Cape Breton's Magazine

there was no floor left on them. They were rotted completely out. And I'd seal that in for them. So I got to know an awful lot of people. And of course I'm laying in there in the hospital bed, and somebody is going by the door and they see me, you know, and then they come in.... I done work for all those people. Even up in P.E.I, and up in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and down Yar? mouth and all over.... I had so many other things, 'cause I did everything. Whatever came along, we tack? led. We did. We made canoes and we made boats, and we made quite a few of those boats. Probably made about a dozen of them. And canoes, I'd bet we made a hun? dred of those. They're all over the damn place. The funny thing about them, they were quite difficult to upset. Fifty years ago. Fifty years ago, the first day of March, it was. March 1st, 1947. (So you weren't born like that? With I only one hand.) No. I was twenty years old when that happened. (Can you tell me how it happened?) In the woods with an axe. Good sharp one. Be? lieve me, it was so damn sharp, I spent the evening before sharpen? ing them myself. WHALE CRUISERS LTD. ESTABUSHED 1981 CHETICAMP (Opposite large stone church visible for miles.) Aboard the 42 ft. vessels WHALE CRUISER and BONNIE MAUREEN III, searcti for pilot wfiales, fin wfiales and minkes. Bird lovers may see bald eagles, gannets and a variety of I other birds along the scenic coastline of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. View interesting geology rock formations and sea caves. Enjoy an ocean experience. SCHEDULE DAILY: May - June, 9 am, 6 pm (3 hrs.) July-Aug. 15, 9 am, 1pm, 6 pm y'''' Aug. 16 - Sept. 15, 9 am, 1 pm, 5 pm f''M J After Sept. 15, 10 am, 4 pm Adults $25.00, Children 6-12, $10.00 Under 6 years FREE Contact: Whale Cruisers Ltd., Capt. Cal. Poirier P.O. Box 183, Cheticamp, N.S. BOE 1H0 Phone: (902) 224-3376 Fax: (902) 224-1166 Toll Free: 1-800-813-3376 During one period last season, with a radio-equipped spotter vehicle, whales were sighted over 40 trips in a row. • BUS TOURS WELCOME • NOVA SCOTIA'S ORIGINAL WHALE CRUISE I Awards: TIANS & Ambassador Ici on parle Frangais making sure the axes were good and sharp. I was giving a fellow a day, helping him out for a day cutting a few logs. A neigh? bour lives right across the road from me now. At that time he wasn't, 'cause I lived way up the Big Intervale Road at that time. But anyway, he wanted to cut a few logs, so I said I'd give him a lift for a day, and I went on this Saturday with him. And we had got a big spruce hung up, you know. You know what I mean by that? We felled it, but it got caught in another tree and it didn't go down to the ground where it should've. So, it got hung up part way down, so when it got hung up it was six, seven inches through. Course this is back in the days of the bucksaws. It was an awful thing to break a bucksaw blade, you know. Just an unforgivable sin to break a bucksaw blade. So we decided we were going to chop it down. I don't know if you're familiar with woods terms, but have you ever heard tell of "squaw chopping"? If the tree is there, that's a fellow standing on that side and he's chopping on this side of the tree, and the other fellow's standing here and he's chopping on this side of the tree. Well, this man was quite a little bit old? er than me and he was fairly heavy. And in underneath this tree, on the backside, was snow and brush and everything right up to my waist. So I says, "I'll get in there, Frank, 'cause I can get out a lot easier than you can if you have to get out." you know. So I got in there, and here I was in snow right up to here, and brush and lit? tle bushes and what not. And we just started to chop. Now, he was chopping, he was standing over there chopping on this side of the tree, you know, and I was in Plage Saint Pierre Camping ''""'""'' gf'y overnight with us while touring the Cabot Trail! OVER 130 WOODED & OPEN SITES FULL SERVICE SITES Fun for the whole family with clean facilities ncluding 1/2 mile of sandy beach for swimming • change rooms on the beach • & relaxing entertainment MINI-GOLF .TENNIS COURTS • LAUNDROMAT CARAVANS for bikers, motorhomes & trailers Box 430, CHETICAMP, NS BOE 1 HO • ph 902-224-2112 • fax 902-224-1579 YOUR HOSTS Gllles & Qlnette ??'Aii&e;%geDMieei9itit * Modern rooms, with picturesque view of Cheticamp Island and the Cape Breton Highlands nestled in the background * Private bath and cable T. V. * Continental Breakfast * Relax on our sundeck, while admiring our breathtaking view VISA / MASTERCARD / AMERICAN EXPRESS • WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Proprietors: Ronnie & Adele Doucet Box 776, CHETICAMP, NS BOE IHO PHONE 1-800-646-8668 or (902) 224-3438 • FAX (902) 224-2792 La Caisse Populaire de CHETICAMP • DAILY SAVINGS • SAVING ACCOUNTS • CHECKING ACCOUNTS . SMARTCHECKS . MASTERCARD CHETICAMP Cheticamp Credit Union • R.R.S.P.S ('Mon-Thur' • MORTGAGES 9:30 - 4:30 . LOANS Friday • A.B.M. MACHINE ''-' ' 8-30, ''2'--'033 Dennis Larade, Mgr. Welcome to Over 200 Years of Tradition... 84