Across the River

On my recent visit to Nova Scotia i spent some time tracing the steps of some of my wife's lineage back to Port Medway and the descendants of one Samuel Mack (1736-1783). This adventure found me graveyard hopping with my wife and her parents searching out the stones that mark the remains of those who helped make the very reason for me being in this place possible. If you know me at all you know that i am no stranger to cemeteries. The rituals of how we care for and honor our dead have always held a certain dark fascination for me. Tie that to an ancestral search party and i'm there with bells on.
Of course, as with every journey to the land of the dead, rivers must be crossed and the ferryman must be paid.

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LaHave Ferry ©David Sorcher 2015

No, i wasn't just speaking metaphorically. We started our trip with a ride across the LaHave river. I love this ferry ride, though it is a fairly short one. This is a cable pulled ferry. There have been numerous vessels in this spot over the years to take travelers, their goods and vehicles back and forth across the river. I have personally known two. 

©David Sorcher 2015

Medway River ©David Sorcher 2015

We crossed one other river on our way to Port Medway. The Medway River was riding rather high that day, almost daring us to pass over. 

©David Sorcher 2015

In the first cemetery we visited i discovered the headstone of one of the Mack clan, Azubah (died in 1841), lying on it's side. I found the name unusual so i looked it up. Biblically she was the wife of King Asa and the mother of King Jehoshaphat. Most strange is that the actually meaning of the name is desolation. Such an odd thing to name a child i thought.

©David Sorcher 2015

This Samuel Mack was a namesake of the original area founder that we sought. The headstone of his wife Sophia can be seen in the background. 

©David Sorcher 2015

This strange little chrysalis was attached to the back of one of the gravestones, sort of a womb within a tomb, so to speak. I wonder what life, if any, might emerge from it come spring. 

©David Sorcher 2015

©David Sorcher 2015

The Port Medway Shop, and behind it the town's historical cemetery. 

©David Sorcher 2015

"Here lies Buried the Body of M. Samuel Mack." I have always loved these winged skull headstone caps from the 18th Century. Dated 1783, this is the oldest marker in this cemetery, filled with quietly resting souls perched upon the sea. 

©David Sorcher 2015

©David Sorcher 2015

©David Sorcher 2015

©David Sorcher 2015

©David Sorcher 2015

Night Ferry ©David Sorcher 2015

The ferry awaits to take us home across the water, back to Indian Path once more.