The Sweet Ocean Embrace

I've been fortunate enough to visit just about every continent on this planet; over 90 countries in my life so far. Deep into the interior of Africa, across Asia and all over Europe...even climbing the heights of the mountain road from the airport near Caracas up and then down into Caracas in the wee hours of the morning...and being held at gun point in the jungle in Venezuela. All sights and sounds vivid in my mind.

But one of those most poignant elements of life in Nova Scotia is the intoxicating scent of the sea on a foggy or rainy day. As winter ebbs into spring and the rains commence, the snow fading from mind and eye, you can sometimes scent the salty sea on the air. Somehow it is comforting, a gentle yet ever present reminder that you are alive.

As beautiful as Canada is in the West, it is the siren call of the sea on a foggy day, the miasma of the mists carrying the oceans whispers. Standing on a dock on the harbour, one almost feels the presence of the old fishing fleets and ancient naval vessels that plied these waters centuries before. The history is rich and these scents of the sea are what tell us who live here that we are home and embraced by the ocean we live and play beside.

(Photo: Courtesy cmcsailor's photostream on Flickr)

Discovering Nova Scotia Gems

Yet another one of the great little things I love about living in Nova Scotia is the way you can stumble across talent in the real and virtual world here.

Tonight I was going through my Twitter "follows" of recent and came across a very talented Nova Scotia artist. She's active on Twitter and on the Web...because of Twitter, I was able to view, and admire, her work. Her name is Mary Ann Archibald (her painting picture left, and hope she doesn't mind me putting it there!) and she has quite an accomplished career behind her.

From spring through fall I drive all over this province with my camera and go hiking, ready to shoot a shot of a unique spot or a stunning seasonal moment..and sometimes just the bland moments in our lives. Yet as you drive the winding roads of Nova Scotia, and we have some great twisty roads, I like to rev my Jag down into low gear and howl it out onto the tight corners, you can also discover highly talented artisans.

In fact, Nova Scotia seems to have sprouted quite a few artisans judging from the Studio Map a good long-time friend and associated gave to me recently. This coming spring/summer I'm going to be sure to explore the artisans in our province more. The few times I've stopped into a gallery I've enjoyed some great chats and even ended up purchasing a few pieces here and there.

There are so many gifts this little province offers that we miss when we're not looking..online or off!