We wait all year for it, complaining about the cold, snow covered season of Winter, the rain and fluctuating temperatures that come with the transitions of Fall and Spring, and eventually we find ourselves in the thralls of a hot and promising Summer. Everyone has their favorite summer past-times whether they be going to the beach, visiting a special place, cottage vacations, or travelling the globe.
I have one very favorite past-time that I try to fit into every summer. I get to go back home to what I consider my own summer paradise on none other than Cape Breton Island. It's not far to go from where I live, but it's just far enough away that you can forget and leave behind all of your troubles for a moment. Living in Cape Breton I took many of it's natural wonders, such as its peaceful and beautiful scenic views, and its hospitality, completely for granted. Coming home from mainland Nova Scotia, and the city of Halifax, I find myself in utter bliss that I have managed to escape from the ever surmounting demands I'm under throughout the year to come home for a short time and enjoy what Cape Breton has to offer in the summer.
They say Cape Breton in the Fall is a wonder to behold, what with travelling the Cabot Trail and admiring its many beautiful colours which the Fall brings out. But a Cape Breton Summer brings some beauty as well, and its perfect for those who want to go camping, hiking, beaching and any other summer activity you can think of. It truly is an escape from the concrete jungle we find ourselves in when we live in the city. This summer I got to take my partner home with me to show him some of my favourite things about a Cape Breton summer. While my hometown lies on the outskirts of the quiet city of Sydney, Nova Scotia (if it can be called a city), I like to escape to Ingonish where my father's family settled along the shoreline of King's Point.
Aerial Shot found online of King's Point Beach, Ingonish, NS
My great-great-Grandfather built and established property at the point of the shoreline directly along a beach and his children built along the stretch of beach. While most of them have moved away, our family maintains two properties along the beach, including the old beach house my great-great-grandfather built. To myself its an icon of that beach, and that beach is the place I call paradise.
View from the beach at King's Point, Ingonish NS
Alex and I at King's Point Beach, Ingonish NS - August 2013
It isn't busy and filled with people like the provincial park counterpart close by, leaving the beach, the water and everything that comes along with it, yours to enjoy. You get to meet and catch up with distant relatives who also make it a point to return each summer. These relatives literally come from all over to enjoy what this little piece of Cape Breton heaven has to offer them.
While I love the beach, I also love the things that go on around the island. This summer we made a point to get to A&K Lick-A-Chick (if you haven't heard of it, you probably live under a rock), and it's ice cream business Lick-A-Treat (not as funny when it rolls off the tongue, but still unique and enjoyable). After all, what is a vacation without treating yourself to some yummy food! It's literally unique to Cape Breton and tourists flock to it, centred in the Bras D'or Lakes area.
Akex and I outside A&K Lick-A-Chick, Bras D'or, NS
We also got to attend a light parade to kick-off event for Sydney's annual week-long summer event "Action Week". We shared laughs at how small-town it feels after seeing so many other parades, but its authenticity, tradition and the spirit around it is enough to make you smile and feel proud of the sense of community in Cape Breton. This was a cherry on top of my fantastic weekend home to Cape Breton Island this summer, and this is why it's hands-down a favorite past-time of mine.
