THE JEWEL OF THE FUNDY ISLES PART ONE....THE GRAND MANAN FARMER'S MARKET

THE JEWEL OF THE FUNDY ISLES PART ONE

THE GRAND MANAN FARMER’S MARKET

Heather Kinghorne beautiful baby wear, quilts, sheet sets etc.

 30 Fathom Doormats by Claus (see my cottage mat last pic below)

 Eric Allaby's artwork

Wilcox Natural Treasures

THE cinnamon buns!!!

Faye Miller and her beautiful knits!

 Food,Food,Food!!!

I love Grand Manan Island! My mother’s family is from here and my sister was born on the island. By the time I came along, Dad was stationed in Halifax in the RCN. I was blessed to be able to spend time in the Summers though on Grand Manan and many fond, fun memories will always be with me.

Fast-forward to 2013. My husband’s family is also from the island and every year we hike (actually, we drive!)  on down to the ferry terminal in Black’s Harbour, take a breath-taking ferry ride across the Bay Of Fundy and stay for a few days at The Surfside Motel

Now, right across from The Surfside is the Grand Manan Farmer’s Market. Before I tell you of some of the vendors I need to let you know about the cinnamon buns that are there. YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE!!! They are incredible and the flavour burst in your mouth will have your taste buds begging for another one!

FYI about the market, make sure you have some cash with you as some vendors are not set up for credit cards. I’m planning on taking some Christmas present money with me next year as I saw some sweaters for my little grand-daughters that they will definitely have for next year!.....and maybe a few things for me……just say’in

Anywho…….back to the market in general. Like I said, right across the street from the Surfside Motel in North Head, is where you’ll find the market on Saturdays from 10:00-12:30. There is food aplenty (have your cinnamon bun for a late morning snack and then a lobster roll for lunch!....and wash it all down with some home- made lemon aid!), beautiful, well- made knit-wear, baby items (home -made crib, Pak N Play sheet sets,  quilts etc), hand crafted jewelry that’s different from your run-of-the-mill stuff that’s out there, food (oh, right…I already mentioned that didn’t I?!), hand crafted mats, art work etc.

Here’s a snapshot of what I saw at the market.

Wilcox Natural Treasures is where I did some Christmas shopping. I know it’s only August but I’m one of “those” people that start in January…..please don’t hate me …

Susan has a lovely booth that was actually difficult to get any good pics of because there was always a gaggle of ladies looking at her finely crafted and fair priced jewelry, home -made soaps (one made with dulse!), lip balms, bath crystals, seaweed face masks and lots of other goodies. Susan was very helpful and I took my time looking through her well organized displays to find my presents for some of my special ladies in my life! A great place to find some treasure for yourself too!

30 Fathom Doormats manned and made by Claus Wolter, is a one of a kind (as far as I know!) craftsman.  He fashions beautiful, unique door mats from reclaimed or new lobster trap rope. I actually have two of Claus’ mats, one for my home and one for the cottage. These mats will make your front entryway “pop” as guests arrive at your door!

Marine Paintings by Eric Allaby are some of the most beautifully created paintings I’ve come across. Eric’s work depicts seascapes of Grand Manan and area and he also has prints, note cards and more. Eric’s work can been viewed on his fb page at: https://www.facebook.com/fromourcove

If woodwork is your thing, Ian Bernard’s beautifully crafted, bird’s eye maple cutting boards are a must-see and a must-buy. I have to admit, that Grand Manan has been blessed with incredible wood-working craftsmen. Ian’s boards and other work ( he also makes furniture and uses other woods as well) will be a much loved part of your home and with care, they’ll last a lifetime. He has some easy care instructions before you take one of his creations home with you. I also saw a beautiful clock that he made and  I REALLY want it……however…..time and more $$$....... I did not have……sad face here.

Heather Kinghorne has some of the most beautiful, unique baby items you’ll ever see. Heather’s work rivals any “label” baby wear you’ll find in the baby boutiques.  Knit wear, crib and Pak N Play sheet sets and lots of other very unique items for your little one. A great baby shower or “Grammy” shop to say the least! Her creations are very well made and will last for many years to the point that you’ll be able to pass them on to the next generation! An heirloom item awaits you when you take home one or more of Heather’s creations.

Faye Miller is a dear lady that I had a lovely chat with! She is an extraordinary knitter and her work certainly shows her talent!  Faye has sweaters for big and small, baby sets and lots of other knit wear for the family.

Another artist I met was Bev Cary who specializes in painting Woodward’s Cove and not to be left out, the Whale Cove knitters had some incredible works of art-in-wool sweaters and other knit items.

There were many other crafts people that I would have loved to mention but the best way to see them all is to plan a trip to Grand Manan, stay for a few days and make sure you can stay over a Saturday for the market! You’ll be glad you did……oh, and did I mention the cinnamon buns?!!!!!

I WISH I WERE IN SHELBURNE TOWNE PART TWO THE DORY MASTER

I WISH I WERE IN SHELBURNE TOWNE PART 2  THE DORY MASTER

As soon as I walked into The Dory Shop in Shelburne Nova Scotia, a flood of memories pervaded my mind. I was once again a kid in a dory with a jig line that my father set up for me, happily jigging away in the hopes of catching a fish. Sometimes I actually did catch a fish but the memory was of having a fun time with my Dad, uncles and cousins.

My family has always lived by and worked with the sea so dories were a natural part of my landscape, at least in the Summer when we would visit my mother’s home of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy (home of the world’s highest tides btw!) or Swan's Island, Maine where my  mother's sister and family lived/fished.

My grand-father was a fisherman as were some of my uncles and my Dad fished for a while too before going back into the RCN.

Once in the Dory Shop in Shelburne, the smell of freshly cut wood mixed wtih the salt air greets your olfactory senses and you are transported to a time long ago when dory making was not just an art form but a much needed industry. Dories were the work-horses of the sea, where fishermen spent hours a day hauling in their catch. I won’t go into details about dories as I think that would be best left in the capable hands of Master Dory Maker, Milford Buchanan who took me of a tour of the making from start to finish of a dory. To say the least, it was very interesting and if you’re a boat/history buff, you’ll love the history of this fishing craft as told by one of the last master dory makers. Mr. Buchanan is a soft spoken but detailed orator and I leaned many facts I didn’t know about dories!

Mr. Buchanan learned his craft from Master Dory Maker, Sidney Mahaney who is featured in the Dory Shop museum. His story is fascinating to say the least!.....but you’ll have to go there to find out why!

Dories come in different sizes and even styles but there was one in particular that caught my eye as seen in one of the pics below where you’ll read the “why” to this little dory! :-)

Below is the little dory I mentioned above! It's a child's "sea"-saw! Too cute and I SO wanted to buy this for my little grand-daughters but not sure where they would now put it in their oh-so-full playroom! :-)

 Master Dory Maker, Milford Buchanan.

So, when you go to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, make sure you take the time to go through all three complexes of their museum but take a little longer to take in all the details of The Dory Shop and talk and listen to Mr. Buchanan. It will probably be your first and last time to talk and hear a Master Dory Maker and I guarantee you’ll be very pleased that you did!  :-)

I WISH I WERE IN SHELBURNE TOWNE!

I WISH I WERE IN SHELBUNE TOWNE!

Love history, awesome architecture, great food (in particular, sea food), the ocean, spectacular photo ops & friendly people? Well, you’re in luck because Shelburne, Nova Scotia is your destination!

I just returned from a three day stay in Shelburne and had a blast!  The warm, salty air (it’s August at the time of my visit), laid-back, slower paced life-style of this picture perfect town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada will have you relaxing and breathing a sigh of stress-free vaca time.

The town of Shelburne is SO beautiful that there have been a number of movies shot there. You may recognise the town in some of these movies including The Scarlett Letter.

The water-front has lots of free parking at different spots but you can just park anywhere and walk back and forth a couple of times so you can make sure you don’t miss anything.  I walked the waterfront two different days and saw things I missed on day one.

The museum is on Dock Street which is the main road on the waterfront. There are three different parts to the museum: 1. The Dory Shop, 2. Ross-Thompson House and Store Museum (which is around the corner from Dock St. on Charlotte Lane)  & 3. Shelburne County Museum.

I was pleasantly surprised at the way the exhibits were laid out, the signage for the exhibits and even area/exhibits just for kids.  The staff is dressed in period costumes and are very knowledgeable and friendly and you can ask as many questions as you want.

For more info on the museum, please visit their web site at: http://www.historicshelburne.com/rth.htm

I took my family to Scotia Lunch which is a family, friendly restaurant.  The prices are great and the food is better!  I had the pizza which had lots of cheese on it and was totally yummy! The fish and chips are great which is what some family members had and my husband (who was with me on a previous visit) had the cheese burger which he said was superb. And it must have been because he makes rock’in burgers himself!

I also went kayaking around the harbour just on my own and had a blast! The wind was a bit high so I had to keep an eye out not to run into all the yachts that were moored in the harbour. Which reminds me, if you’re a boater, Shelburne has the third largest natural harbour in the world and is a boaters haven with lots of things to do, places to eat right within walking distance of the dock. There is a yacht/ boat club as well which you can check out at  http://www.shyc.ca/

Whether you’re looking at staying for a few days or tour the whole South Shore, make some time for Shelburne and discover all of the interesting, fun options this town has to offer. There’s something going on almost every week in Shelburne for all ages. To see what’s happening in Shelburne and where to stay go to http://www.town.shelburne.ns.ca/accomodations.html   and  http://discovershelburnecounty.com/festivals-events/festivals/

I’ll be posting an article on The Dory Shop separately so stay tuned for that blog!  I was only going to do the one write-up on Shelburne itself but The Dory Shop brought back a lot of childhood memories for me!