ATTENTION AMERICAN TOURISTS
TWO THINGS YOU MUST NOT MISS WHEN TRAVELING
IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS

(1)  ICE CAP FROM TIM HORTONS--I UNDERSTAND TIMMY'S IS MAKING IT DOWN INTO THE STATES NOW, BUT IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD AN ICE CAPPUCCINO ON A HOT, HOT DAY--DON'T MISS IT !  TAKE IT SLOW OR YOU'LL FREEZE YOUR INNARDS.  AND A MEDIUM SIZE IS ABOUT ALL THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN HANDLE.

(2)  A DONAIR--THEY NEVER HAD THEM IN THE STATES WHEN WE WERE LAST THERE, BUT POSSIBLY THEY'VE TRICKLED OVER THE BORDER BY NOW...BUT IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD ONE, ITS A MUST!  JUST A FLAT BREAD LOADED WITH SHAVED SPICED MEAT (WHICH IS COOKED ON A SPECIAL HOLDER CONE), THEN LOADED WITH CHOPPED TOMATOES, ONIONS & MOZZARELLA...THIS IS DOUCED IN A WONDERFUL DONAIR SAUCE....IF YOU'RE OVER 20, YOU'LL HAVE TO EAT IT OFF A PLATE OR YOU'LL BE A MESS WITH SAUCE ALL DOWN YOUR CLOTHES, HANDS AND ARMS....SOMEHOW, THE YOUNG ONES MANAGE TO EAT IT RIGHT FROM THE WRAPPER.  TO MY KNOWLEDGE, DONAIRS FIRST APPEARED IN HALIFAX WHERE A GREEK FELLOW STARTED MAKING THEM AND CALLED THEM AFTER A MACHINE IN HIS SHOP THAT WAS CALLED A "DONAIR"....IT'S NOW BECOME AS POPULAR AS PIZZA AROUND HERE AND EVERY PIZZA PLACE HAS THEM TOO.  NOW, YOU MUST KNOW WHERE TO GET A DONAIR FOR SOME ARE GREAT AND SOME ARE NOT SO GREAT.  YOUR BEST IDEA IN A STRANGE TOWN IS TO ASK A TEENAGER WHERE THE BEST DONAIR PLACE IS AROUND--THEY ALWAYS KNOW!  WE USUALLY GET OURS IN TRURO AT MARIOS ON THE OLD PICTOU ROAD IN BIBLE HILL--THEY'RE GREAT--BIG, LOADED AND TASTY-- AND 3 FOR THE PRICE OF 2 AT AROUND $12 ALTOGETHER......AND DON'T MISS PICKING UP A LITTLE TUB OF DONAIR SAUCE EXTRA IF YOU ARE GETTING PIZZA--ITS A DIFFERENT BALL GAME ALTOGETHER DUNKED IN DONAIR SAUCE!

A WONDERFUL NOVA SCOTIA EXPERIENCE

       If you've never heard of the "Sugar Moon Pancake" Place out in Earltown or you've never been there:  Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!
       "Dining" at the nostalgic log "Sugar Moon" is not just dining--its an experience!  Sitting at a long country table in front of the big stone fireplace with the sound of firewood crackling and the most wonderful cup of coffee in hand that you've ever tasted (topped with maple flavoured whipped cream)...the maple biscuits hot from the oven with maple butter and all the other goodies have to be experiences to be appreciated!  Everyone working there is so nice and personable and the Nova Scotia music lightly playing in the background really tops it all off!  This is Nova Scotia at its ultimate!  You will find Earltown about a half hour from Truro and just 20 minutes from Kemptown where we so often hold our auctions.  If you are planning a trip there during the maple sugar season, plan to wait in a lineup at prime time on the weekends.
       Check this place out at:  www.sugarmoon.ca
 

GOT ANOTHER FREE HOUR OR TWO???

       When you leave the Sugar Moon, abovementioned, turn left and go through Earltown (*see footnote)--if it's a weekday, don't forget to stop in at the old General Store there (not open on Sundays) and get the man to cut a hunk of tasty old-fashioned cheese off the block to nibble along the way. 
       Just past the store there, hang a RIGHT (I believe its Route 326) and go towards Denmark.  If it's not wintertime, watch on the left a few miles along for a guy that does those big Wood Carvings  from trees with a power saw....he's often got a bunch of them in his front yard....an interesting stop...a great picture with your arm around an old wooden Indian Chief.
       Keep going along there (it's a very pretty drive anyway--used to be the old stomping ground of Willard Kitchener MacDonald, the Hermit of Gully Lake that was pictured in the papers and on television several times over the last 15 years.
       Probably about 5 miles further along you will come to Denmark.  There you will want to stop in at Forbes Bros. to drool over the Royal Doultons and check out the wonderful furnishings.
      Also there's a great Pork Shop nearby where they make their own wonderful sausages (no additives).
       Keep going along and a little further, you will come to a paved road called the "Louisville Road".....hang a RIGHT there and as you travel along it, be sure to keep an eye out on your left hand side for the 8-foot high fences--you might catch a glimpse of the buffalo there....sometimes they are up near the fence.  There's hundreds of them...Don't forget to take your binoculars--if you haven't got any, there's lots coming up in auctions this year!!!
       Another couple miles further along you will see the sign for the Lismore Sheep Farm.  Check out their Website at www.lismoresheepfarmwoolship.com .  Now that is a real treat!  On the way in their lane, keep your eyes peeled to the left and you may see a couple of the Scottish Longhorn Cows with the long hair to the ground....sometimes they come up beside the fence...great photos.  I've heard they also have the big white "Great Pyrenees" there (like ours), but I've never seen them.  Everything in their shop that you can think of made from Sheep's Wool is there--big heavy woolen socks, handwork, bleacher cushions, sweaters, comfy slippers (Rena & her husband got them) etc., etc.  We got some wonderful wool filled pillows there at Christmas for gifts and my sister-in-law in Cape Breton says she never in her life slept on anything so great.
      Continue along to the end of the Louisville Road where it meets the Sunrise Trail and turn LEFT.  Its not far into Tatamagouche, maybe 10-12 minutes. 
      If you want to take a little detour along the way, watch for the sign for the Sunrise Bakery & Restaurant  where you would have to turn off to the right for a couple miles and then backtract to the Sunrise Trail afterwards.  This place is run by the Mennonites and you know they are great cooks...and the place is so spotless you could eat off the floor.  Early Saturday mornings in the summertime (they're not open in winter), there's usually a lineup of people outside the building waiting to get the yummy fresh baked breads and pastries before their favorites are all gone.  They have great homemade soup in the Restaurant, too.
      In Tatamagouche there are oodles of neat little shops all along the main street.  Don't miss the Village Giftshop--you have to go in through the pharmacy and then upstairs inside....its packed to the gunnels with wonderful quality items you just don't find everywheres.
       About mid-main street you will see the Chowder House...the chowder and all the other main dishes are real good but they have cheapened up on things there in the last several years--now they do not even have real butter.  (The last American Medical Report I read on margarine said that the hardener used to convert the oils to a spreadable consistency is one molecule short of plastic which cannot be eliminated from the body and gradually accumulates in a person's arteries and blocks them).  I remember when margarine first hit the market in Nova Scotia in the early fifties, it was a big hit because of the price, but, my father would not allow it into our house....he said it was made of celluloid--he wasn't far off because plastic is the new celluloid.  During the fifties, margarine was banned from Prince Edward Island altogether, just like plastic bottles there today--a wise move, for now there are reports to the effect that even plastic bottles are giving off some kind of chemical that is detrimental to one's prolonged good health.   
        If you like Pub-style, the Acadian Pub Grill down near the old Train Station is quite popular.  We had great scallops & chips there....the waitress is a real character...don't try to put one over on her--she has an answer for everything!   There's some of those huge wood carvings in there including one of the Tatamagouche Giantess.
        But, best of all, there is the Train Restaurant down by the old Train Station.  The seating is very limited (under 20, I believe) so reservations are often required in heavy times.  The menu is also limited, as is the space, but its worth every cent.  The food is wonderful and the ambiance magnificent--right there in the old Train Car.  The average entree is $12 to $20 with a special around $10 sometimes.  This is seasonal, so is only open 3-4 months in the warmer weather.
       Tatamagouche is a bustling little village--summer or winter--morning or afternoon--and if you're looking to go to the bank there, give yourself time...that little place has a bank as busy as downtown Truro.
       Over an hour is now exhausted, so turn around and head back to the first part of the village again and there take the turn RIGHT towards Truro by way of "The Falls" on Route 371 (a very scenic route). 
       If you want to make a little detour along there past "The Falls", watch for the turn-off to your Left for the old "Balmoral Grist Mill"--that's neat, only a couple miles out of your way--then backtrack to the 371 again and in less than fifteen minutes, you will be back to Earltown from whence you first began.
        Then if you want to take a different route home (wherever you may come from) - cut across the gravel road from there at Earltown to Kemptown which takes about 11 minutes--that's the area where they built a new house for the hermit, but I don't think he ever lived in it--he lived the last years of his life in the wooded area to the left of this road.  You will come out at Kemptown on the old Loop--backtrack on the paved road about a half km and you will find Scott's Bakery hidden away there with wonderful bread and sweets & a lovely friendly lady to greet you there.  Used to be either way from there would take you to the TCH but the bridge went out this winter on the other end and it is closed off, so go back out to the TCH the way you came & pass the Kemptown Hall where we hold the auctions (less than a km to the main loop and you can see the TCH from there)-- Left takes you out to Exit 18A and its only 20 minutes to New Glasgow from there; or Right takes you to Exit 18 which is only about 5 minutes from the Bible Hill/Truro Exit.

                                                     GOOD EATING IN TRURO

                       The Best Western Glengarry (on Willow Street near the Hospital) has great Buffets almost everyday at noon and also Sunday evenings.  On their regular menu, the Turkey Salad Plate and Stir Frys are wonderful.  In fact, over the years, I've tried almost everything on their menu & never tasted anything I didn't like.  Their Coffee is really good and if you want a real treat, ask for Brown Sugar for the Coffee instead of the White--really makes it yummy (but don't forget to tip the waitress extra for the special trip).  You'll just love their waitresses there, too.  Most of them have been there a while and they really know how to suit your fancy.

                    For a good old fashioned meal, try Fletchers on the other end of Prince Street down towards food alley & the malls.  They've always got home cooked veggies at mealtime and the real gravy.  There's good specials on every day.  My favourite is the Pan Fried Haddock & they are not mean with the serving; Donnie likes the Hot Sandwiches.  And their waitresses are the tops....they wait on you hand and foot and you can carry on with them, too!  (if you are the tormenting type, like Donnie).

                    We've only been into the Wooden Hog a few times (up a third of the way on Prince Street)....it seems we are always around busy times and can't get a parking spot.   The desserts there are something beyond--fancy and absolutely mouth watering,  and real tasty different hot drinks.  I believe they are now serving light lunches so that should be really good too.  Decor is great!

                    A Chinese place up further on Prince Street called China Rose has great Chinese food and Canadian too.  The staff is wonderful.

                    For a huge chunk of pizza with good fresh stretchy cheese or the greatest donairs in town, go to Marios in Bible Hill.

                    More recent finds in Truro (or I should say Bible Hill) are:
                     (a) a really great little place on the other side of the road from the side entrance to Tim Hortons in the back end of a building there called "Fair Trade".  It's one of those sort of bistro places where you go to the counter to order and take your dishes back after the meal.  There's a limited amount of seating so choose a time when it's not too busy.  The decor is great.  They have fabulous homemade soup and their sandwiches are two inches thick....and the coffee is great!
                     (b) in the same building as above, but to the front is a classy little Italian Restaurant called "Cuisinart"....with a lovely quiet romantic setting.  I've only had a club there, but it was wonderful and Donnie says the Pizza is some of the best he's ever tasted....a wee bit pricey, but worth it all.
                     (c) and right across the road from these and down the lane a couple hundred feet, you will see an big building with a small sign that says "Roadside Willy's".....it's a bar at night, but a regular restaurant in the daytime.  We sometimes drop in for dinner around 4 on Sundays before the entertainment starts.  Their roast turkey dinner is something else--and for around $10.....it's absolutely loaded--all made from scratch--gravy & everything.  And we are told that all their food is great.  A friend of ours had soup & sandwich there for lunch one noontime and he was highly impressed.

                    There's lots of other places in Truro too like The Warehouse and several new ones we've never been in about which we've heard great reports.

--Just happened to be going through some of the books for the Easter auction and came across a softcover dated 1914 called "Under the Southern Cross" by Rev J. D. McKay....It's the reference to Earltown (Colchester Co.) in it that caught my eye:
     "The Rev.J.D.McKay was born 46 years ago in the highlands of Nova Scotia--Earltown, a community rich in the product of worthy men.  The beautiful hills around his native village and the sacred influence of his home were ever reflected in a character that always dwelt in the high places of his life.  His boyhood and younger manhood were passed in the peace of a godly home, among the hills and vales of one of nature's beauty spots, in a beautiful social environment and in the ordinary routine of the village school, where, for scholarship and comradeship, he was among the first."
Observation:  I guess we all pass through the little Village of Earltown with the blink of an eye, very seldom taking the time to enjoy its beauty or even considering it as one of Nova Scotia's "beauty spots"; nor do we ever ponder to think it was once a very well-populated, thriving community  and the home of several brilliant people....I guess this is a wake-up call for us to "stop and smell the roses"-- in our own backyards! 

ATTN:  FIREARMS ENTHUSIASTS

JULIA HAS ANOTHER GREAT ANTIQUE FIREARMS AUCTION COMING UP IN MAINE.  CHECK HIS WEBSITE:  www.juliaauctions.com   If you miss this one, keep checking his website--he has firearms auctions every several months.
 
 

 PLANNING A TRIP THROUGH MAINE ???

Don't miss Houston-Brooks Auctions at Burnham about 40 miles South of Bangor--pretty well every Sunday-- beginning at 7 AM outside & downstairs stuff and you wouldn't believe the crowds at that time of the morning.  It's fast & you'd better hold onto your bidding number or you'll be off to the races without knowing it.  But its a pile of fun.   And the food is great there too--their rendition of the Egg MacMuffin far outweights McDonalds.  Main Auction beginning at 11 AM. Check out their website: www.houstonbrooks.com