Halifax A Fact

So here we are in Halifax, after spending the last week at Sweetwood Farm.  While it is nice to be at another stop on the tour we are definitely missing the farm and everyone there.  We woke up this morning and made the rounds in the barn and I will admit it was hard to leave.  Every one of the goats in that barn has such a unique personality and we have both become so attached to them over the last week, especially the babies.  Seriously, Krissy had to drag me outta there.

Since I mentioned babies, yesterday the barn got a little more crowded as mama Faye gave birth to triplets, and some itsy bitsy ones at that.  What was even more impressive is that she barely flinched or made a peep while it was happening.  I was outside the barn and if Krissy hadn't looked over and noticed it happening we might have totally missed it.  As of the time we left the babies did not have names but they sure are adorable.

It was hard to get a shot of the new babies because they were always right by the door but, with mama Faye right next to them, this should give some kind of perspective.

We've said it many times already but I must take time out to give much love and props to Heather and Neil, the owners of the farm.  They were wonderful hosts and you can really tell that this farm is a labor of deep love.  As you can tell from my prior posts, the work is hard and it is not always pleasant.  To watch them dedicate their entire lives to this work is nothing short of impressive.  Krissy and I worked our asses off but we were no match for Heather and Neil.  They were always going long before we got up and still working after we went to bed.  To be able to do that, day in and day out, and still remain warm and positive....it takes a special kind of person.  

When we were at the border last week, the guard asked me if we had any friends in Canada.  I said "no, but we sure hope to before this trip is done".  Mission accomplished.

Before I move on, here are a few more photos of the farm:

Krissy is feeding the pigs.  I call this "running the gauntlet".  You have to be quick and you have to be clever and still you will probably end up covered in mud and pig snot. 

Krissy is happy to have survived the gauntlet.

The barn and some of the outbuildings, from somewhere near mid-field.

The teenagers, in their night pen.

This is the house.  It is a perfect, quaint old farmhouse, dating from the mid-1700s.

The field goes on for quite some time and the woods go on even longer.  If you follow the dirt road back into the woods a ways there is a really charming little rustic cabin.  We intended to spend a night back there but never quite got around to it.  There is a chance we might re-tool the back month of our trip and swing back through.  If so, we will surely hang out at the cabin for a night. 

Anyway, that is that.  Krissy posed a semi-hypothetical scenario in which we go there for a week every summer and then do a week somewhere else.  We'll see if that plays out.  Maybe every other Summer but we shall see.  We definitely intend to visit the farm again.

So we left this morning and started making our way up towards Halifax.  Rather than take the highway, we followed the coast and paid a visit to Peggy's Cove, an area of the coast that is one of the most unique that I have ever seen.  With its large, flat rocky expanses, it reminded me a lot of the Burren, in Ireland, but there were all these round boulders among all that other business.  A very interesting geological phenomenon that apparently was the result of two land masses that collided about 360 million years ago to form the land that is now Nova Scotia.  There are some resilient fishing communities that dot the area as well as a lighthouse.  We stopped for a while.  It was quite cold and windy today, so we did not stay outside the car for too long, but long enough to appreciate the breathtaking scenery.

On the outskirts of Peggy's Cove.

This area of coast is unforgiving.  This tree is even tougher than that.

The village of Peggy's Cove NS.  There is a little bit of tourist in this village but it is still a straight up working fishing village.  Really cool little spot.

What a coast.

Hans at the edge of the world.

Andersons at the Peggy's Cove lighthouse.

Peggy's Cove lighthouse, rising from bare rock.

A little more rugged coast, a little ways north of Peggy's Cove.

We arrived in Halifax around 3:30 or so and checked in to the hotel.  I managed to find a place that had dosa for Krissy's birthday dinner so we raced downtown to get to it, only to find that the place was no longer there.  So we walked around for a while and then settled on a Chinese and, my, was it delicious.  We popped into some shops and slowly moseyed back to our car.  We didn't get any photos downtown but we will be down there all day tomorrow so we will surely get lots of shots.

My first impression of Halifax is that it is a much bigger and busier city than I was expecting though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.  We are looking very forward to touristing around the city tomorrow and seeing all that it has to offer.  Instead of camping in Canso, as originally planned, we have a room at a private house for the next two nights, arranged through AirBnB.  Hopefully that will all work out.  We are still trying to work out a place to stay on Friday night, hopefully somewhere in the Antigonish area.  I am having a tough time finding a place that is cheap enough  but it will work out, one way or another.

Anyway, it is now time to rest and appreciate the comforts of our hotel.  'Night folks.