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From Kentville to the Camino: Biking the Famous Pilgrimage Route Through Portugal and Spain

Author: June 19, 2018

From Kentville to the Camino: Biking the Famous Pilgrimage Route Through Portugal and Spain By Earle Illsley This spring, two of our intrepid deliverers, and great friends of The Grapevine, Karen and Earle Illsley of Kentville, embarked on an adventure of a lifetime, and Earle has been kind enough to share some of their experiences with our readers. The Camino de Santiago, also known as ‘The Way,’ is a series of paths, or pilgrimages, of various lengths that all lead to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Last year over 300,000 individuals hiked, biked, or rode the Camino…
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The Dome Chronicles: This Was My Father

Author: June 19, 2018

The Dome Chronicles: This Was My Father By Garry Leeson My mother wanted a large garden when they moved to a small farm on the Blue Mountain outside Meaford, Ontario. Dad agreed to do the hoeing but after a couple of days of fighting the weeds, he came up with a better idea. He disappeared into his workshop and when he emerged it was behind a one of a kind self-propelled row crop cultivator of his own creation. An old make or break one-lung gas engine, belching smoke and banging away, was mounted on a wooden frame above two cast…
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Grandsons and Mayfly Hatches

Author: June 15, 2018

Grandsons and Mayfly Hatches By Ed Coleman The following is an excerpt from Ed Coleman’s new book, Gone Fishin’: Fishing Stories of Kings County Nova Scotia, available through the Kings County Museum, Kentville “Like anyone who was almost four years old, Sammy’s first casts with a fly rod were awkward and unsure. By the time he was six, however, my grandson could cast three or four meters of line without my help. While he wasn’t ready to fish a stream, he did a reasonable job in ponds on u-catch trout. Those captive trout in pay-by-pound ponds are ideal for introducing…
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The Dome Chronicles: If Dreams were Horses

Author: May 31, 2018

The Dome Chronicles: If Dreams were Horses By Garry Leeson In 1972, a boxcar from Toronto containing a menagerie of farm animals and an eager young couple pulled into the station platform in Kingston, Nova Scotia. They were bound for a deserted hundred-acre farm on the South Mountain, determined to preserve the foundations of farmsteads past while constructing a geodesic dome. They were pioneers of the future, armed with respect for tradition and an irrepressible sense of humour. They didn’t call themselves farmers. They were back-to-the-landers. Farming was industry and their calling was sustainability. Over the next forty years, through…
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The Dome Chronicles: Canaan Road

Author: April 19, 2018

The Dome Chronicles: Canaan Road A Poetry Month Special by Garry Leeson When you walk through the woods by the old Cannan Road Just west of the Fales River falls If you look very close you’ll see traces of fields And endless rows of granite stone walls And the lilies still bloom where the houses once stood At the heart of the once prosperous farms Where people carved a life with the axe and the plough And the never-waning strength of their arms But the life was too hard on that old mountain top So they moved their homes and…
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Home Sweet Passive Home: A Passive House in the Gaspereau Valley

Author: April 19, 2018

Home Sweet Passive Home: A Passive House in the Gaspereau Valley By Genevieve Allen Hearn To recognize Earth Day on April 22, The Grapevine interviewed Phil Dennis about one of the most energy efficient homes in the Valley. Phil, his wife Mary Sweatman, and their two sons live in a custom-built, 2,500 square foot passive home in the Gaspereau Valley. The Grapevine (GV): What does passive house design mean? Phil Dennis (PD): Passive house is a standard of construction that sets limits on energy consumption and air leakage. Passive house isn’t really passive at all; the concept relies on active…
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The Dome Chronicles: Forget it, Goose Man.

Author: April 5, 2018

The Dome Chronicles: Forget it, Goose Man. By Garry Leeson In 1972, a boxcar from Toronto containing a menagerie of farm animals and an eager young couple pulled into the station platform in Kingston, Nova Scotia. They were bound for a deserted hundred-acre farm on the South Mountain, determined to preserve the foundations of farmsteads past while constructing a geodesic dome. They were pioneers of the future, armed with respect for tradition and an irrepressible sense of humour. They didn’t call themselves farmers. They were back-to-the-landers. Farming was industry and their calling was sustainability. Over the next forty years, through…
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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Garden: Welcoming New Family Members!

Author: April 5, 2018

What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Garden: Welcoming New Family Members! By Adrien Rawley Not far from where I sit, beneath warm grow lights, nestled together on carts, a small miracle is taking place. A miracle that never, ever ceases to amaze me. Since November of 2017 our loving team of volunteers and greenhouse and gardening staff have been working towards the coming of this particular spring with great excitement. Many months ago the first steps were taken to introduce new members to the family of native plants found within the gates of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. While…
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Why See A Yoga Therapist?

Author: March 22, 2018

Why See A Yoga Therapist? By Loreen Keddy Yoga is already well-known for its many health benefits, but have you heard about the emerging field of yoga therapy? Yoga therapy is a whole-body approach to healing that often has amazing results. Here is why you should consider seeing a yoga therapist as part of your wellness goals. 1) Move better, feel better Your patterns of movement are influenced by your daily life, activities, age, and your health. It is these patterns that can lead to dysfunction and physical weakness, and manifest as pain, tingling, and tightness in your body. Yoga…
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Mike Uncorked: Spring into Reading!

Author: March 22, 2018

Mike Uncorked: Spring into Reading! By Mike Butler This is one of my favourite times of the year. Yes, spring, but mostly the Canadian Federation of University Women’s Annual Book Sale is happening now, and it’s the ultimate go-to place for inexpensive reading material to get me through the spring and summer months. I love to read and this book sale is always a busy triumph for book lovers.Take a minute to pop down to the sale and gather some new reading material. Take a friend and introduce them to this wonderful event which raises tons of money for various…
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