Blue Memories

A place for all Nova Scotia Bluenosers to stroll down memory lane and share
thoughts of home.  Please feel free to include your 'Blue Memories" here.  Just send
me your thoughts and they will be included on this page.  Dianne 
 

Nova Scotia is situated on the East coast of Canada.  The province is surrounded
on three sides by water and has over 3,800 coastal islands.  The population
is approximately 920,000.

  Map of the Province

 

 

ARISAIG

 

HALIFAX

I was born in Halifax and grew up in the North End.  It's a wonderful
city full of history and traditions.  In 1917 the munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with
another ship in Halifax Harbour and blew up.  It was a devastating loss of life, families,
and homes. As a result, the entire North End of the city had to be rebuilt.

The Citadel is a fort located on a high spot of land that overlooks the entrance to Halifax
Harbour. It was from here that the military kept watch over all the ships entering the harbour.
 Long a Navy Port, Halifax is home to thousands of Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

The Public Gardens in the heart of the business district is
a tranquil place where you can go and feel that you are in another world.  It is world
famous for its flower gardens and ducks and birds abound.  I have many, many fond
memories of walking to the Gardens on my lunch hour from work, relaxing on a park
bench eating my lunch and reading a book.  Your stresses are all left behind.

The Halifax Waterfront has been transformed into unique, one-of-a kind shops that are a
must to visit - a tourist's paradise.  Point Pleasant Park in the south end of the city has
changed considerable since my youth.  It was a wonderful picnic area with a magnificent
view of the entrance to Halifax Harbour.  Unfortunately, the yacht club was closed down,
and most of the land used for Sea Containers which definitely obstruct the beautiful view.
There is still a picnic area but much of it's beauty has been lost to 'progress'.

One of my fondest memories is swimming at the Greenpatch, a little patch
of grass not far from Pier 9 that the North Enders used to frequent. It was not unusual
to be swimming amidst jellyfish as they peppered the water at certain times of the year.
You had a clear view of Halifax Harbour from the Greenpatch and could watch the huge
ships slowly make their way to the basin.  You could also wave to the railroad engineers
who regularly drove their freight trains by.  That whole area is gone now, but the fond
memories remain.

Dianne 
 

SHAD BAY

Shad Bay is located on the lighthouse route about half way between Peggy's Cove
and Halifax.  It is a small, picturesque village whose history goes back to at least 1827.
Much of the economy of the village depended on fishing and small farming since it was not
practical to try a journey to Halifax for supplies.  Transportation was by boat, or over trails
through the woods by foot.

The first roads were impassable at most times because of snow or mud. When it was
possible to travel by road, horseback was the preferred means but horse and sleigh
or buggies were also used.  Today, the area has all the modern conveniences of paved
roads, subdivisions etc.  Some still go out of the Bay regularly to fish but most
of the residents work in Halifax.

My family moved there from Halifax when I was 21 and although I only lived there for
a few months before returning to Halifax where my job and friends were, I usually
traveled home on weekends.  Being a city girl I loved the quietness of the Bay, the
friendliness of neighbors and the slower pace of living.  The beach was only a five minute
walk from our home and it was a favourite spot of mine.

Dianne 
 

ADVOCATE

Advocate is in Cumberland County, close to Paarsboro.  It is 30 minutes down the
Paarsboro shore which is nicknamed the mini Cabot Trail.  The main industry is fishing
- lobster and scallops.  There is also small family run businesses like the local fish plant
(which isn't very big), and forestry. However, a major paper company destroyed most of
    our natural forest.

My fondest memory of Advocate is going to the beach, horseback riding.  I have never felt
more free in my life as I did then.  The area isn't really famous.  It is nicknamed
'Glooscap's Herb Garden'.  There are many ghost stories and superstitions.

Advocate is also home of the Cape d'Or lighthouse.  This is one of the most unusual
locations in the world and people from all over the world visit that lighthouse.

We are also home to the new Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. A few of the locals aren't
very happy with the park, because we can no longer go to the beach or in the woods
without being charged for it any more.  It is very sad.

Another of my favourite memories is going deer hunting with my Dad.  The way the
people from Advocate live is simple.  It is a life most people can only dream of and
seem to long for.  We live off the land, fish the waters, hunt the forests and help our
neighbors.  Most of us grow gardens.  In winter we make the two hour trip to do our
grocery shopping in Amherst.  I really miss the area.  There is nothing like closing your
eyes and feeling the salty, spray of the ocean on your face and there is a certain tang in
the air.   You can feel totally free there.

I also love it when the ocean (Bay of Fundy) is as still as a mill pond.  You can see the
Cape in the water like a mirror.  It is especially spectacular at twilight when the lighting is
just right and there is a certain smell of woodland and ocean that just takes you back to
a much more primitive time.  It is really quite magical.  You might laugh at this, but I really
miss the fog.  There is something magical about fog.

Carma

 

Bridgewater

While I  never lived in Bridgewater full time, my parents moved there from Shad Bay
and my family and I spent considerable time there whenever we were able.  There is a
beach several miles outside Bridgewater called Crescent Beach that is a favourite of
my whole family.  It's right on the Atlantic Ocean, sandy beach from one end to the other.
You can always count on waves beating on the shore.  Although the water stays cold
even in summer, it's not too cold for a quick dip, jumping the waves.  If you like to go
exploring you'll often find sand dollars washed ashore.  On the other side of the causeway
you'll find a huge clam bed - where you can dig to your heart's content - and let the kids
chase seagulls.

Bridgewater and outlying communities are fishing areas and the town is located on the
South Shore of the Province.  Michelin Tire is the biggest employer, and being only about
70 miles from Halifax, it's a lovely afternoon drive.

Dianne