admit my bias. I firmly believe that Canada is the greatest country in the world. Yesterday we celebrated Canada Day. By many standards, we’re a newbie, clocking in at a modest 158 years of age. Lately, my body feels like I have been around for every one of those celebrations! It’s great to sit around with friends on Canada Day and raise a glass to celebrate our good fortune.

I am luckier than most. I have travelled the country extensively with only the Northwest Territories, The Yukon, and Nunavut on my “to do” list.

Here is another excerpt from my upcoming autobiography:

This is the Reader’s Digest version of travelling across Canada.

Canada is a huge country. Over my lifetime, I have crossed the country, coast to coast, at least eight times by car. You can’t appreciate the breadth of the country, the second largest in the world, until you get behind the wheel of a car. Whether you travel from east to west or west to east, whichever way you slice it, it still measures around 5,800 kilometres. Coming from the east, you cross the border into New Brunswick near Aulac and proceed to drive through, the St.John River valley, past Fredericton, up to Edmonston and into Quebec. At Rivière de Loup, you head south past Levis and Quebec City, through Montreal, and cross the border into Ontario. If you push hard, you can make it to Ottawa from Antigonish in a day.

Ontario is a massive province, and it takes the better part of two days to get through it. There are different routes one can take through the province, but I usually went through Sault Ste. Marie and crossed the border into Manitoba at Kenora. It’s a hop and a skip across Manitoba, passing through Winnipeg, home of the famous Winnipeg Folk festival. The prairies are flat and endless and can be mind numbing unless the crops are ripening and then it can be quite stunning.

Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, is rather nondescript. Lloydminster straddles Saskatchewan and Alberta. Travelling further west, you can see Calgary off in the distance even if it’s almost a full day away. The Rockies never fail to impress. There are several routes that will deposit you near Vancouver and all are spectacular. The don’t call it Beautiful British Columbia for nothing.

Why am I so partial about my country?

First of all, I feel safe here although lately a little less safe with the crazies running the United States government. There have been many presidents that I have admired and a few that I have been leery off, but I have never been frightened of one until orange top got his hands on the wheel. Whenever I travel abroad and touch down in Canada upon my return, I usually heave a sigh of relief.

Canada is a spectacularly beautiful country. It has everything. The landscape is ever changing. Oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, prairies, we have them all.

And lots of trees!

If you are traversing the country and you’re pressed for time, you won’t get to experience these wonders. You’ll just zip along, stopping at service centers with their ubiquitous collection of the same fast food restaurants and gas bars.

In order to appreciate this country, one needs to take “the road less travelled”. How many of you have been to both Torbay in Nova Scotia and the Sooke Potholes on Vancouver Island?

We are recognized as a country of peacekeepers. Our motto could easily be, “Make love, not war”.

By and large, we’re friendly folks and we’ll go out of our way to help someone in need. We even “pay it forward” buying coffee for the people in the car behind us at Tim’s.

We have universal health care. With all the bumps and bruises I’ve encountered lately, I would surely be bankrupt if I was paying for medical services out of pocket.

Most of us know this already. We are very fortunate to live in Canada.

Let us raise a glass to Newfoundland Screech, maple syrup and poutine… and donairs!

“With glowing hearts, we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free,

From far and wide, Oh Canada,

We stand on guard for thee.

Have a great weekend.

 

Posted on June 25, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

Touring Torbay

 

“Summer breeze, makes me feel fine,

Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind.”

Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft

It’s shaping up to be a banner tourism season here in Nova Scotia. The stars seem to be aligned. The weather has been pretty good so far. With all of the lunacy going on south of the border, many Canadians are choosing (wisely, methinks) to vacation closer to home or somewhere in this great, vast nation. Many Americans will travel north of their border to escape the madness. With the exchange rate in their favour, a Canadian vacation is a great option.

Summer is a time of hope and blackflies!

Last weekend, a friend of mine and I decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a Saturday road trip to Guysborough County. Over the decades, I travelled the main roads and the back roads of Guysborough when I was in business. Other than one memorable, treacherous drive to Little Dover on the last day of RRSP season in an ice storm, every trip to Guysborough seemed to unearth some new treasure.

Like any true Bluenoser, and lover of music, I have attended Stanfest on numerous occasions. And, yes, I have taken the Country Harbour Ferry!

Our ultimate destination was Torbay.

We drove to Auld’s Cove, took a hard right and headed up (down?) route 344 from Mulgrave to Boylston. It was a spectacular day as we passed through Pirate Harbour, Steep Creek, Middle Melford, Sand Point, Hadleyville, St. Francis Harbour, Manasette Lake, Port Shoreham, and Manchester before making a hard left into Boylston. People rave about the Cabot Trail and rightly so. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I have driven it dozens and dozens of time, and actually walked the entire 300 kilometres in the summer of 2019. While Route 344 doesn’t have the mountains, the ocean vistas and quaint harbours have their own special attraction.

Of course, locals know that one of their own, legendary Canadian author, Harry Bruce, spent many years penning wonderful stories about Atlantic Canada from his home in Port Shoreham.

We were getting peckish and decided to lunch at the Cast Away Café on the waterfront in the town of Guysborough. It was a first visit for me and won’t be the last. The building has a distinct vibe, the food was great, and the location, nothing short of spectacular, overlooking Chedabucto Bay. I even bumped into well known musician, artist, and handyman, Steve Wright.

We drove through Lundy and Larry’s River before arriving at our destination just a few kilometers from Seawind Landing in Charlos Cove. If you want to get away from the madness for a day or two, I highly recommend this establishment.

We walked down the boardwalk at the park in Torbay. It’s always a bit cooler on the coast than inland but the ocean breeze was gentle and refreshing. We stood on the beach and just stared in wonder. I couldn’t help but think how unbelievably lucky we are to have visions of paradise right in our back yard.

Might I suggest a staycation in Guysborough County. Spectacular scenery, great food choices and fine folk.

And you can take the Country Harbour Ferry!

Summer breezes certainly make me feel fine.

Have a great weekend.