Our life has changed significantly over the last couple years. At the end of 2023 we sold the big truck and officially were “off the road”. No more towing our home behind us and taking it wherever we go! We bought a used Toyota RAV-4 and became snow-birds traveling between our lot in southern Arizona and my son’s property in the Cleveland area. Our time in Arizona is consumed by activities in the RV park, especially Judith’s gourd art and my genealogy. When in the Cleveland area we spend a great amount of time with my daughter’s son who we watch two days a week and my son’s daughter who we watch on an as-needed basis. They are both the brightest, most beautiful children in the world. (Spoken like a true grandparent!) And Granna is Alden’s Super Playmate!
This summer we got together with our friends Roy & Theresa for a 3 week + adventure traveling through Acadia National Park and the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
7/23-25 — We met in Bar Harbor (pronounced Bah Hahbah) to see the local sights and visit Acadia National Park. The town was quaint but extremely busy and filled with tourists, and Acadia was lovely, especially the views from the top of Cadillac Mountain.
We paused for a little while in St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church and listened to a string quartet practicing for a later performance.
The Bass Harbor lighthouse was one of many we saw on our trip. The ocean views were spectacular.
The views from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia N.P. were spectacular. There was a talk about the porcupine and its use by native peoples, and we actually saw one (sort of, at least its back) in the wild.
The Abbe Museum of Wabanaki Arts and Culture in Bar Harbor was a treasure trove of artifacts and information.
Of course, we ate our way across the continent!
7/25 — We took the ferry across the mouth of the Bay of Fundy from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, N.S. It was about a 3 1/2 hour boat ride.
7/26 — Our B & B in Port Royal was lovely, except that we were on the third floor. However, Roy and Theresa were also on the third floor, and there was a small sitting area where we could all gather, talk, and plan our next day.
Our B & B hostess was delightful and full of information and suggestions, and the breakfast was great! We learned that the house is also haunted, however we didn’t meet the ghost, Emily.
We visited the Odell House & museum and got to put on period hats.
7/26 — The Port Royal Habitation was originally settled by the French. accompanied by the famous explorer, Samuel de Champlain, in 1605. However, it was abandoned for about three years around 1607, which allows Jamestown, Virginia, to claim the honor as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement north of St. Augustine, FL. The French and the native Mi’kmaq people had a good relationship, and the Mi’kmaq chief watched over the abandoned habitation until the French returned. The settlement was burned in 1613 by a raiding party of Virginia settlers, but the settlers survived with the assistance of the Mi’kmaq people.
This site was repeatedly fought over by the French and British and this was the capital of Nova Scotia until 1749.
7/27 — Fort Anne was first named Charles Fort in 1629. It was evicted when Nova Scotia was ceded to the French, but this area changed hands between the French and British numerous times. While Port Royal was a habitation, Fort Anne was a true fort with battlements and cannon.
Just down the street from our B & B was a lovely botanical garden.
7/28 — Grand Pre was first settled around 1680 by Pierre Melanson and his family. Around them grew up the largest, most populated Acadian settlement. (French maps showed the area of French Canada as Acadia.) Using a traditional system of dykes and aboiteaus (or sluice troughs) they harnessed the 30 foot tides of the Bay of Fundy to reclaim rich farmland from the bay. In the 1750’s Britain controlled Nova Scotia, and a decree was made that all French-speaking Canadians would be deported. Over 10,000 people were uprooted from their homes and shipped elsewhere, most to France, but others to the American Colonies with some reaching French Louisiana.
Next Post: 2026 Acadia N.P. & Canadian Maritimes – Part 2
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