Settling in

The first days and weeks after a move are filled with activities that are essential but uninteresting – deciding where the plates should go, rearranging the closet (again), getting your new driver’s license, and so on. I will spare you the details about our septic system. So we were very excited to meet people this past week and start the process of connecting with our new community.

We participated in the annual Port Blandford Community Clean-Up event.

We spent our Saturday morning collecting beer cans and discarded Nevada tickets from the ditches of Port Blandford. But more importantly, we met other Port Blandfordians, including a member of Town Council and lead volunteers with both the Legion and AppleFest. They were delighted to meet us, especially when they learned that we are year-round residents. As far as we can tell, there are a lot of cottagers here, and while they are welcome, new full-time residents are the primary goal for the community. We were informed that AppleFest is always looking for volunteers; I did not tell them that I used to be responsible for Hamilton’s civic events.

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We also met Beth, of Beth’s Variety fame. She runs a variety store in Princeton, which is about 45 minutes away from our home. Her husband is from Princeton, and his parents used to run the town’s general store until they retired a few years ago, leaving the community without a store. She and her husband relocated to Princeton, from Ontario, to relaunch the store. I learned about all of this from a CBC article I read while doing research about a property of interest in the Princeton area. Beth seemed approachable, and so I called her to find out more about the area. She was warm, encouraging, and connected me to other people who could answer my questions. Although we didn’t end up buying that property, Beth and I stayed in touch.

So finally, after months of emails, Beth and I met each other last week when we drove to Beth’s Variety. I was so excited to meet her! And I think she was equally excited. We had a lovely conversation and made a commitment to get together soon for tea at my house. She’ll bring her 3-year-old son.

Thanks to the generosity of friends in Ontario, we bought a number of items using our Beth’s Variety gift certificate, including some local beer from the Port Rexton Brewery.

And just to prove she really exists, here’s a picture of Beth and I in her store. We are both all smiles behind our masks!