Sunday, July 10, 2011

Bill & Ed's Excellent Adventure...Day 22...Wednesday, July 6, 2011...Visiting the Birthplace of my Maternal Grandmother








Early to bed, early to rise, so we're all up at the crack of dawn. No electricity hookup at Blomidon, so I boil water for the French press...it's good this cold morning.
We're off touring early, and our first stop is Grand Pre Winery...this is my kind of road trip! The wines are pretty good, but wineries here suffer from the same problems as ones in Michigan. The climate here is too cold to grow traditional varietals (chardonnay, cabernet, merlot, etc.). So...they have developed certain "hybrids" that can withstand the cold winters. These hybrids (marachal foch, vidal blanc, etc.) always have a weird flavor for me, but the wines at Grand Pre are very good...I buy a bottle made from a local variety, L'acadie blanc.
Then it's over to Grand Pre Park and, later, Evangeline Beach. Grand Pre is the site of the "Great Expulsion" that took place in the 1760's. The British rounded up the local French (Arcadians) and demande that they sign a loyalty oath and lay down their arms. Those that refuse were expelled and shipped to the Louisiana Territory where they became...Cajuns! Thank you, Britain...your loss is our tremendous gain (e.g., gumbo, po boys, crawfish etoufee, etc.).
Near Avonport, we stop for a hike on Blue Beach where we find some fascinating fossils...wave action, worm tunnels, petrified plant matter, etc.
Now we are on our way to the Chester Basin area, birthplace of my maternal grandmother, Ada Burke (nee Eisner). In Lunenburg, we stop at the local Maritime Museum to look for records of my grandmother's birth, etc. Unfortunately, we have no luck in this regard. We stop in Chester Basin, a lovely little town right on the water, for some photos before heading back to camp.
Ed grills up a batch of tandoori chicken which we eat heartily along with rice and some salad...and, of course, some nice white wine.
After sunset, Ed works on his journal while Debra and I relax next to the camp fire enjoying more wine. It's a great night for viewing the stars and enjoying some very stimulating conversation. Brenda and I are convinced that we have seen a UFO...right at the end of the handle of the Big Dipper, a light appears, flashes brightly and moves back and forth...definitely not a plane or satellite. It disappears and, then, it's back in the same place five minutes later...it is something that I can not explain.
We are all tired after an exhausting day, so it's another early night.

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