Dreamers and Doers: 2014 Summer Trip

Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Our summer vacations are far from relaxing, but our adventures create amazing memories.  We spend months planning our trips and making itineraries to make sure we make the most of our time. This year, we ventured to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.  We received our Nova Scotia travel guide in the mail, and the title, "Dreamers and Doers" immediately resonated with us.  Dreams never venture further than our own minds until we become doers.  Prince Edward Island has been a dream destination since we were young and re-enacting "Anne of Green Gables," whereas Nova Scotia just recently made our travel list. This trip was filled with dreaming and doing - from taking a motorcycle tour of the picturesque Peggy's Cove to walking the PEI shores.  

Nova Scotia awed us with her sweeping beauty and charmed us with her culture. We visited quaint towns around Halifax, including Lunenburg and Mahone Bay.  In Glen Margaret, we met local artist and author Ivan Fraser, who gave us a tour of his childhood home and spun a captivating tale of Peggy's Cove that was blend of fact and fiction.  Our time on the east coast of Nova Scotia was filled with history, maritime culture, and charming coastal towns. The landscape became stunningly dramatic as we traveled the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton.  We began our Cape Breton experience at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center, learning a little about Celtic music, fiddle-playing, and step-dancing, which are huge parts of the local culture.  The coast of Cape Breton etched itself in our minds.  We took a few hikes that rewarded us with awe-inspiring views. White Point was our absolute favorite, a quiet retreat surrounded by a rocky coast, where our closest neighbors were seagulls and fishermen on lobster boats. The island is dotted with rural communities, and it is refreshing to completely disconnect from the suburbs, traffic, and chain stores.

Prince Edward Island lived up to its nickname "The Gentle Island," and was all that I ever dreamed it to be, from the Red Sand Shores to the Prince Edward Island National Historic Park.  We visited L.M. Montgomery's Green Gables and walked Lover's Lane and the Haunted Wood.  The visit is a must for Anne fans, but I'm sure we have all developed our own visions of Prince Edward Island after reading or watching "Anne of Green Gables."  My sister and I drove around the island searching for the one perfect spot that matched the PEI of our imaginations.  When Anne is naming the Lake of Shining Waters, she tells Matthew "I shall call it--let me see--the Lake of Shining Waters. Yes, that is the right name for it. I know because of the thrill. When I hit on a name that suits exactly it gives me a thrill..." We felt that "thrill" when we found our PEI paradise in the photo at the top of this post.  We were in French River, driving down one of the island's many unpaved roads, when we came upon a scene that captured everything beautiful about the island: lupine, red dirt, and verdant, rolling fields.  Prince Edward Island gives visitors a chance to unwind and take a few back roads.  You really can "...feed [your] soul where the blacktop ends."  PEI's beauty is unassuming and undeniable, both her landscape and the locals welcome travelers.  As put our feet in the red sand, gazed over lush fields, and let the breeze waft over us, we gave Prince Edward a piece of our hearts. Which means that one day we will revisit her alluring shores.

Nova Scotia

We reached Nova Scotia after 2 days of driving!

Peggy's Cove

The Three Churches, Mahone 

Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks

Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sunset in Lunenburg

White Point, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

White Point, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Looking Towards Cheticamp

A Rocky Beach in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Middle Head

Prince Edward Island

Green Gables House, The Home that Inspired L.M. Montgomery 

L.M. Montgomery's Lover's Lane

A Room in Green Gables

Dalvay-by-the Sea.  The exterior was used in the "Anne" movies.  

Red Sand Shores

French River

Greenwich Dunes 

Floating Boardwalk at Greenwich Dunes

Quintessentially PEI: Farmland and Sea

Victoria-by-the-Sea

Beautiful Lupine

Stanley Bridge Hall

Lark Rise to Candleford: Season 1

It has happened yet again...

We are engrossed in another British series. This time it is Lark Rise to Candleford.  Fortunately the series spans a few seasons, so we have plenty of opportunities to quench our unending thirst for British tv.  Unfortunately, the show is currently in its last season.  It is sad to think that such an addictive, heartwarming, and family-friendly show is coming to an end; but alas, that is the bleak reality of television industry.  Lark Rise to Candleford combines elements of some of our favorite programs of the past: Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (especially the first few seasons), and Anne of Green Gables. Lark Rise allows viewers to escape to a more innocent time and become part of a warm, welcoming, and sometimes eccentric community while introducing and resolving conflicts that resonate with our modern lives.

Over the past few years we have become increasingly loyal to British period movies and series. We are hard-pressed to find movies, much less television shows, on American tv that are comparable to our favorite British series in plot, scenery, and acting quality. Where are the wholesome programs that were once commonplace on our televisions?  In today's world, do we really need more crime-solving shows or sitcoms with crude humor? If programming is meant to help us escape the stress of real life, it is failing in our book. Shows like Lark Rise to Candleford are gems in the modern world; and hopefully, they won't become too rare.

We just finished Season 1 of Lark Rise to Candleford and are now beginning Season 2. The series starts off a bit slow, but hits its stride after the second or third episode. The series begins in the small farming hamlet of Lark Rise nestled amid rolling fields of golden grains. The Timmons family is bursting at the seams of their cozy cottage and Emma Timmins decides to send her eldest daughter, Laura, to her post-mistress cousin, Dorcas, in Candleford. Candleford is a small but enterprising town; and as a country girl, Laura must adjust to a more "civilized" lifestyle while learning the rules and regulations of the post office.  Lark Rise and Candleford have their prejudices toward one another, and Laura is often caught in the middle.  Throughout the first season, Laura matures through her struggles, and the upcoming seasons promise to bring more growth. Cousin Dorcas takes Laura into her post office family and becomes a strong influence in her life. Dorcas is a woman ahead of her times.  She is a respected business woman who operates a post office and owns a forge, but she also has weaknesses and is nursing a broken heart.

Meanwhile, the rest of the proud citizens of Lark Rise and Candleford have their own quirks and share of trouble, which adds an intriguing and comical dimension to the show.  For fellow fans of British productions, there are a few familiar faces in Lark Rise to Candleford: Brendan Coyle (Nicholas Higgins in North & South and  John Bates in Downton Abbey) plays Laura's father; Claudie Blakley (Charlotte Lucas in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice) portrays Laura's mother; and Julia Sawalha (Lydia Bennet in the infamous 1995 mini-series Pride & Prejudice) plays Dorcas Lane.

As Cousin Dorcas would say, Lark Rise to Candleford has become our "one true weakness."