I got up at 6h30¹ to a lovely day but a very cool (0° (32)) one, with fog lying low on the St Croix River.
Yesterday, as I was crossing the Airline (Route 9) in Maine, I noticed a vibration that I took to be in the motor, especially noticeable when the engine was under load, as when climbing a hill, of which there are many on the Airline; the motor, however, was otherwise running fine, there was no indication anything was amiss on the dash lights, and the car had been checked and serviced just last Thursday. Still, the noise was persistent enough and I was worried enough that I decided to take it to a Toyota garage, the nearest of which to Calais proved to be in St John, I discovered. Accordingly, I cleared customs and continued on to St John, where I eventually found the Toyota dealer (it was my first time in downtown St John and the directions Google Maps gave were not helpful as I navigated the confusing streets). When I finally got to the garage, there were five cars ahead of me, but they told me they could look at the car in an hour and a half, so I decided to wait it out. The technician found that the noise was a heat sink underneath the car which had come loose, apparently some time yesterday on the trip to Calais, having lost a bolt that held one end of it in place—nothing wrong with the motor at all, fortunately! After that was repaired, I was on my way again, though later than I wanted to be.
The most vivid colours I saw anywhere on this trip were from east of St John to west of Moncton, where perhaps a third of the deciduous trees had turned, some of them very bright and even with some nice reds. Nova Scotia and Cape Breton had incipient colours, but were not very far along.
I stopped in Salisbury (New Brunswick) for a sub and ate half in the car as I continued uneventfully to Cape Breton. I crossed the Canso Causeway at 17h02, got gas in Port Hastings, and arrived in Port Hood at 17h43. I ate the other half of the sub for dinner as not enough time remained to both eat dinner out and buy my ticket for the show tonight at the Strathspey Place.
Sin Agad an Dòigh, which a Gaelic-speaking friend translated as That’s How It Is, proved to be a magical evening, full of energy and high jinks: although I was tired from the drive, it perked me right up. A collaboration between Howie MacDonald, Peter MacInnis, and Tracey Dares-MacNeil (and doubtless with contributions from the other cast members, Marilyn MacDonald-MacKinnon (Howie’s sister), Alasdair Cameron, Sarah MacInnis, and Jessie Helen MacNeil (the last three, cast members of Brìgh)), its hilarious skits and perfect accompanying costumes offered wry commentary on human nature in Cape Breton (and those from the “Boston States” who pop in for a visit) along with great fiddle music, songs, and dance. Steve Rankin’s fantastic photos were shown as a backdrop between the several sections of the show. Marilyn and Peter both have magnificent voices, the first time I had heard either sing, and Sarah, whom I’d heard before, is a marvellous Gaelic singer. Several of the skits left me in stitches (Alasdair has a great comedic future!), with side-splitting performances from the very talented cast. I couldn’t have been happier to attend this show; it will be offered again on 28 December and I heartily encourage you all to see it then.
Tired from the drive, I made my way back to Port Hood and was soon in bed.
¹ All times ADT, even those in the US.↩