Ok, we all know what a pumpkin is, these are the those fall time fruits that make halloween so spooky if you carve them and put a candle inside or those who make soups so yummy. But “for us” it was unusual to see how huge they can be and that they can comfortably hold two persons upon the water!On the other hand, we know what a regatta is but a combination of pumpkins and a regatta? This is something totally out of our world – something we had to see with our own eyes to believe.

It was a very chilly day and the water must have been cooler than the air but more than 30 people had it in their mind to be one of the first to reach the other side of the Lake Pesaquid, between Falmouth and Windsor by paddling a pumpkin across the water or steering a motorized pumpkin boat.

Only a few of the pumpkins capsized as the majority had the pumpkin race of their lives and at the end of the day we all had fun, the two and single paddlers, the motorized captains and we, the audience.

Celtic Colours

Now it is the time I wish I was a poet – to find the words and express what I felt during the October 11th (Thanksgiving) concert at the Celtic Colours International Festival. (Three) “Two Fiddles Two Pianos Encore” (and a Cello) performed by Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Mac Morin & Erin Leahy, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas.

Let me try to say it this way:

Imagine the Cape Breton Highlands and it woods, trees with strong roots, leaves in all kind of colours. Smooth hills and high rocks, brooks and rivers. Fresh air and butterflies in the sky. Sunshine and a beautiful autumn day on the shores of Cape Breton. Can you feel how you would breath upon a day like this? How the spirit of the nature would flow into all parts of your body from the tip of your nose to your toes? The sun sets down and the light is almost gone, then a glimpse of a sound is to hear. A tune. A melody – like out of your dreams – filling the air and bringing back each colour of the leaves into your mind, the warmth of the day and the freshness of the water is still streaming to your body. You can just feel the deep roots underneath your feet, you can still see the hills and butterflies. The music turns the night outside into a brilliant light at your mind, taking you away to the deepest feelings this is how I feel – “Nova Scotia By Heart”. This is nearly something of what you can imagine when listening to the airs, reels and gigs that had been played that night at the community hall in Judique.

Wow one highlight is following the other…

we already had the chance to travel around the Cabot Trail so many times and we talked to many people about this and highly recommended doing like we did. And now? With a birds eye view we climbed with a Cessna into the sky and flew above the highlands of Cape Breton along the Cabot Trail. Only from here you can see the dimensions of the mountains, plateaus and valleys.

See the extend of the shoreline and cliffs. The woods looked like a quilt in their autumn and fall colours. If you thought that driving along the Cabot Trail is breathtaking and amazing, what kind of words would you use to describe such an exciting experience? At least when English is not your mother tongue? We could fly forever above the scenic landscapes but we also like to be close to the nature and to hike – but this might be something for another story or a blog…