Rainy in the a.m., as forecast. We drove the 30 mi. or so to Port au Basques, from were the ferry leaves. Had lunch at a harborside restaurant, but still had all day to kill before we were due at 9:45 p.m. at the ferry. Did a bit of shopping, and the weather cleared enough for us to take a liesurely walk along the harbor boardwalk. PaB is a good sized port town with a short strip of modern fast food and retail; even a Walmart. The rest of the town is small houses, maritime oriented. The sky was clearing, so we drove a few miles to a provincial park with a beach, where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Long walk on the beach to the mouth of a small, but fast flowing, river emptying into the ocean. Interesting to see the sharp contrast between the brown river water outflow and the clear blue ocean water. Too windy to stay on the beach long, even though temp was in mid 60's.
The two Newfoundland/Nova Scotia ferries are huge: I figure about 600'. We called for ferry reservations as soon as we could see that far ahead, but even so we had to take a night ferry or wait a few days longer. And forget booking a cabin for sleeping; I think they are booked months ahead. Anyway, we settled into our comfortable reclining general-seating seats about 10 o'clock and worked on getting to sleep.
Here's the "I wish I'd said" quiz. Late in the night I was dimly aware of a child incessantly and loudly chattering, and S piping up, "Quiet!". A woman's voice responded from somewhere, "What am I going to do, put a cork in him"? Comeback? I was too sleepy to say anything. On reflection, my favorite would be, "I think I have a cork here somewhere.... Would a sock do? I'll take them both off for you. You might need the other later". A better suggestion?
Arrived at N. Sydney about 8 o'clock Tuesday a.m. after a good breakfast aboard the ship. Drove 25 mi. to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historical Site at Baddeck (BAD eck). Excellent museum about Bell's life, and a collection of artifacts, large and small. Turns out, we didn't know much about him. Born in Scotland, taken to Toronto as a boy. Mother was deaf. He took a job as a teacher at a school for deaf in Boston and started working on gadgets to help the deaf. At age 37, same year he patented telephone and became very wealthy, married deaf pupil Mabel, age 18. She turned out to have a good head for business and money, which he didn't. They built a large house on Bras D'Or Lake at Braddeck. Remained their summer home until they both died in 1922 (Washington, D.C. was primary home), while he worked on many inventions and projects: devices for the deaf, hydrofoil boats, tetrahetryl kites and structures (Buckminster Fuller ran into Bell patents when he was developing his domes), first Canadian airplane. House still there, private, part of family compound. They appear to have had a very happy life and particularly enjoyed their grandchildren visiting in the summer.
Good weather all afternoon. Provincial park campground at Boyleston on NS south coast has a good 1/2 hour lake, may try to get canoe out in a.m.
S back giving her fits after the all-nighter aboard ferry. To bed early.
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