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On Wednesday and Thursday I attended the Canadian Marine Hydromechanics and Structures Conference which was, conveniently, in Halifax. On Wednesday evening, for the conference banquet, we went to the Grafton Street Dinner Theatre for dinner and a show about the secession of Nova Scotia from Canada. The dinner wasn't bad, but the show was very weak.
On Thursday evening my brother Nick arrived with his wife Annette and son Christopher. They are touring the Maritimes for ten days and stopped in for a couple of nights. We had a big lobster feed Thursday night. On Friday I took the day off and showed Nick and Christopher the sights of Halifax in the afternoon. Katy also came home for the weekend, arriving around dinner time. She and Ann stayed home with Emily and James while Nick, Annette and I went to sample the nightlife in Halifax. We took the ferry across the harbour and had dinner at the Old Triangle, but the music, when it started, wasn't to our taste, so we moved up to Ginger's, part of the Granite Brewery, one of the local micro-breweries. There we saw an Australian folk musician backed up by a local guy on stand-up bass; they were much better. After their set we moved to Maxwell's Plum, a pub whose claim to fame is the number of brands of beer that they have available (160 with 60 on tap). By the time we had finished there we had missed the last ferry back to Dartmouth, so Ann came and picked us up. Meanwhile Chris went with David to the Youth Group movie night at Aaron's in Eastern Passage. They watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the last of the Indiana Jones movies.
On Saturday morning Nick, Annette and Chris left for a day or two in PEI before going home. Before lunch James went to a birthday party at Ground Zero, the climbing gym in Dartmouth. Emily left just after lunch for another birthday party that lasted until this morning. Swimming and gymnastics lessons also started on Saturday, but James missed swimming and Emily missed gymnastics because of the parties.
On Saturday evening David stayed at home with James while the rest of us went out. Katy met up with a bunch of her friends while Ann went to a surprise birthday party (girls only) for one of our theatre-going friends, Paddy. I went to the Parkside Bar and Grill, a small pub in Highfield Park in the north end of Dartmouth, to see Fred Eaglesmith, one of my favourite singer/song-writers. The place was absolutely packed; so much so that about half the crowd, including myself, had to stand. But it was still a great show.
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We spent much of this week awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Ophelia, which was much talked about in the news with dire predictions of storm surges and power failures caused by high winds. It arrived yesterday and was barely noticed. We got quite a bit of rain in the afternoon but the winds were no higher than usual.
In last week's page I forgot to mention that last Sunday evening Carl and Roxanne, and Jim and Valerie came over to celebrate Carl and James' birthday. It is on July 20, but James was in Ontario at the time, and since then either Carl has been away or we have been busy. Anyway, since late is better than never, especially when there is a chocolate cake involved, we had a small party last Sunday. We also decided to give Carl a pair of tickets to see The March of the Penguins which just finished its run in Halifax last week. (Carl used to be the naturalist aboard an Antarctic cruise ship, so he already knows a thing or two about penguins.) Unfortunately our schedules would not permit us all to go together, so on Monday just Emily, James, Ann and I went (David had a soccer game and a bunch of homework to do, so he stayed home). Carl and Roxanne went on Tuesday. It really is quite a remarkable movie; have a look if you get a chance.
Our fall activities are beginning to kick in, though everything will not be up and running until next weekend. Ann spent a couple of nights this week getting kids registered for different bands in the All-City program. David will be playing trumpet in the All-City Jazz Band and the Dartmouth High Grade 11/12 Band. He has also started guitar lessons on Saturday mornings and will play occasionally with the church band. On Thursday evening Emily and I went to a meeting at her school to get her measured for the violin classes that she will be taking at lunch-time a couple of days a week (she is between a half-size and a three-quarter size, but will be playing a half size for now).
The Dartmouth High soccer team kept David busy this week as they had games on four different nights. I took him to the game on Friday evening on the artifical field at the Mainland Common. They scored first, but a few defensive lapses left them down 4-1. In the second half they battled back and managed to tie it, 4-4, with only a minute or two to play. There is a break now for about ten days until the next game.
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On Wednesday school started again. The kids are old hat at it by now, but our schedules will be in upheaval for the next week or two as we adjust to different activities. Emily will be continuing swimming and gymnastics lessons and will also go back to Girl Guides after giving Brownies a miss last winter. James is also in swimming, gymnastics and Cubs. Emily is also taking an art class at the same time that James will be taking a basketball course at our nearest community centre. James is also very excited that he will be taking Hip-Hop classes at our local school (he is the family's only avid dancer). If they find time they'll also go to school five days a week.
Ann here: Half a dozen mums and friends marked the start of school with a three-hour potluck tea. We sat under our beautiful maple tree, blue skies and warm sunshine and chatted the afternoon away. There were so many delicious munchies: cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, veggies, fruit, tea biscuits with chutney covered cream cheese, a trio of dips and baguette, blueberry cream flan and praline ice-cream cake. YUM! YUM!
The summer soccer season had its last gasp on Saturday morning with the Dartmouth United Fun Day which basically required hanging around for an hour for jerseys to be handed back in. There were some inflated bouncing games for the kids which kept Emily and James occupied while I waited for the jerseys to arrive.
David, on the other hand, has already started the Fall soccer season. Yesterday there was a try-out for the Dartmouth High soccer team and soon he will be trying out for the Dartmouth United Under 18 teams. He is also planning to return to Venturers after a hiatus from Scouts the past couple of years and will be taking racquetball lessons again (he is currently ranked 46th among Nova Scotian men). He is also taking guitar lessons and will play his trumpet and guitar in several bands, so he will also have a busy year.
Katy, of course, is at Acadia and running her own life now. She seems to have settled in well. Katy has tried to stay clear of the hordes of cheering frosh; however, she did go to see the hypnotist and the comedian and heard the bands from her window. Her favourite activity so far was the art workshop which allowed her to paint all day. Classes are good; only one text book is missing. As I write this, there is a math party in her room as three of them are trying to finish their calculus homework.
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On Saturday Ann, Emily, James and I drove Katy to Acadia in Wolfville where she will be spending the next few years. She is in residence at Dennis House where she will share a room with her good friend Krista who is also majoring in physics. It took us an hour or two to lug all the boxes up to the top floor (thankfully there is an elevator) and for Katy to unpack them all. We had lunch in the cafeteria just across the street from the residence, but otherwise declined to partake in the various activities that were available for students and parents alike. Katy is quite excited, of course, but seems well prepared to meet the challenge of university. This year she will be taking courses in physics, math, chemistry, English and philosophy and hopes to be able to play her flute in one of the university bands and orchestras.
Today we got up early (for a holiday) and drove to Ingrid and Mike's cottage on Heckman's Island (but with road access) near Lunenburg. Jocelyn and Puxley met us there and David, Alex, Puxley and myself went kayaking part way around the island for a little over an hour. The weather was gorgeous, sunny with the merest breeze, and the water was flat calm, so it was a very enjoyable outing. When we returned it was Ann, Ingrid and Jocelyn's turn, Puxley also joining them for a second go around. Meanwhile David, James and I took turns reading our books in the hammock. When they returned Puxley and Jocelyn took Emily and James out for a little while. Both Emily and James did very well and soon got the hang of the two-ended paddle.
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By the time the kayaking was done it was about 2 PM, so we made a rapid retreat to Jocelyn and Puxley's in Mahone Bay for a hamburger lunch. Then we took David and Alex down to The Ovens to go camping. This is part of the requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Silver Level which both Alex and David are trying to get. They must demonstrate that they know how to choose a good campsite, pitch a tent, light a fire, cook their meals, and so on. Ingrid is staying close by in a cabin, but the boys are on their own in the tent. Tomorrow the three of them are going on an all-day kayaking excursion, also meeting some Duke of Edinburgh requirements. While Ann drove David and Alex around the campgrpound to find a good site, Emily, James and I went for a hike along the trail above, and into, the famous coastal caves.
August 2005 Archive
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