Pictou County Weekend diversions

One starts at the home front with a little stroll along the beach - flowers everywhere...



Walking on the beach and admiring all the thistles...



Glimpses of the sea from lush gardens.



Enjoying the lilies in the garden on Cariboo Island

 The Gaelic, Irish, Scottish cultural influences are evident still in Pictou County. A large mural downtown Pictou shows the first settlers wading ashore, encouraged by bagpipes
The mural is starting to show a few cracks and is getting weather worn, but still, it sets the tone.




Settlers wading ashore in Pictou



Not Loch Ness, but almost as gloomy, settlers named one of their landing areas Loch Broom, the name of their home back in Scotland.

A dew drop for every bloom - rain and more rain,...

Ever steaming Scott Paper Mill, across Pictou Harbour

The original Loch Broom Log Church has long rotted away, but in 1975 a replica was built.

A Tartan adorned chandelier in rough hewn Loch Broom Log Church

Today's activities at the Log Church: a family Ceilidh, better known as an all out party with highland dancing, picnic, bagpipes and a general good time as well as religious services in old Gaelic and English

The Cameron Memorial, showing the names of the first settlers
1767 six families arrived in Pictou on the brig Betsy - the first settlers. On Sept 15, 1773, the Ship Hector brought thirty six Scottish families, as well as thirty single men - nearly all Presbyterian.
They send a plea for a minister to Scotland, and on July 11, 1786 Reverend Dr. James Drummond MacGregor, 27 years old, arrived in Halifax from Portmore, Scotland. Three men, already ordained as Elders, came with him. Their names: Simon Fraser, Thomas Fraser and Alexander Fraser.



Part of the list of names on the Cameron Memorial



Replica Loch Broom Log Church
Unheated, people sat on flattened logs during service, a ladder gave access to a loft, to which the children would be delegated. The congregation stood to pray and sat to sing. They arrived on foot or by boat, as there were no roads.
1786 Pictou County had about 90 families/500 settlers. Rev McGregor did not receive his first pay until 13 months into his new job. To add to his troubles, drunken sailors tried to burn down his house, but he continue to minister not only to the people of Pictou but also to people in Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Scottish Highlands (Cape Breton?). He is reported to have bought freedom for at least three slaves, one of which costs him seven months of his salary.

Dan Munro - Pictou County Artist
Dan lives in Gairloch, Pictou County (www.danmunroartworks.com) and has been painting since more than 35 years. His medium of choice is water colour (I have one of his watercolours of 40 years ago - a mere beginner then)
These little paintings sold for $35 a piece at the Pictou County weekend craft market.

Lovely small acrylic by Dan Munro - offered for sale at $ 35

At the same Pictou County craft market - quilts of all sizes and motifs. Sewn with love and patience by many women, these little treasures sold for a relative pittance.

Tuckered Duck - wood carvings and furniture

Along Pictou waterfront, the Avenue of the Clans
Many of the original names with their tartan and crests adorn the local lamp posts

Something happening every weekend. Dragon Races on the East River. But - high winds and sizable whitecaps kept the racers off the water (last year a couple of the dragon boats turned turtle during similar wind conditions). Musical entertainment made up for the lack of action on the water

Race abandoned....too much wind

Dragon Race supporter in her tartan

They say, Scottish people are tough - I would not want to mess with this tartan clad lady....

Nostalgia Lane...

Almost forty years after I pulled up roots and left Nova Scotia...life has changed in New Glasgow.
I rented a car, and drove past many of the places which were home to me and my little herd of horses and pets, and stopped by the 'ruins' of Hawker Siddeley, which in its heyday in the Seventies produced hundreds of rail car axles, dozens of marine vessel shafts (on the largest forge in existence), floating compartments for ocean oil rigs and a daily dozen of rail cars of every description under the sun and for rail companies all around the world. The days of plenty indeed...
Downtown New Glasgow has lost many of the old mom and pop stores, but has replaced them with new restaurants, pubs, second hand stores, clothing boutiques, and modern banking establishments. The main street through downtown has been prettied up with hanging baskets, murals, micro parks; and the side street along East River now sports a pleasant little marina and a riverside band stand.

Bridge over the East River downtown New Glasgow

Town Hall of New Glasgow

Micro Park in New Glasgow

Rail tracks leading through downtown New Glasgow, thirty years ago, about a dozen of brand new rail cars would rumble along these tracks each evening starting their maiden voyage. Box cars for Zambia, Wheat cars for Saskatchewan, Gas and Oil tank cars...now the tracks have almost 'greened' over.

The old forge building at the practically abandoned Hawker Siddeley Plant. A Chinese company produces wind generators in a remaining working section of the plant - word has it, that the enterprise is not really a roaring success

The axle forge, where thousands of rail car axles were hand forged with a powerful axle hammer - no computer assisted controls. It needed outstanding skills for a hammer operator not to ruin a raw steel bar. Now reduced to a commemorative plaque where the old office building once stood.

The town still prides itself of an almost undiminished number of century old mansions and churches, built during an era, when New Glasgow was thriving.

Presbyterian Church downtown New Glasgow

Lovingly maintained - a century home

Cape Cod Style town mansion

And just East of New Glasgow, a perfect beach: Melmerby
Allegedly the warmest waters north of South Carolina, USA

A life guard now watches a short stretch of beach, however, each year a few bathers insist on entering the water outside the marked area, floating around on inflatable toys, which promptly are swept away by wind or current.

Water temperature - 18 degrees...pretty tepid.

Years ago, I would load up one of my horses into my horse trailer, drive across Mount Fraser and saddle up at the end of the beach, and ride at low tide on the hard packed sand. Miles of open space....Today, Melmerby Beach is a provincial park, with paved parking lots, interpretive huts, a number of public facilities, board walks, replanted sand dunes, public facilities, and of course a guarded part of the long smooth beach. No horses allowed.

Garrets By the Bridge used to be a treasure trove of all things old and unusual. A shadow of its former self, only the outer walls remain, and a few supporting interior walls.

My old barn.
I put on a new roof 40 years ago, after the old one was blown away by a hurricane. The roof is now rusted, and the barn almost grown over by alder forest, shrubs, bushes and weeds. There were no trees then, but a large open air riding ring and pasture surrounding the barn. All gone to seed, all grown over, but still standing...

23 July 2013 - Pictou, Birthplace of New Scotland

The Town of Pictou's official newsletter claims: Lively Culture, Vibrant Town, Friendly People, Living History.
Local residents have mostly Scottish Names, some sport heraldic seals with an endless number of different tartan designs, depicting centuries of history.

Pictou historic waterfront with Ship Hector's hull. Her masts have been removed at the beginning of summer, after they had been split by lighting. She looks somewhat sad without her splendid rigging.

The first Scottish settler landed here on the Ship Hector a few hundred years ago, to find a bounty of sea life, land covered with trees and bushes, mosquito prone summers and extreme winters. Many did not survive the early struggles for survival in their attempt to build a new homestead here...but what were the choices - nowhere else to go.

The local marina has weathered the latest hurricanes, and harbours quite a number of runabouts and sailboats behind a sturdy break water

Fishery and agriculture grew to a sustainable level, some industry moved to the area (Hawker Siddeley Rail car builders, Stellarton Coal Mines, Scott Paper, Michelin Tires), and things went well for a while.

Pictou Harbour Front

Now, Hawker Siddeley, after changing hands several times, has long disappeared from the scene, coal mines have closed after some major disasters and tragedies during their operating years, Scott Paper has cut back on production and workforce, and Michelin is hanging in.

Display in one of the harbour front pub/bistro/cafe establishments, where one can eat lobster burger. Delicious, but no longer food of the poor - at $ 16 a burger. Granted one also gets a mountain of freshly cut French fries to go with it.
Years ago, when children brought lobster sandwiches as a school lunches, it signalled to all and sundry that those kids came from the most destitute families. Lobster was almost throwaway food.

Adopt a lobster...not so much as a house pet, but in support of lobster preservation efforts. I adopted one, but he was already cooked.

Many local people either moved away or 'made do'. Agriculture seems to have disappeared to a great extend: What were grain and hay fields forty years ago, are now wild alder forests. Lobster fishermen still ply the waters, earning about $2 a pound for their sometimes fatal efforts. Cattle and dairy cows are kept 'inside' and no longer dot the lush green summer pastures. Pleasure horses seem to have all but disappeared.

Visiting my horse show competitors of years ago, some still hang on to their beloved equines. Here is Brownie, an aged quarter horse mare enjoying a contented life of leisure. Local country fairs and horse shows have been suspended in Pictou, as the Pictou Arena is being refurbished this summer. Bad news for the exhibitors and local businesses, for whom the influx of participants and spectators represented a needed boost.

Maritime architecture: wooden buildings, square, and mostly painted in flashy colours. Some of these paints date back to Hawker Siddeley days, when workers used left over rail car paint to paint their houses....they did not worry about colour schemes...

So - the economy is somewhat iffy. However, the natural beauty of Pictou County is undiminished, and land and seascape under a brilliant sun, nothing less but glorious.

Quiet deserted beach at low tide

Scott Paper, still emitting odorous steam from their pulp mill operation

Ferry between Pictou Landing and Wood Island on Prince Edward Island, about 15 miles across Northumberland Strait, part of the greater Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Return ticket for a car and passenger $ 67.

Sandy beach at low tide on Caribou Island, Pictou County.

Roads are another story. When I arrived the county (and the peninsular) had just enjoyed two months of hot and dry weather - long enough to dry out and melt the last sub surface frost, leaving behind an impressive crop of pot holes, plentiful and profoundly deep. What is surprising is that these craters have appeared even in recently re-surfaced roads, and even in freshly paved country roads.
Whatever the cause, they certainly encourage a driver to keep his eye on the road - if not, he may get swallowed by one of those sink holes.
It rained yesterday, and today the pothole line up grew more numerous and more precipitous, for some unknown reason they seem to concentrate of the top of rises in the road, and on the right hand wheel tracks. That means one either swerves into a ditch or into oncoming traffic if one of these bottomless pits appears ahead.

High Tech lobster traps

Gussied up dory...

Big or small, a dream boat maybe any kind of shape and size

Small Fishing harbour with lobster boats
home of North Nova Seafoods, where one may purchase fresh lobster, clams et al

Heavy duty crab traps

And the iconic wooden lobster traps...



Hand crafted tapestry of Loch Broom Log Church. It is still standing....