Back Road Whispers: Canada

A nice welcome to Alexander Graham Bell's Museum

Yup, that Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone but that was not his claim to fame in his mind. He always referred to himself as "a teacher". His road to teaching came from early childhood when everyone yelled into a speaking tube so his hard of hearing mother could hear them...Alexander put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, letting her feel the vibration of his words, and therefore could understand him. This led to his life as an educator, and he met, fell in love, and married one of his first students.

The building sits across the water (there is so much water in The Maritimes I never knew what to call it - bay, inlet, sound, ocean) from his summer home that is still owned by his family.

Children play on the lawn beside the museum, flying kits, or attempting to fly kites - grin. Bell was an inventor of more than the telephone, one of his more useful works was tin he hydrofoils, which he used in kites and boats. Very very strong kites and boats due to the construction using hydrofoils.

One of the people that crossed the path of Alexander Graham Bell was Helen Keller. Keller's parents sought medical advice from a physician in Baltimore after reading of another blind and deaf woman, Laura Bridgman. The Kellers were referred to Bell, who referred them to the same institute that Ms. Bridgman had been educated, the Perkins Institute for the Blind. There she met Anne Sullivan and, well you know the rest.

Helen Keller and Alexander Graham Bell

Mock up of Alexander G. Bell's office. His wife called him her "night owl" because he often worked late into the evening. She painted the owl early in their marraige and it hung in his office all of his life.

The view from the museum...not to shabby.

We were treated to the sights along the Cabot Trail, all but a very very very small portion (we are talking less than ten miles here). So enjoy some sights as we head to the Le Mi-Carême de la Centre in Cheticamp.

The Lupin were everywhere, BEAUTIFUL!!! I was drawn to it since it is in the same family as our state flower, the Bluebonnet.

The essence of the carnival-like Mi-Carême is a spirit of joy, laughter and mockery that contrasts with the Lenten period of austerity, severity and penance leading up to Easter. Lent begins the day after Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter. Mi-Carême literally means the middle of Lent. - from Le Centre's web site.

As told to us, Mi-Carême began when way back in the dark ages "austerity, severity and penance" became too much for the people, especially the young ones. So the powers that be allowed one day mid-Lent where they could let their hair down. The merry makers would don masks and costumes, go to their neighbors and eat and drink. The game was for them to identify the visitor, if not the mask was removed revealing their identity, and they would go to the next house. After awhile the 24 hours was stretched into 48 and now has gone into a full week. Many of the children that have left home come back during Mi-Carême with disguises on and the parents only knew it was them as they revealed themselves at the supposed end of the visit. Originally the masks were crude but now the commercial rubber masks are often used.

We were treated to some of entertainment that goes on during
Mi-Carême by two young ladies showing their dancing abilities. They began with masks and then took them off. Oh, these dancers were each 13 years old.

The Centre is set in a lovely place (gosh imagine that, a lovely place in The Maritimes) with some revelers in the yard.

One day we were told that we were in for an awesome lunch at a local restaurant. Oh boy, not everyone gets to eat at Lick-a-Chick!!! AND better yet, if we needed something sweet we could walk across the street to the Lick-a-Treat. We thought Pierre was kidding at first but nooooo, he assured us that we were going to Lick-a-Chick and we wouldn't be disappointed. First though he wanted to show us one of the government owned resorts on the island - Keltic Lodge in Ingonish Beach. What a beautiful place it was too...with beautiful flowers that we were able to take ten minutes to photograph.

The people are a wedding party coming back from the spa where they were treated to manicures, pedicures and whatever else...except the guy, he is the photographer.

Jim, this is right next to the Cape Breton Highland Links.

Oh, the joke was on us, we actually ate here. A beautiful sandwich and soup buffet with delicious cookies for dessert.

HOWEVER....he offered to stop if any of us really really wanted to pick up something from either Lick-a-Chick or Lick-a-Treat.

Strangely enough no one took him up on the offer.

That evening we were treated to a quasi-caliegh. A caliegh is roughly translated to "a visit" where friends gather to visit, dance and listen to the caliegh band. I say quasi because we were expecting more a Texas dance hall scenario and it was more a sit in your reserved chair and listen to the duet performing. It was fun, the entertainers were great, it just wasn't what I thought a caliegh would be.

More along the way.

We just came down that road (kudos to either Bill for his safe driving or to the scenery for keeping me from screaming "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!" as we twisted and turned heading up and down and up and down and around.)

We saw a moose!! And if you don't believe that is a picture of a moose, Pat has promised to back me up. Do wish people would say right or left when they are announcing something we should all see. I jumped up and snapped blindly and hoped...to no avail, but that is my picture of the moose...believe it or not.

I finally got to shoot a moose...and it is really one just waaaaay off in the distance. 300mm lens fully extended then the print cropped. But I did see it!

The ship was carrying blades for the wind farm wind mills. the man made channel there gave him about 6" on each side of the boat to navigate.

And what did I see out the window at a rest stop? Gads, we are everywhere!!!

(Not to worry Sandi, I did run into him and told him "gig'em"

When you are second to last waiting to use the restroom (excuse me, the necessary room - we aren't going in there to rest, bathe, or wash per Pierre, however it is probably a necessity if you do go in) you look for anything to do. I chose to take a picture of a moth.

For a long time, without knowing what I actually wanted, I wanted a cottage on a cliff overlook crashing waves on the coast of Nova Scotia. This is what I wanted. Right there on the top of that rock on the right of the middle picture. Across the road from the picture on the bottom. Watching the waves crash like in the picture on top. OMG I would die happy here (in the summer of course).

And when I get tired of watching waves I can watch the lobster boats pick up their traps....Heaven, I'm telling you it would be Heaven!

and now it is time to head on down the road.

To this beautiful place, Giselles in Baddeck.

Coming out of our room the next morning to the woods above was pure bliss...until I saw the wooly woman eating centipede monster on the railing waiting to devour me.