Beautiful Rural Nova Scotia Canada

#RuralNovaScotiaCanada
 Nova Scotia has a coastline that is around 13,000 kms (8,000 miles) which includes everything
from rugged shoals, steep cliffs to sandy beaches
So this writing will focus on the this area of the Province and with all its diverse beauty plus
some "interesting" stories that my readers now expect 😀

The Golden Age of Piracy
It was during 1690-1730 when Nova Scotia was largely unsettled by the Europeans,
this lead to an unlawful area and a very unsafe territory
 But because of this, it was a great location with all its inlets and coves for the Buccaneers to hide their supplies and loot coming from the spoils of combat against others on the high seas 

Infamous Pirates 
A) Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts; he was highly successful with his craft in the North Atlantic until his death, this signaled the beginning of the end of this illegal industry for the area
B) Edward "Ned" Low; he was considered one of the most vicious of this group, he captured 13 fishing vessels and an 80 ton schooner near present day Shelburne which he renamed
 The Fancy, this became his legendary flagship
C) Captain William Kidd; though famously captured in Boston he had links to Nova Scotia and its his treasure that is supposedly buried at Oak Island

All this mayhem ended with the last major pirate trial in Nova Scotia in 1844,
 thus ending this saga of history for my Province

Gulf Stream 
Treasure Fleets would leave the West Indies
 (Christopher Columbus thought he reached India, hence the name but he was actually in the Caribbean)
and travel the current northward along the North American coast which took them past Nova Scotia southern section before crossing eastward to Europe

So with this route, just asking on how convenient would it be to "drop off" some valuables with all
 our hiding spots
Just stirring the money pot for all you fortune seekers 😃

The Curse of Oak Island
Because of all the rumors of the hidden riches to be found here in our Province, it has spawned many stories and in some cases a long running series of the forementioned on The History Channel that started in 2014 to present day, it follows the story of Marty and his brother Rick Lagina

Fatal Legend
The ominous curse claims seven men must die before the buried treasure is uncovered, there are now six recorded deaths including four workers that were trapped in a flooded shaft in 1965
The true believers say only one more life stands in the way before the secret is revealed,
which in my mind is a very disillusioned way of thinking for a personal gain 

Lobster Season
It varies depending on the region, its done to keep the industry healthy from overfishing
Another interesting fact, if a Lobster License does comes up for sale (very rare occurrence) it will cost up to 1 million dollars plus then the boat and gear

Pay Scale
Deck Hands are paid $30 per hour for this dangerous work, but the Captains (owner-operator)
 makes significantly more
 But he has a massive overhead of costs per year, with the price of the gear, fuel and maintaining a commercial license

Cold Water Quality
Because of the frigid Atlantic waters here, it causes the lobsters to grow slower
 This results in the meat that becomes denser, firmer and sweeter than the warm weather varieties

Prison Food
In the 1800s the crustaceans were so plentiful it was given
 to the people incarcerated
Now ironically we are now the "prisoners" paying $35+ per lobster roll 😅

Peggys Cove
It is one of the most visited places in North America and was formed by the glaciers
 millions of years ago.
Everyone gravitates to the lighthouse here, which as a Province we have more of these structures than any other part of Canada
(look for my blog on this amazing place #PeggysCoveNSCanada))

KeyTip;
It is free to walk around but please be careful on the black part of the granite near the Atlantic Ocean.
If you get washed off, the survival rate is very low because of hypothermia or being bashed against the rocks by the waves

Fishing Village
There are no official number of these areas in Nova Scotia
 But with the thousands of kilometers (miles) of the rugged coastline which are dotted with this historic settlements, harbors and working wharves, this reveals hundreds of these small unincorporated fishing communities plus hamlets that exist here

 Cruise Ship Industry
 It brings tens of thousands of tourists each season here to some of these
picturesque settings
They come to view the colorful houses, see the local artisans work, maybe try some fresh seafood and just to breath the fresh salt air
So if you see many buses leaving the area, you picked a good time to visit jajajja

Weather-Beaten Look 

The wood gets its iconic silver-grey color because the solar UV rays has destroyed the lignin
This is the natural glue that is holding the wood cells together that leaves behind only the light reflecting greyish cellulose fibers
So it might look worn, but this is a natural aging process and acts like a thin protective shield
for the wood underneath

 

Nova Scotia is Considered a Peninsula
 We are connected to the next Canadian Province of New Brunswick by a 28 km (17 miles) wide piece of land called an isthmus
But as you can see the ocean is never too far from our view, so we are 95% an island

Weather Bomb
Because of being located in the North Atlantic, we are at the whims of nature with the weather
The cold Labrador Current comes down from the north and the warm Gulf of Mexico travels up from the equator, both systems meet off our coast 
This is the right ingredients for the ultimate fog machine
 The warm moist air travels over the freezing waters as the air cools rapidly and then condenses into billions of tiny water droplets which creates the legendary coastal fog

Icebergs 
The Labrador current is also the one responsible for dragging the Greenland glaciers and its broke off pieces south into the shipping lanes near our coasts 
#TitanicHalifaxNSCanadaConnection

 

Seaweed
Another industry that most would not have guessed
Rockweed, Irish Moss and Kelp are harvested here which requires a license
 under The Fisheries Act

Acadian Seaplants
Based in Nova Scotia, they process tons of Rockweed into a global business for agricultural fertilizers, animal feeds and food products

Organic Crop Booster
Its processed into liquid biostimulants that enhance plant stress tolerance, root growth and
nutrient uptake without any synthetic chemicals

Animal Health
It has rich trace minerals that makes it a popular feed additive to improve livestock
 and also for pet vitality

Basically because of the harsh conditions the Rockweed survives here in Atlantic Canada, its DNA is used to provide all those positives just listed

Rules
Individual plants can live up to 15 years and grow over eight feet long but
\regulations require harvesters to leave a minimum stub height 12.7cm ( 5 inches),
 which allows the plant to regenerate and keep the industry healthy

Halls Harbor
The village gets him name from an 18th century American Pirate Samuel Hall
Of course folk lore says he hid his treasures in the grounds around this area,  but i am still waiting to
hear of any loot found 😃

Today most visit this location to witness the crashing of the water inbound and to eat
some fresh seafood caught nearby

Low Tide (as you can see above) drains the area, but when High Tide rushes in
it can reach 12-16 meters (40-54 feet) 

 

Global Surfing Destination
Many forms of water sports here on our Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia 

 Hurricane Season (June - November)
We get surfers from around the world because of the increased storm activity, this brings larger swells and more reliable waves
Even though the weather systems are brought to our shores via the Gulf Stream and your thinking
 warm water, the average year round ocean temperature here is a 9C (48F)
Layer Up
So if your coming bring a thick high quality neoprene wetsuit,
 booties and gloves  

The Fall Season
 Typically it starts late September to the end of October 

Our Trees
A) Sugar Maple; that turn intense red and orange
B) Yellow Birch; bright gold
C) Red Oak; deep russet color

Best Viewing Areas
A) Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Highlands National Park
B) Annapolis Valley
C) Kejimkujik National Park
D) Wentworth Valley

KeyTip
The famous Celtic Colors International Festival takes place all across Cape Breton Island
during the peak October color viewing window 
So music and nature

 Town of Yarmouth
 Was founded in 1761 and in the 1870s to 1880s was a global powerhouse with all its amassed wealth acquired during the Golden Age of Sail

Tall Ships
 The majority that were built here in the yards spent their entire operational lifespans carrying cargo around the world and never returning to their home port
Wealth
With the influx of massive money from the boatbuilding boom,
 came the elaborate Victorian Gothic and Second Empire homes on Collins and Main Streets

 Colorful Gear 
For safety and it also helps to spot the gear amidst the waves
 as it separates the traps from other fishermen
 Used by the local authorities
who police the industry for identification purposes, hence why you see names
 on the buoys

 

 Town of Digby 
The area is known for its scallops, whale watching (12 different types) and sandpipers who visit the mudflats in late summer to eat, which doubles their weight

 Highest Tides in the World
 The Bay of Fundy moves 160 billion tonnes of water twice daily
 The tides push so hard that they actually make some nearby rivers flow backwards
Electricity 
They have tried to harness its power many times, but so far Mother Natural says not yet
 As all the prototypes that have been anchored to the ocean floor get ripped off after a few weeks from the force of the water

 

The Royal Western Nova Scotia Yacht Club 
In the early days the marina would anchor its vessels at the south end of the bay
 It was done because of the massive tides from the Bay of Fundy that would completely empty the area of water, thus the boats would be stranded on the mud flats during low tide

Status
With a request from the Mayor of Digby and the Governor General of Canada they petitioned the monarchy and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 to bestowal the honor to the Club
It was officially approved the "Royal" designation on November 11th 1969

 French Acadian Heritage in Claire Nova Scotia
The history spans over 400 years, beginning with the French settling in the 1600s in what is present day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, parts of Maine and with Port Royal being its capital
The area was always being contested by France and England which eventually created
The Great Upheaval with forced deportations

Read more on this "dark" chapter of our history
#GeorgesIslandHalifaxCanada

  Fort Anne of Annapolis Royal
It became the first National Historic Site in Canada and is the oldest standing
 fort in the country

Other Facts
A) Most Attacked; invaders blockaded or assaulted the site nineteen times over the 225 years, with thirteen active battles within the grounds of the fort
B) American Pirates; US based Privateers launched an attack in 1781 during the
 Revolutionary War
C) Seven New Owners; control of the fort constantly was traded back / forth between the
French and the British
D) Colonial Capital; served as the capital for both the French Acadian and
the British Nova Scotia
E) Farming; the French settlers grew wheat here in 1605 and certainly years before the Pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock and with that false fact


 

 Argyle
The area features the longest continuously settled Acadian French communities to be found anywhere
 in the world that dates back to the 1600s

Local Lore
A) Celebrity Fishing; the area would host international tuna events that drew global icons like;
Ernest Hemingway, Amelia Earhart and President Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Island Myth; the story goes that there are one island for everyday of the year, well that is a bit understated but there are over 200 with bizarre names like
 Turpentine, Pumpkin and the Murder Islands
C) Own Country; an American businessman in 1948 bought one of these islands and jokingly declared it a sovereign state with its own currency plus a constitution that protected the rights
of the nearby fishermen
D) One Quarter; this area accounts for 25% of all the lobster caught in Canada

Shaws Landing
Having the full lobster experience (bib on, water going everywhere, cracking shells 😂)
 as we make our way back from the south shore of Nova Scotia

Freshwater
Nova Scotia is home to over 5,000 lakes meaning you are almost never more than 20kms (12 miles) away from a freshwater body source

Cartographers Joke
Because Canada has millions of lakes, they occasionally run out of options of "normal" names
so here in Nova Scotia for example
 Big Ass Lake, Harry Hole, Misery Lake and Poor Trout Lake

Lighthouse Route
We locals do this drive a lot, Peggys Cove onto Chester, Mahone Bay and finally Lunenburg
Its like going back into time with these historic, quaint little towns that hug the shoreline
 of the Atlantic Ocean

Hollywood Connection
Many productions have been shot here because of its colorful colonial towns, working harbors and of course the dramatic coastlines, some examples;
A) Dolores Claiborne (1995) based on the Stephen King novel
B) Moby Dick (2010) starring Ethan Hawke and William Hurt
C) Haven (2010-2015) a supernatural series
D) Jesse Stone (2005-2012) Tom Selleck and the popular made for TV movie franchise

Prohibition
Read my writing on this subject of this area
#LunenburgNSCanada_AmericanProhibitionHistory

Dock House
They served as gear storage and traditional marine sheds in its early days
 and were deeply tied into the rich history of provincial boatbuilding and the fishing industries

Tax Classifications
Under the Nova Scotia Assessment Act any structures secured over water (rafts, floating homes or boathouses) are legally defined as assessable property and subject to taxation

Coastal Accommodations
For my followers, many of these boathouses have now transitioned into an unique over the water tourist rental, so you can sleep above the tides for a way cool experience 

High Tides
To verbally tell someone how much water rushes in, well what better way than a visual with
 a measuring stick attached to a light pole 😀

Fishing Boat Superstitions
A) Bananas on Board; considered the ultimate fishing curse that will cause equipment failure, storms
or empty nets
B) Changing Names; the rebranding of a ship without a formal "purging and christening" is thought to bring major bad luck
C) Friday Departures; starting a major fishing voyage or launching a new vessel on this day is avoided
Its a taboo originating from the historical significance of Good Friday
D) Whistling; doing this on a boat is thought to "whistle up a gale" as your challenging Mother Nature and summoning up some of her severe storms

Another Day Done in Beautiful Nova Scotia