The Leipsigaek Gold Fields

Hi,

This past Sunday, I went hiking with a couple of friends
who were visiting from Ontario. We went walking into the
Leipsigaek gold fields area, west of Bridgewater, Nova
Scotia. The area has been mined for well over a hundred
years, and is a wonderful place to hike. Today, it lies
within the town of Bridgewater's watershed area, and is
basically off limits to mining.

We hiked on several of the old roads, there. We also
visited one location where the remains of mining activity
is still quite evident. For instance, the concrete foundation
remains, where the cookhouse and dining hall once stood.
Also, you can see where the gold bearing rock was
crushed, and sent through the sluce to where the gold
was separated from the guartz rock.

The area is an interesting and magical place. I've noticed
this about gold bearing areas. There seems to be something
special about such landscapes. Perhaps it has something
to do with the nature of gold itself. In any event, it was a
nice outing. I'm anxious to return there to pick cranberries
in October.

All the best!
Laurie

A Strange Experience

I've often posted comments about the old mines
road, and the impressions I have while taking my
evening or late night walks. But, I've never mentioned
that this old road has a history of haunting events
and strange experiences.

I remember the night Willie visited my parents, and
described what happened while walking home on his
previous visit. Willie, by the way, was a neighbour
who lived close to a mile from our place. At the time,
I was about twelve years old.

He had just sat down on a chair, and started to sip
his cup of tea, when he told us this story.

He related how it was partly moonlight that night,
when he left our place. As he walked along the road,
he noticed a dark figure approaching, and thought it
was unusual that this person kept far over towards
the opposite side of the road, and close against the
bushes.

Willie kept walking along at an even pace, but the
figure was walking quite slow. When they met, the
figure kept far to its side of the road, and against the
bushes as it slowly moved past Willie. It was tall and
very dark.

You can imagine how Willie must have glanced back,
as he continued home. He must have been cautious
and afraid of being followed.

Yes, a lot of strange things have happened along
the old mines road. I hope you've enjoyed this short
account of one of those happenings.

Have a good sleep tonight:)

Laurie

Reflections

I went for a moonlight walk last night. I left at 1:30 a.m., when
the moon was fairly high in the sky, and giving its light to the
old mines road. It was a beautiful night.

In fact, I can't quite find the words to describe the beauty of
such late night outings. I mentioned this in a couple of earlier
posts, several months ago. The world is different in moonlight,
and offers us a glimpse into alternate realities. It is also excellent
medicine for stress related conditions. I figure each walk is
the equivalent to a week's worth of psychiatric counselling:))

I believe my location adds to the power of these late night
walks. You see, when I walk on the old gravel mines road, it's
easy to imagine one has suddenly travelled back in time to the
life of eighty or a hundred years earlier. Indeed, that one has
travelled back one hundred and sixty years, to when Thoreau
was at Walden Pond, or when Whitman was writing Leaves of
Grass.

In any event, at one point I heard the call from a loon out on
the lake – such a solitary call at that time in the night. Then,
later, as I stopped to enjoy the moonlight over an old apple
orchard, I heard the hoot from an owl, somewhere back in
Teal's Bog, less than a mile from where I stood.

Tomorrow, is the beginning of another week. I have lots to
do, including a newsletter to prepare for Wednesday, and a
special report to prepare for release on my websites. It'll be a
free report on “How to Control Stress the Natural Way,” and
will include nature-based exercises for that purpose. I'm
excited about it, but a little over-whelmed by the work of
preparing and formating the report. It takes a lot of energy
and focus.

All the best to everyone!
Laurie:)

Moonlight Thoughts on a Country Road

Hi,

As I walked along the old country road tonight,
enjoying the moonlight, and noting things around
me like the shadows from the trees that line
both sides of the road, I started thinking about
philosophy and spirituality; especially New
England transcendentalism.

Having been born and raised in Nova Scotia,
I've always felt a closeness to the New England
States. I don't know how many people in other
parts of Canada and the United States, realize
the close connections between Nova Scotia
and New England.

I won't go into the historical reasons for this
connection, as that would entail a lengthy
explanation. Suffice it to say that there is a
history of deep family ties between the regions.

Perhaps this is why I've often found myself more
influenced by New England writers and philosophers,
than by their Canadian counterparts. For instance,
I've felt a fascination and deep connection to New
England transcendentalist philosophy, for as far
back as high school.

So, tonight, as I walked the moonlit road, I could
imagine Walt Whitman, Henry Thoreau, or Ralph
Waldo Emerson, walking along with me. I fancied
I was Whitman, with his long beard, strolling along
the road, contemplating the next portion of his
masterpiece, Leaves of Grass.

Oh yes, I'm a romantic, and have been from way
back:) But, hey, that's part of the beauty of life. It
lends itself to beauty, romance, and passion.
Without those things, life would be drab, indeed!

All the best,
Laurie

Free Report Coming Soon....

I spent part of this evening working on a free report that I
will offer from my web sites at Wild World of Plants and
Natural Healing Talk. The title of the report is, "How to
Control Stress the Natural Way," and will be in the PDF
and/or Exe file format.

I'd like to know what file format people prefer as regards
electronic reports and eBooks. I'm excited about the
report, and hope it will generate some subscriptions for
my newsletter. If you have suggestions or advice as
regards the best file format, please leave a comment.

Well, I'll close for now. Oh yes, the free report should be
online by the end of August, at the latest.

All the best!
Laurie