The Highway Through Nowhere

Today, class, we will present a Nova Scotia geography lesson.
If you look at a map of our province, you will notice that almost all of our cities and towns are located along the sea.
History will tell you that Nova Scotia was settled by people who arrived from the sea, the basis of our original transportation system, and that includes a series of navigable rivers and even canals.
The provincial roadmaps show that our major land routes follow the sea coasts:

-- Highway 101, from Halifax to Yarmouth, follows the contour of the Annapolis Valley, from Windsor to Digby, and the “French Shore" for the rest of the way.
-- Highway 102, from Halifax to Truro, however, is a completely “non-coastal” route.
-- Highway 103, from Halifax to Yarmouth, follows the South Shore region.

Bonne fête!

Demain, nous autres -- les Acadiens et Acadiennes, d'ici, de chez nous, et de partout au monde -- nous célébrons notre Fête nationale.

C'est l'occasion de faire un grand 'Tantamarre,' pour proclamer: 'Asteure q'on est l à, c'est pour y rester!'
C'est aussi la fête de l'Assomption de la Vièrge Marie, 'Stella Maris,' notre Patronne.
Félicitations, et bonne fête, cousins et cousines!
---
Tomorrow, we -- Acadians, from here, from home, and from all over the world -- we celebrate our National Day.
It's time to make a 'Loud Noise,' to proclaim: 'Now that we're here (this time), we're staying!'
It's also the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary, the Ocean Star, our Patronness.
Congratulations, have a great Acadian Day, cousins!

Ford Explorer 101

During the past two weeks, I drove a rented SUV, a LARGE, black, 2013 Ford Explorer, and returned it this morning.

It was an interesting time, and I'm going to share with you how it came to be.
Two weeks ago, while I was sitting in the line of traffic waiting for the red light to change, I was rear-ended. A total of four vehicles were involved; our van became one of the ‘fillings in the sandwich.'
I felt quite a thump, and the seatbelt and head restraint both did their jobs. No airbags were deployed. My sunglasses landed on the floor, and my iPhone was whipped out of my shirt pocket. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one was hurt.
The police responded quickly and efficiently: three officers took charge to guide us out of the traffic into a parking lot, interview us and carry out the paperwork.
About an hour later, when I drove to the collision shop, I was informed that because of a gap between the hatch door and the body of the van, it was now undriveable

Radio … and Me - 26

There are few singers and even fewer songs that can take me back to a particular spot in my off-and-on radio career.
The singer is Jo Stafford, and the SINGLE song is … to be unveiled later.

She came from the 1940s and 50s, an era with plenty of great singers: Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore, Doris Day, to name but a few.
Each of these performers had her own style: Clooney 'would hit every note right in the centre,' Fitzgerald had the famous ‘scat’ element that she could bring in at any time (even when she forgot the lyrics!), Shore's style was totally ‘homespun,’ while Day's was a lot more ‘uptown.’
Jo Stafford's voice was different: more 'mysterious,' (perhaps because she sounded slightly ‘off-mic’ most of the time).
I listened to her songs -- and many other great songs -- on the radio, but was introduced to the beauty of her work during my first radio job.
I was a young news reader at CJCB in Sydney,

Chester Band Concert

The invitation from Paul, a Parish friend, went something like this: the Chester Brass Band and South Shore Chorale are staging a fund-raising concert in the middle of June. Would you like to be the announcer for the event?
Of course, I was intrigued ... and flattered, because it was several years since I had done any announcing besides liturgical readings. We discussed the date and time, the locale (St. Stephen's Anglican Church), and accessibility.
I thought it would be an interesting experience, so I accepted.
It turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable event!

The rehearsal was held six days before the show, in the Band's Hall, which required my getting help to negotiate two outdoor steps. When I arrived, the Band members, squeezed into a small room, were all ready.
I then met the conductor, Cdr. (Ret.) George Morrison, B.Mus, CD, former Supervisor of Music for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Learning to Drive

The month of June for most families is the time of many transitions.
High school graduations, weddings and many other life-altering events take place in June.
For me, it was also the month I got my drivers license!
Many folks may have forgotten a lot of details about their lives, but they can usually remember when they got this prized document.
In June, 1962, I turned 16 while completing Grade 11.
My folks had scraped together enough money to buy a new car, my Mom had learned to drive, and I was given the chance to prepare my skills to get my license.

(Photo: 1962 Corvair; classiccars.com)
Not wanting to waste any time, I got a copy of the latest Driver's Manual from the Department of Highways in late Winter /early Spring, and, I must have practically memorized its contents.
Even today, FIFTY-ONE YEARS LATER,

"We Did It!"

The newspaper headline said it all Monday morning.
The Halifax Mooseheads, led by top prospect Nathan MacKinnon's hat trick, won the Memorial Cup on Sunday night, and earned their first national junior hockey championship.

MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin score 5 points each en route to a Mooseheads victory over the Portland Winterhawks. Top NHL prospect MacKinnon had a hat trick, including a title-clinching goal into an empty net, and Drouin had a five-assist performance as Halifax held off a late Portland rally, to defeat the Winterhawks 6-4 in the final.
Leading 5-2 with under six minutes to go, the Mooseheads