Summer Road Trip

Head out on the highway ....... looking for adventure! There's nothing like a summer road trip that starts with a takeout coffee and a breakfast sandwich and ends up with a great visit with family.

Stopping at "points of interest" along the way is all part of the adventure. The Masstown Market, below, was a great stopping point just before we got to Truro, NS. Besides enjoying a bite to eat from some great local food vendors, you can pick up seasonal produce and quality, crafts, home décor and gardening items.

Of course, no road trip is worth taking if it doesn't include a stop at a tractor dealership ..... just to look or kick a few tires!

One of our planned stops was at the Stanfield's Underwear Outlet in Truro. We heard that there were bargains to be had, and who can't use a new pair of combination long johns ...... after all winter is not that far away!

Lot's of great items and good prices, but not sure about the yellow underwear below! Yikes!

Next stop, the beautiful Annapolis Valley where we spent the night and had a great evening with Ross's brother Jim and his wife, Linda. Before we left the next day we had a chance to check out Jim's retirement "dream job" at the rink on the air force base where he gets to drive the Zamboni! (I asked if he'd let us take it for a spin, but I guess he didn't trust our driving skills!)

On the base we saw a display of military planes. This was one that Jim used to work on .... he had to sit (where the manikin is) in the nose of the plane during search and rescue operations!

Arrival in Lunenburg

After leaving Jim and Linda's we had a lovely drive down highway 10 to Lunenburg where our son and his wife live. This historic town on the south shore of Nova Scotia impresses me every time I go there, with its well preserved architecture, quaint streets and ocean views. The main purpose of our visit, however, was to spend time with our "kids" and to see Alicia's (our daughter in law) flower farm Littlest Flower Farm.   As you can see, as soon as you enter their home, you know you're either in the house of a farmer or a florist ..... as it turns out it's both! ..... oh, and a carpenter too!

Good company, food, and laughs in the back yard were the order of the day. The night, however, was a different story!
Have you ever been "squid jigging"? Well we have! When I was going to school in Ontario we used to sing Canadian folk songs and one of them was called "The Squid Jigging Grounds" from Newfoundland. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be "jigging" squid off the coast of Nova Scotia!

So, in order to jig squid, you need to go out after dark and put a special lore on your fishing rod. Here's Joel and Ross trying their luck, but unfortunately the squid were not interested in being jigged!

The Littlest Flower Farm

Sunday morning we ventured out to Alicia's flower farm to do some picking! What an array of flowers!

A lot of work goes into producing unique and gorgeous flowers like these which is only the first step in creating beautiful arrangements and bouquets which are sold in markets and by special order.

I caught this gal inspecting the items that I was collecting in the bucket.

In spite of the chicken I managed to collect quite a few feather tops!

Bachelor Buttons harvested for confetti

More pics of flowers .... can't help it, they're just so darn pretty!

Joel loading the car and Alicia with a finished bouquet ready for delivery.

All loaded up!

After a couple of hours at the farm we headed back to Lunenburg where Alicia worked her magic!

With a bouquet of my own, and memories of a great weekend, we headed home. I am inspired to find a deer proof area to grow a few blossoms myself next season!

As you can see, my bouquet survived the journey home.