Annapolis Valley Exhibition 2012



During our travels to Nova Scotia last week, we attended the 86th Annapolis Valley Exhibition (13 to 18 August) in Lawrencetown.  It was our first time experiencing a "truly" local country fair and it was interesting.  It sure was a different kind of life style than we are use to - horses, cows, ox pull, tractors, veggies, crafts, etc. and of course, music.

Bridgetown Fiddler
A group of 20 musicians who have been entertaining audiences for over 25 years.  They perform at churches, community halls and fundraisers throughout the Valley.

 

 

Nothing like enjoying homemade french fries outside the cow barn!
(LtoR:) Bren, Gerry and Paul

 

A view of the Exhibition grounds

 

The tractor area

 

Lots of horses, stables, etc

 

Some of the prize winning quilts
Amazing work

 

 

 

Local crafters working on a quilt

 

My favourite was this lighthouse quilt
Each individual square was a hand-painted picture by different artists.

 

 

 

Miniature Equine Obstacle Driving

We attended concerts on Thursday and Friday evenings at the John Langley Memorial Riverside Concert Stage.  Charlie A'Court gave another outstanding performance on Thursday evening but unfortunately it poured rain so the attendance was very poor - nonetheless an encore was demanded by his fans.

Friday evening was a better evening weather wise for a concert
(LtoR:  Paul, Gerry, Bren)

Friday evening we were treated to a great concert by Honeymoon Suite, a 1980's rock band hailing from Niagara Falls, Ontario, currently touring Canada.  A great performance.

Honeymoon Suite

    

Paul and I enjoyed having the opportunity of experiencing a local country exhibition and plan to attend again in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travels to Gettysburg PA

Yesterday Paul and I left Winchester, Virginia and traveled on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  It was a great day for a drive on mostly secondary roads through the countryside.  We arrived in Gettysburg about 10:30 a.m.

 

 

We checked into our hotel, The Country Inns and Suites which was located practically in the parking lot of the Outlet shopping area.  Paul went off to visit the Civil War Museum and I enjoyed a little quiet time at the hotel.

 

Country Inns & Suites

  

 

Once Paul returned from the Museum, we decided to do the auto tour of the battlefields.  It was a scenic drive with all the trees in bloom, but it was also very busy with bus loads of school children on tour.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished our day with a meal in the local pub downtown, a walk about the outlet shopping area and a glass of wine in our hotel room.



Downshore....

Although it was a windy and gray day, Paul and I decided to head downshore for a drive and get a little fresh air. It is always interesting to drive along the coastal route.

We stopped to see this pony and its foal, but the foal seemed camera shy and hid behind.

Going downshore means time on the beach for us. Although it was windy and cool, we had a great stroll and found lots of treasures.

And these are my finds of the day. It was a great day for seaglass (mermaid tears).

These are my rare treasures, according to the seaglass charts. And the large grey one in the centre of the photo is my best find ever. It was an "OMG" find, as grey is very rare and this piece is almost perfect quality! So exciting...


On the drive home we took the highway as it was a little quicker and we were anxious to get home in time to cook our evening meal. We got to enjoy some of the fall colors along the way. The photos are not the best of quality as they were taken through the car window while driving over the bumpy roads of Northern New Brunswick.

We love the freshness and the colours of the fall. It is our favourite season.

From Connecticut to Virginia...

Day three took us from Connecticut, into New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and finally Virginia.

The late afternoon sky in Pennsylvania was very nice and of course when in Pennsylvania, you see cows and lots of farms.




Our destination was Winchester, Virginia which was just across the VA border. We found a great hotel, The George Washington, on Piccadilly Street. We got the Room Saver rate of $72 a night and what a deal that was. We would highly recommend this hotel which is located in downtown Winchester in the historic district.

The lobby was nicely decorated for Christmas and we enjoyed an evening drink in the lobby bar.

This is a mail box near the lobby. On each floor near the elevator you can drop your mail in the chute and it will come down the tube to this box in the lobby. Quite an interesting idea.

Paul and I enjoyed a day off from driving here in this nice, quaint town. While he went to visit the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, I took a few hours to walk about the historic district near our hotel.

The dogwood berries, the state flower, are in full bloom.

This is a Christmas tree on the pedestrian mall. At night the old cobblestone street was lit up with Christmas lights.

One of the shop windows had a very nice display. This was a tree made of large coffee cans stacked, with lights wrapped around and decorations stuck on. Under this tree there were packages wrapped in newsprint and paper decorated with crayon drawings from children. There were also cone-filled window baskets.


I thought this antique shop was quite interesting with its ceiling decorated with open umbrellas.

And this photo is for my sister. This shop had the Christmas Spode dishes, like my sister's, but it also had a set with a crimson band which I had not seen before.

Paul also made a visit to this Civil War Museum located in an old courthouse building.

Paul and I both felt that Winchester was a travel treasure for us, as we really enjoyed our time here.