Celebrating Little Things

Day Tripping with Mom

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Gaelic/English sign at the Gaelic College, St. Ann’s.

Departure: Dundee, Richmond County 9:00am

Destination: Indian Brook, Victoria County

I decided to take Mom on a day trip today. We both mind the heat and humidity so much, and although I work in air conditioning during the week, Mom doesn’t get much relief. I thought it would be nice to at least spend some time in the car in cooler conditions.

Our destination was Indian Brook, Victoria County. Why you ask? Through my workplace, I had been communicating, via phone and email, with a lady named Judy Brown. Judy operates a business called ‘The Other Cupboard Emporium’ in Indian Brook and I wanted to check it out.

Our first stop was the gift shop at the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s. I hadn’t been there in many years, but I remembered it always had some lovely items. I found a CD I had been looking for “Home” by Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen. (It’s a cork’er. I’ve already listened to it twice.)

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Gift Shop, Gaelic College, St. Ann’s.

From St. Ann’s to Indian Brook is about 30-35 minutes. It’s a pretty drive following along St. Ann’s Bay (I think) and North River. There was a bit of traffic but everyone seemed to be just taking their time and enjoying the surroundings.

Our next stop was Cabotto Chocolates. Oh my. This is not a safe place for me to be.

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Cabotto Chocolates and Colouratura Art Gallery
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The shop and gallery are in an old church.
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Photo called “Waiting for Spring”, on the outside wall. Oh how we wish it was spring.
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Gorgeous display of chocolates.

We sampled both dark and mild chocolate and pistachio/orange fudge. All VERY delicious. Of course we came home with a bar each.

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Mom chose the Seaweed Dark Bar and I chose the Mint Dark Bar.
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I thought this was a cute barrier in the parking lot.
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Gorgeous blue hydrangea just opening.

From the chocolate shop we were only a minute or so from The Other Cupboard Emporium .

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Love the bank full of daylily’s.
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A few steps but very easy to navigate with the handrails. Mom isn’t fond of steps but she found them great.

I introduced myself to Judy and I was very happy to finally put a face with a voice. She is every bit as lovely as I expected too. She really has a wonderful shop filled with EVERYTHING! “At The Other Cupboard we believe in offering healthier, local and affordable options to fuel your mind, body and soul. ” This quote is taken from their website. Check out their website for the many items they stock. I came away with a bottle of haskap juice.

We had planned to turn around at this point, but Judy encouraged us to continue on for just a couple of kilometres as there were a glass blowing shop, woodsmith shop and The Clucking Hen Cafe and Bakery. We took her advice and had lunch at the Clucking Hen.

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The Clucking Hen Cafe & Bakery

The cafe was quite busy but there were still several empty tables. A lovely waitress came with menus, utensils and water. She was so nice and accommodating. We debated between the lobster sandwich and the lobster roll. The waitress said the lobster sandwich on oatmeal porridge bread was the best. As we took a few more minutes to decide, she returned with a full loaf of bread to show us what it looked like. We both decided to have the lobster roll. It was a grilled bun with a lining of lettuce and stuffed with delicious lobster. But we did ask to purchase a loaf of the bread and two cinnamon buns to go. All in all, a great place to eat and so many hen things to look at around the dining area.

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A felted fiddle playing hen hanging on the wall.

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In the yard at the Clucking Hen Cafe & Bakery. I was tempted to run around it three times hoping for rain or snow, or at least cooler temps.

Our next stop was the Glass Artisans Studio.

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The glass blower demonstrating and working today was Mervi Haapakoski. She grew up in a rural area not far from Helsinki, Finland. She lived in Ontario for several years, and then came to visit Cape Breton in 2015 and moved here in 2016. She was very nice and also hilarious.

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Mervi beginning the process. She was making a starfish.
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We watched Mervi for a while and then went into the gift shop. WOW! What a collection of gorgeous glass works. Tumblers, vases, pitchers, birds, tiny animals, pendants, brooches, buoys, balls, etc. I loved going through and looking at the different artists works.

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Buoys
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Lots of pretty balls.
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Glass and metal sculpture in the front yard.
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Glass tube amongst the hostas.
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Another glass and metal structure.
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I bought a starfish made by Mervi. It wasn’t made today as it would not have cooled enough. It’s about 4″ wide or so. I love it.

The Woodsmiths Studio was next. Oh the lovely scent of wood when we walked in the door. I didn’t get his name but a very pleasant fellow who shared some of his travel experiences. I had asked him if he was open year round and he said no, that he travels for about 3 months each winter. He has beautiful cutting boards, interesting bandsaw boxes, business card holders, pencil boxes, pen holders and lots more.

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The Woodsmiths Studio

We were heading back but still checking out some more shops and still in Indian Brook. What a great place with so many artisan shops to visit. Our next stop was the Leather Works.

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Another distinctive scent when we opened the door. The lovely scent of leather. I had remembered visiting the business many years ago but I remembered it being high up on a hill. I asked if they used to be located where the Other Cupboard Emporium was and that’s exactly where they were until 6 years ago. Lots of purses, belts, wallets, change purses, bracelets and much more. I bought a leather pony tail holder which I hope will work with my thick hair.

Our last shop was Piper Pewter. I have a couple of Piper Pewter Christmas ornaments but I had no idea they were a Cape Breton company until today. I have no idea why I didn’t know this.

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Piper Pewter shop

This isn’t a big shop, but it is well displayed and a wonderful place to visit. They have Christmas ornaments, Clan Crest brooches, bookmarks, earrings, pendants, keychains and kilt pins. I’m sure I’ve missed some products.

At this point we were both getting tired, so we decided we’d make Baddeck our next stop. We managed to get a place to park not far from the Flying Kite Artisan Shop where I found the other CD I was looking for today. This one is “The River She Knows” by Rose Morrison. We played this one on the way home and we both enjoyed it very much. We also had Death By Chocolate ice cream in a cup. Yummy. A quick stop for potatoes at The Baddeck Co-op since they were sold out when we picked up groceries in Port Hawkesbury last night. Another quick stop at The Farmer’s Daughter for a turkey pie which we’ll have for dinner tomorrow.

Although I’ve been hearing tourism is down in Cape Breton, all the places I asked said they thought it had been much busier. We saw lots of tourists and plates from many places; Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, and that was without really looking.

Mom asked to go back home through Orangedale and Marble Mountain so I accommodated. That’s a nice drive, but a bad road in places.

We had an awesome day. Thankfully everywhere we visited had air conditioning. It was hot and humid with the temperature steady at 32C. We blasted the A/C in the car too. We did some Christmas shopping, visited lots of shops, had a great lunch, met some nice people, everyone we encountered at every business was so very lovely, but most of all Mom just thanked me for taking her on this day trip and keeping her cool.

I hope you enjoyed my day with Mom, as much as I did. As always, leave a comment if you wish.

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On the wall at the Clucking Hen



11 Comments

  1. Norma

    Sounds like a very special day for you andEnid. I always enjoy your posts

  2. Patti

    Hughena! You make Bryce and I want to check out Cape Breton and drop into all of these magical places! A few weeks ago we toured Parrsboro, Joggins, Advocate, Cape D’Or…another gorgeous, but often neglected, part of Nova Scotia. Let’s explore and celebrate what we have on our own doorstep!

  3. Trish MacKinnon

    I enjoyed your trip too 😊. Thank you!

  4. jean

    Really great pictures and what a nice road trip. We haven’t been that way in a few years.

  5. Judy Guptill

    I enjoyed hearing where you went..We’ve been to many but not all the places you stopped. The Clucking Hen is wonderful. The glass blowing shop has such beautiful things but we’ve never seen a demonstration there. Finding 2 CDs you had been looking for was a bonus. You’re so fortunate to have your Mom (and best friend) to enjoy these wonderful day trips with. Thanks for sharing your day ♡

  6. Judy

    Thank you Hughena for sharing your day with your Mom. i appreciate you popping into the shop and hope to see you again:-)

  7. Alice M MacAskill

    Sounds like you &;Enid had a great trip, loved your pictures& comments

  8. Shelley Lynch

    So many beautiful places to visit right in our own backyard. Great way to spend the day with your mom.
    Beautiful!

  9. Clare McCarthy

    What a wonderful way to spend a hot, humid day!! I am definitely going to check out these places you mentioned. A Cape Breton road trip is in order.
    Thanks for sharing

  10. Mary C. Hankey

    Such an enjoyable road trip for you and your mom and an enjoyable read to boot! I grew up on the North Shore (Wreck Cove) and Dad grew up in Indian Brook. His wake and funeral were held in the church that is now the shop and gallery. Isn’t it wonderful to have air conditioning in your vehicle on days like that! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
    P.S. You can never go wrong with The Clucking Hen!

  11. Kay Horton

    Loved your day with your mom! I mentally road with you all the way…..thanks for sharing!

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