Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia Canada

#PeggysCoveNSCanada

Formed thousands of years ago by the glaciers and then smoothed over by raw nature,
 the natural beauty here is amazing but you need to respect the
 mighty Atlantic Ocean.
 Its dangerous to venture onto the dark/black part of the rocks, as a wave can sweep you out to the sea where you cannot be saved 

With only 30 permanent residents Peggys Cove still operates as a village with its own schoolhouse, church, general store and as you can see a lobster industry

 

The area is a vibrant community of local artisans that showcases their work through either a collaborative co-op, independent studios or curated galleries

My Picks
A) Hags on the Hill; an on the job neat encounter, as you get to meet the makers of the handcrafted leather goods, jewelry, pottery and its woodwork all at this location
B) Holy Mackerel Store; has a great collection of what i would consider non-tacky regional
 gifts and souvenirs 
C) Amos Pewter; you can have an interactive hands on experience in making your own pewter sand dollars, or watch the molten white metal cast into molds for something else you can buy
D) Neil Depew Gallery; features original watercolor and acrylic landscapes painted by the aforementioned artist and his mother
E) William deGarthe Art Gallery; this is my favorite as it honors the legacy of this sculptor
and marine painter who lived seasonally here in the village
He was born in Finland but immigrated to Canada in 1926, studied art in Europe, also the Montreal Museum and finally at Mount Allison University in nearby Sackville NB
Then he starting teaching at the Nova Scotia College of Art, which after during the summer school break would spend his time at Peggys Cove
In 1977 after his passing, the family formally gifted a collection of his paintings to the Province as an appreciation of what the area meant to him as an artist 

Originally called the Adirondack Chair (from the same name of the mountains) of New York, we in Canada have adopted it and call it a Muskoka Chair
So a perfect fit for our lifestyle in this Eastern part of my country

Located in the village and started by artist William E deGarthe at age 70
It is a 30 meter (100 feet) wall of granite that he finished 80%, before he passed in 1983
 It took him six years to sculpt these 32 figures to pay homage to the fishermen who lost their lives at sea and to the families who also suffered their own anguish 

Memorial
The last 20% was not completed, a fitting honor to the man for his commitment
 on this project

So why the name Peggy you ask.

Well the Hollywood version 😅 is she was the only survivor of a shipwreck who married a local
But sorry, history says that Samuel de Champlain (Father of New France) was expanding the land holdings for his country and named the area after his mother
Marguerite (Margret; nickname is Peggy) Le Roy 

The famous and most photographed lighthouse in North America (no kidding, look it up)

The first was constructed in 1868 as a wooden house with a light beacon on top,
 the next version was built in 1914 and even was used as the local Post Office until it was closed for safety reasons in 2009
Finally it was protected by the Heritage Lighthouse Act 

The Old Sea Dog paying respect to all those experienced and hardened people who made their
living on / from the ocean

Lobster
The season in this area runs from late November to end of May, it is dangerous work but very lucrative if you so happen to have one of those prized licenses
Crustaceans have come a long way onto menus world-wide,
as i remember by late grandfather would mention they would grind them up for fertilizer to be used on his farm in Prince Edward Island

Also in his time if you went to school with a lobster sandwich, you were deemed poor 
Well priced at $25.99 per kilo now (one pound) you will become broke
buying too many lobster rolls 😅

 Colors of the Industry
Great for photos yes but it serves a purpose, as each fish harvester uses a unique pattern of stripes or solid hues to easily spot and claim their own equipment
You will also see on the buoys painted license numbers, initials or tags so the authorities
 knows who owns the gear

Walking the rocks outside the village and watching each step i make
 on this very uneven surface

The awesomeness of Peggys Cove and all of its granite

KeyTip:
 Some of your best photographic opportunities is to park past Peggys Cove and walk back to it.
 Look close, you can see the lighthouse on the top right corner

Monster Surf
The sea was quite today but always showing her the respect it deserves
As when major storm systems move up our way from the Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season  (Dorian, Lee & Erin) the local authorities will close the access roads to Peggys Cove
 during these dangerous times

Showing the effects of the weather from the
 Atlantic Ocean

My artist versions from my time @ Peggys Cove