Nova Scotia...Twice

In late August of 1968 I, your lame blogger, accompanied by my beautiful bride, Ada, began married life with a honeymoon in Nova Scotia. Fifty-six years later, almost to the day, I returned to Nova Scotia to enjoy the unique charms of this magnificent province. Again I was lucky enough to be joined on this return trip by another beautiful companion: Nan, AKA TLOTH, The Lady of Two Harbors.

I really don't know what I did to deserve these two experiences accompanied by such exceptional women. All I can say is I am one lucky blogger.

The first visit to Nova Scotia was undertaken in our brand new 1968 British Racing Green Rambler American. Roll down windows. Three on the column. AM/FM radio. We spared no expense. Actually, we tried to spare every expense possible, given the starting salaries of our upcoming brand new post-college jobs, hers a teaching job in Newton and mine a reporter's job at the Quincy Patriot Ledger. If you combined both salaries, you wouldn't have enough to pay for the power window option on the sexy Rambler.

Sadly, there are very few details that have stuck with me from that first Nova Scotia trip. Honeymoons can do that I suppose. I do recall that we took the ferry to Yarmouth from Bar Harbor. We stayed in the province just a couple of days before we and the Rambler made our way to Quebec City and the famous Frontenac Hotel. The one detail I do recall was that we had arranged to stay at a "resort" called The Braemoor or some such Scottish name. We were disappointed to learn that everything at the resort was in some state of disrepair, including the waitresses. The nets on the tennis courts were broken, the paddle boats wouldn't paddle; even the famous Nova Scotia lobsters only had one claw. The small one.

Were we disappointed? Not really. We were 21, in love, driving a brand new Rambler American in what we considered an exotic locale. It would be many years before Ada and I traveled again to really exotic places like Yorkshire, England, Seville, Spain and Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

No one picture can ever capture a province as varied and diverse as Nova Scotia; nevertheless, I offer the one above as my Nova Scotia Motif #1. The red fishing shacks dot this magnificent coastline much like the omnipresent grain silos in the midwest.

My memories of the 2024 visit to Nova Scotia, completed just last week, are much clearer than my foggy 1968 memories. With that in mind, allow me to relate some of the highlights from Nova Scotia Part Two. First, as in 1968, this trip was accomplished via automobile. The Rambler Muscle Car was replaced by Nan's 2023 Ford Explorer.

People, this is known as an upgrade.

We were going to spend a week in Nova Scotia as follows: Three nights at Fox Harb'r, a resort on the  north shore's Northumberland Strait, two nights on the south coast in Lunenburg, a UNESCO heritage site, and two nights in Digby on the famous Bay of Fundy. We were saving Cape Breton and the magnificent Cabot Trail for a return visit next year.

I knew this visit to Nova Scotia would be different in every way from my previous visit when I got a look at our accommodations (above) at the magnificent Fox Harb'r Resort. 

Braemoor this wasn't. 

The resort was built by Ron Joyce, the man behind the successful Tim Horton's franchise. For those who don't know, Tim Horton's is Canada's version of Dunkin' Donuts. Evidently, Mr. Joyce grew up in Tatamagouche, a little village about ten miles from Fox Harb'r , and had always coveted this piece of land situated right on the Strait of Northumberland. What he built here can only be described as magnificent.

The golf course, which was what drew us to the resort, was quite simply perfect. Every blade of grass was exactly as it should have been. The views were spectacular, the design was just the right level of difficulty for folks like us, and the people who worked at the resort seemed happy to be of service. We stayed in the bottom right quadrant of the golf villa you see above. We could sit outside on the patio and watch folks tee off on the 10th tee or maybe take a shower in one of the greatest showers ever designed by man. (warning: be careful which valve you turn on; you might get sprayed by a jet stream in an area you would just as soon not be sprayed in or at!)

And the food! When you stay at Fox Harb'r, you are more or less a captive audience; it's a bit of a drive to any other food options, so you are hoping the resort's food and restaurant choices are worthwhile. They are. A sumptuous breakfast came with our golf package. Wonderful choices all beautifully prepared and presented.  Other meals can be enjoyed in a casual pub or a more upscale resort restaurant. We tried both and were never disappointed. I became addicted to the sweet potato fries that were offered as a side dish. TLOTH had to stop me from ordering sweet potato fries with a side of sweet potato fries. So delicious.

In addition to world class golf, the resort offers skeet shooting, spa treatments, fishing trips, and other activities. There is even an air strip to accommodate the private jet crowd. That ain't us. We're more the Ford Explorer crowd. And it's in that Ford Explorer that we hope to return to Fox Harb'r next August as part of our return to Nova Scotia.

From the north coast we traveled about three hours south to get to the famous Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg. The guide books warn you about the crowds at Peggy's Cove, a dramatic inlet and lighthouse complete with dangerous rocks and crashing waves.

Everything the guide books said about Peggy's Cove proved true. Especially the part about the crowds. The narrow winding streets that lead to the parking area were filled with tourists like us. Somehow we snagged a parking spot and were able to view the lighthouse and pounding surf that lure so many people to this spot. Given the fact that people have fallen to their deaths from the rocks, we viewed the scene from one of the many ice cream shops. Much safer and way more delicious.

Then it was off to Lunenburg, a UNESCO heritage site. Although small, Lunenburg maintains its reputation as the quintessential Nova Scotia harbor town. The waterfront is dotted with magnificent schooners that take visitors out for a sailing adventure; the restaurants all feature fresh seafood caught in nearby waters.

 

 

From Lunenburg it was up to Digby and the Bay of Fundy with its legendary tides. We would be leaving Nova Scotia from Digby via ferry to Saint John, New Brunswick. While in Digby, we were eager to sample the famous Digby Bay scallops. I'd provide a photo of the scallops but I ate them faster than my fastest shutter speed. They were as advertised, quite delicious. Our digs were just across the bay from the famous Digby scallop fleet. The tides were as advertised: enormous.

We never saw the fleet leave the harbor, but there must have been some activity because we ate numerous scallops and, heck, they didn't just jump onto our plates. We took a little side trip to nearby Mahone Bay, filled with charming galleries, gift shops and a bakery that sold the greatest cinnamon rolls ever created. I was hoping to get a photo of the cinnamon roll fleet but no such luck.

After a week filled with magnificent golf, scallops, and cinnamon rolls, it was time to return to Maine and Buddy. The heavy fog over the Bay of Fundy did not stop the estimable Fundy Rose from completing her 2+ hour voyage. Her guts were filled with cars and trucks of every size and shape. Whoever figured out how to build a vessel that can hold all those vehicles and, more importantly, how to get them off the vessel in one piece has my undying respect.

Adieu, until we meet again, beautiful Nova Scotia.

Ain't life grand.