susys running away to sea

"The rigors (sic) of an expeditionary lifestyle"

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Friday 18 August

In Baddeck.
Got talking to biker/sailor Alan on the dock at 6 am. He gave me a lift to the Hi Wheeler cafe - biker caff, of course - and back. Now where in the UK would you get in a stranger's car (not a bike, sadly), on five mins acquaintance?

The Lakes are well tamed, not the dear old rugged stuff of Newfoundland, with its little white houses scattered at will among the rocks and tuckamore round the bays.

J and I went to the Alexander Graham Bell museum this morning. Not only did the dear chap invent the telephone, but he was also a teacher of the deaf. In fact, he always referred to himself as such. He and his family lived in and near Baddeck (Beinn Bheag) for years. Funny presentation - his wife was obviously a woman of means, character and forcefulness! Afterwards J needed to make a couple of phone calls - so we were in the right place. And after that, we had icecreams - a small one here is like a very large one in the UK. J had TWO!!

At the beginning of this journey, I read a book called Servants of the Fish by Myron Arms. Well, I saw his name in the visitors' book at the IT Centre, and then later saw his boat Brendan's Isle when we were sailing from Baddeck later this afternoon. I waved and jumped around like a loony - shouting I had left him a message at the IT place.

We sailed under jib from Baddeck, in the sun - how good is that? And when we got to a small cove called Maskell's Harbour, J and I went swimming off the boat. I went to the small spit nearby, where there were mussels and (I think) oysters in the shallows. J swam to inspect the hull. Caught him with his pants down tee hee when changing later - his face was something to behold! There were cicadas buzzing in the grass on the spit, and on its beach a couple of small wading birds with long long beaks. In the pines - much taller than those of Newfoundland - a woodpecker drilled.

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