Down East

I got back Sunday from a trip to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia visiting my Nanny Perkins (yes, I still call my grandmother Nanny). I try and get down there once a year for a couple of days. It's a change of scenery, something to do, and my Nanny likes the company.

I left super-early Thursday morning (4:30 am!) to catch a 6:30 flight. It was so early that I actually got to see the guy who delivers our paper! Anyway, I got to the airport, through security, had breakfast (thankful Tim Horton's opens at 5:00), and boarded my plane.

A couple helpful tips for flying with a disability: I always make sure to use the facilities (you know what I mean) well before boarding and I take a change of clothes in my carry-on just in case. I also always have a flight attendant meet me during pre-boarding. I can get on the plane itself, but I usually find I need help with the ramp.

Anyway, the flight was good, saw the sunrise somewhere above Montreal which was awesome, and I met my Nanny at the Halifax airport. After spending the day relaxing (sleeping) after that early morning, we went to a local restaurant for fried clams, one of my must-haves when I'm in Nova Scotia!

Not the actual meal, but close enough.

 The next day it seemed like things just couldn't go our way. I had brought a tablet from home, hoping to show my Nanny my photos and blog posts from Chicago, so we went to McDonalds so I could access their Wi-Fi but it was down. Then we tried a Tim Horton's, and theirs threw me off. At least we were smart enough to get some food first. Later we went out to get lobster rolls (it was recommended that I try one), but those sucked. However, the day's mishaps were soon forgotten thanks to a simple, yet delicious, salami and cheese sub.

That's right, the high point of an entire day for me was a sandwich. But this isn't an ordinary sub. This salami and cheese sub, with a large chocolate milk to round out the meal, is one of my ultimate guilty pleasure meals. Seriously, I can only get this once a year and it's definitely worth the wait!

Cheesy, meaty, greasy goodness!

Yep, I'm actually posting this photo.

Afterwards, I ventured down to my Nanny's basement, which has always been my favourite part of the house, and took photos of a lot of stuff. There were my mother's vinyl records, old books, and this thing:

Slide-viewer?

Some of my Papa Perkins things from the navy.

Emblems from some of the ships he was on

Caricature of him as a drill sergeant. One of my favourites.

And plenty of old photos, many of me.



Baby photos



Parents and I in Old West costumes.

High school grad photo

My Papa Perkins, gone 20 years this coming April

Saturday, we took the ferry from Dartmouth to Halifax. I had only taken it once before last summer, and it was pretty easy to do. Sort of like taking a bus! My first stop in Halifax, same as always, was Strange Adventures comic shop. My Nanny and I then walked around a little and stopped for lunch.

Before leaving the next day, I wanted to get one more photo. When I was little, my Papa painted my name on a rock on their property. From then on it's been Scott's Rock.

Paint's still there, twenty-some years later!

I flew back later that evening, seeing the sunset from the plane. Great trip.

Cheers!