~Nova Scotia, Canada~

While talking to several friends and clients about my vacation plans, I found that many of them recommended taking the Cat Ferry from Bar Harbor, ME to Yarmouth, NS, CA. Let me tell you, I'm so glad I did. Not only for the experience of the voyage, but for the beauty of Nova Scotia. It is a truly beautiful place. I found it to be very special. As I prepared for my trip, I talked with my friend, Dee, who lives in Nova Scotia. I wanted her input on the best tour to take. She didn't want to offer much in the way of advice, becase it is her home and "nothing exciting is there". Her input amounted to, "Is Ducky still carving?" I went on a tour of the southwest area of NS conducted by a retired History teacher named Murdock Forsythe. He gave us so much information in a 6 hour tour, that I came away with more knowledge of NS history than I have of Northwestern Pennsylvania history. The ties between the peoples of NS to our own New England and to the Cajuns of Louisianna are very strong. It is a little known fact here in the States, that prior to the Revolutionary War with England, the people of Nova Scotia petitioned the Continental Congress to become the 14th Colony. However, at the time, the United States was so fearful of the British Naval forces, that we declined their request. A sad day for everyone. It would have made a beautiful addition to these United States. Certainly their dollar would be worth a lot more. lol

And a warm welcome it was

To get there I had to cross the North Atlantic
The Cat Ferry at dock. My chariot awaits. The CAT carries 900 passengers and 240 vehicles.	There are two sets of these engines, which propell the Cat Ferry at up to 55 MPH
The rooster tail	Our Ship's Captain at work
Me relaxing during the voyage	The Cape Sable Light house
This is me at Capt. Waynes Restaurant. (best seafood chowder in the world)	The light of the above light house, About 20 inches high and the prism lens system greatly magnifies the light.

View #1 from the light	View #2 from the light
View #3 from the light, this is a truly beautiful place to visit. I should have stayed longer. Next time I will.	My tour van. Coastal Excursions is run by Murdock Forsythe. Call or email him, you won't regret this tour.
This is Ducky Schnare. A charming man	He was a shop teacher at Barrington Municiple High School
He gave us a short presentation	on carving and the making of decoys.
Ducky's card	Coastal Excursions card

Some of his larger creations	Fishing boats in harbor
A live catch. they must be kept that way until they have 4500 pounds. Now you know where the "catch of the day" comes from.	This is the Harpoon nest on the bow of the ship. Hanging down on a line in front is the barb. The harpoon (long pole) does not stay with the fish.
The coast from the CAT as we arrived	Pristine beauty
A view of part of the coastline. There are 4600 miles of coastline on Nova Scotia, and 3800 coastal islands dotting it's perimeter.	Thousands of white birds on one of those islands in this photo. I couldn't determine what they were, but they were many.
A "ROUND" lighthouse	I was told there were none in Canada

Sign at Sainte Anne Church	Sainte Anne church undergoing repairs
The main altar	A fishing village
A simply beautiful church. The church was completely destroyed by fire, and the parrishioners rebuilt it in less than a year.
A third lighthouse at Yarmouth, NS
An otter we saw upon departure	Following are a series of photos of the sunset

It didn't look like much in the beginning	The sun edges closer to the horizon
And then we saw this!	Shag Harbor on Cape Sable Island
Canada's Ocean Playground
Perhaps the most spectacular sunset shot of my vacation. It was awesome!

Note: I've got to relate something here that baffles the mind, at least my mind. The person mentioned above in the introduction related a story to me about when Ducky was a high school shop teacher. He and her sister, who taught Home Economics, had a discussion about whose job was more difficult. So they traded classes for a bit. She told me her sister won, because her husband was a carpenter. Now isn't that just like a woman to say something like that. What is even more interesting about the story is the fact that our tour guide told us the very same story during our approach to Ducky's home. Thanks, Dee, for the tip and for the friendship.

Music is "In My Dreams"
An Original composition by Bruce DeBoer

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