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!

Our heritage Tim Hortons

One of things I love about small towns in general, and Parrsboro in particular, is that people are always stepping forward to try to make a difference and a positive impact on their community. No where was this more evident than a couple years ago when we heard "Tim Horton's is coming to town". As much as everyone was keen to have Tim's coffee, we were not so pleased at the thought of the brick box of a building that these coffee shops are usually housed in.

Anyway, a committee quickly formed and town council got on board, then we met with the owner, declared our concerns and eventually got to the point where we were reviewing plans and options. The result is this lovely clapboard-sided Tim Horton's at the 'top' of Main Street just as you come into town on Route 2.

Parrsboro beaches

One of the neatest things about Parrsboro is its easy and accessible beaches. Unlike many other coastal regions, our beaches are open to the public and most are within walking distance of Main Street.

I did up this little map so you can see the relationship between the downtown and the beaches. It's about 1 mile (20 min walk) to First & Second beach from Main Street.

It's about 40 minutes walk to the Lighthouse beach (going down the other side of the harbour), then after than another 10 minutes to Partridge Island and East Bay beaches. The beach at Glooscap Park is about 1 hr walk from Main Street.. for that one you may want to drive!

What's a 100 billion tonnes between friends?

If you're not inclined to be fascinated by the myriad effects that 100 billion tonnes of seawater has on a coastline and a people then this blog isn't for you.

I'm obsessed with the Bay of Fundy - one of the world's most dramatic coastal ecosystems and I've got several thousand tide photos to prove it.

This one? "Two Islands" taken from the bare ocean floor at low tide. At high tide the spot that I'm taking the photo from would under 40 feet (14 m) of water. Just a few kms along the coast from Parrsboro.

One end of Main Street

The end of Parrsboro's Main Street edges along its tidal harbour. The full length of our Main St is approx 3 city blocks. The cool thing about the harbour is that the tides empty and fill it up like a kitchen sink twice every 24 hrs. This is near low tide - June (as evidenced by the lupines).

One main street

There's something you should know about Parrsboro which will immediately orient you to our town: most of our shops and services are located one main street (coincidentally called "Main Street").

These photos show Main Street in July during a fun summer street festival known as Old Fashioned Saturday night - when the locals bring out their antique cars (there are many!!), close off the street to traffic and just generally enjoy each others company.

Those Guinness tides

Parrsboro is located in the upper Bay of Fundy in the Minas Basin. The Bay of Fundy, of course, has rightful claim to the highest tides in the world. This, to most people, is a random Guinness World Book of Records fact, until you live and breath Fundy the way we do here in Parrsboro. And yes, it really was the Guinness beer people who invented the book.

Where is Parrsboro?

View Larger MapParrsboro is located on the east coast of Canada, in the province of Nova Scotia, about 45 minutes from the border of the province of New Brunswick. We're about 2 hrs drive from the city of Halifax (the capital of Nova Scotia) and about 1.5 hr from the city of Moncton, New Brunswick. As you can guess from my profile, we're also located on the upper part of the Bay of Fundy known as the Minas Basin. The Bay of Fundy 'receives water' from the Atlantic ocean in the form of massive tides - the highest in the world.

Welcome to my new blog

Well, I've been a blogging about the whole Bay of Fundy now for over two years and it only really hit me over the head last week (when I was instructing at a blogging workshop for folks from other small towns) that I could/should host a blog just for my hometown: Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. So here i am to share my view of this pretty little corner of the globe. Welcome aboard!