Cape Breton Tour

We’ve just returned from a delightful four-day trip to Cape Breton.
Most folks would visit in the summer, when it’s warm and all the Cape Breton Island tourist places are in full swing, or in the Fall, for 'Celtic Colours,' when the foliage puts on a spectacular show and there are nightly music concerts all over the Island!
But, for us, this was a “get-away” trip to visit my cousins around my home town of River Bourgeois. The weather during the past week had been dismal, with almost continuous rain.
The first day dawned beautifully sunny, so we decided to travel the “long route” to Sydney (the TransCanada Highway, 105), to visit a cousin, who is a sprightly 96 years young, in her new digs at a seniors care residence in Sydney.
We had a great time together, and the scenery was wonderful! From Whycocomagh, through Baddeck and Kelly’s Mountain, wide expanses of forests were reflected by the Bras d’Or Lakes and other smaller lakes and ponds.

The next day was sunny again, and we visited cousins on Church Point in River Bourgeois and witnessed the frolics of a flock of ducks and even a soaring hawk, right from their driveway! We enjoyed the chatter during a “cuppa tea.”

If you are familiar with Cape Breton hospitality, you already know that a “cuppa tea” means: homemade biscuits, varieties of breads, jams, cheese, cold cuts, along with plates of cookies, squares, cakes ... and strong tea. (And that’s just what they laid out for folks of our age who have dietary restrictions!)

On the return trip, we visited a friend who is Chaplain at Bethany, the headquarters of the Sisters of St. Martha, in Antigonish. He Presided at a beautifully-sung Mass liturgy in their spectacular Chapel, and then invited us to “dinner” in the cozy cafeteria. (Please note that I did not say “lunch,” for that is a meal partaken by urban folk!) Again, good food and good conversation.
If you’re keeping score, you will realize that we had sunny skies with somewhat cool temperatures throughout our four-day tour. Around here, and in Cape Breton, that fact alone is a bonus, for mid-November.