Amherst, Nova Scotia

This past week was busy.  Tuesday morning Tara and the boys were here while someone looked at their house.  Bob went to our district meeting.

Wednesday was a very busy day at the temple.  It was transfer day for the missionaries.  New missionaries from Southern Alberta were Elder Steed (Wade Steed's son), Elder Bullock (David Bullock's son) and Elder McIntyre from Magrath or Raymond.  We went out home teaching in the evening.

Thursday was another busy temple day.  They was an extra session for the Elders that were leaving the mission - 13 or 14 in all.  Elder Hudson from Welling,  Elder Redd and Elder Heggie from Cardston and Sister Olson from Calgary were among those that left.

Sunday we accompanied  the Robinsons (Temple president) to Moncton for their speaking assignment.  We left here at 6:45 a.m. to get to church at 10:00.  After church there was a "linger longer" (a pot luck dinner) and then we headed back to Dartmouth.

On the way home we went into Amherst to view the old stone buildings in the downtown section of town.

 The Town Hall

Bob liked the lights in front of the police station.  On one side of the police station there was a bar and I think Dooleys on the other side was a bar.

The Court House

First Baptist Church

Federal Building

The Cenotaph

Fire on Lindenwood Terrace

Yesterday I was driving Liam and Orson home from our house when we noticed a big cloud of gray smoke coming from the direction of their neighbourhood.   It usually takes about 8 minutes to make the trip but it took much more because we got stopped on several corners near their house and turned back the way we came.  We finally went down to the harbour and made a legal u-turn and came back by some back streets.  The power was off at the Baines home and at a traffic light on Portland Street.

Two houses on Lindenwood Terrace burned and the siding of a third house melted.  We could see them as we were driving by.  No-one was hurt in the fire.  Tonight for family home evening we went for a walk past the houses.  I imagine there hasn't been so much traffic on that street since it was subdivided.  Everyone was out for a look.

The houses looked much worse from the back as we could see from the highway.  When we walked we could only see the front.

Parade of Tall Ships

This morning the tall ships slowly sailed out of the Halifax Harbour on their way to Lunenburg.  They were supposed to sail around the harbour before they left, but if they did, we missed it as we arrived at the harbour an hour after start time.  All the ones we saw were across the harbour on the Halifax side.  I guess I should admit that it was a boring as Nathan predicted.

 The Coast Guard boat was the only one that came around the Dartmouth side of Georges Island and it used its engine rather that its sails.

 A Yacht that Impressed Bob

Saturday evening we went to have cake and ice cream for Lochlan's 3rd birthday.  He was born the summer we arrived back from China.  How time flies.

Sunday evening we went to the mission home for a social with the Senior Couples in the mission.  The Temple president and his wife had been in the Abba Nigeria Temple presidency before they came to Halifax and they gave a slide presentation about Nigeria.

Tall Ships 2012

This year Tall Ships is commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812.  (Why anyone would want to make a big deal of a war that was a waste and ended in a tie, I don't know, but I believe because my gr gr grandfather was a soldier in this war, he gained his land in Brock Township, Ontario.  He didn't have anything to do with the naval part of the war.)

This morning we went down to the Halifax waterfront with hoards of other people (okay not hoards as in China, but a huge number anyway) and spent a couple of hours walking around and going on tours of the various tall ships.

The highlight was touring the Bounty, the actual ship that appeared in the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty". The original Bounty, of course, was burned and sunk in the 1700's.

There are many activities going on this week-end.  There is a concert Saturday evening which features the 1812 Overture and one of the temple workers, Chris Palmer, has composed a 2012 Overture which will debut at the concert.

 The Unicorn

The Unicorn is a ship whose crew is entirely female.  The have a program called "Sisters Under Sail" for teen-age girls to learn all about sailing and gain practical experience.

 The Roseway

 The Bounty

Bob and the Captain of the Bounty

 The British

 The Americans

 The Baltimore

 The Glengarys (from Scotland)

The Larinda

The Larinda sank in the Halifax Harbour during hurricane Juan.  This is the first outing since it has been refurbished.

 

 Acrobat on the Mast

Do you See Her?

Upside Down

George's Island

On Sunday there will be tours of George's Island (of Evangeline, a Tale of Acadia fame).

Bob was ill for about  five days.  He had an ear  problem, so we didn't do much this week.  This is our first day out other than to the Drs. and to the Temple.  He is doing fine now.

Courtney in Dartmouth

Our granddaughter came to Dartmouth to tend Nathan and Tara's children for a week so Nathan and Tara could spend a week in Calgary.  Courtney took an overnight flight from Calgary and we picked her up at the airport at seven a.m. on July 2nd and drove straight to Pugwash for the Canada Day celebration.  We had a beautiful day in Pugwash.

We arrived back in Dartmouth  Monday evening and the Baines left Tuesday morning.  Bob and I
moved in as backup for the week.

Courtney had a busy few days - especially Friday as we had Zone Conference all day and then the Temple from five p.m. until ten p.m. - but she did very well and the children loved her.  On Sunday I took the easy way out and stayed home with the two youngest children while everyone else attended church in the Dartmouth ward and then I attended in the Cole Harbour ward in the afternoon.

Monday was Orson's fourteenth birthday.  Bob and Courtney drove him to the paddling club and then Courtney and Bob went to Halifax to see what they could see.

Orson and Courtney Near the Clubhouse at Banook Lake

 Ferry Ride Across the Harbour to Halifax

 The Town Hall

 The City Clock

 The Building where the Halifax Tatoo is Held  

(We had planned on going to the Tatoo, but it didn't happen either year.)

 Canon at the Citadel

(It goes off every day at noon and we often hear it in Dartmouth.)

It was Orson's birthday so we celebrated by having pizza, pop and birthday cake for supper.

 All Candles Blown Out - Good, No Girlfriends Yet

On Tuesday morning Orson left for Youth Conference and the rest of us piled in the van and drove to Martinique Beach for the day.

 One Way to Keep a Boy from Running into the Waves

That evening Nathan and Tara returned about 6:25 p.m. and we went out the door at 6:27 p.m. to take Courtney to the airport.  She must be back in Taber by now - or is she at the Calgary Stampede?

We have been experiencing very warm weather lately.  Many people swim in the lake behind our house in this weather.  At night there have been parties going on and Wednesday night there was a loud one still going well after the ten p.m. closing of the public areas.  Bob heard on the news that a party at the lake was raided by the police that night and someone was arrested for carrying a gun and for drugs.  Oh, dear!