DAY TRIP Part 1 - CORN MAZE

Friday afternoon, Oct 9th, we took the afternoon off for a little day trip. We won't be together for the next couple of weekends, then there's company, then we're getting a little too close to Christmas (68 days!!! Cue music "I'm so excited...").

Sooooo ..... we skived off work and school. We drove on the highway to Chester, then headed across Nova Scotia to the Fundy Shore. What a glorious day it was. Just outside the village of New Ross, we came accross this autumn scene. (Stop. Suitable "Ohhhhs!" & "Ahhhs!")
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We passed several beautiful Christmas tree farms. I've always wanted to own one. There's something so wonderful and magical about wandering in amongst these baby trees! I can imagine them being lovingly tended to and manicured to bring out their best; I see smiling families choosing just the right one; I see decorating while listening to "Sesame Street Christmas" or "Raffi" with the children; I see dark, late nights sipping mulled wine and just watching the lights twinkle on the tree.

I know that's all a bunch of malarky for the most part. People will freeze their butts off searching out that tree with dad saying "Hurry up and choose!" and the kids complaining! And that same dad will be saying "Sasa#@fraga$% durf!" (and much worse) while putting the lights on; and mom will be internally fuming because "No one else ever wants to help me decorate"! But I'm old; and my way of dealing with life's stressors is to live in a fantasy world which I've created. One full of Norman Rockwell images and happy families. So, back off and don't ruin it for me!

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Once we're across to the other side (outside New Minas), we're back on the highway to head up to the Wolfville area. First stop ......

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What a gorgeous aroma of fresh apples and pears and hay! They have what they call a "tunnel" (in the background behind the flowers) where they are still growing strawberries -- quite out of season for Nova Scotia.

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We started with the corn maze. Austrailia is the theme this year; there's a smaller Koala Bear maze which is divided by a trench from the larger Kangaroo maze; you get a sheet with questions to answer and rubbings to be made at the various stations you find along the way. We started off quite optimistic: Libby and Adriana both decided to go right; Nadine and I began left.

By the time Nadine and I got to the trench, we had all the answers for Mr Koala except for 2. (We had heard Adriana and Libby a couple of times, poor little dears ... wandering aimlessly through Mr Koala laughing and wondering which was to go!!) Nadine wanted to go back to find the missing answers, so I opted to go on by myself. ***

I'm not sure how many times I went round and round and ended up in the same place! Here I am yet again saying "What the creamed corn!! Where the heck am I?"
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They told us that if we were confused, just to keep our eyes on this silo and head towards it.

So, after a little more going round in circles, and after my thighs were aching so much that I thought my shoes were made of lead, I finally decided to do just that -- head towards that silo. Get me out of here! was the driving force at that point!! And once or twice when the path turned away from that silo, I just kept right on going -- off the path and through the corn stalks -- until finally, I was out! What a huge relief!!

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And look who was already waiting for me ...

They gave up after Mr Koala!

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We sat atop the tractor tire pile and waited for Nadine. I watched a young family go through the rope maze.

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We waited some more .... and we saw a group of Chinese students go by on their wagon ride. ***
And we waited some more. About 20 minutes after I crawled out of the maze, Nadine emerged ... WITH HER PAGES ALL FILLED OUT!!! Yes, all 20 questions and 9 rubbings completed! Youth won over wisdom!!
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Back home, she was crowned the MAZE MASTER!

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As for me, I gave myself an A for effort!

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And I vowed that from this date on, the only corn maze I'll be working my way through ever again are those on my tootsies!!