With (a) great car comes (a) great responsibility (to go on road trips)

A few weeks ago, long before we'd even thought about acquiring a car, my friend Nicole mentioned that at the end of August she would be in Montreal for a few days.  At the time the distance, though it is only 200 km, seemed almost unimaginably far.  And while I hadn't completely written off the idea of somehow making it to Montreal for a visit, it certainly seemed a little unlikely.

Of course once we had our car in hand travelling the 200 km to Montreal didn't seem so challenging (and what better way spend time with a new car than by taking it out for an extended test drive?).

So with the transportation issue out of the way I now just had to play catch up and get the dates of Nicole's visit.  Amazingly, after what seemed like just a few minutes I got a response back from Nicole indicating that she'd just arrived that day.  Within a few emails we'd arranged to meet for lunch the following day.

Though we had to deal with a few construction related delays while making our way out of Ottawa, the trip went relatively smoothly (though had our air conditioning been working it would have been even more pleasant).  The only noteworthy aspect of the trip, which was remarkably straight forward, was the traffic.  Though I haven't made the drive before it seemed that there was a fair bit of traffic for a Saturday morning in August (though this feeling may just be because I'm still unfamiliar with the traffic patterns).

In just about two hours from our time of departure we were in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal.  Despite the fact that I hadn't spent much time in the area there were a few names and locations that were familiar.

After a short stroll around the surrounding area we made our way meet Nicole (it being a hot and sunny day we were looking forward to not only our rendezvous but also the restaurant's shade and water).

It was really great to catch up on post-library school goings on a hear a little about life in New Zealand.

After a very pleasant lunch and chat we made our way over to my old stomping grounds.  I was able to show Jeannette where I used to live, work, and shop.  Unfortunately because of one-way streets and an unfamiliarity with streets from the perspective of a driver the trip to this part of town took a fair bit longer than it should have.

Despite the fact that I tend to think that I don't really miss Montreal all that much it was really nice to see the place again after about four years.  Despite the fact that there have been quite a number of changes in my absence, there are a remarkable number of similarities.  Maybe now that we're only a two hour drive away I'll have the chance to head back a little more frequently now.

Apparently I do respond to news coverage

Yesterday I saw some of the coverage of the accidental self-impaling of a ceremonial guardsman at the daily changing of the guard ceremony on Parliament Hill.  Not only did this story remind me that it's now the time of year when I can see such a ceremony, but it also made it clear that these guys are carrying real bayonets.

I know these guardsman are technically soldiers, but why are they carrying real bayonets?

I hope their guns aren't also loaded with real bullets.

Anyway, because I was reminded of this ceremony by the story and also aware of its schedule I decided to head to today's iteration (and I haven't seen it since the summer of 1995).

Despite the fact that the news story indicated that the event occurs daily at 10:00 AM, as I was approaching about 10 minutes before 10:00 AM I saw the pipers and a batch of soldiers just beginning their march towards the lawn (they arrived on site a fell 5 minutes before 10:00).  Maybe this smaller parade isn't considered to be an official portion of the ceremony?

Just after this group passed me I crossed the street just in side the walls of the parliament hill compound only to see the manhole covers that were likely the cause of the aforementioned self-impaling.  It seems that at some point between yesterday and today they have been painted with some kind of gray anti-slip paint.

After the pipers, drummer, and soldiers arrived on the lawn they just stood around without moving for a while.  It was a little less than exciting.

After a few minutes of standing on a sidewalk watching these guys stand motionless in the sun we were informed that we'd have to move, but we couldn't stand behind where we'd been standing because that was an active road.  Really?  

They have major tourist event every morning and they still haven't figured out a way to effectively direct traffic and pedestrians?  Oh, and they probably shouldn't allow people to block the band's entrance until the band has entered, then they wouldn't have to clear everyone out and and help them find a non-road based spot for them to stand until the band enters.

Anyway, eventually the band and another batch of soldiers made their way to the lawn.  The presence of a few flags and cones allowed me to trick myself into thinking that we may be in for some fancy marching and whatnot.  

Boy was I disappointed.

Once the band (along with the pipers) were in position the two groups of soldiers stood across from each other on the lawn.  There was then some kind of 'inspection of the troops' that went on for about 25 minutes.  During the inspection, aside from a few shimmies and the placing and removal of bayonets, the soldiers were largely motionless. Of course at this point I was still hopeful that some fancy marching would still take place.  At least the band was occasionally playing during the inspection.

Sadly, after the inspection of the troops concluded everyone moved to the centre in formation to leave.  They then marched off of parliament hill and down Wellington and Elgin.

In case you're curious, as they left all of the soldiers appeared to have bayonets on their rifles.  Fortunately there weren't any additional self-impalings during the course of the event.

Anyway, if you are planning in being in Ottawa and though you might want to check this event out I would recommend getting there a few minutes before 10:00 to watch the arrival of the two sets of musicians and then leave a few minutes into the inspection.  Once you've seen a guy looking down the barrel of a rifle once you get the idea of what's going to go on for the next 25 minutes and there's really no need witness him looking down the barrel of every rifle present.

Kind of like solitary

For the past few days I have been spending most of my time indoors.  More specifically, I have been spending most of my time sitting at my desk trying to get some work done.  The upside of this turn of events is that I have managed to get some work done.  The downside is that I haven't really moved much and I am beginning to think I know kind of what it's like on the "inside."

Of course my recently sedentary existence is nothing like imprisonment, but sometimes it's hard to control a daydream. 

This afternoon I convinced myself that even if my voluntary confinement wasn't quite as rough as solitary that I would probably we well served by a trip outside.

After heading downtown and picking up a coffee I decided to go for a quick walk along the dykes.  Of course it only took me a few hundred feet to realize that these elevated and exposed dykes were not a good place for a walk on a cool and windy day.

Of course the photos I took do the miserableness of the conditions no justice.

After aborted dyke walk I decided to try a quick drive through Gaspereau, a community/valley near Wolfville.

Fortunately for me Gaspereau almost always seems to be at its best, and today was no different.

If you have a chance Gaspereau really is worth a visit.  In the summer when the orchards, vineyards, and farms are in full swing it's hard to believe that you are the only one on the roads that it isn't swamped with tourists bussing past the scenery.

Cameron: 39
Neil: 0

Windsor Pumpkin Regatta

Over the past few years I have occasionally heard about the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta, an event where giant pumpkins are turned into boats and raced. Of course, after hearing about Martha Stewart's failed attempts to attend such event I began paying even more attention to the existence of this event.

Though I may have been interested, for years I wasn't close enough to the even to take it in.

This year, for the first time, I was close enough to Windsor to make the trip. Actually, Jeannette, her parents, and I were all close enough to make the trip.

Yesterday afternoon after an early holiday meal we made our way to Windsor. Within a few kilometers of Windsor it became apparent that we were about to be attending a popular event.

Traffic slowed to a crawl and we soon saw that people were beaching their cars almost anywhere they could find room. The highway off ramps were almost completely lined with parked cars. Not surprisingly, as we drew nearer there were even fewer parking spaces.

At about this time we also began to see the crowds. My guess would be that there were a few hundred people on the Falmouth side (the starting point) and maybe a few thousand on the Windsor side (the termination point).

Another surprise was the weather. Instead of the nice seasonal 10 degree day that I expected we were confronted with a sunny day in the high twenties. Almost immediately I was hot and felt as though I was burning. Of course because it is now October I didn't think to wear sunscreen.

Though we arrived at the scheduled starting time instead of immediately seeing giant pumpkins sail across the water we first had the pleasure of listening to a number of dignitaries speak through an insufficiently powerful PA system. The only amusing aspect of the speeches was that we could hear delayed versions of the speeches coming back across the water from the Falmouth PA system.

Eventually they were ready to start the first heat, or the experimental heat. Instead of calling this heat the experimental heat they really should have just called it the "with frame and motor" heat.

Almost immediately one of the three boats pulled out ahead. As the race went on their lead continued to grow and grow. I think that the winner likely finished a minute or two ahead of their competitors, which is a rather impressive gap given the relatively short length of the course.

The second, and final, heat included the single and double paddle powered pumpkins. Though I expected that the doubles might have an advantage it soon became clear that about five singles were way out in front and were clearly going to win. Eventually one of the singles pulled away and developed quite a lead.

Many minutes after the first single finished the bulk of the singles began to near the finish line. And after this bulk made their way to the finish line the stragglers gradually came towards the shore.

I think that all of the doubles were in this last group. And also seemed to be the case that those individuals in the doubles were not effective rowers.

The more we thought about it the more we realized that the doubles were actually mostly filled with girls, likely because two adults wouldn't fit in most pumpkins. Anyway, it seems that these doubles were really quite slow. Though, much to our surprise, a few of these inexpertly rowed pumpkins managed to finish the race. There was one pumpkin in particular that we really thought was going to tip over at several points.

And after these two heats all that was left was the awarding of medals. Though we didn't stay around for the medals ceremony we head towards the dock to examine the pumpkin boats before we left.

This inspection also allowed us to see how the motorized pumpkin boats worked.

I was a little disappointed to see that a number of the motorized boats used the same design and that it appeared that these were anything but experimental and that rather the same design has been used year after year. Maybe next year they should require all participants to come up with new designs?

So while the event was definitely a pumpkin regatta I feel that it could do with a bit more sprucing up to really make it into a full-fledged outing/afternoon. As it stands the whole thing is over in about an hour and a half, and many of the thousands of people were out of their in less than an hour after it started. Hell, you can't even buy pumpkin themed confections while you are watching the races. Windsor is really sitting on a goldmine with this event so it is unfortunate to see them failing to capitalize on it.

Starting points for improvement might be to increase the number of heats. Two heats is just not enough pumpkin boat racing. They should also try to incorporate a few related events. Maybe they could have farmers selling pumpkins or pumpkin baked goods or even a pumpkin smashing event (for the misshapen/rotting pumpkins that many farmers must have). Basically there should be so much to do that people won't want to leave without spending a few hours and dollars in Windsor.

Another new tie or Congressional paraphernalia

A few weeks ago Jeannette had the good fortune to be able to quickly visit Annapolis Royal on her way back from a conference. Since then she has been keen on returning and engaging in a more in-depth exploration of some of the sights in the region.

Yesterday, though it was a little overcast and at times rainy, happened to be the day when we finally got around to making a return trip to Annapolis Royal (and it also happened on one of the days of the Gathering of the Clans event - though we couldn't actually find much evidence of this event).

After a very pleasant stroll through downtown Annapolis Royal and through the grounds of Fort Anne and a quick stop at a local bakery for lunch we started to make our way back to Wolfville.

Instead of taking the highway back we decided to take the slow road that would take us through a number of communities in the region.

One of the communities we ended up driving through was Coldbrook, a community that just happened to have another Guy's Frenchy's. While Jeannette looked at lady clothes I decided to check out the tie selection (among other things). Almost immediately I found a tie that I found intriguing.

Almost immediately Americanness of this tie was apparent. When I flipped the tie over and looked at the keeper that it was American in origin became even more apparent.

Of course after seeing that this tie was "Made exclusively for US Congress" I couldn't not spend the $1.95 to buy it.

Shortly after I returned home I tried to figure out if this tie was made specifically for members of Congress or if it had some other role. Unfortunately, the few searches that I did conduct on ties and neckties turned up nothing. At least I haven't confirmed that this tie was nothing more than an item made just to be sold in a Congressional gift shop - it might still have been created for use exclusively by Congressmen (and that is my hope).

On the Road: Sackville to Charlottetown

This morning we awoke on the early side of things and soon found ourselves on the road to Dorchester. Before long we were in front of the town hall looking at the World's Largest Sand Piper, a local landmark. Our next stop in Dorchester was their famous penitentiary.

Almost as soon as we pulled into the institution's parking lot we were greeted by a guard in a van who informed us that if we did not have an appointment we were not welcome on the premises. Apparently this jail, unlike some of the others in the Canadian federal jail system, does not have a craft shop selling goods made by the inmates.

After heading back through Dorchester we made our way to Memramcook to look for the Monument Lefebvre. After some hunting around and a little confusion we figure out that the monument was actually a building that it was closed on Sundays in the off season.

Our next goal was to find a local covered bridge. Unfortunately the tourist map we had wasn't very precise so we didn't know exactly where the bridge was or how to get there. After about 30 minutes of searching we eventually encountered a jogger who was able to point us in the right direction.



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As you have seen, it was something of a dud as far as covered bridges are concerned.

After a return trip to Sackville and a visit to the Mount Allison art gallery we continued along to PEI and Charlottetown. Of course we crossed at the bridge instead of taking the ferry (which we later learned isn't even operating at this time of year).



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Shortly after arriving in Charlottetown my father and I visited some friend's of his who lived in St. John's in the early 1980s. As they have now lived here for 25 years I though that this couple might be able to recommend a few things for Jeannette and I to do tomorrow while my father is in his meeting. Much to my surprise they couldn't really come up with anything other than visiting some of the local beaches and the comparing them other beaches. Of course, as it is pretty cold outside this sounds a little less fun than it might be in the summer.

For dinner we went out for fish and chips at a local restaurant. What was particularly notable about this restaurant was that they served a variety of fish, including cod, haddock, halibut, and sole.

We are now back in the hotel room and trying to dink around with bluetooth so that all three of us can use our room's single wired internet connection. So far we have two computers up and running but have been unable to link up the third machine.

On the Road: Halifax to Sackville

Our weekend road trip started early this morning. Of course, it has been much colder and snowier than any of us would have wanted, oh, and it has been pretty windy as well.

After a quick to the airport to add me as a driver to the rental car agreement we made our way towards Truro. Before reaching Truro we stopped in Stewiacke, the former homeland of giant mastodons. What drew us to the site was the large mastodon statue that was visible for the road. Not surprisingly, we took the opportunity to take a few photos with the mastodon and some of the other touristy items (including a cement Flinstones car).

From Stewiacke we made our way to Truro to watch the 12:20 tidal bore. Much to all of our surprise, the tidal bore turned out to be something of a local attraction (there were 15 cars worth of people there) and of a fair size. If you are in the area it is definitely worth checking out.



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After the tidal bore we made our way to Margolians, a locally owned department store. While at first I wasn't particularly impressed with the store I soon found that the prices for many of their items were half of what I thought they were. In the end I walked out with a handful of brandname shirts and sweaters for about $10 a piece. Everyone else found great things as well. Actually, we were all so impressed by the experience that we are hoping to head back on our way back from PEI.

We were all pretty impressed with Truro, it was definitely a nice little down.

From Truro we made our way to Parrsboro and the Fundy Geological Museum . After quickly passing through Parrsboro we made our way to the aforementioned museum and checked out a few of the exhibits. The museum employee then gave us a few suggestions about things to see in the region, we were particularly taken by her suggestion that we go gem hunting on a local beach.

Almost as soon as we arrived at the beach we noticed that a car a little further along the beach appeared to have gotten stuck in some loosely packed beach stones. Obviously we decided that it would probably be best if we didn't drive any further and that we should offer to help the guy get unstuck.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at lifting the front of the car with the guy while his ladyfriend gave it some gas we left them to do some digging out while we made our way down the beach to do some gem hunting (it really wasn't as bad as this likely sounds). After limited success gem hunting (none of us knew what we were looking for) we made our way back to the stranded car and helped them put some boards under their front tires. With the boards in place we were finally able get the front tires enough traction that our pushing actually mattered.

After freeing the car from the beach we made our way to Joggins Cove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of some very old fossils. Of course, because it is off season, we weren't actually able to see anything or visit the interpretation centre.

After our failed visit to Joggins Cove we were finally on the final leg of our trip to Sackville. Shortly after checking in at the Marshlands Inn (an inn that once hosted the Queen) we made our way out to find a restaurant for dinner. After dinner we took a brief tour of the town, though managed to see basically everything there was to see (at least those things that you could see by driving by).

The plan for tomorrow is to head to Dorchester to see the world's largest Sand Piper as well as the infamous penitentiary (there should be a museum-type aspect of the prison). We are also hoping to see the Mount Allison Owens Art Gallery, though we will have to check this out on our way back from Dorchester. I guess we will also eventually have to make our way to Charlottetown, which is where we will be spending the night.

Michigan +8

This morning I realized that I forgot to mention one of the more exciting activities we engaged in while we were on the West side of the state. My Aunt arranged for us to all participate in a vineyard tour of the Fenn Valley vineyards. The tour, which invovled about 22 people being pulled around in an open trailer, gave us the opportunity to taste close to 20 wines (I don't remember the precise number). Most importantly, many of the wines were juxtaposed in such a way that really highlighted the differences that resulted because of particular types of processing. I was particularly glad to learn that I likely don't like white wine aged in oak barrels (apparently a French technique). Another great thing about this vineyard is that the tour seems to vary from season to season so going once doesn't mean that another trip wouldn't be worthwhile.

Instead of heading back to Birch Run this morning, Neil and I decided to hang around the house in Vassar. So this morning, unlike the aforementioned vineyard tour, saw Neil and I engage in much more pedestrian activities.

For breakfast we made our way to the local McDonald's. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, about 10:40, they had switched from their breakfast menu to their lunch menu. Consequently, Neil and I both had to order non-breakfast foods for breakfast. One of the positive results of this forced decision was that I ended up with a beverage cup that provided us with a coupon for a free smoothie (something that we wouldn't have had if we had ordered from the breakfast menu). The thing about the coupon that differentiated it from many other free beverage coupons that I received was that it indicated that it could not be redeemed until at least two hours after the initial receipt of the coupon.

Not surprisingly, Neil and I went back to McDonald's early this afternoon to take advantage of the smoothie coupon. While there I also picked up some lunch. Amazingly, we ended up paying only about $3.20 for a smoothie, a double burger, a small fries, and a large iced tea. I was even able to take advantage of the free-refill policy before we left.

Shortly after returning from our second fast-food run of the day my father and uncle returned from Birch Run. Though I don't know all of what was purchased, my father did tell me that he purchased a new three-piece suit for about $95 (it would have been only $80 if he opted to forego the vest). My sense is that this isn't the only deal that was taken advantage of.

Fortunately, between our fast-food runs I was able to get down to work. I think I managed to put in about 2.5 hours of solid work. Maybe, if I am lucky, I will be able to get a little reading in later this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I don't really know what the plans are for this afternoon and evening. Actually, I don't really know what the plans are for the rest of the trip. In many ways it doesn't really matter, I will just go where I need to go.

Halifax with Visitors

A few days ago my friends Greg and Jeff came to visit for about four nights. Because Greg rented a car we were able to do some of the touristy things in the Halifax-region that I am normally unable to engage in.

One of our first major stops with the Dingle Tower on the Northwest Arm. Not surprisingly, the tower was closed to the public (though we didn't learn about this until we made it to the front door of the tower). After our failed attempt to visit the Dingle Tower we made our way to Peggy's Cove, which appeared to be a small fishing/sea-based village not to far from Halifax.

One of the things that seems to capture people's attention in Peggy's Cove is the light tower (I have been told that for such signalling devices to be 'light houses' they need to be attached to houses). While the light tower was OK, there were some pretty neat rocks surrounding the lighthouse that were fun climb (one visitor found them so tempting that she made her way out even though she was reliant on a walker-type contraption). One of the other things about the light tower that I enjoyed was a sign affixed to one of the light tower's walls.



After walking around the rocks and admiring the light tower at Peggy's Cove we made our way to the gift shop and restaurant. Perhaps not surprisingly, both Neil and I were quite amused by the Cackleberry Preserves. Sophomoric humour strikes again.



Eventually we made it to the Annapolis Valley and Wolfville. While in the Valley we picked up some cider, apples, and bananas (apparently the bananas were much cheaper in the Valley that they are in town). We had dinner/late lunch at the Library Pub, a Wolfville landmark. As we were making our way back to Halifax it started to snow heavily. At times it almost looked like a Winter snowstorm.

Later, once we were back in Halifax, Greg and I decided to spend some time just walking around downtown Halifax. One of the things I suggested we see/do was take the elevator in the Aliant Building (it is located at the corner of Spring Garden and Barrington). What is great about these elevators is that they have windows that allow the riders to watch the city as they elevate. I turns out that by going from the first to nineteenth floor the perspective really changes quite dramatically. If you are interested feel free to check out the relatively low quality video I posted of one of our trips down (we took two back-to-back round trips).



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Just before Greg and Jeff made their way back to the airport we stopped at Cousins' (or maybe Cousin's), the right Cousins'. It turns out that the Cousins' I have been visiting for the past 18 months was not the same Cousins' that I visited with Greg and Jeff when I came here in 2005. I was again really pleased with this experience. Hopefully I will get to take Neil and Rebecca there in the not too distant future.

Of course there were casino visits and socializing (and a trip to Granite Brewery's new location), but I can't really think of many other major destinations that we visited while Greg and Jeff were in town. If it wasn't apparent from this post, it was both great to see Greg and Jeff, but also some of the tourist sites adjacent to Halifax that are almost inaccessible without a car.

Convocation weekend

As some of you may recall, a few weeks ago I successfully defended and submitted my MA thesis. This meant that I had satisfied the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Political Science at Dalhousie. I didn't think that this was particularly big news, but it seems that a few people in my family did.

On Thursday evening, a few hours later than originally expected, my grandmother arrived in Halifax with the intention of attending my convocation ceremony. My sister and mother were to, and did, arrive on Friday afternoon for the same reason.

Prior to my mother and sister's arrival I met my grandmother at her hotel (we didn't have room for three) where we had a very pleasant lunch together. Shortly after we parted ways so that I could go to the university and pick up my academic gown, as well as submit a paper.

Not too long after I eventually made it back to the apartment I was able to contact my mother and sister, who had arrived in the intervening period, and suggest that instead of driving through the Valley in the rain they come to our apartment for dinner. Though there was a little bit of confusion about communication and when people would arrive, they eventually did show up and I cooked us all dinner.

That evening, after a few games of Fluxx, Kirsten talked my mother and I into joining her for a dip in her hotel's pool. I think that we were all rather surprised by how big and deep the pool was for a hotel pool on the second floor of a hotel. The other nice aspect of the set-up was that they had a hot tub. As I hadn't been in a hot tub in quite a number of years I was quite keen to see if I still liked them as much as I remembered liking them. It turns out that they were as good as I remember, though I think I may have stayed in a little long as I definitely felt a little faint by the time we got out.

After a group breakfast on Saturday morning we all went back to our respective sleeping locations to either prepare for the afternoon's convocation ceremony, sleep, or engage in some combination of both activities. I know that I managed to sleep for a few minutes before throwing on my convocation garb.

We all made our way to 'The Cohn' about an hour before the event was to start. I arrived at this time because that was when the graduands were instructed to arrive. The other arrived at this time because an additional ticked was needed and this was when they were planning on distributing the extra tickets. Fortunately, within moments of arriving Kirsten was able to secure the needed ticket, allowing me to go upstairs to the staging area with a relative degree of comfort that things weren't going to be screwed.

Almost as soon as I entered the area where all of the graduands I came across a, now former, classmate. We spoke for a few minutes when a third classmate joined us. As it turns out, of the 11 of us who started as MA candidates last September, we were the only three political science MA students to show up for the convocation ceremony. Actually, I got the sense that quite a number of the graduands were no shows. It was so sparsely attended that I was fifth last in the alphabetical line-up even though my last name normally puts me in the middle of most lines.

At the appropriate time the graduands were assembled two-by-two in lines. After what seemed like about 5 order checks we eventually made our way to the auditorium. As it turns out, as MA students, we were relatively near the end of the batch of graduands, though there were a few computer science types and Ph.D. students after us.

Once we made it into the auditorium and were seated things began to move quite quickly. Before I knew it they had started getting the Bachelors students up on stage. Eventually we were moved from our seats to the staging aisle. They had planned things so that once standing no one would have to stand that long.

After just a few minutes my name was called and I was making my way across the stage. Of course I am sure that I slouched and screwed up the timing, but I guess there isn't much I can do about it now. That being said, I think part of the problem is that I had no idea what to expect when I reached the Chancellor in the middle of the stage, this part of the ceremony wasn't explained to us at all. As it turns out he basically just says good luck and you move on (no hand shaking because of the swine flu). It was generally rather awkward, particularly as nothing really happens (they don't hood you like they do at MUN convocations).

After all of the graduates had been on stage they started the honourary doctorate part of the ceremony. The recipient of the ceremony's honourary degree was the Music Director (and sometimes conductor?) of Symphony Nova Scotia, Bernhard Gueller.

After Gueller's talk things wrapped up quickly and we made our way our to the lobby. Once in the lobby I again ran into one of my former classmates, and then my history professor (who happens to also, be the Associate Dean of Arts and Social Sciences). Eventually, my mother located me, and after a little chatting and photo taking we make our way across the lobby to find Rebecca, Kirsten, and my mother.

After a little bit of indecisiveness and dilly-dallying (along with a few cookies and some juice) we made our way through the building to find a place where we could take some pictures. Eventually, after a few photos, we were ready to leave.

Shortly after leaving we decided to head directly to dinner. After some more indecisiveness and a little bit of snarkiness we settled on the Mongolie Grill (so that everyone could get the ingredients and quantity they wanted). All things considered, I think that the meal went well (though I was definitely tired and not in a celebratory mood).

After dinner we returned to the apartment to kill time (and my chances to study) while my mother waited for Neil's plane to arrive so that she could head out to pick him up from the airport (he was attending a conference for matheletes in Atlanta for the better part of the week).

This morning we again went out for a group breakfast, mainly so that Neil could get a chance to see grandma (and because we all needed to eat). After breakfast Rebecca and I returned to the apartment while The Ladies + Neil made their way to the Valley for some apple picking and touring.

Eventually, the group went to the airport to drop my grandmother off for her flight only to find that one leg of her trip had been cancelled. The eventual result was that she was re-booked for a new set of flights tonight and will be crashing with us tonight (I imagine it has been a few years since she has spent the night on a futon in a student apartment).

Anyway, I am now trying to catch up on some school work and reading while the rest of them are playing euchre in the living room. If the pots get to big I may have to go in and say something, but until then I think I can probably trust them by themselves for a while.

So tomorrow brings us back to another week of school, the main difference being that will have visitors (my grandmother for the morning and my mother the next few days). I imagine that I will feel my slack work weekend in the very near future, maybe as soon as tomorrow morning's class.

A Few Quick Notes 332

-While today was pretty overcast we didn't seem to have any precipitation, which was a nice change. Hopefully our several weeks of largely overcast weather will soon be coming to an end.

-I seem to have picked up Neil's cold, which brings my count for the season to two. I am not sure if there is any particular reason, but I don't think I have ever been sick so frequently as I have been in Halifax. It seems that every month or two since I have been here I have come down with a cold that has been with me for at least a week. Hopefully this isn't the way things go for the rest of my time here.

-Kirsten should be arriving in about a week. I am really looking forward to spending some time with her. I hope she knows what she wants to see as I can't really think of too many fun things to do in Halifax as a tourist.

-Yesterday I took a few more pictures of some of the plants. As you can see, the tomatoes are continuing to grow quite rapidly. I think there is something about removing suckers to encourage fruit growth, unfortunately, I don't know exactly what the suckers are, or when to remove them. I guess until I figure this out I will just let things go and continue to grow freely.



The beans, which have all grown since this photo was taken, are still some of the best performing of the plants. Though not visible in this photo, I am very pleased to report that the yellow bean plant to the right of the planter is finally showing some bloom, which I hope will lead to blooms.



None of the other plants, aside from the thyme, seem to be close to producing anything edible. I was really hoping that by mid-July we would have some production, but it looks as though that is not likely to happen (aside from some thyme and a few yellow beans).

-We had another Ultimate game yesterday. We managed to pull out a win, though I can't say that I contributed all that much. Unfortunately, the field, which was the same one we have played all of our games on, was still rather wet and muddy. I think the moisture lead to a increased number of dropped passes. It seems that we are trying to schedule a make-up game for Friday, though I don't know if this has yet been confirmed.

Canada Day fail

This morning, shortly after I awoke, I was checking my email and listening to the CBC radio news. The newsreader suggested that the Canada Day parade was fully assembled on Sackville Street and just about ready to start.

While I am not normally much of a parade or Canada Day person I got the impression that this parade was somehow connected to the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, which suggested to me that there were likely to be a few pipe bands. Given the likely presence of pipe bands I decided to see if I could find the parade route.

Before heading out I thought that I should probably try to find the parade's route so that I wouldn't waste too much time poking around downtown. A quick search brought me to Halifax's official Canada Day celebrations page, which then refered me to the Tattoo website for the parade route. Of course, the Tattoo website is just about useless and doesn't make this information particularly accessible. Even after a quick search of the site I was not able to find the route map. Fortunately, I did manage to find a schedule of the free events, most of which are taking place on or near Spring Garden. I will be sure to check out the Paris Police Gymnastics Team show tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 on Doyle Street (this document has a copy of the parade route, though I didn't see it the first time I looked at the document). For those of you in the Halifax area that are interested, the schedule can be found here.

Getting back to my original goal, the parade, I eventually made my way out without much knowledge of the parade route. Not too long into my journey I started to see a steady stream of parade types making their way out of the downtown core. I decided to head to their source, hoping to catch the last few minutes of the action.

By the time I reached the Metro Centre is was clear that the parade was over and that the parades participants were starting to disperse. The other thing that was clear is that they definitely had a number of pipers and associated performers.

I guess now that I have the schedule of free events, many of which are pipes related, I shouldn't be to upset about missing the parade.

Actually, all of the pipes and kilts reminded me that I really don't like all this state sponsored faux-Scottish stuff that goes on in Nova Scotia. It strikes me as incredibly insincere, a giant put-on, so to speak. I find it strange that for most of the year I see no kilts, but as soon as tourist season rolls around the streets are filled with kilts and pipes. I think what I find most frustrating about this is that I am not sure I have seen an actual Scot participate in any of these events (unlike the Scottish events that take place in St. John's). I guess I just find it strange and frustrating that such much time and effort is spent trying to imitate another country's culture instead of acknowledging Nova Scotia's own culture and achievements.

To get back to the narrative, soon after I realized that I wasn't going to see any of the parade I decided to walk back along the waterfront. As today is remarkably overcast, not too many of the parade observers decided to make the same decision. As I was approaching the harbour front walk I noticed that people seemed to be making their way behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which indicated that a major section of the wharf had been re-opened to the public. Unfortunately, as I made my way along the route towards the Pier 21 end of things I learned that the other section that has been closed for months is still closed. I would have thought that they would have had this section open by now as we are definitely in the midst of tourist season, and this is a key part of the downtown tourism infrastructure. Maybe they will get it open by August or September, in time for dying breaths of this year's tourist season.

Hopefully I have better luck with the free shows I mentioned earlier than I did with the parade.

I guess I should start getting mentally prepared for this afternoon's Math grad student's Canada Day barbacue.