So, I was in Cape Breton yesterday doing pre-close house things and had two experiences I wanted to share.
The Post Office in Baddeck
I was in line behind this guy with a huge, oddly-shaped package he was insuring for thousands of dollars. He offered me the opportunity to cut in front of him if my business was brief, and when I politely declined, I asked him what was in the package.
He answered, "A wolverine and a grizzly bear."
I thought he was joking, but then he told the postmaster about the polar bear pelt that was stolen from his airplane luggage once. He really was mailing a wolverine pelt and a grizzly bear pelt, probably to himself, in Nunavut. I was gobsmacked, but I took it for the warning it was. Sean and I are going to have to be like wind and water, not earth and fire, as we integrate in this new place.
The Herring Choker
Right outside Baddeck on the 105, there's a seasonal sandwich shop and bakery called The Herring Choker (a euphemism for a Newfoundlander - no actual herrings were choked during the construction of the restaurant). Anyway, I stopped in hungry and asked if they could feed a vegan.
The gal behind the counter said, "You've come to the right place." She made me a grilled vegetable sandwich on oatmeal bread and served me a bowl of tomato lentil soup after telling me that one of their soups on the go was always vegan. Then she said there were even vegan cupcakes available for dessert (which I declined - I had already eaten a molasses cookie earlier). The food was delicious and filling, and the gal who made my sandwich even wrote a welcoming note on the sandwich wrapper when she learned I was moving into the area.
No place, and no people are all one thing, one personality, one way of being. Still, I learned a bit about navigation in Cape Breton yesterday, and it was useful to me.
