A Happy turn of Events in Nova Scotia

Thursday, July 31, 2014

One of the special things about being on vacation is that you often don't really know what will happen each day. You make plans, but then one small tweak will lead you down a whole new path. Such a thing happened last week while Ted and I were visiting the southern shore of Nova Scotia. We planned to visit Lunenburg, but stopped on the way to eat our sandwiches at a lovely beach. We noticed a sign that said 'Hooked Mat Display', so naturally after lunch we followed the arrows and wound up at the Maritime Museum of LeHave where a dozen rugs were exhibited and several more were on display for a raffle. The 2 young people who were interpreters for the summer at the museum were delightful. After seeing how interested we were in the rugs, they encouraged us to visit River House Rug Hooking in the next town where we would see more rugs. A short drive brought us to a rug hooking shop where there was a hook-in going on. I felt right at home. We chatted with the owner, Jane Steele, and the other hookers, while looking at the terrific rugs hanging on the walls of the shop. Several rugs caught my eye and on closer inspection, I noticed that they were hooked by Doris Eaton. I've admired Doris's work for a long time and recently ordered her book. Jane told me that Doris lives in the area and frequently hooks with them. And, coincidentally, that day was Doris's birthday which they were celebrating that evening with a pot luck dinner. 'Would I like to come?' ...Why Yes! Ted and I made a short trip to Lunenburg, did a few touristy things, picked up a fruit salad to share and headed back to River House for Doris's birthday Party. We enjoyed a lovely evening and I felt quite lucky to be there.

Doris Eaton is the 'birthday girl' 86 and still hooking.

Many friends came for the pot luck.

Jane Steele and me, Stephanie. July 31, 2014 in Petit Riviere, Nova Scotia

Monday, July 28, 2014

Ted and I are off on another wonderful adventure. This time to Nova Scotia. We started our trip last Sunday (the 27th) from Portland Maine with a fabulous dinner at Vignola, a delightful restaurant just off the waterfront, then headed to the State Pier where we boarded the overnight ferry to Yarmouth, NS. This is the best way to get to 'Novie' (as Grampie used to call NS). We watched the lights of Portland fade into the night, had a good night's sleep in our cabin, and arrived rested and ready to head for the cottage on the south shore. We didn't have Internet for the whole week and only spotty cell phone reception which seemed odd, but also a relief.

Port Joli is a very small town on the southern shore of Nova Scotia, and not necessarily a tourist destination, although for several reasons, I was eager to visit. When a rug hooking friend and recent teacher at Green Mountain Rug School, Susie Stephenson, mentioned that she had a cottage in Port Joli, my jaw dropped. Most notably, Port Joli is the entrance to the Kejimkujik Provincial Park trail which offers spectacular views of the coast,  but for me, hearing the name Port Joli (pronounced ‘jolly’) brought back many distant memories! It was a name I’d heard back in the 1970’s & 80’s from my first husband’s parents who had owned land there for many years. The land was inherited and Grampie spoke of the place in glowing terms and with a little mist in his eye. His family hailed from Lunenburg just a short way north on the coast, and I wondered if he also had family in Port Joli. He and Gramma often made a pilgrimage to their beach-front land in ‘Novie’, and although it was landlocked, they always said they’d like to built a small place. Unfortunately they never did, and after Grampie’s death, the land was sold and I never heard the name again. I have, however, always  remembered the perfectly oval, smooth granite stone that sat by the fire place in their Rockport, MA, home. Using black paint and his best penmanship, Grampie had painted on the stone the words, ‘Port Joli’.  Ted and I did a little sleuthing in the local cemetery and asked several local people if they knew anything about the Conrads, but we didn’t find the location of the land or any information about ancestors.