Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island - Part Two

Part Two-

From Halifax, we traveled on to two stops I really looked forward to on the trip.
The first was Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - one of the most scenic and well-known, little fishing villages.  

Yes, the water was this blue.
The ocean breezes were cool, but the sun was bright as if it wanted to show off all the charms that Peggy's had to offer.  

Although some of the homes have shops in them or have been turned into shops, the main industry is still fishing and lobstering.  The village is basically on rock, so one doesn't see a tree or much of a yard.

I saw one of these in Halifax and here was another in Peggy's Cove, and a few of our hotels had pay phones in the lobby.
I haven't seen one in the U.S. for a very long time.  

 As some of you know, our Spoering ancestors came from the Lunenburg area in Germany, so I was especially excited to see this Nova Scotian village named Lunenburg, founded by the Germans and Swiss.  
They came as farmers, but became seamen, as farming was not an option in this terrain.
So many lost their lives at sea that eventually a law was made that a father and all his sons could not be together on a ship so that if one went down, a man would be left to provide for the family.

The cheerful, colorful, historic homes are beautiful and reflect some of the traditions of the people.

 When our guide asked us why one window in this home was bigger than all the others, none of us knew.  She told us it was where the coffin would come in and out because tradition held that it would bring bad luck to take a coffin in and out through the door.

/http://bayoffundytourism.com/tides/

We crossed the Bay of Fundy, known for its especially high tides, from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick.  The ferry ride across is about three hours, with plenty of time for seal and whale watching.  
Of course, we saw many more sites and learned more about the Acadians and the Mik'macq First Nations who still populate the area.  But, to end, let me give you a sample of the cuisine...ahhhhhh...

(This post originally appeared on my other, now deleted, blog on August 30, 2014.)

Nashville Weekend - October, 2014

It was a quick three day journey to Nashville and back last weekend, with a great stay at the Opryland Hotel and a show at the Grand Old Opry.  We followed our recent trend of taking bus trips, easing the stress of driving and allowing both of us to enjoy the scenery along the way.  This year, however, the leaves have been slow to turn and so we didn't see the fall color we had anticipated.

Opryland Hotel Lobby

The Opryland Hotel complex covered 172 acres, so exploring would take more than the few hours we had each evening.  But, we covered all the territory we could!

Lovely glass sculpture and stained glass dome in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville

The Cascades area had restaurants and shops and a large walking area with every sort of tropical foliage.

 Our trip to the Grand Old Opry included a backstage tour which was very interesting.  We saw all the dressing rooms and waiting areas for performers, and also made it onto the stage, including a step onto the revered 6 foot circle saved from the old Ryman Theater downtown.  It was the Opry's 89th birthday celebration!

The Women of Country dressing room

 Trace Adkins was the headlining performer, but we also heard some of the Opry old-timers such as Lil' Jimmy Dickens who was in wonderful voice for 93 years old, and some newcomers such as Clare Bowen from the TV show, "Nashville."

Photo op outside the Grand Old Opry

Trace Adkins.  Getting a photo of his face was impossible!

We especially enjoyed our time with our travel partners...you know who you are!

(This post originally appeared on my past blog, A Face to the Sun, on October 15, 2014.)

Malinta - Grelton Mixed Chorus, 1939 - 1940

The people I can identify are:
Front row, from left: #2 Marie Warner Fuhrhop, #5 Donna Ordway Elling, #6 Marcella Gunter Rice
Row 3, from left: #5 Alta Mae Gunter Ritz
Row 4, from left, #9 David Rice

Maybe you know someone else?  If so, leave a comment!

Bringing Back the Memories - Great Grandpa Lem Ordway

Henry Lemuel Ordway - "Lem" - in the kitchen of his house in Malinta, Ohio

This photo brings back so many childhood memories of times spent with my great- grandparents.  This photo shows a corner of his kitchen and the old wood stove on which all the cooking was done and the baking, too - winter or summer.  A pail of kindling sits on the floor to the left of the stove, ready to keep the fire going.  On the left side of Grandpa, on the floor, it looks like the ash pan, as of course, the stove had to be cleaned out quite regularly. 

The ancient cabinet always held the Hi-Ho crackers that he would dole out a couple at a time to the grandchildren. On the wall to the left hung the matchstick holder, the matches handy to light the stove fire.  And tucked behind the holder, is a Farmer's Almanac, the bible of every farmer in those days.

My guess is that Grandma Bess (Lizzie, Elizabeth) made those curtains and probably the curtains in the cabinet, too.  On the stand beside the window sits the stool with the porcelain bucket filled with water pumped from the outside well.  A stainless steel dipper is in it, used by all for a cool drink.  I'm sure the pail is covered so that no unwanted debris, ashes or critters would enter the water.  The house never did have indoor plumbing.  The outhouse was a fair walk down a path behind the house.

Then there is grandpa with his cigar, looking mighty fine and content within his kingdom.  His blue eyes twinkling and the hint of a smile.  He wears the wool sweater which probably has a few small holes caused by the falling ashes of the cigar.

One of my favorite photos...thanks for sharing cousin Jim. 

(This post originally appeared on my former blog, A Face to the Sun, on May 11, 2015.)

Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard - June 2015

It was just time for another getaway - this time a bus trip east...to the very eastern U.S., Cape Cod.  The day we arrived at our digs, the Riviera Beach Resort, it was just plain cold.  The sea breeze was nippy and the beach didn't look all that inviting, not with a water temp in the 50's.  But then this is the shoulder season on the Cape and chilly weather was not unexpected.

 
The first day was spent in the Provincetown area, and the anticipated whale watch cruise was on the agenda.  The wind and rain and waves gave me pause, so I enjoyed shopping, checking out the library housed in a very big historic church, people watching and enjoying a masalada from the Portuguese Bakery while Jim set off into the Atlantic in search of whales.




He was greatly rewarded with sightings of over 20 humpback and pilot whales.  The sea was rough, but it didn't bother him.  Getting a good photo was difficult, but here is one.

 The next morning we headed for Hyannis. (No, you can't get close to the Kennedy Compound.)  We stopped at the JFK Memorial and then traveled historic Route 6A to Sandwich where we ate lunch at the Daniel Webster Inn and walked through the town.  

A walk through the Great Salt Marsh was a highlight. The plank trail led to a beach and then water.

The blue boxes in the marsh were there to attract the pesky Greenhead flies who lay their eggs in the salt marsh and are a real pest on the Cape.  First of all, they are persistent and they bite...like their cousins, the horsefly and deerfly...and they have large, iridescent green eyes.  The height of their season is July and August and sometimes beaches post warnings about them.  They are resistant to insecticides, so these boxes are placed with a pheromone that attracts the flies and traps them, hopefully before leaving their eggs.

A highlight for me was visiting the Plymouth Pilgrim sites - not the rock which is mythical anyway - but, despite huffing and puffing, the trek up 94 steps to the old Pilgrim burying ground was well worth it.  It was permeated with a sense of history and was almost ghost like on the top of the hill (also the site of their first fort prior to the cemetery). 

It was also pretty exciting to see this sign on one of the houses on the way up the hill.  A reference to one of my direct Doty ancestors!

To be continued...

(This post originally appeared on my former blog, A Face to the Sun, on June 25, 2015.)

On to Martha's Vineyard - June, 2015

(This post originally appeared on my other blog in June, 2015)
 
The last day of the trip before heading home was a visit to Martha's Vineyard.
We were up early and in line for the high speed ferry that would take us there.

 It took us a little longer because the waters were a bit rough, but the normal run to Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard is 55 minutes. 

 Oak Bluffs is known for its colorful cottages and its Tabernacle in which Methodist services were held.  This was a large African American summer retreat in the early days and was made up of tents before the cottages were built.

 The large tabernacle had excellent acoustics, and while there, one man played beautifully on his violin.

One of the many colorful cottages, this was called the Valentine House. Usually the cottages have names and are passed down through the families.

We had a bus tour on a pretty colorful, old bus which once was a troop bus at Fort Campbell.  Our entertaining driver took us around the island and finally to Edgartown for lunch and shopping.

Naturally, I found a book store and fell in love with this decor!

Shopping at The Black Dog store

Our guide is an ice cream lover, so we never have a trip without finding the best ice cream in town.  On this trip, it was at SUNDAE SCHOOL.  Highly recommend.

BUSTED!

 And too soon, it was time to head home with a lunch stop at Mystic Seaport, CT, and then the long ride home.  Exhausted, yet exhilarated, and ready for another trip.

A Trip to Galena, Illinois - December, 2015

Post originally appeared December, 2015

Who takes a trip in December in the midst of Christmas preparations and in our case, chilly, weather?  Well, we do, I guess.  We signed up for a three day bus trip to Galena, Illinois, a town where 90% of the buildings are on the National Historic Register and where President Ulysses S. Grant had a home.

We stayed at the lovely Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa which was all decorated for Christmas. This lovely, huge tree filled with owls and rustic items of all descriptions, sat in the lobby.  Glowing in turquoise, silver and white, it was a real showstopper.

We were disappointed to find that the Galena home of U.S. Grant was closed on the day we were there, but the Visitors' Center held many items of Grant memorabilia to peruse. The generous merchants of Galena provided goody bags for all of us, filled with merchandise and coupons for our shopping pleasure.

 








The little shops were unique, nicely kept and held the friendliest of people.  Because we are interested in history, we especially enjoyed a quick step into the DeSoto Hotel, Grant's Presidential Headquarters when he came home
to Galena.  

Despite all the shopping opportunities, we chose to take a side trip into Dubuque, Iowa, across the Mississippi River.  With a stop at the historic Julien Dubuque memorial and tomb, we learned some of the history of the city.

Then it was back to Galena for lunch at Durty Gurty's.
  
In the evening we took the ghost tour of Galena, including the city cemetery, which seemed to be full of spirits, mostly unfriendly, it seemed.  The last stop was at the Ryan Mansion where our guide tried to arouse some spirits to communicate with us.

Our evening meals were taken in the ballroom at the Eagle Ridge Resort and they were excellent, beautifully prepared and presented.  
We couldn't have asked for a better, quick getaway amidst the busyness of the season. Thanks, Land Cruise!