Breakfast with friends is the perfect way to start any day, and we did precisely that at the Saltscapes Restaurant and General Store on Highway 102 near Truro—and the first occasion, a mere 15 minutes from home, to ask:

“Where are we going to park this thing?” That thing being the 30 foot RV that’s going to be home for the next month.

(Part of the mission is to scout out quality locally-made merchandise for the General Store.)

We had fabulous lobster eggs benedict at the Saltscapes General Store with our friends the Ruddocks and the Mott/Miller clan.It was interesting letting our 6 lab puppies out for a pee. It was a very cute puppy parade.

En route to NB now with the throng of U2 concert goers. We're going to miss Bono and the boys as we're heading to the spectacular Fundy National Park via Hillsborough and Alma. We heard Anne's Bakery in Alma is not to be missed:) . C U on the road Happy rainy Saturday!

Jim and Linda

1. There's still time to plant perennials, especially late bloomers such as asters, helenium, joe-pye weed (Eupatorium), Russian sage (Perovskia), sedums like 'Autumn Joy' and ironweed (Vernonia).
2. Look for shrubs with good fall and winter interest, such as corkscrew hazel (Corylus 'Contorta') microbiota, ninebark (Physocarpus), red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) and any of the false cypresses (Chamaecyparis).
3. Don't fertilize or prune plants any more this year. You want them to settle into dormancy without having tender new growth, which is apt to die off over winter. 
4. Remember to water newly planted or newly divided plants regularly, especially if it's a dry autumn. 
5. Collect seed from ripened flowers and vegetables.

Linda and Jim Gourlay, publishers of Saltscapes magazine, were among 14 Canadians to receive the Governor General's Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table during a recent ceremony at Rideau Hall.

While we do have more time to hang out in the hammock with a cool drink and a Saltscapes magazine, there are plenty of puttering "to-do" chores for the summer months. So go ahead, get dirty-you can always return to the hammock afterwards to read and relax, congratulating yourself on a job well done.

Woman seeks closure from birth announcement error. ~Truro Daily News, Sept 17, 2009

Saltscapes gets lots of letters with stories of various kinds. Here's one. It begins in Truro, NS, and ends in Truro, NS. It shows the important role that historical societies play, the power of the written word-indeed, the power of a typo-and the lightness of vindication.

Activity at the Saltscapes office is humming along at an accelerated pace this week as we gear up for our annual consumer show running this weekend at Exhibition Park, in Halifax. What to expect if you go?

Sure, I could tell you how great it is, but I don't have to: here's part of an independent review of last year's event from online food blogger Ruth Daniels:

"The aisles were full of great booths with information about everything imaginable: must-see places to visit; picturesque towns, outdoor activities, artisan crafts; and naturally, food, wines and other beverages locally-produced, serving delicious samples to whet your appetites and remind you that it's so much better to eat/drink local. If you don't live here, you must come for a visit!

Even the non-food items were tasty--I obviously suffered from tunnel vision--but there were lovely artisan creations like serving platters and even the soaps from Pampered Damsel that look good enough to eat. I now understand why you can buy a weekend pass to the Expo in addition to the regular day pass. I'm already planning for next year.

As a kid, I spent my allowance on penny candy, comic books and stamps; occasionally I bought an accessory for my banana-seat bike—especially after the training wheels came off. 

Collecting stamps was probably a nerdy hobby for a kid even back then, but I loved it because it afforded some measure of armchair travel. The names of countries and their ever-changing images were at my fingertips, if deep in a bottom drawer of a display unit at a stationery store on Victoria Street in Amherst, NS, where I grew up.

Truth is, I’m still recovering from the weekend. I had both a wedding and baby shower to attend (not for the same couple), and firefighting training all day Saturday and Sunday.

We are  all embarking on new lives of sorts—a new life as a married couple, a new life as parents, a new life as a rookie volunteer firefighter.

"Be content to seem what you really are"
~Marcus Aurelius

I was reading a marketing brief recently and came upon the above thought for the day, which is especially meaningful for me. Let me explain.
 
Jim and I unexpectedly visited his family in Scotland over the holidays-Jim's mom was in rapidly declining health. We were fortunate to spend a few days at her bedside in a lovely, well-run nursing home in Falkirk.