Trees down, trees up

Several of our 'original trees' in the downtown have finally succumbed to Dutch Elm disease and were taken down (before falling down) this week.

I'm happy to say that that we thought ahead about the impending demise of these historic trees and started a tree planting program for the civic gardens around the Band Stand a few years ago. Ten families have donated pine or oak trees to the "Family Tree" program! These trees have settled in well and are a welcome addition to the green spaces of downtown.

Tennis anyone?

Those of you who are my age or older (I'll let you self-sort....) will likely remember when Parrsboro had a very active Tennis Club. The courts were pretty much fully booked - you even had to sign up - in the 70s & 80s.

Tennis is a fun sport for all ages and we are fortunate to have two nicely surfaced courts here in the centre of town.

Great news from Marc at Parrsboro Recreation that the courts have just been fitted with new nets! Actually lots of good info about new activities in Parrsboro on their new facebook page: check it this link. Way to go Marc....gettin us movin' again with all your fun rec ideas!

Parrsboro in the news

Nice article in The Citizen newspaper this week about recent tourism-related activities around about town. Click this link. If you live in town you may have noticed the first of the new Parrsboro banners on Upper Main St & Eastern Ave. I'll get a picture to post here when it stops raining for your viewing pleasure. More banners to come in a few weeks...!

If you really love the beach....

One way I try to sort out the real beach lovers from their fair weather imposters is to see who still likes going to the beach on cloudy, rainy, stormy or snowy days.

Beaches, I contend, are largely under-appreciated by those who only visit in good weather. Check out my "dull day" pics of the Parrsboro harbour: steel-grey, still, serene.....perfect.

Clean up fun downtown on Saturday

If you're in the Parrsboro 'hood tomorrow, dust off your rakes, grab your gardening gloves and head on downtown tomorrow for Community Cleanup Day. The event starts at 10:30 at the Town Hall and includes food! (what Parrsboro event doesn't?) hotdogs, pop, T-shirts for helpers

A great chance to visit with fellow Parrsboroians of all ages and to grow even more civic pride in our pretty town. Starts 10:30.

Fiddle Camp concert tonight

One of the other long-standing events in Parrsboro on the May long weekend is a Fiddle Camp at Ship's Company Theatre. This is a neat idea that they started about 5 years ago. Aspiring fiddlers and keyboard accompanists from near and far (mostly adults but some kids too) come here from Friday to Monday to take workshops from some of the region's best musicians: Gordon Stobe, Kendra MacGillvary, Kelli Trottier, Skip Holmes, Jeff Horhocks, Greg Simm and, of course, Parrsboro's own much-loved violinist, Timi Levy.

The instructors hosted a sold-out concert at The Kip last night and tonight there's a participants concert and who knows, based on these pics from last year, probably some dancing too - promises to be fun!

People in the air this weekend

If you're in Parrsboro range this weekend there's a neat festival happening: the 15th Annual Atlantic Hang Gliding and Paragliding festival. Local paraglider and instructor, Michael Fuller, with Pegasus Paragliding brought this fun event to Parrsboro (always on the May long weekend, in case you can't make it this year).

There's a program on the Atlantic Paraglider Assoc. website or drop by the bandstand at the top of Main Street to check the notice board to see where the flyers are.

Para-gliders, hang gliders, ultralights and power paragliders. Saw some out yesterday -they looked like they were havin' fun!

The clammers are out!

yay, summer is fast approaching in Parrsboro. Not only did three more seasonal restaurants open this weekend but we spied clammers down at Two Islands beach when we were out this weekend. I'm not sure when the season officially starts? around the first of May I think.

Took these pics - I never get tired of walking on the ocean floor, do you?

Yes, Parrsboro is on TV

It sounds like the Nova Scotia tourism ads that were filmed here last fall are airing on TV now. I was thrilled when asked to appear in these ads, which feature these aspects of Nova Scotia's Fundy tides:
- Parrsboro's high/low harbour
- the Shubenacadie tidal bore
- Cape d'Or lighthouse

A lobster fisherman from Advocate harbour is also in one of the ads and Tex, from Cape Chignecto Park is in one as well. I'm trying to get a list of the TV stations that they are showing on - will post them as soon as I get them. I know it's the specialty channels like CBC Newsworld, HGTV, National Geographic, W, etc. and they usually run between 5 & 7 pm.

My yellow lab, Belle, is also in the ads...haha, famous beach dog!

Parrsboro ranks well in prov municipal study

I caught an interesting bit of news today about a report recently released by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies (AIMS) indicating that the Town of Parrsboro placed 13th out of 55 municipal units (towns and counties) in Nova Scotia.

AIMS judged each municipal unit on governance, finance, transportation, safety, protection, environmental health, economic development, recreation and culture.

Interestingly, Parrsboro lead the scores for Cumberland County:
The County itself ranked 20th out of the 55,
Amherst ranked 36th,
Springhill 44th
and Oxford 45th

Neat, huh?

It's offiical ~ a live webcam for the Parrsboro harbour!

Of all the cool tech inventions, I think live webcams are among the best! And I can't think of a better place to put one than at a tidal harbour. There's just so much to see: tide in, tide out, tide in any stage, lighthouse, boats coming and going, ice cakes in winter, etc.

I'm on the town's Tourism Committee and we recently went after some Nova Scotia tourism funding to see if we could pull this off for the Parrsboro harbour.I'm pleased to report that we've got a deal! A live camera should be up and running within the next two weeks. It will operate year round and will 'live feed' into the town's new website.

I'll also have a live feed into this blog...er, assuming that's possible...we'll find out! I'll post again once it's set up.

A beautiful sight

A friend of mine recently drew my attention to the fact that portions of the award-winning documentary film Rivers & Tides were filmed just a few kilometres downshore of Parrsboro, at Fox Point. I haven't seen the whole film but this YouTube clip absolutely took my breath away. I see many beautiful sights along our Bay of Fundy shore but this is an extraordinary perspective by UK visual artist, Andy Goldsworthy.

Ice boat float

Interesting to see one fishing boat still in the harbour throughout the winter. With all the ice we've had I might have expected it to take a beating but perhaps here by the wharf it's somewhat protected. Still...makes a pretty winter sight!

Awesome ice cakes at First Beach

Despite this month's cold temperatures, I've got a feeling that spring is in the air (call me crazy!) so I really wanted to get down to First Beach this weekend to check out the ice cake situation.

It's been cold enough now for a few weeks for a goodly amount of ice cakes to accumulate. The tide and freezing rain have also blended them together. My kids loved to explore these cakes when they were younger - kind of like a natural winter obstacle course. No reason not to visit the beaches in Parrsboro in all seasons!

Lobster traps on the wharf

For all that we locals joke about tourists' fascination with lobster traps (many have been purchased dockside and taken home to landlocked provinces and states to become coffee tables), I am kinda into them.

For example, I once made a flower box out of one (my petunias never looked better!) and I have spent a goodly amount of time photographing them - but the 'old' style wooden ones with the curved tops only - I'm a purist.

This is the first photo of the new metal mesh traps that has ever revealed itself to me. It was taken at the Parrsboro wharf just after lobster season last month. Mmmmnh, not so painful....

Ice cakes in the harbour

You know it's finally winter here in Parrsboro when ice cakes start to form in our tidal harbour. At high tide they float and bump gently against each other; at low tide they crunch and layer on the mud. Here's a photo I took at the Whitehall bridge, just at the end of Main Street on the inner harbour.

Old Post Office clock tower

Cool winter weather makes for nice skies and interesting lighting here on the coast. I was out walking my dog the other day when I noticed the clock tower on one of our Main Street buildings, known to locals as the "Old Post Office" - not to be confused with the New Post Office (also on Main).

The clock is no longer in operation (although I understand that someone has all the parts for it, should you feel so inclined...) but it still stands solidly at the far end of Main Street. Considering that 99% of our homes and civic buildings in the town are wooden clapboard, this 1940s angular, brick construction really stands out!

Winter lobster fishing season ends today

There are a couple lobster seasons here in Parrsboro and along the shore to Advocate Harbour: one in the spring leading to the end of July, the other in the fall and concluding today. The winter one makes for some easy Christmas dinner and New Year's eve lobster purchases!

I was at the beach late this afternoon (Partridge Island) when I noticed the last lobster boat of the season coming in on the calm tide.

Heard the bells on Christmas eve

We'll head to church early tonight to help with the energetic task of Christmas eve bell ringing. It's still common to hear church bell towers sound in Parrsboro on Sunday mornings and Christmas eve. We've got more than our share of historic churches. This one is St George's Anglican with it's massive gothic doors adorned for the holidays.

High - low tide harbour

Those of you who follow my other blog will know that I kinda collect sets of high-low tide photos. There are many places along the Fundy shore by Parrsboro to take such photos - they're kinda like eating chips...once you start you can't stop taking them. Here's a set that I took in late fall at the Parrsboro wharf.

Winter scene on Main St

Here's a favourite shop for many locals and visitors: Sweet Brier Boutique on Main St - also known by its short form as "Joan's" for owner, Joan Jones.

Joan has a great eye for trends, fashion, jewelry and home decor and regularly travels to Toronto to make gift show orders. Many times I've been stopped in airports, hotel lobbies or conferences and asked the source of my handbag, jewelry, scarf or sweater, and I'm always proud to say "Sweet Brier" in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.

Joan and her daughter Jill have fun with their storefront year round and, on this snowy night last week, it made a picture-perfect winter scene!

Parrsboro upside down

You'll want to pay attention as you head down Main St to the inner edge of the Parrsboro harbour. We've got a cool thing going on there: on one side of the short causeway to the beach there is the tidal harbour (empty like a drained sink part of the day) then, on the other side of the causeway, the Aboiteau - a fresh water lake.

This is a great little lake often used for recreational boating in the summer and sometimes for outdoor skating in the winter. It also makes a great mirror for reflecting a few Main St buildings on a calm day, such as today.

Christmas tree lighting

Our first snowfall a few days ago was perfectly timed for the community Christmas tree lighting on Main Street. Kids and parents come out to decorate the tree then flip the switch for the ceremonial - ooooh, ahhhh - lighting for the holiday season. This area of town is what the locals refer to as the 'top' of Main Street, also known as the Band Stand or Town Hall area, or even more formally as the 'Civic Gardens'.

First wee bit of snow

We got our first snow storm today... a bit early and a bit of a surprise! I snapped this photo out of my car window on the way back into town from a trip to Saint John. Locals will recognize this as the old building on the hill above Hanna farm.

Walkabout video of Parrsboro

Here's a nifty YouTube video of some teens walking about Parrsboro and on some of the beaches mentioned in my post a few days ago. Great little video...creative and fun... makes me want to live there. oooops, I already do!