Author: maherrv

I started the weekend with a visit to the Middleton library. I was interested in the relationship between short stories and blogs.

From the first, I enjoyed two stories by Bob Bent: The Black Sedan and Dracula’s Dotage. Part of the satisfaction is that they capture descriptions of the local landscape, including orchards, flowers, and birds. I also enjoyed reading the stories by Jeremy Ackerman and William Dockrill.

From Jim Prime:
“To the people of Long and Brier Island, your geography has made you resilient, independent and proud. Your geography has forced you to rely on one another. Your geography has made you unique. Don’t ever change.“

How could a Geographer Emeritus resist that endorsement?

Saturday evening, I visited John Wightman with my growler. John, knowing my interests, greeted me with a book, Errand Boy in the Mooseland Hills, by Johann Magnus Bjarnason, ‘Stories from Nova Scotia’s forgotten Icelandic Settlement’.

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Meanwhile, this morning, we awoke in Middleton to a river valley filled with smoke from the Long Lake wildfire.

We noticed yesterday, the helicopters transporting water from the DNR building in Lawrencetown. Having lived in West Dalhousie in the early ‘80’s, we wondered about the safety of the ‘historic’ Ernest Buckler house.

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I received an email: notice of the closure of Integrity Printing in Bridgetown. I shared this information with John. He commented too, on the move of the Credit Union to the recent Bank of Nova Scotia location. These changes reflect the impact of COVID on our rural economy.

Finally, I was left wondering how to obtain a hard copy of my blogs, with the closure of Integrity Printing.

Yesterday, Saturday, Heather and I escaped to the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal. To enjoy a coffee and dessert at the Elm Tree Café. We walked the gardens, with the breeze blowing up from the Basin.

Today (Sunday) we will go back to the Lucky Rabbit bookstore. Anne Crossman will be signing her book, Commonplace, from 2-4 pm.

References

Blink and You’ll Miss it, 2022, Moose House Stories Vol. 2.
Jim Prime, 2023, Beyond the Passage: Memories Real and Imagined, Moose House Publications.
Jane Baskwill, 2025, Spyglass Secrets
Anne Crossman, 2025, CommonPlace, Moose House Publications
Johann Magnus Bjarnason, 2001, Errand Boy in the Mooseland Hills, Formac Publishing.

Acknowledgements

Both Heather Stewart and Edward Wedler contribute to the blogs, in their own unique way.
John Wightman provides a helpful ‘sounding board’ on the state of the rural economy.
Moose House Publications supports local writers in the Annapolis Valley region.

Postscript

Edward returned from a weekend artist retreat at Goéland, near Wellington, PEI, where he painted en plein air with about 20 other PEI artists.

This morning, I received an email from Brian Boates.

He was interested in sourcing bushel boxes for apples.

Our first encounter with Brian was when our son, Andrew, owned the Hunter Farm in Paradise on Highway 201. Heather and I helped manage the organic orchard. For a number of years, we would pick the apples.

Subsequently, the juice was transformed by Pierre, at Ironworks in Lunenburg, into apple brandy. Indeed, Hunter Brandy! (see posts Blue Water and Gold Brandy, Guided Walk, and )

To sell apples on the roadside, we purchased bushel boxes from Carrol Corkum. Around the property, we had a number of boxes, hand-made with the Corkum stamp.

Today, we took a drive up the Crisp Road to see if Carrol was still making and selling bushel boxes. No luck !

Subsequently Brian sent me an email. He had checked with Jim Inglis in Tupperville, who confirmed that Carrol was no longer in the bushel box making business. This initial inquiry by Boates turned into a realization that certain skills and products, had changed over the last thirty years (read post Two Kinds of Thinking).

Fortunately, Rob and Sinead, who now own the Hunter farm, had the foresight to keep a few boxes around the property.

Changing times, indeed !

Acknowledgements.

Thanks to Brian and Sinead for the journey back in time. We continue to enjoy memories of the Hunter Farm. Thank you, Edward, for researching my blog archives, and adding value to my efforts.

It is Sunday and we decided to stay ‘local’.

Heather and I were interested in the panel discussion title “Could we ever know each other – without the Arts“. We were familiar with the careers of Tracy Summerville and Sally O’ Grady.

Imagine our surprise, when we turned up at the Legion for the 10:30 am session. To attend, we would have to register, at a cost of twenty five dollars per person. So much for including the ‘community’.

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We took the Highway #201 home. Besides the plume of smoke from the West Dalhousie fire, there was a continuous stream of water bombers, taking water from the Annapolis River.

Before heading home, we stopped at the Sissiboo coffee shop. I picked up a copy of The Weymouth Bridge, free events newsletter.

An excellent complement to the Bridgetown Reader.

Around lunch time, we went to check out the Clarence market. It has changed its schedule from Thursday to Sunday. Sadly, there were very few stalls, and a low attendance. Perhaps, it was because of the weather conditions, forest fire etc. Certainly, there was little road traffic on either side of the valley.

Postscript

I had brought the Reader Newspaper into the car. Nowhere did I see a requirement to register for the symposium or the cost. I should have checked the website.

Acknowledgements

Edward added the graphics and links. Heather shared the ride.

Reference.

The Weymouth Bridge, Free Events newsletter, August 15 – September 15, 2025

This week, Patrick, our son, invited us to Cape Breton for a short visit. He had a series of business meetings in Sydney. This allowed us to renew our relationship with this part of the province.

We had the chance to drive the Cabot Trail.

It had been several years since we had made the journey. There were a couple of notable differences. First, with the provincial fire ban, we were unable to explore the backcountry trails. However, it was beautiful weather. We admired the stunning scenery and the beauty of the forest cover, although there remains evidence of the impact of Storm Fiona (see post Fiona).

On the second day, we made the drive to Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.

Time to catch up with the history of this part of Cape Breton. This season, the entry fee was free.

While staying at the Holiday Inn, downtown,we noticed the significant changes to the waterfront. In particular, I was impressed by the new NSCC Sydney Waterfront campus.

It adds to the downtown, and includes an excellent boardwalk, similar to that found in Halifax.

Last time, we were in Cape Breton, it was in relation to the Bras D’Or Lakes Biosphere Reserve (see also posts Other Lives, From Here to There, and Seeds of Hope)

Postscript

Acknowledgements.

Thanks to Patrick for inviting Heather and myself to spend a few days with him, in Sydney, Cape Breton.

References

Check online: Sydney Waterfront Campus (SWC) of the NSCC.

Ernest Buckler focussed on the Mountain and the Valley, yet there exists another world — along the Fundy shore. In Annapolis County, this includes the beach at Hampton, as well as the trails around Delaps Cove.

Jane Borecky was a member of the EBLES (Ernest Buckler Literary Event Society ) organizing committee, along with Anne Crossman, John Montgomerie and myself (see posts Reading Where We Live, Down Memory Lane, and Writing v Reporting). Last Thursday (August 7), Jane hosted an event at her house in Young’s Cove.

Besides the combination of insight from Catherine Banks and Terry Kelly, we were treated to a backdrop of the setting Sun over the Bay of Fundy, towards New Brunswick, and a cooling breeze that caused us to dress up.

There were likely over thirty persons at the event. It ended with sufficient time to safely drive back to the Valley ( Middleton)

Acknowledgements.

Thank you Jane, for sharing the speakers, the music and the awesome location. Perhaps this will be the start of a new tradition.

Postscript

This week, another voice from the past, Greg Baeker. We have been out of touch; seven or eight years ago, he left for Abu Dhabi. He is a founder of AuthentiCity, with a PhD in Urban Cultural Planning (see post Doc Martin and Agalinis NeoScotica).

Thursday, we picked up the grandchildren from Big Cove Camp (see post Pictou County Visit). Quinn had to get to the airport. He flew with his mountain bike to British Columbia. He will be hitting the trails around Rossland. Isla had to get to the Yarmouth ferry to meet Granny Janis. They will go back to Maine today

It was a full day.

First, we checked out our previous residences in the Valley.

We had a bit of time to kill, so we took a short drive along the coast to enjoy the landscape around Mavillette Beach on the Acadian shore.

Yarmouth was full of motorbikes hosting ‘Thunder on the Coast’, the equivalent of Digby’s ‘Wharf Rat Rally’.

Since the CAT did not dock until 7:30 pm, it made for a long sunset drive back to Middleton. With the recent price cut, we can expect to see more travel between the Acadian Shore and Maine.

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It is hard to reconcile the voice of the Tim Houston government for both onshore and offshore resource development. Instead, I would champion Zita Cobb’s ‘Shorefast’ model from Fogo Island.

Shorefast supports a place-based creative rural economy (see posts Shorefast, World GIS Day and Community Economies). Promoting the culture, creativity and strengths of the people in the region can be tied to the aesthetics of unique landscapes, lifestyles and educational institutions (see also Zita Cobb’s speech Putting Leadership in Place).

Acknowledgements

Heather shared the memories of Southwest Nova, and the time with the grandchildren. Edward added the graphics and links.

After returning home to Annapolis County, I thought about the contrast between the two municipal units (Pictou and Annapolis) (see post Pictou County Visit). We decided to further explore this part of the Valley.

The first stop was the Edelweiss Restaurant on Mount Hanley Road to Port George. We hoped for lunch; but they are only open for Supper 4 – 8 pm. Another Day!

Afterwards, we stopped at the Clarence market, Friday 4-8 pm.

There were a few vendors. We walked away with butter tarts and a mint plant. We talked to Bob Bent about the availability of his next book.

Heather and I spent time on Brier Island in the early 1990’s. She completed her M.Sc in Biology at the University of Guelph in 1993 (see posts Biogeography, A Round Trip and Brier Island). The research topic was the Reproductive Biology and Developmental Morphology of Agalinis Neoscotica (Scrophulariaceae).

“Agalinis Neoscotica is the only plant that has the specific epithet ‘neoscotica’. Greene (1910) named the small plant he found at the Middleton railway station Gerardia neoscotica. Fernald (1921) after a field trip to Nova Scotia, made a new combination, Agalinis neoscotica, thus elevating Pennell’s variety to a species, and in 1929 Pennell adopted the name.“

Time (2025) for us to return to Brier Island (over thirty years).

We enjoyed the drive down Digby Neck, taking the two ferries. With Heather’s thesis in our backpack, we went to find the plant at Pea Jack Cove. We managed to obtain a map of the island, when we stopped at Brier Island Lodge.

Ah -ha , we found it, even though the site had been disturbed by earth works and ATV trails.

We did not have the time to check out the other location at Big Pond Cove. An excuse for a return trip. We also verified the flowering season, i.e. late July to early August. BTW Brier Island is in Digby County.

Feeling very pleased, we returned to Middleton, we will re-check the original Greene location, along the abandoned railway line ( stay tuned).

After our successful adventure, we went to hear the Best of Boxwood at the Kings Theatre in Annapolis Royal.

The music was excellent: Chris Norman, David Greenberg, Brid Harper and Colin Cotter. An excellent venue, it is certainly comparable to the de Coste Centre in Pictou County.

Postscript

Perhaps, Agalinis Neoscotica should be our Provincial flower. It would raise the profile of Middleton, where Greene discovered it, botanizing by the railway track in 1910.

Acknowledgements

Heather provided the botanical knowledge. I added the Geography. Edward contributed the graphics and links.

References

Heather Stewart, 1993, Reproductive Biology and Developmental Morphology of Agalinis Neoscotica (Scrophulariaceae), University of Guelph, Department of Botany.

This weekend we had to visit Pictou County. Two of our grandchildren, Quinn and Isla, had come down from Iqaluit to attend Big Cove YMCA Camp.

We met them in New Glasgow. This is a family tradition. All three of our children had attended this Summer camp during their teenage years. First as attendees, later as camp counselors. After the send-off on Sunday (20th), we will pick them up on the 31st. At the end of the Summer, their family will be moving to Whitehorse, Yukon.

Later, we had to find a laundromat. We were successful in Pictou. A remarkable facility, just off the main street. While we had to wait for the wash, we decided to check out the art gallery at the deCoste Performing Arts Centre (see post Pictou Visit and A Tale of Two Geographies).

Sandy, Heather’s sister, had submitted a painting, “Colour is Everywhere”. We found the painting. The gallery maintains an excellent selection of works by local artists. Today, there were also displays by students from NSCAD in Halifax.

We look forward to returning to the county at the end of the month. To help the grandchildren continue their transition from the Eastern Arctic to the Western Arctic. We will have an excuse to visit the Yukon in the months ahead.

Acknowledgements.

Granny, Heather, joined me, driving the backroads of Pictou County. Refreshing old memories, and making new ones. Edward made his excellent contribution

References

Big Cove YMCA Camp, “Canada’s oldest overnight camp and more than 130 years of tradition and growth.”. It is just off Exit 27 on Highway #104.

Pictou Laundry Ltd, 2 Water Street, Pictou.

deCoste Performing Arts Centre and Culture Hub, 99 Water Street, Pictou. Creative Pictou County is hosting three exhibitions: Rising Tide, Chroma and Road Taken.

Increasingly, there are times when you have to turn off the global Geography (aka news media) and rediscover local Geography.

Today, we did exactly that.

We left the house in Middleton, wondering whether we could find straw to spread around our strawberry plants. We started at the AnnaVale Coop. Closed on Sunday. It did not look too promising. We noticed a sign on the Mount Hanley road, “hay for sale”, with a phone number. Duly noted.

We continued our drive through Clarence East; took the Leonard road down to Paradise. At Neily’s nursery, we turned for home.

It was nearly lunch time, so a stop at Bees Knees in Lawrencetown was in order (read posts Buy Local; Read Local and Wild Mind/Wild Earth).

The store was busy for a Sunday. We put our feet up, with a coffee and a sausage roll. The store has a variety of interesting souvenirs, as well as books by local authors. I checked out “People of Cove and Woodlot” by Ted Leighton and Alexander Leighton (1908-2007) — stories across 100 years of memories.

When we returned home, I went online to check out other Moose House publications. There were several books of interest, including Anne Crossman’s “CommonPlace“; just published. It includes a number of her columns from the Annapolis Valley Register.

The take home message is a simple one. Enjoy the pleasures of the local Geography. Note the small changes. Don’t fret the global Geography and the things that are outside of individual control. There is a rich literature, supported by local publishers. There are subtle changes in the rural economy which can be shared with other Geographers.

Acknowledgements

Heather shared the short drive. Edward added the links and graphics.
I shared an earlier draft with John Wightman.

References

Ted Leighton and Alexander Leighton, 2025, People of Cove and Woodlot: stories across one hundred years of memories, Moose House Publications

Anne Crossman, 2025, CommonPlace, Moose House Publications.

Postscript.

From my evening conversation with John. We identified two thoughts.

1) How do we think local, and act global ?
2) How does Geography play a prominent role in the Canadian response to the post-Trump economy?

In particular, what is the role of the Centre of Geographic Sciences and the application of the Geographic Information Systems and Technology? Management of the Canadian landscape depends on accurate, current geographic information.

I would appreciate feedback on this blog post.

PS Edward logs the Geography of Art-Lover-tourists during his shifts at the Fisherman’s Cove Gallery in Eastern Passage. He notes a surge in Western Canadian and European visitors this year.

This week the bottomland alongside the Annapolis River, below our property, was cut, dried and baled.

From the deck on Connaught Avenue, we could share the action with visitors.

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On Saturday, we had time to visit some of our local trails, including the Old Mill Trail, South Farmington; the Marsh Trail, Middleton …

The surprise, as we entered the gravel road to the fire tower, was a stunning display of Arethusa bulbosa (Dragon Mouth orchid) in a small wetland.

Sunday, we stepped outside of Annapolis County. We checked out previous visits to Burlington. At the end of the afternoon, we were at the Lobster Pound and restaurant at Halls Harbour.

It was a very crowded spot. No parking available on the dock.

Acknowledgements

We enjoyed visits from Sandra and Brenda Barry, and a beer on the deck with John Wightman. The latter included John’s memories of Roger Tomlinson, and their time together at Acadia University. I remember Roger needing to pick up lobster at Halls Harbour. Edward added the graphics.