We took a day trip to Baddeck, where it was sunny and warm for the first time the whole trip. We stayed put rather than moving on. The Alexander Graham Bell museum is there, so of course we had to visit. He is a villain in the Deaf community and the A. G. Bell association is thought to lead the charge for oral education and against sign language. Don't worry, the money we spent on the museum goes to the Canadian national park system (or so said the cashier). The museum, not surprisingly, did not make him out to be such a villain, and didn't even mention some of the darker bits of history. Here are some highlights:
We went to Baddeck Lobster Supper. All the tables were adorned with trash buckets and plastic tablecloths--the mark of a good seafood place. Naomi got the local snow crab legs, which were great. Mike's salmon was not so hot. We asked the server where we might get a drink and avoid some tourists, and she led us to the yacht club.
The bartender at the yacht club was a local girl who just came back from a gap year after college. Everyone in the place knows everyone else who walks in. Turns out the bartender is the daughter of the captain/owner of the giant old sailboat that does tours out of Baddeck. She and her dad and sometimes a friend take that boat down to the Caribbean every two years for maintenance. They sail a straight line to get there. That puts them waay offshore. Her graduating class had 28 students, and the school building housed students k-12. The classes now are even smaller. A truck driver and boat mechanic agreed that things are getting harder and harder for the locals.
Every person we met, when they found out we were staying at the Normaway, said "Oh! Crazy Dave's place!" Crazy Dave was the MC of the caelidh the first night.
A very friendly drunk lady and a guy we mistook for her husband asked us to join them to listen to some music at the Thistle Down Pub at Invery Inn, but the locals just call it the pub. The musician was the drunk lady's cousin. They all said he is a terrible musician, but that is sort of why they go see him. After confirming the quality of the music, and getting to know the family of the man who was not married to the very friendly drunk lady, we headed back to Normaway. We tested out Mike's brand new bright lights, and made it home safely.
Every person we met, when they found out we were staying at the Normaway, said "Oh! Crazy Dave's place!" Crazy Dave was the MC of the caelidh the first night.
A very friendly drunk lady and a guy we mistook for her husband asked us to join them to listen to some music at the Thistle Down Pub at Invery Inn, but the locals just call it the pub. The musician was the drunk lady's cousin. They all said he is a terrible musician, but that is sort of why they go see him. After confirming the quality of the music, and getting to know the family of the man who was not married to the very friendly drunk lady, we headed back to Normaway. We tested out Mike's brand new bright lights, and made it home safely.