Greetings from Rainy PEI

We drove over Confederation Bridge onto Prince Edward Island yesterday. When we left the only plan we had was to avoid anything related to Anne of Green Gables.

That is how we ended up driving all along Malpeque Bay and up to Port Hill to wander around a museum built at an old ship building yard. The home of the ship builder had been restored and there were even friendly guides dressed in period-appropriate costumes to tell us about the artifacts in the house. We also learned how ships were built and looked at a blacksmith and carpentry shop on the shore of the bay.

We backtracked a bit and headed over to New Glasgow because we heard that is where the best lobster dinners could be found. We lined up (always a good sign), chose our beast and waited in a boisterous dining room for our feast. A bucket of mussels and a basket of homemade rolls was placed on our table for an appetizer with bowls of seafood chowder on the side. Next came salads, then the giant red crustaceaon. We had our choice of 5 different kinds of pie, three different kinds of cake and several flavours of icecream for dessert. The only thing you couldn't have seconds of was the lobster. The atmosphere and food reminded me of a big church supper. The potato salad was to die for. My internet buddy Susan was right when she said we would roll out of the restaurant. We spent some time in the giftshop and I bought Emmett a t-shirt dyed with real PEI dirt. We also spent time at the New Glasgow Toy Factory where we marveled at the hand made wooden toys and puzzles.

I mastered map reading while driving around the Island. Those of you who know me well will fall off your chairs laughing at the thought of me navigating while Richard drove. We only sort of got lost once. Hey, it is a tiny island--how lost could we get?? My prairie brain had a hard time with the map because it seemed to be a full-size representation of the island. In Manitoba, a couple of inches of highway on the map could equal at least a three hour drive. The width of both of my hands placed side to side on this map (the distance from Kensigton to Charlottetown)is just over 50 km. I had to be extra vigilant at watching out for our turns. No easy feat since I just loved watching all of the rolling farmland pass by my car window. Yes, I am a hick and couldn't get over the deep red colour of the soil--almost clashing with the deep green of the grass. PEI is a beautiful island, and more than just Anne of Green Gables.

When we got back to Moncton we found the street blocked off in front of our hotel and stages and lights set up. It turns out Moncton celebrates Acadian Day a little early.

We are off to check out Magnetic Hill and the beach at Shediac today. Tomorrow our invisible internet friends Cynthia and Ross are taking us to Hopewell Rocks.

Stay tuned!