Monday, July 05, 2010

Trip to Nova Scotia, Day 13

In Nova Scotia, people frequently enter their homes through the door on the back side of the house, rather than the front entry. Such was the case at both the Dorey and the Burstall homes. I am familiar with the custom because my Aunt Karen and Grandma Andrus do the same thing in Marion, Utah, so I rather think it’s a rural rather than a strictly Canadian thing, but don’t tell that to the people around here. Here it is one of many indicators of how people in Nova Scotia are friendlier than people from elsewhere. I can’t fault them on the friendliness front, although I don’t believe folks in this fine province have a corner on that market. I write as I sit gazing out the back French doors of the Burstall home at the sunset and approaching twilight. All the windows of the house have been opened to let in the cool evening air, and the only sounds that can be heard outside are birds calling to each other from the fruit trees. Today Hallie, Landon, and Mike headed up to Wolfville and New Minas to run some errands and to get Landon another item of college attire from Acadia University. After winding along Highway 1 from Wolfville through Kentville and on to Berwick, following along Hallie’s old mission haunts. Mike did some work both before and after our errand run, and then we spent some time in the pool beating the heat (it’s gotten pretty warm here lately! Felt like about 95 degrees F with the humidity, about the same as Detroit) before going to Luigi’s Pizza for donairs and pizza. After Brad came home from work and we had some ice cream, we planted a maple tree in the front yard that the Burstalls had bought over the weekend and then went out to pick cherries from the trees in the side yard and gooseberries from the backyard. In addition to the cherry trees and gooseberry bushes, the Burstalls have peach, pear, and apple trees, and blueberry, blackberry, and red current bushes. The roses are in bloom, as are the lilies, so the yards are full of food and color.

The Burstall's back entry, or the entry they normally use, off the back porch.
Another view of the home from the driveway.
And another from the front. There is a front door there, on the left side of the chimney. It looks more like an entry when seen from the inside.
Us at Wheaton's as part of our errand running.
BART!
So true.

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