Chestico Days

We had quite the spirited day on August 5th.  Morning came early as it usually does with Wally.  By seven he had already been up for thirty minutes, and he was restless to get out of his crib 15 minutes ago.  So a Cape Breton kitchen meeting was in progress to sort out the events of the day.

Up first was an 8km road race.  The no frills out and back race for ten bucks was on for Evelyn and I.  It would start at the fire hall of course, and proceed 4 clicks South on 19, and then back.  It was a beautiful sunny, warm and windy mornin.  There were about 100 people plus eager to set a personal best, or just finish the race.  I ran with a group of 3 other people for the first half, the two others by 5k, then just one other until 6k, and by the next half mile it was just me.  I ran in for the win in thirty minutes and thirty seconds absolutely smacked with fatigue and exhaustion.  I spent all my energy.  It was a good time, and Evelyn finished as the third female across the line within ten seconds of the first and second place runners.  It was a close finish.

Post race, the municipality had a parade.  We watched it from the start, thus reaping a vast amount of candy and treats that were thrown from the floats.  Each kid filled a plastic grocery bag.  It was Halloween-esq, but without the really good, high end candy.

The heavy lifting started thereafter.  Alex brought out a piano from Dartmouth to be moved into the Port Hood house.  I had always thought piano moving was insufferable, terrible work.  But a year ago I watched Shelly's piano get moved into our house in Goderich.  Granted the man and women who moved it were seasoned pros, they navigated the process with total and complete ease.  I remember thinking if I knew it would have been that easy, we could have done it.

Well today was my chance and I can say emphatically that ease was not in the equation.  It was an upright piano as Shelly's was, but this was a monstrosious beast!  We had all the right tools like a good dolly and a make shift sidewalk across grass.  We had enough room to get through doorways and no tight turns or obstacles in our way.  However the weight of this instrument made it very difficult to move.  The kicker was a 10 inch lift into the house.  If it wasn't for creating a lever with a 2x6, there would have been noooooo way Alex, Shelly, and I would have completed the task.  Anyway it got situated into its new surroundings, and I pity the people who have to move it again.

After the piano business, Alex and I took the girls to the beach.  Port Hood is known as the beach capital for f Cape Breton.  The beaches are in wonderful shape and the water always seems to be warmer in the area.  We spent an hour and a half there and sure enough, despite being a bit windy, it was a great day in the sand and surf.  And after moving the piano and running the race, it felt all the more relaxing.

By late afternoon Crystal and John Robert had arrived at the house and we had supper.  In the evening Alex and I returned the Uhual rental, and then we gathered up some people to go to the West Maboo square dance.  We completed a few sets of the three finger sequence and got caught up with Alex's sister Marianne.  It was getting past midnight and we still had a fifteen minute drive home.  It had been a busy and fun filled day as is usually the case out here.  Never a dull moment!