Friday, August 29th - bring on the long weekend!

Conditions at: Over cast and 13' but the strong winds make it feel more like 11'
Expected later: After some more showers this morning, we should reach a sunny high of 17' this afternoon

Our hot humid weather has finally turned to slightly cooler temperatures. We had on and off again rain most of the day yesterday. It certainly makes for much better sleeping weather. With any luck we'll get some sun on the weekend.

I talked with Meghan(2) via facetime on Wednesday, her birthday. They had just returned from a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario,  to shop for back to school clothes. How perfect for Patti that she can turn a necessary shopping trip into a birthday event!  Meg was ever so excited to show me all the new things she had for starting school next week. She called me back when they were having dessert. It was an ice cream cake complete with tea lights for candles! . I sang Happy Birthday along with everyone and thought I was doing a marvelous job until they all started laughing. Turns out they could hear me but with the delay I was slightly behind all of them. I imagine it sounded pretty funny from their end.

Patti had returned from Paris earlier and she emailed me with a funny story. After my meeting up with Bev last Thursday, having  gone to the same school, but not knowing each other, Patti had a very similar experience. She was still on the plane after  they landed in Toronto when some maintenance crew came onboard. One of them asked her if she went to Mayfield Secondary. Turns out they had gone at the same time as well, but they didn't know each other very well. The world just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

Last night we all went out for supper to Peakes Tee. Lloyd went home from there and Tiny and Bev and I headed out to Pooles Corner to the kaylee hall. I thought they might enjoy some local entertainment. Unfortunately the.venue was sold out when we got there so we had to come up with another plan. We took a drive into Montague where it was pretty quiet although we did stop at Christmas Discounters for a tour around. Then it was back home. A bit of a downer to our planned evening, but that's okay. We pulled out some old pictures of the bunky so our guests could see what it once looked like, then some of us called it a night.

I understand the traffic was pretty busy in town yesterday as the tall ships have come in as part of the 2014 celebrations. I hope we get the chance to go in to see them before they leave. I see that Ron James is performing on Sunday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 at the celebration zone. We may take that in but it will all depend on the weather. Not a big fan of standing out in the rain and the mud.

Wednesday, August 27th - Happy Birthday Meghan (2)

Conditions at 5:10 - quite windy but a mild 18'
Expected later: it's starting to become the same old, same old - hot and sunny with a high of 27' for the third day in a row. Quite remarkable, really for the last week of August!

Before I forget, a big Happy 12th birthday to granddaughter Meghan! She'll be heading off to Junior High next week so that will be both a little scary and a lot exciting. Have a great day Meg.

Well, what a great time we had last night. Brenda picked Bev up and the two of them met me in town at the Celebration Zone. I got there first and was very surprised to see everyone going in with their lawn chairs. Not something that has been allowed earlier. SO I called Brenda and luck would have it, they had just arrived and she had three folding chairs in her car. Now that was a stroke of good luck, and once again, good old Brenda saved the day!

The show started right on time and it provided a lot of laughs. She's a very funny lady. They showed some film clips on the big screen from past shows including Codco and one called Hatched, Matched and Dispatched. I don't remember that one but I do remember Codco. Of course there were lots of clips from This Hour Has 22 minutes as well. A very funny and talented lady.

When it was over we walked back to the cars and put the chairs away. It was a really lovely evening so we headed over to Victoria Row and found a table beside a heater - just in case it got cold later. We shared some nachos and fries with dip along with an adult beverage. A great way to end the evening. On the way back to the cars, we took a hike up the stairs to see the rooftop lounge at Fishbones. Wow, have they ever done a great job with that site. It would be a really great spot for a private party. The only problem would be getting some of us older people up all those stairs!

Then it was home, passing Lloyd on the way. He was just heading out as we rounded the corner on our road. Time for me to get to bed cause morning comes pretty early sometimes. Bev and Tiny have been touring around. On Monday they went up to Cavendish, and drove all around up that way. Then on Tuesday they ventured up O'Leary way. They have a neighbour who comes out here for the summer so thought they would just drop in and say Hi.  They haven't decided yet just where they're going to explore today but they'll have another gorgeous day for doing that.

Monday, August 25th - a pretty busy weekend

Conditions at 5:10 am: 13' and partly cloudy
Expected later: 24' mainly sunny but will feel more like 30' - we knew summer wasn't over yet!

It's been a busy few days. Friday after work, we enjoyed some oven baked chicken, smashed new potatoes from the garden along with some fresh picked yellow beans, carrots and zucchini with our company. After supper Brenda and Bernie came over and we all enjoyed a few drinks, some of us more than others. It was considerably quieter on Saturday morning.

I was fortunate to have the day off so Brenda, Bev and I ventured into town early in the morning. We toured the farmers market, the grocery store, the liquor store after picking up some live lobsters for supper. Bev wanted some island lobster before going home and she wasn't disappointed.  When we got back from town, Tiny and Lloyd were gone off somewhere so we had something to eat and headed over to Lakeside for a walk on the beach. It was a nice warm day but there was a fairly strong wind so there were lots of waves. It was a great afternoon. When we got home, the boys were back. They had gone out to Souris for breakfast then toured the north shore on the way home.

Supper Saturday night was the above mentioned lobster, melted butter, potato salad, coleslaw and home made bread. After cleaning up the mess from that, we finished with sticky date pudding and toffee sauce. After supper the boys went over to Bernie's for - surprise - more drinks! Not quite as many were consumed as the night before. Sunday morning I was up early to get ready for brunch as the Van Gaals were joining us. I baked some cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins (thank you Brenda for the fresh picked berries!), a ham and cheese strata and grilled lobster sandwiches to use up the left over lobster from the night before. Needless to say, a good time was had by all, and we learned something new in the process. Lloyd has a CO2 tank that he uses to make carbonated water. We tried it with a bottle of white wine and got sparkling wine! Mixed with a little orange juice, it was almost as good as the real thing. Good enough for us, anyway. Who knew???



After cleaning up the dishes, Brenda and Bernie went home and we all headed into town. We parked the car and toured around the water front. Bev and I did a little shopping while the boys found a park bench in a shady spot - a perfect place to enjoy some ice cream. The day actually turned out pretty warm and it was nice to be out enjoying it.

When we got back home, we put a chicken on the BBQ sitting on a beer can.. While it cooked, we all had a bit of a rest before we put the fresh corn on the cob in to cook. It was a bit of a 'use up the leftovers' kind of night - left over salads from the night before and the last of the sticky date pudding and sauce. It had been a busy weekend.

Today Bev and Tiny are heading out to Cavendish while I'm at work.  This evening we're heading out to the Celebration Zone again to see Mary Walsh. Now that should be interesting!

Friday, August 22nd - the world just got WAY smaller!

Conditions at 7:50 am - overcast and 17'
Expected later: 20' that will feel like 23' with a mix of sun and cloud - a perfect day!

Yet, I have to admit I slept late this morning. Our friends from Ontario arrived last night. I met them in Cornwall and they followed me home, arriving around 8:30.  Lloyd and I were talking on Sunday and I was a little apprehensive about their visit. I've met 'Tiny' several times at the Guelph airport but I really don't know him at all. I've met his wife Bev, exactly once, 5 years ago.

Well, you will not believe what happened! It turns out we went to the same high school just one year apart. She was in the grade below me so we know a LOT of the same people and teachers. It got really weird when she mentioned that they went on a school trip to Washington, D.C. I suggested this was the trip where the police came to our teachers shortly after our arrival and told our teachers that if they wished to have the same number of students going home, they'd better get us to heck out of the hotel we were in and moved to another part of the city! Turns out we were both on the same trip! And yet, neither of us knows the other's name. 

Needless to say, we spent the evening talking about the 'good old days' that we shared - but not really. How freaky is that?  Patti G. (not from Orangeville)  will love that story.

Tiny got the trailer all set up and leveled and I got the guided tour. Oh my gosh, what a piece of equipment! It puts most of the houses I've ever lived in to shame. It's absolutely gorgeous inside.  I didn't tell them when I go camping I sleep in a tent!

It was a great, but very late evening. We had some snacks and a couple of drinks and it was after 11:00.  Might as well wait up for Lloyd who was working the 4 to midnight shift. . I called him at 11:50 and he was on his way home. So we had a very short visit before we all headed off to bed.

Bev and Tiny were both just as apprehensive about this visit as I was. Needless to say, that is not the case anymore!

Wednesday, August 20th - can you believe we're almost through the month of August?

Conditions at 5:30 am: 16' with clear, starry skies although we may see a few more showers this morning
Expected later:  20' that might feel more like 24' with a mix of sun and cloud.  It was a rainy couple of days. Monday was on and off as was Tuesday, but we really did need some rain for the farmers' crops.

It's also been a fairly quiet couple of days. Lloyd is working the afternoon shift from 4:00 tilll midnight this week. Instead of seeing each other for an hour or so in the evening, it's an hour or so in the morning instead. But that's okay.  I have lots to do inside the house to keep me busy. Not that it's getting done, but I have lots to do!

Monday evening Brenda came over and we got caught up after the weekend. It was a busy time for everyone and we didn't have an opportunity to go out and play anywhere. No worries - there's still lots of nice weather ahead before winter comes. Then last night she called before I finished work to advise she was in town. We both had to eat supper somewhere so it might as well have been at a local restaurant. She met me next door to the dealership and we had a nice supper and were just finished when Ethan joined us. She was waiting in town as Will was arriving from California sometime later in the evening and would need a ride home so she had lots of time to kill. I left her and Ethan at 6:00 and headed home to get some work done.

We're expecting company this weekend from Ontario, but we're not exactly sure when they'll be arriving. They're driving a pick up hauling a 5th wheel camper trailer so they won't be able to get here as quickly as Lloyd gets up there on his bike!   We're hoping they arrive before the weekend so we can maybe take in some local entertainment.  Our work chores around the place such as garage floors, wood cutting and splitting, etc will have to take a back seat for a few days.

It's hard to believe it's almost time for the kids to go back to school as it will be really early this year. It will be a new year of challenges for the Dennison family - James off to high school, Meg off to junior high, and Tristen the only child at Montessori. That will be a bit of a change for him as well, not having his big brother or big sister at the same school.

Speaking of which, I must remember to ask Patti to get a recipe for me from one of the teachers at the Montessori School. A couple of years ago the kids made a simple spray cleaner using natural ingredients. I've gone through two bottles of it and I'd really like the recipe before the kids are done at that school.  I've tried other 'recipes' I've found online but none are as nice as this one, called "Lavender Magic".   If I do get the recipe, I'm willing to share if it's okay with the originator of said recipe!

Monday, August 18th - it was a fairly productive long weekend

Conditions at 5:30 am: 16' and overcast
Expected later: a humid 21' that may feel more like 27' but with showers off and on

Our long weekend started off with great music! On Thursday,  Lloyd harvested some fresh veggies from our garden for supper  and made a delicious meat loaf to go along with them. We were just having supper  when Brenda called to advise that she was heading out to Poole's Corner for the regular Thursday night Kaylee. If we cared to come along, we were welcome to! So that's exactly what we did. Brenda picked us up a little before 7:30 and we headed to Montague area. The place was packed, and rightly so. We were treated to a great evenings entertainment: Fiddler's Sons and Meghan Blanchard. Can't beat that!

Our Friday dawned cloudy and threatening rain, so it was up early and get to work. I'd been wanting to empty out and defrost the upright freezer and today seemed like as good a time as any.  While I waited for it to thaw, I baked a batch of homemade bread. Now we have some in the freezer for company next weekend.

Saturday morning started out much better - sunny and dry. We started out with hot coffee and fresh baked biscuits sandwiched around crispy bacon, fresh cooked eggs and cheese out on the craft room balcony. It was a lovely morning and it's so peaceful up there. But we finally had to make ourselves get on with the day. Lloyd blocked some wood and I set about splitting it. We're slowly making our way through the pile of logs in the back yard. Unfortunately Lloyd was having some trouble with the chainsaw so I had to find something else to do. I jumped on the lawnmower and before I knew it the entire yard was cut.While I did that, he emptied the garage, to get ready to prep for the concrete floor.  Not a bad day's work. I had time to get showered and ready to serve at a wedding at the Rec Centre. We did well and I was home by 9:15.

Sunday morning we had planned to cut more wood but we needed something for the chainsaw.  I spent a bit of time cleaning up my craftroom. It took quite a beating during the installation of my new heat pump.  There were muddy footprints everywhere and things were moved all around. So a bit of time was required to put it back in order again.  A little after lunch Lloyd suggested that he had to go into town to pick up insulation for around the base of the garage before the floor goes in and it might also be a good opportunity to have an ice cream. After Home Hardware we stopped at Phinley's for cones.

It was the end of Old Home Week but we didn't take in any of the festivities this year. Lloyd was trying to catch up after being away for over a week. As the summer winds down, we appreciate how much work needs to be done before the snow flies!

We pulled some vegetables out of the garden. I picked a lot of the beans and put them in jars, with brine,

garlic, hot peppers and some dill. We'll check out the results in a few days. I also picked some zucchini. A few of them have gotten extremely large. We stuffed two of them with hot sausage stuffing and they made a very tasty dinner.  We'll have to investigate other ways to use giant squash!

Lloyd suggested that he'd found a replacement for a bat that James broke last week, when he hit the ball a little too hard!

One last thing - a belated happy birthday to Will Van Gaal, who's out on the road somewhere between here and Bakersfield, California! Hope it was a great one.

Wednesday, August 12th - Looking forward to the long weekend

Conditions at 5:10 am: 13' with a very bright moon - you can sure tell summer is wrapping up
Expected later: 24' that will feel more like 29'

It's been a quiet couple of days but Lloyd is home. He managed to catch a fairly early flight and arrived in Charlottetown around 1:00. I'd already had my lunch break so I quickly picked him up and sent him off in my car. He ran a few errands, visited a few friends and was back at 5:00 to pick me up.

He had suggested that we get something to eat in town before going home and I was to choose. I thought it might be a nice surprise to visit Fathers Oyster Bar and Pub in the Celebration Zone. I assumed we could purchase food there for supper and there wasn't any entertainment going on so it wouldn't be too busy. Well, what a surprise. The Mi'kmaq Pow Wow and Drumming and Dancing were taking place all day. The festivities had stopped for a while and there was a line up of people to get into Fathers Pub. We almost turned around and left because we thought it was a private function. Turns out it was open to all, but the tribal elders and dancers were being let in first. The lady at the gate told us to go on ahead in. Once inside, we were treated to a meal of vegetarian chili, beef stew, corn chowder, corn on the cob, bannock and cake with blueberry sauce. The surprising part was it was all free. Do I know how to take a fellow out to eat, or what!  We had no idea.

After collecting our food, we went outside and chose an empty picnic table. A few minutes into our meal, a couple came over and asked if they could share our table. Well, what a lovely time we had. We spent a lot of time chatting and would have stayed much later but for Lloyd needing to get some sleep before his shift at midnight.  They were from Mississippi and had retired, sold their house and bought a large camper trailer and were traveling around the country. They'd been on the road since June 10 and will get back to Mississippi by the 10th of September. They have one daughter in Mississippi and another, who is in Brazil, but returning with her family to the States. They plan to just float from place to place until they decided just where they would like to eventually end up. They've lived in various places throughout the years so packing up and moving isn't a big deal for them. They've only been here for a couple of days and are leaving tomorrow so won't get to see much but they've really enjoyed the time they've spent in the Maritimes, and they especially loved PEI.  They're hoping they can convince some friends to come up with them in a couple of years,  as they plan to take a different route next summer. We had a lovely time with them and exchanged information. They suggested if we ever go to Mississippi to touch base and I suggested that now they have a reason to come back - so we can finish our conversation!

It wasn't planned, but turned into a great evening. On our way back to the car, we heard bagpipe music. A minute later the Belfast Pipe Band was marching down the street by Province House. James should have been here - he would have loved it.

 Then it was a quick trip home so Lloyd could get some sleep. His first night in a while was going to be tough.  But he only has to do two nights then he's off till Monday at midnight.

Monday, August 11th - a quiet weekend all round

Conditions at 5:30 am: 16' - made for some great sleeping weather!
Expected later: 21' that may feel more like 24' and chance of showers throughout the day

It was a very weird weekend weather wise. After weeks of hot humid weather, we were finally treated to a bit of coolish weather. I met Brenda and Bernie downtown on Friday evening after work on Victoria Row. I was able to secure a table outside but it was a little iffy as to whether or not it might be too cool or windy to sit outside. Because it's somewhat sheltered where we were sitting, it really wasn't so bad. I had a light jacket with me and I was glad I did even though the sun was shining. After a quick supper, we were joined by Brenda's cousin and his wife. We all walked down to the waterfront to the Celebration Zone to take in some music.  It was B.C. week so we weren't really familiar with the musicians playing but a large crowd was on hand just the same. We were fortunate to secure a spot inside the tent after a while and Brenda was able to wrangle a stool for Bernie. I was tired after a long week so I left around 9:00. A quick stop at the store on my way home and when I came out it was raining ever so slightly. Got away in the nick of time.

Saturday I was fortunate to not have to work as I'm doing the next two Saturdays.  I puttered around inside the house for the morning, then had a wee nap in the afternoon. We had a wedding at the Rec Centre that night so that took up most of the later afternoon and all of the evening. In spite of the high number of guests, we were all done and sitting down to a drink at 9:30.

Sunday morning was going to perhaps be a kayaking day but unfortunately Mother Nature didn't cooperate. It felt more like a late September day. It wasn't so cold but it rained off and on,  in between little burst of sun. Brenda called after church to suggest that they were having blueberry pancakes, made with fresh blueberries Brenda had picked the day before. Now seriously, how could one refuse an invitation like that?  So off I went in my lounging around attire and feasted on breakfast.  While I was there, the suggestion was made that perhaps we could take in a movie. I hadn't heard of "The One Hundred Yard Walk" but it sounded good. I went home and put on clothes suitable for wearing into town, and came back and picked Brenda up. It actually turned out to be a very entertaining movie. On our way home we stopped at Dominoes and picked up a pizza and some cheesy bread and supper was ready! Fortunately I had my trusty pizza carry out bag in the car to keep it warm till we got home.

And that pretty much wrapped up the whole weekend. Not a terribly productive one but a weekend just the same.

Lloyd's been blessed with perfect weather up in Ontario so he's been getting some flying done. He's also gotten his final inspection done on the plane so is hoping to have that all finalized today. He plans to be home sometime tomorrow. He's flying back this time. After some mechanical problems with the bike, he's decided to leave it up there and then fly back in September and pick it up. Didn't turn out quite as he'd hoped but Patti has been very generous in letting him use her vehicle  when she's not needing it.

Friday, August 8th - part 2 of James' visit

Conditions at 5:30 am: 16' and overcast
Expected later: 21' that will feel more like 26' with an 80% chance of showers - but that's okay, we really need the rain.

Our home away from home

After eating our supper on Saturday evening - a quick meal of steamed mussels dipped in butter - it was off to the beach. We decided to go to Lakeside because it's close by and we weren't really sure if it might rain. By the time we got there, all the daytime beach people had pretty much left so we had the place almost to ourselves. We chose a spot close to the stairs to make carrying everything a little easier. We hauled everything to the shore and pitched our tent. The sleeping bags were put inside and we were ready. James had split a couple of logs into smaller pieces with the log splitter before we left home, and he used those and some newspapers to get our bonfire going.

Once the tent was up, and the fire burning away, James decided he's like to go for a swim. And why not? It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. When he was in the water, another family came along with a young boy who turned out to be a year younger and a head taller than James. He had one of those games that has the scoops and the ball that you play catch with. They had a great time tossing the ball back and forth in the water. When they'd had enough water fun, they dried off and devoured roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Indeed a great time was had by all.

Once those folks had left the beach, and it was getting dark, little pockets of people started appearing on the beach and it became dotted with bonfires. At one point, some young people were setting off fireworks on the waters edge. We thought it was great but poor Cooper was terrified, as he sat trembling on my lap.
Eventually it was time for bed. I went a bit earlier than James and we chatted through the tent until he came inside for the night, after smothering  the fire with sand.

I woke up around 3:30 to the sound of rain on the tent roof. It lasted only a few minutes before it stopped. I was relieved, until it started again, but much heavier. As I lay there listening to the rain pounding against the tent wall, I was contemplating the job of packing up all the wet gear. Fortunately it didn't rain too long before the wind picked up and the rain stopped, so by  morning pretty much everything was dry again. I slept till almost 8:00 and James until nearly 9:30. He went for a swim when he got up. By that time the sun was starting to get nice and warm and the day sun worshipers were starting to arrive. Time to clear out. So we packed up all our stuff and headed for home. We were driving back to Dromore in the car, discussing what we would like to do with the rest of our day, when the news of a Highland Games taking place in Eldon. All I heard was "GRANDMA, WE SHOULD GO!!!  So that's what we did. We unpacked the car, cleaned up and changed out of our sandy clothes, and headed out again. I think Cooper was quite happy to just stay home by himself in the peace and quiet.

The back stretch at Pinette Raceway

We headed to Eldon, after stopping on the way for ice cream, and found the Highland Games. We were there for a little while when James saw on the program that there was kilt racing at Pinette Raceway. It was a separate event but tied into the Highland Games. James loves to go to the races so off we headed. But not before visiting a booth with information on Scottish ancestry. He regaled the lady there with his family history and exactly what part of Scotland his great great grandfather had come from. As he talked the lady looked at me in amazement then commented that she was ever so surprised to find a young person like him so interested and knowledgeable about their family history. She was suitably impressed. 

Harvesting carrots

I'd never been to Pinette Raceway and it was quite the spot. James absolutely loved it. It's a very tiny track, with no purses and no betting. So we set up our own wagering system. Who ever called the most winners had to pay the other $2.00.  Fortunately for both of us, we picked an equal number of winners so we were even. Some races had as few as 3 horses but most had 4 or 5. I think it's safe to say we had a great time. By the time the races were over, the Highland Games were also wrapping up, so we just went home. We'd picked up some steaks at the store on Saturday afternoon on our way through town, so we BBQ'd those and enjoyed them with potatoes and carrots that James dug out of the garden. Doesn't get any fresher than that. We had a pretty quiet evening as we had to get up really early (3:30) to get James to the airport in time to catch his 5:30 flight. He watched a few episodes of his favorite mystery show on Netlix and then it was off to bed.

Now those are some fresh potatoes

We weren't sure he was going to get on the first flight but he texted me that they had given him a ticket but..... they were making him fly first class. Poor baby!

All in all a really great weekend - thanks James and Nancy!

Wednesday, August 6th - where shall I start?

Conditions at 5:30 am: 18' that feels more like 24
Expected later: a hot and humid 24', feeling more like 30' with a great chance of thunderstorms later this afternoon

On the Dartmouth Ferry

Well, it was a very BUSY few days. Let's start with last Thursday - gosh it's almost a week ago now. Left

Now, that's a lot of clams!

home early and stopped and picked up some coffee and muffins and dropped by the shelter to have a quick visit with Lloyd. He was going to be gone to Ontario when I got back so it was nice to connect before we both headed our separate ways.  I hit the bank, gassed up, picked up a bridge pass and I was on my way by 7:30. It was a nice mild morning here on the island but by the time I got to Amherst, NS, it was cool and rainy. I stopped at the tourist information to pick up a map and I also picked up a fleece jacket, as I had only brought a very light jacket. Then I was on my way to Halifax (where it turned out to be very warm and sunny!). I had called my friend Nancy, who lives in Rockwood, ON but was visiting family in Halifax. I got directions to her hotel and met up with her around 11:30. After we exchanged birthday presents (we bought each other a bottle of wine- surprise!), it was off to explore. We drove downtown and parked and walked around downtown and just generally caught up with each other. When we got hungry, we took the Dartmouth Ferry and landed just down from a local restaurant that's been there forever (or so it seems - Nancy went there as a child). They have what Nancy describes as the BEST fried clams in the city. We ordered up two plates full and we were not disappointed. It's called John's Lunch and it's been there since 1969. They are obviously doing something right to be in business that long.

When we were done, it was across the street to Tim's for a tea and then back to the ferry for the return trip. We checked out where things were and just where the residence was that I needed to find later. I used that opportunity to check in and get everything sorted. I was expecting James on a flight around 10:00 pm but due to volume and several false starts, he finally arrived shortly after midnight. I had stayed with Nancy at her hotel until time to pick him up.

After picking him up at the airport, we found our way back downtown, only taking a couple of wrong turns but eventually ending up where we needed to be. We finally got to bed around 1:00 am. Then it was up early in the morning to meet up with Patti. She had worked the flight that got in around 2:00 am. James and I stopped and had a bite of breakfast before heading to the Lord Nelson to wake her up. Once she was dressed we headed out to explore Halifax!

Trying on uniforms in the tailor shop

Our first stop was the Citadel, #1 on James to-do list for the area. He preferred to explore on his own, rather than take a guided tour. We probably spent half our day there, as he has a keen interest in
military history. When we were finally fully educated, it was back downtown to the Maritime Museum followed by a tour of the Sackville, a ship that is permanently harboured next to the museum. By this time, we were all getting a little hungry so it was off to a local restaurant that was recommended by Nancy for an early supper.  After a delicious meal, we started out walking, AGAIN, till we got to the University residence. We picked up my car, and went on a tour of  Prospect Point Park. There are some ruins there that apparently we just had to visit. Of course it required more walking along trails. I found a bench part way and took advantage of the opportunity to sit and wait for them to get back. Once our mission was accomplished there, it was back to the Citadel for the Ghost Walk Tour.  We were divided into two groups that were led by two different people. Our leader wasn't the best story teller, but she got the point across. It was informative and interesting and before we knew it the time was 10:00 pm. Another very full day. We dropped Patti off at her hotel as she had to catch the bus to make  her flight at 4:00 am the next morning, while James and I could sleep in a little later.

Fairview Cemetery

We had to check out of the residence by 10:00 am so we slept as late as we could then quickly packed up
our stuff and headed out again. We were planning our trip back to PEI and decided to make a quick stop at Fairview Cemetery, where a large number of Titanic victims are buried. It was a good addition to his visit to the Maritime Museum the day before.

After that it was on the road to PEI. Unfortunately one of the ferries was broken down so only one was runnning. We decided to travel via the bridge. It turned out to be a good thing. On the way we saw a sign for Joggins Fossil Cliffs, and James thought it was something we should check out. The sign did indicate it was a
UNESCO HERITAGE SITE so he thought it should be visited. It was a bit out of the way but then we might never have this exact opportunity again. It was another educational experience for James and he was glad we made the trek. (Ironically there was a video about this particular site on the Weather Network on Monday).

Searching for fossils at Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Once we got to Charlottetown, we stopped at the store for groceries for our camp out. Hot dogs and buns, marshmallows and we were away. We also picked up some mussels for that night's supper, before leg two of our trip - camping on the beach.

Check back next time for the rest of the story!

Sunday August 3rd - Sorry for the delay but you'll have to wait a day or two longer!

It's been several days since my last post and let me assure you, I have not been sitting around eating bonbons! It's been a very busy few days and we have to be up early to get James to the 5:30 am flight.  So we'll be going to bed early tonight, after a busy day, and I'll catch up with everyone again in a day or two.