I am planning to start the field trip with a visit to one or two of the historic houses of Sydney called Cossit House and Jost House across the street from it. Here is a link to information on these two historic buildings. The information on the society website contains a number of images I produced for them back in 2017.

I have had a discussion with the Society Director and in a week or so I will be meeting with her in person to discuss access to the two properties on August 12 and hopefully with the volunteers in Period costumes. Also we should have enough time to photograph some of the Sydney downtown points of interest before we do the two historical houses.

We will most likely have lunch in Sydney after which we will depart for Louisbourg where we will do the lighthouse and trail if time permits. Then onto the Town of Louisbourg and the Fort. If we have time we can do the bog and Simon Point Trail. This is a very ambitious itinerary but we have daylight working for us.

Please let me know asap if you are planning to take part in this field trip. Also if you are, I advise you to book your accommodation soon.

To book your accommodation please google “hotels in Sydney NS” to get info on price and availability. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with the Hampton, the Simon Hotel, which used to be the Cambridge Suites, or the Holiday Inn. When you have booked your hotel please email me your choice so I can forward this info onto only those members who have confirmed they are planning to attend the field trip. Some of those members would like to stay in the same hotel as others. It will be prudent to book your hotel now so as not to be disappointed in finding available hotel rooms. Even if you are not sure at this time that you will be able to participate in the field trip, it is always possible to cancel the booked room within the hotel cancellation period.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or suggestions.

Cheers,
Nick Honig
nick.honig@gmail.com
902-549-0202

Field Trip Update:

Sydney, July 31, 2023
Hello Guild Members,

This is an update on the itinerary for our Guild field trip in Cape Breton on August 12, 2023. I have had confirmation from Claire Roach, who is in charge of the historic properties in Sydney and is the director of Old Sydney Society, that the Cossit House and possibly Jost House, will be open and that the volunteer re-enactors will be available on that day. So, it looks like we should be able to get some interesting shots of the interior of the house as well as the exterior during two or three hours in the morning of August 12. There will be a requirement for a monetary donation, and I offered that some of the members would not mind sharing some of their quality photos with the Sydney Society for use on their website. I hope you all agree with that approach.

To date I have received confirmation of attendance from two members, Joyce Chew and Dean Hirtle. Other Guild members had expressed an interest to attend, but I have not had any confirmation. If Guild members are planning to attend, please let me know in the next two days so I can plan lunch and supper accommodation for us.

We can also have a night photography session of Sydney the night of August 11. That would give us an opportunity to photograph the Fiddle and some of the downtown buildings.

After our photo shoot at Cossit house on August 12, I plan to arrange for lunch at Kijus restaurant in Membertou. After lunch we will make our way to Louisbourg where we can do a number of things.
1. Louisbourg Fortress (we will need to allow about 2 or 3 hours. Admission fee required)
2. Louisbourg lighthouse trail (we will definitely visit the lighthouse even if we don’t do the trail. We can’t get inside the lighthouse since it is not open to the public)
3. Louisbourg bog (bring rubber boots, Tuma will be available to id most if not all plants. this will be macro photography)
4. Simon Point trail (this is a short hike to the bluffs. Possibility of Indian pipes, and Pitcher plants)

I am planning on all of us having supper together in Sydney at a restaurant or maybe even at our house depending on how many members we have.

I hope you all are having a great summer and lots of photo opportunities.

Cheers,
Nick Honig
902 549-0202