Howdy!
Amber and I parted ways in Halifax. Our adventures were great, and we got to know each other very well. Our time together was pretty much as expected with two people vagabonding together. You have the good times and the bad times all wrapped up in the lifestyle of being around each other for nearly 24/7. Our situation was unique. For two years she was looking to meet a shaman. She was lined up to meet one the week after I left Barrie too. However, we came together before that happened. I gave her the opportunity to travel with me for two weeks or so. We didn't know a lick about each other. My advice, which is how my Buddhist teacher often presents an option to you, was this: Don't do it unless you have to. So she packed her suitcase and came on the road with me.
By the time we arrived in Halifax I was ready to part ways. I spend most of my time by myself, so this was a big lesson for me. It is always easier to think that you have a strong character and a good sense of communication if you only have to deal with people and the world in certain ways. I always give myself the credit of being a person that can communicate well, or at least try to with the best of intentions. That only works well enough for me if I have a reprieve...which I hardly had. So I enjoyed the growth experience.
We had a little difficulty in parting ways. We ended with an Indian dinner (Amber's treat) and a glass of wine. We both know we were brought together, but neither of us are entirely sure why. So it will be interesting to see what comes of it in the future.
I felt the need to drive though, so drive I did. I spent no time in Halifax. This made me somewhat sad, since there are many thriving Buddhist communities there. It will have to wait until next time though.
On I went up to New Brunswick. I was heading towards Maine and decided to sleep an hour or so away from the border. So I found some nice country and pulled off for the night. I woke up to deer grazing off in the distance. It was really nice.
In the morning I had the idea pop into my head to work. I wanted to get my hands dirty. To use my body for something. This is how the hostel came into being...I woke up with a thought. When I pulled over to a gas station, I asked the lady inside if she knew of any work. She did not. So on I drove. A little ways away, in Edmunds, I was driving along the Coastal one and felt inclined to turn my head and look back. As I did, I saw a sign for a farm and it lit up for me. So I turned around and drove into the farm.
The first people I came across were Aaron and Molly. Molly works on the farm with her partner James. James in a Soto Zen practitioner and has received Jukai. It was nice to run into a fellow Soto practitioner on my travels. Aaron ended up being the guy who ran the farm. He is young, intelligent, and full of farm-working vigor. He went to school for philosophy. Not being a scholar, he emphasized the ability to ask the questions as the main thing he walked away with. He quickly took me in and showed me some things I could do around the farm. I intended for a one night stay, but stayed for the weekend.
This farm is a bicentennial farm that has remained within the same family lineage right from the get-go. I believe they have been around for a lot longer than 200 years though. His family was originally given 10,000 acres of land. Nowadays they own 1,600. This farm is an Organic farm and they produce meat, dairy, and vegetables...I think I covered it all.
There is a rich history that I could not even begin to re-count for fear of inaccuracy. Needless to say it was a very beautiful part of my trip. I milked cows, caught chicken, fed cattle, scythed milk thistle, among other things. I even became a part of there history by doing some shamanic work on the farm. I don't think I have touched upon the shamanic sessions I have come across during the past few weeks...but they have happened. In places that I did not suspect either. They have all been very interesting.
One night Aaron and I skipped stones out on the bay while both his son and his daughter played around us with their dog. We were also in the company of three young travelers. I believe all of them were from Spain? Only two lived there though? I don't quite remember. We weren't able to say good-bye before they left. If you are reading this I hope you are well!
I feel as though I made some friends on that farm. Next time I am in Maine I will be heading back there for a visit. I hope the years between our next joining brings them health and prosperity.
I also drank a TON of raw milk. I love that stuff. It feels really good to drink too. Most lactose intolerance actually comes from the homogenization process. I can tell the difference.
If anyone is interested in checking them out they are: Tide Mill Farm, Edmunds, ME. They don't do any WWOOFing opportunities anymore. But they are a lovely bunch and have great produce.
Last night as I was driving I came across a Wal-Mart. This was good because I desperately needed an oil change. They were closed and I had to wait until morning. I did meet three young travelers that were traveling in a way beyond what I have done. Two have lived on the road continuously for three years, while the other has been for two. They had a dog and a cat with them too. Nothing but some packs and each other. Intense!
So I slept for the night in a parking lot with more camper vans than I had ever seen before (due to Bar Harbor.) While there I also met a lovely older man whom I ran into again way down the road at Fort Knox. Yes, Fort Knox. There is also one in Maine. The original one. They are both named after the same guy too. I took a ton of pictures. I also met a couple who gave me some useful information that I will write down here so I don't forget. I can take a cargo van to any camper retail shop and they can help me do conversions. That will be helpful for me.
I am currently in some beautiful little library in some small town on the coast of Maine. I am not doing too much since I am strapped down pretty tight on my funds because of the lengthy detour through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. So far, my feeling is that I like Nova Scotia more so than Maine. But I will wait until I give the place a fair chance...which may be on my next trip out here.
I'm not sure what adventures await me. Time and time again I am thrown a left hook when it comes to expectations. The stories that I have read about with travelers and unique situations is happening to me. Each different section being another adventure in and of itself. I cannot deny how much the experience of traveling has, and will continue to, change my life.
Ciao!
Justin
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