Ah, fall. The end of humidity and the return of sweaters. The changing of the seasons has brought with it a few changes to our household. Brad decided to go back to school to become the world’s greatest librarian and spends countless hours scouring our bookshelves for items he can use to practice cataloguing.

Though life has become a little more chaotic, we are still stealing moments here and there to spend together and pretend we don’t have a care in the world. Are these moments new and refreshing? Not so much, which is why we haven’t really posted a lot lately. We assumed you didn’t care to hear that our most exciting date night in a while has consisted of going to buy blizzards at Dairy Queen or watching the latest episode of Modern Family. Though these “dates” have been exactly what we needed at the moment, they are not so worthy of a proper blog post. Am I wrong?

Even though we aren’t doing anything worthy of a blog post, we thought we would share with you a list of things we have done around this time of year in the past and things we hope to try in the future. If you have tried one of these already or plan on doing so in the future, let us know how it went/goes. If there’s a great date idea we’ve missed, we’d love to try your idea as well!

Fall Date Ideas

• Fall Photo Tour/ Scenic Drive – Try this one out before all the leaves are gone. Hop in the car with one of Second Cup’s or Starbucks’ fall drinks and enjoy the beauty of the season. If you’re a shutterbug, you can try creating a photo tour of your town. We were invited on a photo tour last year and it was so much fun to go explore areas of our province we’ve never seen before and we ended up getting some really great pictures out of it as well. Even though we live in Nova Scotia, we are embarrassed to admit that we have never taken the opportunity to drive the famous Cabot Trail. Maybe next year (fingers crossed).

• Fall Weekend Retreat – Fall is a great time to take advantage of discount hotel packages. Many hotels offer lower rates during the fall and winter months. One of our favourite getaway places in Nova Scotia is the Quarterdeck Beachside Villas. If you book 2 nights, you get the third night free – a great idea for long weekends (offer is good between October 25 and May 31st.)

• Get Physical – Those leaves are already coming down. Take a break from that monotonous workout DVD and get outside to burn some calories by raking leaves! Okay, we’ll admit this one isn’t high on our favorites list, but if you love the great outdoors and a good old fashioned jump in the leaves, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

• Hiking – another active option for those of you who like to fill your lungs with the fresh fall air. At the mid-point of your hike you could stop to enjoy a picnic. If you’re from Nova Scotia, you may wish to visit Explore Nova Scotia’s website, which lists the hundreds of trails Nova Scotia has to offer.

• Harvest Date – In both of our families there’s a strong tradition of pickling and preserving! Growing up my friends always knew when my parents were making beets and pickles because I would go to school reeking of vinegar. If pickling intimidates you, why not try an easier pursuit of pie making? Or, if that even frightens you, just go out and eat some pie! The point is to enjoy all of the great tastes of the harvest season.

• Football – Though I tend to not really appreciate all of the hours of entertainment football has to offer, I would like to try going to a live game. Check out your favorite university or professional team’s schedule and let us know if it’s any fun!

• Craft Fairs – get ready for the winter season and start your Christmas shopping early by attending one of the many craft fairs around town. The Annual Dartmouth Handcrafter’s Guild Christmas Craft Fair will be kicking off the fun next weekend (October 29-31) Visit their website for more information. Other notable craft fairs in the area include Christmas at the Forum and the NSDCC Designer Craft Show.

Halloween

• Pumpkin carving – an annual household favorite. Check our post from last year that includes surefire tips for a successful carving experience.

• Scary movie night – my feelings towards the horror genre of movies have not changed since last year’s post, but I will stand by my claim to try one per year. A friend recently suggested watching Psycho – any warnings before I indulge?

• Haunted house – if you’re into self-imposed heart attacks, maybe this experience is for you. Many towns have haunted houses set up for Halloween. If you’re a local, check out this website for Halloween events happening around the province: http://www.novascotia.com/halloween/en/home/default.aspx

• Host a costume party or murder mystery dinner – dressing up is probably the best part of Halloween, but it might be weird to just sit on the sofa in costume, so why not have your friends over to enjoy a costume party or murder mystery dinner. We have hosted neither of these, but I would love to try out a murder mystery some day.

• Daylight Savings Date – take advantage of the extra hour when the clocks get turned back to enjoy an extra hour of each other’s company. This year, daylight saving’s falls on Sunday, November 7th at 2am, so set your clocks back on Saturday night.

• New Year’s Plans – no, we haven’t jumped ahead and forgotten Christmas altogether, but if you enjoy eating out on New Year’s Eve, you may want to start thinking about reservations. Some restaurants are booking up fast so don’t miss out!

Hopefully these ideas will tide you over until our next post. In the meantime we hope you’re all enjoying the fall season and that you’re taking advantage of every minute we have until the snow begins to fall.

The idea behind this date is quite easy – simply pick a letter of the alphabet and choose only activities that begin with that letter. We picked the letter “H” and ended up touring around town on the Harbour Hopper, visiting Historic Properties, eating Hamburgers, and shopping at the Hydrostone Market in Halifax.

SHE SAID:

When Brad first suggested the alphabet date, I was a bit skeptical. It sounded kind of dinky and full of potential disaster, but I was open to it and gave it a try. I’m not going to say it was the most amazing date we’ve ever been on, but it wasn’t a disaster either.

We decided to pick the letter “H” (Himmery our cat insisted) and set to brainstorming ideas. This step in the process is key to success. If you don’t do a quick brainstorm you might end up staring vacantly at each other all night, which probably isn’t what you had in mind. In fact, you might want to brainstorm the night before you do it in case it takes a while to decide on a letter and think of activities. During our brainstorm session we stumbled upon The Romantic Vineyard blog which helped immensely in deciding on a letter. The couple that runs this blog took the alphabet date idea to the extreme and had a separate date for each letter of the alphabet. They obviously have a wealth of ideas and are a great place to start brainstorming.

Brad thinks we chose the letter “H” because of our cat, but I really wanted to go with it because of a little tourist attraction in our city called The Harbour Hopper. Some may laugh in its face, but I am still amused at how a vehicle can travel on both land and water. The tour guides are high energy and point out many interesting facts about the city, such as the burial ground of Alexander Keith and the dock where many of the victims of the Titanic were laid. The tour is a solid hour long and takes you first through the streets of Halifax, up on to Citadel Hill, then down by the Casino where you climb into the water and make your way first to the MacDonald bridge and then back towards Purdy’s Wharf. We sat in the back of the Hopper and didn’t get wet, but it looked like the people in the front were getting a good amount of spray. Though a bit on the pricey side ($25.99 per adult), it was a unique way to learn new things about the streets we frequent.

When it came to figuring out a restaurant that starts with “H” we hit a wall. Since the only place was Harvey’s, we opted to eat a food that starts with “H” instead and headed to The Chickenburger in Bedford for my favourite hamburger in town. We didn’t do this, but we should have found a song in the jukebox there that started with “H.”

Once our bellies were full we headed to The Hydrostone Market in Halifax’s North End. We have driven past this cute little historic market before but never took the time to browse the shops. The website doesn’t display all of the shops, so we were pleasantly surprised to find more than we bargained for when we arrived. Rusty Hinges and the Hen House are two unique home décor type shops that had me wishing I was made of money. Probably my favourite shop was the antique shop that was packed with a great variety of items from years gone by. They had everything from really old spectacles to vintage Hot Wheels cars. Since my new obsession is crocheting we had to visit LK Yarns, a shop devoted entirely to yarns of every variety and colour. We finished off our Hydrostone experience at Julien’s Bakery, home of my favourite bread in the world – the honey apricot and currant with hazelnuts bread. Yum!

Though I was skeptical of the alphabet date at first, I ended up thoroughly enjoying myself. It got us out doing things we probably never would have done otherwise and is very useful when trying to think of things to do.

HE SAID:

We’ve all been there before. One person says “what do you want to do tonight?” and the other says “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” This continues until someone either breaks down and makes a decision, or things fall apart and you spend the rest of the evening at home checking Facebook.

Next time you find yourself in that predicament, try going on an alphabet date. After some brainstorming and searching online, we decided on using the letter “H” for our date. Luckily, I was wearing the perfect shirt for the occasion, my Hawaii shirt.

For a successful alphabet date, I recommend coming up with at least three things to do that start with your letter of choice.

We started by taking a tour of Halifax on the Harbour Hopper, a local tourist attraction that neither of us had done before. While we waited for our tour to begin, we walked down to Historic Properties where we enjoyed the scenery and perused some little shops. Once we finally boarded the Hopper, I knew I was going to have fun. According to the tour guide, the Harbour Hopper is actually called a Lark V, which was built for use in the Vietnam War. This was only the beginning of interesting facts we learned along the way. Of course my favourite part of the tour was the transition from land to water. Overall, it was a fun tour and a great way to experience an overview of Halifax.

After stuffing our faces with our favourite hamburgers from The Chickenburger, we checked out the Hydrostone Market. It’s quite a beautiful spot from the outside. I really enjoyed the antique store and the bakery. The yarn store wasn’t my thing, but Susan enjoyed it, so I made the best of it.

The Harbour Hopper was easily my favourite part of the date. It wasn’t super cheap, but it’s one of those things you have to do once, and I’m glad I did. The alphabet date has a lot of promise for the future. It’s the perfect way to spark some fun ideas during those times when it seems impossible to think of something to do. I had a great time with our “H” date and can’t wait to try it again.

We’re back! It would seem that we disappeared for the month of June, and that is true. June ended up being a rather busy month in our day-to-day lives and to avoid mental (and marital) breakdown we took a break for a few weeks. We’re back now and ready to indulge in fun, summer dates that we can share with you, our faithful readers. Check back often for things to do, places to go and food to enjoy and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for even more updates. Happy Summer!

SHE SAID:

If you enjoy getting up close and personal with llamas, staring Siberian tigers in the face, and feeding reindeer handfuls of corn, the zoo is for you! Zoos and me don’t have much experience together seeing as there is only one official zoo in our province, but staring death in the face never gets old with me.

Within the first few days of summer vacation, Brad and I were already staring at each other on the couch, wondering what to do as the sun’s rays wasted away outside. The zoo seemed like a nice option since we had an afternoon to kill and a full tank of gas.

We decided to head to Aylesford, NS, home of the Oaklawn Farm Zoo, which is about an hour and twenty minutes from Halifax. This zoo is privately owned and boasts the largest display of big cats and primates in Eastern Canada. I remember going here as a kid and enjoying the monkeys who never failed to put on a good show. This visit was no different.

My least favourite animals to watch are the big cats because they rarely doing anything but hide away at the back of their cages and sleep in the sun. Sometimes I wonder if they’re even alive or real. Apparently they come to life around 7pm when the owners feed them chunks of raw meat.

I must admit I felt a little guilty going to a zoo and seeing animals all caged up for my entertainment. So I did a little research and saw both sides of the debate: one states that wild animals should be left in the wild, the other states that zoos are essential for conservation practices. I’m still working it all out in my mind, but for now a couple good sites to visit are the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Good Zoo Guide. Both provide information on zoos around the world and promote conservation and the highest standards of animal welfare. When in doubt, visit a particular zoo’s website and see if they’re associated with any conservation organizations and what their goals are.

Overall, my zoo visit was fun and leisurely and I would definitely go to another zoo in another town, but not without checking up on their standards first. Though I couldn’t find any organizations Oaklawn Farm Zoo is associated with, they do have a large number of endangered and threatened species. All of their animals seem well cared for and healthy and the grounds are kept very nice, although very sandy – don’t wear flip-flops like I did! Check for zoos in your area and get in touch with your wild side (sorry, couldn’t resist!).

HE SAID:

Although I have been to the Oaklawn Farm Zoo before, it has been a few years since my last visit. The only thing I could distinctly remember about it was what I like to call the “Whooping Monkeys” because, well, they make loud whooping sounds. Since the admission price is very affordable at $7.00 each for adults (or $4.00 for students and seniors), I figured that even if the only cool thing to see was the whooping monkeys, it was worth it.

After a beautiful drive through the country we arrived at the zoo to the familiar sounds of the monkeys. I was immediately transported to feeling like a kid again as my excitement grew. Either we aren’t good at spotting animals, or the first few exhibits were uninhabited. Thankfully that was not an indicator of how the rest of our time at the zoo would go. Honestly, as soon as we saw the Zonkey (a zebra and a donkey in one!) I knew everything would be A-Okay.

My favourite animals at the zoo were the big ones like the lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. It was actually a little nerve wracking to be in the woods and have nothing but a fence between me and a big black bear. I also enjoyed the camel, who was acting suspiciously like our cat Himmery as he rolled over on his back and frolicked in the dust. Of course, the monkeys are a must see. They are quite entertaining as they swing around and share pieces of fruit with each other.

The only minor disappointment was that we didn’t go through the reptile exhibit. After Susan’s experience with the snakes at the museum, we decided it was best to stay away from the snakes and lizards.

Overall I had a great time at the Oaklawn Farm Zoo. The weather was perfect, the crowds weren’t too big, and the animals were a lot of fun to see up close. For $20.00 plus a tank of gas to drive there and back, it was a fairly cheap way to spend a day. If you’re visiting Nova Scotia, you should check it out. If you live in Nova Scotia and have never ventured out to the zoo, this summer is the perfect time to make it happen. For those of you who live elsewhere, check out your local zoo this summer and let us know what you think.

(To see the rest of the pictures we took at the zoo check out our Flickr set)

For The Locals:

Interested in visiting a local zoo? Below are listed zoos and wildlife parks by province.

Nova Scotia

Acres of the Golden Pheasant Bird Park

Oaklawn Farm Zoo

Provincial Wildlife Park (Shubenacadie, NS)

Upper Clements Wildlife Park

New Brunswick

Aquarium and Marine Center

Cherry Brook Zoo

Ferme Aqua-Zoo

Lameque Zoo

Magnetic Hill Zoo

Reptile Ocean Inc.

Woolastook Wildlife Park

PEI

Stanley Bridge Marine Aquarium and Manor of Birds

Do Duck Inn Petting Farm

North Cape Interpretive Centre & Aquarium

SHE SAID:

Now that the spring weather is upon us and summer is just around the corner, the season of road trips has begun! Brad would try to convince you that any season is fair game for a road trip, but I do not share in his zeal for navigating unfamiliar, snow covered highways in the dead of night. So call me a bad wife.

There are many ways to go about a road trip:

On a Whim – This is not for the faint of heart! No organization is required. In fact, it’s discouraged. Once inspiration hits, just grab your purse and go! I have never mustered up the courage to try this type, but I know Brad is bursting at the seams to try it with me, as most of his “before Susan” road trips were of this variety.

Day Trip – As the name implies, this road trip takes you as far as you can go in the run of a day. These types are especially good if you don’t have the cash to spend on accommodations or the time to commit to a long haul.

Surprise – Surprise your special someone with a getaway! Disguise it as a trip to the grocery store, mall, or in-laws, but the point is that you keep driving to whatever treat you have in store. Keep in mind that this option only works well if you don’t have to cross any borders.

Destination – This is my favourite type of road trip as it involves planning! If you followed our Winter Escape, you know I love to make lists and check them twice and this type of road trip lends itself quite well to that obsession. Other than picking a particular place to visit, you could base your destination on a concert or festival you’d love to see. We did this a couple of years ago when we went to see John Mayer in Mansfield, MA. And now let me pause and just say if you ever have the opportunity to see John Mayer in concert, go! Say what you will about the man’s personal life, but he knows how to play his guitar and put on a good show. Other than getting engaged, this was by far the best birthday present Brad ever gave me. We didn’t have a ton of cash so we made it a weekend trip with friends and had a really great time.

Roads trips are lovely because they can be as simple or elaborate as you please. Other than our very first road trip (aka our honeymoon) all of our road trip experiences have been positive. Of course, there are moments in any road trip (usually on the way home) when the last 3 hours feel like 3 days and you never want to see the inside of another convenience store washroom ever again. Speaking of creepy gas station washrooms, beware of the one on Rte. 9 in Maine. I have no idea where we were (other than Maine), but I do remember being told to “follow the yellow line” to the washroom. It was literally a line painted on the floor that led from the store into the garage where it weaved around cars and tools until you eventually reached the little closet that contained Maine’s scariest washroom. I only wish I had taken a picture. Don’t let stories like that deter you, though. It’s all part of the fun to look back on.

I would recommend a road trip to anyone at any point in their relationship. They are great for spending quality time with the one you love and give you that sense of adventure we all crave from time to time.

HE SAID:

Some of my fondest memories of good times with good friends are built on road trips. There was the time me and a friend drove to Toronto. We left my parent’s driveway on Friday night, arrived late Saturday afternoon, and began the journey home around noon on Sunday. Then there was the time me and that same friend drove down to Washington, D.C. and back during a massive winter storm. (Side Note – The police do not like it when you pull your car to the side of the road and cook up dinner on a Coleman stove beside the car. Also, crossing the border in the middle of the night to go to Washington, D.C. “for fun” is not a good thing in the eyes of the authorities. Who knew?)

I thought all of that experience would come in handy when we decided to go to Ontario for our honeymoon. As usual, I was just as excited for the drive as I was for the destination. I was so confident that Susan would love the big city of Toronto, and the beautiful scenery of Niagara Falls. If only I knew then what I know now. I had one thing right, she did love Niagara Falls. The rest, not…so…much.

Let’s not dwell on the bad experiences though. Since then we’ve hit the road a few times and have had a lot of fun. We have travelled alone and with friends, both with great success.

I have learned a few tips over the years that might be helpful to you if you are planning a road trip in the near future:

• Before you start the car, decide who will be the navigator and who will be the driver. Since Susan isn’t a big fan of hitting a highway with more than three lanes, I’m usually the driver. Plus, she’s a much better navigator than I will ever be.
• This one is for the fellas. If your girlfriend/wife/friend wants to stop and stretch/eat/shop/whatever the heck else she might want to do, make it happen. On road trips in the past, my friend and I would drive for days, only stopping for fuel or food. Susan does not share the same zeal for non-stop driving. Lesson learned.

Road trips can be a lot of fun, and since we’ve learned a few lessons about each other, we look forward to hitting the road again soon. If you have any scary, funny, or otherwise entertaining stories about going on the road, let us know in the comments. If you can beat Susan’s “Yellow Lined Bathroom” story, feel free to share it with us.

SHE SAID:

Being kind is something I try to be on a regular basis. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail miserably. Kindness, I have found, has many different levels. It’s pretty easy to be polite in society, but it takes a whole new level of skill to actually approach random strangers and offer your kindness in some way.

If someone told me to walk up to a complete stranger and show them some kindness, I would probably run in the opposite direction. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to be friendly; I would just panic with the complexities of it all.

So when Brad suggested we go smother people with kindness I wasn’t completely on board. Would I be holding doors for the elderly all day? Setting up a free car wash? Throwing cash at people? I think he sensed my panic and found the perfect method for accomplishing random kindness, which was getting less random by the minute.

Making supper for our friends was the perfect stepping-stone to stranger kindness. Cooking for people can always be a little scary, but when you find a recipe that’s semi-impressive (basically anything wrapped in bacon) and easy to make, the stress is minimized. It also helps if your friends aren’t picky eaters. Seriously, I think we could have slapped raw potatoes with a side of marmite in front of them and they would have screamed for joy. We have great friends.

I really enjoyed being kind. It seems like such a simple thing, yet we don’t seem to act on it nearly enough. I’m glad we challenged ourselves to go beyond friendly smiles and manners and actually do something for someone.

HE SAID:

A few months ago Susan and I were at the mall doing some shopping. As we were minding our own business walking through a store, the lady in front of us had some money fall out of her purse. She had no idea what happened as she kept walking towards the door to go to her car. Susan ran ahead and stopped her while I picked the money up off the floor to give back to her. What happened next left me completely shocked. As I was picking up the money (it was enough money that it was worth stealing if I was the stealing type), the people passing by were literally exclaiming out loud how amazed they were that I was returning the money. I guess they just assumed most people would steal it. I don’t tell you this story to pat ourselves on the back, but because it absolutely amazed me at how shocked the other people were to see someone simply doing the right thing. It was kind of sad.

That’s why I think the random act of kindness idea is so great. Most people spend so much time “looking out for number one” (we’re all guilty from time to time) that they can forget to just be nice. The wonderful part of it all is that it doesn’t take a lot of planning and effort to be nice to someone.

Since Susan was a little nervous of approaching a stranger, we simply made as nice a dinner as we know how for some friends. One of our least favourite things to do is to try and think of supper ideas. So, we thought it would be nice to alleviate that decision-making stress for someone else, even if just for one meal. We decided to do as much of the preparation at home as possible so that we wouldn’t dirty up their kitchen. We then brought everything over to their house, set the table, finished cooking the meal, and cleaned up afterwards. The hardest part of the whole thing was knowing how much food to cook for five people since we’re used to cooking for two. It all worked out well in the end though. The meal tasted great and everyone got enough food.

To be honest, it feels weird to do something nice for someone with the right motives, and then tell the whole world about it on the internet. But if it causes you to take part in a random act of kindness, either for a friend or a stranger, it’s worth it. Don’t feel like you have to do what we did either. There is an endless amount of things you can do to make someone’s day a little nicer. You could buy coffee for the person behind you in line at Starbucks, or bring some nice homemade food to a neighbour who might need it, or simply try to be extra nice to the people you interact with throughout the day, whether they deserve it or not. If you’re looking for another date idea that helps someone in need, check out our Charity Date post.

I think you’ll likely see a “Random Act of Kindness Part 2” post around here at some point. This was a good place for us to start, but I’d really like to go out of our way to do something for someone who isn’t a close friend, especially someone in need.

For anyone who is interested in what we cooked for dinner, check out the recipe for incredibly easy to make bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. It was delicious!

SHE SAID:

What do you do on a Saturday morning to relax and unwind from the hectic week? Some enjoy a cup of coffee, some watch cartoons, some lay in their bathrobe all day with a good book. All of these are acceptable Saturday morning activities, but for me, going to the farmer’s market is not one of them.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the thought of supporting local farmers and artisans, but my mind cannot deal with the maze of produce stands and hoards of people lined up for Bavarian double smoked bacon at 7am (though it is very tasty).

I could get past that, though, if it weren’t for the disorganized maze of a layout that is our local farmer’s market. I can’t stand that all of the produce people aren’t together in one spot and the bakery people in another. It drives me nuts to pay 2 dollars for a tomato at one stand and then happen upon a tomato for 1 dollar further along the maze. Can I afford the extra dollar? Yes. Do I want to pay the extra dollar? Not really. I will gladly spend more money on a bunch of carrots at the market knowing there’s a cheaper version at the grocery store, but if there are three farmers at the market, heaven knows the farmer with the cheaper tomato is getting my business. End rant.

My saving grace was the German Bakery and its honey almond apricot croissant with icing sugar on top. It was by far one of my best uses of a Toonie in a while. I have no idea where it’s located amidst the chaos, but I do remember stairs nearby leading upward. I also found some really delicious honey apricot bread, but again, have no idea who makes it or where it exists. Once I had those two things in my possession I bolted and went home to continue my more familiar, less chaotic version of a pleasant Saturday morning.

HE SAID:

I, like Susan, have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the farmer’s market. It’s a wonderful and romantic idea (not in the Valentine’s Day sense) in theory, but it never fully lives up to my expectations.

You see, I am a morning person. I enjoy getting up early and getting out of the house while most people are still sleeping away the day. However, I am not a crowd person, and it seems like I can never get to the market early enough to beat the crowds.

So lets break down this love/hate relationship:

LOVE:

1.) I love the idea behind the market. The thought of a leisurely walk on an early Saturday morning perusing local goods is very appealing to me.

2.) Most of what is being sold looks very interesting, whether it’s food, clothing, or anything else.

3.) I love where our local market is located. Winding through the various nooks and crannies of the market is a lot of fun. It makes me feel like I’m in a Hobbit house or something, I love it. There are lots of interesting things to look at.

4.) Despite the busyness of the market, we were able to stop and check out one booth in particular that grabbed our attention. It was shared by Geordan Moore of Who Stole My Bike and Anna Stowe of Good Day Studio. They sell some locally made, unique looking t-shirts. There were plenty of interesting designs to choose from, and I was very tempted to buy one

5.) I love hearing random musicians playing their instruments throughout the market. I could sit and listen to some of them all morning. I especially enjoyed the people playing something other than acoustic guitar, like the guy playing his accordion, or the girl playing a ukelele. This is easily my favourite part of the whole experience.

HATE:

1.) I really, truly cannot deal with the crowds of people. I’m sure some people love it, but I don’t. I always felt like I couldn’t stop to check anything out because I might get trampled. I wish I could have found a nice open area to sit down, have a coffee, and people watch. I’d be all for the crowds if I could just watch them instead of being in them.

As you can see my loves outweigh my hates, but unfortunately it’s still just not for me. That said, if you’re a morning person who isn’t bothered by crowds, your local market would likely be right up your alley. I know the fresh food alone is worth it for a lot of people so don’t let our dislikes keep you from checking out the market. Every time I go I see people who are genuinely having a great time, and I like that. It’s also a great date idea if you’re looking for an excuse to hold that special someone’s hand and not let go. You know, so they don’t get lost in the crowd or anything…

Sugar Moon Farm is a hidden gem in Nova Scotia where maple syrup is made. They teach you about the process of making their product, as well as provide plenty of memorable experiences. Though you may not have a maple syrup producer near where you live, you might be surprised to find something similar.

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SHE SAID:

There’s nothing I love more than grabbing a cup of tea and heading out for the day to a new little town or attraction to explore. On this particular day we decided to head to the sugar bush of Sugar Moon Farm near Earltown, NS to see what goes into making this sugary delight and why it costs so much.

Though this sugar maple farm is nestled a bit off the beaten track, I think it is worth the trek. We went during one of the busiest times of year on March Break, which in hindsight I think I would have chosen a less chaotic time. Nevertheless, the staff was very friendly despite the hoards of sticky fingered children running about the lodge.

My favourite thing at Sugar Moon farm would have to be the sugar on snow experience. For $1 a line of syrup is poured onto fresh white snow that you can roll around a popsicle stick to create your own maple lollipop.

While we were enjoying our maple suckers we went on the free tour of the facilities and learned a lot about how the trees are tapped, how the sap is collected, and how it’s processed. One interesting fact we learned was that a 1L jug has to be filled 40 times with pure sap to get enough sugar for one litre of syrup! Though tours don’t usually excite me, this one definitely showed me how labour intensive this process can be and why perhaps it costs so much.

After the tour we had the option of taking the 20 minute hike into the sugar bush, but after about 5 minutes of tripping and colliding into one another in the deep snow we headed back to the lodge and bought some maple products instead. I think it would have been neat to see the original lodge where the syrup was produced back when they used buckets to collect all of the sap, but we were not well equipped for the deep snow and undefined monster of a path. Maybe once all of the snow clears we’ll visit again and hike the 6 km Rogart Mountain trail that I hear contains 6 geocaches. If you’re more adventurous than us, you can rent snowshoes and do the same thing.

If you’re not that into tours and hiking but are looking for a unique dining experience, Sugar Moon Farm has Chef Nights throughout the year that showcase chefs from around the Maritimes that serve up delectable dishes with a maple twist.

HE SAID:

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when Susan said she wanted to go to Sugar Moon Farm. I couldn’t picture in my head how it would all pan out. However, I laid aside my scepticism as we drove the 90 minutes to see how maple syrup is made.

As soon as we got out of the car we were greeted with the sweet smell of maple. I knew from that point on that it was going to be a good day. We immediately saw where they do the sugar on snow experience. Though the maple lollipop was a little too sweet for my taste, it was surprisingly fun to do. It definitely made me feel like a kid. I was playing with my food, and snow at the same time!

The tour was my favourite part of our time at Sugar Moon Farm. It was interesting, educational, and weird. Those things always go well together. The weirdness mostly came from the other people in our group who were asking some strange questions. I was particularly impressed by the guy who operates the evaporator. He reminded me of the guy who does the Survivor Man show on TV. He chops all the wood that is used to fuel the machinery himself (and it’s A LOT of wood), he lives on the mountain and told us all about how the property is self sustaining.

I would be remiss if I did not tell you about the toilets at Sugar Moon Farm. Oh my goodness. Apparently it’s some kind of composting toilet. The important thing to know is that it looks like the bottomless pit when you open it up. I seriously wondered if a wild animal might jump up and wound me, or I might accidentally fall in. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Some other fun things you can do at Sugar Moon Farm include pancake breakfasts, tasting pure sap from a tree (it looks just like water), and walking on snowshoes. Though we didn’t get a chance to do everything they offer, we still had a really fun time. Other than the gas money to drive there, we only spent a dollar each for our maple lollipops, and a few dollars for a treat from the gift shop. So it was a great afternoon of fun for very little money.

Of course, if you don’t live in Nova Scotia you won’t be going to Sugar Moon Farm right away. However, if you take the time to look you might find something similar where you live. If you do live in Nova Scotia, I would definitely recommend you take an afternoon and check this place out. You’ll have fun and you might learn something new along the way.

SHE SAID:

Sundays tend to be a pretty laid back day in our household. Unlike Brad, I’m not the type of person that can be happy to stay inside all day, day after day. After 4 hours, I need out, even for just a simple drive.

Now, I know Sunday afternoon drives are an activity you’re not suppose to do until you’re at least 50, but they’re a great way to get out of the house for a bit and have a conversation, away from the distractions at home.

When Brad and I were dating we used to go for drives and he would always ask me where I wanted to go. I would secretly rage inside when he asked because I felt like I was being burdened with the pressure of deciding on a perfect destination. I know now that Brad really does mean what he says and didn’t care where we went and would’ve been happy to drive to the city dump. Alas, my inner rage was unwarranted. However, had I known about the coin toss drive then, I could’ve avoided the panicked rage altogether.

The coin toss drive is perfect for the indecisive couple especially. Literally every turn is decided for you. The only decision you have to make is when to end the game and go home. You can end up seeing streets and buildings you never knew existed, even though they’re close to home.

For our first try we decided to start flipping the coin right out of the driveway. It could be because of the luck of the flip or my less than stellar flipping technique, but we ended up on a long road to Eastern Passage with very few intersections. After coming to a dead end road, we decided to make our new starting point in the middle of the city. I thought this was a lot more fun because we were able to get into the game more.

The coin toss drive didn’t exactly rock my world, but it was a nice departure from our typical Sunday drive.

HE SAID:

When I was growing up, my family owned an RV. During the summers we would travel to various campgrounds around Canada and it was a lot of fun. One of my favourite memories of those days is when we used to set out for a day of driving with no specific destination in mind. Dad would drive until he got tired and then we would grab a map and try to find a campground near by to stay the night.

That idea of setting out on the road without a particular destination has stuck with me over the years, even when it comes to going for an afternoon drive around town. The problem with having no destination in mind is that you still need to decide to go somewhere, even if it’s turn by turn decision making. That’s why the coin toss drive seemed brilliant to me.

Before we hit the road we laid down a few ground rules, and I would suggest you do the same if you attempt this activity. First, we decided how often we would flip the coin. Would it be every time we came across a potential road to turn down, or only at major intersections? We decided that if we came to a stop sign, or a set of lights, and there was the option of going left or right, we would flip the coin. Heads we turned right, tails we turned left. In the cases where we hit an intersection that only allowed turns in one direction, we continued straight down the road. Another rule was that if a turn brought us into a parking lot or anything other than a normal road, we kept going.

There were two factors that we didn’t take into account before we left that would have been good to think through.

1. Water. We live near water, and lots of it. Any time you start driving alongside water it eliminates the option to turn in that direction. Stay away from water for maximum fun.
2. Susan cannot flip a coin to save her life. Seriously, it’s sad. Add the fact that we were in a moving vehicle and sometimes the coin flip had to be done quickly, and the result was a lot of dropped coins and panic.

I like the idea behind the coin toss drive, though in practice I was underwhelmed. I got frustrated by constantly hitting water and not being able to turn one way. The other problem was that sometimes you end up driving in circles. The key is in the starting point. If you start in a part of town far from water, with lots of intersections, it can be a lot of fun.

I think this would be a lot of fun to try in a city I’m less familiar with. Sure I’d be lost in no time, but that’s what maps and GPS are for. If you’re looking for a way to get out of the house but you don’t want to have a destination in mind, try the coin toss drive. It’s only as fun as you make it. We probably got more laughs out of Susan’s lack of coin tossing abilities than anything else, but everyone is different and will enjoy different things. Though it’s not on the top of my list of things I want to try again, I’m sure I’d give it a go if the conditions were right.

Let us know if you’ve ever tried the coin toss drive or if it seems like something you’d like to try.

For our final post about our winter escape, we wanted to share a video with you from the trip. We’ve put together some clips from the plane, SeaWorld, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom. We hope you’ve enjoyed following along on our winter escape. We had a lot of fun, but it’s good to be back home. We’ll be back with some fresh things to do for two in the beginning of next week. Enjoy!

Winter Escape from Things To Do For Two on Vimeo.

SHE SAID:

The first time I went to Disney World I was 21 and it was awesome. Back then I thought it might be a little disappointing for a girl in her 20’s since Disney is so geared towards kids, but I was wrong. It was everything I had been promised – beautiful grounds and buildings, fun rides and great fireworks to cap off the day (I think I may have stopped breathing the first time I saw Tinkerbell float out over the castle during the fireworks).

For our second trip to Disney we decided to visit two parks in one day: Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. We weren’t obsessed with seeing everything since we had already been there, so we got a map at the front gates and plotted out our top destinations. If it’s your first time to Disney and you want to see everything but don’t want to kill yourself doing it, you’ll need two days in each park, especially the Magic Kingdom. Here’s a run down of the highlights and lowlights of each park for me:

Animal Kingdom

Highlights

• Kilimanjaro Safari – Though corny at times with the tour guide’s attempts to make you believe you are hunting for poachers, nothing gets old for me about seeing massive animals twenty feet away with no barricade in between.
• Affection Section – This will probably go on Brad’s lowlights list, but I had so much fun here! You get to go in an area with sheep and goats and brush them to your heart’s content. There’s something about goats that make me giggle inside. They seem insane and ready to head butt you while at the same time so tolerant and gentle.

Lowlights

• Expedition Everest – Some may be surprised that this roller coaster is on my bad list, but it was terrifying. I went in thinking it might be a little more intense than Thunder Mountain, but I should have done my research and thus avoided a really sore neck and back for two days. It dropped and whizzed around corners in the dark too fast, leaving my head feeling like it was literally going to pop off. Roller coaster enthusiasts will probably love this, but it is a thumbs down for me.

Magic Kingdom

Highlights

• Thunder Mountain – This roller coaster is pretty tame and I love it. There are no huge drops, you don’t go upside down, and your aren’t sucked backwards.
• Astro Orbiter – Brad warned me that this ride might be boring, but I thought it was fun. You get to get in your own little space ship and you can control how high or low you go.
• Mad Tea Party – aka “the tea cup ride”. We both felt like weirdos standing in line for a ride with a bunch of little girls dressed up as princesses, but it was a lot of fun! There’s a wheel in the middle that you can use to control how much you spin, which Brad whipped into overdrive and sent my brain flopping. It’s like a tilt a whirl and scrambler ride in one.
• Fireworks Spectacular – No one does fireworks like Disney. It’s all synced to music and lasts for at least ten minutes. A great way to end the day.

Lowlights

• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – Going to a show can be a great way to burn some time while you’re waiting for your Fast Pass time to become active, but this one had me on edge. It’s very audience interactive and you never know when the camera is going to focus on you and a man is going to run up to you with a microphone.
• Haunted Mansion – I imagine this would scare the snot out of little kids (and it did for one kid in our group who exited early) but I found it boring. The beginning is the scariest, where they put you in a room and make you think something’s going to jump out at you, but it slowly goes downhill and fizzles out from there. It’s basically a ride through the dark looking at robotic fake corpses and ghosts.

Five years later, Disney is still pretty amazing, but some of the magic has worn off. It’s not like Disney has fallen on hard economic times or anything like that. The paint on the castle is not peeling off and the streets are still as pristine and clean as they ever were, but the second time around the mystery goes away.

If you’ve already been to Disney World and don’t want your second trip to leave you feeling empty, try some of the following suggestions:

• Disney scavenger hunt – see who can be the first to find trash on the street, get Cinderella’s signature, and ride a roller coaster the most. Make your own list of obscure items and have fun.
• Photo tour documenting a different angle on Disney
• Fancy Date – dress to the nines and have a Disney date. Stroll down Main Street in a tux and gown, go on a few select rides, dine at one of the more high end restaurants (or not) and finish off your date with the fireworks.

HE SAID:

While this was Susan’s second time at the Magic Kingdom, it was my fourth. I was lucky enough to be able to go two times when I was younger, and once before with Susan and my family. Though I didn’t go into it worried that the fun would wear off, we did do things a little differently than when I went with the whole family.

First, I’ll quickly give you my favourite and least favourite things in both the Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom:

Animal Kingdom

Highlights:

• The Safari – They do an amazing job of making you feel like you’re being driven across the plains of Africa. Though some of the animals were in hiding this time due to the chilly weather, it was still great fun.

Lowlights:

A toss up between Expedition Everest & the Affection Section.

• Expedition Everest completely took me by surprise. It was incredibly intense. I’m not necessarily against intense roller coasters, but I found hurtling backwards around twists and turns in the dark to be very unenjoyable. I know it makes me sound old, but I had a sore back for days afterwards.
• As for the Affection Section, I knew it wouldn’t be up my alley right from the get go. You literally walk around the equivalent of a giant goat litter box and brush them. No thanks.

Magic Kingdom

Highlights:

• Thunder Mountain – A roller coaster that doesn’t try to murder you
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – I know this one is meant for kids, but I have so much fun every time I go on it. Words cannot explain how excited I get waiting in line for this one.

• My favourite thing at Magic Kingdom that wasn’t a ride, was a barbershop quartet that was singing on Main Street as we entered the theme park. They were fantastic, not only in their singing ability, but they played to the crowd really well.

Lowlights:

• My biggest disappointment was that some rides were temporarily shut down. This is common in January, since it’s not the most popular time to go. I was really looking forward to Splash Mountain, but it was out of commission.
• There were a few rides that I really only went on for tradition’s sake. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is kind of lame, with it’s dated robotic pirates, but I can still remember being terrified as a kid when I thought I might actually get hit by the cannon balls being “shot” at our boat. I can’t go to the Magic Kingdom without going on this. The other one was the Jungle Cruise. The first time I saw the animatronic animals on the Jungle Cruise as a kid, I honestly thought they might be real. Now I prefer the real thing over at Animal Kingdom, but again, it’s one of those things I have to do when I’m at Disney. This time there was a little extra excitement when our Jungle Cruise boat got stuck inside the temple because the boat in front of us broke down. Good times.

Disney is definitely geared towards families, and specifically children. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun as a couple though. I enjoyed going to Disney as just the two of us because we could do everything at our own pace. We took lots of breaks and enjoyed the day instead of walking non-stop for 12 hours and covering our feet in blisters.

We found certain rides were especially great for couples. The Mad Tea Party was perfect for two because you can take turns turning the wheel that makes your tea cup spin. The Buzz Lightyear ride is fun for couples because they only put two people in each “cart” and you ride through these rooms and shoot things with your laser gun. There is a scoreboard on each gun so that it’s easy to see who hit more targets. Not only that, but there is a joystick in the centre of the cart that you can use you turn in any direction. This can be used to help yourself get points as well as to keep your partner from winning.

Overall we both had a great time at Disney. Though we don’t see it in the same magical light as a child, we found ways to make it fun. My biggest piece of advice is don’t feel pressured to see every single attraction. That applies to any theme park, but especially to Disney. Make the day about having fun, regardless of what you do.

FOR THE LOCALS:

Florida residents can now get a 4-Day Dream Pass for only $99! That’s a little more than the price for only one day! The catch? Offer ends May 25, 2010.