Sunday in the Annapolis Valley

When we got up we thought, what a beautiful day let's go explore.

Our aim was to head west and visit Digby.  Known for their scallops and the ferry that you catch here that travels over to Saint John, New Brunswick.

Not a large town, but on Sundays they have a crafter's market so we checked it out.

Didn't really buy much.  Seems to be similar sellers as what we saw a week ago at the Annapolis market.  But it sure was pretty.

We drove around a bit and checked out where the ferry is.  For us it is an option when we travel further west in Canada or even down to the US.  We are about an hour from Digby, then the ferry and we are right in Saint John.  But that is only if everything lines up perfectly.  Below it says 2.5 hours, but that does not include the time waiting for the ferry and then there is added costs.  Also depends if you are going to US or Quebec as this route is faster if going to the US but not faster if going to Quebec.

In most cases it might just be faster to drive East to Truro and then head west thru Amherst.  But again if travelling to Quebec would be faster the second way as you just stay on the highway.

After touring around Digby we wanted to go to Maud Lewis' house as I  am a huge fan of her art only to realize that the original house is in the Art Gallery in Halifax and there is only a replica here in Digby where she lived.  

We were both hungry and thought lets search out a brunch place when I remembered Founder's House is close by.  Located at the Golf Course in Annapolis Royal we went online and made a reservation.  Here is their website.

Due to Covid only patio dining is allowed (restrictions have been lifted as of now and you can now dine indoors) and we are good with the patio as it is a beautiful day here in the Valley.

Our waiter recommend this Piquette which is cold, refreshing and local.  Made at Benjamin Bridge Winery and here is a link to their website. 

Locate right on the golf course, you get great views and it is very peaceful.

They have a great brunch menu. But note all their menus are outstanding.  Here is my breakfast.  A breakfast Poutine.   The menu describes it: Home fries, bacon lardons, cheese curds, 

two poached eggs, hollandaise.  Reminded me of the great breakfast in Sabatinis on board Princess. 

Bernie had the Lamb Burger (sorry no pic) describe as: Charred feta, artisan lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion, herb aioli.

A leisurely drive home and another great day in the Valley.  

 

Releasing Wildlife - Volunteer Work

You may remember that we posted a blog about our volunteering work we are doing for Hope For Wildlife.  You can read it here.

Today we got a message from Ashley that they had some animals to be released that had recuperated and they were set to be released in our area.

Oh YES!  This is the icing on the cake.  The day we dream about.  Every week we transport animals that have been injured, abandoned by a parent, or been hurt by humans.  Today is the best as it is the day the animal is well enough to go back into the wild.

So we drove to the center in New Minas (about a half hour away) and picked up two animals set for release.

The first was a snapping turtle who was getting released near Middleton. 

We went back to the park that it was found in and travelled down a quiet path along the water and released him.  Here is the video.

We then continued down the road a bit to Lawrencetown Nova Scotia to release the Woodpecker.  He was very anxious to get out.  Here is how noisy he was in the car ride.  He was pecking hard to get out.

We parked right across from where he was picked up after striking a window and getting injured.  There were lots of trees and no windows in the areas.

Here is the video of the release.

He flew away, right up into the trees and then chirped away.  It felt like he was saying thank you.

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Volunteering for Hope For Wildlife

 

If you are in Canada then I am pretty sure you know the tv show Hope for Wildlife.

Heck it may even be able to be seen in other countries - probably is.

Well Bernie and I have always been a fan of the show.  And we both love animals and all wildlife.

When we moved to Nova Scotia we looked up where the center was and hoped to visit it sometime, but like so many things the pandemic hit and we never made it.

When we moved to the Valley we saw a Facebook post looking for volunteers to help out with a new center they opened up close by.

They were looking for people to do transportation from the satellite center close to us to the "farm" where the center is in Seaforth Nova Scotia one day a week.

We volunteered!  We now transport injured animals to/from the farm (about 2 hours each way).

Since starting we have transported so many things.  

Goose, beaver, chipmunk, squirrel, raven, robin, a bird's egg, a bunny, oh and a porcupine.  And I am sure there have been other things I am forgetting.    

We are having a good time doing it and sometimes the ride down with a full car can be quite noisy.  Thankfully they are all in containers, but trust me I have wondered what would happen if they got loose! 

When restrictions get eased we will take advantage of the drive there to stop and do errands in the city or visit friends that live in the Halifax area.