BREAK & PARK
January 25, 2012It’s still “the dead of winter” (the end of January). I’m sipping my cup of tea to pass the time. Yesterday’s rainy weather melted the snow in Halifax. The snow is almost gone (for the moment). There’s still some remnants of the white stuff with dirt and other crud. There’s still a couple more months of winter. Later this week, more snow is scheduled to arrive.
Everyone told me when I came to Halifax that I had better get used to the Maritime weather (rain falling sideways et al). To be honest, I’m still not used to the weather here after almost 6 years. Being used to growing up in around the Toronto area, weather had been the last thing on my mind when I moved here. Well like I mentioned above, a couple more months left for winter.
Amidst the winter blues, I know a lot of you out there are looking forward to the coming warm weather. I have been going through my vast collection of videos I recorded. Videos show luscious greenery; blue sky and the warm sun. People walk and run about enjoying the warm spring air or the hot summer conditions. Dogs happily running on the grassy fields. Plus the smell of grass or the ocean air.
One place I recorded with my trusty camcorder is Hemlock Ravine Park. It’s a great park to take along a picnic lunch and hike the various trails. Interestingly enough, this park is once the summer retreat where Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria’s father) spent away from the city with his then-mistress Julie St. Laurent.
Halifax was during the late 1700s a strong garrison port. It was too hot during the summer for the Duke of Kent and his mistress. So they would ride towards Bedford and enter their summer retreat called, “Prince’s Lodge.” Prince’s Lodge was owned by Sir John Wentworth (former Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia). Wentworth allowed the Duke of Kent to use his property as a getaway (he couldn’t say “no”). Prince Edward modified Wentworth’s cottage house and added some more buildings (like stables and the Rotunda on the shore of the Bedford Basin).
After the Duke’s departure from Halifax during the early 1800s, Sir John Wentworth got back his property and lived there during the remainder of this life. The buildings eventually fell into disrepair and demolish except for the Rotunda.
The Rotunda still stands in its original spot. You can take a good look at it whenever you’re driving along the Bedford Highway. This and Hemlock Ravine Park are the legacies of Prince’s Lodge.
Hemlock Ravine Park is the newest episode. It’s available here for your viewing pleasure.
That’s all for now. Sunny skies ahead!
‘Til we meet again!
