Wharf Rat Rally 2011

Hi folks! Wharf Rat Rally was here and gone!  Boy am I tired..... if the noise wasn't enough to keep me awake having to keep the windows closed to keep out the fumes from so many bikes was enough to cause many sleepless nights, but you know what?!? So worth it!

For those who don't know what Wharf Rat Rally is, it is only like the BIGGEST Motorcycle Rally in Atlantic Canada.  It's pretty cool. If you want to learn more visit their website, as I'm sure you'll get more from it there than you would from me as to what it's all about.




Before I start talking about the Rally, one thing that totally drove me crazy (in a good way) was the car my brother brought home from work for the week-end.... omg, so hot!!  Only bad point is after seeing this car, there was no way any bike would catch my attention this week-end! LOL

I have been to both the 1st and 2nd Rally, moved away for a while so I missed it for quite a few years and now I am living right in town in Digby so I am experiencing it full tilt right in the thick of it this year.  I must say being in town for the entire thing has been a challenge, but I have 3 very young boys, who's sleep patterns were messed up, and getting through the streets by car, even if it's just to go to the grocery store to get some food?  Forget about it!  Take it from me, if you ever move to Digby and are around for WRR, going shopping a week in advance for EVERYTHING you could possibly ever need and Bunker down! LOL Other than those few minor issues this is a really great event, it brings a lot to the town, surrounding towns, heck even the whole province. So if you are ever in the area around Labour Day, or you are into Motorcycles at all, you should Definitely make the trip and come experience it for yourself!

I am signing off for now, but before I do that I put together a slideshow of the many pictures I took this year at the Rally.

Thanks for stopping by....

Have fun & Safe Travels

~Jenn

A Whale of a Tale

Today I was fortunate enough to have a Whale Watching experience without even having to get on a boat OR leave the Wharf in Digby! How cool (and rare) is that!?!?

Had the boys down to the wharf fishing this afternoon, and they weren’t getting any bites. I kept thinking I was seeing something in the water, it would just barely peek out of the water, I thought MAYBE a seal (because I tend to see them often there), or I also thought maybe I was just crazy and was seeing things. Then I noticed others looking out also, with the same look on their face as I had.

So I had the boys reel in their lines and then I saw it!!! I saw the dorsal fin pop up out of the water. Then I thought maybe a Dolphin?? HE kept circling this one area of the harbour, round and around and around… me I was snapping pictures like crazy! (I love my multi shot setting, it allowed me to be ready AND make sure I got at least 1 good shot every time he surfaced LOL).

It wasn’t until we moved to another spot to get a better view of him that we realized he was a Whale. I thought he must have been a baby, and I bet for the most part he was young, but after getting home and doing some research I learned that he was a Minkie Whale, and they aren’t very big whales anyway.

The crowd kept getting bigger all watching this guy make his rounds. Eventually he slowed down and we didn’t see him much, I think since the tide was going out at the time that he probably knew to get out of there before he couldn’t.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures, thank goodness I never leave home without the camera!!!… I just never know what I’ll see even just a short distance from my house.

Happy Travels

~Jenn

The ONLY Reference you'll ever need!

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been by with an update. Then again during the winter months, there’s not much opportunity to get out and see and do stuff without fearing the road conditions, so I really didn’t have much to report on anyway. Thankfully spring is here and hopefully another summer of Lighthouse adventures will soon be underway.

I did however come across this really cool book one day in the mall, "Lighthouses & Lights of Nova Scotia: A Complete Guide" by Rip Irwin (one of the founding members of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society - VERY cool!!). JACKPOT! I was so excited about this discovery!! Whenever I would plan trips to see lights, I would always go to Lighthouse Friends, read up on the history, find out the accessibility, get my driving directions etc. which worked out GREAT! I also liked that when I decided to go see a light unplanned I had a place to go on my phone to find out whatever I needed. However this wasn’t always an option as I found myself in a lot of places where my cell service just wasn’t going to work. (plus reading all the info on my tiny screen wasn’t one of my favorite things to do). Now, as long as I keep my book in the car, I have all the info I need right at my fingertips because this book is PACKED full of information, photos, and the history of every light.

I think my favorite feature of this book is the map right up front. It breaks up the Lights in sections by Shore groups it also gives a quick reference as to where to find the Lighthouses within the book, which is much better than looking in the index. What I love most about it though, it that there are 178 Lights in the list… and you can see where they all are on the map.

I can see, just by looking at this map that last year I almost visited the entire Annapolis Valley. There are still 3 left (out of 22) that I need to get to. I did also get to one along the Fundy shore, and 2 on the South Shore.

So if you’d rather read a book instead of surfing the web for information about our lighthouses, this is a really great resource! You can learn more about the book HERE.

Happy Learning!

~Jenn

Just a Quick Update.... Yes, I'm still here! :)

I know it’s been a while since I’ve been in here to post much of anything. After last year’s lighthouse adventures there aren’t many left in a close distance from home that I don’t have to plan a special trip to go see. So I’ve been thinking and though this is and will always primarily be a blog about the Lighthouses of Nova Scotia I would also like to show you some other lights I have seen in my travels to other places, as well as share some photos of special events and points of interest in locations here in Nova Scotia so you can get a feel for other things this lovely province has to offer.

So stay tuned for some interesting updates!!!

~Jenn