Our Message Archive
March 2025
Sunday March 30
Dave and Al, co-owner of Sweet Ride Cycling, with Dave's new bike
Yesterday I finally got my 70th birthday present from Ann: a new Specialized e-bike. We drove down to Sweet Ride Cycling in Mahone Bay, tried it out by riding around a hilly loop through town, then took the plunge and bought it. For the time being, I expect to use it only on the hilliest rides but I foresee using it more and more in the next few years.
Biking has reasserted itself as our main form of exercise over the past couple of weeks. We have been skating a couple of times and we have walked with the Roadents in Shubie Park a couple of times but I have been biking nine times; skiing is definitely done for the season. Most of the time we have ridden a loop through Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, and out to Montague Gold Mines: about 33–35 kms depending on which of several minor variations we take. Today, for a change, while Ann was at church, I joined Norm, Pauline, Fred, Lynn and Phyllis on a ride from the Coke Plant in Beechville to Five Islands Lake. We started out on the BLT trail but then switched to the road when it became too muddy. On the way back we stopped at D & Jo's Market in Timberlea for coffee and treats.
Yesterday I got up early to watch the partial solar eclipse from the parking lot at Kent Building Supplies in Dartmouth Crossing. It was already nearing its maximum coverage — about 84% — as it rose above the horizon. The sky was almost completely overcast except for a strip on the horizon in the east. That allowed for great viewing for about 25 minutes until the sun rose into the clouds.
On Thursday, Ann and I went to see Symphony Nova Scotia play a couple of guitar concertos featuring Daniel Bolshoy. One was the famous one by Rodrigo and the other was a very recent one by Chris Brubeck, the son of Dave Brubeck. I enjoyed them but thought that Bolshoy was struggling a bit; he certainly had difficulty keeping his G string in tune. I suspect he has had better nights.
Ann has continued to volunteer at the food bank and doing taxes at various libraries around town. She also played Mahjong with the usual group on Tuesday and went to see Fat Juliet, a modern take on Romeo and Juliet, with Kim and Glen last Saturday.
Sunday March 16
Dave and his new skis at the top of the hill at Cape Smokey
A few weeks ago, while we were skiing at Martock, Ann had some trouble with one of her bindings. She took it into the shop for an adjustment and the guy's eyebrows hit the ceiling; he suggested that it was time to get new skis and bindings. We bought them second hand about 20 years ago so we have done pretty well out of them. Anyway, we took the advice and got ourselves new ones a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days later, we went to Wentworth with our friend Toru tried them out for the first time.
A week ago Tuesday, Ann, David and I went to the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper in the church basement.
This week, Ann and I went on a mini-vacation to Cape Breton with Kim and Glen. We left on Monday morning and drove to the chalet we rented at Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort in Indian Brook, arriving mid-afternoon. Kim and Glen arrived shortly after. Ann heated up some potato kale soup that we had brought for dinner along with rolls that I had baked the previous day.
On Tuesday, Ann, Kim and I drove to Cape Smokey for a day of skiing; Glen hurt his shoulder last fall and his doctor said he shouldn't ski, so he amused himself elsewhere. It was a lovely day and the conditions were good. Ann and Kim packed it in after lunch so Glen came to pick them up while I skied for a couple more hours by myself. That evening we ate at The Bistro, the restaurant at the chalet.
On Wednesday, it was warm and wet, so instead of skiing we went on a short hike through the woods and along the shores of Macdonald's Big Pond. In the afternoon, Ann, Kim and Glen went shopping at the chocolate and leather shops just up the road from the chalet. I stayed put and started a jigsaw puzzle that Kim and Glen had brought. When they returned, Kim helped me finish it. That evening was Kim and Glen's turn to make dinner: spaghetti Bolognese.
On Thursday, we packed up and drove home stopping for a walk around Baddeck followed by lunch at The Freight Shed Bistro. We also stopped in at Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza where I got some beer an Ann bought some T-shirts.
The week before last, Ann started volunteering to complete tax returns at the Dartmouth libraries. The first day was a bit rocky with some technical issues but after that things went better. She will be doing more until the tax season is over.
The moon emerges from totality
On Friday, I was up early to watch the lunar eclipse. It was a beautiful clear night and we had a clear view from start to finish from the front deck. I set up my camera and took a photo every 10 minutes but unfortunately I knocked it out of focus as it approached totality, so I only have decent shots from the beginning and the end.
It has been quite warm over the last few days so bicycling season has begun. On Friday, Ann dropped me in Halifax, then went out to Bedford to play Mahjong. I met Norm and Alex on the Chain of Lakes Trail and we biked out to the Coke plant (where the trail switches to the Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Trail) then back to the 5k Café for a coffee where we were met by Pauline. Alex then showed me a good route to ride safely through Halifax to the Macdonald bridge so I could get home. Yesterday, while Ann was making soup for the church's Souper Sunday fundraiser for the Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, I rode along the waterfront trail, up to Portland Estates, then over to Mount Edward, down Breeze to Waverley Rd. Ann met me at the Cottage Café for a coffee before I rode the last little bit home. Today, Ann and I rode to the end of the waterfront trail. She then returned to the church for Lenten study led by an Atlantic School of Theology student who has had a placement at the church. I continued on following a similar route to yesterday, but extending it by riding out to Montague Gold Mines before returning on Waverley Rd.
Sunday March 2
Winter aconites
Good news! The winter aconites, our reliable harbingers of spring, have returned. A couple of days ago, and for at least six weeks before that, they were buried under a foot of snow and subject to sub-zero temperatures. Nevertheless, they have decided that it is time to sprout so spring is just around the corner.
We have been busy preparing for the summer. I had both my bikes tuned up at our local bike shop this week and last Saturday we took Ann's down to Mahone Bay to be tuned up by the bike shop where we bought it. While we were waiting we had a pleasant lunch at The Barn. Ann has also bought a new helmet and we have arranged accommodations for the multi-day bike tours that will take place in June, July and August. We have also bought weekend passes for the Lunenburg Folk Festival.
We have also been shopping for some significant items. Ann has got a new laptop to replace her 20 year-old Mac and we have both got new skis to replace the second hand skis that we bought about 25 years ago. We are going to try them out tomorrow. We have also been shopping around for a new front door since the one we have has been falling apart for some time now.
We have also been skating and/or skiing at least three times a week to get a bit of exercise.
Social activities have not taken a back seat, especially for Ann. A week ago Thursday we went to Mike's 80th birthday party at Royal Artillery Park, an officers mess in downtown Halifax that can rented for social occasions. This Thursday we went to dinner at a new restaurant called Water Polo with Ingrid, Mike, Kim and Glen before going to Neptune to see The New Canadian Curling Club which we all enjoyed. Ann has also been to the ABC Book Club, volunteered at the food bank, been to a concert of pop songs from the past 60 years by the Camerata Singers, played Mahjong — where she won one game without any jokers, apparently a rare occurrence — and attended the Early Risers Breakfast at the church. I have stayed at home for the most part, trying to clear up the backlog of Guardian Weeklies that accumulated during the postal strike and getting the Ramblers ride schedule ready to go.