Wasn't that a party!

Well, after a couple of days of technical difficulties, one day on my part, and today with the Blogger site,  I am a little behind in my posting. Here is  what I typed up yesterday and wasn't able to publish until this afternoon (Friday).

First time ever to shuck an oyster

Well, the girls are now safely in Moncton but what a great time we had. Tuesday we headed out to explore but the weather was cold and windy. We first went over to Lakeside Beach just so we could say we went to the beach. It was very cold and windy and the beach is really a mess. It is littered with rocks where parts of the sand dunes used to be. The damage is quite extensive. From there we went into town and visited the Weavers Guild as I needed to pick up some yarn from Sheila. She showed us around and we got to see what everyone was working on. I think they really enjoyed it and found it quite fascinating. It's a much different picture than what I have on my little loom at home. From there we headed over to Peakes Quay and because there was a cruise ship in town, some of the shops were open so they found some appropriate items to take home with them. By  now we were hungry so we went up the street to the Gahan House and enjoyed a bowl of chowder and a beer. A visit to the COWS out on North River Road for ice cream completed our meal. Jolene had forgotten her insulin but was able to contact the pharmacy at Walmart and they could give it to her as they could access her records in Ontario. While she did that, I picked up some cough syrup for my persistent cough and Lina picked up some anti-inflammatory drugs. Jolene was trying to come up with a name for each of us dilapidated old chicks and we finally settled on "Snap, Crackle and Pop".
Unfortunately our plan to pick up lobster from the boat didn't quite work out due to Mother Nature. I called John and he advised he didn't go out because of the high winds so we had to resort to plan B. I had called MR Seafood and they had lobsters so after leaving Walmart we headed over there. Unfortunately by the time we got there, they were sold out. So we picked up our oysters and mussels there and went to the Water Prince for our lobsters.

I've got the biggest one!

After we got home, Jolene went to have a nap, while Lina was fighting with Power Point to try to work out some glitches with a presentation she had to make at CDC. Eventually it all worked out and it was soon time for supper. Brenda arrived as did Donna. We started our feast with Mussels, and while they steamed we had lessons on shucking oysters. Donna provided us with another way of eating them. She rolls them in cracker crumbs and then fries them in butter. They were equally delicious and more palatable for those who could not eat them raw. After our mussels and our oysters, then it was on to lobster. By the time we were finished we were VERY full. Dessert was a light Rhubarb Bavarian. Of course our dinner was occasionally interrupted by text messages from other IAAP members. Seems they took some offense to our emailed photos of our feast!  It was a great evening and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Donna for a delicious potato salad and to Brenda for the scrumptious home made rolls. Both items were a resounding hit!
Wednesday morning we got up and had a leisurely breakfast of grilled lobster sandwiches on home made bread. They were delicious and a great way to use up the leftover lobster.
After breakfast we got packed up and headed to Moncton after first stopping at the Anne of Green Gables Chocolate store for some chocolate chips that a girl in Ontario had requested.
We then headed to Summerside and had no trouble finding Gentleman Jims. Lina had been there about 6 years ago with a friend and enjoyed it so we had lunch there.
After lunch, we headed to New Brunswick. The weather continued gray and drizzly, not to mention cold and windy. We drove through Shediac and took a picture of the big lobster then continued on. We had no trouble finding the Delta and unpacked the girls bags and got them checked in. When we got to the room, there was a message from Nancy to come and have a glass of wine, so unpacking would have to wait for a while. (We are Grand River, after all, and our reputation has been well earned!) When we got to Nancy's room, she was feeling rather poorly but insisted we stay and have a drink. After chatting for a while it was time to go and register. We went to the registration desk and the girls who were attending the PUB CRAWL that night were given Tshirts with Pub Crawl 2011 on the front and 'Please crawl responsibly" on the back. Shelley, from the Moncton chapter gave me a shirt (in hopes I might join their chapter). Once everyone was there we headed out for supper at a Mexican Restaurant across from the hotel. There were quite a number of us and a great time was had by all.

The whole crew!

After supper, we got together for a group picture and then it was time for me to leave. It felt strange to be at CDC and not staying but instead I headed down the road, after many hugs and good byes from the Grand River girls.  My trip home was uneventful, and I got home around 10:30.  It was a busy few days but a great time with some old friends.