Nova Scotia

The beer from back east

/ Greg / Leave a comment

I’ve written here a few times how much I miss the craft beer scene back in Nova Scotia. I don’t drink a huge quantity of beer, but when I do have a pint or two, I like to try “new to me” beers and while I was living in Nova Scotia I never ran out of something new to sample. Fast forward about a year and a half, and when I got back to Halifax, I had a lot of catching up to do.

Not only was I excited in trying some new beers, but I was also thrilled to get a beautiful spring day to visit a place that had materialized since my move. The Stillwell Beergarden on Spring Garden Road is something that I wish someone here in Saskatoon would replicate just off Broadway. A very simple menu of grilled food, ten taps of Atlantic Canadian beer, and what I can imagine would be a lovely evening spot with the overhead patio lanterns – this is my kind of place. I sampled two beers on my lunchtime visit – the “Malternate Reality” from North Brewing (probably my favourite Halifax brewery) and “Dunder” an Australian pale ale from Trailway Brewing in Fredericton.

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The meaning of “home”

/ Greg / 2 Comments

Home. A simple concept. Or it least it was until I moved to Saskatoon.

I’ve purposely resisted saying “back home”, choosing to say “back east” when referring to Halifax, or Nova Scotia, or really anywhere in the Maritimes since moving to Saskatchewan. I try to live a principle-based existence and one of the principles at the core of how I want to live is “home is where my feet are.” While that started out as mind over matter in the early days in Saskatoon, as the days turned to months, it became much less of a mindset and became a matter of the heart. And like all matters of the heart, it’s complicated.

My heart’s position on home got tested in June. Heading back to Nova Scotia for my sister’s wedding, it was the first time my wife and I had been back there together since we moved away in the spring of 2016. My heart at times ached. Like when I played the role of a magician and made my niece and nephew “disappear” to everyone at my wife’s brother’s house (the kids still don’t know how I pulled that one off). Or just hanging out with my mom and dad and catching up. An afternoon visit to play with the kids, a cup of tea with my mom or a pint and a hockey game with my dad were things I took for granted a couple of years ago. Now, they’re treasured, and at times like tonight in Saskatoon as I write this, missed.

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Favourites and firsts

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A lot can change in fifteen months. And a lot can stay the same.

Back in Halifax for a couple of days after my sister’s wedding in the Annapolis Valley this past summer, my wife and I hit a few favourite haunts in our former neighbourhood. We also took some time to experience a few new things in a city that means a lot to both of us. Not surprisingly, one of the first places we revisited was the central library downtown. We had lived two blocks from here and we both used it as a second living room. The view of the city and the harbour from the library is something we both miss.

Halifax Central Library

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A few days back home

/ Greg / Leave a comment

It was a long overdue trip back to Halifax. Actually, to Lower Sackville to be exact. I had moved to Saskatoon eight months earlier and was well into making that city my new home. But it was time for a trip “back home” to see my mom and dad. After a bit of an ordeal due to a canceled flight, I made it to Nova Scotia, about 12 hours later than I planned, to my parents waiting for me at the Halifax airport like they have so many times over the years. This arrival was much different and definitely more emotional.

Lots of hugs and a few tears later, we hopped into the car for the half hour drive to my parents’ home, the very house I grew up in. There was one more hello – this one more frantic and crazed – as Tia and I reunited. After she calmed down, she took up residence on my lap, a place she spent most of the next few days.

Tia on my lap

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Got Drunk, Fell Down (no, not me)

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A brief pause from travel writing for kudos to my hometown of Halifax. Two interesting pieces of public art were recently installed on the waterfront, and I’m kind of in love with them. In the foreground below is “Got Drunk, Fell Down” (the lamp that has fallen down and its friend looking down on it with some concern) and in the background is “Fountain” (the lamp post that looks like it is relieving itself into our harbour), both by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg who are former NSCAD students. On a perfectly crisp spring afternoon, people were walking among the lamp posts, taking pictures and enjoying the installation. Here’s hoping there’s more public art coming to our fine town:

Art on Halifax Waterfront

Visiting Halifax? Seven tips for great local experiences

/ Greg / 1 Comment

I feel pretty fortunate to live in Halifax. For a town of about 400,000 people, it punches well above its weight for food, drink, art and music. When I travel, I’m always looking for things that let me get a taste of the culture; a brief feel for what it would be like to live in a place. With that in mind, here are 7 ideas for the visitor looking to get a feel for my hometown. Whether you’re in town for a day or a week, check out a couple of these aimed at the food/drink/music loving 30-something.

1. A show at The Company House (@thecompanyhouse) – I think this is Halifax’s friendliest bar. If it was in my immediate neighbourhood, I might never leave. The music here tends toward the singer-songwriter, folksy/acoustic in style, and frequently local. The sound is first rate. There’s a great selection of drinks and a limited menu of bar snacks that enhances the feeling that you’re watching a show in a good friend’s living room.

2. Eating a Banh Mi in the Public Gardens – Stop at Indochine Banh Mi (@IndochineHfx) on South Park St. across the street from our fabled Victorian gardens to pick up one of the best sandwiches in town. Then find a bench in the park overlooking the pond from which to enjoy lunch. You are guaranteed to leave here more refreshed than when you entered.

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