The sun sets on the end of our Vacation in Nova Scotia

The sun sets on the end of our Vacation in Nova Scotia

We booked a week and planned our vacation to visit with both sides of our family. That means we needed to plan to drive from Fredericton to Cape Breton which is 6 to 8 hours, depending on speed, and the number and length of stops along the way. We did spend the majority of the week in Cape Breton, Chez Edmond Vacation House. It was a wonderful way to catch up with my family. You can read all about it in my previous blog post, Salt Water Therapy.

On Friday, we left a day before the rest of my family and headed for the mainland of Nova Scotia. We were going to visit Roy’s mother in Pubnico, on the South Shore, and had decided to make an important stop between Cape Breton and Yarmouth County. We wanted to be able to make a little visit with Roy’s father, and of course, the always delightful Nanny Webber! I did not take any pictures during the visit, but when I got home, I was surprised to find this news interview on my wall. She has since turned 110 in July, and you will see Nanny Webber and her son, Roland Webber, speaking to a reporter about her upcoming birthday celebration a few weeks ago in the following link.

Nanny Webber and Roland Webber on the news

I am glad to be able to share this here. She really is delightful.

The next day, we got in the car and headed for Yarmouth County. If you do not know about the geography of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Yarmouth County are on the opposite ends of the province. If we wanted to drive it in a day, it would be 8 to 10 hours, easy, and there would have to be rest stops, and a break for at least 1 meal. We stayed in Dartmouth Crossing in the middle to have a place to sleep on either side of the travelling.

When we arrived in Pubnico, Roy’s mother was not around. We went to his Aunt & Uncle’s place, and while there, Roy’s mother called. We went to visit. Roy’s Aunt had told us that his grandfather had suffered a mild heart attack, and things were a little off kilter because of this. We decided to climb back into a car and drive to Yarmouth to visit Roy’s grandfather at the hospital.

Before going to see him, we decided to find supper on the way. We ate at The Dinner Plate Family Restaurant. If you aren’t from the area, you might miss this place. It was amazing! I didn’t get a picture, but I highly recommend their Lobster Poutine. I know, it sounds unappetizing but there is no gravy on it. It has french fries, lobster and mozzarella. The sauce is similar to what is used in that part of the province to make ‘creamed lobster’ which is served on toast. It is a sauce that is not thick like gravy but does use lobster, butter and cream for the base. Similar to a broth used for lobster chowder. I really enjoyed this meal.

We made our visit at the hospital and stopped at the Bulk Barn before heading back to Lower East Pubnico. Roy and his mother got in the vehicle the family calls the bug and went up the hill across the road to check on the garden and orchard. I went and found my camera, and snapped a few pics while I waited for them to return.

Sunset Teaser from the backyard.

Sunset Teaser from the backyard.

A Little Brown Sparrow in Lower East Pubnico.

A Little Brown Sparrow in Lower East Pubnico.

Trees as seen from the Backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

Trees as seen from the Backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

Wildflowers in the backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

Wildflowers in the backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

Wildflowers and a tree stump in the backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

Wildflowers and a tree stump in the backyard in Lower East Pubnico.

A bench with flowers in Lower East Pubnico.

A bench with flowers in Lower East Pubnico.

Roses in Lower East Pubnico.

Roses in Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers and bushes in the yard at Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers and bushes in the yard at Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers in the yard at Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers in the yard at Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers in front of the house at Lower East Pubnico.

Flowers in front of the house at Lower East Pubnico.

A close up of the red roses in Lower East Pubnico.

A close up of the red roses in Lower East Pubnico.

I did want to capture some sunset pictures that night, as the sun was setting on the end of our vacation. I took my time and tried some new techniques with the camera. I had a friend review them with me, and she recommended the best sunset picture of the bunch to be:

Sunset in Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset in Lower East Pubnico.

I am not a professional photographer, but I am having fun with the camera that I have borrowed to practice with. One day I might even know what all the different settings do.

From Lower East Pubnico, the sun is setting across Pubnico Harbour, which separates Pubnico East from Pubnico West. There is a rivalry amongst the two sides as to which one is better, especially if you grow up in that area. I didn’t, and have the distinct pleasure of taking in all of the views from a creative artist’s point of view. I will share some other pictures here to close this post. I hope that you enjoy the pictures because I do enjoy being able to share them with you!

 

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico. I know the sun is blurry, but I like this picture.

Sunset at Lower East Pubnico. I know the sun is blurry, but I like this picture.

West Pubnico Church across Pubnico Harbour.

West Pubnico Church across Pubnico Harbour.

Dusk at Middle East Pubnico.

Dusk at Middle East Pubnico.

Last glimpse of the sun on the horizon.

Last glimpse of the sun on the horizon.

After the sunset.

After the sunset.

Down the trail, after sunset.

Down the trail, after sunset.

What did I learn about taking pictures on this vacation? A great camera can help you to take amazing pictures. There can be a perception of depth to the photograph if you focus on the grass in front of the scene you want to capture with your lens. Not every picture is worth keeping. It is really hard to take sunset pictures without flies in them. Finally, the horizon should be straight to make the picture perfect.

I hope that you enjoyed the conclusion of my vacation blog story for this summer! Do you have any photos or blog stories from your own summer vacation? Feel free to send me a link in the comments so that I can check it out!

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend

Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend

In Treasure Seeker Tuesday #22 Love This Viral Trend, I am going to share a fun, uplifting viral trend with you.  I could not wait to take my friend, Matty out to help me be trendy. ME! He loved the idea also, and we both had a blast this evening after work.

First, I want to share a teaser of the glasses that I am not buying. I always try on the wildest styles, just for fun! Here are the wildest ones I encountered while I was out trying on glasses. I am told the pair I am replacing are out of style. It is not that I don’t love my current look, but even I admit that I love getting a new look every 2 years. Sometimes, I do have to wait longer, if my prescription lenses don’t need to change.  My husband thinks that I am high maintenance. That makes me laugh so hard! He has NO idea what that means, which is why it is so hilarious.

I must say, that walking around, trying on glasses, looking into a cellphone, and saying, “Cheese!” multiple times until it took the pictures of me was rather amusing.

That is a little sneak peek of what I didn’t buy for my new glasses. I did order a regular pair and a pair of sunglasses. I am really looking forward to getting them on Friday, after work.

So what is this viral trend that I decided to participate in? Well, I saw a video earlier this week on Facebook. I am, as you know if you read my blog, an author, and I am writing my first book. I have been advised many times to get professional headshots done for my Author Bio. I am also doing as much as I can myself, and when I need help, I ask my friends. I know a few people that are photographers, but I really think that my friend Matty is really talented. We have an agreement that when I am a rich and famous Author, I will pay him for his photography services. In the meantime, we are learning what we need to do to make that perfect Author pic happen. We are picking days and learning by having demo photo shoots. Today was one of those days.

The trend I am referring to is to go to your local craft store, find the walls of artificial flowers, and pose like they are real. It is a simple, wonderful concept, sure to chase away the winter blues, at least for a couple of hours. We went for an hour, and had a blast! Nobody asked us what we were up to, although I think some people were curious. Here is the link to where I saw the idea…#HobbyLobbyChallenge.  While I do not have  Hobby Lobby store in my city, I do have craft stores. We went in, had our impromptu photo shoot, looked around for a few minutes, and left to continue on with our regularly scheduled Tuesday. I didn’t come up with this idea, and I know that there is a grammatical error in the video, (I didn’t make the video, either) I do love the concept.

When I was grabbing the link to share here, I noticed a lot of comments about the grammar and the store. I am not going to focus on that. I think that if you look at the pictures we took in the hour at a local craft store, you will agree that it was an hour well spent, and I think for a spur of the moment photo op, we did well!

Here are the 30 pics we took today, for you to view in a slideshow. Let me know what you think!

So I am issuing a challenge to you all to go and have yourself a “Bring on Spring” photoshoot! We liked the idea, and had fun! I am going to be on the lookout when spring and summer are here to try and find a natural floral backdrop for another adventure or ten with my photographer and friend, Matty. Thanks for helping me today, and for supporting me on my journey. We are going to rock this together!

#TreasureSeekerTuesday