Ernest Blair Experiment

This morning, I went to the town hall to pay our water bill. While there, I picked up a flier on the levels of government: Three levels. One Community.

Afterwards, I picked up my iPad and took a few photographs of what appeared to be empty stores on the Main Street of Middleton.

I also took a photo of a store that recently opened, ‘Back to Our Roots’.

It is owned by a couple who purchased our house on Highway #201, outside of Paradise. If taxes are outrageous, how could they afford the rent?

The underlying message remains the same.
How can society afford so many levels of government in rural Nova Scotia?
Do you think that municipal politicians will support reducing the number of levels of government? Effectively, losing their jobs.

The phrase “Three Levels of Government. One Community.” refers to an educational campaign highlighted by the Town of Middleton in Nova Scotia during Municipal Awareness Week.

Meanwhile, Cliff Drysdale sent me a link to his proposal on the Lily Lake/ Slocum Notch hiking trail. He is presenting this to interested stakeholders.

---

Time to take a drive down to Kejimkujik National Park. While it is still staffed. Back home; once again no traffic on Highway #8.

Picked up the Queens Crown News, Community Newspaper.

---

Thanks, Edward for adding the graphics and links.

Today (Wednesday) I had a meeting with Joy O’Neill, Economic Development Officer for Annapolis County and Annapolis Royal.

This was a follow up meeting to one at the Fire Hall in Port Lorne (see Community Conversations).

My motivation was to look at the role of the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS) in the creative rural economy.

The other motivation was my observation of the number of business closures in Middleton (see also library closures).

To address these issues, we need to undertake an analysis of COGS GIS graduates.
Where do they find employment?
In government agencies?
In the GIS industry?
With ESRI and the users of their technology?
Do they start their own company in rural Nova Scotia ?

Is the profile the same for Remote Sensing graduates, Planning graduates, Cartography or Surveying?

What has happened to the curriculum since I left the college in 2011. There, certainly has been changes in rural society. There has been changes in the technology. Does it include AI?

This week, I received a notice that I needed to reduce the amount of space occupied in the cloud.

Final Note. Joy’s responsibility does not include the town of Middleton.

This week, my brother visited from Toronto (see also post To the South Shore and website Peter Maher).

We wanted to show him what rural Nova Scotia had to offer the world. I won’t go into all the side trips/ stops across Southwest Nova. But it included Lunn’s Mill, BeesKnees, the Green Elephant, Annapolis Royal, West Dalhousie, COGS and Gaspereau Press.

Yesterday (Wednesday ) we went to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. The primary destination was the bookstore, Lunenburg Bound (a favourite of mine). I could not resist Robert MacFarlane’s ‘The Gifts of Reading’ and James Rebanks’ ‘The Place of Tides’.

The route was Highway #10 from Middleton to Lunenburg. Exit #13 on Highway #103. Cross country to Caledonia. Highway #8 to Annapolis Royal (AR) and home.

We stopped at the Brown Dog Café (AR) for coffee (see MicroAdventure: Annapolis Royal).

Again a quick read of the Chronicle Herald newspaper and home.

The main topic of conversation was the roads and forests. Once we left the #103, we did not see a car. The forests at this time of year are beautiful, full of colour: oaks, maple and birch. Why were there no tourists at this time of year?

There is a significant conflict about the forest industry in Nova Scotia and yet it’s hard to imagine that tourists would not enjoy the beauty of the Fall colours. Could the government not invest in this extended season? The existing road network is excellent. There are road works, but that is normal preparation for Winter.

References

Robert MacFarlane, 2016, The Gifts of Reading, Penguin Random House Canada.

James Rebanks, 2024. The Place of Tides, Mariner Books, Harper Collins Publishers

Mike Higgins, 2022, Wild Maps for Curious Minds:100 New Ways to see the Natural World, The Experiment, NY.

Edward: thank you for adding the graphics and the links. They always add to the blog.

Yesterday (Thursday), Heather and I attended a meeting at the Fire Hall in Port Lorne.

We moved to Middleton (from Paradise — see First Blog Post) a couple of years ago. In that time, we have noticed a significant increase in vacant stores on the Main Street. Our concern is whether the county has a strategy to address this issue (see also The Hollowing Out of Rural Nova Scotia).

At the meeting, we were able to pick up a range of publications that are useful for exploring our geography.

1. Explore Annapolis County
2. Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail
3. Nictaux Walking Map (see other walking maps)
4. Annapolis County Outdoor Recreation Map
5. Canoe Annapolis County (third edition)
6. Fire Smart. Begins at Home Guide.

What is the next step for a couple of retired ‘academics’: Botany and Geography.
Can we contribute to ‘Dream IT, Build IT, Grow IT within the ‘creative rural economy’ ?

When we left the meeting, we had to face the challenge of driving in the dark, back to Middleton. I have long forgotten that experience.

My next step will be to contact Joy O-Neill, Economic Development Officer, with the link to my blog post:

ernestblairexperiment.wordpress.com

Stay tuned.

Edward : thank you for your continuing support and encouragement.

This week, the colours of the deciduous trees have been remarkable. We took a drive to check out the variations. We started in Middleton, along the Middle Road (a favourite bicycle ride — read post People of Place).

At Lawrencetown, we turned onto the Trout Lake road, before taking the Inglisville Road along the slope of South Mountain. This dropped us back on Highway #201, outside of Paradise. The final leg was the Leonard Road to the foot of North Mountain.

I took photographs with my iPad. A better strategy would be to have a movie camera attached to the front of the car. Combine with a GPS, mapping the route.

We returned to Middleton, via the Clarence and the Brooklyn Road.

Another remarkable feast of colour is Riverside Park, Middleton, just follow the ‘heart’ of Red Maple trees.

An Act of Kindness

This lunchtime, Rob and Sinead came to our house in Middleton with their four young children. They dropped off a bag of apples picked from the orchard, on Highway 201 in Paradise. They purchased Andrew’s house and orchard, a couple of years ago. We have fond memories of managing the orchard (read previous post Lessons from the Move).

The apples from the orchard were used to produce Hunter Brandy, by Ironworks Distillery, Lunenburg (see previous posts Naturally Rooted; Hunter’s Brandy, Bushel Boxes, and Guided Walk).

Today (Wednesday morning) we went to Bridgetown.

While there, I had the opportunity to read today’s Chronicle Herald (slim pickings). Afterwards, I realized that I had misplaced my Centrelea calendar. What a disaster! It contains all of our appointments/meetings.

Fortunately, once home, I checked the messages on the phone. Pam, the Librarian had left me a message. The calendar was on her desk in Bridgetown. After lunch we returned and picked it up.

---

In the afternoon, I dropped into CORAH at the Middleton campus. I had won a draw for attendees of their programs. I have been attending the Men’s Fitness classes on Friday morning. Besides a CORAH toque and mug, there was a gift certificate for Spurr Brothers in Wilmot. We went and cashed the certificate: Red Sky cider and fresh fruit.

Hats off to Pam, the Librarian in Bridgetown for her initiative to find my phone number.

Hats off to Jennifer and Jaime for managing the programs offered by CORAH at the Middleton campus.

References

Bob Rae, 2026, Reclaiming Canadian Sovereignty, James Lorimer & Co.

Spurr Brothers Farm and Cidery Established 1875. Wilmot. spurrbrothers.ca

Thank you, Edward. Your additions to the blog are always ‘acts of kindness’.

Saturday, we went to Kings Theatre in Annapolis Royal. To see the John Prine tribute ‘In Spite of Overselves’ performed by the Johnny Max band; sponsored by the Lawrie Group and D’Aubin Meats.

It was a full house. Kudos to Janet Larkman, the volunteers for demonstrating the importance of the theatre in this part of the Valley.

The challenge afterwards, was driving the backroads in the dark to Middleton.

Today (Monday) it felt like time to visit the bookstore, Lunenburg Bound (see posts Lunenburg Bound and Lunenburg Bound Again) .

Given the grey skies, light rain, the colours on the Highway #10 were fantastic. We determined that there is no better bookstore in Nova Scotia. The shelves are maintained, including fiction and non-fiction, new and used books. Books are an essential part of living in rural Nova Scotia.

As we ‘age in place’, access to these community resources are essential. Some days, we think about ‘moving on’. It is the landscape and the sense of community which keeps us in place.

Reference.

Allen Levi, 2023, Theo of Golden, Simon and Schuster.

POSTSCRIPT
While we drove the colourful backroads of Nova Scotia, Edward and Anne were travelling and painting the backroads of the Kamouraska Region of Quebec.

Debby and Rocky Hebb came over for a visit. They had been tidying up, and wanted to find a ‘good home ‘ for three Buckler related books:

Oxbells and Fireflies

The Cruelest Month

Claude Bissell ‘Ernest Buckler Remembered‘

In return, we showed them our collection of giant puff balls. Heather has identified the habitat: mature oak trees, top of slope above the Annapolis River. Besides our property and our neighbours, we have found them at the Pine Grove cemetery ( information from Sandra Barry).

Today on our drive along Hwy#201 to Annapolis Royal, we passed by the Buckler house in Centrelea, described in Bissell’s book. Also featured in last years Centrelea calendar.

In Annapolis Royal, we stopped at the Brown Dog cafe and the Library. I signed out Jennifer Breheny Wallace ,’Mattering’ The Secret to a life of Deep Connection and Purpose. Seemed appropriate in these Trump-ridden times. We also stopped at the ArtsPlace to see Jordan Shaw ‘Data as Material’ exhibition.

References

Claude Bissell. 1989. Ernest Buckler Remembered. U of T Press.

Ernest Buckler 1963. The Cruelest Month. McClelland and Stewart.

Ernest Buckler. 1968. Oxbells and Fireflies. McClelland and Stewart.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace. 2026. Mattering. The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose. Penguin Random House.

Edward is away in Ontario. Hence no graphics or links.