A few of my previous posts have been part of my Canterbury Tails series about interesting people I meet along the pilgrimage of life. There were no shortages of them in Nova Scotia.

Our first character was Wayne. Wayne was our waiter in the café where we stopped for lunch in Truro, Nova Scotia. The seafood chowder was delicious and on this rainy day it really hit the spot. And so did the conversation. Wayne was the kind of guy you just have to love. He loves life, loves people, and is just plain pleasant to be around.

During our short time at the cafe this is what I learned about Wayne. He was once a sailor and traveled the world. Scotland was his favorite place. He knew since he was kid that he wanted to retire and travel. In eight years when his wife retires, he’s going to put his Harley on the back of his RV and they are going to go to Europe and travel around for a few years. Then they’ll pick another place to travel.

He has two German Sheppards and has their pictures framed and sitting on a shelf in the restaurant. He doesn’t own the restaurant but you wouldn’t know that unless you heard him talk. And come to think of it, you’d probably hear him talk if you met him so you’d probably find that out. Okay, anyway. Wayne has been putting money away for his retirement since he was young. He brought up his kids as a single parent and is happy to be at work at 5 a.m.

Seriously, we were only there for less than an hour and I haven’t told you everything. What a great guy—good luck and bon voyage, Wayne.

Another character who I didn’t get to meet for that long was our innkeeper in Pictou. When I called to make reservations and asked about a confirmation she said, “Well, I’m the innkeeper and this is your confirmation.” Maureen took us down to the house we rented and made some recommendations for dinner. She checked to see if the place was clean but I was much more concerned about the 20 degree angle of the house. Seriously. My mom and I slid halfway off the bed during the night. The leaning tower of Pisa has nothing on Maureen’s inn overlooking the harbour. But she was nice and hard working. Got to love the attitude.

Another one of our innkeepers was Barbara who ran a B&B in her townhouse. Driving up through a neighborhood that could have been mine, I was a bit concerned. But she was very helpful and kind. After she suggested we leave for the airport at an ungodly hour, I was sure that she and my dad had been hatched together. She was a bit cat crazy, which of course I loved because they were so cute and I was missing my furry babies. When not teaching her cats how to do a “high five” she was sleuthing on the computer—looking me up and checking out where I lived. All in all, it was a nice place to lay your head.

Our final character was Ben our waiter at the Mic and Mac restaurant. Awesome place outside Halifax by the way. He had this strong voice and a very friendly manner. At one point he came out with a cupcake and sang happy birthday with a beautiful, operatic, loud voice. This is the kind of guy who is comfortable in his skin and can really make you smile.

Many more lovely people were met on our pilgrimage through Nova Scotia and we enjoyed our time with all of these very friendly people.

Slán agus beannacht leat. (Goodbye and blessings with you.)

I don’t have photos of our new pilgrims so here are some funnies from the trip.

Me in the scarecrowe village

Mom and me in Pictou

A stuffed Pilgrim

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