Settling In by the Sea

Trevor

When we arrived at our Medford, NS home at 715 Weaver Rd extension (if you would ever want to visit us) the brother of the owner met us, and we got our first look at the house. It was large and perfect for our family! There were three bedrooms, two for the kids and one for the parents. There were two bathrooms, and there was a TV upstairs and another one in the parents room. And a pizza oven! (See Also: New Medford resident, fails and then nails wood fired pizza.) As we saw more and more of the house we loved it even more. Our first adventure was taking a trip to the south shore to see our cousins. And then our next trip was to go to the local restaurant Dickie Baxters. And as we get even more accustomed to life, like going on beach walks and starting school, we remember our first day in our little house by the sea. 

Margaret

After a month of adventures in Cape Breton, PEI, the South Shore, and more, we finally made it out to Medford, a little town where the closest "downtown" was ten minutes away. Here we found our rental house, where we would be staying for the next 3 and a half months. We emptied out the van, selected bedrooms, and, over the next few weeks, began to figure out our new home. 

Our first view of the house was amazing. The house itself wasn't huge, but it was set on the top of a hill at the end of a long driveway with meandering mown paths dancing along the lawn. We had a direct view of Cape Blomidon over a field of corn behind the house, and all over the extensive property were little outbuildings. Some, as Dad discovered and reiterated in various contexts for the rest of forever, were called "bunkies" because you could sleep in them. Most were slightly musty and cobwebby, but very cool to explore. We also had a front porch, with two picnic tables and chairs scattered all over the place. The front lawn was an expanse of green grass, with two bright yellow Adirondack chairs set into a concrete platform at the edge and a clump of wildflowers and grasses surrounding a path that led down the hill. We even had a pizza oven in its own building which was its own adventure 

The best part of the exterior of the house was the beach access. Remember those lovely mown paths, bordered by various wild grasses? One such path led down to a set of several of the "bunkies": a hollow lighthouse, an art studio, a storage shed, and an actual bunkie with a loft and folding table. Beyond those were a set of wooden stairs before another set of metal stairs, and it was these that led down to a beach. There were rocks, sure, big red ones with snails and barnacles, but there was also golden sand, dark mud, and rapidly changing tides. It was lovely, and we rarely saw any people there. The water, while not the best for swimming, was usually cool and refreshing.  

The property was great, the beach was great, and so was the interior, more or less. It was a two-story house with three bedrooms, all on the first floor. The garage door opened into a hallway studded with rooms: Trev's room, the office, the laundry room, my room, and a bathroom. The kitchen, dining room, and family room were all one in a big, roomy space. We had to do some customizing a little bit, but everyone eventually got used to the layout of the house. The upstairs was where Mom would eventually do work, where we would have music practice, and where we would all watch movies together on the huge TV. 

With each visitor, each beach walk, each family dinner, each pizza party, the house feels more like a home -- even if it's only a home for a little over five weeks now. With each piece of seaglass, each shell, each puzzle, each board game, we're making our little home in Medford a great place to be.

    Liz

 One of my favorite childhood books is Miss Rumphius (if you are not familiar with this piece of literature - then go visit your local library or bookstore now).  Among the beautiful pages are three pieces of wisdom. Miss Rumphius advises her young niece Alice to travel to faraway places, live beside the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful.  Good words for our adventure year.  

After 3 weeks of bouncing around among Air B and B's and family, living out of a single carry on suitcase for the four of us (because we couldn't stand the idea of unpacking everything else), we have landed in Medford, Nova Scotia, overlooking the Bay of Fundy and the highest tides in the world. In addition, to finally unpacking, we have enjoyed daily beach walks, the smell of salt air, hosting friends and family, and settling into our new rhythms and routines.  Time to finally catch our breath and plan the rest of our adventure year.