Memories captured on video

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Sherry

As you’re probably already aware, I took a TON of photos in Halifax this summer. This is not surprising at all considering I can easily snap away without realizing it. Just the other day when I was at the nature park, it was just a three hour afternoon and yet I completely filled up my card, taking over 250 pictures – and that’s a place I go to semi-regularly!

Anyway, on top of the photos both George and I shot some video as well. We both have some up on YouTube and we had many just sitting on our hard drives.

While we were there George’s cousin had a deck party which ended up being a “hooray for surviving Hurricane Earl” party. There was a lot of music all night long courtesy of an iPod being set to shuffle but one song in particular stuck out. “I’m So Paid” by Akon came on and it sparked some dancing and singing and the video became a hit among our group over the next few days. Somehow that one song became associated with being in Halifax.

Earlier this week I was walking the dog and had my own iPod set to shuffle and that same song popped up. I stopped right there on the sidewalk, thought for a second, and immediately knew what I wanted to do as a little personal, fun project.

I’ve used Windows Live Movie Maker in the past to add some music and credits to my yoga videos but I’ve never really played around with it and there’s a lot you can do. With a bit of poking around I took some of my favorite pictures from Halifax, cut out a few clips from our videos, and spliced them all together with “I’m So Paid” as the soundtrack. I fiddled a bit, moved things around, got the timing I wanted, and in the end I had a video that serves as a great reminder of all the fun we had during those last three weeks of summer vacation.

Here it is:

I can’t believe I didn’t put in anything from the video I took during Hurricane Earl, but that’s okay. I got some of the best stuff in there anyway and I had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. I have to say, if you ever want to revisit some good memories, putting together a video like this one is a great way to do that.

Enjoy!

(If you’re curious, my video channel is over here and you can feel free to subscribe. I have a feeling I’ll be using it more and more often.)

Leaving Halifax

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Sherry

On Saturday morning we were all up bright and early because the day had finally arrived – the day we had to leave Halifax. Every year it gets harder and harder to say goodbye; on the Monday we had gone to my sister’s house for supper and much to my embarrassment I broke down crying when it was time to leave.

We took our time coming back, stopping over at the halfway point to spend the night in a motel. By Sunday afternoon we were home and immediately threw ourselves back into the school routine since Hayley had to go off to grade three (!) on Monday morning (two weeks late, alas).

We had some great times before leaving Halifax though. There was the aforementioned afternoon and dinner at Amanda and Neal’s house.

(Did you know she’s pregnant? You can read about it at her blog and let me tell you I did many creative crops in Photoshop to hide that fact until she announced it!)

We all had a great time; there are no pictures of the kids to share because they spent a lot of time in the backyard next door playing with the neighbors.

Later in the week we also headed out to my favorite beach, Lawrencetown Beach, as well as a couple of others that are nearby. The ocean was breathtaking. It was a ridiculously foggy day but in the end it created a fantastic atmosphere and I didn’t mind the lack of sun.

At one beach there was a sand bar that went out quite a bit and there were waves crashing from three sides when you stood out at the end. The best part was that when I stood out there by myself for a few minutes the fog made it so that I couldn’t see anyone else, nor could I hear them. It was like I was the only person in the world. It kind of felt like I had stepped onto the set of Lost for a bit but instead of being creepy it was exhilarating; when I got back I told George’s cousin that I had actually gotten giddy out there, bouncing up and down and giggling. I am an ocean dork, what can I say?

Our final stop was Conrad’s Beach which is very sandy and a popular swimming spot (not that day in those temps though!). It was the perfect place for some ocean-side yoga.

Friday took us on a quick shopping spree (you should see all the healthy stuff I bought at Bulk Barn – chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed, etc) and then we stopped for a final fish & chips lunch and visit to Point Pleasant Park.

In the evening, we all stayed up far too late and we were tired the next morning but it was worth it just for a few extra hours with friends and family.

I’m home and I’m back in a routine of school mornings and homework in the afternoons and quick baths after supper. I’ve been unpacking and cleaning and purging and tidying, and life is back to normal. My heart’s still in Halifax though.

Is it too soon to look forward to next year?

(All the Halifax photos are over here)

He rocked us like a hurricane

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Sherry

It was dark and mildly humid when I went out. A layer of fog settled over the neighborhood just like it did a year ago. There was a bit of wind but no real sound, the true calm before the storm. I stood on the deck and stretched and did some Pranashama yoga for a few minutes, breathing deeply and enjoying the breeze as I twisted and lunged. I joked that it was Hurricane Yoga – yoga to harness the powers of a huge storm for good.

By the time I crawled into bed at just about 2 am the night was still windy but quiet and I drifted off to sleep easily and quickly. When I woke it was with a bit of a jolt. A glance at my iPod told me it was 9 am but it wasn’t the time that woke me, it was the noise. Wind whistled loudly through the tiny crack I had left open in my window. Pulling my glasses on I peeked out through the blinds and saw that while Hurricane Earl hadn’t arrived yet, he had sent plenty of rain and strong gusts ahead.

About two hours before the eye was due to pass this general area George and I decided to try to see some water. The original plan was to drive down to Point Pleasant Park, the same place where we had gone swimming in the ocean only days before. As we headed closer to town though, there were too many big branches already down on the trees. Many of the streets of Halifax have beautiful, big, old trees. That wasn’t the best idea for driving because odds were good that a branch could have hit our van so we turned around.

First though, we did stop near a boating club and pulled into the parking area so we could enjoy a little view of nature in all her glory as the wind tossed the boats up and down and pelted people with heavy rain.

Humour me by forgiving me for my cheesy and fairly obvious choice of soundtrack.

By mid-afternoon we had the windows wide open, finally allowing some cool and fresh air into the house after a full week of stifling heat and humidity. We struck out around four o’clock once more in a second attempt to get down to the water. I had hoped to film some impressive post-storm waves out past the harbour but the entrance was closed off, complete with police blocking the way. The drive there and back showed a great deal of fallen trees and branches. Sad destruction to be sure, but it could have been so much worse and I think that all of Halifax heaved a collective sigh of relief that Earl was not another Juan.

Once evening rolled around, you would be hard-pressed to really tell that there had ever been a hurricane at all. Other than the branches dragged to the side of the road it was like nothing had ever happened. Earl roared up the coast, blew into town, and just as quickly blew back out. A party was held here with friends and family and just like Earl we rocked it like a hurricane.

The party was just for fun but it was still a pretty good way to celebrate making it through a hurricane that was the size of California without sustaining too much in the way of damage.

How to beat the heat in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Sherry

When the weather goes haywire while you’re on vacation, and the humidity levels in Halifax climb up to the mid-30s Celsius (or 106 Fahrenheit), you can sit around and sweat and feel like you’re going to die.

Or you can drive down the ocean and take a swim in the Atlantic Ocean and cool off for awhile.

The water was slightly chilly but it was very refreshing and it felt wonderful. I swam around and splashed with the kids and it made the day a little more bearable.

The fact that it completely renewed my spirit was a fantastic bonus.

East Coast ahoy

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Sherry

On Saturday, August 21st the family packed up in the wee (and still dark) hours of the morning. By 5 a.m. we had hit the highway and were headed east. After a year of wanting to go back, we were on our way to Halifax, after having said goodbye to the cat and our friend who is pet & house sitting for us while we’re gone.

Last year we left at 3:30 am and had to stop so many times that it took us 17 hours to get to Halifax. George was fried and that’s why we ended up taking two days to drive back on our way home. This time he was determined to get there in a more reasonable amount of time and he didn’t want to stop overnight anywhere. We made it here in 14 hours and 15 minutes, which is pretty much what Google Maps estimates as well. What helped was having a minivan this year. The kids had more room and we alternated between having one in the middle row and one in the back row, switching them when we’d make a stop. That way they weren’t on top of each other which minimized bickering. They each had a DVD player, coloring books, crayons, and a few toys. On top of that, we were able to fit the cooler in between the seats so we didn’t have to stop each time someone was hungry or thirsty because everything was right there. Basically we stopped for breakfast, lunch, and pee breaks (including one pee-in-the-woods-by-the-highway stop, who says girls can’t pee outside like boys?).

It’s so good to be back here. I love Halifax more than anywhere else in the world. It’s not that I hate Montreal, it really is a good city. I just love it here more. And when you have fresh fish & chips and the ocean, how can you go wrong?

One day I have to actually type up my Life List, but one of the things I had on there was to do some yoga by the ocean. I can officially cross it off my list now, because we went out to Point Pleasant Park the other day which looks right out onto the Atlantic Ocean as the Halifax Harbour ends. While the kids were happily picking up 975 shells, George filmed me doing a couple of my usual vinyasa flows. Without a doubt it was the best moment in my yoga practice so far. Yoga while listening to the waves and looking out into the ocean is an incredible experience.

I think it will be a repeat performance when I go to one of the other beaches and can do it right on the sand. We still have over two weeks left here, I’m sure I can fit it in!

(Full Halifax photo set is over here and will be updated regularly.)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Sherry

So, although it all melted by today, it snowed yesterday. This didn’t thrill me too much, especially since it required me to haul snowsuits and winter boots out of the cupboard at 6:30 in the morning. However, there was one very excited person in this family.

For a good month Breanna has been waiting only semi-patiently for the snow to arrive. She was so ecstatic that I ended up taking outside before 10 am just so she could go and play. It wasn’t a ton of snow but it was enough for her to make snow angels, build a snow creature (it wasn’t quite enough for a snowman!), and generally have a ball.

I have to admit it wasn’t all bad. I suppose. At least it was pretty.

Okay fine, I lived. Just ask me how I feel about it by March.

*******

All this snow is a good way to get me to participate in the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge today. Every day there’s a theme and since I’ll be doing Holidailies like I generally do every December it will come in handy from time to time.

Today’s theme is “Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?” Well. Let me think about that. Ummm. Hmmm. Oh right. Duh, that would be our three week trip to Halifax.

I mean really. I got to attend my sister’s wedding, hang out with George’s cousin, and spent a lot of time looking at the ocean. The seafood was pretty good too.

Yes, I would definitely say that my trip to Halifax was by far the best trip I’ve taken in YEARS, let alone in 2009.

How about you?

(It should be stated for the record that looking at all of my photos of Halifax make my heart ache.)

Things we did before we left

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Sherry

I was in Halifax for three weeks. Originally we weren’t sure we could even go and I was considering the fact that I might have to fly out by myself, stay for three or four days so I could attend Amanda’s wedding, and then come back home. I wasn’t looking forward to flying alone and I was sad at the thought of George and the kids not being there with me (not to mention being sad about the whirlwind visit). Then it worked out, I took my work with me, and we got to spend three great weeks in a place that I love tremendously.

It wasn’t long enough but as far as getaways go, you can’t really ask for much more than that.

After the wedding we were very tired and just lazed around with Breanna napping and even I fell asleep beside her for 20 minutes. I was abruptly woken up by George who told me that it was the final day for a ride on Theodore the Tugboat, something we really wanted to do with the kids. After Sunday it was going from daily outings to weekends and we were due to leave on Wednesday so we had to rush to catch one of the last two rides out that day. It was crazy but we made it in time for the 3:30-4:30 outing and it was so worth it.

(That picture cracks me up because only George looks happy, but Hayley was just mid-blink while Breanna was temporarily nervous when we started to move; she was fine once we got going!)

He’s a rather pleasant looking guy isn’t he?

The whole trip takes an hour and a guide gives a history of the harbour and all the boats and whatnot in it. She does it in a way that is interesting for adults but still fun for the kids and they were all laughing. Hell, even I laughed a few times, like the time she warned us all to duck as we approached the MacDonald Bridge because Theodore had “bumped his head on it” last week, and the way she told us all to try to touch the bridge on the way back with the caveat to avoid sticky spots because people like to leave their chewed gum up there.

On Tuesday I had to pack everything up for our Wednesday morning departure but before I did that I asked George if we could go back to Point Pleasant Park one last time. I needed to see the harbour-turned-ocean once more before I could leave. And so we did, and as though we didn’t already have enough shells, we combed the beach for more, then we bought amazing fries and sat to eat them overlooking the water.

I wasn’t happy to be leaving on Wednesday but by 8:45 we were off, stopping quickly in Truro for breakfast at McDonald’s, and then we drove to Grand Falls, New Brunswick where we had decided to spend the night in a nice motel. The drive out had been too much for one person to deal with so stopping was a better idea. It was quite nice there, with comfortable beds, a nice standard of cleanliness, free continental breakfast, and a play area for kids which was nice after seven hours in a car.

We left at roughly the same time on Thursday. I don’t sleep well the first night in a strange place so I got very little sleep (and it was broken to boot) so I was too queasy to hang around for breakfast; George and I downed a coffee, the kids drank juice, and we took our muffins to eat in the car. The drive felt longer than it was, but we actually made excellent time, managing to avoid all traffic and arriving back in town before 3 pm. I hadn’t wanted to leave Halifax but by Thursday I just wanted to get the hell home already and it was good – or as good as it can be – to be home.

I had the best time in Halifax. It was the perfect blend of excursions, relaxing downtime, and fun. I’d say I’m hoping to do it again next year but frankly I’m hoping our next drive out will include a U-Haul trailer hitched to the back of the car as we journey off to our new Halifax home.

Keep your fingers crossed, okay?

We are gathered here today…

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Sherry

We turned our time here in Halifax into a three-week vacation because we needed it, but the original reason we were coming out this way at all was because my sister was getting married. I don’t want to talk about it too much because it’s her story to tell more than mine, so she’ll eventually get the details up over on her blog when she gets a chance. But suffice it to say that the entire thing was beautiful – the bride, the ceremony, the reception, the love, the happiness, all of it.

I can’t wait to see all the other photos!

This is why

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Sherry

There are many reasons that I want to move to Halifax. The Maritimes are a friendly place to live; people talk to you and acknowledge you on the street, unlike Montreal where most people try to avoid even eye contact. The seafood alone is a good reason to move out this way. It’s still a city but it’s smaller. It feels like a community. Between my sister and George’s cousin and aunt, we have family out here which makes it less scary than it would be to move to a random place. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the ocean is a big part of it too. Even if we didn’t live right beside the ocean, just knowing that it’s there would be enough. I blame my sign. I’m a Cancer, I’m a water sign, and I’ve been too land-locked in Montreal. And for me, the mountains out West are gorgeous but there’s nothing like the Atlantic for me.

A visit to Lawrencetown Beach.

This is my perfect vacation

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Sherry

The nice thing about our vacation is that it’s so extended. When you only have one week to be somewhere on vacation there’s a little bit of an urgency where you want – need – to do as much as you can in order to make the most of it. It’s fun of course, but it can be especially tiring as well. With three weeks to be here (dwindling down now though) we’ve been able to have a nice mix of going out to see and do things as well as just hanging out here and relaxing.

What he have gone out to do has been great though. For instance, one day we went downtown to check out the Discovery Center. It’s full of science fun for kids but what’s really nice about it is the fact that it was interesting for me as well. Obviously when you take your kids out it’s most important for it to be suitable and interesting for them, but when you can have fun as well, that’s always a bonus.

They both had a blast and it was cool to watch them learning and experimenting with things. We may go back again if there’s another rainy day ahead of us because it’s easy to pass a few hours. Too bad the parking meters only let you reserve an hour and a half at a time so that George ended up having to run out to refill it.

On Thursday we had a perfectly beautiful day. The skies were blue with very few clouds and the breeze was gentle. We hopped in the car after lunch and drove out to Peggy’s Cove. The last time I had been there was about ten years ago so I had almost forgotten how beautiful it is. Thanks to my camera I won’t make the mistake of forgetting ever again.

This photo from Peggy’s Cove is currently my wallpaper on my laptop so that I can always see the ocean:

There are a few more of them in the full set.

Needless to say we enjoyed the day.

Friday we had a BBQ and some friends came over. I quickly learned that I love Cranium. I’d seen the game and wanted one for years but we’ve never played board games with our friends before – I’m not sure any of them like to. It’s a lot of fun.

On Saturday we were invited over to my sister’s house for supper. It was weird to be there because I’d seen all the pictures before but had never been there in person. It’s strange to recognize something you’ve never seen for real before. It’s also the first time that I’ve ever been in a home that is hers because when she moved out of our parents’ place it was to move out here four years ago. Then again I went with Amanda to the store to get some dressing and realized it was the first time I’d ever been out driving with her ever. I don’t know why I never had before!

We had a nice afternoon there and a delicious supper. Neal grilled up some burgers and chicken for supper and Amanda had some mussels for appetizers, a big salad, and apple pie for dessert. It was a great time. It was unfortunate that Tropical Storm Danny was on its way up the coast when we left because we were pounded by heavy rain the whole way back to George’s cousin’s house and many of the highways around here have no lights so that was… an experience I’d rather not do again thanks very much.

The tropical storm wasn’t very scary in and of itself but strangely the winds seemed stronger than the ones for Hurricane Bill last week, at least in our area. I went to bed around 1:30 am and woke up in the middle of the night because the whole house was shaking. I’ve never experienced wind like that before. It wasn’t scary but it made it almost impossible for me to sleep for a few hours. At least it was entertaining.

Then I woke up this morning and the sun was shining – a totally beautiful day. I guess it’s true then, what they say about the Maritimes: If you don’t like the weather, just wait. It’ll change.

Very true indeed.

Chaos Theory

Category Archives: Halifax