East Coast 2022: Back to Toronto - Brockville, Ontario (Railway Tunnel)

The last stop of our 14 day road trip out to the East Coast and back was in Brockville, Ontario.  It was thanks to the recommendation of our friend Paula that we chose this as our final adventure on this vacation.  She told us about the Brockville Railway Tunnel which runs for half a kilometre underground in the downtown core from Brock Street (North Entrance) to the top of Blockhouse Island (South Entrance), passing underneath the Brockville City Hall.  It is the oldest railway tunnel in Canada as construction of the tunnel began in 1854 and the first train passed through at the end of 1860. It has been a tourist attraction since 2017.

As we walked through the tunnel, rotating LED lights made the walls glow in psychedelic colours of red, blue, green and purple while music blared.  Entering from the South Portal at Water Street and walking towards the other end, we were presented with informational signs that explained what was happening in different parts of the tunnel.  We saw the ventilation shafts that allowed the smoke and steam from the steam locomotives to be expelled out into the exterior.

In 1863, the City Hall was built above the tunnel and the ventilation shafts were integrated with two stone chimneys jutting from the sides of the roof.  During the renovations of the tunnel, one of the chimneys had an electric fan installed that helps circulate fresh air in the tunnel.  Further along, we saw examples of mineral formations that resulted from groundwater seeping through the limestone and sandstone walls to create calcite, dolomite and stalactites.  Traces of iron appear as orange and red streaks while nickel and copper are blue and green.  As we approached the North Portal at Brock Street, we saw the large extraction shaft that was used as an access portal during blasting operations to remove blasted rock and bring in construction materials, supplies and workers.  Ground water was also pumped out from this hole.  For those who don’t want to walk, you can buy a ticket for a train ride through the tunnel, offered by the Aquatarium.

Wandering around downtown Brockville, we were so impressed by the beautiful architecture and ornate features found in private homes, storefronts and the churches including the First Baptist Church which has gorgeous multi-coloured hexagon tiles on its roof and steeple.  I loved all the turrets, towers, widow’s walks and gingerbread trim as well as the large porches on some of the mansions.  Brockville must have been a wealthy community back in the day, and luckily many of these historic buildings are still standing.  On top of the Brockville Courthouse is a sculpture of Lady Justice holding her sword and scales, although she is not blindfolded.

Brockville has a pretty waterfront with boats docked in the marina, outdoor cafes and sculptures.  It is part of the Brock Trail, a 7km walking and cycling trail that traverses through Brockville with historical plaques conveying points or facts of interest.  One plaque explained how the St. Lawrence River is named after Saint Lawrence the Martyr, who was executed by the Roman Emperor for presenting the poor and weak as the “treasures” of the Church instead of items of material wealth. On Blockhouse Island, which is more of a peninsula that juts out into Blockhouse Harbour, you get nice views of the downtown Brockville on one side and New York State on the other side of the St. Lawrence River.  Depicting two women back to back with their arms raised in the air to hold a pair of doves, the Women’s Memorial promotes peace, love and anti-violence towards women.  Near the far edge of the “island” is an F-86 fighter jet, flown by the RCAF Golden Hawks Aerobatic Flight Team between 1959-1963.  The bronze sculpture of a clown holding an umbrella and pushing a baby carriage is dedicated to a local legend named Con Darling (1926-1993) who entertained children at many Santa Claus parades and participated in telethons to raise money for Brockville.  An inscription next to the sculpture reads “Ambassador of Smiles, dedicated his life to the betterment of humanity”.

We ended our day in Brockville with a late lunch at Cosies Tea Room, a family-owned British tea room that offers traditional English breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, potato, fried tomato and mushroom), hearty lunch classics including sandwiches and Cornish pasties (a folded savoury pastry stuffed with meats and vegetables), and tea service including scones.  The tea room is quaintly decorated with teapots and teacups, patterned table cloths and napkins, vintage chairs, cups and saucers, knitted tea cosies and a high-tea stand containing the cutest knitted scones and desserts.

From their extensive menu of both hot and iced teas (caffeinated and decaf), Rich chose a hot pot of Yorkshire Gold Orange Pekoe tea which came in a teapot covered with a sweet blue and green tea cosy adorned with crocheted flowers.  Being a hot day, I chose a Summer Fruits iced tea.  Rich, Yim and I selected the Coronation Chicken sandwich consisting of chicken pieces tossed in a coronation sauce (mayo, curry, cinnamon, dried fruit, spices), served inside homemade bread, with a side of potato chips while Murray had the roast beef sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato.  For dessert we wanted the full experience of scones with homemade jam and clotted cream.  Had we been there earlier in the day, the selections included blueberry lemon, raspberry white chocolate, salted caramel, cranberry orange.  We got there near closing time and almost all the scones were gone.  We snagged the last two strawberry and vanilla scones and felt mildly guilty that the unfortunate couple who arrived just after us were left to share the one remaining plain scone.

This was a great ending to our 14-day road trip out to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island and back again along the St. Lawrence River.  We saw so many beautiful sights and had so many interesting experiences along the way.  This was the first extended road trip in Rich’s new car and its smooth, comfortable ride made the journey all the more pleasant.

East Coast 2022: Back to Toronto - St. Lawrence South Shore from Ste-Flavie to Ste-Eulalie

The last two days of our East Coast road trip involved heading out from Ste. Flavie and driving along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River where my husband Rich had planned a bunch of interesting sites to stop at.  We would stay overnight at Sainte-Eulalie, Quebec and then continue with the final trek home with a stop in Brockville, Ontario along the way.

Our first stop, Sainte-Luce-Sur-Mer, is a charming seaside village founded in 1829.  It is famous for its beautiful 2.5km beach called Plage-Sainte-Luce, with a wooden boardwalk running parallel to the sandy shore. On the other side of the boardwalk are patches of green space interspersed between parking spots for visitors to the area. Situated on these green spaces can be found a series of gigantic sculptures carved in wood.  These are the results of prior years’ participants in an annual woodcarving event called “Les Sculpturales”.  Each year, four local professional wood-carving sculptors gather in the open air along the promenade Anse-aux-Coques and create their works while tourists watch.  The sculptures range from artistic to kitschy but are all masterful pieces.  From 2016, the title of our favourites was translated as “The Laugh of Captain Big Mouth” and made for great photos of us sticking our heads through the front or back of his large gaping mouth.   One from 2012 is titled “The Measurer of the Tides”.

Each year one of the sculptures is donated to one of the event’s sponsors while the rest are displayed in public spaces in Sainte-Luce.  A sculpture from 2018 depicts the legend of a diver who finds a mermaid, while one from 2011 shows a young child looking at a starfish in his pail.  There were multiple sculptures depicting wildlife including a giant turtle, a white bird diving for fish and a whale. The logs used in this event come from New Brunswick and are pieces of wood that were too large to be sawn into boards by factory machines.  What a great use for otherwise unusable logs!  At one end of the beach is a life preserver with the words Empress of Ireland on it.  At our next stop, we would see another memorial for this ship which sank nearby at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.

On our way to Rimouski, we saw a house that had an extremely cute and narrow little shelter shaped like a school bus on its lawn.  I assumed that this might be a place for a child to wait for his school bus to arrive while sheltering from the elements.  We also passed Auberge la Marée Douce, which is a seafront hotel that offers a wide range of outdoor activities such as fishing, cycling and water sports.  Had I seen a photo of this hotel in black and white, I would have thought I was looking at the Addams Family House with the centre tower and widow’s walk.  Our main destination in Rimouski was to see the HMCS Onondaga Submarine that was built in the mid 1960s and is now one of the main attractions at the Pointe-au-Père Site Historique Maritime (maritime museum), which also has a large exhibit dedicated to the Empress of Ireland.  Unfortunately, it was pouring rain when we arrived, so we ran up for a quick look before continuing on.

Our next stop was Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski and more specifically, Saint-Simon Bagel which most be amongst the world’s smallest self-serve bagel shops.  In a tiny kiosk situated on an open field along Rte 132 is a vending machine that sells bagged artisan bagels in flavours including plain, sesame seed, poppy seed, cinnamon raison, chocolate, pesto and olive, sundried tomato, maple (in season) and vegan (no egg, milk or honey added?).  I was intrigued by the bag of “rainbow” coloured bagels.

At Trois-Pistoles, Quebec, we visited Basques Fromagerie which offered cheeses made from cow’s milk produced right on the property, as well as spreads, pâtés, sauces and creton, a pork pâté which we tried at breakfast in Sainte-Flavie the previous day.  We watched the master cheesemaker perform some of  the 14 steps needed to make cheese, which include pasterization, adding ferment (bacterial culture used in fermentation) and rennet (to cause milk to curdle), boiling, draining the liquid or whey to extract the curds which are eventually pressed into blocks of cheese.  Rich and I bought some 4-year-old cheddar, some lobster pâté and a fois gras pâté to bring home in our cooler.

Knowing that I like “big things”, Rich added L’isle Verte on our route so that I could see the giant strawberry in front of La Crèmerie du Potager.  It wasn’t really worth a stop, so I just took a photo from the car window.  Next we headed for St. André to see the Petit Phare, or small lighthouse by the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Looking across the river, there were a few islands including one which has the “Long Pilgram” lighthouse on it and several that are bird sanctuaries.  Before reaching the Petit Phare, we passed Parc de L’Ancien Quai which had a cool playground apparatus shaped like a beached schooner, and a cute receptacle for donations shaped like a soldier. Approaching from inland, the Petit Phare looked like a typical lighthouse except for the long ramp leading up to it.

But viewed from the other side with the water at our back, we found an additional room with a little sitting and dining area that was added on to give hikers or passersby a place to have an indoor picnic or to take shelter in case of inclement weather.  Panels on the wall inform visitors about the flora and fauna of the area.  One poster features some photographs by Patrick Matte of lighthouses found along the St. Lawrence River.  A little bit further down the highway, we could see the steeple of the Catholic Church of St. André.

Heading just a bit further east from St. André, we arrived at Kamouraska Beach in time to witness low tide. The St. Lawrence had ebbed so far back that a boat that would normally be bobbing up and down in the river was stranded, sitting an top of a bed of mud.  I wonder if that boat is permanently anchored there because it shows up in the same location on Goggle Street View during high tide.  The seabed is revealed all the way to the islands that serve as a national wildlife area for birds.  We wandered out onto the Quai Miller wharf before heading into town.

As always, I like spotting cool houses and buildings with unique architectural details. In Kamouraska Beach, we spotted one that looked like a lighthouse and a pale blue-grey house with a 2-storey turret and ornate gingerbread trim around the downstairs porch and upstairs balcony that was for sale.   Another magnificent building with a crenelated tower and two mini decorative turrets turned out to be the Centre d’Arts Kamouraska, or the town’s main art gallery.  Outside the gallery was a sound installation consisting of 156 bottles hung from metal rods that are arranged in the shape of a wave.  Titled “Mer du Vent”, the bottles capture the wind coming from the sea with the vibration of the air causing a harmonious hum.  A stone sculpture on the other side of the stairwell is titled “Mon Amour”.

Inside Centre d’Arts Kamouraska, we interacted with an exhibit titled “A Stroll Through Landscape Under Construction”, which invites you to walk on wooden pathways as we passed chairs, furniture, and large canvases painted in bright yellows, greens and blues in order to get a different perspective of our “landscape”.  “The Earth in Suspense” was a video installation that displayed images of geological formations and fragments of territories altered by video and 3-D effects.  We visited a second gallery called Champagne et Paradis that displayed paintings and photographs by various local artists that focused on nature and its beauty. We also found a monument dedicated to Réne Chaloult who was the driving force behind the adoption of Quebec’s flag, the Fleur-de-lis.

Our final stop before staying overnight at Ste.Eulalie was the small village of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli where we found several interesting points of interest. The first was Bison Chouinard which sells bison meat and bison products. Initially more than 100 bison were raised on this site and tours were given to see them.  The herd has since been moved to another farm, but bison products are still for sale here and a stuffed head, tanned hides, skulls and horns are on display.  To take home with us, we bought some bison pepperoni, roulette, pâté and a small package of smoked bison.

The next stop in this area was a complex situated in a large barn that consisted of a gourmet grocery store selling locally made products and an artisan gift shop.  At Le Moule à Sucre (The Sugar Mold), we were tempted into tasting some delicious raspberry butter and ended up buying a jar, along with a beer sausage, cheddar cheese and some Beechman gum which Rich remembered eating in his youth.

The Metier d’Arts was located at the top level of the barn where you could see the rafters.  Here we found brightly painted metal sculptures fashioned into whimsical rabbits, caterpillars, chickens, goats, toy buses and more.  There were also paintings, candles, clothing, linens, jewelry, books and other items for purchase.

Continuing on along Route 132, we reached the Parc de Trois Bérets, a large sculpture park named in honour of the three Bougault brothers ( Médard, André and Jean-Julien), famous local wood carvers who were part of one of the founding families of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.  Between the 1930s-1950s, the prolific brothers created folk art, figurative and symbolic works reflecting local cultures, vignettes in the round depicting daily life in Quebec and religious carvings.  Keeping with the wood carving tradition established by the brothers, the park is full of wonderful gigantic carvings that are both intricate and in some cases, quirky and whimsical.  The Parc de Trois Bérets is a popular gathering place for art and music festivals.

In addition to the massive open-air sculpture garden, there is an interpretation trail weaving along the coastline with sculpted benches commemorating the founding families of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, and a maritime interpretation trail built by Friends of Port-Joli with benches, tables, swings, and a replica of the Paquebot S.S. Canadian, a steam ship built in 1857.  On board the ship is a treasure chest that opens up to reveal a book exchange where you can take or leave a book. 

We had one last stop in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli area before heading to Sainte-Eulalie where we would spend the night.  It was at the Tour de l’Innovation, a 64-foot-tall structure with 5 landings, 95 steps and two foot-bridges connecting the structure to the adjacent mountain.  At the end of the first bridge, affixed to the cliff, is a large white sculpture of the Virgin Mary.  The highest bridge leads to a platform where you can get excellent views of the Museum of Living Memory below and Charlevoix across the river.  Beyond this platform is a path that leads along the south side of the cliff.  The Innovation Tower and its steps are made by adjoining many small pieces wood to recall the techniques used and heritage of the regions’ great builders and innovators of the past, which ties into the mission of the Museum of Living Memory. All along the steps are interpretive panels and QR codes accessible by mobile phones to provide information about maritime life in the area.

Sainte-Eulalie is just north of the Trans-Canada Highway, so we passed by it on our trek out to Nova Scotia.  As we drove through the area, we caught sight of a large ranch-styled building which housed an establishment called “Ben Lalen” with the image of a sheep on the large sign in front of it.  Our first thought was that this was a very unfortunate name for a store since it sounded very close to “Bin Laden” as in Osama’s last name.  After some research when we got home, we found out that this was a business that sold products derived from wool and animal skins, run by retired sheepskin seller Benoit Thibodeau who had the French nickname of “Ben La Laine” translated loosely as “Ben of the wool”.  This explained the store name Ben Lalen, but none of that was what made us take note of the location and seek it out on our way back to Toronto.  What caught our eyes were the quirky, eclectic giant fiberglass sculptures displayed all along the front of his shop including ones hoisted in the air by a cherry picker and figures on the rooftop.

Benoit Thibodeau creates all these sculptures and groups together pieces as diverse as Obelix, Minion, Golf Ball, Bagel and Jesus on the Cross. There are all sorts of animal figures including cows (which our friend Murray loves!), lions, pigs, moose, sheep, chicken, rhinoceros,  lobster, horses and more.  There were giant French fries, ice cream cones, and on the roof were a series of prancing sheep.  Ben Lalen produces over 200 fiberglass objects per year as requisitioned by companies to use as advertisement. Inside the store (which was closed so we couldn’t check it out) are fur and wool garments, stuffed animals and animal skins including 14 skunk skins sewn together.  Behind the store, Thibodeau owns a farm where he raises sheep, goats and alpacas.

This was an extremely fun way to spend our morning in Sainte-Eulalie, before making the final leg journey back to Toronto with a last stop in Brockville, Ontario. We did not know it at the time, but just a few minutes down the road from Ben Lalen was the restaurant Madrid 2.0 where we could seen giant dinosaur sculptures.  This stretch along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River was so much fun and sadly, we didn't have enough time to fully appreciate it.  This will need to be a return trip where we could also explore the north shore.

East Coast 2022: Back to Toronto - Dartmouth to St. Flavie, Quebec (Centre d'Art Marcel Gagnon)

After spending 3 days driving from Toronto to Nova Scotia with our friends Yim and Murray, and 9 days spent touring the province including Cape Breton Island, it was finally time for my husband Rich and I to make the 3 day drive back home.  We would once again drive north-west through New Brunswick and Quebec to get to the St. Lawrence River but would make different stops along the way.  On the way out to Nova Scotia, we took the Trans Canada Highway all the way to Edmundston, N.B., as this was the quickest route to reach our first stop for the night.  On the way back, we planned a more leisurely drive along Route 132, hugging the south shore of the St. Lawrence in order to see all the sights found there.  To accomplish this, Rich selected St. Flavie, Quebec as our destination where we would stay overnight on the first night of our journey home.

Heading off first thing in the morning, our first rest stop was at Masstown, Nova Scotia where there was a complex with a huge market, creamery and seafood shop.  At the Masstown Market, we had a quick breakfast of coffee, a breakfast sandwich and a Danish.  We also picked up some crackers, crab and lobster spreads, pepperoni sticks and wild blueberries that we could eat later in the day for lunch, if we found a good stopping point for a picnic.  Catch of the Bay seafood shop was situated in a lighthouse with an observation deck that promised a great panoramic view.  Unfortunately, it had rained the day before and the steps up were too wet to safely navigate.  It was still fun wandering around seeing the live lobsters swimming in the tank and the fresh seafood on display.  We didn’t have enough cooler space or ice or anywhere to cook seafood, so we did not buy anything here.  I was amused by the chocolate bars with the anthropomorphic lobster faces on the wrapping that were labeled “Shell-Shocked”.  Outside, Murray found a sign showing the height of the world’s highest tides which are found at the nearby Bay of Fundy.  The marker depicting the height of these tides was well over his head, so being almost a foot shorter, I would have had no chance!

The Masstown Creamery Cafe and Shop had some cool souvenirs including decorative wooden boards shaped like lighthouses and sea horses, with a lacquered-like finish made to resemble beach and ocean views.  Yim found a ceramic serving plate shaped like 3 large oyster shells and purchased that as a souvenir.

As we drove through Bathurst, New Brunswick, we found some picnic tables by the harbour which was a perfect stopping spot for lunch.  We brought out all of our goodies that we purchased at the Masstown Market, plus some bags of Covered Bridge potato chips that we still had left over from the huge purchase that we made at the chip factory at the beginning of our trip en route to Nova Scotia.  Continuing on, we spotted interesting sights along our drive through New Brunswick.  In Petit Rocher, there was a turret with a funky roof in  that made it look more like a silo, and in Point-Verte, we passed a fun metal sculpture.  So many towns in New Brunswick had French names that I had to doublecheck that we had not ventured into Quebec.  At Tidehead, NB. we had to stop at the Morrisey Rock Park to admire the gorgeous view.

While researching and planning for our East Coast road trip and looking for a place to spend the night by the St. Lawrence River, Rich came across Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon in St. Flavie, Quebec.  This is a complex comprised of a hotel (or auberge), restaurant, art gallery and boutique situated right on the south shore, all featuring the works of painter and sculptor Marcel Gagnon.  Originally a landscape painter, Gagnon’s subsequent works are filled with mystical and religious iconography, often featuring oblong forms that he both paints and creates sculptures of.  When we arrived at the centre, we were met with various large art pieces.  There was what looked like a gigantic wooden totem pole lain on its side with seats carved into either end and various oblong figures carved in the middle.  Concrete versions of these figures lined the driveway and the path leading to the beach. By the restaurant was a much larger female(?) figure, holding a flowerpot with faces carved into it. She seems to be covered by a multi-coloured mosaic robe with a hood and long train, or perhaps these are actually tentacles of some sort of sea creature?  I guess it is open to interpretation.

What first caught Rich’s attention about Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon were online images of a massive outdoor art display that Gagnon created in 1986 and named “Le Grande Rassemblement” or “The Great Gathering”.  As soon as he saw the images, Rich knew that I would love this place, and he was right! Walking through a mosaic-covered arch to reach the beach, we are presented with an amazing sight.  Over 80 life-sized sculptures made from reinforced concrete weighing over 685kg each are positioned out into the St. Lawrence River.  Viewed from afar, they appear to be storming towards the shore and continuing onto the beach.  Each figure has a uniquely carved face and possibly some hair.  Some of the ones that we could get close to on the beach appear to be wearing clothing with buttons and lapels.  A few of the figures are distinctly female but many of them have been so weathered over time by the elements that they have become androgynous.  At first glance, it felt like this was a Zombie invasion with creatures emerging from the sea.  In 1992, Gagnon added wooden rafts with cloth sails attached to them.  Sitting on the rafts are more of these concrete figures, some with bandanas tied to their heads to appear like marauding pirates.  It is said that in high tide, the boats look like they are “taking off to new horizons”.

After racing around like excited school children to inspect all the outdoor sculptures, we finally stepped into the main building to check in and drop off our bags.  To our delight, even the key chains of our room keys featured images of Gagnon’s oblong figures.  In the lobby of hotel, we were overwhelmed by the huge mural that was not just floor to ceiling but spanned the floor and the ceiling.  It seemed to depict a group of long, lanky, Modigliani-esque people waiting their turn to transform into angels and ascend to heaven? 

Marcel Gagnon is not just an artist but also a poet.  Plaques displaying some of his poems are found around the grounds including one titled “Être” which espouses the importance of being yourself, but cautions that for that to happen, you must first allow others to be themselves.  In the hotel, a painting of the figures from Le Grand Rassemblement is captioned by a short poem that loosely translates to the following: “ I looked beyond the wide river.  I looked higher than the last cloud.  I discovered the immensity of my being”.  More paintings decorate the walls of the hallways as well as each of our rooms.  This was such a cool place to stay.  My only regret was in selecting the more economical rooms on the side of the building not facing the water.  Not only did we not have the stunning views that the rooms on the other side would have had, but our rooms were also much smaller.  If we ever come back, we will be sure to splurge and get a “Sea View” room.  In the meantime, we did find the exit that brought us directly down to the beach and were able to envision what our views could have been like.

In the same building as the hotel and restaurant is an Art Gallery which features even more paintings and sculptures by Marcel Gagnon.  Also on permanent display are works by his daughter Isabel who paints large flowers in acrylic, his son Guillaume who uses acrylic, oils and watercolours to paint bright, whimsical paintings of children at play with vivid scenic backgrounds, and his wife Ghislaine Carrier who paints wispy, ethereal works in watercolour.  It appears that artistic talent runs in the family!  Exhibitions of works by other local artists are shown on a rotating basis.

Wandering out to explore the community of St. Flavie, we first admired the massive structure named “Artist’s House” that was situated right next to the Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon.  Purchased in 1994 to be used as the original location of the  art gallery, it became the residence of Marcel and Ghislaine a few years later when the gallery and inn moved to the current building.  Renovations on and additions to this house began in 2004 and lasted for 10 years.  Marcel lovingly sculpted each brick, molding and corner by hand while carefully laying each stone in the façade of the building walls and fences individually.  There is a completely round, stand-alone turret with tall windows on all sides that must fill this cool space with light and fits my concept of what an ideal turret should look like.  Mosaic “vines” and “tree trunks” weave up and around the building, while a winding stone fence is topped with mosaic “horn of plenty” shaped flowerpots.  Several large art pieces are found on the facade of the house including a mosaic work whose colours and shapes remind me of a Klimt painting and features one of the oblong characters.  A sculpture depicting an Indian Princess is affixed to a stone slab that was so substantial that a small room had to be added to the house in order to support it.

I love how concrete sculptures and mosaics can be found scattered throughout the garden, nestled between tall grass and shrubs.  Even the garages are beautifully decorated with the pediments and sides of the garages adorned with mosaic artwork.  An undulating stone wall topped at each peak with a small oblong sculpture leads back towards the beach and the water.  The result is an architectural work of art reminiscent of Antonio Gaudi’s Parc Guell buildings and structures in Barcelona.  We tried not to get too close to the house to respect the privacy of the owners, but given how ornate the exterior is, I would have loved to see how the interior is decorated.

Heading down Route de la Mer (Rte 132), which is the main street of St. Flavie, we continued to see Marcel Gagnon’s influence at several houses and shops which displayed sculptures either by him or at least heavily inspired by him.  The St. Flavie Church is quite ornate with its multi-coloured brick giving it an effect that resembles wood-inlay marquetry.  Several grand buildings including one with a huge turret had signs indicating that they were part of the “Route des Arts” or a walking tour of artist studios and galleries in the community.  Unfortunately, they were not open by the time we went on our walk in the evening and opened too late the next day for us to be able to visit them.  Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon is part of this route, so at least we got to see the art there in great detail.

Although it was also closed, we did visit the area around the Cantine des Navigateurs, which based on its Facebook page, looks like a fun, casual waterside restaurant where we could have gotten drinks and seafood.  Behind the restaurant were some quirky cardboard characters and cutout signs as well as some dinosaur sculptures made from tree stumps and a model of a sailboat propped up by carved logs.

Another place that was closed was Capitaine Homard Restaurant, which based on its name plus the kitchsy sculptures in front, obviously served lobster and other seafood.  Its sign indicated that it offered lobster “fresh from our ponds” along with camping and mini-golf.  All sorts of maritime items hung from the ceiling inside the restaurant including life preservers, lobster traps and nets, buoys, ropes and lamps.  Behind the restaurant at the water’s edge was a sign indicating “28km to Bersimis” which is the community directly on the other side of the St. Lawrence River from St. Flavie.  It was really too bad that we got into town too late to check out more of the restaurants, art galleries, museums and other attractions in St. Flavie.  Hopefully we will be able to return to this area again so that we can give it the time that it deserves.

The one place that actually did stay open later into the evening was the restaurant Au Goût du Large so I had made reservations for us to have dinner there.  It was supposed to be on the main street, a short walking distance just down the road from Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon.  We walked around without seeing a sign for the restaurant and walked several times by the Gaspesiana Hotel where Google Maps had led us, before realizing that the restaurant was inside the hotel.  We were given a window seat with a great view of the St. Lawrence and enjoyed watching the sun set over the pier.  Rich and I started our meals with salmon tartar mixed with caper, chive, red onion on crostini and Coquille St. Jacques (scallops in a wine sauce topped with browned cheesy mashed potato).

For our main courses, Rich and I again went the seafood route with orders of halibut in a saffron sauce topped with fried leeks and a cod fillet lightly breaded and pan-seared “in the truest Gaspesian tradition”.  That last phrase sealed the deal for Rich, who is always looking for a "local experience".  Yim went for the sauteed scallops in a savory cream of roasted garlic, parmesan and arugula while Murray had the meat-based special which looked so good that I almost regretted my pact with Rich to only eat seafood for our entire East Coast trip!  We ended our meal with tarte tartan and crème brulée and by that time, the sun had totally set, and we were able to see the glowing lights of the village on the other side of the pier.  After dinner, we walked out onto the pier to get an even better view.

Prior to leaving for dinner, we took a walk on the beach and watched the sun start to set.  By the time we returned to the hotel after dinner, all the figures forming Le Grand Rassemblement were lit up in the dark and looked even eerier than in the daylight.  We found one group of figures which seemed to form a family unit including a family dog.  The next morning before breakfast, Rich and I took a final walk on the beach to say goodbye to these fabulous characters.

Like the rest of the building, the charming little restaurant was again decorated with the Gagnon family’s paintings including the glass panels on the kitchen door which were painted with Guillaume's whimsical children peeking mischievously through the windows.  Large windows facing the water provided a great view of le Grand Rassemblement and the rafts further afield.  For breakfast, we had a choice the usual eggs with bacon or sausage, crepes with syrup, or fruit with toast, homemade jam and creton, which is a French Canadian pork spread containing herbs and spices.  This last choice was the most unique and once again, a local specialty, so we all went for it.

Before leaving Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon, we checked out the shopping Boutique where there were many gift items featuring the Gagnon family's unique artwork.  Murray bought some jigsaw puzzles for his mom along with a key chain and tiny sculpture featuring the oblong shapes, while I bought a couple of mouse pads with Marcel and Guillaume's paintings printed on them.  At the last minute, I also picked up a couple of folding tote/grocery bags for Yim and myself.  When folded correctly, the bags turn into the shapes of little clutch purses.  Just before driving away and leaving St. Flavie, we crossed the road to inspect RV campgrounds owned by the Centre, with a pretty outhouse decorated with mosaic versions of Gagnon’s paintings.  For $20+tax per night, cars, RVs and camper trailers can park on the grounds and have access to the toilets, portable water, internet and a discount at the restaurant.  Parked on the campgrounds is the tiny boat Candala Mi Amor, which Marcel Gagnon built in 2017 when he was 72.  It is adorned with his signature oblong sculptural figure on the bow.  That same year, he won the Excellence Award for Tourism for his iconic works which have put St. Flavie on the tourism map.

East Coast 2022: Eastern Shore - Drive Back from Sherbrooke to Dartmouth

The drive from Sherbrooke back to Dartmouth was under 200km and should have taken 2.5 hours non-stop.  In fact, there was so much to see that we planned many stops along the way, and it took us all day to complete the journey.

Our first planned stop was at Marie Joseph Park.  This turned out to be a non-event as it was basically a tiny strip of grass by the shoreline.  We were thinking that it was just as well since we had a tight schedule and needed to be back in Dartmouth in time for dinner. But just around the corner from there we found what appeared to be a ship graveyard at the Marie Joseph Harbour.  It was fascinating to see all these wrecked and seemingly abandoned boats.  We spent so much time inspecting them that any time saved from not stopping at the park was more than lost.  Later we found out that there was a massive fire in 2021 that destroyed a marine services building, and multiple boats that it housed.  It took more than 30 responders from volunteer fire crews from all surrounding communities over four hours to battle the blaze.  What we saw were the charred remains of boats from this fire.

We next stopped briefly at Ecum Secum, not just because of the lovely scenery and the amazing giant wood carving that was taller than me, but also because I loved the lyrically rhyming name of the community that made me think of the phrase “Rock’em, Sock’em.  Continuing on, we reached Sheet Harbour where we embarked on a short 3km walk on the West River Falls Boardwalk.  We strolled past a small waterfall and got to the Eagle Bridge over which we saw a man fishing.   The scenery was pretty but the mosquitoes were swarming and the path started to get boggy, so we decided to turn back.

Instead, we spent some time in the MacPhee House Community Museum, situated in a house dating back to the 1875 and purchased by John MacPhee in the early 1900s.  The house was run as an inn until 1985 and occasionally housed a post office and a general store in the earlier years. The museum has on display artifacts gathered from around the area over the past century.  I was enchanted by the teal-coloured enameled wood-burning Lady Scotia stove (circa 1920s-30s) and intrigued by the “chain-mail pot scrubber” possibly from the 1940s.  In addition to the kitchen, there was a sitting room area filled with period furniture and décor including a piano, phonograph, clocks and various photographs on the wall.  I did not inspect the photos closely enough to know whether these were images of the MacPhee Family or just some random period photos.

Upstairs we found a treasure trove of interesting items including telephones of various vintages, white lace gown and cape, a scale with counterweight, a pupil’s desk, spinning wheel, bicycle, sewing machine, baby carriage and more.  Under a photo of Queen Elizabeth II are paper doll versions of herself and Prince Phillip, plus paper doll gowns and suits for the two.  There were military displays and model ships including the “HMS Montgomery 1942”, and a vintage brightly painted folk art vignette of workers building a ship.

We were told by our friends to look out for Barry Colpitt’s Folk Art in East Ship Harbor as we drove along the province’s South Shore.  This “must-see stop” is the home and outdoor gallery of eccentric folk artist Barry Colpitt.  Even without the heads up, there was no way we would have missed white wooden planked house that is literally covered with brightly coloured wooden carvings of birds, fish, mermaids, fishermen and religious imagery of angels and devils, sinners and saints.  Topped on the Colpitt family’s wooden mailbox seems to be a saint sparring with a devil holding a pitchfork.  Throughout the yard are quirky wooden whirligigs carved into shapes of birds, animals and human heads with wooden spikes emanating from them that spin in the wind.  Barry resides in the house and loves to pop out and talk to tourists and locals who stop to admire his work.

On one side of the house are a set of wooden heads grouped together as “Barry’s Head Museum”.  Each one is designated with a special power if you rub the head.  From left to right, rubbing Bob’s head helps you quit smoking, asking your wife to rub Audrey’s head makes her (your wife, not Audrey?) treat you better, rubbing Darren’s hairless head cures baldness and Ann’s head will make you appreciate art more.  The religious iconography continues with depictions of the 7 deadly sins, a skeleton captioned with “You Can’t Hide From Satan”, “The Birks vs Satan” and more.  The railings of the porch seem to depict the legs of a Holstein cow.

The Memory Lane Heritage Village was another themed museum with displays and artifacts dating to the 1940s.  We did not have time to justify the cost of entry, so we carried on.  At Musquodoboit Harbour, we found a Railway Museum situated in a restored 1918 Canadian North Railway Station, featuring a GE 44-ton diesel-electric locomotive built between 1940-1956, a snowplough, a CN caboose, a hand-pump rail car and a mail crane.  The train stations of this era were made for the convenience of passengers with waiting rooms, freight sheds, ramps, platforms and living quarters for the railway agents.

Inside the station are museum artifacts highlighting the history of Canadian railways in the first half of the 20th Century.  There was an elaborate electric train set, metal signs for Dominion Express, Canadian National Express and Canadian Pacific Telegraphs and Cable Office, a conductor’s jacket and cap and the traditional Railway King Potbelly stove.  Scattered throughout are posters, tickets, maps and photographs, a Morse Code electromagnetic telegraph device and more.  Outside, the train platform seemed right out of an old movie.  This was our last stop before making the final drive back to Dartmouth.