Thursday, August 14, 2014

Everyday Life Away

Some of  you may know that I am on sabbatical and in Nova Scotia.  All is well in the Maritimes, as they call Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland/Labrador.  The sun is not shining today as it usually is but even the rain and clouds do not stop folks from being out and about.  After a lazy morning around the cottage we are at the public library in Annapolis Royal using their internet service since we have none at the cottage.  We have no television there either but we have not really missed that at all.  It is funny but we do miss using our cell phones (ask ATT how much it costs to make calls from Canada back to the US; even higher, how much it costs to have a data plan work here) so we are very much news-free.  I have not heard about the Wars in Israel/Gaza, Syria, Iraq or anywhere else for about two weeks  now and I certainly do not miss that.  We do not even hear the weather forecast each day.  We just take whatever weather comes daily and live in it, a bit like our ancestors did I think.  So, going to the public library or sitting outside of a restaurant or visitors center that has Wifi is the thing we do to connect back to the modern world for just a bit.  We are sending email now and then and checking Facebook but mostly I use it just to check on places to stay for our return trip home and to pay bills that can be paid via the internet.

I am doing some writing and in fact think I will have a devotional booklet of some sort to share with you when I return.  It may be an Advent Devotional Booklet or just one in which you can read the thoughts I have had while on sabbatical.  Either way, when we get home and settled into the routine again, we can see what can be done to produce a booklet you can read if you wish.

We are exploring the province now and then but also allowing for down time on a regular basis to just sit and enjoy the scenery.  We are about 125 miles from the capital of Nova Scotia which is Halifax and that is the largest city in the province.  It is not large by US standards, only a few hundred thousand, but most cities are only 20,000 or less in population.  Many are very small towns, such as Annapolis Royal, with less than 1000 residents.  They do have a nice downtown, a police force, a mayor with a city hall office, and a public library so it is a bit like Weimar.

We are eating seafood regularly, daily in fact, and still love it as much as ever.  It is everywhere and scallops are so reasonable in price that they can be bought and cooked often.  There is a seafood processing plant in Parker's Cove where we are staying and you can buy your fish and scallops and lobster there or eat a bit of chowder or lobster there on their upper deck.

So, we are well and hope you are too.  Write to me via the church email address if you wish (ucpastor@cvctx.com) and I will respond when I get back to the library or other internet service.  Doris and Bo send their regards too.

Pastor Jerry

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