Construction & Destruction || Klarka Weinwurm || COUSINS - Broad Cove Hall Show - Aug. 7

Lahave River Sunset

Aug. 7, 2013

The evening started with a glorious sunset as we crossed the Lahave river.  As we neared the Lahave side, the light was shining through the staff cabin, time to snap another shot:

Lahave Ferry

Aug. 7, 2013

True to the organizers' word, the bands started at 8 pm.  None of the usually silly 'show starts at 10 (but really starts at midnight) business' that happens in the big city!  We caught the tail end of the first set, by Port Greville natives: Construction & Destruction.  A raucous affair with plenty of screams straight from the diaphragm. I missed their set at Sappyfest the previous weekend, knowing that they would be in my neck of the woods the following week. The recently released a split with COUSINS, available through noyes records.  I feel silly that I just realized the name of the label is no|yes, not one word that I was failing to pronounce correctly:

Construction & Destruction

Broad Cove Hall

Aug. 7, 2013

Sadly, none of my shots of Klarka's set turned out very well.  She played a quieter set, backed up by none other than Jon McKiel on drums.  There were some funny moments, mostly after how does this one go questions from Jon.  Klarka's voice drifted out of the hall over the wild rose bushes like a cool summer breeze.  Klarka was also joined by her friend, songwriter and fellow South Shore resident, Rebecca Zolkower for a couple of songs.  I couldn't hear her very well, but when her voice did waft through the p.a. system, the harmonies were a nice addition to Klarka's songs.

Last up for the evening were COUSINS, back for another South Shore rampage.  The crowd were warmed up at that point...party from the bevvies, partly from the smoke breaks and the constant moving in the hall to keep them durn skeeters at bay (there were LOTS)!  By the end of their set folks finally started dancing.  Most of their songs were new to me, a departure from some of their earlier work but enjoyable nonetheless.  Aaron's falsetto and reverb drenched guitar riffs were matched by Leigh Dotey's rock steady drum pounding.  This shot captures some of her enthusiasm for that ride cymbal, BRING IT LEIGH!:

COUSINS

Broad Cove Hall

Aug. 7, 2013

Sadly, the ferry schedule and bedtime were calling so we ran off before the very last song of the night. Our  minds and souls were full of good music and friends.  Thanks to Klarka and all organizers for hosting the event and to the visiting bands for making the trek down the shore.  It is much appreciated!

St. Norbert's Big Breakfast Review

Central United Church Hall

Lunenburg, NS

April 6, 2013

This was my second visit to the 'big breakfast'.  I decided to limit myself to a normal size breakfast (for once).  It was a brisk and chilly Saturday, though that didn't stop the crocuses from popping up around the entrance to the church hall.  Hopefully a harbinger of Spring 'proper'.

The hall was 2/3 full when we arrived, unfortunately we arrived just after ~10 other hungry breakfast'ers so it took a while to work through all of their orders before our food finally arrived.  No matter, this is a fundraiser after all!  While we waited, I took a couple shots of the space when the sun decided to come out and made for some nice light, like this one:

 Central United Church Hall

Lunenburg, NS

April 6, 2013

Eventually, our plates arrived and we dug in.  For those who are unaware of the menu selections, there's a reason they call this the big breakfast.  I could have ordered every type of eggs and pancakes and sausage and an order of white toast.  I decided to stop at a rash of bacon, whole wheat toast, beans and 2 sunny side up eggs.  I really enjoyed the beans, though I should have ordered dry toast; it arrived sopping wet with margarine.  Oh well, lesson learned for the next time.

 Central United Church Hall

Lunenburg, NS

April 6, 2013

During our meal one of the volunteers announced that they were drawing tickets for the afghan raffle, just to make sure we were all witnesses.  I doubt there are many shenanigans when it comes to church breakfast raffles, maybe there is a story here that I'm missing.....

As the weather gets warmer, there will be more community suppers on offer.  Stay tuned for more church supper, fireman's breakfast and other community fundraiser food reviews!

St. Norbert's Big Breakfast Review

St. Norbert's Big Breakfast

United Church Hall

Lunenburg, NS

Oct. 6, 2012

Another first for me, this weekend was my first nosh at the infamous St. Norbert's Big Breakfast!  Even the people who sat near me couldn't believe it was my first one.  But I digress.

While this breakfast is hosted by the local Catholic church, in a demonstration of inter faith cooperation, it is held at the nearby United church hall.  Awww, group hug!

Similar fare as the Riverport fireman's breakfast.  You are presented with a choice of eggs (pick a style, they'l probably make 'em), pancakes, beans, sausage, bacon and toast.  I wasn't planning on a large amount of physical activity that day so i got a relatively 'small' plate.  My physician might disagree with that assessment.

Cheerful staff quickly attended to me with a platter of juice glasses.  The small kind that you'd imagine used in psych wards.  I went for the cranberry sugar nectar rather than the usual offerings of apple or orange juice.

I dutifully filled out my order with the supplied pencil and waited for my grub.

The man opposite me queried me on my county origins.  Once I established my Lun. County 'street cred', we traded notes about Simpson's Corner, home to his grandparents.  This was neither his first, nor his last Big Breakfast.  I could have been the only first timer in attendance that morning.

It was a who's who of Lunenburg, several entrepreneurs and 'mompreneurs' were spotted as well as mayoral candidate Ron Stockton and many other familiar faces about town.

The grub was hot and greasy, as advertised.  The beans had a nice touch of sweet to 'em and the bacon was crispy.  I could've handled a little more 'toast' to my toast, but the soft bread made it easy work to sop up my runny yolks.

I managed to get a shot of mission control, though in retrospect I wish I had taken some shots that showed more of the wood panelled wall that surrounded their cooking nook:

All in all, a respectable entry in the community grub category.  A welcome way to spend a Saturday...morning.

Conquerall Bank Fire Dept. Annual Planked Halibut Supper Review

Conquerall Bank Fire Dept. Annual Planked Halibut Supper
Aug. 21, 2011
Conquerall Bank, NS

It was a humid Sunday in August, as we arrived in the fire hall parking lot. I was expecting a fire fighter directing traffic, but sadly the crowds had not arrived and there was no need for someone to coordinate the parking.

Who knows why these suppers are crazy one year and slow the next? There was a competing roast pork supper in Lahave that day. Perhaps the winds had blown from surf to turf? No matter, we were determined to feast upon planked halibut. Have I whetted your appetite? Then read on....

Before we went in, we ventured behind the fire hall to see the halibut cooking in front of the open fire. Folks were sweating, especially those whose job it was to tend the fire, like this 'fullah':



Some commented on the small size of the halibut fillets, while others chatted about the dwindling supply of that fine fish...others, stood beside their pokey stick and looked manly:



We were lucky to witness a plank get removed from the fire and made ready for the dining hall. Wire cutters at the ready, the men began the slow task of releasing the delicious halibut from its wired prison:



It was too much to bear, we needed to eat that fish! We headed inside. The room of chairs that in years gone by had been filled overflowing with hungry diners lay vacant. We quickly made our way to our seats. I love the custom place mats they print up for their summer events:



Before long, a very, very sweaty server greeted us, took our tickets and before we knew it, flavour country had arrived:



When you have a formula as good as this one, you don't change a thing. Some of the best mashed potatoes I have ever tasted were on my plate. How do they do it? Perhaps it's better to leave good things, like those scrumptious scoops of starch, a mystery. A simple slice of cucumber and tomato graced the plate and....sweet baby reekris, that halibut.

Some in the hall felt the need to complain that the fish was slightly dry. Others, like myself, didn't feel the need to critique the meal, as if they were dining in a four star restaurant. The 'secret sauce' the dehydrated workers had basted on the fish made for a delectable skin on the generous portion of halibut before me. Dining bliss.

We cleaned our plates, leaving room for pie of course! The coconut cream was the only selection made from scratch, it did not leave us wanting.

Before long, the staff started clearing tables around us as we realized...that was our cue to leave.

Another successful outing, at least for our dining party. Here's hoping for a better turnout next year!

Middlewood United Church Spring Luncheon and Silent Auction Review

Saturday March 26th
Middlewood, NS

You know winter is coming to an end, when crocuses start peeking up out of the soil...and the community fundraisers are more frequent.

It was a sunny and windy Saturday morning as we struck out across the Lahave ferry towards Middlewood. I had an idea where I was going...or so I thought.

When I reached the 103, I made a wrong turn, turned around and stopped at the Italy Cross and Middlewood Fire Hall to ask for directions. The truck bays smelled of old beer bottles as a jolly crew of volunteers were sorting beverage containers from their bottle drive.

I waited 'till I made eye contact with someone and then asked for help. The conversation went something like this:

"Where is the Middlewood hall?"

"This is the Middlewood hall."

"Uh, sorry, the Middlewood church hall? There's a luncheon happening there today?"

"Oh, you mean the Middlewood United church hall, yes...the luncheon is happening from 11-1 pm, just a couple miles down the road on your right."

We certainly asked the right people for directions. Moments later, we arrived at the Middlewood United church.

It took a couple attempts before we found the correct entrance, soon enough we were in this cute, small church hall. Like many churches in the area, the hall and worship space are connected to each other. We entered the hall, paid up and started to look over the items at the silent auction.

As luck would have it, we ran in to the parents of one of my co-workers. They were just arriving as well so we sat together and started chatting. There wasn't much time to chat before the delectable platter of sandwiches arrived:



Turkey salad, seafood salad, ham and cheese, devilled ham...this luncheon had all the 'greatest hits' of the church luncheon universe. As we tucked in to our plates of delish, the devilled eggs arrived and were greeted with open arms (and mouths). So far so good, all the food was excellent!

Another server arrived with a plate of buttered raisin bread, I took a piece to be polite, but I never did eat it.... The ladies serving us were on a mission, to get us fed! We greeted yet another platter of sandwiches to our table and all selected our favourites. Eventually, we started to slow down.

Time for dessert:



I LOVE the cursive handwriting on the blackboard. My teachers tried and tried to teach me to write like that, I don't think I ever did get the hang of it. Definitely a dying art in the age of the paperless office...

All the pies were made from scratch, no complaints at our table! The coconut cream pie looked amazing, as did the french apple pie. I selected my fave, pumpkin pie. As an after thought, our server suggested:

"Would you like some ice cream with that?"

"Yes, please." I replied sheepishly. An excellent addition to my delicious piece of pie.

My tea order got a little mixed up, it tasted like a mix of tea and coffee, a minor blemish on an otherwise splendid outting to Middlewood.

Man, I could go for some tiny sammies right about now....

June 27: Conquerall Bank Strawberry Supper!

I just spotted the sign for this upcoming supper, I can't wait!

Check out this guest review from last year for an idea of what to expect..

Guest Review! Wrasslin' in Lunenburg

Thanks to Ariel Marsh and Kevin Fields for this first hand account of the recent wrestling event in Lunenburg. Check out Ariel's work here. (There's a sweet Bee Machine graphic in her gallery!)

Wrasslin' at the Lunenburg Community Center

Kevin, Dave, Julia and I headed down to the Community center for Mainstream Entertainment's wrestling event. They are celebrating ten years of wrasslin' awesomeness. Many thanks to baroing for letting us know this event was going on. I can't even imagine how my life would be if I had missed this!

We had no idea what we were in for.

Ringside seats? Yes please! This brought about a whole new level of awesome! For $12 a person, how could you pass that up? I think at one point, Dave was up close and personal with one wrestler (ed: Mr. Clean) who sported a pair of specimen cups, filled with some kind of liquid. Now, I won't speculate what was in those cups, but I'm pretty sure you don't want a face full. Unfortunately, that happened to the other guy. EEEEWWW!

On our way to our seats we passed the table full of loots. Tons of prints of the wrestlers and t-shirts galore. I picked up a sweet Bee Machine tee and I promptly went to change. BEST T-SHIRT EVAR!

The wrestlers were wild, with over-the-top acting and their sweet moves. But, the best part of the evening was when I saw that Crabmeister come a runnin' down the aisles sideways! It's obvious he's skilled in the deadly arts of Crab.

One of my favourite parts were the delightful costumes. Bee Machine has this sweet yellow jacket, luchador mask and striped briefs. The real J.J.B. came out with his bright pink tassled pants. Josef Von Schmidt sported the eye patch, matched with an officer's cap and trench coat, decorated with medals. I wonder where he bought them?...

During the intermission, we got our pictures on. First up was Crabmeister. I regret not doing the crab with him, but there were kids present. Next up, my all time fave, the Bee Machine. I really had to work myself up to talk to him. I know what you're thinking, “he's wearing a mask.” That just made it worse. Who finds it easy to talk to a man in a mask? Especially one who makes all the lady flowers bloom.

And what sporting event would be complete without the fans? Oh man, they were nutso! You had the ladies heckling the wrestlers to no end. The big burly wrestlers telling old ladies and little children to shut up was pure gold. I almost wish I had Twitter so that I could tweet all of the taunts coming from the kids sitting behind us. “You're a fatty fat fat,” “you suck,” and some rather wicked profanities escaped their little mouths. It rocked so hard.

At last, we came to the grand finale. The casket match! All throughout the evening, Josef Von Schmidt let his presence be known by proclaiming how much Canada sucks. In the end, he got his as the 7 foot Giant Grimez handed out a whole case of pure, unadulterated Whoop Ass.

It was a night to remember.

From the news desk of Ariel, with a few colourful phrases by Kevin

First South Variety Supper- Review

Grace Lutheran Variety Supper
Sunday, April 11, 2010
First South, NS

This supper is on my 'must attend' list, and I look forward to it every year.

Seasoned pro that I am, I anticipated a solid 30 minute wait. So this time, on my way in to Lunenburg to pick up my guest, I stopped at the church and bought my tickets first.

Sand cascaded out of my wallet as I fished out a $20 bill.

"Were you at the beach?", the woman at the door asked me.
"You guessed it!", I said. Little did she know 'how' the sand got in my pocket. Let's just say it involved gusty winds, my kite buggy....and me flipping the buggy and getting dragged for a couple feet. Worth it! ^_^

I cleaned the sand off the bill, paid up for tickets and asked how long the wait would be. She said 20 minutes, but I knew better...

Sure enough, it was closer to 30 minutes before we were granted access to the table of yum. Shortly after being seated, our orders were taken (orders default to 'the works') and a plate full of 'hot' arrived.

Baked beans, scalloped 'taters', hot slaw and a random casserole were on offer. Gotta say, I am a huge fan of hot slaw. Must find out how to make that....



Round two involved finding space on my plate for the numerous salads on the table: broccoli, egg, 3 bean, coleslaw, carrot, macaroni...they had 'em all:



Oh, and meat heaped on in the middle. Lots of meat: roast beef, roast pork, ham and meatloaf:



That wasn't the end of the food, by any stretch of the imagination. Our server kept bringing bowl after bowl of food:

"oh, you don't have any chow down here"....
"here's some pickled beets"..
"did you get some brown bread?"

So full...



My seat 'neighbour' commented:

"This chow is sum sowah"

I didn't find it out of the ordinary, though I do love everything pickled and vinegar'y...

At this point, I had to pace myself to make room for dessert, no shortage of choices! Various Jello salads, pear or strawberry tarts (on angel food cake) with REAL whipped cream and of course, squares and of course....the ubiquitous table cake:







Sadly, I neglected to take a picture of the plate of squares. Sorry, folks!

We were a bit rushed near the end, as the seating master tried to make room for a group of family and friends. It was a blessing in disguise, had I stayed any longer, my next stop would've been at Frenchy's to buy a larger pair of pants!

Lesson learned: if you see a sign that says "variety supper", don't eat lunch that day.

This Saturday is the annual Maplewood Maple Syrup supper, stay tuned for details on that event in tomorrow's post.

St. Andrew's Spring Brunch and Sale review

Saturday, March 27th
Wesley United Church Hall, Petite Riviere

It was a sunny Saturday, with a crisp breeze blowing. A perfect day for a spring brunch and sale. Luckily, the hard working members of St. Andrew's Church in Crousetown were hosting their annual Spring Brunch and sale in Petite Riviere.

Upon arriving, there wasn't a chair to spare. This truly was a popular event!

The silent auction table deserved a going over, lots of bargains to be had there...I picked up a homemade pumpkin pie and my friend bought six 3" hand crocheted doilies. How much did she pay for the set? 20 dollars? lower....10 dollars? lower....5 dollars? lower....ONE DOLLAR! Even though I have no use for doilies, I should've bought all the hand crocheted crafts on the table. They were all insanely cheap.

After a short walk down the road, taking in the views of Green Bay and Crescent Beach, high atop Drew's hill, we returned to the hall and found some seats.

We started the meal off with some hot beverages, and soon enough our plates of food arrived:



A delicious quiche, biscuit and side salad were on offer. The bacon in the quiche was delish, what's not to love? The side salad was delicate and tasty, as was the shot glass of dressing.

After polishing off our plates, dessert wasn't far behind:



A chocolate cake with what tasted like pudding on top, with Skor chunks was one option. The other, a lemon pie filling/cream cheese/graham crumb concoction. They both hit the spot, along with another cup of tea.

After exchanging pleasantries with a co-worker's mother (who is a regular volunteer at these affairs), we made our way back up the coast. Bellies full of home cooked goodness and pockets full of doilies

The Dread, Jon McKiel & COUSINS House Show - Jan. 23, 2010

The Dread, Jon McKiel & COUSINS House Show
Petite Riviere, NS
Jan. 23, 2010

An otherwise chilly January evening was warmed up in Petite Riviere this weekend by three bands, who graced the living room of a palatial home down an icy side road.

The bay windows were buzzing to the beat of The Dread as I arrived. Smokers, banished from the interior, bundled up and inhaled on the porch. Outdoor shoes were a no-no indoors, and the mound of footwear grew by two with my addition to the mud room pile.

Inside it was boisterous and friendly, all manner of entertainment flowed freely while The Dread blasted away. Someone had kindly left a bag of ear plugs on a table for one and all. Thanks, someone!

A guided tour of the house revealed floor upon floor, room upon room and all manner of interesting nooks and crannies in between. Someone exclaimed "this could be a church!" when they entered the basement, with its vaulted ceilings and granite foundation stones.

Later, Jon McKiel started playing delicious songs, close songs, dancing songs, my kind of songs. Klarka inspired on bass. The crowd revelled.


L -> R Jon McKiel, Klarka Weinwurm, Aaron Mangle. Photo by Kat Frick Miller


L -> R Jon McKiel, Klarka Weinwurm, Aaron Mangle
Photo by Kat Frick Miller

JON MCKIEL - Fist Fight from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

COUSINS came in waves, ebbing and flowing, shrieking and cooing. Dreamy vocals had me floating on waves, basking in a sunny blueberry field, sitting in a quiet corner. Sweater vests must make for good fills, the drummer had the former and the latter.


Photo by Kat Frick Miller


Pat Ryan, Andy March
Photo by Kat Frick Miller


Aaron Mangle, Pat Ryan
Photo by Kat Frick Miller





The evening devolved into hangouts, make outs, hookups and of course, more jamming.

It never did warm up that evening, and the windows were still buzzing when I left.

Guest Post: Wind and Light

Here's another guest post from Jeff Doran, enjoy!

What are whirligigs without wind? There was no shortage of either at the 10th annual Whirligig and Weathervane Festival in Shelburne, NS, September 19. In fact, the exhibits had to be moved into the lee on Dock Street so they wouldn't take off.






I may have contributed to the gusts since I had come from breakfast at the Sandy Point Lighthouse Community Centre. It was also the 10th annual Lighthouse Festival.

I've always said September is the best part of summer.

I started at Sandy Point light just down the coast from Shelburne.
There were whitecaps in the harbour. The community centre has monthly
meals and a view which would cost you twice as much at a restaurant.
Rain showers cleared to a rainbow in the direction I was headed.
Baccaro light is stuck out at the end of a point of land past Port La Tour, next to the giant volleyball of the coastal radar station. It was windy and lonely out there. I saw one car leaving as I arrived and one car arriving as I left. The location blew us away.



Inland at Barrington, Seal Island light has been partially relocated and partially replicated. In 1979 the lantern was removed by helicopter from the island off the coast of Clark's Harbour. The lighthouse was recreated by the Cape Sable Historical Society and has been open as a museum since 1985. You can climb five stories to the Fresnel lens made in Paris.





The Whirligig Festival was a frenzy of twirling, jigging, cranking and clattering works of art. Anyone interested in wind energy should consider the possibility of using whirligigs to saw dowels and churn shotglasses of butter. In addition to the usual miniature industrial applications, there were complicated cog and wheel inventions which spun dancers and circuses. Traditional rural life was represented by blacksmithing, wood chopping, milking, ox driving, hunting and fishing, not without modern humour. An angler baited a humpbacked whale. A brace of ducks took aim with shotguns at a hunter distracted by a bathing beauty removing her top. Domestic violence was represented by husbands getting thwacked and pummeled. Folk art seems to bring underlying feelings to the surface, perhaps a result of extended solitary hours in the workshop.

When I left, rigging was slapping a tattoo on masts in the marina. I had planned to stop at three more lighthouses on the way home, but I ended up pulling into the parking lot at Summerville Beach for a nap.

Must have been the big breakfast.

Guest Post: Fall Colours

Thanks to Jeff Doran for his guest post and photos...enjoy!

I took the round-about way to the Oktoberfest turkey dinner at the Forties community centre, but it was worth the wait and worth the drive.

I loaded my old VW van with camping gear and set out in search of fall colours inland, following the La Have River to New Germany, continuing on Rt. 10 with a stop at the Shannon River Canoe Access Park. The highway was in rough shape the rest of the way to Middleton and I made a mental note to return by a different route.

The forecast was clear but cold, so I planned to enjoy the luxuries of a serviced site at one of the many campgrounds in the Annapolis Valley where I could run my electric heater and even connect my laptop by wireless Internet for on-location Skyping. The only problem was that campgrounds advertising those amenities also offered karaoke, putt-putt and Greco pizza, not exactly suiting my peaceful and meditative mood.

The weather was so good I decided to venture to the Fundy Coast in hopes of finding a secluded spot in which to tuck the van for the night. I had two sleeping bags for warmth and a hand-crank rechargeable flashlight for entertainment.

At this point my directions must remain veiled in secrecy because I discovered the perfect spot and I want it to stay that way. Suffice it to say I landed on a dead-end road right at the water's edge. The wind was stiff and waves were spraying onto the road, but it was snug inside the van. I made chili watching sunset through the windshield.

Fundy Coast

Red sun at night... who made up that nonsense? I fell asleep to the sound of surf and woke to the howling of a gale through the weatherstripping. Wind was rocking the van like a street mob. The windshield was scummy with salt. I was pretty sure there was no hurricane in the forecast so I settled back to be rocked to sleep. A burst of light through the side curtains woke me this time. At first I thought my hide-away had been spotted by the authorities. Then I heard the thunder. By my count the lightning storm was far away. I fell asleep counting.

Then the rain hit. It came with the sound of a jet take-off. Pellets drilled the fibreglass roof. Maybe it was hail, I don't know. I didn't go out to check. I told myself some people like the sound of rain on a roof when they are sleeping.

I slept fitfully. I thought about surrendering and seeking shelter inland, but that would mean crossing North Mountain. I resigned myself to a long, sleepless night.

Sometime after 3:30 a.m. (the last time I checked my watch) the storm must have passed, because the next thing I knew it was 7:00 and I was awake and cold. I had looked forward to morning sun warming up the cab while I had a leisurely coffee. I had forgotten I was in the shadow of the mountain, so even though the sky was clear, I huddled in the dark, warming my hands around the butane stove, watching the shadow diminish with maddening slowness across the Bay of Fundy. It was high tide and the waves were higher than ever. Big flakes of scud blew like an explosion in a laundromat. When the sun did come up, though, it came right in my back window and warmed the back of my neck as I had my second cup of coffee.

I had a light breakfast because I was saving myself for Thanksgiving dinner which began at 11:00 a.m. When I left the shore, some locals were coming down to look at the waves. They must have wondered how I got there first.

Back on the Evangeline Trail I stopped at a farm market for Honey Crisp, Old Fashioned Cortland, Gravenstein, Jona Gold, Red Cortland and pears at a third of the price in Bridgewater. I kept a litre of sweet apple cider at hand to swig on my drive down the Dalhousie Road.

Lahave River

The colours had me saying "Wow!" and "Whoa!" at every turn. These were not the garish reds of calendar art. These were burnished golds and bronzes against a backdrop of evergreen. One hillside had me searching my memory for a Crayola box of names for yellow. The pavement went from good to bad to worse, but the worst of it was better than the best of Rt. 10.

At the turn to the Forties I started keeping a sharp eye out for the community hall. Still, I almost missed it because I mistook the crowd of cars in front of an abandoned convenience store for a used car lot.

The hall was hidden in back. I saw people coming out with sated expressions. It was noon. I worried I was too late for white meat.

But there was plenty of everything for $10. The room was barely half full, decorated in harvest colours. I had the works plus pecan pie.

I've had my share of Thanksgiving dinners at a variety of homes on both Thanksgivings in North America, and the Forties dinner put them to the test. My table-mates complained of the lack of squash, but then, they agreed, it was hard to make for a large crowd.

I left with no plan except to avoid Rt. 10 and find a warm place in the sun to lie down and digest. I took Rt. 12 and the Lighthouse Route to Mahone Bay where I parked facing the water with the sun over my shoulder, cracked open the cider, fired up the laptop on a whim, found three wireless sites within range (thanks, unsecured site -- you know who you are), Skyped my brother in Pennsylvania and used up all of my two-hours of battery power. He was planning his fall colour trip.

Then I went home and lay down. I heard on the news it had snowed in Antigonish.

Newcombville Fire Dept. Roast Beef Supper Review

*update* My bad, I mistakenly titled this post as "Pleasantville Fire....", but as you can see from the backs of the chairs, it took place in Newcombville. (o_0)

After a hiatus from community suppers, I finally made it out to one this past Sunday with my friends visiting from the city.

We arrived midway through the supper; lucky for us, there was hardly a wait at all. Just enough time for me to snap a couple shots of the hall, bare light bulbs and all:





It was an orderly affair, with waiting chairs lined up against the wall for the hungry queue. Before too long, we were seated and our food arrived. No orders here, you get what you get!




The food was even more delicious than it looks. Good thing I come to these now and then, otherwise I would never eat turnip. ^_^

The homemade coleslaw on the table tasted fresh and cabbage-y, just like mom makes it. Second only to the tender roast beef on my plate, it was my favourite item on the table.

It was a pleasant affair, the hall was filled with the usual chatter that often accompanies these events. Local municipal dignitaries were spotted, as well as a couple other 'usual suspects' that I see at many of these community suppers. Great minds think alike, I guess?

Eventually, it was time for dessert. There was a wide selection of pies; lucky for us, often by the time I roll in half of the choices are gone from the list. After savouring my predictably yummy pumpkin pie, I wandered back to the pie counter and got this fun shot of the ladies who were dishing out the sweets:



After I showed them the pictures, one of them asked me:

"now, where's this goin'?"

To which I responded:

"you tell me!"

Later, I wondered if she meant where was the picture going to be published/shown...but at the time, I chalked it up to her being a saucy senior, thinking about 'candy photography'. I'll let you decide...

Stay tuned for more brake burn pics from Broad Cove, it was a busy week down by the coast!