Saturday, July 20, 2013

Sweet and Bittersweet

It's been a lovely few days.  I took another long weekend and the weather and my plans coordinated perfectly.  Thursday, after dropping Mom at e Alzheimer's Day Care, Auntie and I jumped in the car and headed along the Bay of Fundy coast to Parrsboro.  It's a nice little drive, about an hour to a sweet little town.

First stop is a lunch on the wharf at the little seafood shack, The Harbourview.  They were in a slight crisis as their stove and grill had just died.  But lucky for us we could still get lobster rolls and scallop burgers.  

Next stop was a little bittersweet.  There is a lovely little shop in Parrsboro - Sweet Brier Boutique. 
We have been visiting here for many years.  The owner Joan had become a friend.  She was a lovely and fun loving lady.  Our greeting was always the same - "Here's the Amherst Girls".    She always took Mom and sat with her so Auntie and I could concentrate on shopping. ( smart lady Lol). We always left there laden with bags but also a warm feeling from our visits with Joan.  

Early this spring Joan passed away suddenly and the shop was closed.  However a few weeks ago one of her daughters re-opened the store.   We parked across the street and as we were walking towards the door we both said the same thing - "I feel so sad walking in there".   But in we went.   The shop has been freshened up a little but it still has Joan's stamp all over it.  Lots of fun and quirky finds in every corner. 
I loved this peacock.

We browsed around and talked to the "new Joan".   We expressed our condolences and memories of her Mom.  By the time we left all of us had teary eyes.  But I do know how proud Joan would be to see the.store thriving again and her vision continued.  

We had a good day. 

11 comments:

  1. It is hard to revisit sometimes. My sister and I used to go to this wine bar that my mom was a favorite. All of us including the owner get misty over a class of vino.

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  2. What a lovely shop! It sounds like you had a lovely day!

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  3. So very sad but I am sure she would be so happy you visited her store.
    I have never had scallop burgers sound good though.
    Cathy

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  4. What a lovely way to spend a day off!I am sure Joan's daughter felt happy to see loyal customers with fond memories.

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  5. Lovely post Kim! Lobster rolls!!! Nice you are having a long weekend. Enjoy!

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  6. Morning Kim, glad to hear your enjoying a long weekend, nice shop....Blessings Francine.

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  7. This is such a heart warming post. I'm sorry for the passing of your friend Joan but she is opening another boutique in heaven. Guaranteed that you'll find anything you need there.

    It's so nice to take Auntie on your yearly trip to Parrsboro while your Mom is being with caring friends. You are both good sport to go with the lobster rolls and scallop burgers while maybe you had your hearts set on something else.

    I hope that your week continues to be filled with good things.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  8. How nice that you had such a nice day out. I love that little shop and I would have loved visiting it too.
    So does this mean you got Scallop burgers? I hope you did I know how much you like them. Have a lovely day.

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  9. Sounds like a day well spent (lobster roll...yum)! I can see why it would be bittersweet, but what a nice story and memory to keep!

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  10. What a great day, and I'm so happy the little shop is carrying on the tradition. It's hard on small businesses these days and that shop looks adorable, so let's hope it continues to thrive in her Mom's honor. I've never had a lobster roll..it's on my bucket list!

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  11. How wonderful her daughters could carry on her legacy.

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