Maritime Magic

So, just to refresh, the Sisterhood has a goal of walking 5k in every province. So far Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan and Quebec have been crossed off our list, and just when we were deciding which province would be next, Don, a friend of Big Sis, suggested Antigonish as our Nova Scotia stop. Being from there, he painted a vivid picture of the town, and when Middle Sis heard that there would be Highland Games along with a walk that the Sisterhood could do, well she was not to be denied and so…Antigonish it was. Little did we know what a remarkable experience it would prove to be.

We’re In Celtic Country

As we arrived in Antigonish for the Highland Games, we saw men in kilts everywhere (and ladies too), tartan swags decorating Main Street, bagpipe music playing and lots and lots of people. Clearly this was a well established event in this small town.

After a spin down Main Street, we found our motel and settled in. Little Sis was none too pleased that she got the air mattress again, but what can I say, age has its benefits.🤣 Our room was cozy (real estate speak for tiny) and we were happy to discover that breakfast was included. Given that we were on vacation, I decided that comfort was of utmost importance and so would to wear my pyjamas and housecoat to breakfast. We were on vacation after all. This however caused some funny looks from other patrons and perhaps was the reason that the breakfast server seemed to shy away from us during our stay and made her opinion known when on our last day I attended breakfast fully clothed. She commented that she didn’t recognize me without my housecoat. Perhaps there is an unwritten rule about housecoats at this establishment?

Len and the Sisterhood

As she is wont to do, when Big Sis saw how busy the town was, she immediately started to fret about parking for the Games. We drove around and around sussing out potential parking places. Just when her anxiety level was reaching a fever pitch, Don’s brother Len saved the day. Turns out he lives a block away from where the Games were being held and offered us a parking spot at his apartment complex along with access to his air-conditioned apartment when we needed a break from the sweltering heat. And this was just the beginning of Len’s generosity and kindness, but more about that later. I will say though, before I even met Len I knew I liked him when, rather than sending us a GPS pin for directions to his place, he sent a hand drawn map. Our kind of people!

Let the Games Begin

As you may remember, I was a highland dancer for many years in my youth. Needless to say I was excited about the chance to attend the Highland Games and watch all the dancers and pipers competing. But I did not realize the magnitude of the Antigonish Highland Games until we were watching the opening day parade and saw there were at least ten pipe bands participating from locations far and wide. Clearly this was the real deal and we were in for treat! Well, I was in for a treat, my sisters not so much, although I will say they were good sports about it.

Our time at the Games was mainly split between watching highland dancing and trying to find shade and water to cope with the heat. Despite the heat, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. I surprised myself that I remembered most of the dances and had to restrain myself from saying “point, behind, in front, behind” out loud when watching the Highland Fling. The wee dancers competing were adorable, but my favourite was watching the elite dancers who displayed amazing precision and strength in their dancing. Watching them I was reminded why after years of dancing my knees are as temperamental as they are….

In retrospect, the highlight of the Games for me turned out not to be the dancing, but rather the mass pipes and drums. I love bagpipe music and when you have multiple pipe bands performing together it is quite something to see and hear. When they played Amazing Grace en masse, it was all over for me – the tears flowed. I think I even detected a tear in Little Sis’ eye by the end of it. See what you think:

In the Kitchen With Len

From the moment we met Len, he took us under his wing and made our time in Antigonish so much more than a usual tourist experience. As well as opening his home to us, he brought us to a local author’s book launch, took us to a street fair, got us a front row seat at the opening day parade, gave us a personal tour of St FX university campus, and introduced us to many interesting people. Everywhere we went, people knew Len and he knew them. It reminded me of when we would take walks with mom and she would stop and chat with pretty much everyone along the way.

But the highlight event by far was the kitchen party Len hosted. He gathered an eclectic group of family and friends for an unforgettable evening of good food, drinks, singing, drinks, dancing, drinks and a whole lot of laughter and fun. We sang our hearts out (yes, even I sang) to tunes like It’s A Long Way to Tipperary and Sweet Molly Malone. I kept thinking how much Dad would have loved it.

There wasn’t a song that Len couldn’t play on his guitar and at one point he and his brothers sang a beautiful traditional Nova Scotia ballad in three part harmony. And when they sang Danny boy well, you guessed it – the tears started to flow.

The evening was capped off with a terrifying cab ride in the wee hours back to our motel at breakneck speed as the cabbie explained he was the only one working and in great demand.

Walk Five Miles in My Shoes

We were having so much fun, we almost forgot about walking our 5K. There also was a slight wrench thrown in the works when we discovered that the official race of the Highland Games was five miles not 5k as we originally thought. Now, the Sisterhood is made of hearty stock, but five miles was a bridge too far, so we decided to improvise and make our own 5k race. We also had to consider the fact that Big Sis had a sore foot (which turned out to be a broken bone and resulted in her having to wear a boot for several weeks) and so a trail walk was out and a cushioned surface was a must if she was going to be able to soldier through. Enter the St FX rubberized track.

On race day it was, as Robin Williams said in the movie Good Morning Vietnam, “hot, damn hot” and so, armed with copious amounts of water, many layers of sunscreen, StFX t-shirts, and a bucket load of determination, we started our walk. Uncertain as to whether Big Sis would be able to go the distance, we started slow and strategized about how we would cope should she not be able to finish. We also thought it important to document our progress in the event that Big Sis would have to bow out.

Needless to say approximately one hour later, hot, sweaty and exhausted the Sisterhood triumphantly completed the 5k distance. Nova Scotia was officially checked off our list!

Crispin and His Critters

Long before we ever met Len in person, he was instrumental in helping get the Sisterhood going when he referred us to his IT guy Crispin, who had the patience of Job in helping us set up the Sisterhood blog. Crispin also lives in the Antigonish area and so it was only fitting that our trip included a visit to meet him in person. Not only is Crispin an IT person extraordinaire, but he also has a farm with a variety of animals including pigs, goats and sheep. So not only did we get to meet our IT hero in person and thank him, but we also got to meet all the animals. My favourite was a sheep named Cher but the goats seemed to like me the best.

Farewell to Antigonish

After monopolizing Len’s time for the better part of a week, it was time for the Sisterhood to say goodbye to Antigonish and so a farewell and thank you lunch was in order. We had a delightful time with Len, his brother Don and Nicky, Don’s partner. I’m sure our server is still talking about that crazy group where three of the people at the table each asked her privately to take care of the bill. And in case you’re wondering who won that battle and paid the bill, all I’ll say is I learned from the best – Harvey Sullivan!