Life is a highway

BY DONNA LEON
Sara Whynot knows carpool karaoke. Whynot loves to belt out rock ‘n roll tunes while behind the wheel on the highway every weekday. And she has plenty of
time to sing along to local radio. It’s exactly 86 kms from Sara Whynot’s driveway in Mahone Bay to her office in downtown Halifax.
“My carpoolers are not remotely musical”, jokes Whynot.She and two other women leave Mahone Bay at 6:15 sharp most weekday mornings. Commuting takes about three hours out of her day, and she admits it’s not for the faint of heart. But she
loves her job, so the back and forth is worth it. “Really, there are days that I don’t even realize the drive, and suddenly, exit 10 pops into view. That always spurs that last cleansing breath of the work day”.
Whynot’s personal road to Mahone Bay is the stuff of romance novels. In the summer of 1982, she was working as a medical researcher in her home state of Virginia. Norman Whynot was a deckhand on Bluenose ll. The couple met in a bar. They dated long distance for five years before Sara agreed to marry Norman and move to Canada.
“Moving away from my family in Virginia was difficult at first, but Norman’s life was here and he didn’t want to leave. I loved him, so I moved North. It was a fresh start that allowed me to make my own friends and become part of the community”. Sara Whynot’s skills in academic research were transferable from the U.S. to Canada. She quickly landed a job as a medical researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax. That was 30 years ago.
“If you want to come to Mahone Bay to live, it is your choice where you work”, says Whynot. “I get to travel to international conferences and events, and Norman gets to work close to home. For us, it has been the best of both worlds”.
Sara Whynot credits her husband with her success. The couple has raised two children, now young adults, in their sprawling historic property overlooking the bay. “I would not have been able to just drop and go had Norman not been there to play the role of both Mom and Dad on more than one occasion. I owe a lot to him”.
For Sara Whynot, the commute is just distance. As she sees it, living in picturesque Mahone Bay is like going to the cottage every day after work.
“When I drive across the Kedy Bridge and look at the three churches, I feel as if I’m home. I get to drive into a postcard. How lucky am I?!”