Ten months we’ve been here on the East Coast.  Ten almost eleven!  Not even a full year.  Not even a full compliment of four seasons. There are days when it seems we’ve been here forever, it feels that comfortable, and days when it feels as though we just moved in.  Another month has flown by…so much so that two birthday notices flashed across my screen and I actually thought the computer had gone crazy.  Why was I being notified of August birthdays when it was still July?  I should have a notice that says ‘it’s August you fool’!  

We continue enjoying a fairly active social life here by the sea with almost weekly invites.  Francois has found himself a fun group of guys who brunch bi-weekly at a local golf club.  They call themselves the Romeo’s…an acronym…not really sure of the meaning…maybe Retired Old Men Eating Out…or something like that.  There’s also a yoga group that meets weekly ‘just down the road’.  I can’t quite count myself as a regular but maybe once the ‘busy’ stops or at least slows down and the beautiful summer weather fades away I’ll feel more motivated.

It’s been another mixed bag of a month with more house projects.  I’ve secured a company to replace our roof.  We knew when we purchased last October that the roof would need replacing within three years so decided to proceed sooner than later…just in case…and before we start seeing any obvious signs of damage.  

Roof Guy

Francois has begun construction of our Crow’s Nest…a combination she-shed/he-shed/storage/green house.  Yes, I know. That’s a lot of activity for one little edifice but thanks to our time spent aboard R.E.D. we’ve become very adept at space economy.  There are some who actually live full time in less space and to put things in perspective, it will be just half the foot print of R.E.D. by the Sea, weighing it at 12’ x 13’. It’ll be a fun project for the fall and winter months.  

I’ve found a local contractor to do the concrete pour for the base of the shed now that Francois has completed constructing the formwork.  

Expert Opinions

Ready

You know there’s never a shortage of expert opinions and advice or offered help no matter how we might think we have everything under control and for this project, we’ve heard it all. 

There was an old tree, partly on our property, but mostly on our neighbour’s land whose branch could pose a future risk to our little shed so with permission, Francois cut her down…the roof-crashing menacing part…just in case.

 

The Limb That Was

Concrete Guys

August was also our annual ‘cousins weekend’ when fourteen of us got together in three cabins at Falls Lake for three days of fun and family time.

Family

More guests from away have decided to visit our little paradise by the sea. Even though our 24’x26’ abode has just one main bedroom and one guest room we’ve managed to fit in an overflow of bodies without too much trouble.

For a future road trip we purchased a tent.  Two people…two person tent…right?  Not according to the-soldier-who-camped for a living.  So I present you with our latest acquisition.  The tent that could house a village.  Eight-person…referred to as Papa’s Bouncy Castle.  But we’ll be so comfortable, he said.

The weekend in question, our place was bursting at the seams with nine over-night guests.  It turned out to be one of the best times to date at R.E.D. by the Sea with tent pitching, hanging with good friends, grandbaby sitting, a super delicious fish dinner and home fries with individual cheesy omelettes for breakfast all cooked by our friend Tim.

Two Guys and a Tent

Holy cow!  Can this guy cook!

Kitchen Invasion

One day during the visit, he picked apples from one of our trees and while Francois prepared the fruit he whipped up some very flakey pastry for a delicious apple pie.  We all agreed it was the best we had eaten.

That Pie

Having out of town guests means we get to play tourist, visiting popular sites near our own back yard.  

Even for those who would rather follow the road less travelled, a stop to Peggy’s Cove is a must…and standing in line at Dee Dee’s for ice cream is not optional.

Where Tourists Gather

The Cove

We have no trouble at all finding an excuse to drive along the shore to visit Lunenburg with its colourful buildings, UNESCO status and shops selling local treasures.

Iconic Lunenburg

And we were lucky to be able to see the magnificent Bluenose II, in port for the day.

Bluenose II

The four hour deep sea fishing trip we took was as much a treat for us as it was for our friends.  

Fish Talk

Dinner (photo cred: Beth Burlingame)

And amongst the four of us, we caught a bucket full.  Mostly cod and mackeral which the second mate filleted for us.

Second Mate at Work

We brought home our bounty from the sea in two large bags…the cod we devoured…easily feeding our nine guests, and the mackeral I prepared for the freezer…15 packages with four filets each.  Not too shabby for a few hours of off-shore fun.

Where Problems are Solved

Evenings, this month especially, we spent sitting outside in front of our fireplace, sipping and chatting into the wee hours.

August Selection

Speaking of sipping,  I’ve abandoned the meal delivery service replacing it with buying our food from local markets and farm co-op services but I found this cool online wine and whiskey delivery service.  The monthly choices are curated by five sommeliers and so far we’ve been quite happy with their selection.

Happy Birthday

Birthdays come and go without much notice for us but when the Wildling arrives early in the morning on Francois’ big day with a bouquet of confetti-filled balloons for his Papa, we have to take notice.  The heart-warming thoughtful gesture will have us picking confetti out of the floor boards for months to come.  Like the gift that keeps on giving long after the special day has passed.

Wildling

So there you have it…all caught up with our antics for another month.  Looking ahead to October, it could be another wild ride of activities…more guests expected …and…you may even read about how we actually took a vacation.  That’s right!  Vacation.  Not to be confused with Stay-cation.  

A couple of years ago I posted on social media about creating an existance as free as possible from stress, devoid of financial worries, one that embraces simplicity.  A life from which we didn’t feel the need to escape.  So when we started to plan this trip, instead of being excited about getting away, it became one of those head scratching moments when we wondered why.  Why go away at all?  Then the lights came on and we realized we had reached our goal.  

Goal-setting

We will vacate regardless because in part, it’ll be a vacation with an important purpose…  

…and it involves R.E.D. … 

…sort of.

Curious?  

Check back with us next month for an update.