A Canadian writer's life: Shelburne Nova Scotia fire of 2023

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Ingomar & Shelburne Nova Scotia)

June 24th: On our first full day staying at Whispering Waves Cottages, Ingomar, Nova Scotia, Sparky discovered the sandy beach. He stuck his nose deep into the sand and inhaled the briny scent of the residents hiding below. And then his tail started wagging. I swear he was remembering hunting the little white ghost crabs that inhabited the beach in front of our house on Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Happy dog investigating the smells

After breakfast, we investigated the area. We drove a short distance to Roseway Beach, where the Fuzz-butt was in heaven, sniffing and exploring the long, white sandy beach.

Our home for the next three days

Roseway Beach, Nova Scotia

The area was hard hit by the recent, devastating forest fires. The destruction is clearly visible on both sides of the road. Evacuation orders have now been lifted, and residents whose houses escaped the blaze are back in their homes.

Around 60 homes and 150 other structures were destroyed in the conflagration.

The ferns are already sprouting in the fire zone

Our next stop, yesterday, was the historic waterfront of Shelburne. It's a fascinating glimpse of Canada's early days. The Mik'maq traversed the Roseway River and used the surrounding lands for summer encampments long before this area was visited by Spanish, Portuguese, and French fishermen.

Historic dock front, Shelburne

Then, in the spring of 1783, 5,000 settlers arrived on the shores of Shelburne Harbour from New York and the nearby colonies of America. Promises of living under the British flag, and free land, tools, and provisions lured many from the newly formed American colonies to the British colonies in Canada.

In the fall of 1783, the second wave of settlers arrived in Shelburne. By 1784, the population of this new community is estimated to have been at least 10,000; the fourth largest in North America, much larger than either Halifax or Montreal.

In 1787, the government's distribution of provisions was terminated. Within a few years, houses were put up for sale, and settlers left for England, New Brunswick, Upper Canada, and the United States. In the 1820s, the population of Shelburne had dwindled to about 300. There are about 2000 residents now.

On the waterfront in Shelburne, this group was conducting a first lesson for new sailors. How to right, and get back in a capsized boat. The blonde woman in the boat was the student. The tall brunette standing in the boat and the guy in the water were the instructors. The student managed to get the boat upright and scramble back inside, all while keeping up a running monologue of hilarious comments.

Cheers, Lynda and Sir Fuzz-butt

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Mahone Bay and Lunenberg Nova Scotia)

June 23rd: Sparky and I were on the road by 8:00 a.m., headed for the south shore of Nova Scotia. Miss Google said the driving time was less than three hours, but I know from experience that the actual time it will take Sparky and me is nearly always double due to photo stops, pee breaks, and just poking around.

The first stop was beautiful Mahone Bay, between Halifax and Lunenburg. I have been to Mahone Bay twice before; once in 1979 with my first husband, and again in 1986 with Lawrie.

In 1979, when I traveled across Canada with my first husband, we were near the end of our nine-year marriage and were tolerating each other in the silent way that some couples do when the marriage has lost its spark. We separated a few months later. I didn't keep any photographs and have very few clear memories of that two-month trip.

In 1986, when I traveled to the Maritime provinces with Lawrie, we had been together six years and were crazy in love. Much of our thirty-eight years together was spent laughing, hugging, dancing, and smooching. Sightseeing was a secondary activity. On that trip, we took a lot of photographs of each other, but not many of the places we visited.

Lawrie, teasing me. Nova Scotia '86

Mahone Bay is where the pretty pewter seashells that I purchased in Wolfville were created. I very carefully drove right past their cute waterfront shop. It's best to keep temptation away! This is the link to their store in Mahone Bay: https://amospewter.com/

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia - 5 church spires

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Around lunchtime, Sparky and I arrived in Lunenberg. A former rum-running and shipbuilding port, Lunenburg, has a collection of brightly painted buildings, many of which were built in the 1750s.

The funniest memory I have of this area is from our trip in 1986. Lawrie and I stayed overnight at a historic inn, and at some point during the day, we ran into a group of local firefighters. They were delighted to hear that both Lawrie and I were volunteer firefighters on Bowen Island. (Lawrie was the Fire Chief, and I was one of 22 firefighters.) They invited us back to the fire hall for drinks. As the night wore on, the local accents became harder to understand, but the laughter was contagious. We frequently reminisced about that evening. How welcoming and kind everyone was, even though most of the time we had no idea about what was being said.

Lunenburg is also the home of the original Bluenose, a Grand Banks fishing and racing schooner launched on 26 March 1921. The Bluenose is pictured on the reverse side of a Canadian dime. On Bluenose's 100th anniversary in 2021, the Royal Canadian Mint redesigned the dime and added colour (blue ocean) to Canada's smallest circulating coin.

The Fuzz-butt and I had lunch on the dog-friendly patio at the Fish Shack, then walked around for 30 minutes, resuming our journey to the Whispering Waves Cottages at Ingomar, near Shelburne.

Cheers, Lynda and Sir Fuzz-Butt