Whale Watching in Halifax

Kevin, Dan, Amy and I went on a whale watching excursion.

We learned a lot of interesting stuff about lobsters and lobster fishing. And no, I did not hold one. I won't eat the things. I'm hardly going to touch one.

We did see whales, which was pretty exciting! We didn't see them up close and personal but we did see them arching out of the water. They like to hang out by the cluster of fishing boats, which we had to stay a respectable distance from so as not to interfere with their work. I've never been whale watching before and to even catch glimpses of whales was pretty cool to me. We saw a seal, too.

And so many gulls! We three bread crumbs off the back of the boat to the gulls which, unlike here, are about the size of small turkeys! I've never seen gulls so big. And some are brown.

It was a perfectly beautiful day to be out on a boat as you can see. Just beautiful!

Delighted By Dahlias

Pardon this photo rich post, but I couldn't just pick a few of my favourites. They're all my favourites! These are what I took Kevin back to the Public Garden in Halifax to see. I'd never seen such a richness of dahlias before! And such variety. Obviously I don't know much about them or I would have expected as much. It's always kind of special to "discover" something you didn't know anything about.

Aren't they pretty? The bees sure like them!

The Public Gardens In Halifax

This is a beautiful little oasis in the middle of Halifax. When I was there it was very busy with people strolling about, sitting on the many scattered benches, and art students drawing. I also appreciated the signs at the gate indicating that there is no smoking in the garden! YEAH!

As I understand it, the garden was decimated in a hurricane in 2003 when many of the oldest trees were destroyed. I would have liked to have seen it then just to compare. As it is, I think it's a beautiful garden and I could have spent the day there. It was so peaceful. A good place for one's soul.

The main entrance ... these glorious gates (that came from a bankrupt garden in Scotland, or so I was told) ... is on Spring Garden Road, the busiest street in Halifax ... so I was told. And it was a busy street when I was there. Under the circumstances, the peace and quiet beauty of the garden was especially pronounced. I took Kev back there in the rain just to see it and especially to see all the gorgeous dahlia's in bloom! You just KNOW I'll be posting flower photos soon, right? Kevin and I got soaked there before we caught a cab to meet up with Dan and Amy for dinner.

"Recognized as a rare surviving example of a formal Victorian Garden, the Halifax Public Gardens are a National Historic Site ... The public’s dedication to protecting the Gardens was demonstrated in a remarkable response to the damage caused by Hurricane Juan in 2003."

Read more about the garden and see more images at their website.

Winston and the Birds

Poor Winston! Here he strolls in front of the Halifax Public Library while birds perch on his head. No wonder he looks so cranky.

Oscar Nemon sculpted this bronze statue honouring Sir Winston Churchill. The statue was unveiled on January 20, 1980 and is based on a photo of Churchill taken while he was walking in Halifax.

The front of the library on Spring Garden Road is a really happening place. At least it was the couple of times I walked past it. Chip trucks line the street on this block and there are benches and a long, stone fence just perfect for people perching all in front of the library along with a lot of green space. There always seemed to be lots of people hanging out there. I love to see a lot of people around a library. It makes me happy.