The people make the place

I mentioned in my previous post that I really enjoyed Nova Scotia, and I think a large part of that was due to the people.
Nova Scotians (at least the ones we met) are so friendly and helpful and seem genuinely pleased to share their culture and lives with whomever they meet. It really makes a difference when you're traveling, especially with a great big fifth wheel (have I mentioned lately our 55' long rig set up?).

Over and over again we encountered this attitude, and it definitely made our travels around Nova Scotia memorable and comfortable. (A dad we met in PEI, who was from NS, remarked "Oh yeah, Nova Scotian's are friendly. They'll open their house to you and give you the keys to their car...")

In Yarmouth, we parked our big rig in the small Visitor Info Center parking lot. Lily immediately received a Nova Scotia pin (which we still have) and the helpful staff gave us a walking map of town and directed us to the wharf where a fisherman was demonstrating how to make nets and lobster pots. With their Living Wharves program, Yarmouth employs fishermen in their off-season to demonstrate a variety of skills to inquiring tourists, and spread knowledge and understanding about their lives. The kids got a bit squirrelly, but I found it fascinating to watch the net making process. Kind of like braiding with a great big chunk of rope! (Morgan would rather balance on top of the low rail around the wharf, and give his mother a minor heart attack thinking I'd be fishing him out of the water at any moment.)

Some of the houses

This is his "we are not impressed" face

The fellow also spoke of the concerns and life of a fisherman, and noticing that my kids were full of energy, directed us to some of the good sights and activities for kids & adults alike that were in the area. (The walking tour of the Sea Captain's houses might not excite the kids, but the walk through Yarmouth's old streets is easy - even for little tired feet- and the big, beautiful old houses are an interesting mish-mash of styles.)

 The next day we drove to Pubnico, to visit the Historic Acadian Village of Nova Scotia, a small village reconstruction, with original buildings from the region, staffed by locals (in costume) who are more than happy to share their history with inquiring minds. The harbour is beautiful, and the combination of greenery and ocean waves made me want to sit and stare at it all forever. (I may have to move to the ocean some day. Bob's in agreement with this... We also were here in late June.  It might not be so nice in January!)

Listening to fishing stories

In the blacksmith's shop

Morgan did his usual running around without appearing to take in any of it, but Lily charmed the fellow who was at the boat shack with endless questions and came home with a handful of wooden lobster pegs. (I've finally them out of her carseat into the house. Sharp bits of wood do not belong in the back seat of the car! Especially when they are used on her big brother.) Everyone working at the Village wanted to make sure we saw every last bit of the village, and then offered up some ideas for things to do after we were done there (directions too).

After we finished up our visit to the Village, we headed a short ways down the road to Dennis Point Wharf. Here we played Boat Name Bingo from an area brochure we had picked up. Basically, you go to the harbour and try to find boats with different characteristics and make a Bingo! from the sheet (colors, names, radio antennae, accessories,etc.). Sound silly? Actually it was great fun. Morgan even remarked. "Okay, I thought this was going to be lame, but it's actually kinda fun." (See! I told you so.)

Bob goofing around with a giant lobster!

Science experiment with the blocking in the background

Then we drove on to Lunenburg, where the people were even friendlier. We had planned only two days there, but a mechanical failure on our landing jack as we were packing up to go forced us to stay until it was repaired. The campground owner helped us find blocks to jerry-rig a way to hold up the trailer, his wife brought us some fresh fish to try out and they extended our discount (we used Passport America) to cover our whole five day stay, rather than just the original two (which they did not have to do!). They definitely went above and beyond the call of duty and we greatly appreciated it. The local RV dealer even managed to squeeze us in that week (unlike the others we called around Halifax who had a 2-3 week lead time). The delay was a blessing in disguise, really, as it allowed Morgan and I to finish up his school year without adding the stress of moving to it, gave us a chance to explore more of the area and let us just settle a bit into living mode, rather than travel mode. The kids even had a chance to set up a lemonade stand (which Lily had been wanting to do for weeks), and the long term residents were happy to buy a glass (for much more than the requested fee - these kids do well on their money making schemes! In case you wonder what happened to their earnings, all the money was spent on chocolate. I even got a piece!)

I've already remarked that my memory of details is fading, but I'm pretty sure that the friendliness of the people we met in this province will stick with me and influence the way I think of Nova Scotia forever. The people really do make the place.