The Scarecrows are Coming!

The quiet little town of Mahone Bay was invaded this weekend by  a multitude of scarecrows. Rock stars, fishermen, bank robbers, politicians, and witches - all were in attendance.

This motley crew were by the roadside to greet visitors to the town. Aren't the oxen great?

While across the street the Phantom of the Opera played on.

Gracious ladies having mid afternoon tea with a little gossip.

Pirates!

A friend helping a friend.

Oh no! Bank robbers!

And many other unique visitors:

There is also live music, a graveyard tour, antique fair, and activities for the kids. Some outdoor activities didn't happen this year due to heavy rain most all weekend but it's lots of fun for everyone. Here is more info about it .

More scarecrow photos next time. I have lots.

Pirate Festival and Regatta

The Pirate Festival and Regatta is being celebrated this weekend in Mahone Bay. I got a few photos at the wharf civic marina. It wasn't a large turnout, but everyone was having fun. There were several boats cruising the harbour with skull and crossbones flags, in full pirate dress.

There was even a pirate spotted in a kayak...

And a couple more standing guard onshore.

These two looked really good.

Here is a link for more information about the Festival. Lots of fun!

Privateer Days - Part One

Yesterday we made our yearly visit to the Privateer Day celebrations in Liverpool. It's a lot of fun! There is an open air market with everything from yard sale items to very talented artisans displaying their creations, a parade, a historic encampment, and much more. Visit their website here for more information on the weekend.

Part One features the parade. Unfortunately, we were a few minutes late arriving. The streets had just closed and the parade had just begun. I quickly parked at the Chev Dealership and we ran. We didn't miss much though.

There were Scottish bands. Don't you love bagpipes?

Gorgeous antique cars.

A pink Hummer. Everyone in the vehicle had on very colourful Tina Turner-style wigs.

This one gotta make you smile.

Smokey the Bear from Natural Resources. When I was in grade school, Smokey used to visit our school every year. He didn't drive a four-wheeler back then.

Swashbuckling pirates and their lady. Flawless performances!

I hope you enjoyed the parade. We did. Next time, I'll show you the Historic Encampment. It's incredible!

First Event of the Season - Part Two

Here's the second instalment of our great day at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. They have two really awesome boats to explore: the Cape Sable, a decommissioned dragger, and the Theresa E. Connors, an old fishing schooner. Here are photos of the Cape Sable tied up to the wharf behind the museum.

BT and JT especially enjoyed pretending to be the captain.

This area is up in the bow of the boat.

This cabin is more spacious than the rest. It was probably the captains quarters.

Here are bunks where the crew would have slept.



And the dining area. Notice the wood frame around the table and between the place settings. This was to keep their dinner from flying to the floor as the ocean waves rocked the boat.

Here are a few photos of the Theresa E. Connors.

 The front of the boat is tarped because of a refit.

 It's lots of fun running about the deck.

 This old stove is below-deck.

This is a view below-deck, peering through distant doorways. Lots of natural wood and ambience of days gone by.

Next time, I'll show you photos of a harbour tour on a great little boat with a put-put engine.

First Event of the Season - Part One

On Sunday the kids and I went to the annual open house at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. It's a great family day with lots to do and see. As I have a lot of great photos I'll be publishing this in its entirety over the next few days.

The first photos are the street view of the museum. This building was a fish processing plant until a more modern facility was opened outside of town in 1965.

Please excuse the "Public Washroom" sign in the first photo, although I imagine that is a welcome sight to those who have travelled far to get here.

This is the back of the museum where a wharf runs the entire length of the building and along the back side of the parking lot.

 This is one of many exhibit rooms.  Everything you ever wanted to know about lobsters is in this room.

Some old wooden lobster traps.

A large collection of hand-carved decoys. Aren't they great?

Here is a codfish made of wood.

In this room is a full size dorey. There were also lots of boat models, all hand carved. The details on them were amazing.

This beautiful painting is in the room dedicated to those who were lost at sea.The opposite wall holds the names of the lost...so many...

These are just a few of the exhibits. There are three floors packed with "stuff" to enjoy. Most everything pertaining to our rich history in the fishing industry is here. There is also an aquarium with many tanks of various creatures from the sea.

Next time, I'll show you photos of our exploration of the boats on-site.