The first time my husband and I drove around the Cabot Trail in the Highlands of Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia) might have been the last. At least, in my opinion at that inexperienced chapter in the story of my life. I hadn’t yet gotten used to long trips—a half-hour journey to Bangor from my…
If you could live anywhere in the world for the last chapter of your life, where would you choose? Our final destination on the trail of Rose Michaud is Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia’s true New Scotland. This last chapter in our five months of home assignment last summer tied up the loose ends of…
The French, they say, are both artistic and practical. In my experience, that’s hyper true. Perhaps it’s why the country French—whether Provençal, Québécois, or Acadian—all have that simple, rustic beauty and je ne sais pas quoi charisma. Did your ancestors live in a cottage or a castle? A pioneer cabin or a princely manor? As…
After our explorations around Nova Scotia during the summer of 2024, The Search for Rose Michaud took a back seat while we made a cross-continental trip. We focused on family, friends, and supporters more than historical research over those weeks. But by September we were headed back toward Quebec in pursuit of poutine and other…
During high school, I received an underappreciated Christmas gift from my Downeaster grandparents—a book of poetry, essays, and illustrations featuring aspects of Maine history, legend, and culture. I don’t remember the book’s title or where it may have ended up along the road of life. But one thing I recall with clarity: Within its pages…
Time out of mind, a summer trip to Acadia National Park and its gateway town, Bar Harbor, marks an annual odyssey for a native Mainer. It’s practically a rite of passage, begun in one’s teen years. Today let’s take a journey back on the tides of time to that world before A/C, 9ll, and ATMs….
A few months ago, I shared that we traveled from Coquimbo, Chile, to Canada and the US on a short furlough. Now—six months, 34,000 km, 44 different beds, and countless letters, emails, and text messages later—we have finally arrived home. Or did we leave home to return here? Although I often feel ambivalent about the…
During a recent visit to Canada, old friends took us beachcombing on the Northumberland coast of Nova Scotia. There, I received a practical course in sea glass hunting. Neither I—nor my friends, the experts—found amazing museum-quality pieces, but we picked up handfuls of pebbles, shards, and even grains in a variety of beautiful colors—white, aqua,…
It’s over for another year. Not the search, but National Novel Writing Month. I’m able to say now that I’m a three-time “winner” of NaNoWriMo, although I’m not sure what that means to anyone, even including myself. But writing 50,000 words in The Search for Rose Michaud at least started me on the path to…