Thursday, June 25, 2020

June 25th - Another life chapter comes to a close


June 25th marks the end of an era on so many fronts.

I started this blog early in 2010 to keep family and friends in Ontario apprised of what was going on here on the island, which had been my new home since the end of April 2009.

So much has happened over the past 11 years and those who read this on a regular basis have been along for the ride, and I thank you all so much for that, but Adventures in PEI has come to an end.

As you pretty much all know, my status has changed to that of a single woman, once again.,. I am currently on the island, after serving my 14 day sentence isolation, and am spending my last few days here soaking up as much “island” as I can.

Our house has  been sold and our closing date is today, June 25th which ironically is the perfect date for all things to come to an end (our 31st anniversary). But life goes on and I have successfully built a new life back in Ontario. For that I am eternally grateful to several people and you all know who you are.

So I am enjoying my last few days here with good friends. I moved into the VanGaal residence on Sunday morning after my 14 days was up and I’ve been treated royally ever since. Sunday evening was a delicious lobster supper with another couple of friends, although this was not my first lobster feast. Once a week a lobster feast with all the trimmings was delivered to my place of isolation. Apparently the plan was to make me tired of lobster before leaving.

Monday morning was spent doing some last minute clearing out of the house before stopping in to see Anna and then meeting Brenda at Sharyns for coffee. I had several of her quilting books I needed to return. After leaving there it was a trip into town to check out some complications surrounding mail delivery. Once that was sorted Brenda, Sharyn and I headed off to Lakeside for our first beach day of the season. Meghan (1) met us there. It was a beautiful day and even better evening. Temperatures stayed very warm well past our departure at 8:30.


Tuesday morning I went over to the house to finish up some last bits of packing up. I then went to my friend Margie's for coffee and visited for a couple of hours. I returned back at the VanGaals just in time to help with lunch preperations - lobster rolls on homemade buns. YUMMM! After retreiving a couple of things from the house it was back to spend the afternoon inside, as it was extremely hot and humid outside. Brenda opted for a nap as she had worked in the woods early in the morning and I had a shower and got ready to go out for supper.







I met up with 4 of the staff from Sobeys and we had a lovely dinner and very enjoyable time catching up. I got back to Fort Augustus just in time to join a gang inside the screened tent down by the stream by the shop. A perfect way to end the day.




Wednesday morning  (One day till closing) and I was over to finish up a few things at the house. I tidied up the last bits, vacuumed through and mopped the kitchen floor. After attaching my bicycle to the rack on the back of my car it was time to leave for the last time. I know I should have felt some degree of sadness leaving, but it's just not my home anymore. I have a new life somewhere else and I'm looking forward to getting back to that.

 On the way home I stopped at the shop for coffee with Brenda and the "boys". When you invite yourself for coffee it's only polite to bring treats, and of course that increases the numbers! It was nice to see everyone and have a chance to say good bye.


Back at the VanGaals, we got ready to spend a sunny afternoon on the water. Our friend Jackie is an oyster fisherman and had graciously offered to take us out for a ride. We met in Mermaid and the boat was launched. Being a fishing boat, it's not set up for numerous passengers. No worries. In true island fashion we made it work. Lawn chairs and coolers provided everything we needed for a most relaxing day on the water.


From there it was a bit of a whirlwind. Off to the post office to change my address, then over to Stratford to visit a friend from Sobey's. Finally out to Wheatley River to have supper with Charles and Laura before returning and calling it a night. None of any of this past week would have been possible without a lot of assistance from Brenda and Bernie. They are two people I am going to miss terribly once I'm gone, but I will be back for vacations, you can be sure of that.

Today is the closing on our house and we have a meeting at the lawyers to sign the paperwork. Then tomorrow I will head back to Ontario for the final time. It truly has been an adventure and I'm so grateful to those islanders who have made it such an amazing experience. I will miss you all. But like Margie said the other day, this isn't goodbye, it's simply, see you later!



Sunday, March 8, 2020

Sunday, March 8th - Early St. Patricks Day

It's been a busy few days.

Friday was a PD day  and Brenda was off work. So we met up with Bernie and Meghan at the Culinary Institute for breakfast. It's quite a treat served 4 mornings a week by the first year students. Each day there is a choice of 3 different menu items, and all really unique.



 The local church is raising funds for a monument to be placed in the Ancestral Cemetery. Our friend and committee member, Pat, decided that it might be good to have an afternoon featuring Irish music and Irish Stew. Hence Brenda and I were called into action. Brenda's away next week so it was decided to hold the event on Sunday instead of waiting for St. Patrick's Day.

A huge amount of planning and organizing goes into one of these events. Brenda is the perfect person to involve. From planning the menu to making the shopping list, obtaining all the necessary items needed, she had a great handle on it all. I helped with the stew but it was her hard work that made it all come together.

Our menu was Irish stew served over mashed potatoes, home made biscuits (donated by multiple local ladies) and bread pudding with a caramel sauce over top.  Tea and coffee rounded out our menu.





We were too busy to take any photos once things got underway. 


While the turnout was a little less than we had hoped it was still quite good. The music was good and everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves. We had a lot of  really great help both before and at the  end to help with cleanup. All in all, a really great day.

We did some prop on  Saturday morning and then headed over to the Senior's club. This year the LEAP Program (Learning Elders Arts Program) taught a class in Mosaics. I wasn't able to participate this year as I was working but it was fun to look at everyone's completed projects.



It was a bit of a stormy kind of day so the afternoon was spent reading, napping and just generally relaxing. Fortunately Sunday was a much better day.

A few days of mild weather last week has turned back into winter again. But we are almost half way through March so spring is coming. The time change this weekend has made a world of difference.

Monday, February 24, 2020

Monday, February 24th - Loving this milder weather

After several days and nights of VERY cold weather it's really nice to welcome some sunshine and milder temperatures. Although we're not as warm as some areas, it nice to see the ice melting. After the last freeze up there was a lot of it around and walking was somewhat treacherous. Of course now we have mud in spots but that's okay too.

Not a lot going on out here. Just working and catching up on TV I missed while I was away, and reading, lots of reading.

When we were in Florida, we spent one afternoon looking for a prom dress for Meghan. After trying on a LOT of dresses, she found one she liked but it wasn't available in her size. The store advised they could order one in and have it shipped but of course being from Canada posed a bit of a challenge. Fortunately Greg's mom, Lynne, was with us, as we were staying at their condo. So the store arranged to have the dress mailed to their address, and they would bring it with them when they returned to Canada in the spring. Problem solved. Fortunately the dress arrived two days before they were leaving. Unfortunately it didn't fit quite right, On the Sunday morning, after dropping James off at the airport, the dress was successfully returned to the store.

Now back home and the hunt is on for another prom dress. I received confirmation last week that a replacement has indeed been found and she has said "Yes to the dress"  It's absolutely beautiful and much nicer than the one she found in Florida. We didn't see anything quite like this one down south, I'm sure there will be lots of photos come prom night.



Meanwhile her younger brother Tristen has been busy with the cadet band. He competed this past weekend on the Tenor Drum. He finished first in his group so I'm sure he was pretty pleased. I remember taking him to Karate competitions and he would be so discouraged when he just came home with a trophy for simply participating. This one is well earned and I'm very proud of his efforts.

https://www.facebook.com/mistermillerman/videos/10163655991735144/


Meanwhile big brother James spent his weekend entertaining. Patti had a short layover in Halifax on Sunday so after lunch that seems to have featured Oysters, he took her to a Moosehead's hockey game. He sure knows how to show a girl a good time!  But it was nice for them to have some time together.

One more thing, Meghan made a video for her art class using photos and video she had taken on her trip to Italy. Interspersed in the video you will see pictures labeled as Proposal #1, #2, etc. Those are works of art that she has done herself. She really is quite a talented you lady.  It's not that long a video, about 8 minutes but really captures the essence of her travels.

https://youtu.be/Rkj0vqckrYw



Saturday, February 15, 2020

Saturday, February 15 - it's always an adventure!

Hello strangers!
I know, it's been a very long time and I'm not going to go into any details, you all know what they are.

So back in the fall Patti suggested that I join them in Florida. They usually go down for a week to visit with Greg's mom and dad. I had no reason to say no. I thought that since I was going to be there anyway, I'd see about using a week of timeshare at the same time. Unfortunately there wasn't anything available in the area for that week so I decided to extend my stay by another week. I obtained a spot at a resort in Orlando (Greg's parents are in Clearwater).

The week we were to leave we looked at flight availability. Tuesday looked like the best day to get everyone there. I flew out early in the morning to Toronto (much thanks to Bernie for driving me at 3:30 in the morning to catch the 5:15 flight). I had several hours to kill until everyone else arrived for our 2:30 flight to Florida. I got myself some breakfast and it was then that I discovered that when transferring my stuff over to my travel purse that I'd forgotten to include my credit card. You know those commercials that say "Don't leave home without it" ? Yeah, turns out they are absolutely right.  I did have my debit card so I was sort of okay but extremely annoyed with myself.

The rest of the gang arrived - Patti, Greg, Meghan, Tristen, James and his girlfriend Liv. Lucky for us there were lots of seats on the plane and we all got in.  When we arrived in Sarasota we picked up the van that Patti had booked ahead of time. It was after supper time and we were all hungry so we stopped at a restaurant on our way for something to eat. Then it was on to Lynn and Paul's. Patti had booked some space at a small hotel directly across the street from the condo so we had plenty of room for everyone.



We spent an enjoyable few days with Lynn and Paul. The weather wasn't extremely warm but it was very pleasant for walking about. We visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. A dolphin named Winter was the subject of a movie called "A Dolphin's Tale". Winter arrived at CMA in 2005 after being caught in a crab trap line. Thanks to her rescue, she survived, but unfortunately the damage around her tail was too severe and she lost the tail due to the entanglement. A prosthetic tail was designed for her and she she still resides at this aquarium. Quite an amazing sight to see. 

Some time was spent shopping and just exploring the area. We spent one day at Disney World. Greg decided it might be a good idea as it would likely be the last time the entire family was all together and able to go. 




We lucked out with the weather. It was not as hot as they had predicted and other than just a couple of sprinkles, we didn't get any rain either. It was a long day but an enjoyable one. It's been probably 30 years or more since I visited Disney World. Lots of changes and new things to see. 


Oh look! Geraniums - This one's for you Stu



On Sunday afternoon Patti drove me over to Orlando, about a 2 hour drive. I would have rented a car and gone over but hard to do without a credit card. Plus I needed one to check into the timeshare. So off we headed. We arrived a little bit early but my unit was ready. That allowed me to get checked in and get Patti back on the road for the drive back to Clearwater. James had left that morning and the others were leaving the next day.

My one bedroom unit was quite lovely with everything I would possibly need. The weather was warmer in Orlando so I had  an enjoyable week spending lots of time each day sitting out by the pool. I didn't use the pool but I was in the hot tub everyday.






I would have rented a car for a couple of days, as there was a rental place right next door to the resort but again, it's impossible to do without a credit card. So instead I spend many hours exploring the area on foot. Because it's only one mile to Disney the entire area consists of mainly fast food places and souvenir shops. But sidewalks were very wide and uncrowded so lengthy walks were extremely easy.

I was scheduled to fly out of Orlando on Sunday morning, where I took my first Uber ride. I was able to set up an Uber account on my tablet with the credit card info that Brenda had so kindly secured for my from my wallet that was on the counter in my kitchen at home. 

My driver arrived promptly at 8:00 and I was whisked off to the airport. No trouble getting a seat on that plane and I was off to Montreal. Sadly I didn't get a seat out of Montreal that evening so thanks to Patti and some phone calls she was able to make me a hotel reservation using her card. Once I got to the hotel I was able to pay with my debit card, along with a security deposit which was refunded once they'd checked my room in the morning to ensure I hadn't had any wild parties between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am. 

Next morning we got on our plane at 8:00 am but were delayed for de-icing. As I was by the window,  I had a front row seat for the de-icing procedure. I now know more than I ever expected to about the process. A solution of orange 'stuff' is sprayed all over the plane. That is intended to get rid of any ice on the plane. Then a fluorescent green 'stuff' is sprayed on to keep ice from forming while we take off. At least that's how I understood it. We finally took off around  9:00 am.



We made our way to Charlottetown and upon arrival in the vicinity two attempts to land were made. Both times weather did not permit it. Apparently visibility and wind speed were an issue. 


By this time we are getting low on fuel. So off we go to Deer Lake, NFLD to gas up. 


A quick stop, for the plane,( not the passengers), and we were once again on our way back to PEI. Another attempt was made to land and we were so close, but then it headed back up just before touching down. Without success the decision was made to take us all back to Montreal. So at 3:00 pm we ended up right back where we started!

It was only meant to be a one hour flight on a small plane with one flight attendant, instead of the 7 hour magical mystery tour it turned out to be, so there was no food or anything on the plane. We were fortunate that the plane wasn't full so most of us had two seats to stretch out on which made a big difference. I had a book with me and my travel pillow so I alternated between napping and reading. Our flight attendant was an older gentleman and he did a fantastic job.  I think his good humour and total understanding made it possible for us to arrive safely without a lot of grumpy passengers.

Because they had to re-book all the passengers I knew I wouldn't be getting to the island that night. So I opted to catch a flight to Toronto, where Patti just happened to be returning from a flight herself. We met at the airport and she took me to her house.

My Tristen, how you've grown!

 I ended up staying till Wednesday morning when she drove me back to Pearson to get a seat back to PEI, successfully this time.

I can't tell you how grateful I was to get a text from Brenda to come straight home, as she would have lunch ready for me. She had dropped my car off at the airport on Sunday. I was welcomed to a warm house, shoveled snow, a bottle of wine and delicious lunch. 
It was a clear and sunny afternoon so we opted to go out for a bit of snowshoeing before hauling my suitcase inside and unpacking. That could wait till later.



Today it was -20' when I woke up. Welcome back to winter!

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Sunday, October 13th - Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend.

Our weather this weekend isn't exactly ideal but after rain all day Saturday at least today the rain has stopped. I didn't really mind that it was raining yesterday as I had invited some friends out for supper. I really enjoyed my morning working in the kitchen.

As most of you know, Lloyd is once again in Vietnam, having left on October 1st. So I decided to invite some friends to join me for a small Thanksgiving dinner. I had a 10 pound chicken in the freezer that we substituted for a turkey. I also picked up a small ham as well. Mashed potatoes, carrots, roasted beets all made for a nice meal, starting first with a Butternut squash soup. By all accounts it was a successful evening. It was an eclectic group, which seems to be our norm these days. 

Table set and ready for company

I made caramel apples for every place



It was a really nice evening and I'm so glad that folks were willing to come out and keep an old lady company for a few hours!

Earlier in the week, the CBC was hosting an event called "Leaf Relief". They were giving away 800 trees free of charge to help replace some of the trees that were lost during Dorian. They were starting at 6:00 am at the Farmers Market in Charlottetown. So I was up and out the door at 5:30. I was expecting it might be busy and it was. All trees were gone by 8:00. I was very happy to get there early enough to nab a red Maple, my tree of choice from those offered. The radio station was broadcasting live at the scene and because they televise the first hour of their morning show, apparently my back was on TV as I waited for my number to be called. Brenda texted me to tell me she saw me on TV.

Now said tree is securely planted in my front yard. It's a whopping 41 inches tall so it will be quite some time before it reaches an size but I at least have a few colourful leaves to watch each fall.




Meghan is still in Italy and seems to be really enjoying her time there. A couple of weeks ago she was picking grapes at a vineyard.





This week she was exploring some pretty awesome caves. It's hard to believe that her time there will soon be over. I'm sure she's going to return home with some pretty amazing stories and some awesome memories.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Sunday, September 29th - Fall is definitely in the air

After a gorgeous weekend last week, and a pretty nice week, this weekend has turned quite chilly and very windy. Saturday wasn't bad but Sunday, not so nice. Although it's not really cold, the wind makes it feel much chillier than it really is.

In spite of, or maybe because of, the weather, it's been a pretty productive week and weekend. When we were between homes, we had a lot of stuff stored in a shelter that was put up last fall just for that purpose. It held most of the stuff from our old garage, Christmas decorations and all manner of stuff that has long since been forgotten about. But everything was packed in there and it was almost impossible to find anything if you did need it.

This weekend the final push was on to finish the roof on the new garage and get it tightened up before winter. I'm thrilled to report that it's now completely closed in and in use. The front will have a garage door next spring but for now it's just closed in. Our fancy door on the side allows access as well as some light. The lawn tractor, the motorcycle and all manner of large power tools are now housed in there  as well as two shelves full of stuff that was in one of the spare bedrooms. Now I can actually set them up to be used as bedrooms, not just storage spaces (although there may be a little bit of storage in one room). With those shelves out of the way, I was able to move the dollhouse and it's table to the bedroom, opening up space in front of the window in the dining room. Much brighter in there and now there's a place to put a Christmas Tree! Slowly, things are finally beginning to fall into place.


We really thought we would never see the shelter empty again, but indeed it is.



Just in time it's ready for my little car to go away for the winter. This will be the perfect place to house it till spring.

Hard to believe it's only been less than two weeks when we hosted our Pig Roast.  I think most of you saw the photos on Facebook. We were so busy running around we didn't get many pictures but fortunately we did get a couple.


The pig was great but the high-lite of the day had to be the bonfire after. It was a chilly day and the fire was a very welcome treat. Everyone who stuck around really enjoyed sitting around and chatting. Many thanks again to all those who helped make this great evening possible.

As we head into October, it's hard to  believe Meghan is half way through her two month trip to Italy. She had a bit of adjusting to do when she first got there but it seems like she's really enjoying exploring the country as well as the food.  She's attending school there and had Friday off to participate in the Climate Change Strikes that took place around the world.

Her sign reads "Strike today to save tomorrow".

I don't know how much Italian she's actually picked up but she's having a great time. She attends dance classes every week and from the video she posted she's fitting right in, dancing right along with all the other students. She really likes the family she's staying with and Patti will get a chance to meet them when she goes over to pick her up at the beginning of November. I'd love to join them,  but maybe next time!

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

September 10th - 3 days post Dorian

It's Tuesday, a full three days since we had our brush with Hurricane Dorian. We still don't have any power but there are lots in the same boat.

We were fortunate to not experience any damage to our house or property, some others not so lucky.




Note the plane on the left is upside down

Cornfield flattened


But there were no reported injuries that we know of so that's really all that counts. I suppose we are luckier than some as we have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer running (as well as our internet) and we have a propane stove for cooking so we can easily heat water for washing dishes, etc.

But I am looking forward to a nice hot bath which will hopefully be soon!
I took a drive into town on Sunday morning to see what the rest of the area looked like. Mostly downed trees, which in turn took power lines with them, of course. But the up side of this big storm is we didn't have to shovel any snow when it was over. In fact it's been lovely and warm so able to get some quality convertible usage in before time to put it away for the winter.

Meanwhile Lloyd is working on his garage and we hope to have the majority of it closed in before the 18th. Needless to say, it's considerably smaller than the one he built at our last place.


Braced ahead of the storm
Other than the weather not a lot is new. We've planned a Pig Roast for September 18th. It's a Wednesday because I have that day off.  I'm working part time at Sobey's in Stratford making pizza's. I think it's more my speed than just being a cashier, although I have done that in the past. So I'm working from 9 till 2 four days a week.  It's going to pay for a cruise I'm going on with a group of friends in September 2020.

Speaking of traveling, Meghan left on Monday to travel to Italy to spend 2 months going to school there. She was pretty brave, I think, to travel all by herself. Patti had gone to Rome a few weeks ago and picked up a sim card for her phone so she can use it over there. (one of the perks of having a mom who works for an airline).

So far we know this: she's made two new friends along the way - one from Thunder Bay and one from Nova Scotia.  She arrived safely and has seen the Trevi Fountain. I'm sure there will be more updates to come.

Arriving in Rome

Snap chat from Meg


James is still in Halifax (fortunately for me). He saw much more serious weather with Dorian than we did. He's on the 15th floor overlooking the water and it was pretty brutal at times. But he managed to survive without power or internet for a couple of days.

Tristen spent some time at Cadet camp this summer and he loved it. He's just started grade 9 - can't believe he's so grown up now. Cadets has been a really good experience for him.
James went up to Borden to pick him up when he was finished.

Our two forces guys
Okay, that's if for now. People have been very thoughtfully texting and messaging to make sure we're okay. Thank you for that - you know who you are! I'll update things soon.