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.

New Medford Resident Fails—and then Nails— Wood-Fired Pizza

 New Medford Resident Fails — and then Nails — Wood-fired Pizza

By Margaret Wheeldon

Medford, Nova Scotia - Recently arrived Medford resident and father, Johannes Wheeldon, discovered the challenges and rewards associated with pizza ovens after he and his family moved into their three-month rental near Blomidon last week. 

The pizza oven was a key part of a Wolfville restaurant "La Torta," which sadly closed during the pandemic. The oven, imported from Italy, was bought and transported to Medford where it is now housed in an outbuilding, dubbed "the Pizza Hut." The "hut" includes the oven, pizza serving boards, wood, and various metal and wooden peels used for transporting the pizza into the oven. 

After the first effort, Wheeldon was philosophic. "Look, mistakes were made," he acknowledged, "but overall, I mean - well..."

Son and self-proclaimed pizza expert, Trevor Wheeldon, was more circumspect. "His first try tasted like raw dough with melted cheese and burnt pizza sauce," said the nine-year-old. Reached shortly after being assigned the job of scouring the metal peels, the youngest Wheeldon appeared increasingly exasperated with his father's efforts. 

Life partner and frequent supporter/critic, Liz, recognized her part in the fiasco. The pizza oven requires a specific recipe for the dough, and when that dough is not made properly, good pizza is not possible. "I underestimated the dough-making process. It (k)needed more time to rise and much more flour," she said. 

Undeterred, Wheeldon "suggested" his family watch "every YouTube video about wood-fired pizza ovens" they could find to collectively improve their pizza skills. They tested their skills three nights later after inviting their neighbors over for dinner, and fired some sample pizzas a full hour before anyone arrived. This time, however, the results were better. Was it the thin crust, a proper recipe, or simply newly-acquired wisdom that made the pizzas successful this time around? "With pizza, as with life, sometimes mistakes are the best way to improve," said Wheeldon. When asked for comment, his family and friends were too busy eating pizza to respond.

Though both ecstatic and relieved after Wheeldon's success, his family expressed some concern about his next project. "What is he going to do next?" said Trevor. "Is he going to roast marshmallows? I don't know, but I'm already a little nervous. What am I going to have to clean??"

 

Scope for the Imagination

Post from Liz:

As a lifelong Anne of Green Gables fan (both the L.M. Montgomery books as well as the Megan Fallows series), I couldn't wait to see the beautiful Prince Edward Island.  Our drive in did not disappoint - we sailed in over Canada's longest bridge and headed to the North side of the Island and the region of Cavendish. We puttered through potato fields and over red dirt roads and up and down hills. We passed shimmering lakes, all of which we dubbed the "Lake of Shining Waters", with picturesque farm houses in the distance.  The beach was crowded even at 4 pm (okay, crowded is a relative term), but we all splashed in the waves and read our books and soaked up the end of day sunshine.

We learned a few key PEI phrases - there was "talk of dirt coming" (bad weather on the way) and "Lord Tunder and Jaysus" it did rain and blow.

The weather did not cooperate with my plans to run through fields of flowers - torrential rains and strong winds made us glad we were not camping. We explored a fun used bookshop and tried an all you can eat sushi place.  We briefly braved the weather to walk along the waterfront in Summerside. There was an epic game of Monopoly where Trev cornered the Boardwalk-Park Place strip. Sometimes nature just hands you a down day.

We did make it to the Anne of Green Gables heritage site, sampled raspberry cordial, and enjoyed more drives through colorful countryside. The kids tolerated my randomly quoting entire passages from the move when so inspired.  

Thanks to insider tips we found a lovely uncrowded beach down a red dirt road and braved the clouds and COLD water. 

While I could have happily spent another few days there, my enduring memory of PEI will be the contrasting colors of the green pastures, the yellow wheat fields, the red dirt, and the blues of the sky and waters. Plenty of scope for the imagination (especially when the sun is shining!)

First Stop: Wolfville, NS and the South Shore

On Friday July 30th, our last full day in Vermont, we hosted a lovely family-friendly, fun, free-pile, forage, frolic, and farewell to Vermont friends and neighbors. On Saturday, we cleaned and packed, and cleaned and packed and then...cleaned and repacked.  

We made it to Nova Scotia on Sunday and the kids finally got to see their Nonna and our family from all over. Nonna is recovering from surgery and was so happy to see her grandkids. 

Some of our family at the hospital courtyard. Not everyone was thrilled to be in the picture.

Next, we headed to the South Shore, to stay with some of our family and hit the beach three days in a row. The sun was hot and the water was COLD. We rode the waves and played in the sand with our small cousins. 

After that we traveled back to the Annapolis Valley where dad took the family on an extended roots tour, complete with long stories, "historic sites," and a great swim spot.

 
These first few weeks have felt like our old vacation routines (pre-COVID) - a mix of the busy-ness of hanging with extended family, eating ice cream every day, and catching up with old haunts.  We are slowly unwinding from the craziness of trying to pack out of our lives in Vermont.

The Big Year? What the what?

It all started in the spring of 2021 with a big idea. We were (seemingly) coming out of the worst of the pandemic. Things were opening up again. We had often talked about traveling and living abroad with our kids to show them the larger world. Travel and experiencing other cultures and languages had been so formative to both of us that it only seemed right to share it with our other two favorite people in the world. 

Pandemic restrictions meant we hadn’t been able to cross the border to see half of our family; for a time pre vaccine, we couldn’t even leave Vermont without quarantine on return. Like much of the world we were restless. Over the next few months our plans shifted from a year living in Canada to a few months living in Canada and then a series of adventures and trips. All those things we said we would do one day – the pandemic and illness in our family had given urgency to those plans: the time to do the big thing is now.

As is her wont, Liz started to prepare by reading every book she could on the subject. Clearly we are not the first family to put our life on hold for a year (okay, 10 months) and travel. Most of those travel books start with the WHY of it all. For some this idea is crazy, for others, inspiring.

Here is our why:

• Craving adventure after a few years of lockdown
• Missing family, many of whom we had been separated from for years
• Escaping the political nonsense of the US
• Showing our kids the wider world, exposing them to different cultures and languages
• Enjoying time as a family while our kids still think we are cool
• Taking a mid-life pause from work and reflecting on our paths and goals
• Reassuring ourselves and our kids that you are not stuck on one path and that radical change is okay (if a little scary at times!)

LIZ:

As we planned and reflected, it was important that we all contributed to ideas of where to go. Our initial list was long and detailed but we have (roughly) winnowed it down. Some adventures – like Alaska and Cuba – we may save for another time.

Here is our rough itinerary:

• Nova Scotia for 3 1/2 months with a side quest to Prince Edward Island
• Head down the east coast with stops in NYC and DC to have Thanksgiving with Liz’s mom
• A meander through the South and the Southwest with stops to see friends in Texas and a few other key tourist attractions
• Christmas in Phoenix, AZ with Liz’s Dad
• Head to Costa Rica for a month of surfing, zip lining, Spanish lessons, and volunteering
• Return to the US and continue our journeys through the Southwest and head up the West Coast ending with family in British Columbia and passing through where both children were born (Othello, WA and Victoria, BC)
• Head back east along a northern route, stopping at Wall Drug among other highlights from Liz and Jo’s cross country honeymoon trip back in 2009
• Launch over to Europe for April in Paris, scotch in Scotland, and May in Latvia
• Return home in late May so the kids can graduate with their classes

TREVOR:

When I heard about the big year I thought "oh thats just talk, but when I saw mom reading "journeys of a lifetime"I thought "is this real?"And when we got on the road... "oh no, what are we doing..."

MARGARET:

I remember how this trip began: with a crazy idea to live in Canada for a year. Much like Trev, I didn't believe it at the time. However, as the thought evolved, I really began to wonder. Soon it was official: we'd be going on a trip -- and we'd be going everywhere! (Well, not really, but that's how it seemed at the time.) For a while, my first thoughts weren't the trip itself, but this: How am I going to tell my friends? 

When I finally did tell one of them, she persuaded me to tell others, and soon my whole class knew. But it didn't really seem real until school was out, and even then, it took several weeks for me to fully come to terms with this whole thing. My final weeks of camp came and went; it was almost time. A week of frantic packing later, our black minivan pulled away from the house one last time, and we were off...going, going, going, gone. 

JOHANNES:

I'm excited to travel with this wild and wonderful group of human beings. I love that we can take some time to reflect and decide what matters to us and where we can "put our good, to do the most." I am especially excited to see family we have missed and go on adventures we have always talked about. Carpe Diem!