Duncans Cove | Max Vollmer

Karl’s house in Duncans Cove is about 20 minutes from Halifax and adjoins a Provincial Nature Reserve. Fox, bobcat, lynx, and deer are all native to the area and will occasionally cross the lawn. In the winter months he has the wood stove to supplement electric heat, which makes for a cozy living room. [All photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]

Spruce trees are sparse on the thin soil and the vegetation is buffeted by strong winds most days of the year.

Looking to the north and the lighthouse. Halifax on the distant horizon.

I hiked across the reserve to the lighthouse in 50 degree weather and then followed the rocks along the shoreline back to the house. Waves were modest today, October 30, but the effects of hurricane Melissa will bring heavy rain, strong winds, and high surf over the next two days, with the peak of the storm expected on Friday.

Breaking waves down below the house. This is where the harbor meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The message? Your guess is as good as mine.

YESTERDAY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29

Karl and I rode the “Harbor Hopper,” a converted WW II amphibious vehicle that took us sightseeing around downtown Halifax and then, being amphibious, drove into the harbor so we could see the city from the water.