We loved Newfoundland. It was an amazing time, which included making new friends and reaching the Atlantic Ocean. But it was time to head west and that meant taking the ferry from Port Aux Basques to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. We wanted to take the daytime ferry, but it had been cancelled, so it was the night ferry once again.
Ethan wasn’t happy about the night ferry because he didn’t sleep well last time, and he said he was sea sick. Dong Eun wasn’t happy about the night ferry because it was so tiring last time, as it was hard to sleep. But we were all happy about continuing on our journey, so we were actually excited when boarding last night.
The ride over was incredibly rocky a few times. The ferry was literally rocking from side to side and crashing down on the water. You could hear the waves from the passenger cabin, they were so strong.
Morning
But we made it safely and were greeted by calm seas and a beautiful sunrise.
Once we got off the ferry, we headed straight for Halifax since we had already seen the other parts of Nova Scotia. Our plan is to see Halifax, Bay of Fundy and then head for the US.
But first, we needed to stop for breakfast and found a nice spot by the water. It was leftover beef stew with couscous, which was perfect because it was a cold morning.
Ethan spent some time working on his math workbook. We don’t tell him which sections to work on. Instead, he just chooses what he likes and completes the section. With math, he doesn’t usually ask for help and he really enjoys it.
We then kept driving, passing all the spots we had seen previously while going in the opposite direction. We stopped at a lookout point we didn’t stop at before to take in the beautiful Nova Scotia scenery. Nova Scotia is probably our favourite province, as it is so picturesque.
Ethan has been getting into photography more and more. He snaps photos every chance he gets. We will post more of his photos as he chooses the ones he’d like to share.
Alexander Graham Bell Historical Site
We saw signs for the Alexander Graham Bell Historical Site and decided to check it out. It was closed, but it was still a nice place to visit. We saw a sculpture dedicated to the first flight by a British subject.
It was a sculpture of the Silver Dart, which Ethan knew about and explained how it’s first flight occurred. We asked him how he knew about the Silver Dart, and he said there was a replica of it at the Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa and that the tour guide talked about it.
We were impressed because we thought he wasn’t paying attention during the tour.
On our way back to Juju Jr., Ethan saw a dragonfly and caught it rather easily.
He said that the trick to catching a dragonfly is to be fast and to make sure it doesn’t see you. We think that means you should grab it from behind, which is what Ethan did.
Afternoon – Whale Sighting
We crossed the bridge from Cape Breton Island and noticed a lot of people standing outside of their cars looking at the water. We stopped to see what was going on and were told there had been whales, dolphins and seals in the water here.
Whenever Ethan sees rocks, he’s on them. He loves climbing and exploring, so he had fun navigating his way down to the water and back.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any whales. We did see some seals, but cooler were the bald eagles that were flying right near us.
The eagles were attracted by the large shoal of fish swimming in the water here. Apparently, so was Ethan.
Ethan also found a nice flower for Dong Eun.
While waiting for the whales to appear, we talked to a local family. Ethan has way too much Halloween candy so we offered some to the family’s kids, who were quite happy to get some snacks. This is another way for Ethan to learn not to be too attached to things, especially something that can be shared and enjoyed by others. He then spent some time relaxing before we had lunch.
Lunch was pasta and the rest of our smoked fish from Newfoundland. The fish will be missed, as they were very good.
Ethan also found another heart-shaped rock for Dong Eun.
Not sure why, but Ethan wanted to pose for this shot of him sticking his head out the window. I guess he’s just really happy to be traveling.
Evening
We finally made it to Dartmouth, which is right next to Halifax, and we went to Costco to pick up some groceries. Top of the list was a roasted chicken for dinner, which we’ll also have for lunch the next day, and maybe even dinner.
After dinner, Ethan worked on some more math before getting ready for bed.
Ethan reviewed his Grade 4 assessment one last time before we send it off. He’s learning and improving how to write and show comprehension. This has been challenging for him because he didn’t really enjoy this way of learning. But he’s working on it, so we’re proud of him for putting in the effort to improve.
One other thing Ethan has been working on is communicating his feelings/thoughts more clearly. Sometimes, he uses sounds or facial expressions, rather than words, so he’s been practising and getting better at that.
Tomorrow, we’ll explore Halifax but first, the plan is to have breakfast at the newly opened IKEA.
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