Last year Anne Yarbrough shared with us her Nova Scotia Fish House. After living on the island for a year Anne’s husband Greg Brown has written a book called Island Year Finding Nova Scotia. I just completed the book and wanted to give you an overview.
Greg and Anne lived a very busy life and Greg served for twenty years as a pastor in The United Methodist Church in Washington DC. As they neared retirement Greg and Anne decided to make some drastic changes in their lives. Greg had roots in Nova Scotia and they started researching real estate in Nova Scotia.
Discovering property on McNutt’s Island with a home that needed restoring it seemed like the perfect place to use Greg’s passion for restoration and a nice quiet place to call home.
The book covers their first year on the island as they learn how little they know about life on an island. They discover new challenges that come along with island living. Meet Skipper and Radar, lobstermen who become Anne and Greg’s teachers and guides. Discover the ongoing battle of the Zulu Spruce that grows like weeds on the island.
Meet the wild sheep that they thought were a romantic part of the island but have some very different sides to their character also. Discover the difficulty of dealing with garbage and making the crossing to the mainland in fog and stormy weather. Learn about some of the ghosts of the island haunting past. Learn about the lighthouse and the history of pirates. See how Anne and Greg divide the daily labour to keep life going on the island. Join in the festivities of the First Annual McNutt’s Island Pirate Festival and enjoy the wild raspberries scattered across the island.
This is a book for dreaming and relaxing and sharing a simpler life. I highly recommend it and you can purchase the book from Nimbus Publishing for $19.95. Thanks Greg and Anne for sharing your story with us. Stay up to date with their daily life with Anne’s blog here.
Anne and Greg are neighbours about 80 miles to the southwest of me here in Nova Scotia. Living as they do is not for the fainthearted, I know because I live in a home from the same vintage – woodheated and drafty. But the summers we have here, and springs and falls more than make up for the winters, which with global warming haven’t been all that bad.
Love your site and try to visit fairly often.
Oh, I have to read this book. I am so fascinated with the area. It took me forever after reading your review of “Tiny Houses” by Mimi Zeigler to buy it, but now it sits beautifully on my coffee table.
We travelled there and visited their island and their home! A warm, energetic couple brave enough to live an alternative lifestyle. But what happened? They suddenly had to leave their island home. I’ve wondered about Anne and Greg ever since.
Does the couple still live on the island year round?