Tidbits about Nova Scotia

We have one more day in Nova Scotia. We've learned a lot about this Canadian Province and its history. The British and French fought over this area for many years before the British finally "won" if you can call it that. There are villages of French, Irish, Scottish, and regular Brits, as well as a few pockets of Germans throughout the region. There are still native Indians here, most living on a Reserve near Digby.  Other than Tourism, fishing is the main livelihood, especially scallops, lobster, mussels, clams, haddock, and cod.  Mackerel is plentiful but not a local favorite.  Summers here last from mid to late June through early September. The tourist season extends through mid October.  There is some farming on the north side of the mainland, but the rest is quite hilly and somewhat rocky.  Beaches here are not at all like the beaches in the States.  They are not sandy, but pebbly or even rocky, or muddy with red clay. Prince Edward Island may be different; we will soon see.

Town signs and highway signs are quite artistic and "character" laden.

The weather for July is mostly sunny and temperate (70s mostly), although anything above 75 is considered severe heat.  One might think that with such moderate temperatures there would not be an issue with mosquitoes...WRONG!  Mosquitoes,  no-see-ums, and black flies are abundant, especially in the early morning and evening hours, and they are not easily deterred.

Recycling is taken very seriously here. You must separate your trash into recyclables, organic refuse, returnable (get $$  back), paper products, and trash.  No black bags are allowed and we are supposed to use clear bags, which we have none of.  Most items are to go into recepticals without the bag you are using...just dump the stuff into the lined trash can.  I'm not sure exactly what the residents do at home, but they all have garbage boxes permanently set up near the road to deposit trash/recyclables for pickup.

Many towns have food trucks that they use retired school buses for.  We've seen many throughout the region but have not stopped to buy any food from them.  

The people here are very friendly and helpful. That included those at the campgrounds we have been staying at.  Even the Quebec Canadians have been much friendlier here than the ones we have encountered in Florida during the winter. There are some Americans traveling like us, but the vast majority we have met are from Nova Scotia, Ontario, or Quebec.  On the weekends, most of the campers are Nova Scotia folks.  We have enjoyed conversations with many Canadians on a lot of topics.  They dont like their PM but not sure about their upcoming elections. They are not sure what is going on in our country, but they have the impression that all Americans have too many guns, including assault weapons....interesting!  We also talked with some about health care...their government run system is not so hot!  They have trouble getting in to see a Doctor and may have to wait days or weeks even when injured or sick, and that includes the emergency room.  We definitely don't want a system like that.