From Brackley to Bytown

The Way Home - Along The Great Lakes (aka. "My Dad The Hero")

2008-10-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

At this point, I was six weeks in to my eight week trip and was rather tired of driving. There was no doubt in my mind that I could get back safely on my own, but I was definitely happy to to take my dad up on an earlier of his to fly out to Ottawa and drive back with me. On long drives like this, one cannot underestimate how nice it is to have someone else beside you.

This post contains photos from our trip along Canada's Great Lakes, starting near Thunder Bay and ending at a vista in Neys Provincial Park (somewhere between Marathon and Terrace Bay).

My time in Ottawa, a photo essay of sorts

2008-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

From Quebec I continued on to Ontario, just in time for the beginning of the fall colors.

There was a lot of relaxati0n, long conversations, and good time with all of my family. Not many big stories or photos, but it was a wonderful time nonetheless.

My grandfather took me for an excellent tour of Gatineau Park with stops at the MacKenzie King Estate and Pink Lake (named for its algae-driven hue in some seasons).

On the way home, we stopped by a small park along the Ottawa River Parkway to visit and feed the ducks. When we pulled up, there were maybe 5-10 mallards waddling around along the path. Moments after the first handful of cracked-corn was thrown, at least 40 more mallards, seagulls, and canada geese exploded out of the nearby bushes to join the feeding frenzy.

And finally, one of the greatest joys of my visit, my new cousin (once-removed), Parker. I've been officially named "Uncle Jonathan"... I like it.
Parker is an awesome little guy. He's about two-weeks old in all of these photos and, when he's not sleeping, is already an active and aware little kid. I may be biased, but I think he's pretty darn cute.

*It's worth noting that this photo is one of the last taken of my Grandfather, Sydney Dove. He was so proud of his first great-grandchild, I'm glad to have captured this moment.

Day 39 - New Brunswick and Quebec

2008-10-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Left Hantsport and made my way back through New Brunswick and Quebec.
Made a point of staying in Fredericton just to see Christ Church Anglican Cathedral. I first heard about this church in a Art History course in my third year of college and immediately became a fan of its architecture. I could pass up an opportunity to see it in person and, hopefully, take some photos. Unfortunately, particularly heavy rain from the leftovers of Hurricane Ike made photography impractical (I'm not one to test the weather-sealing on my camera).

Just in case some of you are not familiar with the building in question, these google'd images will have to do for now:

After Fredericton, I pushed on through to Quebec City. After two or three hours on the road, I came to the conclusion that, for the sake of the safety of tourists and generally sane folk alike, no Quebec resident should ever be allowed behind the wheel. Thanks to a suggestion from my father, I made my way over to the secondary highways and found myself immersed in uniquely and surprisingly pastoral surroundings. Five minutes after pulling off the freeway, I found myself in the town of Saint-Denis.

It had been raining all day long and the misty fog had just started to lift. Coming down the road, I could see the outline of a massive stone church standing on a tall hill right in the middle of town. Through the thinning mist, I caught the familiar outline of a church. It was unremarkable from the ground to the roof's peak, but I found myself in awe at a gleeming white steeple. The tapered white-stone went up and up until it disappeared in to the slowly-lifting fog bank. In that first glance, I would have sworn that it kept on going until it melded with heaven itself.
I love small-town ecclesiastical architecture!

Day 37 (or so) - Hantsport

2008-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

After my two-day jaunt around the Cabot Trail, I made my way over to the town of Hantsport (75km northeast of Halifax). I stayed there for two nights with Sue and Bob, Sue being my mom's loving and hospitable cousin (I think) and Bob being her witty and rebellious husband. Rebellious would not be a term one would usually apply to someone just beginning retirement, but it is the only word that comes to mind after many long discussions with Bob about his hard-fought victories (and on-going battles) against "The Man". This fellow has become an expert at taking corporations and governments to task over their mistreatment of the little guy, be it the lousy service from the local cable company for the clients of his tech-support company, or the shameful state of care for military veterans across the country. This man is an expert shit-disturber and I think that's awesome. As he pointed out on many occasions, there are too many people out there who need help but are being ignored by companies and agencies who realize that those individuals have no power to fight the unfair, arbitrary, and often crippling decisions that these organizations make. Someone's gotta stand up for them!

So ya, I came away feeling inspired to do a bit more in this world to help the down-trodden to get back on their feet.

Toured both the Shearwater and Halifax aviation museums while I was in the area. Received a guided tour through Shearwater's museum (I was the only visitor at the time) through Canada's naval aviation history by a fellow who had served on at least two of Canada's aircraft carriers (I never even new we had aircraft carriers!). There was a great selection of aircraft, but my favourite was definitely the Swordfish (same type that crippled the Bismarck). The Halifax air museum has a wider selection, but, due to construction and a smaller budget, it wasn't as nice to walk around. They went for quantity over quality, at least in terms of the museum experience.

No photos to share. My camera stayed apathetically bagged for those days.

Day 35 - The Cabot Trail

2008-09-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Took two days to do Cape Breton's Cabot Trail, a loop through what has to be one of Canada's top natural wonders. For my Albertan friends, I would compare The Cape to the Rockies with the Atlantic ocean in place of the foothills. It's quite an adventure driving around the island, perched on narrow roads winding through switchbacks that seem like they'll never end; That is until that last switch brings you over the top of the mountain and leaves you looking 300m down a mind-bogglingly steep valley. I don't have any photos from the top... I was too busy screaming in terror. The guardrails did little to dissuade the utterance of certain words that mom would've slapped me for if she had been in the car with me.

Don't get me wrong though, it really was beautiful though. These are some of the shots from around the trail and near the end of the day along the Bras d'Or Lake near Baddeck, home of Alexander Graham Bell (most awesome inventor ever).

Musings

2008-09-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

I don’t have many photos from the weekend or my first day here in Nova Scotia. There was no lack of interesting scenes and subjects, simply a lack of will on my part to pull the camera out. With Daniel here, I was both a tourist and a tour guide. As were walking around, it felt right to be snapping photos left, right, and centre to capture what we were seeing. It’s not the same when I’m on my own.

I love sharing experiences with people, and I’m so glad that my photography has opened up opportunities for people to live vicariously through my lens; But there are some things that just cannot be captured. As I stood on the balcony of my B&B in Cheticamp tonight, watching the last remnants of the sun skimming across the bottoms of the flowing and billowing clouds, I didn’t bother to get my camera out. My camera can’t capture colors of that intensity. Nor can it capture the cool wind blowing through the valley, carefully perfumed by the wood-burning stoves of the town, the various blooms in the fields of wild-flowers, the freshly cut grass on the neighbour’s acreage, and the salty ocean spray from the harbor just over the hill. Were I to take that photo, all you would see is a cheap facsimile of but one facet of an otherwise rich, dynamic, and beautiful scene.

When we’ve seen something beautiful, our understanding and appreciation of beauty is expanded. It’s a language that we become more fluent in as we experience those beautiful details of the world. Why was I so passionate about bringing friends along with me on this trip? Because I would then have others who would understand the PEI/maritimes dialect of beauty! I’ll come back and talk about what I experienced, and you’ll try to understand it in the terms of your own experiences, and the story will lose something along the way. The beauty of the island is not better than the caribbean, the rocky mountains, south america, europe, or anywhere else that my friends of been; It’s simply different. Just as I struggle to comprehend the beauty of the places that they have all been to, I know that they will struggle to fully comprehend the beauty of what I’ve seen. I wanted to bring you with me so that we could have that shared language, that common knowledge of a beauty that we can remember, remark upon, and discuss with full confidence that we're actually talking about the same thing.

I honestly wish more people had been able to make the trip with me. I was glad to have Daniel along with me and I hope that he found the experience to be enjoyable and enriching. I’m glad to have another person fluent in the beauty of PEI. Who’s next?

(Details and photos from today's trip through the Cabot Trail will be posted in the next day or two. I'm tired and I'm going to bed.)

Day 34 - Leaving the island

2008-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

If I told you that I cried, would I be less of a man?

Yes, yes I would, but one can’t run from the truth.

Confronted with the reality of leaving the island, making that final drive through the rolling hills and along the glorious coast, I actually shed a few tears. Not bawling, not crying out, but I totally teared up at sight of all of that beauty in my rear-view mirror.

On my last full day on the island, I went for a long drive to nowhere in particular up along the northeast coast. Finally found a heron that would stand still long enough for one photo (he then flew off); Spent a few minutes wandering the overgrown grounds of an abandoned church; Stopped at every harbor along the way to smell the sea air and watch the boats bobbing gently beside the pier; And, finally, I ended up on a little road that promised a harbor but didn’t lead anywhere... except for here:

Picture a beautiful red-clay country road that gradually turns to sand as it brings you to a narrow gap between two sand-dunes framing the roaring ocean breaking on the seemingly endless beach. I parked my car, called my mom, and told her right out that she was lucky that I missed her so much. I had found my happy place, and the only thing that could possibly tear me away from it is the overwhelming desire to see my family and friends again soon.

That pretty much sums up my time on the island. I had gone out there to both vacation and job hunt. It became evident early on that job hunting just wasn’t going to happen. Even if I did actually make contact with the people that I wanted to, it would have been in vain. I honestly don’t think I could make the move away from my family and friends. If I ever marry, maybe it’ll be to a girl with a similar love for the island and we’ll make the move together. Maybe my friend will give in to my petitions and move his film studio out here, then I’ll have a job and a good starting base of friends. Or maybe my parents will give into the temptation and build their retirement home one a bluff overlooking a harbour. All I know is that I cannot, at this point in my life anyway, bring myself to be away from everyone I know and love. The island will have to remain a regular (yearly?) vacation destination.

Anyway, here are some photos from my last days on the island:

Day 29 - Departures and Sunsets

2008-09-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today was Daniel's last day on the island.
My initial plan for the trip was for two-months completely on my own. Needless to say, it only took me a few days of planning to realize that this really wasn't feasible (I may not be an extrovert... but I need my people!). When I sent out the initial invitations, Daniel was one of only two people who actually expressed any interest in joining me. In the end, he was the only one to actually make the trip. I'm glad he did. It only took one evening alone on the beach after sunset for me to realize that I appreciate company when in situations where I can easily freak myself out. Beaches, as lovely as they are, can be absolutely creepy when empty and dark. I'm glad that I had a friend to drag along with me for the post-sunset beach walks and photo adventures.

We figured he needed to get back in to the Atlantic before he left. Unfortunately, the thermometer was sitting at about 10-degrees or so, drizzle was falling, a cool north wind was blowing, and there were one to two-foot breakers hitting the shore. Perfect weather for some beach walking, bird chasing, and ocean-wading.

Nothing like wading in the ocean in weather like that. Felt all manly until the first wave hit, at which point our Tim-"The Toolman"-Taylor-grunts turned in to something resembling the screams of tween girls at a concert.

After a last drive along the cliffs of Cavendish out to Rustico, Daniel packed up his stuff and we headed out to the airport. After dropping him off, I rushed out to the end of the runway and caught his plane on take-off.

And it just so happened that his 6:45PM departure aligned perfectly with the sunset. Haven't seen one like this yet on this trip.

Day 28 - Deep Sea Fishing and Ceilidh!

2008-09-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Went deep sea fishing today. If you're ever visiting the island, be sure to check out Aiden's Deep Sea Fishing of North Rustico. Excellent service, knowledgeable crew, and well-maintained vessels.

Oddly enough, I have no photos of actual fishing. Our time on the boat was taken up with either fishing or motoring from spot to spot (with considerable salt-water spray), neither allowed for much changing of lenses. It was only on our way out and the way back to the harbor that I snapped some shots.

If you don't like birds... don't go deep sea fishing. When the first-mate started filleting the fish, the boat was enveloped in a cloud of 40 to 50 seagulls hovering and swooping, sometimes less than a metre away from us. I thought it was cool, but I know that my ornithophobic sister would not have appreciated it. The cloud dispersed somewhat as we went from spot to spot, but our trip back in to the harbor saw about 15 birds flying in formation behind and beside us.

Tonight was the last Brackley Beach ceilidh of the season. Had the opportunity to listen to Cynthia Macleod, Eddie Quinn, Jon Matthews, and Gordon Belsher, four of the island's most talented musicians on stage. It was absolutely amazing.

To top it all off, I got the shot that I've wanted since we first attended this ceilidh last summer.

And it only took me six ceilidhs! haha

Day 27 - Light Painting at Cove Head

2008-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

30-second exposure
3-million candle-power spotlight ($19 from Princess Auto!)

I like the effect. I definitely look forward to trying this more in the future.
Absolutely no processing done on these photos (first photo shows the ambient light).

Day 24 - New Glasgow Lobster Suppers

2008-09-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I must apologize right from the start for your four untouched senses. If I had a way to share the smells, sounds, textures, and, most importantly, tastes of the New Glasgow Lobster Supper, I assure you that I would. In their absence though, you'll simply have to extrapolate such details from these photos:

Day 21 - Brackley Beach Ceilidh

2008-09-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just down the street from the hotel is the Brackley Beach Community Hall, home of a Ceilidh hosted by Cynthia MacLeod and a variety of other musical islanders. Always an enjoyable evening.

Day 20 - Charlottetown and Cavendish

2008-09-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Took a walk through downtown Charlottetown and then a nice drive through Rustico to the Cavendish coast.

Midday off-season Charlottetown was calm and beautiful. One sight of note was the Manada cruise-ship moored in the harbour. I don't remember seeing anything this large in my past visits to the island.

There was also this awesome daschund dog. We were walking along and noticed him sitting the middle of a doorway to a bookstore. We stopped to say hello and give the appropriate behind-the-ear scratch and then continued to make our way along the sidewalk. I heard a jingling behind me and saw awesome dog following us. The owner (of both the store and the dog) came running out and laughingly chided her pet "Just because someone says hello doesn't mean you should run off with them!". Apparently the dog has the reign of that block, often waddling down to the neighboring stores to visit. I love Charlottetown!

Got some Cows ice-cream too, but I didn't get any photos of that. MMMmmmm.....

Went up to Cavendish and stood at the bottom of the cliffs for an hour or so. Daniel staked out a spot on the beach and stood patiently for at least half an hour or so, waiting for a wave to actually make its way up the beach to wet his soles. Some may have been bored by this, but I really do love just standing on the beach and watching the waves.

On the way out, well before their usual dusk adventure times, a red fox appeared at the side of the road. I screeched the car to a halt, grabbed my camera, and proceeded to shoot away. Past experiences with foxes had me expecting about 20-seconds of cooperation from this fellow before he would make his way back in to the brush... 40 minutes later, he was still posing cooperatively! Click on the photo to get to the full set.

And on a totally unrelated note, we saw this commercial when watching TV back at the hotel. I don't think I've ever had a commercial actually make me giddy before. Kudos Discovery Channnel.

Seems I'm not alone. Yay!

Day 18 - Hanna, or what's left of her anyway

2008-09-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today was my first experience with a hurricane. Or, more accurately, my first experience with a storm that can barely remember that it used to be a hurricane.

Where are my flying trash cans?

What was left of Hurricane Hanna made its way across the island yesterday, dropping somewhere in the area of 50mm or so of rain on this end of the island. For something that had the entire eastern seaboard of the US shaking in their britches, it definitely didn't make much of a showing up here.

Two photos from Stanhope beach, taken right near dusk under heavy cloud. It was too dark to really capture the heavy surf so I went for semi-artistic and 30 second exposures for each. In the second photo, you can really see the erosion from the heavy rain off the dunes on to the beach.

Day 16 & 17

2008-09-06T18:52:00.001-07:00

The first two full days on the island have been fairly uneventful. Trips in to Charlottetown for necessities (food and an RF adapter to plug a SNES and Wii in to the ancient hotel TV), a stop at Richards for seafood chowder and onion rings, and some evening beach walking (for me... Daniel's happy at home with the Nintendo).

For these two days, photos from my beach walks will have to suffice. Yes, there's the usual beach sunsets (can you blame me?), but you've also got some particularly skittish sand pipers, flowers, and even some interesting patterns in the sand from wind-blown vegetation.

Day 15 - On to the island

2008-09-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

Day 14 was an uneventful and speedy trip through Quebec and northern New Brunswick to Daigles motel in St. Leonard. No photos were taken, I simply wanted to focus on the drive and get there.

Day 15 finally saw us on the island. The photos, ironically, only show us on the New Brunswick side as our trip across the island that evening was rushed in an attempt to hit Richards (see last year's post) before they closed for the day. We missed them by half an hour... dinner was Kraft Dinner and Froot Loops. Oh well, lots of seafood to come.

Photos for the day are from the big lobster and pirate shop in Shediac, and the New Brunswick foot of the Confederation Bridge in Cape Jourimain.

Day 13 - A friend arrives

2008-09-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Back when I was first contemplating this trip, I jokingly made the offer for friends to join me, knowing tha none of them would have time or money enough to willingly devote to such an adventure. That was back when I was planning on departing mid-june, before my plans were foiled by circumstances at work. When I restarted planning, I put out a more heartfelt welcome for friends to join me in some or or all of the cross-country adventure. In the end, the only taker was my buddy Daniel, funded by a parental grad-gift of a return-flight to anywhere. Both out of concern for costs and simply avoiding the wonderful (sarcasm) drive across AB, SK, MN, and ON, Daniel opted to fly in to Ottawa and simply travel the remaining two days with me out to the island. He'll be here flying out of Charlottetown on the 17th, six days or so before I head off. I'm glad for the company.

Today's photos record our visit to the Canadian War Museum (Daniel standing behind a hilariously-sized tank from Italy), a walk around the "Hogs Back" falls and locks section of the Rideau river/canal, and the sunset over the Ottawa river from my grandfather's balcony.

Day 12 - Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

2008-09-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing many balloon launches in my youth. Calgary seemed to have an amazing ballooning community back then. The shopping cart, the gas pump, the Dairy Queen ice cream cone (saw this collapse once), the dinosaur, the chevron, and innumerable other specialty and normal balloons were common in our skys. For reasons unknown (to me anyway), the balloons have all but gone away. Ya, Remax is still up there many mornings, but it just doesn't compare to having dozens of these things floating overhead.

Thus my reasoning for aligning my trip with the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival. Though I only got out to the launch once (early mornings weren't happening...), it was everything I remembered and I was glad for the opportunity.

Here are some of my shots from the evening (and some berries that I saw while scouting):

Day 8 - Toronto to Ottawa

2008-09-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Pulled in to Oakville (metro-Toronto) to visit my Aunt and Uncle. The visit was most enjoyable, though it occured to me only after I left that I forgot to get photos of their awesome awesome cats: Alvin and Theodore. Alvin is fat; That's his thing. When my sister visited, he sat on her luggage and left a dent in it. Theodore, on the other hand, is active and playful. Both are fun to have around, but Theodore definitely has the upper hand when it comes to drawing attention to himself. A ball in a circular track is his primary method for demonstrating his dexterity and talent. First he may bat at it with his right paw, getting it up to near astronomical speeds before stopping it and sending it around in the opposite directions with his left paw. Ambidexterity is impressive and all, but he really starts to shine when he lays on his back, paws draped lazily over his head, and proceeds to repeat the game upside down with similar ease and skill. I plan to stop by on the way back. I promise photo documentation.

The drive from Toronto to Ottawa was not particularly noteworthy. It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I think I was too travel-weary to really appreciate it as it deserves. I did stop along the Thousand Island Parkway to take a few photos though. Those will have to do for today's visual reference.

My future ship:

My future home (built on an island not much larger than itself):

Day 7 - Stratford to Toronto

2008-08-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Left Stratford early (read: 8:30AM) in order to get to Guelph for a most enjoyable lunch with my Great Aunt Gwen. My relationship with my Aunt Gwen is an interesting one as for almost 16 years of my life, we only spoke on the phone. I met her when I was three or four years old, and then didn't see her again until I was 18. It's a shame as she is a most interesting and fun person to hang out with.

From Guelph I made my way to Brantford, home of the Brantford United Way Airshow. My Uncle Rick, a limitless font of information regarding airshows, railroads, and the backroads of Eastern Canada, told me about the show a few weeks before I left and so I gladly reworked my schedule to allow for an afternoon at the field. My favourite shot from the day has to be this F-15 in a high-G turn. Click it to get through to the full gallery.

Days 5 and 6

2008-08-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Day 5 was a rushed drive from Sault Ste. Marie (where I sat and watched the locks until I realized that I was running very late) to Manitoulin Island's South Baymouth. I arrived in South Baymouth five-minutes before the Chi-Cheemaun ferry was due to leave the dock. There was another ferry crossing at 11PM or so, but the draw of a sunset cruise across Huron made the 5:55PM crossing much more desirable.
Stayed the night at the Big Tub Resort in Tobermory (nothing resort-like about it, but it was a place to lay my head). After checking out the following morning, I made my way down the street to the lighthouse point where I sat on the rocks and watched the lake for an hour or so. Got to watch the Chi-Cheemaun as it departed for its midday trip back across the lake.

Here are some of the photos from those days:

Arrived in Stratford mid-afternoon with just enough time to pick-up my tickets from the Straford Shakespeare Festival box office, find my hotel, and make it back to the theatre for The Taming of the Shrew.

Day 3 - Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie

2008-08-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Skipped over day 2, you didn't miss much. Winnipeg to Thunder Bay was interesting only in terms of the sudden change from prairie to forest in a matter of seconds.

Today was a bit better. Lots of trees and rocks, but it was the occasional glimpses of the lake(s) that made the day.

Here we have some photos from a rest stop at Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior:

Day 1 - Calgary to Regina

2008-08-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Words don't do this drive justice... so here's a panorama of the bald-ass prairie that I spent the last eight hours looking at!

Thankfully, the day was redeemed by a detour through Moose Jaw to the 15 Wing air base, home of the Snowbirds aerobatic team. Alas, the Snowbirds were not there, but the base was quite active and I thoroughly enjoyed watching a number of CT-156 Harvard II's and CT-155 Hawks performing basic training maneuvers. Here are some of the best shots from the day:

Adventure 2008

2008-08-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

For anyone stumbling across this blog, August 21st marks the beginning of a two-month drive from Calgary to PEI and back. I'll be spending three to four weeks on the island, and taking my time to visit family and friends while traveling.

I'll be posting photos and updates when content is present and as time allows.

Day 14 - Last full day on the Island

2007-08-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

I hope to someday honeymoon at Dalvay By The Sea. I’m considering starting a savings fund for the sake of affording the $340 nightly fee for a room.

This is a Blue Heron, the marshes and bays around the island are full of these birds. For 30 years, my father has had a habit of trying to sneak up on these birds in order to take a good picture or just watch them through binoculars... they always seem to know that he’s coming and proceed to fly away. I just happened to catch this shot through the trees at the pond right near our cottage.

This is where I intend to live one day, or at least someplace like it. The island is covered in beautiful farm houses nestled in amongst rolling green fields and beautiful groves of tall trees. I might get a horse too, just to complete the scene, but I’ll need someone else to handle the feeding and grooming (stupid allergies).

A red dirt road with rich green trees on either side. The definition of PEI.

An eight-second exposure from Stanhope cape beach. I think this is my favourite image from the trip.

Day 13 - 2300 miles for this???

2007-08-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

The last trip in to Charlottetown, apart from our upcoming visit to the airport.

Caught a brass quintet on the steps of the Confederation Centre for the Arts. College/University students, playing a repertoire based almost entirely off of the works of The Canadian Brass. Nothing too original, but still enjoyable. Took some photos, the tuba player asked me to email the set to her, I can’t deny the slight bit of hope that they might be my first published photos, if the Centre produces any advertising for the event next year.

While I was listening, the family went around the corner to the Centre’s outdoor amphitheatre to watch a musical show that had been advertised at the Cynthia MacLeod Ceilidhs (the step-dancer was a member of this outdoor performance). Turns out that it is an Alberta-sponsored show about Alberta... we flew across Canada to watch a show about Alberta in Charlottetown. I stood there for a moment or two, watched some cowboys prance around on stage, and then went back for the second half of the brass quintet’s performance. Had to take a photo at the amphitheatre though... only in Charlottetown would you see this.

Got back to the cottage in time for an evening walk on the beach. Took off my ankle brace and shoes and went for a barefoot walk on the beach and through the shallows. There was no way that I was leaving the island without dipping my toes on the Atlantic once more. It was worth it, but I’m sitting here a week later in Ottawa and my ankle is only now getting back to the point of healing where it was before that walk... But it was worth it. Saw some lobsters in the shallows, an unfortunately crippled 4” one, and a whole bunch of tiny 1” babies, still white/clear. Also saw (and interacted with) lots of crabs. Neat to watch, but I must admit that I am not particularly fond of the nibbling.

Day 12 - The gables are most certainly green.

2007-08-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Went to Green Gables today. I’m still not entirely sure why, I guess I just felt that it was something that I ought to do while I’m here. I plan on reading the books when I get home for the sake of having some context so that I might be able to better appreciate what I saw during our walk through the grounds.

But, once again, the highlight of the day was definitely the evening spent at the Brackley Ceilidh. This event is hosted by Cynthia MacLeod, a fact that ensures some excellent fiddle at every event, but includes different guests every evening (Monday and Wednesday) that give a good sampling of the island’s musical offerings. Last week was Gordon Belsher, a long-time islander who oft bemoans his permanent “from away” status due to his birth in Saskatchewan. This week was two members of “The Fiddlers’ Sons”, a very well known group here on the island. These guests usually provide the vocals, guitar, and percussion (baran... spelling still evades me). The combination of all involved make for a thoroughly enjoyable event with crazy-good music, dancing, and comedy.

My only complaint is that these ceilidhs are primarily a tourist event; Islanders rarely make up more than 10% of the crowd. My goal, in future trips, is to somehow get myself invited to a local kitchen party where I can get my east-coast music fix in the real setting, without the nagging feeling that it’s something put on for us tourists. Don’t get me wrong though, I still enjoyed it.

Day 11 - Churches and Lobster

2007-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

To be perfectly honest, the architecture just wasn’t as impressive for me as the rural churches. Sure, these things are big, but I sometimes wonder about the inherent value. Between the half-life-sized stations of the cross, three or four obvious confessionals (maybe more), two shrines to Jesus and two shrines to Mary (sorry RC friends, don’t know the proper names), and TWO pipe organs... I couldn’t help but feel that this money maybe could have been better spent. Beautiful nonetheless.

Went for a drive, ended up in New Glasgow (what a perfect excuse for another lobster dinner). Visited the Island Preserves Company to load up on jams, jellies, and other goodies for us and for friends. Visited the Toy Factory to look around, seems that most of the items we found so charming last time (mailboxes, painted sea glass, island themed wood work) were all gone in favour of more generic wooden children’s toys and stuffed animals.

Hit Cavendish on the way home, I enjoyed the view from the top of the cliffs while the family enjoyed the rocks and beach below (ankle isn’t ready to brave the less-than-ideal pathway down).

Got back to the cabin, waited around for an hour or so for the sun to set completely, then headed down to the Covehead lighthouse for some photos and the general experience. I love to watch the beam of light sweep across the dunes and then cut a clean swath through the misty air above the bay. Occasionally you will see fox eyes reflecting the light back from the grassy dunes. Our drive back to the cottage was, as it usually is, a fox hunting excursion where we drove down the coastal highway with our high-beams on and our heads out the windows, looking for some sign of ‘the locals’. Caught a few fleeting glimpses in the bushes along the ditch but got to watch one of the red foxes as it sniffed its way around the parking lot for Ross Lane beach (our regular beach). Combine that with the site of one earlier in the afternoon, gnawing on a vole by the side of the road, and today was a fairly good day in terms of foxes.

(You'll see a small horizontal line out on the water, it is a freighter cruising through the strait. We could hear the thrum of its engines even from the shore)

Day 10 - Rustic Adventures

2007-08-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today was gift/art-shop touring day. Started out at The Dunes, an impressive establishment about 15 minutes away from our cottage. The basement has an excellent gallery of art that appealed to me (highly textural, barely impressionistic, sharp-lined, vibrant); Found myself wishing that I had my own place and $2500 to spend on a piece of art for my wall. I was less impressed with the rest of The Dunes, not because it was of lesser quality, but simply because the style didn’t appeal much to me. If I were to describe the general theme of the upstairs galleries, I would have to go with Eastern/Neo-Pagan Feminism (or Boobs & Buddhas). The artists were obviously talented in their own right, but their works definitely were not going to fit in to the art theme of my eventual hovel. The gardens and grounds of The Dunes were absolutely amazing though.

Spent some time in Rustico Harbour, a slightly touristy fishing town that remains, as its name would suggest, charmingly rustic. Did some short walks around the area, but generally stayed fairly close to the car as my ankle had yet to heal enough to make any longer excursions comfortable. Enjoyed dinner at a little restaurant in town as well, had a crazy amount of mussels (this is a theme for the entire trip) followed by a beer and a pleasant “seafood melt” (various seafood in a white sauce, baked under some cheddar cheese). The view from our table was very nice, looking out over the back end of the bay and the homes that sat on the bluff above it.

Today saw the first daytime rain of this trip (not counting the sprinkle or two that I heard a few nights ago). The clouds rolled in during the day and it showered while were eating (thankfully the patio was covered). I love the experience of rain, it is a huge source of joy when I’m at home, but I was struck by the fact that something seemed to be missing on this day. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was the lack of change. Most Calgary rainstorms see a bright day shift to dark and brooding, the ground go from dust to mud, and the air fill with the smell and the feel (humidity) of the rain. PEI’s ground is always moist, the sky is often hazy or overcast, and there is no room for the humidity to go any higher than it already is. All that I had to enjoy with this rain was the sound of it on the patio roof.

I can’t deny it, I do miss Calgary.

Day 9 - Churches, Robots, and Rats

2007-08-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

So guess what??? Tylenol Ultra for Migraines has caffeine in it!

Found that out this morning after a failed attempt at a good night’s sleep. My ankle was absolutely killing me last night so I took three tablets before I went to bed. A bit of math (~60mg of caffeine multiplied by three) would suggest that I had over 180mg of caffeine swirling through my bloodstream during, and obviously contributing to, my futile attempts at sleep. My brain was going 100 miles-per-hour, I think I can safely say that I have now dreamt about every single person that I know. I hope you enjoyed your adventures in space, the A-Team, or in PEI.

Took a driving tour of some of the historic churches on the north eastern area of the island.
The moral of today’s adventure is... Never judge a book by its cover, or, as the case may be, a church by its plain carpenter’s gothic revival facade.

Most of these churches look fairly plain from the outside, usually built from wood or, on the rare occasion, beautiful island sandstone (the same iron-oxide laced red stuff that I have been raving about. Never would one assume that the inside would include groined flying buttresses, intricately carved pillars and reliefs, and amazing ceiling paintings (not Cistine-esque, but damn good for a little island church). Tossed in a photo of some stained glass typography for Victor.

The trip also gave way to another of my ‘island insights’, everyone is so trusting here. Every church we went to was empty, everyone had gone home, but the doors were unlocked. People leave their windows open when they leave their car in a parking lot. We pass houses all over with their front doors open, I’d bet good money that they won’t actually close them until autumn.

[2AM]
Just driving back from the Brackley Drive-In where we just saw Ratatatouiie and Transformers. One of the few remaining drive-in theatres in Canada, a very enjoyable experience. But now I’m going to bed, a nice relaxing sleep, undisturbed by annoying things like caffeine.

Day 8 - Ankles are stupid

2007-08-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that my ankle is not broken. Rolled it nicely, likely stretched and pulled some muscles and ligaments beyond their normal operating parameters, but didn’t do any permanent damage. Give me a few days, along with a handful of tylenol and an ankle brace, and I’ll be out beach walking again. If nothing else, I am comforted that I still have my other foot to tap at next week’s ceilidhs.

So yes, as for photos, all I can really give you is a quick summary of my day (well-iced ankle beside my laptop with a DVD of House):

As for the rest of the family, they did some laundry (thank you mom and dad), went to the beach, and played their usual evening card game. Nothing too eventful from what I heard.
Hope to have more for you over the following days. The weather is supposed to break in the next day or two so I’m hoping for some non-hazy photos taken comfortably on walks during the middle of the day, an impossibility up to now.

Spelling, grammar, and other things that really don't matter...

2007-08-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

I feel it necessary to offer up some excuse for this blog being rife with excessive spelling/grammar/vocabulary errors. (For those of you who are familiar with my grammatical tyranny, I am sure that this blog has provided you with enough ammunition to counter my comments for the next 20 years)

Simply know that most of these posts were written at 1:00AM while I was half asleep, very warm, and distracted by huge jumping spiders, earwigs, and "budda bugs". I will slowly work my way through the list, adding the remaining entries and editing the existing ones, but it might take a week or two.

Thanks for reading.

Day 7 - Short Man Like Tall Ships

2007-08-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Got news earlier this week that a flotilla of tall ships, including the Bluenose II, would be sailing in to Summerside this morning. In a miraculous feat, I was up and out the door by 9:30AM and we were out on a scouting mission to find the best position to watch the procession in to harbour. After numerous back roads, big enough for two cars only after one driver ditches his vehicle in to the trees on the side (these are the absolute PEI experience), we found a beautiful cliff/breakwater/lighthouse combination where we could watch (and photograph) the ships as they came in. The rental agency was hesitant to let me drive their car, I resented this at first but I am now thankful as the backroads of PEI are one hell of an experience; I am very thankful to ride shotgun with my father at the wheel.

So anyway, the ships! It was another hot and hazy day which, when combined with a lackluster Sigma lense that lacks clarity at the best of times, made for some rather underwhelming photos. Still, I present to you the picks of the crop so that you might experience some of the awe that I did when these vessels passed by me. The first ship is the Bluenose II; I didn't include any photos as it wasn't particularly awe inspiring after they dropped their stern sail (I don’t remember my sail terminology) and ran in on engines well before they were in range of my telephoto lens. I don’t know much about the other ship, apart from the fact that they were flying the stars and stripes. But the fact that I don’t know the name doesn’t change the fact that it was a beautiful ship. And I’ve gotta tell you, when one of them fired off a blank from a cannon out in the bay, it was quite surreal.

Have to include a seemingly random photo of a hermit crab to show you one of my dad’s favourite past times (mine as well): tide-pool watching. From our position on the breakwater, we could look down on the calm side in to fresh tide-pools where shrimp scurried along and hermit crabs had battles royale.

We took the long way back along the North coast, the cliffs of Cavendish are absolutely beautiful. I hope to walk under them at least once before we leave. Also had an opportunity to walk inside and outside St. Mary’s church in Indian River. It was a short experience, I left hastily when my father tapped me on the shoulder, right in the midst of my indoor panoramic shooting, to let me know that a hearse had just pulled up outside and the mourners were starting to pour in. Felt a bit guilty about that, but it is a commonly acknowledged tourist site and there weren’t any large signs warning of the impending arrival.

Plans for an evening beach walk were foiled as I, in a demonstration of my absolute mastery of the art of walking, managed to take the final step out of our cottage with my foot somehow rolled 90 degrees from where it ought to be. I was, and still am for that matter, in a considerable amount of pain (though it is now dulled by a couple of the Ultra-Uber-Super-Fantastic variety of Tylenol). It doesn’t appear to be broken, I can move it without screaming, but I definitely messed it up pretty well. I am desperately hoping that it heals quickly as it’ll make beach walking nigh impossible for me if it remains at its current strength.

Worse comes to worse, I promise photos of the odd looking trails in the sand as I drag my broken body across the dunes in a last-ditch effort to spend more time on the beach.

Day 6

2007-08-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

It is hot here, 32 degrees during the day with humidex pushing well above that. You all know me well enough to know that heat and I don’t get along particularly well. Thus my throughly planned out morning to get in the shower, get my hair well cleaned, and then get in the car for a trip down to Charlottetown for a haircut, hopefully before I had time to sweat my hair in to a disgusting tangle that I’d feel guilty about presenting to the barber. Too many details? Well too bad, it’s too damn hot for me to be civil, haha. The plan went almost to plan, though dad did hold up our departure with a long morning walk on the beach (not that I can blame him for that, it is amazing out there). I’m now short and spikey again, feels better than the mop.

Our Charlottetown excursions over the past few days have been purely utilitarian (bread, bug spray, and booze), today was our first foray in to the downtown. The outskirts of Charlottetown are not particularly nice; At times, they actually remind of me the more rundown areas of Calgary (Forest Lawn without the hookers and drug dealers). The downtown is the absolute antithesis of this experience. We find a proliferation of old buildings (late 1800’s), fun little shops (If anyone wants anything from the Cows or Anne shops, you have eight days to email me and add things to my shopping list before I go back for my gifts and souvenirs), and a nice boardwalk along the harbour. I didn’t get many photos this time, the sky was hazy with the heat, and so was I...

Went for a late evening walk on ‘our’ beach (Stanhope). Dipped my feet in the water for the first time this trip; The water was cold when I first stepped in but my feet soon adjusted and I found it quite pleasant. Occasionally you find an area of very warm water, somehow undisturbed by the wave action and the rising tide. Here are some of my favourite photos from the evening, as well as an animation (my first attempt, all handheld with a slowly faltering camera) of the waves under the sunset. [NOTE: Blogger doesn't support animated GIF... you'll have to wait until I'm home] I hope I’m making you all jealous, I want traveling partners for my east-coast road-trip in a year or two.

Those who have been watching this blog will have noticed a substantial dump of info this morning. We found a LAN gaming shop (mom and dad thought it was more of a cave) where I could get online for a bit and upload the last few days. I am one of these people who is horribly annoyed by gamer talk. Yes, I go to a yearly LAN party. Yes, I do play the occasional online game with friends. But I am NOT a gamer by the accepted definition. But, I’ve gotta say, if all gamers had an east-coast accent, I’d be okay with it. I was sitting beside two fellows, likely playing Battlefield 2 or something similar, who were very in to the game and were talking with the all of the lingo... except they were doing so in their born-and-raised accents. My sister and I had to stifle a laugh when one of the players, after what I can only assume was a particularly violent death, burst out with a loud “Son of a Bee-Sting!”. The experience was complete when the attendant/owner (nice guy) asked if I was “from away” when I was paying up after I had disconnected.

I’m not from somewhere else when I’m on Prince Edward Island... I’m from away.

PEI Day 5

2007-07-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Went for a drive, found a new beach on the south side of the island (____ point... my memory is very bad), family swam while I took photos. Honestly, The rest of the day really faded in to the background after tonight’s visit to a local Ceilidh (I’ve seen it spelled so many ways... all that’s important is that it is pronounced kay-lee).

I couldn’t tell you what a classic ceilidh is, all I know is that I’ve wanted to go to one ever since I learned how to pronounce it. Tonight’s event was a sweltering little community hall packed with 150-200 people (mostly tourists... I want to meet more locals) and a small stage at the front, just large enough for the three musicians who would play throughout the night. The ‘big’ act was Cynthia MacLeod, a very talented (and rather beautiful) fiddler. She was accompanied on guitar and vocals by a fellow whose name escapes me at the moment. The ‘special guest’ for the evening was a school teacher from the island who played solo (guitar and mouth organ) and with the other two throughout the night. The atmosphere is very relaxed, requests are encouraged and humour is infused throughout the night. But the music, oh the music, is what we came for and it certainly did not disappoint. Celtic, Island, East Coast... whatever you want to call it, that’s what it was. The floor pulsed as 150 feet tapped in unison, the fiddle rang out clear, the guitars (6 and 12 string) were masterfully played, and the drum (Beran?) was just plain cool (I’ve always wanted to learn to play one of these drums). Marri-Mac, Oh Danny Boy, Lord of the Dance, Rigadoon, The Phantom Ship of the Northumberland (????) Strait, and many other classics kept me smiling. With Ceilidhs happening on Mondays and Wednesdays in Brackley, and Tuesday and Thursday in Stanhope, I see the opportunity to attend at least five more of these before I go. I doubt I’ll make them all... but I’ll try, be assured of that.

PEI Day 4

2007-07-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

Woke up ‘early’ today. The family knocked on my door at 10:45AM to let me know that they were heading out to the beach to go swimming. Jellyfish were still around, there is talk of relocating our family’s swimming activities to the south shore.

Today was a day without much of an agenda. We went for a nice long road, working towards my personal goal of exploring every single highway, byway, and driveway on this island. Lots of houses and lots for sale; Though no prices were listed, the trends would suggest that we could buy a huge house on a huge lot overlooking an ocean cove for considerably less than what we could sell our house in Calgary for. To put it bluntly: I’m 90% convinced that if I can find solid work out here, I’m packing my belongings and heading east permanently. I love this place.
I went over to the nearest internet connection (a little shop at the entrance to the provincial park we are in) in order to upload all of the journal/blog entries and photos of the last few days. I paid $4.00 for half an hour on a particularly glitchy internet connection and only managed to get day one and part of day two up in some semblance of their proper order (I’ve been writing and laying-out rough versions these posts every evening at the cottage, it takes a bit of work to make blogger.com do what I want). Day three, four, and five, as well as edited versions of one and two, will likely come when I head in to Charlottetown and find a nice coffee shop to connect from.

I’m not particularly proud of today’s crop of photos. Most were captured as we were driving down roads much too small to safely pull over. All I will post for today is a lupin. These are purple flowers that inhabit many of the fields and ditches across the island. It seems to be the fifth color in the island color scheme (earth red, potato-plant green, ocean blue, sky blue, pupin purple). I hope to redeem myself with some better shots of the little houses, blue bays, and rolling fields over the next few days. Morning light seems to be what most of these scenes need, unfortunately this means waking up earlier than 10am...

Dad and I went to the beach at 10:30 tonight. Oddly enough, it was too bright for really good star-gazing or fox hunting. Once our eyes adjusted, the waxing moon (sitting about 35-40 degrees above the horizon) was casting strong shadows across the beach and making it nearly impossible to look south without losing our night vision. Normally the solution would be to wait for it to set, but this might take a while. It is midnight right now and the moon is still blazing bright in the sky. With it being in its waxing stage, we may find that the completely dark star-gazing may evade for most of the rest of the trip, the moon likely becoming full at some point in the next week or so. Not good for star gazing, but it certainly was beautiful with the glowing moon and clouds silhouetting the rugged dunes.

In past trips, the foxes have been a pleasant addition to our daily events. Evening walks often include one of the red and white creatures running across the path or eerily staring out from the bushes, only being seen as two points of light when our flashlight happens to catch their eyes. We saw some eyes and heard some noises when we were down on the beach, but we never actually saw our quarry in all of its furry majesty. But as we were driving back, I did catch some eyes on the side of the road. After some particularly skillful and dangerous (at any other time of the day in any place other than here) driving in reverse by my father we set our headlights and flashlights on a fox-like creature. To me it seemed longer and thinner than our usual foxes, and it was either very dark brown or black with white only on the tip of its tail. Also unlike the foxes, it’s eye glow shifted with the angle from the familiar white/yellow to an (I’ve got to admit) slightly more menacing orange/red. Hope to talk to a park ranger at some point this week and find out what this may have been. In Alberta, we’re used to having a plethora or mammals around us; As I remarked in the car on the way back, a book called “The Mammals of PEI” would be about ten pages long, three of those being varieties of cows, four being varieties of mice and voles, an entry for the coyotes, and entry for the foxes, and an entry for our mystery creature. I love this island, but the Rockies it is not when it comes to ecological diversity.

PEI Day 3

2007-07-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

The call of Harry Potter necessitated another trip in to Charlottetown. Also allowed for a booze run (I feel comfortable saying that only because most of the people reading this know how unlikely I am to “get my drink on”).

I didn’t hit our beach today, got back from the Charlottetown excursion and simply felt like lazing around (it is a vacation after all). Dad and Laura tried to go swimming but the jellyfish had invaded over night, ruining their plans.

The highlight of the day was a dinner at New Glasgow. Now, of course, the major draw was the prospect of bottomless clam chowder, bottomless steamed mussels, and a perfectly prepared 2lb lobster (I went small... I’m getting the 3lb next week); But one must mention that New Glasgow sits on the banks of the Hunter river, one of the most picturesque locations I have ever visited. My adjective bank is limited when it comes to PEI as it is not a particular quality in the sights that makes them so notable; It is the quantity of the those qualities that makes the scene what it is. The greens are so green in the trees, the grass, and the crops. The blues are so blue in the ocean, the river, and the sky. And the red dirt is such an absolutely rich red. None of these render well enough in photos or in words to accurately convey the beauty which they combine to make. Toss in the rustic homes nestled in amongst the groves of trees on the banks of the river and you have got yourself an absolutely perfect scene (unfortunately the light was all wrong for a photo... I hope to go back one of these mornings and capture the scene closer to what I actually saw).

After dinner we drove north (through some beautiful farmland) to the cliffs at Cavendish, arriving just in time to watch the sunset. I’m a sucker for sunsets, they take up a good portion of my personal photo collection, but I can honestly say that this easily ranks as one of the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen. I have the distinct honor of watching the sun drop behind the Rocky Mountains every evening, a beautiful sight without a doubt, but to watch the sun sink over the Gulf of St. Lawrence is an entirely different experience altogether, one that I hope to experience many more times before I’m dragged away from this place, kicking and screaming.

PEI Day 2

2007-07-24T15:10:00.001-07:00

My internal clock is in absolute disarray. Forced myself to go to bed at 11:00 last night, but the fact that this was 8:00 in Calgary meant that I lay awake for a while. It was a restless night.

We took a trip in to Charlottetown to get some groceries. I was intrigued to learn that our Sunday shopping trip was something that, until very recently, would have been impossible on the island. There is something very civilized about a mandated slowdown of life for one day a week. I also learned that Sobey’s, a relatively new sight in Alberta, was started in the atlantic provinces more than a century ago?

Prince Edward Island is a rural experience. I think the best example of this so far is the method by which we buy potatoes. Driving back from Charlottetown, we decided that we wanted some “New PEI Potatoes” (tiny potatoes with the most rich flavour and pleasant texture). We pass a sign on the road that advertises just that and begin looking for the farmer and his truck parked by the side of the road... No such luck. Upon closer examination, we realize that what we thought was a sign is actually a large wooden box with a hand-written “Self-Serve” sign on top. The instructions written on it are simple: open the lid, deposit $____ in to the money container, pull out your ____lb bag of potatoes. That absolutely made my day.

I’d like to introduce you to Tamarack Cottage, our home for the next two weeks. It is one of approximately ten cottages on the property of Windermere Cottages. My father’s family has been coming to these cottages with some regularity for more than ____ years. The floors/tables/nightstands/dressers are slanted, the wallpaper is stapled where it has peeled, the doors only occasionally fit in to their frames, the windows open and close with considerable effort, and the furniture seems to be older than me... but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m worried by the For Sale sign that is now sitting at the entrance to the property, I really hope this place doesn’t change too much.

Took an evening walk on ‘our’ beach; I had forgotten how beautiful it is here. The tide was coming in, slowly encroaching on the sand castles of the day. I grabbed some photos of a few of the more creative ones, as well as some of the particularly beautiful views around the area.

2007-07-23T07:44:00.001-07:00

We were picked up this morning by our good friend Dawn, how thankful we were for a friend who was actually willing to get us out to the airport for 6:30AM on a Saturday.

Flight was quite ordinary. Calgary to Charlottetown with a transfer in Toronto. Wheels up at 8:00AM MST, rolling on the Charlottetown tarmac at 6:00PM ADT. The latter portion of the flight took us over the western states, providing a beautiful view out the window (when clouds did not obscure) and also a most interesting approach path for the plane. Charlottetown’s main runway runs North/South and, since we had been flying south of the border for the last leg, we simply assumed we would come in from the south and land with our nose to the north. Instead, our plane flew north, passing to the east of Charlottetown and across the entire breadth of the island before completing a sharp turn almost directly over our little north-shore cottage before heading south and landing.

Plane deboarding was delayed by Aerosmith, arriving for a concert this evening where they will play for stadium full of 30,000 fans. I normally wouldn’t bother describing the expected turn-out except for the fact that PEI has a total population of 100,000; An equivalent of 1/3 of the entire island will be at the exhibition grounds this evening. [Got a quick shot of their motorcade as they pulled out of the airport]

Twenty-minute drive from Charlottetown to our rented cottage on the North Shore. Stopped in at Cove Head Bay to pickup dinner. Laura and I both took home a large container of mussels and bowl of hearty seafood chowder. Mom had a scallop burger, and dad had fish ‘n chips. I can’t speak for the rest of the family, but I know that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. I rank the quality of my mussel eating experience by the amount of sandy sediment at the bottom of the container when I am done (more being better); This meal did not disappoint. As for the seafood chowder, simply know that my spoon could only go about half way down in to the bowl before it was stopped by a hearty helping of scallops, mussels, and fresh PEI potatoes. Delicious.

The sun sets earlier here, it is 8:40PM right now and it is well towards dusk. It was a cloudy day so the sunset is much more gradual through the overcast sky. The mood would be best described as soft, there is nothing harsh about what I am experiencing right now. There are many birds around; There songs seem different, they seem to carry further than they do at home, and with an inherent depth that seems to give an almost dream like quality to the sound.
It’s about 20 degrees outside and, though still humid, it feels wonderful compared to what we left in Calgary. The cool air combined with the faint scent of the sea is intoxicating.
Whether from the plane or out the window of our rental car (Chevy Impala), the view is amazing. Everywhere you look is a farmhouse in the middle of acres of rolling green hills and bright red dirt roads. I enjoy the yellow and green of Alberta’s crop season but it simply does not compare to bright green plans contrasted against the red dirt of the island.
Haven’t been down to the beach yet, but hope to either this evening or tomorrow for the sunset. Be assured that these trips will yield some good photographs.

And just for the sake of interest... check out my awesome firetruck room!

Welcome

2007-07-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Brackley to Bytown blog. Check back between July 20 and August 20 for reasonably regular updates about the adventures of the Harris family as we vacation in Prince Edward Island and Ottawa.