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SEA’SCAPE COTTAGES
in Bayfield village
10 min. from our farm
There are seven little white housekeeping cottages, each with a little
deck. The cottages are simple, but well maintained, very clean, and
well equipped -- 2 bedrooms, little kitchen, little living room. --
The owners of Sea’Scape, Frank and Lelia Machnik have their home on the
same property. -- Sea’Scape is without a doubt, one of the most
beautiful pieces of land anywhere in the world. -- Only in Nova Scotia
would you find charming, little white cottages on such a sight.
Anywhere else, such a spectacular site would be dominated by at least
one luxury hotel.-- Owners, Frank and Lelia, are wonderfully
hospitable, and really enjoy hosting our Driving Vacation guests. --
They say our guests are among the “nicest people they’ve ever had” stay
with them. -- Frank has been known to cook up lobsters for guests --
The Machniks maintain a few canoes and kayaks so guests can paddle
over to beautiful Pomquet Beach -- 6 miles of solitude.
Phone:
902-386-2825
Toll Free: 1-800-565-0000 |
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PORTER’S B &
B
in Pomquet village
When we first came to the
area, we stayed at Porters. George and Margaret’s warm hospitality and
encouraging words played a big part in our decision to settle here.
The Porters, now 90 years old were the first Bed & Breakfast in the area
- They’re gracious and welcoming. They genuinely love meeting
people, making new friends, and staying in touch through the cards and
letters that come from all over the world. -- Their daughter, Virginia
and her husband, Bill, are gradually taking over the B & B duties, but
George and Margaret will always be on hand to welcome the guests to
their warm, friendly and spacious farmhouse kitchen. -- Each season,
a great many of our guests stay with the Porters, and when they come
back year after year, they always stay with the Porters.
Phone: 902-386-2196
SUNFLOWER B & B
in Pomquet village
Bernice and Robert Doiron are Pomquet natives, but spent their working
years in Montreal. When it came time to retire, Bernice and Robert knew
where they’d be going -- back to Nova Scotia, to the charming Acadian
village of Pomquet where they built a lovely, new house right on the
edge of beautiful Pomquet Harbour, and opened a gorgeous B & B. -- The
views are fantastic --Bernice and Robert are hospitality personified --
We’ve had some very enthusiastic feedback from our guests who’ve stayed
at the Sunflower -- Gourmet breakfasts and lots of special touches. We
had guests from Florida this summer who came in June, and again in
August. Their stay was so pleasant on the first trip, that they
immediately booked their room at the Sunflower the second time around.
We hear that one guestroom opens immediately on the harbour.
Phone: 902-386-2492
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It is not only Antigonish’s finest . . . . It’s the Best Restaurant in Nova
Scotia
Voted #1 two years in a row.
GABRIEAU’S BISTROT
Main St., Antigonish town, across from the
Post Office - By far our favorite
restaurant in all of Nova Scotia --- In fact, we’re not alone in that
choice, as Gabrieau’s has been chosen The #1 restaurant in Nova Scotia
for the past two years. --
Chef Mark Gabrieau who, along with his Antigonish- born wife, Karen, have
created an elegant and wildly popular gourmet mecca -- When Arthur and I
first came to Antigonish in 1987, there was only one place in town where you
could get a glass of wine, and nowhere in town to have a fine dinner. --
Now we have Gabrieau’s Bistrot and we’re hard-pressed to find anything else
as good in all our travels both in Canada and the States. -- Each year, we
strongly advise our Driving Vacation guests to eat at Gabrieau’s
the first night. --- DO NOT! . . . we tell them, wait until your last
night, because if you do, you’ll be kicking yourself. -- Go to Gabrieu’s
on day 1, and you’re sure to want to return several other nights. --
Everything served is exquisite! The servers are knowledgeable. They
understand food and wine, and are happy to guide you to gustatory delights.
Take a good appetite with you because you’ll want to savor all the courses.
-- Gabrieau’s has some wonderful appetizers, exquisite main courses, and
sublime desserts . . . As well as a huge wine list. (Try the Nova Scotia
Ice Wine. . . . It’s a real treat!)
Be sure to reserve way ahead as even in the winter, this is a very popular
spot.
Phone:
902-863-1925
THE
ALCOVE RESTAURANT
The Alcove is another nice place to eat in
Antigonish. It’s located at the second traffic light, around the corner from
the Town Hall. -- The ambiance is friendly and cozy, and the food is good. -
Arthur and I particularly like their wines by the glass. They’re the best in
town. -- The Alcove usually has a Mediterranean fish soup on the menu which
is wonderful! The staff is young and friendly, and the restaurant is
altogether a very pleasant place to spend an evening.
THE
TALL & SMALL CAFÉ
This is a delightful place for soup and a sandwich, or a cup of the best
coffee anywhere in the area. -- And if you go for a coffee, get a muffin
to go with it. In my opinion, their muffins are what muffins are all about
-- moist, chewy, not sweet -- None of that crumbly, cake-like texture that
true muffin lovers dislike so much. -- The soups at the
Tall & Small are absolutely wonderful -- A lot of them have a rather exotic
flavor, Tunisian or Indian. Whatever the flavor, the bowl is big, and the
ingredients are all fresh and super wholesome! -- It’s a charming place
with some interesting art on the walls, usually for sale. -- On first
glance, the café looks rather “hippyish”, and it is. . . . but the neat
thing is that the owners warmly welcome everybody who walks in the door,
whether you’re a 19 or a senior citizen. - In the evenings, the café often
hosts lectures and small musical events.
The Tall & Small Café is on Main Street in the same block as Gabrieau’s
Bistrot.
During your week’s stay in Antigonish, you
could see three different and wonderful performances at the Bauer Theatre.
-- Don’t miss it! You won’t believe such quality theatre could be found in
this little town in the heart of Nova Scotia. -- Most towns of this size
anywhere in North America would be hard-pressed to put on even one such
performance a summer season. -- Festival Antigonish puts on two or
three different shows each week --- PLUS a Late Night Series, and a
twice weekly Family Play.
How do they do it? Well, they do it because there are a lot of very
talented people living in the Antigonish area. It’s astounding how many
musicians, actors, and artists make there home in and around this wonderful
university town. -- The Bauer Theatre is a little jewel unto itself. --
A cozy, newly renovated theatre in the round where nobody has a bad seat.
We don’t yet have the play schedule for 2005, but to give you an idea what’s
in store for you, I’ll tell you about Festival’s 2004 offerings -- STORM
WARNING, a new play by Norm Foster, Canada’s comedy king.
DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER
- A delectable, saucy farce --- HUMBLE
BOY - A truly touching comedy with a delicious sting. It was the
bees knees! --- The Late Night Series included -
INVISIBLE ATOM
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Fast, funny, provocative, and compelling ---Also, on the Late Night Series
was -- TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A SINGLE WOMAN WAITING FOR HER BIG BREAK
---A solo musical comedy.
The Family Series produced . . . . LIGHTHOUSE & OTHER STORIES by Robert
Munsch as well as a wonderful production of OLIVER with a
cast of about 100 people.
Along with all this marvelous theatre, Festival Antigonish also runs THEATRE
CAMPS for children and young people. -- This is a whole subject unto
itself. So much so, that they have prepared a special brochure with all the
details. To get more information, call 902-867-2100 visit their
website.
The
Lyghtsome Art Gallery
Main St., Antigonish
Antigonish
County is filled with artists ---
(painters, sculptors, wood turners, stone sculptors, print makers, folk
artists, and more) -- One of the best, and our favorite place to go to see
them is The Lynghtesome Gallery right here in Antigonish.
It’s a delightful place, and I’m almost always able to find something to buy
for our own home, or to give as gifts to special friends. --- If you’re
interested in beautiful things, don’t miss the Lyghtesome. -- They carry a
wonderful range of art in all price ranges.
Owners, Beth and Jeff Parker have exquisite
taste, and a long-standing
personal relationship with the best Nova Scotia artists. -- Artists
like the incredible painter, sculptress, author, and naturalist, Lynda Johns
who lives right here in Antigonish. --- Lynda Johns is so prolific in
so many mediums, it’s hard to believe she’s one person. -- But, she is,
and she’s a true genius! -- I love all of Lynda Johns’s work, but my
favorites are the allegorical whalebone sculptures, many of which
are huge and of museum size and quality .. . . We own one of her smaller
pieces, and covet many others.
Lyghtesome displays paintings, sculpture, wood turnings, folk art carvings,
pewter jewelry, as well as a small selection of delightful Maritime books
and tapes. --- Lyghtesome is also a framing shop, and sells high quality
prints of maritime artists. -- Some of the artists Lyghtesome represents,
and that Arthur and I have purchased for our home are --- William Roach, a
famous Nova Scotia folk artist, ---- Louis LeBlanc, wood turner
extraordinaire. - If you can afford it, and have a big house, some of
Louis’s larger works are masterpieces of woodturning. -- Arthur and I have
several of his smaller pieces. -- Angus Braid, sculptor. Angus does very
emotional, human pieces. -- We own three of his works, two tall and
angular wood sculptures, and a small ceramic piece. -- Artist, sculptress,
Krista Wells is another one Arthur and I collect. Krista does funky,
colorful clay and paper wall pieces that are charming, and not expensive.
So, if you are an art lover, and wish to
experience the best of Nova Scotia art,
do yourself a favor and visit the Lyghtesome
Gallery on Main Street. It’s delightful! -- You’ll not find a better
place anywhere in the area to shop for a special and evocative souvenir of
your Nova Scotia vacation.
Art
Gallery at Beaver Dam Farm
Arthur Rivoire has created a “jewel of a gallery” at Beaver Dam Farm
in Pomquet. The gallery is also Arthur’s studio, and a delightful place to
spend some time on a summer afternoon. There’s a wonderful terrace
surrounded by roses and perennial gardens, and the view from the terrace is
quite unbelievable. -- You look out over green lawns and gardens, then
over lush horse pastures dotted with beautiful Fjordhorses, and then your
eye carries to the blue waters of Pomquet Harbor with its tiny islands . . .
. with the beach beyond . . . and beyond that is
St. George’s Bay . . . and in the distance, the blue/gray shadow of Cape
Breton Island. -- Whew! See what I mean by “unbelievable”? Arthur is a
life-time painter. He’s most known for his architectural style depicting
Nova Scotia life - houses, fishing shacks, piers . . . . -- If
you’re looking for a real souvenir of your Nova Scotia vacation, you
won’t find anything more representational.
Other local artists often are exhibited at the Beaver Dam Farm Gallery.
Artists like wood turner, Louis LeBlanc, who creates marvelous wooden
sculptures out of burls he finds in the woods. We love the ones with bark
and holes, and deep, rich color.
Louis has tramped the woods of Nova Scotia his whole life, and has a genius
for selecting a promising piece of wood . . . . a piece that is actually a
canker on the tree. Then he turns and burnishes until this forest
imperfection becomes a work of art.
Isle Madame is one of our favorite
places. Talk about a little jewel in the ocean . . . . Isle Madame is an
island barely off the shores of the mainland. So close it’s connected by a
short bridge. -- One famous Nova Scotia politician when campaigning for
the bridge, used to say he could piss across that little bit of water . . .
. It was so close.
Isle Madame exists because of the
fishing, but unfortunately, the fishing is practically no more. There’s
still a fish plant on the island, and still boats at the wharfs, but the
fishery is nothing like it was in the old days. -- The amazing thing is
that the island hasn’t disintegrated. Not a bit, it looks wonderful! --
The houses and picket fences are all painted, and there are wonderful flower
gardens in front of most houses. -- You might ask yourself, for whom are
the islanders spiffing up? - If you said “tourists”, you’d be wrong.
--- On this picturesque, jewel of a tiny island, you’d be hard pressed to
find a postcard for sale. -- You can buy Popsicles out of a deep freezer
in the local garage, but there are no restaurants or t-shirts, or anything
commercial. --- This state of affairs can’t last long. Somebody is going
to discover Isle Madame some day soon.
But, in the meantime, pack a picnic lunch with a bottle of wine, and have
that picnic in any one of the spectacular sites around the island. --
There’s one place that I love to go, but it’s so hidden, and I have such a
rotten sense of direction that I find it and lose it every year. -- But,
this year, I’m determined to find it, and map it, and when you come to
visit, I’ll share my map with you. -- My “hidden” place is a trail over
the cliffs around the island. Actually, I don’t know how far this trail
goes. Perhaps all the way around. I’ve never walked that far. You won’t
see anything except ocean, beach and rocks and wildflowers. ---If you’re a
beachcomber, I advise you to bring a huge knapsack. -- And when you come
back, let me know what you think. -- A friend and I once took this walk on
a rainy, very foggy day. We’d debated going since the weather wasn’t
conventionally nice. -- What a magical time we had. -- My dog, Champ,
found some rotten old fish bait and ate it, then threw up all the way
home.
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