Life on the "other side"....

On my first Sunday after arriving in Halifax, I went to worship at Stairs United Church in Dartmouth.  You may remember the picture of the building from an earlier post:

During the coffee hour in the basement of the church after the service, I was chatting with a couple of women and asked them how long they had lived in Halifax.  They were very, very quick to respond:  "Oh we don't live in Halifax - we live in Dartmouth!"  Right.  I got it right away - the two communities are very distinct from each other, and they each are very proud to claim their own space.  It was a good learning for me!

The two communities are across the Harbour from each other.  When my friends were here, we took the 10 minute ferry ride to the Woodside Terminal, and then wandered our way along the harbour walkway to the other Terminal - Alderney.  Here is a map of the 3.2 km walk:

The Halifax Harbour front is most definitely geared to tourists - especially to the ones who arrive on the cruise ships.  While I have loved wandering down there, and it is still a favorite place for me to go and simply sit to watch the world go by, I have also been enjoying getting to see a different side of life in Dartmouth.  When Colleen and Julie and I spent our afternoon in Dartmouth, it was very hot - and after our walk from one terminal to the other, we were a wee bit thirsty.  So we stopped at the first patio lounge we came to - it was called Whiskey's!  Here we are on the patio:

As it turned out, we were sitting in a spot that had quite a story to it.  I found these words on the website for Whiskey's Bar:

Who we are

We are the First and Oldest bar in Dartmouth.

Little Story

In the 50’s this building was a restaurant and dance hall known as the “White Lantern” In the 90’s the current owners restored the restaurant’s exterior to its original form. Whiskey’s and Revana has been used in three feature movies: “The Christmas Shoes” with Rob Lowe “Reversible Errors” with Tom Selleck (The “Jackson Aires Attorney at Law” sign from the movie is still displayed at Whiskey’s!) “Trailer Park Boys: The Movie”

This morning I went back to Dartmouth to volunteer at the Food Bank that is run out of Stairs United Church.  I took the bus from my place in Halifax to within walking distance of the church - I got on the bus at 7:15 a.m. and was at the church by 8:00.  The bus ride alone took me into a very different world - at one point there was not an inch of open space - bodies were packed in very close to one another.  I just really hoped no one had any emergencies along the way!  

The last time I was at the food bank I worked primarily in this space with these two women:

Frances, the woman in the blue striped T-shirt, is the manager of the Food Bank - and Helen has also been volunteering since they opened about 15 years ago (or so).  This time Frances decided that I could try a different job, and she had me go to the table where the clients come to pick up their orders.  They are given a number when they arrive, they are interviewed to sort out what it is they need, and then various products are put into bags for them (produce, canned goods, etc.).  It is a very organized system, and is very dependent on the various donations that come in from individuals and businesses in the area.  Today was the day that the income assistance cheques had been received by many of the usual clients, so the line-up for the food-bank was small - I think there were about 35 people that came through.  Usually it is closer to 100.  I felt very privileged to be able to hand people their food and to wish them well for their day.  Many of the volunteers at the food bank have been doing this work for many years, and they seem to know many of the clients who come through the door.  More than one volunteer has told me that they, as volunteers, likely get more out of doing this than the clients get from receiving the donations of food.

After I leave Stairs United, I often walk back to the Ferry Terminal.  Somehow Dartmouth has more of a rural feeling to it - likely because I am only seeing a small portion of it between the Ferry and the church. It definitely feels less like a constant tourist attraction - although there are lots of sites for tourists to enjoy. One of the things that I love about many of the buildings is that they have such bright cheery colors - often seen primarily in the choice of their doors, but it seems to brighten the whole house. And the greenery sometimes even finds it's way onto the walls of the buildings themselves! Here are a couple of the buildings along my walking route:

There is a park along the way that I didn't spend much time at, but it was good to see a green space that looked cared for - and that was offering an invitation to sit and enjoy the view:

I had heard about these islands at both Pier 21, and at the Maritime Museum, but I found a descriptive plaque along my walking route that was quite informative - it was good to get a view of these islands from the Dartmouth side of the Harbour.  One is George's Island, and one is Macnab's Island.  In the picture, the smaller one on the right is George's Island.

Macnab's island (larger one on the left) was named and owned by the Macnab family who arrived from Scotland in 1789.  Eventually the British established fortifications on the island to guard the City from Naval attacks.

In 1750 the British established defense posts on George's Island to guard the Harbour.  No ship was allowed to pass the Island after dark, or to leave the Harbour without first going to the Island to present a pass to the Warden.

It was in 1752 that the first Ferry began to carry people between Dartmouth and Halifax.  At that time, the ships were powered by sails and oars, and the trip took about 35 minutes.  Now, the trip takes about 10 minutes.

There are two bridges between the two cities as well.  

The bridge closest to us in this picture is the "old bridge" - the Macdonald Bridge.  It was opened in April of 1955.  Right now it is undergoing major construction, which they are calling the "Big Lift".  The bridge is open for regular traffic during the day, but is closed every evening and all weekend in order that the suspension portion can be replaced.  The only other bridge to have undergone such major structural change is the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver.  The reason for this project is to extend the life of the bridge - although it will also result in the bridge being raised 2.1 meters.  Huge undertaking that goes far beyond my imagination!!

The "new bridge" is the MacKay Bridge (further away in the picture) which was built in July of 1970.  It is the only bridge that allows trucks over 7055 lbs to cross it.

In the average workday, there are 104,000 crossings over the two bridges - plus there are the two ferry crossings - to Woodside or to Alderney terminals.  There is a lot of commuting between the two cities!

It is strange to look out at those islands that were named in the 1700's - what an immensely different world it is here today in 2016!  As a visitor in this area, I am very glad to be able to walk awhile in both Halifax and Dartmouth - to appreciate the gifts and the struggles of both places.  May I have the grace to listen carefully and to honor the truth and the tradition of all that I encounter!  Although I didn't see the plaque inviting me to sit wherever I wanted, I did feel touched today to be riding on the Viola Desmond Ferry - named after a woman who knew what it was to cross boundaries so that we could once again find our connection as fellow human beings:

Wandering through years gone by....

One of the tours I took with my friends last week was the Harbour Hopper tour - very hilarious - but very informative.  This is the bus we were on:

These vehicles are amphibious - so the first part of the tour was on the streets, and then we moved right out into the harbour.  The tour guide was excellent - very informative, and very funny.  He got us all to let out a chorus of "ribbett, ribbett" when we entered into the water.  I think he may have been the only one actually saying it!  But we had perfect weather for our tour, as you can see by the picture of Julie & Colleen here out on the water.

One of the impressive historical buildings (among many, many) is St. Mary's Basilica.  It was built between 1820 and 1829.  It has had various restorations, including having all new windows since the original windows were all destroyed in the Halifax Explosion in December of 1917.

Across the street from the Basilica is the Old Burying Ground - the oldest cemetery in Halifax.  It was founded in 1749, and closed in 1844.  There was a major restoration initiative in the 1980's - it is very impressive to see it today...

Our tour guide is an archaeologist, and kept pointing out other places where buildings have been constructed on old burying grounds - he seemed quite incensed at the idea and spoke often about the history that is still unexplored beneath the streets and buildings of the city.  He also inserted some rather funny personal stories in the tour.  At one point he spoke about being 10 years old and going to a Harry Potter dress-up competition where he won a prize at one of the schools we were driving past!

The guide grew up and continues to live in Dartmouth, which is a ferry ride across from the Halifax Harbour Front.  He takes the ferry across almost every day of the week.

In July, 2016, Halifax Transit added a ferry to their fleet, and held a contest where people could vote on various options for naming the ferry.  About a third of the close to 20,000 people who took part in the contest chose the name of Viola Desmond.  Desmond's fight against racism helped push for the end of segregation in Nova Scotia. In 1946, her car broke down in New Glasgow. As she waited for the repairs, she went to the local movie theatre. She refused to leave the whites only section, and was dragged out by police and thrown in jail overnight.  Novia Scotia issued her a formal apology only six years ago.  I think it was one of my favorite moments of the tour when the guide said he got quite teary-eyed listening to Viola's sister speak about how moved Viola would have been by this moment (Viola died a short time ago).  Our guide said he thinks about Viola and her legacy every time he walks onto the ferry and sees the sign that invites people to sit wherever they want to.  It is about a 10 minute ferry ride - quite a delightful way to move across the harbour from Halifax to Dartmouth.

It has been amazing to walk around and see the history in the buildings all over the city. One of the courtyards that was fun to take a look at was in the Alexander Keith Brewery.  Here are a few pictures:

This final picture has a bit of "wow" in the wall.  The woman giving the tour explained that that was left in place to show what happened in the days when the wagons were brought into the courtyard.  They would turn a little too close to the wall, and the bricks were worn away by the consistent rubbing of the wagons on their way in and out of the courtyard.   Seeing the evidence of an era where transportation was so different than today somehow made it all seem more real.

 Can't go on the tour without sampling a wee bit of the product!

The tour finished off with a traditional kitchen party - some great traditional music by the three staff.   It was amazing to sit there and have such a quality concert unfold in such an intimate setting.

Every Saturday I am receiving an e-mail as part of an autumn on-line retreat.  Last week it was an invitation to ponder the music that energizes our souls.  This week the focus was on spending time reflecting on the ways people and events from history have shaped our spiritual journey.  It has been good immersing myself in a bit of the history that is so clearly evident in the streets of Halifax and Dartmouth. Somehow, it is hopeful to see these very ancient buildings and how they still stand strong and solid for us to enjoy today.  It is a reminder of all the people who have come and gone - whose lives were full and busy, and whose stories continue to live on in the very bricks of the buildings.  I love the story of Viola Desmond and her courage to live true to her own truth.   I am still absorbing the experience of visiting Pier 21 - and will save that for another post.  This is an amazing city, and I am ever so grateful for the gift of this time to simply enjoy such a different geography.  I will close with a picture of the Bluenose - which just happened to be in the Harbour for the past week.

A break with friends...

This week two friends - Colleen and Julie - flew from Manitoba to join me for a few days in Halifax.  When I was on sabbatical 5 years ago, I began my time off by spending a weekend with these 2 women.  We raised our toddlers together - the youngest of our toddlers is now 26 - so that was a very long time ago!!  It was great to re-connect with each other at this stage of our lives, and we made a pact that we would spend some time together every fall, with one of us hosting the others every year.  I think they are going to have a bit of a tough time topping my invitation to Halifax!!!  This is one our first day together as we set out to explore the City.

By bus of course!!

One of the places we went was the Maritime Museum.  Here is Julie at one of the lighter moments in the museum:

In addition to wandering the streets and seeing the sights of present day Halifax, I was also wanting to know more about the history and what has helped to shape the city, so to speak.  There were two events that were incredibly significant - the sinking of the Titanic in April of 1912, and then the major explosion five years later on December 6, 1917.  I had heard of both of these things before, but it was different to be there in the museum, and to see the stories unfold - personal stories of the people actually involved in the disasters were incredibly touching to read.  First:  The Titanic:

Colleen & Julie thought this Titanic Deck Chair was a good illustration of how I look while I am sabbatical! 

When the Titanic hit the iceberg, the port in Halifax was where the bodies of the deceased were brought - the survivors were taken to the original destination, which was New York.  It was sad to read that the class system survived even in death - first class passengers were embalmed and brought to shore in caskets, second class were put into canvas bags and brought - the crew were carried off on stretchers.  A coroner from Halifax designed a small canvas bag, along with a very detailed system of identifying a body, and collecting all the personal effects in that bag so that the bag could eventually be shipped off to relatives.

I know that you can't really see the words on this plaque, but it was written by one of the chaplains from a memorial service.  He said that there is no need of a sermon tonight - what we have seen with our eyes has said much more than any words could ever capture.  His compassionate and heart-felt words made me thankful for chaplains world-wide who have been an important pastoral presence in the face of such massive loss of life.

Some of the bodies were impossible to identify.  One of the things that was found was a small boy's shoe - it was decided to erect this headstone in memory of all of those children who died in the disaster - whose lives were cut too short too soon.  Very touching.

Next: the explosion.  It was only 5 years later when a French cargo ship filled with high explosives collided with a Norwegian cargo ship.  The fire started on the French ship - the crew quickly realized the fire was out of control and they fled the ship.  20 minutes later there was a massive explosion - an entire part of Halifax, and parts of Dartmouth, were completed destroyed.  2000 people were killed and 9000 were injured.  Remember those small canvas bags?  It was a system that worked so well, they used it again in collecting the personal effects of individuals which were discovered in the piles of rubble.

This picture is from a man who was a minister in Halifax.  His wife and son were killed when their home collapsed - he and his daughter survived.  What it says on the plaque is: "if this disaster was truly the work of God, I would tear off this clerical collar".  What I kept thinking about is that even in the face of his own personal grief, he was likely called upon to officiate at the funerals of many, many of his friends, neighbours and parishioners.  Can't even imagine the emotional and spiritual toll that would take on a person.

One of the things that often brings people together is a disaster such as this explosion.  Boston Red Cross sent massive amounts of relief, and were very instrumental in helping Halifax re-construct its community.  For Christmas, 1918, the City of Halifax sent a Christmas tree to Boston as a way of thanking them for their assistance.  In 1971, that tradition was revived, and they now continue to send a Christmas tree to Boston - it has become Boston's official Christmas tree, lighting up the Boston common.  A lovely way for the cities to continue to pay tribute to one another.

Yesterday, we decided that it might be fun to get out of the City of Halifax to see a different part of Nova Scotia, so we took a tour to Wolfville.  We thought it might be helpful to do some research on possible resources for communion.  But wait - we're not Anglican!  Oh well - we decided since we were already on the bus, we may as well sample some of the wine anyways!  We were a little excited about where this adventure would take us!

One of the places the tour stopped was Luckett's winery, which is famous for the Red Phone Booth, right in the middle of the vineyard.  It was apparently brought over from  England for the owner, who used to go to a very similar phone booth in England when he wanted to have a night out on the town with his friends!  You can make one free call to anyone you want, anywhere in North America.  This is Colleen who called her husband - who just happened to be on a combine in a field near Portage La Prairie in Manitoba!

One of the wineries we stopped at was an organic vineyard - much less manicured than the other ones.  This was L'Acadie - named in honor of the Acadians, and also in honor of the Nova Scotian grape - also named l'acadie.  It was a very picturesque place to be:

We were quite pleased when the tour guide stopped at a view point so that we could look out over the Bay of Fundy.  The scenery was quite stunning:

One of the articles I read the other day as part of my "sabbatical pondering" was talking about the energy that we receive from music.  Often it is a piece of music that can soothe, or comfort, or energize us when we most need it.  The music scene in Halifax is quite wonderful.  When we were wandering along the water front, we came across a trio that were playing some traditional toe-tapping, hand-clapping pieces.  According to Colleen, all they were missing was the spoons!  But we sat there in the sun, and clapped along - a perfect Halifax moment:

I am ever so glad these two sister/friends were able to come and share some of the Halifax experience with me.  We have a couple more days together, and then I will be back to finding my own way on the streets of this city.  I will end this blog with a picture that I look out on in the Bedford Basin, which is just in front of the apartment I am staying in.  The explosion happened in the Narrows between this basin and the Halifax Harbour - knowing about the destruction and the tragedy of those days, it makes me even more thankful for the peace and the beauty of the Bedford basin today.

Celebrating life in a myriad of ways....

Last week I spent time walking the streets to get to know the city.  This past week I spent time getting to know the bus routes.  

I am very proud of myself - I can now take a bus down to the harbour front without having to check my phone every 10 seconds to make sure I don't get lost!  This was me the first time I got on a bus - trying to look relaxed, but not really pulling it off all that well!

In Halifax, there is a whole bus culture to get used to.  Whenever anyone gets off the bus, they tend to yell out a thank you to the bus driver, who almost always gives back a "you're welcome" shout out.  I don't remember hearing that from back when I used to ride the city buses as a student in Vancouver or Winnipeg many moons ago - seems to me everyone had their head down and was working hard at staying anonymous!  Not so much here. Taking the bus has also tuned me into a whole new world.  I heard a news story about the growing shortage of laundromats in the city, which really poses a problem for people who now have to take the bus a long distance to find a place to wash their clothes.  If they have several loads of laundry, it can be a whole day's work since you can't just hop on and off the bus at will - you have to figure out the schedules, not to mention buying more bus tickets than you can probably afford for one day. I found myself thinking about that as I rode the bus downtown - not a story I would have thought about as often if I was just whipping downtown in my own vehicle.  Without having my own car, everything takes a bit more thought - I have to know the bus schedules, the bus routes, not to mention figuring out how much I can actually carry whenever I shop for anything.  It's a whole way of life for many people - a world I can be oblivious to as I drive my own vehicle and never even notice the people standing at all the bus stops along my usual route to work.

Yesterday was my birthday.  I felt a little bit like I was in La La land at first - this was my angel card:  Love

And then I glanced out the window at the big ship in the harbour in front of the condo and I was quite sure the boat said: Happy Lloyd!  Love and happiness was the order of the day!  And wasn't that just the way it should be on my birthday?!?

I was looking at the world through my usual rose-colored glasses as it turned out.  

This was the actual boat - Hapag Lloyd!



For my afternoon treat I went to the neighbourhood library and joined up with a group who were walking the trails that have been developed by the naturalist club in this part of the city.  It was a delightful way to spend an hour or so.  And amazing what is hidden back in behind the busy city streets.  The man leading us on the walk is a retired chemistry professor who knows his plants - he showed us inkberry holly & the Pitcher Plant:

Inkberry Holly has very shiny green leaves, that stay green all through the winter!  They have a tiny black berry that can be used as a dye.

 

The Pitcher Plant is actually one that eats small insects!  They land in the water near the base of the plant and get consumed by the plant - I have no idea how that works - just seemed like an interesting plant to remember!

I think one of the most touching parts of the walk for me was when he showed us an area where, after the winds of a horrendous hurricane in 2003, the big old spruce trees had been totally flattened out.  He said the first time he went and saw it after the hurricane, he actually cried to see the devastation.  However, after 13 years, the area has really grown back - he said it is clear evidence at how the earth can heal itself if it is just left on its own.  It may not look the same as it had been, but there is now lots of new growth all around - he said for him it is a real sign of hope to see how it has come back to life.

My day ended with supper with supper in Dartmouth with Paul and Sarah, complete with a birthday candle to blow out!

One of the big accomplishments last Sunday (the 11th) was that I actually found my way to Sarah's church, Stairs Memorial United Church - took me about an hour, and I even managed to transfer to the right bus at the right place at the right time.  Considering that the first time I got on a bus the bus driver had to explain to me that I had to tear the tickets apart on the dotted line, and then lay the ticket down in the machine all by myself (I assured him that I actually was an adult!!), the fact that I navigated changing buses without getting lost is something that I am proud of!  Anyways, here is the church:

Since I got there 30 minutes early (better than 30 minutes late!), I offered to sing with the choir.  They were very gracious at welcoming me in - we led the congregation in a new hymn, as well as singing an anthem.  It was fun!  And certainly had the rest of the congregation wondering who the new face in the choir was!  I have agreed to preach once while I am here as well - they will definitely get to know who I am by then!  

This man has been in the choir for 64 years!  I think Sarah told me his father had been in the choir as well, and I know that his daughter sat right ahead of me in the choir on Sunday.  He said this has been his church all his life - and he spoke that truth with great pride - lovely to see.

This morning I went and volunteered at the food bank, which happens in this church every Wednesday morning.  These two women have been involved with the food bank for close to 15 years.  They arrive at the church about 6:30 on Tuesday morning and help to get all the food that has arrived sorted into its proper locations.  Then on Wednesday morning, they are back about 6:30 again to put it into the bags ready to give to clients.  I felt a little lazy only arriving there at 8 this morning!  They have about 80 families that come through the food bank each week.  It's a real community effort - certainly not all done by the church volunteers - there are other agencies there, such as the local literacy group.  It was an honor to be there today - to see such a compassionate group doing what they can to help alleviate hunger in the City of Halifax.  I hope to get back to help them out a few more times before I head back to Regina.

After we finished our supper out this week, Sarah and I went for a short walk along the boardwalk near the restaurant.  There was a full moon - it was a beautiful evening beside the water.  A very peace-filled image to end this week's blog: