TERENCE BAY LIGHTHOUSE PANORAMIC

As the skipper of any vessel will tell you, the sight of a lighthouse in the night or through the fog is like a rainbow in the night. From the perspective of land-lovers, lighthouses are simply an added feature along the scenic shores of Nova Scotia. For ocean-goers, lighthouses are the one redeeming feature linked with rocky shores that tear boats apart like tornados chewing on trailerparks. The lighthouse in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia (already featured once) wears the effects of Nova Scotia's coastal weather on its sleeve. Stroll around its perimeter and you'll see three sides in pristine condition. The side facing southeastward, however, has seen better days.

TERENCE BAY LIGHTHOUSE

Not far from the position of this lighthouse in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia, the largest pre-Titanic disaster at sea took place in the late 1800s. Hundreds of lives were lost on the RMS Atlantic. And hundreds were saved by residents of the nearby communities with the help of their fishing boats. A stroll past Sandy Cove and significant private property leads you through a sometimes muddy trail to the rocks surrounding this weather-beaten beacon. In this silhoutte picture, TC was standing near sea level looking southwest. This gorgeous community is only a short drive from Halifax; closer than Peggy's Cove, in fact.

ECONOMY MOUNTAIN PANORAMIC

At the height of Nova Scotia's most beautifully scenic season, on Thanksgiving Day to be precise, we drove up Economy Mountain near the Fundy shore to see Economy Falls for the first time. After seeing the Falls from multiple angles and climbing up some very steep cliffs, we crossed the river that flows into the Economy Falls and began another climb. We were fatigued, I won't kid you. And we still had another destination, Five Islands Provincial Park. So we set a time limit on ourselves before attacking another section of the Kenomee Trails system. At the end of those 10 minutes, this was our view back from where we came captured in vertical panoramic fashion.

GREAT VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Great Village Elementary School is still in service. The basketball net in front is a symbol of its age: I'm pretty sure the school was built before the game was invented. On a day that took SC and TC to Economy Falls and Five Islands Provincial Park, this school jumped out at us on the way back to Truro. For one thing, the clouds. Oh, the clouds. But it also struck us as a building where, looking back as adults, we would have loved to be educated. Unfortunately the children inside are likely under the impression that the big city schools with all their technology and dual gymnasiums are the place to be, but these are the kids who will have a story to tell about the school where they spent their formative years; a story that'll last them for life.

HORSES ON GLOOSCAP TRAIL

This tiny little peninsula called Nova Scotia is home to fewer than a million people and just 55,338 square kilometres. Yet many, many tens of thousands of those square kilometres have gone unexplored by SC and even undiscovered by TC, a native to the province. Between Windsor and Truro along the Fundy shore is the Glooscap Trail. Home to the highest tides in the world at Burntcoat Head and some of the most rugged, ever-changing scenery you'll ever see, this section of the Glooscap Trail is worth seeing every year, not once every three decades. Horses seemed to be in abundance, most regularly along the shore side of the road. Although you can't see it in this photograph, these horses are just metres away from a cliff that drops right down to the water (or mud when the tide is out). Happy to stand and pose for a couple minutes, these horses in Selma or Spring Brook may not have realized the stunning backdrop forming behind them. The clouds on this day were spectacular.

RAILROAD TRACKS NEAR THE DARTMOUTH FERRY TERMINAL AT ALDERNEY LANDING

Fooled you. Rural this is not. Only steps from the downtown Dartmouth Ferry terminal in Nova Scotia, these tracks are no longer busy but remain "No Trespassing" territory. Oops. Shocking though it may sound, this wildly thick fog lifted completely about twenty minutes after this picture was taken.

SUNSET OVER DOWNTOWN HALIFAX ROOFTOPS AND CITADEL HILL

Looking at Citadel Hill from the roof of a parking garage doesn't sound romantic, but with a sunset that turns clouds this colour, any location is romantic. The rooftops of hotels and office buildings and historic buildings, with their HVAC systems and peeling paint, look pitiful in the light of a sunset over Citadel Hill. Not that this sunset needed pitiful architecture to heighten its greatness.

BRIGHT AUTUMN DAY WITH MAPLE LEAVES AT POINT PLEASANT PARK

Few large high-traffic parks are as dog-friendly as Point Pleasant Park (in Halifax, Nova Scotia). This area, high above the shoreline, shows spectacular shadows at mid day with a rainbow of autumn colours.

PAINTING HISTORIC BUILDING

Take just one look at the paler colour to see that this historic building was in need of a paint job. It is the strange city lighting at dusk mixed with the contrast of a church steeple, street signs, and workers painting on an evening weekend in a lift that grabs your attention. Come back for another look and you'll notice something new again.

HAUNTED LT. GOV MANSION

Unlike another Alfresco Photo shot of the Lieutenant Governor's mansion, this picture offers a clear view of the well-lit building from the Hollis Street side. Soaking leaves smother the backyard and the grey sky remains from heavy rains that had just ended. Tell-tale signs of renovation peek out from the top right where a touch of scaffolding peeks over the roof.

LT. GOV MANSION THROUGH WROUGHT IRON

From the Hollis Street side of the Lieutenant Governor's mansion in downtown Halifax, everything appears normal. In fact, the current Lt. Gov. hasn't yet lived in the mansion because of extensive renovations. Contractors always leave the lights on. As of the timing of this picture, landscaping hadn't become a priority. Leaves were piling up on the back steps. See a different angle of the mansion in this photo.

CHESTNUTS

In October at the Fort Massey Cemetery on Queen Street, chestnuts sitting in their protective pods are a common sight. Maple leaves are everywhere and the grass remains very green.

BRUNSWICK STREAKER

Just as a hockey game between the Halifax Mooseheads and Chicoutimi Sagueneens was about to begin at the Halifax Metro Centre to the left of this image, traffic was heavy on Brunswick Street in front of The Palace. Just a little extra exposure stretches lights from taxi cabs while the grassy side of Citadel Hill in front of the Old Town Clock is nearly hidden.