Two Sore Backs

It was time to leave the Magdalen Islands. We were up at sunrise to catch the ferry back to Souris, PEI. Next an hour drive through eastern PEI to the Wood Island / Pictou NS ferry. Fortunately we had time to stop in Cardigan PEI – at Clamdiggers – for some awesome PEI blue mussels. Yum.

It was comfortably windy and cool on that first ferry and hot and humid by the mid-afternoon ferry over to Nova Scotia. (That spike in humidity foreshadowed rain the next day.)

Three provinces. Two weather patterns. One day.

We felt more than a little wilted on arrival at our friend John’s family cottage at Melmerby. Mary and John are neighbours on Strathcona Road and it is our good fortune that we are traveling though Pictou during their annual vacation at Melmerby. With gratitude, we would not be camping for a couple of nights.

We settled in for a great dinner in the porch. Priceless.

John has been coming to this cottage since he was a young boy. You could sense that if the cottage walls could talk there would be countless family stories from multiple generations of his extended family.

Worth mentioning – the cottage porch sustained some damage during hurricane Fiona. Neighbours lost stairs to the beach. Inland trees are down.

John lives part time in Ottawa but his heart is in Nova Scotia. He can trace his family roots back to the Hector. The Hector brought Scottish settlers to Pictou in 1773. He is a descendent of the family that started the Lamont Glassworks in Trenton (New Glasgow area) in 1890. Three glassworks factories co-existed in New Glasgow at this time. Pressed glass products were necessary for manufacturers and merchants (lamp chimneys, bottles and preserve jars) as well as for family uses (patterned glassware and tableware). Pressed glass was now affordable so demand was strong. And why Trenton? Location, location, location. Local coal was cheap and the Intercontinental railway, the East River and a port were nearby.

We visited the Nova Scotia Museum is Industry in Stellarton. Fascinating! As a founding province so many industries were active in Nova Scotia over the years. The museum covers many industries including: early settler farming, coal mining, iron and steelworks, saw mills, water power, glassworks, electricity generation, Clairtone stereos and Volvo cars. We were impressed with their hands on displays – for kids of any age.

A special exhibit profiled about 20 women that has contributed to Nova Scotia industries. One such profile was for Theresa McGuire RN (no relation).

Later in Pictou we visited the Hector Heritage Quay. The site is both museum and work site.

These first settlers had a harrowing two month crossing (arriving mid August) and those that survived were malnourished and then had to find food, clear land and build shelters. Hardy! Granted they had left Scotland under grim circumstances.

On site there is a replica of the Hector: first built between 1995 and 2000 then launched in 2000. This replica is back onsite in dry dock and being rebuilt. It is a testament to how destructive wind and wet can be to a vessel that doesn’t regularly see the ocean.

The best was hanging out with Mary and John at Melmerby. We had a lobster dinner back at the cottage and relaxed in the screened porch.

Thursday the skies brightened and we had a glorious swim. We did not want to get out of the water.

Then we were off to Hadleyville on the East Coast. Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Beautiful Band were playing at Stanfest.

What a trip!