DAY 61 : September 6/22 Sunday. Antigonish, NS day 2
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TODAY!!
Around 8am we walked over to Leslie and Dieter’s house for morning coffee’s and delicious homemade waffles made from L&D’s sourdough starter. Amelia and I were super impressed that the starter they have had for over 45 years and going strong! We enjoyed a feast of waffles (newly discovered adding Boursin spread on waffles… summer!!) and chats. Their friend, Christopher, arrived around 8:30am to spend the day with them. Dieter had a door to finish painting and installing, so he decided he had best stay home, but the rest of us were keen to go canoeing.
We all loaded up into the Klapstein’s minivan pulling a trailer with two little kayaks and a canoe, and another canoe on the roof and headed for Cameron Lake, a favourite canoeing spot of Leslie, and Christopher. On the way we pulled over at the local fish hatchery to explore to open in-ground concrete tanks filled with various stages of trout. The long rectangular tanks had wires strung up across them in several spots in an effort to keep the local bald eagles from swooping in for their easy lunch.
When we arrived at Cameron Lake, a beautiful spot, we unloaded all the water craft and donned our life jackets. I snapped a couple photos of the put-in spot but Jonathan and I decided it might be best to leave our phones safely on shore since we were sharing a canoe and the risk of tipping on our minds, haha. Luckily Leslie had her trusty camera with her and snapped a few on-the-water photos for us! XO Leslie and Christopher were in one canoe with Amelia tied up behind them on a small plastic kayak. Oliver was on the other kayak without a tie up. We paddled along the beautiful shoreline enjoying the sights and the quietness of the lake. Such a gorgeous spot. We got to the other end of the lake and turned around because we had a slight time limit (Leslie and Dieter had covid booster shots at noon) and the wind was picking up every so slightly. We hustled back and loaded up the canoes/kayaks and were back at the Klapsteins by 11:30am.
We had snacks and Ollie had some treasured Minecraft time on the wifi while Amelia busied herself with our lego bin in the living room. Being 4 hours ahead, we found a respectable time to FaceTime my mum for her birthday greetings and hello. Kids were suitably goofy and crazy, but it was good to say hello and see their faces! I got some laundry through and hung on the washing line to dry with Oliver’s help.
Once Leslie and Dieter were back from their boosters, with Christopher in tow, we all drove in the van to the Landing Trail a short distance away. We had the kids bikes and Christopher’s trike in the trailer so they could all ride the trail while the rest of us walked. The landing trail was along a lovely estuary with lovely views and marshes and some neat birds. Christopher got tired of biking on the rough gravel (his bike has no gears) and so Jonathan gave it a go with Chris’s permission. Ollie even enjoyed trying to ride it. We also got to see upclose and firsthand patches of Poison Ivy... (but not too close, lol). Jonathan was worried he might have had a bit brush against him and had some tingly feelings. (we dosed him up with Benadryl at night and he was out like a light after a shower).
After returning home, Amelia and I washed Charlie the stuffy dog in our laundry tub with the hose out back. Leslie had the good idea to put the rinsed dog into the washing machine on spin cycle to get the water out before we hung him up to dry. Jonathan and Oliver helped Leslie stuff the cheese and beet green fillings into the big shell pastas she had cooked.
Before it got too dark, I remembered I wanted to take the annual photo of the kids for their “Back to School” records. They were both excited to have their First Day of Grade 3 and Grade 5 signs held up for photos by the RV. Xo
Played some Uno around the kitchen table until Christopher’s mum came to get him.
Dinner was a delicious feast of baked pasta shells with sauce and provolone cheese on top and fresh garden veggies. So good!!! And it is always a treat to have something baked in an oven.
Always on the go and ready for action, Leslie suggested that we clean up quickly and hop in the car to go to Pomquet Beach for sunset… so off we went to an Acadian community to walk the boardwalk over the marshes to a stunning rocky/sandy beach for a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, I took my sandals off and immediately stepped on a blunt rock sticking up and punctured a hole in the soft arch of my foot. Youch. Birks back on and walked gingerly around the rest of the evening (and next few days kept an eye on it). Crashing waves were too tempting for the kids and they went in further and further until they were soaked. Ollie especially enjoyed playing and leaping in the waves and was soaked from head to toe with a permanent grin on his little face. Love it. He wore my fleecy jacket home in the car after removing most of his wet stuff.
Home to have a hot shower and cozy up to bed. An amazing first day of school for both kids and all involved. Xo
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