Pictou, Nova Scotia

Sunday, September 8, 2019

The morning after Dorian passed, it was windy, but the skies were clearing. Looking around the campground, damages were minimal. There was a nearby tree that split at the top and the playground equipment got knocked over. The campground was without power, but otherwise it fared well. 

We had to manage our leaking roof with two pots, towels and a sheet. We cleaned everything up and dressed the picnic table with wet towels, cushions and the sheet. The wind would now help dry them out. We opened up the trailer to let it breathe and dry.

I went down to Ralph’s trailer to thank him for checking on us yesterday. His wife, Mary, came to the door. Ralph had gone to their house to check on things. I thanked her for the wonderful pie and showed her the picture of our breakfast this morning – bacon, eggs and apple pie. This was a great apple pie, not too sweet and chock-full of apples.

We drove to Pictou to explore and maybe take a hike. We saw a sign for a farm market and followed it to Lakenman’s Farm. It looked like an honor system to leave a list of purchases and pay, but soon Susan came out to greet us. They were out of power, and the storm damaged a lot of the crops. They had gotten a lot of things in the day before the storm. We bought a bunch of corn to give our campground hosts, along with some flowers for Don’s wife. We also got some fruit chutney, tomatoes and lettuce. We talked about the storm and going to PEI. Susan recommended taking the ferry. Her husband was up on the roof fixing the satellite dish. Apparently there was a big ballgame on today.

We cruised through Pictou where there was a fair amount of traffic for a small town. Some places had power, while others didn’t. We drove to Smith Rock Chalets to take a hike before lunch. As we walked the narrow path up a hill, there was more and more downfall until we came onto four big trees crossing the trail. We couldn’t get through and returned to the chalets and walked around.

Going back to Pictou, we found Stone Soup Cafe, a small restaurant that had people waiting in the hall. We talked to a traveling couple from England. They were out of gas and the stations were either out of power or out of gas. We remembered how everyone was filling up before the storm. Soon they were called in for a table. A lady walked in and ordered take-out. Then a local couple came in.

We were called in for a table of four, so we invited the couple to join us. They were Ralph and Claire and were from a small town near New Glasgow. They have a cottage on the water on Caribou Island, and were on their way to check on it. They hadn’t lost power, but many of their neighbors had. 80% of the Nova Scotia is without power. They first tried to go to Tim Hortons, but it didn’t have power, then another restaurant without power before coming here. They ordered seafood chowder, saying it was good, but not as good as Clair makes. Martha got a lobster roll that she was going to share with me, but I only got one bite. I had fish and chips, but salad instead of the chips. It was all good. We enjoyed talking with this nice couple, who met when they both worked for a newspaper. Their 57th anniversary was coming up. They took a cruise for their 50th, so I asked what they would do for their 60th. Clair said they should take another cruise for their 57th. “Why wait?”, she said.

On the way home, I spotted a sign for ice cream and zipped into Deb’s Hidden Cafe. She had power and was the only one there, complaining she couldn’t find help. I got a cup of chocolate and cherry ice cream. She said she was busy making jams, today’s being plum with rum. She must have had 50 different ones, but I got rhubarb. She said, “All those flavors and you picked rhubarb!?”

Back at camp, we paid for another night and gave the flowers to Don for his wife. She was to have surgery this afternoon. We gave him a dozen ears of corn then returned to the trailer. I was taking in our previously wet stuff when Ralph came up. “Shall we get up on the roof and fix the leaks?” I didn’t know what else we could do, but we could give it a try. We went to get his ladder and some Pro RV roof caulk. 

I got up on the roof and Ralph came up the ladder. The second type of tape I used was separating in a few places, especially around the antenna. We lifted the tape, put caulk under it, then pressed it back down. We did the same to several other areas. What a guy, this Ralph!

As we were having cocktails, there was a knock on the door. It was Ralph’s son, Quentin, with a bag of fresh scallops. Martha told him about the corn we had taken Don. He said they had already cooked it :} He wanted to see my truck tool box, so I opened it and showed him. He really liked it, took some mental notes. He had thought about a veterinarian’s box, but they cost about $9,000. 

I wrote a very nice review of the campground on Google.