Weekend Retreat

I’m home from a wonderful relaxing weekend from the Cabot Trail. For those who don’t know where that is, it is in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

I had a great weekend. I packed early, found a cat sitter, and was out on the road around 10 am with my Mother. We had tea with her friend Marney who owned an adorable and rambunctious dog named Bel. Then we were on the road again to Pleasant Bay. Around 7 pm we arrived at the Chalet. The Chalet inside was freezing. I do mean freezing. I wore my mitts for fifteen minutes before it was warm enough from the woodstove. Once we had tea and the woodstove heated the whole cabin, I removed my mitts. It was late so we went right to sleep. I wore layers of pajamas and thick socks and five blankets. The wind howled outside and the fire crackled. We hung curtains and drew the shades down which helped to trap heat.

In the morning, I rose and made coffee. I peered outside the window, watching the ocean waves and an eagle that soared high in the sky. I stared out at the view and realized I was on vacation. The cabin warmed up. I had a nice shower and Mom and I ate a nice breakfast. I unpacked and got settled in. I took many photos of the inside and outside of the cabin. Mom and I soon went to my sister’s place. My sister and her two adorable kids were there. I had brought stuff to do but I never got it done. I ended up helping my sister with a million things she had to get done. I had her two kids in my lap all weekend. I can now get a snowsuit on a squirming child. I basically babysat. She hardly ever gets a moment to herself. I helped her harvest a large load of root vegetables such as parsnips, onions, potatoes, squashes, pumpkins and Swiss Chard. I helped her find Christmas decorations and lights which we strung between two trees to make a cool glowing blue archway. I had a great time and completely forgot about the city and all my stress. Elsie May, my niece, had a sleepover back at the Chalet with Mom and I. We slept under warm covers and in the morning after breakfast, went back to my sister’s place. Before we left, we made beef stew and cooked it on the woodstove. The flavor is beyond comparison. Soup tastes so much better cooked on a woodstove. We all enjoyed a few hearty bowls of the stew.

That afternoon, I spotted a Bobcat from the window. I told everyone and soon we madly took photos of the brazen bobcat, who posed cooperatively for us. Niki and I stood on the deck taking pictures with our digital cameras. The bobcat went into the woods and up the field on the far side, pouncing on mice before he disappeared. That was a lucky sighting.

My Mother was trying to sew a housecoat for my niece. So I put Elsie May on the swing and I pushed her on the swing. I lost track of time as we had a great big girl talk. She is 2 years old and never tired of my pushing her on the swing. Mom cut out the pattern and she sewed the housecoat that night.

Monday was check out time for Mom and I. We cleaned the whole Chalet and had to drain the pipes to prevent them from freezing during the long cold winter. Winters in Pleasant Bay are unforgiving. There is seldom a human being seen, much less a bobcat. You are more likely to see a bobcat or coyote than a person there. Isolation and unforgiving cold are the order of the day. I could hear the seals wailing from the ocean shore. There is no restaurant, grocery store, gas station or hospital in Pleasant Bay. You need to know how to survive to endure living there. It is tough unless you are experienced at fishing, using a woodstove and have a good reliable vehicle.

We cleaned the Chalet and prepared for the drive back to Halifax. We left at 4 pm roughly and made it home around 10 pm, only for me to find my internet connection temporarily unavailable. It works now obviously and I was quite pleasantly surprised to find a number of messages from people wishing me a happy birthday. I took over a 100 photos of the weekend. Shadow, my kitty, purred a lot, so happy to see me home. I was exhausted and waited till the next day to unpack. It was a great trip and I enjoyed the whole weekend. I can’t wait for my next adventure.