First it's Hurricane Bill...soon Danny will be paying a visit

Peggy's Cove taken from the Halifax Webcam.







Well, on Sunday we had our first hurricane/tropical storm of the year. The weather forecasters warned us that this could be a very serious storm, but in the end, it really wasn't a huge deal. We thankfully did not lose power, but were prepared for that scenario. Mike waited in line for an hour on Saturday for propane, as our BBQ tank ran out.

Saturday night, the surf was very high, and as we are now experiencing spring tides, the tides were very high. We went out to catch a glimpse, but it was so dark. We parked at a lookout with about 100 other people! The sound of the waves was incredible, and you could see a line of water moving towards shore, I was a bit nervous as to what we were in for after that!! Even creepier was that it was a dead calm all afternoon, and when we went to bed, there was not a sound, not a breath of air moving.






I woke up in the morning to gale force winds and heavy rain. Church was cancelled. My sunflowers blew down , but are now happily staked up again! We went out for a drive, and I was really nervous as the storm hadn't hit yet, and I didn't want to be caught in a huge gust of wind. We drove by the lookout again, but couldn't see the ocean much due to the number of people out!

After lunch, when the sun started to reappear, we drove to Terence Bay, thinking it would be a bit more sheltered there and we could get some good sea glass. HOLY SMOKES! The waves were just huge. The ocean was an angry, seething fury! I have never seen anything like it! We stopped and took some pictures and climbed to a nearby lighthouse, a safe distance from the water.

The following are all at Terence Bay.












Afterwards, we thought we would go to Peggy's Cove. Oh my, two weeks ago we were walking all over the rocks near the lighthouse, and on Sunday, we watched waves crash OVER the lighthouse! The water came over the rocks, and over the road that morning and also washed a gift store off its foundation! We watched one very stupid individual try and get close to the water to get wet. He barely got off that rock...his girlfriend got hit with a wave and got knocked over backwards, instead of being sucked in. While we were there, 3 teenage boys got hit with a wave and washed into the ocean, which we thankfully did not see. They were VERY FORTUNATE to be rescued!








See this guy on the rocks? He is really,really lucky to be alive. These are all from Peggy's Cove.



"Hello, I'm indestructible and VERY naive to what can happen by the sheer power of the sea"....






That is not a mountain in the distance..that is a wave!




At our beach around the corner, the boardwalk washed back into a lake, and a huge boulder appeared on one of the rocks we usually walk on, who knows where it came from! The beach was covered in kelp and seaweed - not a pleasant place for a swim right now!







So, now we are waiting to see what is going to happen with Tropical Storm Danny. We are already perpared, but I know there are many who do not take this seriously. It is much better to be prepared for the worst, and be pleasantly surprised when the storm isn't as bad as forecast!

Well, that was an unexpected break!

Sheesh, what a busy summer!! Robyn had her best friends visiting for 3.5 weeks, followed by another friend who was so homesick and anxious, we put her on a bus today and sent her home. It was a tough time for her, but she stuck it out as long as she could. She left just before Hurricane Bill approaches. It is looking to be a big storm,but I am praying God will protect us. We just built a tree fort this summer, so I hope it stays where we built it!

I will be back to more regular posting now that my company has gone, but here are a few photos of summer so far! As usual, click on the photo to see the whole picture.

Oue beach (Crystal Crescent)





The Bounty leaving the Tall Ship festival in Halifax




Mike as an Acadian, Jeremy as a cabin boy. These costumes are from a man who we go to church with, he has a company that makes replica weapons etc.




The Acadians




Here we are at the lookoff near Canning




My darling and I at Scott's Bay




My soon to be 7 year old




Sunset



Now to get busy and check up on blogging friends!

Okay...drumroll please..updates and photos!!!!

Okay...I'm back..I think! As usualy, just click on the photos to see the whole picture, I don't know why this is messing up! I am hoping to be posting more regularily..but summer is upon us and so is a mountain of gardens to weed, gardens to build, trees to cut, would to burn, and that is not mentioning anything INSIDE!!! So, what has been going on around here?? Well, in May we decided to tkae a trip back to Ontario for 2.5 weeks. The stress I was suffering before we left was huge, just huge! I do not like long drives, and I am a home body..I am happiest and most content being at home. No hankering for trips to Tahiti for this girl....being home is best! We stayed at my in laws for the first week. It was also when we all came down with a terrible cold, Jeremy and Robyn got the worst of it. Robyn spent much of her first weekend at her friend's house in Guelph. We poked around, and opened up Mike's parents pool. We also took a drive up to Creemore to buy a keg of beer for Mike's dad..he will only drink Creemore beer when he is home. I love old houses - this is one I have been eyeing for a very long time now! This is a wind farm in Melancthon County..there were so many wind turbines, I lost count, these were just a few of them! After visiting with my in laws, we went to stay at my mom and step dad's house. The first few days were fine...but my mom and I ended up in a big fight. I got the standard horrible daughter routine, then she branched out and attacked my husband and children. It was bad enough what she said to me..but dragging my family into it was not okay. Long story short..we said sorry ( I said sorry even though I didn't do anything but defend myself) and went on with our stay. I can't say anymore, as I am trying to forget about it, I am really, really hurt! Devin and Jeremy stayed at my sister's house across the street from my mom's. They had a blast! My brother and sister in law manage the local cemetary, and have lots of property to ride ATV's on. So, I got taken for my first ride! Driving with my sil was okay! Driving with my brother..was scary!! His ATV went fast. He tried to do a wheelie with me on the back. Then he drove me throught a bunch of swamps. I had flip flops on.......when we got back I had mud in places you don't usually have mud!! Here are my feet after... Here is my brother driving Jeremy (Jeremy nearly fell off the back of the ATV,and they DID do a wheelie!!) Sarah and I watching the boys play. The boys playing. My dad, brother and Jeremy blowing cans off the top of my brother's hit and miss engine. Here's a video of the ride I took with my brother...if it works!

We took advantage of the time we were there to have a family photo taken...




That's my nephew Dylan sitting beside Jeremy!! They look like brothers! I got to spend some great time with my sister and her kids too!




We spent the last few days at Mike's family cottage, and it was so relaxing and nice!!




First big fish for Devin!



Whew, one for dh too!




The trip home was long, and it was so good to be home! And we also got to bring back the old canoe that Mike's parents no longer wanted, yippeee!!

A long climb up mountains in New Brunswick!




Driving through the moose mounds in the St.John River valley...these are fenced areas with gates where moose and deer can get into the forest if they get on the road, but they can't get back out to the road again. I think! There have been loads of accidents in this area, and so this was all fenced off to protect people and critters alike.




Some kids will be really glad to be home!



A wee bit sleepy!



Home!!!!! And a gorgeous sunset!

Where on Earth have you been?

I have not posted in ages it seems! I have been away for a few weeks visiting family in Ontario...a bittersweet time for sure! I am about to start school and need to get the important real life stuff done first, but will be back with photos soon!

Trespassers will be eaten!!!

I know it has been ages since I have posted! Life has been busy and I haven't had time to blog much. It seems like spring has finally sprung around Nova Scotia! It has finally been sunny for more than 15 minutes, and it has been a real treat after a long winter of snow and dreariness! So what's up in my life and why the odd titaly of this entry???

Well, I have had 3 encounters with ATV riders who think our driveway is a quick and easy route to the gravel pit on the other side of our property, and they have not been pleasant. 2 weeks ago, I was almost run over by an ATV and a dirt bike as they raced down the drive to cut through the trail at the end of the driveway. Clearly people before us have moved huge boulders there to keep this from happening, but there is one tiny smidgen where they can squeak through. So last week I piled up huge logs and brush to get my point across that they need to stay out. The "No Trespassing" signs are in the process of being created..so I only had one metal sign ( in English and French) which I put on top of my nice big pile of debris.

Last night, I heard someone coming from the back of the property. I met them at the big pile, and they started out saying they needed to get home one street over ( adult men, I should point out). I said it was my property and they were not going to go through it any more, as a select few have ruined it for those who are polite. He When I told him to go back the way he came..he said he couldn't because someone else didn't want them in his yard!! What the...so he thinks it is okay to go through mine?? He told me to move the pile!!! Uhhhh...no....... He then proceeded to tell me it wasn't my property ( we have the survey we paid for to prove that it is) It is also illegal to drive through rivers, streams or waterways. Well, they drove right through a river and a wetland to get up here, and they denied that too.


So after arguing about it with me, the one guy left at first. The other guy drove over one pile... and told me he was coming through and nothing could stop him..he got stuck in a wheelie on the second pile and at this point I walked away. He was stuck in mid air for half an hour while he had to remove the logs. In the process, he has stolen my no trespassing sign.

I am so frustrated by this!! This is my property, and I think I have the right to say that no one rides their ATV, dirt bikes or pogo sticks through it! It is illegal to drive on somemone else's property, it is illegal to ride without a license, it is illegal to ride on the road here, you cannot drive through waterways...and you have to be 16. I have had so many kids down here, one who almost flipped his ATV over on himself and his sister... and then of course, they would likely try to sue us!!

Now of course, we will be in the bad books with everyone around here and I have just made our house a target. For crying out loud, the one rider almost ran me over...what about my kids playing out at the end of the driveway?????

My neighbour was outside at the time hearing all this, and told me I need to be more laid back. Everyone does this here. Not only that, but they shoot in the gravel pit, and the word "Hillbilly" came up...great, now we are target practice!!!!

So I don't know what to do. I doubt the police will care. The ATV association will care...but people come from all over to ATV back here, so it will only work for so long. There is one solution...that is to cut a tree down which is leaning right over the entrance point. That may be a job for today!! I was also thinking I could get an invisible fence installed and then have a pet lion roaming around the forest just waiting for a good meal..or at least a good chase!!

In other news...I have just recently been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder...not a big surprise to me, but nice to have a name for all this panic and fear that seems to course through my veins! I have a few recommendations of meds I can take but I am not at the point where I can choose to take any...the side effects are too awful for me to even consider. So I am taking the biggest and best pill of all, followed by a daily dose of another...God and the Bible..the best weapons there are!!

So, how about a few pictures? I need to get outside and do some yard work, and need a bit of cheering up after this gloomy post!!

Here's a little red bellied snake Robyn found under a rock yesterday..



Ahhh... the beach!!!! It makes everything seem brighter!




Oh bother...blogger is acting up and those are the only photos I can get on here!!