Posted on September 18, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Antigonight – Ewe wouldn’t believe it!

 ( Photo: Sara Johnson )

 

Isn’t it wonderful that some people see the world through a completely different prism?

I’m talking here about the arts community. And more specifically about the recent Antigonight – Art After Dark extravaganza. If you’ve never been to this event, it’s very difficult to describe. Most of the activities were contained in back lots from Main and College Streets to Chisholm Park. There was dance of all varieties at the gazebo and one could wander through the Art Department up at Mount St. Bernard. There were all kinds of visual arts displays, oversized sheep in costumes, jugglers, bubble blowers and several films and documentaries were being beamed onto the sides of buildings in very unusual locations.

And of course, all of this was carried out in the dark of night.

Pure magic.

However, all areas were well lit as hundreds and hundreds of families wandered aimlessly trying to absorb all of this magic. As I said, I can’t even begin to describe some of the things I saw because they were so unusual. I do know this. Antigonish continues to excel when it comes to the arts. We have so many talented people bordering on genius. To the organizers of Antigonight, I say “ bravo.”

On my morning walk yesterday, I took an old path from the J. Bruce Brown building to our old home on Hillcrest Street. Except there’s no path anymore. The entire field where we once joyfully played baseball and football as children, is now one massive parking lot. Parking is a challenge at St. F.X.. Forty five years ago when I was a student, this was not the case as very few students owned their own vehicles.

That field and the path that used to lead down to the Bishop’s Bowl brings back so many childhood memories. We spent a lot of time trekking through those woods, building forts and just hanging out. That’s what kids did in those days. Those same woods were also a refuge for high school students. The current “ Annex” was once Antigonish High School and often at recess or after school, young teenagers would gather in one of  the small glades, to study, sneak a smoke… or hold hands. Oh my, but life was so much simpler then.

“ Faces in the Crowd” returns this Thursday after a lengthy hiatus. This week’s post will be about the burgeoning tuna charter business. Many folks may not be aware that this is even going on but sources tell me that this is a really big deal ,bringing sports fishing enthusiasts from North America and Europe. These people stay at our hotels, eat in our restaurants and buy souvenirs in our stores.

I want to send a shout out to my former business colleague, Ron Sangster who is hanging up one shingle and replacing it with another at the end of this week. Ron has been in the insurance, investment and financial planning business for decades and is retiring. In an earlier life, he taught carpentry at the Community College and will now pursue his love of carpentry full time.  Best of luck, Ron and congratulations.

Have a great week.

P.S.  Just when you think you’ve seen everything. I have been going to the Cathedral for 66 years. I have never seen anyone walk into the church, ( he wasn’t from here ) sporting a large coffee from one of the local coffee establishments. He casually drank the coffee and finished the contents just before communion!

Posted on September 14, 2017 under Thursday Tidbits with 2 comments

Universite Sainte Anne – Church Point

 

Simplicity.

Noun . “ A thing that is plain, natural or easy to understand.”

I think most of us have a habit of making life more complicated than it really is. Over the past several days, I noticed several things that made me realize that keeping things simple is indeed a worthy goal.

It all started with a harmless report from a radiologist. Like so many of us seniors, I have some pain issues. I had coffee with a friend last week who has had serious pain issues most of her life. Understanding anyone else’s pain is impossible just as it is for them to understand ours. I digress. I have chronic pain in my back and my neck. My wife says that she has a constant pain in her arse that started about 35 years ago!

I had some x-rays done last week. I’m not much on medical jargon but it didn’t take me long to understand the overall conclusion. The radiologist could have written one line instead of an gospel by simply stating, “ You’re getting old and your body is wearing out.”

And then there was Hurricane Irma. Confession. I got sucked into the vortex of CNN. I have watched maybe 2 hours of television since my return from India in early May. When I heard that the hurricane was barrelling down on the west coast of Florida and would likely hit our former time share, I couldn’t resist and turned on the television. I sat there for hours and hours listening to the same thing over and over again, watching reporters lashed by rain and buffeted by the winds. Oh my , how they like to create drama.

Yes. It’s important to get the message out but the ten million people who really needed this information were in the dark. The rest of us were just paying for the advertisers. In my mind, all of this sound and fury could have been captured succinctly in one press release: “ A big hurricane is coming. There will be high winds, heavy rain, storm surges, power outages and flooding. Be safe. “

If you are a Catholic, I am certain that you have sat through one too many long winded homilies. Yes, learning about scripture is helpful to give us context. But some priests get carried away. I remember going to a midnight mass in Cape Breton a long time ago. The priest preached for 35 minutes. A few guys left before he finished. The Three Wise Men?!

I attended a mass the other day. The priest spoke for approximately three minutes. His message was very simple. “Be kind to your neighbor. “ At the end of the day, you have to believe that this is what the journey is all about.

Lentil soup. Lentils, carrots, onions, broth and some spices. Throw them in a pot and simmer for 25 minutes. A simple yet nutritious and tasty meal. I made some the other day. These cool days are definitely “ soup days.”

I hadn’t seen Barb Stegemann in several years. Barb is a local girl who has taken her entrepreneurial skills and turned them into a highly successful business, “ The 7 Virtues.”  Her company “ source (s) fair market natural essential oils from nations rebuilding after war or strife. “ Barb was invited by the Hadhad family to speak at the grand opening of their new chocolate factory last weekend. She only spoke for a few minutes. Her message was simple yet profound. “ The provinces with the most cultural diversity are the strongest economically.”

I should take my own advice. I realize that this was a long winded piece… with a simple message!

I could just as easily have embraced the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid.

Have a great weekend.

 

 

Posted on September 11, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 4 comments

Paradise Found – Smith Settlement on the # 7 Highway

 

So much to tell you. So little space.

Let’s start with Peace by Chocolate. They had the grand opening of their new factory on Saturday. It was a perfect September afternoon weather wise. People started to arrive at 1:30 to get a tour of the facility, sample Syrian food , hear some speeches and watch the official ribbon cutting. The crowd was estimated at over 500 people.

I received a message from Tareq early Saturday morning that their Emcee would not be able to make it so I was asked to fill in. It was a great honor and I had a bird’s eye view of the entire proceedings. There was a lot of goodwill and love in evidence all afternoon. The highlight for most of us was the heart wrenching speech from Tareq’s mother, Shannaz. I think that all of the events of the previous years came to a head around this event. Through tear stained eyes, she tried to put into words what this day meant to her and the family. It was very moving and there weren’t many dry eyes.

There will always be naysayers but our Syrian families will add so much to our town, our province and our country.

What if our provincial government banned all recreational travel outside of the province for one year? First of all, they would be defeated in the next election! I’m only joking of course. The more I travel in Nova Scotia, the more I realize that we have one of the most beautiful places on the planet to call home. Those who don’t like winter might disagree. If everyone was forced to travel in the province for a year, it would be a great stimulus to the economy and people would quickly realize that they don’t have to go far or spend large amounts of money to have a first class vacation experience.

I spent a day on the South West coast of Nova Scotia last Friday. The Valley was lovely, as always, with apples aplenty in the orchards. I have never been beyond Digby before and decided to go to Church Point. If you’ve never gone there before, put this on your bucket list. If you get a beautiful day like I did, the scenery is breathtaking. You pass through Belliveau Cove, Grosses Coques, Church Point, Comeauville and Saulnierville.  Trip tip: If you love fresh seafood/ Acadian cuisine, you must go to La Cuisine Robicheau in Saulnierville. You won’t find fish and chips on the menu because they don’t use deep fryers. I sampled their fishcakes and seafood chowder. You simply won’t find any better anywhere.

I spent an hour wandering around the campus of Universite Sainte Anne. What a location for a university, only a few hundred yards from St. Mary’s Bay, an inlet of the Bay of Fundy.

But the main reason for traveling to Church Point was to visit the grave of my good friend Gary Boone. I was in Florida in November of 2013 when Gary passed away. I really liked Gary. He was a straight shooter on and off the golf course. He did so much for recreation in this province. Now finding his grave was another matter. If you thought finding a lost golf ball in Dundee was difficult ( for you golfers out there! ), trying to locate this particular  cemetery in Church Point required patience and several messages back and forth with Kim!

Gary was one of the good guys. Rest in peace, my friend.

The day before traveling to Church Point, I hopped on the boat and went to Charlottetown to see “ Million Dollar Quartet” at the Confederation Center For The Arts. I think I only saw one couple under the age of 65. If you grew up in the era of “ Rock and Roll”, this is a must see. The show depicts a night in Nashville back in the 1950’s when four up and coming stars spent an evening at SUN Studios. And what a foursome: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. The show lasted 90 minutes ( no intermission ) and the musicianship was amazing.

The last day of my mini vacation took me along the Eastern Shore after overnighting in Halifax. This is another beautiful drive. Where the 107 meets the 7 highway, traffic picked up considerably. Before I could turn around, I realized that I was caught in the snare of the 50 mile yard sale. Luckily I wasn’t in a hurry and I was going slow enough to catch the photograph seen above.

I think I have discovered the bleakest stretch of highway in the province. Exiting Sheet Harbor, I took the 374 cross country to Stellarton. There was a method to my madness. I wanted to stop by and see another dear friend who passed away while I was in India. Fr. Gerry MacInnis lived at the apartments at Sylvan Valley. I got to know him very well during the time my mother lived there. He was a modest priest with a wicked sense of humour and a brilliant bridge player. We shared so many good times together including weekly mass when I’d play my guitar.

Fr. Gerry is now resting under a beautiful tree surrounded by other family members. Requiescat in pace.

Have a great week.

P.S. Glad you liked my “ back to school poem.” Think I’ll throw a few more your way in the future.

 

Chowder at La Cuisine Robicheau. Simply the best!