August 23rd-- Yarn Denied, Yarn Found, and Back over the Bridge

Spitting in the face of Hurricane Bill, I drove towards the storm, eastward, with two goals in mind:

1. Get myself to Belfast Mini Mills in Belfast, PEI (near the Wood Island Ferry)

2. See Province House in Charlottetown. I could not go to PEI and not see the birthplace of Canada!

Of course, since this is me, I did make a little detour on the way to stop by the PEI Preserve Company, even with the dire (but slowly growing less dire) weather predictions.

And was well rewarded with a pretty view:

Cute, no? (yes, that is a fake bagpiper) Such a pretty place, and so close to everyWHERE:

I must say, even with the high cost of some of those preserves, jams, and jellies, they are so worth it. I picked up some maple syrup, cloudberry preserves (yuuuuuuuum), and currant preserves, then was back on the road, east-bound.

Rain pounded my windshield on and off as I made my way towards Charlottetown, tapering to a drizzle as I left the Cavendish area, and only threatening rain while I drove through and past the city.

I liked the drive out to Belfast-- there were so many places that I wanted to stop (and it's a SHAME that Bill was breathing down my neck, else I would have taken a detour to the lighthouse or would have stopped at the historic sites along the way! They're on my list for my next visit.) Unfortunately, after all of that driving... the mill was closed, most likely because of the storm. (Note to self-- next time, call ahead!) So, back to Charlottetown I drove...

Province House... the birthplace of Canada, and the seat of the PEI provincial government. They had a great presentation on the history of Canada and then we were allowed to walk around inside.

In this room, an idea was born. An idea that eventually grew into a country consisting of 13 provinces and territories (yes, I learned about Nunavut that morning. Yes, I know that's kind-of sad that I didn't know about Nunavut before. But then again, I'm not Canadian...), into our great neighbor to the north. As a Philly-area girl, I appreciate the significance of this place.

After the Province house, I braved the threatening stormy skies and walked over to some of the shops that had been closed the night before. In Northern Watters Knitwear, I made up for missing out on the Belfast Mini Mills by heading straight to their yarn section. The Island shawl that I wanted to make needed some yarn and I found this beautiful violet-grey wool yarn made on PEI (at Belfast Mini Mills), along with two types of Bison laceweight yarn. Yes, BISON. Bison. Soft and warm and pretty. I can't wait to knit with that stuff.

After a few more stores, I couldn't deny that my reprieve from the rain was up... the sky had opened up again and, umbrella keeping me remotely dry, I hurried to the car and started driving west towards the Confederation Bridge and New Brunswick.

Even with warnings that the bridge might close because of high winds, I decided to make a detour slightly south to Victoria-by-the-Sea and a small tea house to treat myself to tea/lunch.

(the one lighthouse that I got to see... sigh)

At the teahouse, I treated myself to tea for one, with all of the sundry sandwiches and sweets, including a scone with (insert dreamy sigh here:) clotted cream (bigger sigh.) Forget love, just give me clotted cream. I'll be happy.

Next up were the shops by the confederation bridge-- I didn't want to leave the island early, but my bravado had worn thin. I figured that I could at -least- keep an eye on the winds and leave if they picked up enough to threaten bridge closure. (Turns out that I didn't need to worry... they never did get high enough! What a shame, becuase I could have easily taken time to go to Lower Bedeque and Summerside from where I was.)

I did get a nice picture of the flags in that dreaded wind:

Some more Cows ice cream and a bowlful of mussels later, I had tarried enough. Reluctantly, I paid my toll and waved goodbye to the gentle island.

(Do NOT try this at home. Yes, I was driving and taking the picture one-handed. I also have to disclose that I wasn't looking at the camera and that there were at least 10 really bad, blurry shots to get this one picture.)

Safe on the mainland and no longer mercy to the whim of a storm, I stopped in the New Brunswick tourist rest stop immediately after the bridge to use the rest room and to try and get some shots of the storm-tossed waters and the bridge, as well. The rest stop itself is connected to an environmental centre and is entirely eco-friendly. Composting toilets, rainwater faucets and all. I and a few hearty others braved the wind and rain to take the short boardwalk out to a bridge observation point. This is one of many shots I have of the storm's effects this far west.

(do you see the faintest hint of PEI in the distance?)

Then, a quick drive back to Moncton and the hotel airport...

(yes, that is a moose crossing sign. No, I didn't see any moose)

I ate my last Tim Horton's that evening, watched "So You Think You Can Dance: Canada" and was back to the US the next morning.

I loved this trip, this island, the people, and the experiences. Four days was certainly not enough and I dream of spending a lifetime there. I've been to a lot of places, loved visiting, loved the sights. This little island, though, is one of few places in the world that truly connected with me. I keep making imaginary plans to head back this fall, this winter... anytime I can get myself onto a plane, really.

Abegweit, thank you for welcoming me. I will be back!

August 23rd-- Tropical Storms and Goodbyes

After a hearty breakfast at the inn (yuuuuummmmmmm!), I loaded my bags into my car and checked out. Hurricane Bill was threatening to head our way and I had a busy morning (with a few altered plans from the original "see the eastern part of the island followed by a ferry to Nova Scotia and then a slow trip to New Brunswick")




(see my umbrella?)

Braving the rain, I made my way over to Cavendish Beach. It was chilly and rainy (and I was very shortly wet and soggy!), but the dunelands and cliffs don't need perfect weather to be beautiful.











Stark and lovely, storm-tossed, counteracted by the soft grasses and flowers.

In a sense, I was sad that I didn't have a chance to see this in the sunlight, but even in this spitting rain and wind that turned my umbrella inside-out multiple times and soaked me to the bone, I loved scrambling out onto the rocks. The sea and shore have moods and this one didn't fail to endear those red cliffs to me.

"The Four Winds light was built on a spur of red sandstone cliff jutting out into the gulf. On one side, across the channels, stretched the silvery sand shore of the bar. On the other, extended a long, curving beach of red cliffs rising steeply from the pebbled coves. It was a shore that knew the magic and mystery of storm and star. There is a great solitude about such a shore-- the woods are never solitary-- they are full of whispering, beckoning, friendly life. But the sea is a mighty soul forever moaning of some great, unshareable sorrow which shuts it up into itself for all eternity. We can never pierce its infinite mystery. We may only wander, odd and spellbound, on the outer fringe of it. The woods call to us with a hundred voices but the sea has one only, a mighty voice that drowns out souls in its magestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels." LMM, Anne's House of Dreams, Ch. 9


(continuing in another post, since this one is so image heavy!)

August 22nd part 2-- Charlottetown and Redheaded Snippets

Charlottetown. The birthplace of Canada (or, at least, the idea of Canada.)

A must for a Philly girl, like me.

I parked in front of the Confederation Centre and made my way to the waterfront in search of the sites listed in my (very many) guidebooks. I only had about an hour before the sites closed and wanted to cram in as much as possible. A bit of confusion on my part had me heading straight for Founder's Hall, thinking that it was Province House. (I think it only dawned on my about five minutes into my tour in Founder's Hall! Yes, I felt a tiny bit dumb!)

Founders hall is a neat multi-media presentation about the history of Canada, housed in an old 1906 building on the waterfront. I really enjoyed this-- I'm not the world's largest history buff, but I like to KNOW about history. And this place does a nice job of turning history into a real story, rather than simply facts and numbers.

Unfortunately, even moving as fast as my long legs could carry me (minus a tiny stop at Cows Ice Cream on the waterfront for a mint chocolate chunk cone), I didn't make it to Province House on time to go inside. I did, however, pass St. Dunstan's basilica on my way up and just turned back towards the basilica to catch 5 pm. mass.





St. Dunstan's is the seat of the Catholic Church on PEI, a restored 19th century building that is spectacularly beautiful inside. Mass, itself, was a little odd for me-- some of the prayers and responses have slightly different wording from the US. And the presiding priest was VERY conservative and literal in his homily, a sharp contrast to the home churches that I love. Besides, it was easy to tell that I was American by my Ay-men versus the Canadian Ah-men (am I the only one who thinks of "Raah-men" from the Flying Spaghetti Monster when I hear that now?)

After mass, I shuffled out to find dinner, gifts, and things to see before the show. Most shops (not on the waterfront) had closed at 6, so I windowshopped my way back to the waterfront. There was still a lot of motion there-- people were pulling their boats out of the water in anticipation of Hurricane Bill's arrival, there was a band playing on the green, and the restaurants were full. I tried to get in at Flex Mussels, but they couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to be served and to eat in such a short period of time, so I hightailed myself back up to the Confederation Centre, promising myself some food from one of the restaurants in the centre itself.

Small world-- I ran into one of the ladies who had been assigned to the VIP room with me and her husband on my walk back up! We chatted for a bit and off I went to immerse myself in the world of "Anne of Green Gables: the Musical."



Review: 4 out of 5 on the Carli scale
Disclaimer: I have issues with any sort of musical. Sorry, but it just is odd to me when people break into song in the middle of a conversation. Notable exceptions are Phantom and Les Mis... maybe the depressing ones? But I turned off my musical dislike for for my vacation and bought a ticket.

Story: It took a bit for me to get into the whole adaptation. The main actors were absolutely charming and there was enough levity that I soon became a part of the story... but i do admit that, at first, I was sitting there, wondering what I was doing there. The story was a light adaptation of the novel with a few changes for laughs, to make the references accessible for an audience unfamiliar with the books, or to move the story along.

The actors: Wonderful acting and singing. As a dance student in the NY area, my view was heavily biased when it came to the dancing, which left a lot to be desired. There were a few good dancers in the cast but it was clear that the choreography catered to hide the weaknesses of most of the cast. Frankly, most of the advanced teenage girls in my classes were better dancers than most of that cast. Heck, my jumps are better. I honestly don't think that most non-dancer audience members would notice, though.

"Anne", herself, was fantastic. "Marilla" had me in tears, and "Matthew" was fun. "Gilbert" was a strong actor and singer. I didn't like "Josie's" dancing at all (the tour jetes were dreadful), but she was otherwise a great actress and singer. "Diana" was sweet.

At intermission, I treated myself to a "dinner" of steamed milk and oat cookies (it was late, okay?) and joined some Japanese tourists in oohing and ahhing over this:



A copy of green gables, created entirely out of sugar by a Japanese fan club and gifted to PEI. It was so detailed!



After the show, it was back to the inn to pack and get ready for an early morning, the radio tuned the entire time to the CBC and their coverage of dear Hurricane Bill's impending approach!

August 22nd part 1-- Medal Games and McLobster!

Back to Summerside Saturday morning in full uniform (and with a stop at Tim Horton's in Kensington for a bagel, muffin, and coffee. I felt rather like a local as I manuvered into the drive-thru and rolled out my order with nary a pause... not like the day before!) for day 2 of the Canada Games. By this point, the road to Summerside was straightforward and familiar, so I was able to fully enjoy my morning drive (and that chocolate chip muffin.... yum) without worrying about being late or lost. They were starting to set up for the men's and women's gold medal basketball games when I walked into the VIP area.... and snapped a few shots before having to get to work neatening up the counters, etc.



This morning was exciting... and fun. Nova Scotia made it to the men's medal round against Quebec, so the stands and VIP room were packed. The game, itself, was close and even we volunteers bounced between serving at the bar, neatening up (not that we needed to do much of that! This is Canada, after all, and everyone, in general, picked up after themselves and recycled and COMPOSTED!) , and watching over the ledge around the VIPs themselves and the media crew. Quebec did win in the last few seconds of the game, which brought the mood of the room down considerably, but that was fantastic to watch, nonetheless.

I met the Nova Scotia 2011 Winter Canada Games representatives and let them know that, if no surprises come up, I'll be in Halifax as a volunteer for their games! I can't wait to see the amazing rink that they're supposedly upgrading for the games (and I want to volunteer early enough to get VIP or security or, heck, seat cleaner :-P at the Figure skating medal rounds.... or for a few good hockey games!)

The women's medal game was between Alberta and British Columbia, two provinces far from PEI, so the crowds were much smaller and the VIP lounge virtually empty. That game, too, was exciting and we squeezed in watching the game as we packed up the lounge-- everything had to head over to Charlottetown for week 2. It was sad to see everything go. We remaining volunteers traded e-mails and hugs (I was lucky to volunteer with the same two ladies two days in a row, both of whom were wonderful, as well as a lot of great and interesting people over the two days.)



Afterwards, I changed up my top and set my GPS for Charlottetown!



Stopping for a McLobster to go (mmmmmmmmmmmm)