Around Digby

The main industries at Digby are fishing and tourism.

Here you can see the fishing boats moored at lowish tide.  The tides at the Annapolis Basin average an amazing 26 feet!

The fishing boats are moored so that they can move up and down the green pillar with the tides.

Likewise these yachts and the board walk will rise up the brown tubes with the tide.

There were some beautiful yachts berthed at the marina.

This one would suit me fine.

I did a Blog about a windmill here near Lunenburg, that we passed on our way to Broad Cove.

https://queensincanada.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/old-buildings-of-nova-scotia-windmills/

It was then dismantled and moved to Beaver River, south of Digby. The new owner said it was to become an information centre for a wind farm.

We took a trip down to see it and found it in the fog. It does not have its sails yet and I could see no sign of any wind farm. It sits on a bleak windswept moor. I hope it is completed soon.

We took the coastal road back to Digby and were surprised to come upon this large church at the Acadian fishing village of Saulnierville.

It is l’Eglise Sacre Couer.

Further along the same road we came to this even larger wooden church.

Eglise Sainte-Marie  is the largest and tallest wooden building  in North america. The church spire is 185 feet from floor to steeple, with its cross adding another 15.6 feet. Originally 15 feet taller, the church steeple was struck by lightning in 1914, requiring part of the spire to be rebuilt.

You can see that the design of the church was influenced by the architecture of the chateaux of the Loire Valley.

But the one that really amazed us was l’Eglise Saint-Bernard, a massive stone built church. This looks all the more immense because it is so out of scale with everything else in the area. It would look OK in a city setting, but here among tiny wooden houses and farms it is really out of place.

32 years to build, the board says,

and built by the local French farmers, fishermen and lumbermen.

We took a road off to Gilbert Cove Point to visit the lighthouse,

and climbed up to the light.

It had been a very interesting 3 days at Digby Pines and this is another area we have explored and know a bit better.

A New Life for the Old Windmill

I wrote last March of a beautiful old windmill we passed on our trips to Green Bay and Broad Cove.

 

https://queensincanada.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/old-buildings-of-nova-scotia-windmills/

I wondered then, if it had been used to pump water to the farm, but the son of the builder commented and informed me it was used to produce electricity.

Another comment was from Lester Robinson, with the news that the windmill had been bought by the Hamachi Group, and would be moving to Beaver River, near Yarmouth, in Nova Scotia. There it would be restored and become an information centre for the wind farm and eco centre.

When I travelled the Petite-Riviere road in the summer, I saw that the blades and top part of the windmill had gone.

And the old windmill didn’t look quite so grand.

Lester has sent me some recent photos of the windmill, showing its removal from the original site.

Its exciting journey down the highway.

And the start of its reconstruction at Beaver river.

I’m sure everything will be done to restore this lovely old building and give it a useful life once more.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to write more, with photos of the restored windmill and the wind farm.

Old Buildings of Nova Scotia – Windmills

We don’t have many ancient buildings here in Nova Scotia. No castles or palaces, and most of the oldest buildings date back to the 1800’s. (Actually, the oldest Church in Halifax was built in 1750.)

So, when we’re out and about, I like to take photos of some of the oldest buildings I see.  We pass this old windmill frequently, on our way to Green Bay and Broad cove.

These photos were taken just a few weeks ago, as I couldn’t find the ones I took last year.

I can’t find any information about this old windmill. It is no longer in operation and I wonder if it was used to pump water to a tank.

Perhaps someone reading this knows the answer.

I have just found my old photos saved on Photobox, so I will add those to show the windmill minus the snow.

These views were taken from the opposite side. 

Up close you can see how the building is needing some repairs.