Remembering Prince Edward Island

 

A statue of Anne of Green Gables
that you can see before going on the
Confederation Bridge

  Although, we left P.E.I. at the end of October and it is now the end of 2017, we want to remember our time in Canada's smallest province. We certainly enjoyed our time in P.E.I. The landscape and people are different from those in Newfoundland and that is the whole idea of this adventure -- to meet a variety of Canadians and see how they live and experience their communities.

     In our blog of July 27, 2017 we stated,"Prince Edward Island is famous for its red soil, sandy beaches, Anne of Green Gables and potatoes." Yes, Prince Edward Island has red soil, sandy beaches, Anne of Green Gables and potatoes but it has so much more. P.E.I. has:

• foxes and skunks and other strange animals
• talent -- visual, musical, and cooking
• many, many festivals
• lighthouses
• the 70 mile yard sale
• glass bottle houses and a miniature village
• trails and unique landscapes
• Buddhist monks and the Amish
• the circus
• wonderful people
• and so much more

Here are two photos of foxes we saw sitting at the entrance of
the camp ground we were leaving. They just sat there, probably
waiting for someone to toss them a tid-bit. There are notices
everywhere reminding people NOT to feed the foxes

Lighthouses and red soil. Beautiful!

This is where we called "home" while living in P.E.I. just outside
of Montague. Very colourful, surrounded by farm land.

A beautiful sun rise seen from our side porch.

Our red chairs fit in quite well with the colours.
We spent many lovely days sitting on the side
porch enjoying our surroundings

The only lighthouse in P.E.I that is not red and white. This lighthouse has an
Inn built onto it so you can stay at the lighthouse. There are also several rooms
right in the lighthouse tower that also can be rented.

Al, the captain, pointing the way to our next location.

A lovely red sunset over the town of Victoria-by-the-Sea

In June, the beautiful lupins were everywhere

A sample of rug hooking. Some very talented people in P.E.I. for sure.

The sea is a favourite theme in their art

Once a year, in September, the east side of the island holds
the "70 mile yard sale". The traffic, the stuff for sale, the friendly
people -- what an experience!

     One morning we woke up to our yard showing dozens of patches of these spooky spider web-like things.  It looked like pieces of a thin layer of gauze scattered over the grass and tree stumps.As the morning went on and the temperature rose, these things disappeared.  After doing some research we found out this: Spider webs on grass that is damp with morning dew may be a symptom of a bigger problem called dollar spot fungus. The branching mycelium of dollar spot fungus looks like spider webs or cobwebs on morning grass, but unlike spider webs, dollar spot mycelium disappears when the dew dries. We only saw it the once.

Aaah! This is the life, sitting on the beach with a pile of mussels.
So delicious!

We found a few unique places to eat our lunch while we were exploring the
countryside. Here Al is sitting a small abandoned dory that was grounded on the tidal
 flats.I don't think that this boat was used for much. Off to the right the ocean is calm
and several seals were looking at us while we were in their territory.

Walking through a trail one day we saw clear
evidence of beavers working on cutting down trees

It was interesting to see a herd of bison in a park called Buffaloland. Here a
calf and adult walk by us. We are watching from a short observation tower.
Below, the bison are walking toward us. We were able to get up close to these
animals but not too close. We were protected by a fence.

I think this guy is just concentrating on doing his business and saying, 
"What are you looking at?" Oops, sorry!

You are always close to the water in P.E.I. and we explored many beaches.

When the tide is out, you can often walk out a long distance - in your bare feet 

or with boots on!

The famous bridge at Basin Head where you will find the 
"The Singing Sands" beach. The story goes that in the right conditions,
the sand will squeak or sing when you walk on it. I guess the conditions were
not right when we were there. No singing for us however it was a nice beach.
Now, the bridge. Although there are signs posted everywhere saying not to jump off
the bridge, for generations people have climbed onto the railing and jumped off the bridge.
They even have a lifeguard posted, just in case.

Tuna tails nailed onto the fishing shed at a fishing port.

Standing at the edge of the road. Many beautiful shorelines to see.

Al eating his first raw oyster.

We experienced all sorts of  things like singing in the Park.
This was when a group of people met in a Charlottetown park,
learned a song (Put Your Hand in the Hand) and then we 
were filmed singing it.

I am not sure if this has any meaning behind the many, many buoys
hanging from the tree but it was very creative and colourful.

A clear day, perfect for a walk in the boardwalk at  Greenwich

A view of the long boardwalk we just traversed.

The boardwalk ends at the ocean beach on the north side of the island

A view of the boardwalk and the rolling hills surrounding it.

A Llama watching me as I approach a neighbour's house.

A trunk full of large red potatoes that we picked up off the road
that fell off the harvester's truck because it had been overloaded. They were delicious.

Monks owned the farm behind us and we saw them several times out in
the field working the land. The newly purchased fields were mainly left to
sit for a few years so they could grow organic crops.

The Amish are also a big part of the community in P.E.I. There are many
farms around Montague that were bought by the Amish from Ontario.
They would tear down the old barns and build new ones, cultivate the fields
and grow a variety of crops.

When the circus came to town, everyone was there.

I took two workshops to learn a new craft. Here I am with my
Heritage Floor Rug and below with a friend learning to loom knit

A sand sculpture we saw at "Old Home Week" exhibition.
During the summer there are many sand sculpture competitions.

Learning to cook at "The Table".  We had a great time learning cooking skills and new recipes.
The young chef was a great teacher, the setting was quaint and the food was wonderful.

Nature provides the materials for art.
At the harbour in Charlottetown

The following few photos are the different things you would see in the yard
at a local bakery in Georgetown. Interesting!

Water fountain in the Memorial garden in Georgetown. 

We attended several dinner theatres and experienced a variety of foods and
great entertainment. Here is a example of one. We also attended a number of live plays
such as "Anne of Green Gables - The Musical" and "Anne & Gilbert". 

Standing in front of a pile of lobster traps at the Georgetown Harbour

Holding a 10 lb. lobster at Lobster Fest in Souris

We found a lot of unique activities and places to go and see while in P.E.I.
Following the mouse hunt in Charlottetown was a great way to have a tour of  the city.

     We are now in Guelph, Ontario to spend the winter. We will be near family during this time and we will be able to get to know Henry, our grandson, better. We are not just sitting still here. We are exploring the City and we will continue to update you on our activities.