Life In Pleasantville

If you saw a piece of broken glass on the street, you'd step over it.
Tumble that same piece in the ocean for fifty years, though, and suddenly people are crouching in the cold wet sand for it.

I'm sharing where to actually hunt for sea glass in Cape Breton, the beach that's basically guaranteed to deliver (hint: it used to be the town dump, which is exactly why it's so good), the one my cousin takes me to every time I visit, and the one where I came home with nothing but a great story about the wind.

Plus the legal grey area nobody talks about, the colours worth getting excited over, and the three beaches still on my list for next time.

Sea Glass Cape Breton: Where to Hunt and What You'll Find Hunting sea glass Cape Breton style means real beaches, real tides, and a few hard-won truths. Here's where to go and what to expect.

Sometimes you want cake without the hassle of making a cake. I got you. This Raspberry Buckle is perfect for berry season.

Easy Raspberry Buckle Recipe (One Bowl) This easy raspberry buckle recipe comes together in one bowl with no rolling pin needed. Soft, buttery, and ready in under an hour.

Whenever I host a summer barbecue, the expectation is that this salad will be on the table. And, of course, I'm happy to deliver. This is easy, delicious, and a definite crowd pleaser.

Classic Broccoli Salad Recipe That Converts Veggie Haters This classic broccoli salad with bacon, cheddar, and tangy-sweet dressing is the make-ahead BBQ side dish people ask for every single summer.

I have been to Egypt Falls. Well. I have been near Egypt Falls.

Turns out the waterfall is not the hard part of chasing waterfalls in Cape Breton. The road is the hard part. The hill is the hard part. The noseeums, quietly plotting your demise in the trees, are absolutely the hard part.

Somewhere on the climb back up I had to decide how I was going to die. Heart attack, or slowly carried off by a thousand tiny bugs. (The bugs were winning.) My daughter, who could still breathe, went on ahead. I made it back to the car. I never did see the falls.

Then the GPS sent me down a washed out logging road and I reversed a rental car for a full kilometre while cursing more than I've ever cursed.

So I wrote it all down. The easy falls, the hard ones, the ones with no signage, and why you should never, NEVER, trust your GPS out here. Consider it the cautionary tale I wish someone had handed me. Link in comments. 🍂

Ever wonder why everything on Life in Pleasantville is so… pleasant? No takedowns, no dragging anyone, no ten-point breakdowns of what went wrong at a resort.
There's a reason for that. Actually a few reasons. And I finally wrote them down after doing this for 15 years.
If you've ever wondered whether you can trust a travel blogger who never seems to have a bad time, this answers everything. 👇

Why Travel Blogs Are So Positive (And Why This One Really Is) Ever wonder why travel blogs are so positive? Here's my honest answer, and where to find the one star reviews about too many trees.

Wot?!!! Nova Scotia has a ! The way I skidded into our first stop was crazy! But once we knew it existed you can be sure we didn’t waste any time finding our next stop in Cape Breton . And OMG YOU GUYS! They have a cheese vending machine 🤯 Is this heaven? Pretty damn close if you ask me. Nova Scotia is known for its trails, the Good Cheer Trail, the Sunrise Trail, the Chowder Trail, The Ceiledh Trail, the Coastal Trail, the Rum Runners Trail….you get the point. Literally pick a trail that appeals to you and run with it. You will not regret it.

After my visit to Laurier House Ottawa I have some things to say to my best friend. Mackenzie King, Canada's longest serving prime minister, asked that his diaries be destroyed upon his death. They were not. If she thinks she's getting away with something similar I will haunt her from the grave. Full story, plus a seance room, a crystal ball, three dogs all named Pat, and the best afternoon tea in Ottawa.

Laurier House Ottawa | Two Prime Ministers, One Block Laurier House Ottawa: two prime ministers, a crystal ball, three dogs all named Pat. Definitely worth your time.