And so the shoveling begins. We have about 3-4 inches of very dense snow here near Western Shore on the shore of Mahone Bay. A friend near New Germany, inland, reports at least a foot and a half of “thick heavy snow”. Meanwhile, someone in Kingsburg, which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, has no snow at all! This pattern is typical: rain near the coast, snow inland.
Here’s how a tidal inlet on Mahone Bay looked this morning:
Jan. 13, 2011, after a snowstorm. Taken with a Fujifilm FinePix S1800 at the widest angle setting, equivalent to 28mm.
Santaville, Martins River, Nova ScotiaSanta fixing the lights on his tree on Christmas Eve. Hey, shouldn't you be driving your sleigh tonight?
You can’t miss it as you drive along Highway 3 through Martins River. It’s Santaville, a fantasy landscape of lights around and behind the home of Eddie Aulenbach. During the Christmas season, he spends his evenings in his Santa suit, happy to give tours through the grounds: the little cottages and chapel and Santa’s Workshop, all filled with vintage toys and decorations.
My son and I had a tour of Santaville a few years ago, and he was enchanted, though a little scared to say very much to Santa so close to Christmas. Home grown entertainment to be sure, without the production values of a big mall display. But the magic of coloured lights on a dark, dark night, a personal tour from St. Nick himself, and a little stuffed toy (previously loved) at the end of the visit, are enough to please a small child. I enjoyed seeing decorations and toys dating from my own childhood. And it’s free.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Santa. In 2002, Aulenbach was charged with unsightly premises by the Municipality. (I’ll concur that the charm of the place is more powerful at night than during the daytime.) The charges didn’t stick, and the Municipality got a lump of coal in its Christmas stocking. Then in 2004, the century-old house burned down in an uninsured fire. The local community held fundraisers, and a generous person donated a mobile home, and so Santaville was saved again – earning some very good children extra special presents the following Christmas.
Do you have childhood memories of Santaville, or have you taken your children through it? If so, please leave a comment below.
On this tidal inlet near Oak Island, it's supposed to be low tide at 11 a.m., but it looks more like high tide, due to the storm surge.
At 11 a.m., as the hurricane approaches, the powerful southeasterly wind is pushing water into the bay, causing a storm surge. We’re lucky that the tide is low. Otherwise, some coastal areas would be flooded and there would be damage to infrastructure.
At Western Shore, surf’s up! This is usually a quiet and peaceful place, sheltered from the prevailing winds. But not today; the wind is coming right into Mahone Bay bringing the ocean with it.
