Big Tancook Island, Nova Scotia...more

We had frequent visitors at the cottage we rented 

on Big Tancook Island.

The neighbour's cat...

the neighbour's hens...

each wandered through exploring

and ignoring us.

This is the view from the cottage 

on Southeast Cove, Big Tancook Island.

The first piece of land, the darkest to the left is

the other curve of Southeast Cove.

Behind that is the tip of Little Tancook Island, 

and behind that again

is Blandford on the mainland.

On clear nights, 

we could see the light at Peggy's Cove

sweeping the sea.

This is the evening sky 

on our last day at the cottage.

There the night sky was free 

from light pollution so the stars

were visible, incredible,

overwhelming. 

There was so much more to do and see

than we had time to explore,

both on the island and in the Chester area.

  

We'll have to return.

I'm hoping 

soon.

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I've written so much lately about the cottage and the Tancooks 

that people have asked if I was advertising for them.  The answer is no.

I've received nothing for the writing.

I enjoyed the island so much, it is difficult to stop talking about it.

Go, see for yourself.

Southeast Cove, Big Tancook Island, NS

From Big Tancook Island, 

we watched this boat sail across Southeast Cove 

and moor.

It stayed for several days and nights.

We wondered if it belonged to one of

the many summer residents on the island

or to someone visiting, like us.

The island in the background is Ironbound Island, 

the third Tancook Island.  

This view is the one we enjoyed 

throughout our vacation in the rental cottage

on Big Tancook Island.

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Sunrise on Big Tancook Island NS

We spent five days on Big Tancook Island to celebrate

Gary's special birthday this year.  This is the 5 am view 

from our bedroom window, birthday sunrise.

The colours of the southeast cove 

and the morning sky warmed

and changed like melting crayons.

Our time on Big Tancook Island 

and our birthday celebrations 

were peaceful, full of delight

and laughter.

Big Tancook Island is the ultimate get-away, 

providing opportunities to shed the unnecessary

burdens of life and to simply be,

fully alive, and aware of the natural world.

Gary says it made a birthday he will never forget.

Spectrum Beaver SS Ultralight, Big Tancook Island, NS

The first morning in our rental cottage

on Big Tancook Island, our breakfast was

interrupted by strange sounds.

When we went to the deck to check it out,

we saw a Spectrum Beaver SS ultralight

aircraft taxiing out on the southeast cove.

The pilot (neighbour Neil's son) spent some time

getting the feel of the plane before

going out further into the bay,

toward Ironbound Island

turning...

heading back towards the cove and shallower waters

while picking up speed.

He gained enough speed that he was able to lift off,

higher,

then higher, before descending

and heading back to the dock for a consultation 

with watching family.

He sat and floated while talking things over,

then he tried the water again.

When that didn't work, he returned a second time.

The family helped hook the plane to

the bucket of a second-hand

island vehicle which

they leveraged to remove the ultralight from the water.

We talked to Neil's son later in the day.

He had scared himself slightly 

with going airborne, his family as well.

He had plans to remove the pontoons

(which he had bought separately

and attached to the ultralight), to move 

them back further on the plane... 

or perhaps even to sell it.

After watching and worrying from the dock,

selling was an idea his father liked very much.

*The home-built Spectrum Beaver SS

(single seat) is similar to the RX-28,

but powered by a 40hp (30KW) Rotax 447

engine and a wing derived from RX550 Plus

design, with additional ribs.

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Big Tancook Island, Nova Scotia

Southeast Cove, Big Tancook Island

A week ago, we left our car and cares on the mainland in Chester, Nova Scotia, and hopped aboard a whale watching boat to make a windy, wet trip to Big Tancook Island.  The property managers for our vacation rental met us at the dock and drove us to the cottage.  It was hardly a "cottage", outfitted as it was with every convenience and recently re-finished.  We were the first to rent this modern three-bedroom home.

Views toward Ironbound Island and a neighbour's dock

After we got ourselves settled, we sat out on the deck near the water (the fire-pit area) to acquaint ourselves with the scenery and to breathe summer, relax.

The ferry was down for repairs to a cracked propeller and was fixed by the next day.  The whale watching boat was faster but the ferry was dryer and could easily hold more passengers and supplies.  Both were intriguing ways to get on and off the Island.

Aging dock at bottom of the property

I'll be writing more about Big Tancook Island in the next few blogs.

We've been home for 2 1/2 days, and I miss the Island very much.


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