Unexpected Treasure of Nova Scotia SwissAir Flight 111

Often, when planning a trip to a particular area we gather all the information we can about the location. We search out the popular tourist attractions for instance; check the lodgings and their ratings, restaurants and leisure activities. We plan out the route, and incorporate the miles into our time schedule. This helps us narrow down exactly what we would like to see, and often items on the list have to be dropped off due to time constraint. That’s ok. It’s not always possible to see everything in one trip. Yet, I have learned overtime, that constricting oneself to a strict travel schedule isn’t the best option. I suggest you leave wiggle room. The following may have you understand more fully why I’m making this suggesting.

On our visit to Nova Scotia, I had with me the handy Motorcycle Tour Guide. It’s a fabulous resource! I marked all the pages with tabs. First I color coded them for each area; Northumberland, Cape Breton Island, Eastern Shore and so forth. Then within the areas I had tabs for highlights I wanted to see. Yet, one place that I can’t shake from my heart and mind had no tab at all. And with the current Malaysian Flight 370 missing, this spot in Nova Scotia has come back to haunt me.

We were traveling the South Shore. This area is the location of Peggy’s Cove, one of the popular tourist destinations in Nova Scotia. It’s picturesque lighthouse, rocky shoreline, and fishing shacks is visited by many a seasoned and casual photographer. Take some snapshots of your own, but get back on the motorcycle and continue on around St Margaret’s Bay and onto the Aspotogan Peninsula down to Bayswater. Bayswater and Peggy’s Cove share a common page in history; the search and recovery of passengers from the ill fated SwissAir tragedy of 1998.

There are two memorials for Flight 111, one at Whalesback, close to Peggy’s Cove and one at Bayswater. We followed the signs to the memorial and unbeknown to us, soon stumbled upon hallowed ground. Here at Bayswatter, is where the remains of the victims of SwissAir Flight 111 are interred. The solemnity of this spot penetrates deep into your soul. We walked respectfully along the paths then stood silent, praying for the souls lost, and for the living still missing them. The people of Nova Scotia still remember, and take guardianship over this area. Their loving care is palatable. At first thought, one might say “but they were strangers”, yet they are not. The folks who took their fishing boats and skiffs out into the bay to aid in the search and recovery can’t forget. They, the good people of Nova Scotia, new that at any time it could be any one of us. We are all a part of this family called the human race.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of visiting such a place. It wasn’t one of my stops, yet I am forever thankful that I took the time. In addition, this place is so beautiful, that the request of the families to have this as the final resting place for their loved ones makes sense to me. View the photos of the memorial, which is inscribed in French and English. Then watch the video as I take you on a ride around the Aspotogan Peninsula.

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Birthday Play

So I woke up today, and heard the weather forecast; more snow! Accumulation is predicted for up to a foot! Will this winter ever end! Then I realized today is my birthday, and to make matters worse, it’s the last number in this particular decade. Need I say more? So to raise my spirits, I thought of Mom, who used to always say, “Any birthday on this side of the grass is better than the alternative. “

To celebrate being on this side of the grass, I put aside my responsibilities and decided to play. I powered up the old laptop, opened Movie Maker and tried my hand at enhancing one of the helmet cam videos from last summer.
If you’re sick of winter too, watch this video for a 2 minute and 5 second escape. Enjoy!

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Leather Jacket - Take Two

Last week I wrote about my new leather jacket. I posted a few photos about some of the features I really like about this jacket. However, this is not the whole story, hence, “take two” of Pat’s new jacket.

When thinking about making a purchase, there are a number of considerations to make. You have to ask yourself a few questions. “What am I looking for” is certainly at the top of the list, and then “where can I find it” surely follows a close second. This is just the beginning in a search for the item. Do I look locally? Do I search on-line? If you’re like me, you do both; check locally and then on-line. There is the convenience of shopping locally such as being able to try on the garment, feel the product, and consult with the clerk on site. With on-line purchases, unless you’ve had experience with the vendor, you never know what surprises are in store for you. Yet I seem to gravitate toward on-line purchases, because you can do extensive searches and do comparison shopping for like items. The drawback is that you can’t try on the garment, and if it doesn’t fit quiet right on arrival, there is the headache of returning the product for exchange and hoping the next one fits better.

In this post, I want to give a shout out to Motorcycle House. They were not only responsive to my many questions about size, fit, styling and so on, but they took the time to help in the search themselves for something that met my specifications. When I couldn’t see the (obvious) location of the size chart, they kindly pointed it out to me with a screen shot. Do I sound like a pain in the you-know-what customer? Yet, not once did I feel any flinch or caustic words in our communication. Motorcycle House was at all times gracious in their dealings with me. They helped me find what I wanted, made sure the size specifications were correct, told me when it shipped and when to expect the jacket to arrive. I’ve found working and doing business with Motorcycle House a pleasure indeed.

Check out my first ever video of a product review! It was fun, I learned something new, learned from my mistakes, and look forward to doing more in the future. To see better close-ups of some of the features, check the previous post for a look-see. Enjoy the video! And if you’re looking for new riding apparel, don’t hesitate to send your business to Motorcycle House. http://www.motorcyclehouse.com.