Rainy days in Antigonish

Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Sitting in the Garbary's cozy kitchen with a mug of orange pekoe by my side, I'm thankful to take this day to rest. Surrounded by ripening tomatoes and pumpkins, fresh garlic and dulse (dried red seaweed), rose hip jam and bowls of basal waiting to be turning into pesto, I feel right at home. I was going to ride, but Dolna (Mother of the household) insisted that I could stay put if I wasn't feeling up to venturing out into the sheet of rain currently blanketing the sideways, roadways, and lawns.

Oooooh, it's raining harder now; the wind blowing the falling droplets so they pelt against the house at a 30 degree angle. And I'm warm and dry in the home of a friendly Maritime family. From what I've experienced these past few days, I think that the rest of my journey is going be influenced more and more by the weather. I'll have to accept taking a day or two off when it's wretched out, and riding hard when it's sunny and the wind is at my back. My pace might be slower, but I also foresee the exchange of many stories and thoughtful conversations in my future. Poor weather, after all, is what brought me into Isabelle's home the other day.

So I met Rachel while she was working at the bakery on Mainstreet, Antigonish. I had just arrived in town after fighting the winds round Cape George, and parked my bike as soon as the scent of fresh cinnamon buns hit me. Rachel, a girl of 20 with and a passion for living and beautiful blond dreads, was working behind the counter. We got to talking and after a few minutes, I was invited back to her place for the evening. So I roamed around town on my bike, checked out the university (green ivy working its way over the red brick walls) and met up with her again at 5:30.

I parked my bike in the living room, amongst the piles of records and shelves of books.
"Mom, I'm home! And I've brought a friend!"
This was when I learned that I wasn't the first traveler who has been invited back to the Garbary house; apparently Rachel has a habit of 'picking up' folks at Tim Hortons (where she works in the mornings) and bringing them back home if they need a place to stay for the night. Awesome.

We ate a glorious meal of squash and veggies, talking excitedly about Rachel's future travels to New Zealand and Thailand and reflecting on my past travels there. I slept inside and stayed dry, cuddled between a fluffy duvet and soft sheets. The next the rain started coming down hard. In the morning while Rachel was serving donuts and bagels at Timmy's, Dolna invited me to stay for another day so that I wouldn't have to cycle in the storm. So that's what I did. I feel especially blessed to get to spend this time in a family home, because after nearly four months on the road, I'm starting to miss my home just a little bit. But to know that on the other coast, far from Pacific that I know and love, I've found folks that treat me (and worry about me!) like one of their own, well I can't adequately put into words how special it is. I can just stay that everyday I wake up grateful to be able to continue this great journey of life.

On to Cape Breton!