Cape Breton shouldered the end of June and beginning of July. The sense of busyness from that trip seemed to cascade into the remainder of the month as we continued to soak up all the sun.
First up, my birthday! I just so happened to turn 30 this year, and Amy did a great job planning a surprise (and a special thanks to everyone back in Manitoba who wrote kind words and gifting me my own pair of purple Grimace socks). The main event for the day was tickets for the Alexander Keith’s Brewery Tour. We’ve been to the historic Keith’s building for the farmer’s market, but never got around to trying the tour. They provided a good rundown with samples, and concluded with a kitchen party that had live music in a historic pub.
To save us from having to walk up the giant hill, we reserved a room at the Marriot beside the brewery. In the morning we walked down to the waterfront, had our coffees in hand and gazed out at all the boats in the harbour (most of our time was spent trying to garner the attention of some residents of a mega yacht parked in front of our Adirondack chairs). It was a birthday to remember, and a great way to usher in a new decade.
Birthday gifts!
Amy took the hints from months prior to buy me a skateboard. I’m not sure if it will keep my youth alive or send me to a hospital, we’ll see. There is a great spot to skate in a school parking lot near our apartment, so we both have been getting out on the occasional evening to enjoy the new activity. I even rode through a skatepark and left with only one minor injury, a small dent in my shin that seems to be permanent.
We had two spontaneous visits with siblings later in the month. First was Amy’s brother and his girlfriend, Brandon & Aryssa, who stopped in for a week. Amy and I opted to continue working while hosting, so our car did more touring than us. But we still got out on weekends to show them around the area.
Enjoying the beach and ice cream on a hot, summer day!
Our first day with them was another day of relentless heat, so we decided to check out one of the beaches nearby. A neighbour had recommended Martinique Beach to us, so we chose that as our destination. With some cold drinks and swim suits we made our out, only to realize upon arrival that when it’s hot in the city, it is usually still cold at the beach. The temperature had dropped ten degrees by the time we reached the beach and the water seemed no longer appealing to jump into. Amy and I still braved the waves for a handful of seconds before retreating back to our towels in full-body shivers. The beaches on the eastern side of the province do not typically warm up till the end of summer, and when we jumped in, it was a frosty 10 degrees Celsius. A sure way to beat the heat, and also get hypothermia.
We enjoyed touring Dartmouth and Point Pleasant Park
Brandon and Aryssa were adamant on trying donair, so Amy and I agreed we would give it another shot. This time we went over to King of Donair, which is apparently where the first Halifax Donairs were made. The walls are full of pictures with celebrities proudly holding up their donairs to the cameras. There was also a young child with bucket of freshly caught fish sitting at the tables to complete the atmosphere. After biting into our donairs, both Amy and I concurred that it is still not for us. We did, however, get an order of Garlic Fingers (it’s just cheesy bread) and I will gladly return for that.
Taking advantage of the e-scooters & ferry to get around
After Brandon and Aryssa flew back to the prairies, we had a couple of days before my sisters, Kayla and Courtney, landed and spent a long weekend with us. Our weekdays were the same, Amy and I working, while they got out and toured around Halifax and the surrounding area. We got to show them the waterfront, and of course we took them to Cow’s Ice Cream. The e-scooters that are scattered across the city were a hit with them too, and we would take them to the waterfront and back. When there wasn’t enough scooters for all of us, we would double up on one until finding another one along our way. It’s kind of like having your very own, slower, biker gang.
It was great to share some of our experiences with our siblings, and we’re so grateful they made the trip to see us! Being on this adventure is fun, but sharing it with the ones you love is what makes it worth it.
Thank you for continuing on this journey with us!
Love,
J&A
J & A's Adventure 
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