At 6 AM the next morning, I meekly pried open my eyes at 6 AM sharp. "Morning Flower" sounded a bit different.
I heard faint tapping noises, which I presumed to be rainfall at first. But the sound reverberated from within the room, not on the other side of a glass panel.
For a millisecond, I contemplated the possibility of it being the tapping of laptop keys. But no one else was awake.
Pitter patter. It was unmistakably water droplets.
And it sounded as if it was taking place in the general area of my most valued possessions.
I heard faint tapping noises, which I presumed to be rainfall at first. But the sound reverberated from within the room, not on the other side of a glass panel.
For a millisecond, I contemplated the possibility of it being the tapping of laptop keys. But no one else was awake.
Pitter patter. It was unmistakably water droplets.
And it sounded as if it was taking place in the general area of my most valued possessions.
Scrambling with the daunting realization that I may never be able to access the sole device that enabled consistent connection with the world, I grabbed my glasses and a flashlight.
Lo and behold, the sight was jarring: the lightweight, yet heavy duty camera bag I had researched so extensively was soaked to the core, dampened by what I can only presume to be nasty, used bathwater (and whatever foreign material utilized in ceiling tiles).
Lo and behold, the sight was jarring: the lightweight, yet heavy duty camera bag I had researched so extensively was soaked to the core, dampened by what I can only presume to be nasty, used bathwater (and whatever foreign material utilized in ceiling tiles).
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Somewhat gratefully, the droplets had only missed the rest of my equipment by a mere centimetres. Two cameras and an unsheathed, charging laptop had barely avoided the calamity. The contents of my backpack, though, were tell another tale.
Desperate attempts were made to remediate the inflicted damage. However, the irritable musty smell persisted.
Desperate attempts were made to remediate the inflicted damage. However, the irritable musty smell persisted.
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And just when I thought it was all over, crashing down with a bang were the permeated fragments of tile.
My first concern was the potential asbestos content of the tile; it is not uncommon for old materials to rely heavily on the cancerous substance, and once made friable, residents of the room would have been directly exposed to its hazards. Had the piece not given way due to dampening, the compact quadrants would be immediately become a zone of invisible danger.
More alarming was the very fact that these droplets could have easily saturated an area with a live current, and consequently resulted in an explosion with energy contributed from neighbouring electronics.
My first concern was the potential asbestos content of the tile; it is not uncommon for old materials to rely heavily on the cancerous substance, and once made friable, residents of the room would have been directly exposed to its hazards. Had the piece not given way due to dampening, the compact quadrants would be immediately become a zone of invisible danger.
More alarming was the very fact that these droplets could have easily saturated an area with a live current, and consequently resulted in an explosion with energy contributed from neighbouring electronics.
The overall mood at breakfast time was grim - and could you blame me? I settled for the Matcha Custard Mini Gangs acquired the previous night, then took to the streets of Downtown Halifax once again for coffee. Alas, it was Sunday, and few cafes in the area had opened for business.
We then set off for another adventure shortly afterwards. The trip involved routing through Dartmouth, which involved crossing the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge. It was my first time coming across a toll bridge; Hwy 407 is the only P3 method of transportation involving tolls (or at least that I've used anyway). The fee for the Macdonald Bridge was only a loonie though, making it signficantly more economic than tolls back home.
Our primary destination was Digby, a town on the southwest coast of the province renowned for scallops. En route was Annapolis, where we stopped for a quick tour of the Annapolis Tidal Plant.
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The renewable energy plant was grand in scale, and even featured an information seminar and interactive presentation on the upper floor of the Interpretive Centre.
Noted on one of the information boards was the following:
"Built in 1984 as a demonstration plant, the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station is the only tidal generating station in North America and remains one of the few in the world."
This line was quite misleading, for it wasn't discovered until later that the plant had already been decommissioned due to inadequate energy production, lack of funding, and other environmental side effects.
"Built in 1984 as a demonstration plant, the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station is the only tidal generating station in North America and remains one of the few in the world."
This line was quite misleading, for it wasn't discovered until later that the plant had already been decommissioned due to inadequate energy production, lack of funding, and other environmental side effects.
Our arrival in Dowtown Digby was met with a plethora of restaurants, each offering a slightly different take on scallops. After waltzing up and down and around the House of Wong (we had a good chuckle over this), Shoreline was our final decision.
The establishment was part gift shop and part restaurant: facing Water Street was a boutique retailing souvenirs ranging from lobster plushies to Sou'Wester hats to fudge bites to display-ready trinkets - all ridiculously overpriced, might I add. Behind the gift shop was the kitchen and indoor dining hall with live lobsters on display in tanks; behind this was an outdoor patio area comprising of wooden booths and seaside accessories.
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< Pictured above and below: Ginger Ale, Iced Tea, Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, Smoked Haddock Chowder, Spring Salad, Fresh Digby Scallops >
Minimal time was needed to narrow down our choices - we had traversed the stretch with a penchant for scallops after all. The waitress was of little to no help, and almost nowhere to be seen except meal delivery time. This hadn't mattered greatly though, since each item's description was fairly concise.
Minimal time was needed to narrow down our choices - we had traversed the stretch with a penchant for scallops after all. The waitress was of little to no help, and almost nowhere to be seen except meal delivery time. This hadn't mattered greatly though, since each item's description was fairly concise.
Both of our scallop picks were phenomenal to the extent where we ordered a second helping of the pan-seared variation. Plump and flavourful, these were bites of seafood that I had never once tasted in te GTA. One could describe the experience as eye-opening (or tongue-tantalizing).
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View the full album HERE !
Sadly, the same could not be said for the Smoked Haddock Chowder. It was creamy mishmash of potato, sodium, and a mix of dried and fresh haddock chunks. Disappointing it was that the cheese biscuit on the side provided more satisfaction than the soup itself.
The Spring Salad was a solid method of incorporating greens into our meal. From baby spinach to chopped romaine lettuce, it was observed that there was no shortage of fresh greens on the East Coast, in spite of the fact that leafy vegetables were not a locally-sourced ingredient. Sweet bites of roasted beet, crunchy pecans, and a healthy helping of goat cheese topped off the bowl for the ultimate synthesis of texture, flavour, and originality.
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Bathrooms were categorized into gender-specific single stalls, which was a good indication of the volume of traffic per visit. The interior of the stall revealed regular upkeep. Additional decorations had been also been included to continue the thalassic theme.
It was definitely deduced that Shoreline had met and exceeded our expectations for fresh local scallops, even while its chowder and service were quite rudimentary. Some proofreading of the menu wouldn't have hurt either ("Salad's", "Romain")
Read Part 2 HERE !
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