Whales and Weather

The weekend was recuperative. We were able to get our bearings. Jessica came with us to Cowboys and Aliens, a movie experience that was perfectly summed up by its title. I had a great time (I will never see it again), and Julie was looking for a little more camp. It did take itself very seriously, but that's one of the things I liked about it. Jessica came back for a second night so that we could all be up early for the Natal Day race Monday morning. We had a good visit and broke out her copy of Blockus 3D which, I'm sad to say, tested our balancing skills more than our ability to strategize. Stick with the classic and you'll do just fine.

Monday morning was race day. Now the plan was to register for the Natal Day race right after we arrived and then train for a month leading up to it. Julie did OK with getting out and running. I, on the other hand, went for a total of three short runs which could hardly be labelled as training. Lucy had two practice runs and Liam went for one (though he has been playing tennis quite regularly).

We're all winners (see the medals!)

The Bay of Fundy. Don't mind those clouds.

James on the Ferry to Long Island (second shortest Ferry ride)

"Yes, James, we're still going on the boat."

The problem with registering early for a race like that is that everyone can see that you've registered. Even though I know the whole world isn't looking at my name and wondering if I'm really going to go through with it, it feels that way (just like it feels that the whole world might very well be reading my blog even though intellectually I know I have a readership that I could comfortable count on one hand). So the world-- that's a lot of pressure to do something you're not really ready for.

It was only two miles, but two miles for someone as out of shape as I felt was a little daunting. I had one goal: not to be last. It wasn't much of a goal, but after seeing some of the participants, it felt achievable. I wasn't last, but I was a far cry from first. http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/results-show.php?result=1338 I am happy to say that I wasn't incapacitated by the run and I feel like I've got a sense of what I want to shoot for down the line in terms of speed and distance. The best part of the race was the fact that Jessica and Grandma were there along with us. You really can go further and faster if you feel like you're not alone.

The rest of the day was spent avoiding weather forecasts and packing for our gettaway with Grandma and Grandpa. After swimming lessons, we drove down to Digby. After spending nearly twenty hours in the car late last week, I have to say that our kids did very well with the trip.

Tuesday morning we were greeted with thunder and lightening, but the captain of the whale cruise we had booked assured us that we would be going out that afternoon. So after a brief driving tour of Digby (a brief tour is really all you need), we made the long drive down Digby neck looking for breaks in the clouds the whole way there. It's funny the things you cling to when faced with the inevitable. We then took the ferry to Long Island and drove the length of it. The storm was getting worse, and by the time we had made it to the dock, the tour had been pushed back an hour. No problem, we'll just have lunch at the restaurant on the shore, only the cook hasn't shown up because of the weather. Not a good sign. So we drive back to the other side of the island to see about some food, still clinging to the hope of a whale cruise in the afternoon. It was not to be. James summed it up best when he said, "Nova Scotia winters are soggy!"

What do you mean there's no food?

I couldn't help but think as I watched the rain pour down and the lightening cascade along the horizon that it would make for a more interesting blog post than a sunny day at the park. Weather in Nova Scotia can be a bit of a mixed bag, but so far it hasn't really impeded what we've planned on doing. Time's starting to get a little short now and the need for the cooperation of the elements is a little more critical. Originally, we were going to try and go to Upper Clements Park, but we universally agreed that Whale Watching was the priority. My kids took the cancellation in stride.

Yes, it is four in the afternoon, and yes, everyone
is in pyjamas.

The storm broke later that evening which gave us just enough time to walk along the docks of Digby. After asking around, we learned that apart from walks along the dock and eating great seafood, there's not much to do in Digby. It was then that I became very grateful for my Netflix streaming account. We crowded around Grandma's computer with some pizza and watched Ramona and Beezus, a family film that was much better than it should have been. Highly recommended.

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After a good night's sleep we were off again down the Digby neck. There was no lightening, which was a good sign, but there wasn't a hint of blue sky either. I'm sure there was more than one prayer muttered along the way.

Before the cruise, we stopped off to see the famous balancing rock. There is a trail on Long Island that on a nice day would have been a bit of a walk. After the storms of the day before, however, it was an actual wilderness hike. The trail had become flooded at certain points which turned some of our party around, but Lucy forged on, and, as her Dad, I felt a bit of an obligation to follow. Grandpa, Liam, and Mom also took up the challenge. I will say that it was a trip worth the squishy feet we had to contended with the rest of the day.

Flooded!

Rasberries!

We then had a hurried lunch and were off to sea. Even though the skies were grey and the weather was worhty of winter coats, our aftenoon on the ocean was definitely one of the highlights of our summer. It's hard to find the words to describe what we saw. Even the pictures can't give you a sense of what it was like to be so close to such magnificent creatures.

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"People keep taking pictures of me because I'm cute, right?"

Liam at work!

We had a long drive home that was broken up by a visit to Swiss Chalet (yep, Sarah, you may be able to ship Dad down to Texas for a month, but the only way you'll ever get to enjoy that succulent chicken and ribs, not to mention those heavenly fries, is to actually come here and visit). Miley was very excited to see James when we came through the door and James had slept enough in the car to not feel the need to go straight to bed.

We were so glad to have gone, but being able to share the trip with Grandma and Grandpa made the experience better in every possible way. We are so grateful for all that they did to prepare for the trip and, more importantly, for the time we were able to spend with them.