White Point Beach Resort

White Point Beach Resort opened in 1928, right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia. It has a 9 hole golf course, tennis and volley ball courts, surf shop, kayak rental, paddle boats, walking trails, and much more.

Although we have visited the resort a few times, I did not take the photo which shows the main building and outdoor swimming pool.

Unfortunately, there was a devastating fire in November 2011.

Last Sunday, we headed to White Point. We approached the ocean from White Point No 1 Road and walked across the golf course to the stony beach.

Some houses look as if they are almost built right on the beach.

I particularly like this huge boulder balancing on the large pebble.

The sun was blinding as it sparkled on the ocean.

The last time we were here at this bay, there was a good surf,

and I took lots of photos of crashing waves and rocks.

This time, the sea was not so dramatic, but several surfers thought it was worth the effort.

Some paddled out to try to catch a wave.

It seemed that there was enough of a surf for some to get going, even if it was just for a short while.

As we walked around the bay, we looked over to where the resort building had been. The green administration building was visible and the shuttering was ready for the concrete of the new hotel.

At the resort everything seemed silent at the ocean cabins,

and the woodland cabins.

We didn’t even see any of the bunnies that normally hop around everywhere, so I’ve added one of my library photos with Louise feeding them.

According to the web site, White Point is planning to reopen in November of this year.

There is a lot  of construction to be done before then, but I am sure the resort will flourish again.

A New School for Lunenburg

We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us..

This was what Winston Churchill said after the House of Commons was demolished in one of the last raids of the London blitz.

In March 2011, I wrote a Post about the Lunenburg Academy and mentioned that a new school was to be built in Lunenburg.

The new Bluenose Academy will take the pupils from Lunenburg Academy, Lunenburg High School, Centre Consolidated School and Riverport Elementary School.

Last Fall work began on the demolition of Lunenburg High School to clear the new site for the Academy. Everything was taken away from the site by truck, apart from heaps of rubble which were used in the new foundations.

During the winter work began on the new steel structure.  The old Academy watched the progress as the building began to take shape.

It wasn’t too long before the insulation and cladding were  being added to the exterior

and new windows filled the gaping holes.

A large part of the exterior shell is metal sheeting.

Black, white and red are used, just as in the old Academy.

Solar panels generate heat for hot water and the school will be heated by a wood pellet boiler

This building will have its critics. There will be those who attended the Academy, who feel that no new building can replace it. There will be those who were pupils at the High School, Centre School and Riverport School, who feel that these should have been kept.

I hope that this new building with a price tag of $18,000,000 will prove itself a worthy new establishment for the 21st Century and will shape the lives of its pupils.

Lunenburg Academy

The Lunenburg Academy was built between 1894-1895, after the old Academy building was destroyed by fire in 1893. It is two storeys high, with a third storey in the mansard roof. Its architecture was obviously influenced by the German settlers to Lunenburg.

The building was constructed of wood and the black and white paintwork, as well as its position on a hill overlooking the town, makes it visible from all around.

The building has many decorative features. Both the front and rear have large projecting sections, flanked by towers. There are large dormer windows in the roof on each side of the towers.

The  building has 4 towers, one of them being a bell tower.

The ‘gingerbread’ decoration above doors and windows is very typical of the Victorian buildings in the town and the red shingle on the roof, help to make this a very recognisable and unique building.

At night this building is even more visible from afar. In 1984, Lunenburg Academy was designated a Provincial Heritage property.

The future of this building is unknown at the moment. The construction of a new Academy, to take the place of both Lunenburg Academy and Lunenburg High school has just begun. All the pupils from the old Academy will move to the new, modern, designed-for-the future school.