PEI

We had a wonderful, whirlwind trip to PEI! We cut it short in order to avoid camping in the wrath of Hurricane Bill (through which we hunkered down yesterday, here at the yellow house.
We weren't hit as hard as other parts of NS and PEI but did get lots of heavy rain. Because the storm peaked at high tide the waves were spectacular and the cliffs suffered some serious erosion).

Being on PEI brought back a flood of sense memories from when my family lived in Charlottetown in 1982-83. Everywhere felt like home! I swelled with something close to relief (mixed with adrenaline and happiness) when I stepped out onto the beautiful beaches. The way the sand and the dune grass and the water and the sky make for a wide open vista - how wonderful. The island really got into my bones in that grade 3 year! It was very exciting to see Emma and Nathan play and swim and play and swim just as Kath and I must have 30 years ago.

We camped at Cabot Beach provincial park on the west-central northshore (if that makes any sense). It was just what the doctor ordered - peaceful and simple, easy and with a brilliant beach.
We also enjoyed Brackley Beach in the National Park a bit further east. We had a few funny (and yummy) meals at a restaurant in North Rustico. PEI is friendly and rural and their restaurants have a simple charm - homemade rolls before your delicious fish and chips, unassuming decor, no background music, things like that.

It was so neat to see 6 Dunkirk Street, where we lived all those years ago. The house looked just the same (but with a different colour of paint). The school Kath and I went to is just two doors down, and the ocean is walking distance away. Being there affirmed all the images I've carried around as memory for 30 years. Charlottetown is a cute city - very small, but it seemed to be bustling.

On our return journey, before crossing over the impressive Confderation Bridge, we made the obligatory stop to buy local PEI potatoes from a farmer's roadside stand. Ah, PEI! I plan to take the kids back in September when we can perhaps spend a few more days. We need to visit Green Gables. We are reading the book together right now and Emma is loving it, but on this trip we were so focused on beach time that we only just drove by the buildings.

It is still raining today, though nothing like yesterday. Chris has taken the kids down the Valley to Upper Clements Park, an amusement park which they earned free tickets to by participating in the Wolfville Library summer reading program. I am enjoying a quiet day at the yellow house. In a while I might head out to do a 16 km training run (yikes- the half marathon is less than 2 months away!).
Juleta