Travelling Lumsdens

September creates, for the Lumsden’s, a certain amount of shock in the household. We know what it means… but the shared denial leaves us lurching in the switch from vacation to work. Start of school, with all its energy and pace, is in huge contrast to the leisurely and free flow of summer. Yet… here we are as we push into the twilight of our careers.

Beyond school, and the shift into calendars, bell schedules and routines, we rekindled the morning walk, getting to the track by daybreak this month prior to the start of our workday. It’s really a solid way to get on the move and incrementally push on the step count with some daily exercise. Regular meal times, planned suppers and salad club proved another key to the trail back to normalcy. Further, we are tackling some lingering tasks, as Janie did a great job sorting out a new house insurance provider and we are seeking some estimates for potential home improvements this spring.

September proves essential at the camp. Attention turns from use to preparation, with storage of equipment, fuel and materials begins. For example, the raft got dis-assembled and stored, we experimented with some tech to boost cell signal, and the camp guitar came home. Of note, took the chance to stretch Grampy’s “Block & Tackle” to pull up the raft which was a real treat. No bugs, no mowing, warm days and cool nights… all leading to great work weather and superb campfire conditions. It’s to be soaked up and tucked away for the long winter/spring span of days!

Travel thoughts, and inklings of a March Break excursion, saw us sounding out several ideas. We are always on the lookout for a new destination / experience! Even when a plan doesn’t come to fruition, the research attempt is saved and more than once we have had occasion to pull a file, re-jig, and hit the road. We hope we may have something cobbled together for a potential “Black Friday” sale event in November. It’s a welcome distraction as an evening activity ✈️!

Ms L and I woke up, August 1st, in Marlborough, MA a day into our latest “Road Trip”. The journey, blogged under US Appalachia ‘24, took us through this less travelled region picking off some real highlights for us! Civil War Battlefields, Premier League friendly, Southern BBQ, Civil Rights Museum, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Pittsburgh / Pirates game, and of course an excellent visit with friends in Maine were all part of the 6,000+ km excursion. We’d moved away from this style of trip until last year… but have resumed with more chutzpah than ever! We pushed hard, but savoured the rewards of a trip well executed.

Upon arrival home, and a day to just settle, the focus became “Camp Time”. Gotta say it was a pretty productive set of days, including some paddling, trail clearing, boat launch maintenance, yard work and filling the wood bin rounding out efforts. Fired up the ol’ Weber Smoker for some company as well. August & July are the months with the highest frequency of visits (and visitors) for us. It’s especially nice when the heat breaks… the 22-24°C days coupled with 12-14°C nights make the comfort level of stays heavenly.

Beyond travel & camp (plus avoiding back to school thoughts at all cost) were several fun musical distractions. Firstly, an evening in Tatamagouche, where “Chittyfest” was in full swing by the time we arrived. We chilled to the generationally adept Still Guys Are as they exorcised tunes from Hendrix, The Doors, and countless other acts that might have been fodder for their grandparents. Pete, JP and I did a porch session (4-5hrs) post music that was relaxed, kicked in a wide variety of songs, and in the end was lots of fun.

Our second stop, a day later, saw the gang pulling into Nyanza where Pete was hosting a matinee for Big Spruce. He did a straight up 2hr set and rolled out 25-30 songs with a mixed bag of covers, his own writes, and folk/rock/country standards. Beautiful setting, cold craft beers, comfort food and Cape Breton ambience padded a perfect end of summer afternoon. Post music, we visited and stayed the night with a good friend in the Lake Ainslie area… beautiful old farm house that is in the throes of being brought back to life ❤️.

Last stop, two days later, found us in Pictou for a gig that Pete and I took to open for a group Uncle John plays with. Got in early for sound/gear check and had a nice walk along the waterfront area. Although short, it was a fun set with an appreciative crowd, good music and even a sound guy 😂! Of course, fun to have a few practice sessions with Pete and be on stage in a Dad/Son configuration. Monica missed out (but not really as she and Evan were on a well deserved run stateside to Acadia NP & Boston). Last days of August saw a couple of drives, some tenting, a project visit to Dundee and camp time! Great way to ease into a new school year.

This has to have been one of the busiest month of July spans on record for us! So much going on as July started in London, UK, levelled out in Canso for Stanfest ’24 shenanigans, and ended with a blast through the good ol’ USofA. I averaged over 16,000 steps a day and spent 13 nights @camplumsden. It was hard to keep up but I’m beginning to think that works best for us 😂.

For July I thought I might just drop in a few highlight moments… it seems the simplest way to recount this time around. Below are perhaps a few of the stand outs this month….

• Sitting, in awe, at St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
• Experiencing the throngs of revellers at the London Pride Parade.
• Talking with Paige and Josie in Westminster, while standing amidst the Thames, London Eye and Big Ben
• The quiet of a morning coffee ☕️ and cemetery visit with Ms Lumsden in our little Berlin neighborhood.
• Any one of the countless spectacular sunrise boat rides on Smelt Lake.
• A 29th Anniversary road trip and beach lunch at Taylor Head Provincial Park…
• The immense pride in our family’s Stanfest effort this year ❤️… 100’s of rock solid hours “doing”
• Singing Stan, Fraggle Rock, sore hands, it goes on and on. We end the month with full hearts

If nothing else, we surely understand our good fortune. In excellent health, we have been able to live our best lives, both at home and abroad! Luck, hard work, knowledge… I’m not sure if one or all of these have been factors, but we live a charmed existence and are eternally grateful 🥹!

June is always “That month” in our profession… another summation of a school year and all that entails. We usually don’t get a post up on the blog until halfway through July 😂! It’s demanding, exhausting, and often challenging, as students (and sometimes staff) move on to next steps and we tackle, item by item, the year end deadlines. The carrot at the end of the stick, though, is some time to shut down from that for a few weeks and hide at camp, go on a road trip or volunteer at festival.

June did see multiple trips to the city, including the opportunity to connect with the kids and enjoy a Halifax Wanderers match, BBQ supper and some into the evening board game action at Monica and Evan’s place. The game was a little tough to watch, but lots of spirit in the stands with singing, drums and lots of refreshment. Super fun day getting out & about while making a couple of important purchases (new hiking shoes & some Guinness 0.0 for me).

We also have some late June/early July travel booked! We had picked away at planning but took some real time to review and make sure that all our dates lined up and that we hadn’t missed anything. As always, you can follow along here as we will be blogging our London/Berlin ‘24 adventure while abroad. This rip across the Atlantic is with Paige and Josie… something very new for us (and them 😜) and we hope that it runs smoothly and the travel Gods don’t give us too rough a ride.

June was also a decent camp month as well, as several projects are getting “whittled” into shape. Cutting grass, tending the garden and continued “wheel barrow & shovel style” landscape work were front and centre. So happy with the little “garlic” patch and hope that by summer we have scapes to use during camp cookouts. Porch nights weren’t feeling too far away 👍 so bring on summer please!

Okay… need to discuss our “Front Yard”! Both Janie and I have a love/hate relationship with this thorn in our side each year. I love when it’s mowed and cleaned up, but find the task an absolute pain to complete. In concert, Janie finds similar difficulties in maintaining the beds and flora that make our space so cute! Inspiration arrived through Janie’s sister Laura, who made multiple visits with “Russ” to tackle the root of the problem! She slogged through some serious heavy lifting, giving things a fundamental facelift and bringing the job within reach! We’re so appreciative of the effort and obvious “knack” shown in being creative in the garden… 🙏🌹❤️ Luba!

Not to be left behind, the garden vibe rolled down the highway to Camp Lumsden as well! On the heels of what seems to be a dandy little garlic patch, we’ve also expanded opportunities for growth at our tiny wilderness retreat. That included readying for summer another garden plot seeded with onion bulbs, planters to experiment with chives/kale, and a refurbed herb space at the kitchen window. Further, a new compost space and expanded rock wall rounded out improvements. Topper soil, weeding and fertilizing have become new camp chores 😳! Fingers crossed it’s successful and the critters let things grow to fruition.

Busy, busy, busy… Camp also saw the relocation of two much improved mattresses from Cloverville (freeing up some much needed space) to Smelt Lake. It also prompted the cycling of a canoe barrel load of bed clothes for wash and return. Speaking of loads… trudged several 4”X4” post holders and concrete patio blocks in the hopes of prepping for a summer project in the works. Also had our first visitors of the year over the long weekend, as Monica & Evan made their way to the camp for walks, cards and some excellent grub! Lots of purposeful camp time this May.

A last major item this month was getting RAV4 hooked up with some love and an MVI. We’ve always been so appreciative of Cousin Mike as our car guy. He’s no bulls!*t, beyond fair and a skilled mechanic. By month end he had done major work to put our rig back on the black top and tuned up for a trip we’re zeroing in on this August. I could feel the difference in vehicle suspension as soon as the car moved. Sullivan’s Auto for the win 😉!

Oh… I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we’re a month out from standing in central London, UK 🇬🇧. I’m “minding the gap” as that date gets closer, so more on that next month 😂!

April was all about camp time! We managed multiple weekend trips, under wide ranging weather conditions, to our little haven in remote Guysborough County. I’m finding more now than ever that it brings us an inner peace that rejuvenates. It matters not if one is at the saw horse processing wood, winding through one of the narrow woodland paths or casting into the wind from a chilly shoreline, our time there brings balance to life. We know how fortunate we are to be able to have and utilize such a space at a moments notice! Sunrise, sunset, weekday or weekend, it’s a bright spot and always something to look forward to.

So let’s see… for starters April brought a Solar Eclipse. We enjoyed that with company (thanks Eileen) from the backyard… pretty cool! Another amazing bobcat Trail Cam hit at the camp was a huge hit on Instagram. A remarkable little “Show of Force” in our new garlic plot at camp as plants shot upwards toward the heat & light of warmer days. A steady run of chores (Waterline/Wood/Trail Maintenance/Spring Set-up @ Camp and Yard/Winter Clean-Up/Eaves trough/Propane Stove/Taxes @ Home) filled evenings and weekends.

We don’t seem to go too far, since Covid ending, without some trip planning / destination research on the docket as well. We actually have two significant trips on the horizon. Firstly, off to London & Berlin on a bit of an expedition at academic year end. This is a trial balloon, as we’re escorting two students on an “IB History Experience” abroad (our term). In essence, Tours of London and Berlin with a heavy focus on WWII and Cold War themes. We’ll dabble in marquis attractions as well, but the needle is directly pointed at items highlighted in the IB curriculum. A second more selfish excursion is being parceled together to run north/south through the eastern US with the destination being South Carolina, and an exhibition Premier League Football match. We’ll see that combined with several American Civil War sites that really need to be added to my collection (hoping for Manassas / Fredericksburg). Stay tuned on these as I expect both will meet the blog by mid summer. Happy to add, this was all done to the soundtrack of “Hopefully“, Pete’s new single recorded last fall in Antigonish. By all standards… a lot goin’ on!

The advent of spring is hopeful… lawns reappear, ice in the lakes melt, we emerge from indoors as the days get longer. The heart of our Atlantic winter breaks. A survey of the yard at home revealed a series of tasks… from broken wood stand to pieces of eavestrough that succumbed to snow lode. Branches, patches of ice, abandoned extension cords… bit of a war zone. Tools required, I guess, so perhaps we’ll create a list 😂.

March has also been our travel month for the last 15 years or so… we haven’t missed many (beyond Covid 🦠 shutdown). This break saw another edition of our ongoing quest to explore cities far and wide … destination Las Vegas ’24! We blogged our way about the strip and offered up our take on this popular tourist hotspot. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”… well not so much for us 😁. Just follow the link if you’re interested in traipsing along!

Post-break, and after a bit of recuperation, attention turned to school. I rallied for reporting period and Janie settled into some course work and IB professional development. Transition is afoot in my world, as prep / change is already beginning for the 2024-25 academic year. I balanced that with a few “ice free” sails to the camp to sort out the residue of a pretty impactful winter. Was nice to rest by the stove after a month long hiatus.

Lastly, we rolled into Summerside for the Easter Holiday weekend for a MacNeil family gathering. Kids, that aren’t kids anymore, and adults, that also aren’t kids anymore 😂, continuing a long standing tradition of celebrating together. The usual fodder of refreshments, sustenance, music and copious amounts of milk chocolate were in play! This was all absorbed, in no small way, by the MacKinnon household who graciously give up bed and dinner table in their hosting. 🙏 Thanks for having us!

Wowsers… Feb 2-5th, 2024 was something special! Maybe best proclaimed “Snowmageddon ‘24”, Eastern Nova Scotia was slammed with 80+ cms (nearly 3 ft) of snow over a span of 72 hrs. Resulting was a near complete shut down of service due to the overwhelming struggle to get from Point A to B. Lots of time outside, clearing our space (as well as neighbors) in anticipation of plows opening up routes in and around Antigonish. Hero of the day was no other than “Big Red”, our stalwart Honda Snowblower, whose absence surely would have meant hours (maybe days) at the handle of the shovel inching towards blacktop! She deserves a service this spring without doubt. 👍

Between snow removal excursions, and making best use of the shut down days that presented themselves, we dug into planning for March Break. It was “Viva Las Vegas”… baby! 🎲🎲🎲 Itinerary building, and the confirmation of transportation, attraction & accommodation requirements, found me much more enthused about our destination. In the end we hope to assemble something pretty special, and are betting the gamble will pay 💰off!

The other preoccupation was a determined effort to set foot on the camp doorstep. A winter ice supply run is the most effective method for moving cargo. Trek #1 was an epic fail (although we had an awesome snowshoe in the woods) as we were halted quickly at lake’s edge, when my ski pole poked through the ice I was standing on 😳! Trek #2, however, was “golden”! We managed 4 complete loads over ice with the help of snowshoes and sled. We encountered the most snow I can recall in recent memory, making for an excellent Heritage Day long weekend filled with chores and exercise. Worth the wait!

Then, everything in all directions! While I kept up with the shovelling and managed another weekend sojourn to Camp Lumsden, Janie and Eileen were in Victoria, BC where Janie was attending a conference with NSTU Trustee colleagues. Lots of prep required for that kind of time away from school so she was flat out! Meanwhile, the weather in Eastern NS continued to be ugly, with conditions that included snow, rain, sleet, huge winds and even “flash freeze” conditions. Add to that a little work on taxes and you’ve got a pretty “full” month! Good for the soul though… with lots of activity!

We mustered up our courage and limped back to work on Jan 2nd after what felt like a very short holiday break. With Canada tumbled out of the World Jrs 🇨🇦 there wasn’t even that annual distraction. Work remains challenging, to the point where I’m early into the bunk and look for breaks when the circumstances allow. My most recent assignment, in particular, has been filled with “learning”. I feel a bit like a Swiss Army knife most days! It’s perhaps best summed up with the lines… “Do the work others aren’t willing to do, and you’ll get the things others will never have” – Bruce Van Horn.

To break the slog up, we tried hard to punch up our weekend activities. For example, we did a River John staycation (on a stormy winter weekend) that had us in a log cabin, stoking the woodfire, and bouncing from hot tub to sauna. Totally relaxing (and great research 😉). On one of Janie’s marking weekends, I blew into Port Williams for a guys visit where we took in some hiking, hardware stores, good coffee and even meals with vegetables (😂). Another Sat/Sun we reserved for a city visit to hang with the kids, taking in a Rankin’s Winter Warmer at the Marquee, a Halifax Thunderbirds lacrosse game (holy frig), and a LFC win 🏆 at Durty Nelly’s. I think it all helped in keeping the month busy and moving, to the point where the daylight hours were increasing and we were in the heart of winter!

Of course, sprinkled in were several winter camp stays and outdoors time. Puttering with wood, following animal tracks, and chopping test holes in ice were all part of the charm. Got a project brewing for this spring and hoping that some ice may provide easier transport for materials.

Lastly, some travel planning. It seems as though the lucky “Las Vegas” ball has finally been drawn, and we’re calling that our March Break ‘24 travel destination. The idea has been dealt out on multiple occasions, and it’s time for us to ante up! We don’t really gamble, aren’t suckers for glitz, or even drink much anymore, but remain curious enough about this decadent, desert sun destination to be heading this March. Planning continues (as there has been a rarity of snow days), and although it’s removed from our normal edu-vacation style getaway, we believe this adult Disneyland will have many lessons in store!

As 2023 comes to a close a first glance might suggest it warrants a “good riddance”! Global unrest, climate chaos, an incredibly divisive and “noisy” media world, people living rough, political instability… all feeling a little angry and hopeless. Even our work as volunteers in chosen organizations became stressful. At school it seemed as though we were limping to break and the short days / change in weather felt ominous. Bleak ending on most accounts.

Yet, lots to be thankful for. In short we have our health, kids are thriving, our parents all living independently and we’ve got steady work and plenty to eat 😂! This year saw us visit Central Europe, do a X-country road trip, and even manage some home improvements (roofing). We downsized to one vehicle, spent more time out of doors, and are working hard on self-care. Further, both Janie and I have been so very fortunate to be planted firmly in broader circles of friends, to which we manage regular communication and even gatherings to reconnect, listen and rejuvenate.

Thus, we shut down 2023 forever on the move. While Janie worked hard at her NSTU commitments, camp visits were key to weekends of respite for myself. Notable events from Smelt Lake this year included the installation of a solar fridge, wildlife hits on the trail-cam, and applewood smoked trout.

This year’s shortest day (Winter Solstice) found us finishing up a relaxing several days with the kids and their partners in Hubbards, NS. This adventure had us gathering at an AirB&B for games, meals, and relaxation, whether in the hot tub, sauna or at the pool table! Perhaps the start of a new tradition, as we experiment with ways to reconnect while our family becomes more distributed.

So, there it is! We leave behind 2023 and enter 2024 with energy and optimism. We’re not much for resolutions and the like, so no real pontification on goals, mission or life change. However, we do want to wish friends and family best wishes moving ahead into the new year. Peace, and good health to all!