East Coast Road Trip: Day 6

The fishing village of Blue Rocks outside of Lunenburg

A short drive away from our B&B in Mahone Bay was the rustic fishing village of Blue Rocks, known for its rocky shoreline it offers up views that rival those at Peggy's Cove, in fact, I preferred this little spot because its off the beaten path and not overrun with tourists - we had the place to ourselves!

It was an overcast stormy morning (just what I love!!) and once again provided great atmosphere for shooting - I'm just not a blue sky kinda gal.  On the drive in we encountered hard driving rain but just as we arrived the rain stopped...

The winds were so strong I had a hard time keeping my balance and holding on to my hat!  BF complained that I was always in the way of his shots : )

This is why I just love visiting these little fishing villages, everything is so colourful and weathered, so much character.  To me the overcast grey skies highlight all of this so much better than bright blue sky.

I loved all the various tones of grey....

The simple houses in the small town were as colourful as the fishing shacks......this one was for sale as many houses were.

The famous 'Three Churches', the traditional postcard shot of Mahone Bay.  Typically the bay is very calm and you normally have a mirror like reflection of the churches in the water.

Mahone Bay is a small town of colourful shops and homes that overlook the calm waters of the bay which is always full of boats..

So many quaint shops, I like the colour scheme of this one in Silvery Grey and Celadon Green.

The houses and shops in the town are painted every colour you can imagine....and we noticed more than half of the homes are for sale right now, with many of them having been on the market for 3 years or longer.  The economy in the States definitely has had an impact here in Nova Scotia where many Americans own vacation property or B&B's.

Purple & Tourquoise.

Smokey Blue, pale Green and hot Pink.

Bright Yellow,,,yes the entire house and double garage was painted this colour - with black doors and crisp white trim it was striking!  But i really loved,,,,the dark grey metal roof.

We drove around the other side of the Bay and followed the road out to Indian Point, another fishing local.  During our stay in the area we ate Indian Point mussels at lunch and dinner almost every day,,,,they were definintely the best I had every had.  This house overlooked the docks along Indian Point with the fishing boats and had a bright cherry red door (not a great photo as I took it from the car) this scheme was so dramatic.  I snapped a little too soon though, the wide white stairs started at the sidewalk and continued all the way up several tiers to the front door it was such a fantastic symmetrical perspective from that point.

These photos were taken some days ago.....in real time, this weary traveller is heading home!

All Photos:  Carol Reed

East Coast Road Trip: Day 5

Grassy hills behind Hertle Beach, outside of Lunenburg on the South Shore of N.S.

Early morning on day 5 of our road trip we drove from our B&B in Mahone Bay to nearby Hertle beach just outside of Lunenburg.  I was actually pleased that it was an overcast morning,,,,the misty air made for some moody images at the beach.  When you arrive you see the beach is surrounded by vibrant green rolling grassy hills as seen in the first photo,,,then you walked along this weathered wood boardward thru the long grass which opened up to the beach.....   

Each of the boards on the long boardwalk was engraved from end to end with names of family members and loved ones in a memorial.  

The font was a simple contemporary style and there was no coloured paint highlighting used at all, just the relief of the engraving.  The effect was so subtle but so memorable,,,

At the end of the boardwalk someone had crafted this bird sculpture from sticks and dried seaweed.

Most of the beaches are unpopulated and except for maybe one or two other people you may have it all to yourself.  This view went on and on....

The wide sandy beach was bordered by ocean stones and the long wispy grass.

There was a lone surfer that morning, he was on a grass path heading back to his car in this shot.

I've always been drawn to this pallette,,,the soft bluey/greys, stone and sand. 

The houses in the area were perfectly charming,,,,shingled of course!  This one had a natural dark wood door which was unusual as most were coloured 

Next we headed into the very colourful seaside town of Lunenburg and started our walking tour at the St.John's Anglican church,,,,,,dramatic black & white.

The side of a garage at the end of a driveway for one of the local houses.

Every building in the town is painted in bold colour scheme with lots of contrasting trim.

Next to fishing, Lunenburg is known for its woodworking - almost all the buildings have fanciful corbels and trimwork painted out in contrasting colours.

This bright blue with yellow scheme was a favorite....

This red was so bright it almost glowed, often it was paired with this green.

The pier was a popular spot for artists to prop their easels up and paint for the day.  There were about 2 or 3 in the spot where I took this photo

The Dory shop where they make the small wooden row boats.

This black building had a modern look with the trim work painted out which highlighted the simple red doors with its galvanized hardware.

Cranberry!

The streetscape was a rainbow of colours

The boats in the harbour were just as colourful but I'm drawn to all the nautical hardware....

All Photos:  Carol Reed

East Coast Road Trip: Day 4

Fishing Village of Cape Saint Mary, purple lupin in front of weathered house.

The third day of our trip we travelled from Annapolis Royal to Mahone Bay, we drove the road along the coast as much as possible which took us thru lots of small towns, starting with the port of Digby which is known for their scallops - and I've had them every which way since arriving in N.S.!!!  Sooo good.   My favorite stops along the way are the colourful, charming fishing villages.

A great colour scheme!!!  Weathered grey shingled house, tourquoise trim and yellow doors.  My absolute favorite colour on this trip is this bright yellow, I call it slicker yellow because its the colour of a rain slicker.  You see this colour everywhere, wild flowers that dot the side of the road, boats, front doors and entire houses are painted this colour.   I'm crazy for it paired with any shade of grey.

Fisherman's rope.....

I think this are crab traps?

Mavillette Beach,,Cape Saint Mary point in the background.

The beaches we've stopped at have been unoccupied....it was an overcast misty day which I love for photography, especially along the water.

A brief stop at the pier in Yarmouth for lunch, I've love to return one day and explore it a bit further, it was such a pretty town.

Our first stop of the day was Digby harbour, you can see how low the tide is early in the day.

I can't resist the stopping at every church we pass,,,but there's so many.....

These two churches above were side by side and built in early 1800's...

I've never seen such an abundance of hydrangeas, they're everywhere especially in this bright purple colour.  This house was surrounded with them and was even painted to match!

There are gorgeous cedar shake houses and buildings everywhere!!  I love them.

There are entire little towns with houses as beautiful as this.....and nestled around an ocean front coves and inlets.

All Photos:  Carol Reed