It was a sad day because I knew I must leave the Island of Prince Edward. I had had such a good time here and the weather was so agreeable that it was difficult to leave. Normally, I am quite excited to jump borders but I think it could be because I am done after this province. I kept a fairly good pace heading out towards Wood Islands and the scenery was pretty but less touristy than other parts I had seen. The Potatoe trucks still kept coming and going and the roadkill of spuds on the road never stopped. I made it to the ferry crossing, got my ticket and headed inside the cafeteria to wait. We were called for the 4:30 sailing and set off. The last sight I saw was a white lighthouse on a set of red-clay cliffs while in the foreground were fishing boats, nets, and gulls. A perfect picture but I can hear Kathy banging her cutlery on the table screaming about cheating. I got excited midway through the trip when a fishing vessel got a little close to us. Initially, I panicked and thought they were Somali pirates but as they got closer, I could tell they were just regular fishermen! I signed a waiver agreeing not to use the ferry service for several years and the captian dropped all charges of fearmongering. I arrived in Pictou as it was starting to get dark but hit the Sobeys for dinner. I was very happy to see that they will sell lobster AND boil them for you. They were charging about $9 a pound. It was a little early to start a celebration but Halifax is boding well! Cannot wait. Speaking of Halifax, my sister Kathryn brought up the fact that the guy jumping out of a ballon is stealing my thunder of finishing this trip up. I am considering immolating myself at the city limits and then biking right into the water to extinguish myself. I still haven't worked out the details. As it stands, I could be in Halifax tomorrow. Do I go down to the harbour/beach right away? Do I stop and get my accomodations taken care of and then go down the next morning? I guess I have about a day to take care of these details. It'd be nice if it was sunny. As it stands, its quite overcast now. I biked slowly around the town trying to get oriented and ran into a group of youths. The second time I ran into them, a young boy made some passing comment about looking for bottles in the garbage can. It took me a few seconds to realize he had directed these comments at me!! A new low, being taken for a homeless man. It got even worse when I popped up at the top of main street and the group was there again. A big cry from the same kid, "There he is!". As I did a quick left to hop to the library quickly, I heard, "It's one way!". Gosh this kids was troubling. I got settled outside the library and heard his buddy/brother? call to him, "Jordan!" Ahhh....please give me strength to suffer the Jordans of the world. I was able to de-stress in the libary and at the end of the night, I asked her what the town was like, she said,"It used to be called 'Little Chicago'". I wasn't happy based on my initial meeting of the Pictou youth but she quickly backtracked and said that it was a nice, quiet town other than some energetic youth who roamed the streets. I told her I'd already met them. I'm glad to see its not just me who's noticed them. I asked some basics about the replica tall ship and the fishing museum but didn't get too much in the way of specifics. She was a nice lady after my initial greeting by the town residents. I ambled over to the open mike at the Palace. A 1905 theatre restored to its original look and I was hoping to do a few songs but I got there just as a guy finished up, "Good Boy" by the Bare Naked Ladies. The organizer of the event heard I was biking and gave me a free Cd. I believe his name was Ashton. I will provide a link later with the proper information. I managed to find a semi-sheltered spot to camp but the tarp blew off midway through the night and I awoke to a damp sleeping bag so I re-adjusted the sleeping bag. My liner helped keep the dampness off my feet but the bottom was pretty well soaked. Need to take care of that soon. Didn't get the best sleep but headed into the Stone Soup Cafe for a coffee and to finish off a book I bought at the garage sale outside Charlottetown. I found out the owner had spent some time in Vancouver because he saw my vancity card. I went into the town office and both staff and bystanders were nice enough to tell me to take the Hwy 376 and then the #4 which was the old Pictou road and served as the road for the stagecoach. The road was flat, twisty, and had beautiful foliage. I really enjoyed the ride down to Truro. It mirrored the mai hwy so I knew I was going in the right direction. I made it into Truro and got to the visitor centre. Much to my surprise, teenagers at the centre said hello to me and greeted me. A nice change from Pictou. I also met another biking couple who were just heading up to PEI and then back down to Halifax to finish up their trip. They were from Victoria and were raising funds for the Alzheimers Association. I keep telling myself to donate to that group but I always forget to! I ran over to the Hub Cycle bike shop to meet my warm shower connections. I need to show up a little later but I am enjoying just relaxing in the library after showing at the local gym and gorging myself on pizza. It will be strange to finish this trip up!! I awoke to the sound of pouring rain and was quite happy to be inide, safe and warm. I read for a while but spent the majority of the day sitting on the couch listening to Karyn talk about PEI, her kids-she's very proud of them and righty so, and her family's history. I heard the story of Shawn Coal, her Nephew and how he lost his fingers on his hand form a woodsplitter. Shawns's gone on to be a gold golfer and a soccer/hockey sensation. She told the story of her seeing the phantom ship 2 times while she was younger. She thinks it might be a pirateer or more likely, an Acadian expusion ship cursed to sail the Northhumberland Straight for eternity. She describes seeing the spars burninng, and falling into the sea. She says she doesn't know if she really heard screams or if it was just the shreik of the wind. It doesn't occur quickly; you have a good chance to look at it. A chilling story! We also discuss the term "Gleaning". She refers to this as going through the farmers fields after they have collected the potatoes and taking the excess potatoes left on the ground. I state foolishly, that it sounds alot like stealing and Jake, her "adopted" son also seconds this thought. Karyn is a ferocious debater and tells me that it is a PEI right and priviledge and that it is a biblical custom where farmers would leave some of their grain to be harvested for the poor. Jake and I make a few jokes about people "gleaning" tractors in Holland. I don't think karyn is impressed. The day passes quickly and Karyn is nice enough to make me a delicious chicken soup for dinner. Just after dinner, she spots a cruise ship going under the Confederation Bridge and spends the next 20 minutes watching it through binoculars. She gets excited just as it goes under the raised navigation part and questions whether it will really fit! Too funny! She takes in tuxedos from weddings throughout the day. She does many of the weddings from Charlottetown and also does musicals. I read her couchsurfing profile and she has had so many people stay at her house. Most often, they say they didn't get a long time to talk to her because she is so busy! I feel lucky that I have had a whole day with her and that she is in her down season for a bit. Can't imagine how busy she is in the summer. I really feel my stay on the Island was complete having hung out with authetic islanders. A great bunch of people and a terrific host. I head out the door the next morning and end up leaving my lock! Aghh! A slightly important piece of equipment but the mass of gear on my bike might prevent a thief from taking it. We'll see... I head back to Charlottetown and take in the Province Building where the fathers of confederation wined themselves silly before agreeing in principle to the concept. The house also serves as the PEI Legislature but the sitting place is about as big as my living room! Like everything in PEI is a little smaller I guess. The room where they discussed stuff is impressive and I think I heard the Province House is the 2nd oldest brick building in Canada. Very impressive. I am making a run to Woods island and will hopefully cross over into Nova Scotia. A great time on PEI and I will definitely be returning! I crept out of MIke's in the early morning having excaped another shower courtesy of Mother Nature. I camped out at a Tim's for breakfast and then biked very leisurely to Port de Joye or Fort Amherst depending upon what side you took on the 7 years war. I should point out that I am now in "Anne of Green Gables" Pace where I am sitting up, gazing at the farms and sights along the way while peddlng not too fast. This is in contrast to my Sakatchewan days where I was hunkered down and the highest gear on my bike was still too slow. Long ago days...this province is too pretty to speed by. I got to the Historic Site and toured the old fort grounds. The French has it in 1720 and there was another monument to the Gallant-Heche/Cormier families who are Acadian Royalty here. The British took over in 1758 and made their own fort before moving the capital over to Charlottetown. The foundation of the fort is all that stands but it was a bright, sunny day so I couldn't complain. I spent an hour or two walking around and camped out at a local grocery store before heading over to kayrn's for Thanksgiving dinner. I felt a little apprehensive staying over during this time but Kayrn assured me she had a large. diverse guest list for her dinners. Karyn's place was on the crest of a hill but I got distracted by the spectacular view of the ocean that I went past to the old schoolhouse before I turned around and went down the Costumes by Chance sign pointing down the road. She has a large, beautiful but rustic wood house and was very welcoming along with her dog busterfer. I got showered and then she put me to work peeling potatoes. Kayrn is a tailor who costumed with the Winniped Royal Ballet for years so she told me about having been to Vanier Hall in Prince George and almost getting caught in an avalanche near Terrace, BC! She has travelled extensively and has raised her 2 kids mostly by herself. A little later, John, Lorraine, Shawn, and Cory arrived. They are "from away" (England) and were quite nice. Their 2 boys are very, very intelligent and 10 year old Cory was getting slightly hyper from the punch he'd made. At about 6, the mass of the McPhee family descended and dinner was served. Karyn's older sister Donna, would fill people in on who I was and gave the vital statistics. Karyn would announce that I had biked in from BC with incredutility each time someone new arrived. Donna's daughter Sasha and her husband Paul and 2 boys, Alex and Patrick hung back while the rest of the family went in for the grub. When Paul gave the ok, the Englanders and myself moved in to get served and I sat with the "cool kids". The meal was fantastic and there was plenty to eat and "I HELPED!" :) Later, I played a few songs on the uke for Cory to calm the lad down. He said he enjoyed them and Donna marvelled at my ability to calm down the "little firecracker" as she called him. It was a good night and the family was very welcoming. A thanksgiving to remember. I was thankful to Megumi who was gracious enough to let me take this trip and take on the burden of looking after the homefront! it was so nice here that I asked Karyn to stay another night and she had no problem with that I said goodbye to the rising sun over the ocean and Blaine's coastal paradise and made my way past the gallant of tourists to get back out on the highway. Farmland was picturesque and gradually, I got into the centre of Charlottetown. It boasts a number of universities and there are youth everywhere. More surprisingly, a diversity of youth where I have been seeing a Anglo prescence throughout the province. I stopped in at a music store whose name escapes me and the owner and I got to talking. He told me that he'd toured in Prince George before and had asked a local waitress what was going on there in town. "Murder" was her reply. I got a good laugh out of that one remembering my one year anniversary of serving on the murder trail jury. Good times. He was nice enough to take my picture with Stompin' Tom Conners! I biked down to the Province House, the birthplace of Confederation but it like most things was closed for the weekend of Thanks. I checked out the library and got some ice cream from Cows which advertied itself as the best ice cream in Canada. It was good but I still think the ice cream in Levis is better. A homeless man sang songs on the corner to raise money for an apartment and a few people buying $7 ice cream cones were nice enough to toss him some change. He had a pretty good act there. I still had a few hours before I checked in with Mike McAdams, my Charlottetown host so I checked out a blues band but had a very hard time getting served. Was only able to enjoy 1 moosehead beer while listening to the bass player rip up some running bass lines. I managed to find Mike's house and it is right behind the univeristy with 2 other houses while the other sides are experimental farmers fields, and a huge mall. Mike's lot is spacious. Mike is a former teacher of Physics, who is bi-lingual and now develops language software privately. He rents out rooms in his houses to numerous students and it makes for a busy household. He also has a tonne of couchsurfers. He is a very bright guy who also has a Masters in Instruction. We have a good discussion about education. He is nice enough to let me use the laundry; long overdue! I also discover that the lady I am staying with puts me farther away from the ferry but oh well! A good night to rest and relax out of the rain! I can't believe I met Stompin' Tom! (Again!) I found myself strangely attracted to Lucy Maud Montgomery and was thinking about writing a song with the title,"Lucy Maud, I Want your Bod". Perhaps I could market it it to the tourists...we'll see. I made my way to North Rustico and couldn't help but notice the cookie cutter cottages that were going up here and there. The price of tourism I guess. My host couchsurfer for the night Blaine, wanted me to meet him at the Robin's Donuts in North Rustico. The downtown consisted of a grocery store, a lobster restauarant, a family restaurant and a gas station. I made myself comfortable in the Robins and waited until the appointed hour I could call Blaine. I got in touch with him and he showed up 5 mins later. I wondered why he didn't just give me his address but this is maybe his way of previewing people before he lets them in. Having known him now though, that doesn't seem his way. I drove up to his place and very nice houses lined the street of the harbour on the left while fishing boats and shops lined the right. This was a fishing town. I got to his place and knew it was his because there was a front end loader in front of it. He met me and took me around the red clay that was his backyard and I unpacked my bike but didn't lock it up...maybe tonight would be the night! Not likely. His house was in a state of construction but he was using an old barn he had demolished himself and was putting it back up on his property. Blaine is 51 years old but looks 30 and he is good with his hands. He does a bit of everything but describes himself as a wood cutter/renovator. The inside of the house is open and beautiful. His view from the porch overlooks the harbour and you can hear the surf as it crashes against the wharf and the shore. It's a little like a cottage but is slowly being assembled into a beautiful house. We talk a bit and I find that he has hosted approximately 50 guests in his life. He is a busy host and very generous with his house and time. I had only called him that morning so I was happy with his flexibility. He'd had some guests stay longer than others and it seems Blaine also likes to fish and scuba as well. He operates as an unofficial guide of North Rustico and has grown up in various houses in the area, some of them within stone-throwing distance. As I watch the lighthouse do its work 30 metres away, I talk to him about Lobster and tell him I am afraid of getting charged as a tourist to eat lobster. He tells me to that the dinners are salad and a roll plus a lobster for $35 and that I should just go to the wharf, buy $35 worth of lobster and eat them off the docks. He talks about cooking a pot of lobsters (5/6?) for himself and eating them like that. He invites me to go out with the snorkel and mask to catch my own if I want. He's a neat guy. I'm not sure I've ever met such an easy going guy before and its somewhat disarming. He does some odd travel to warm spots here and there but its not as if he is camping around and wanting something in return. He just seems to enjoy hosting. His references on couchsurfing talk of people staying several days and doing all sorts of things...what a great ambassador for the area. I play a little on my uke before turning into to sleep. I wish could stay up later but I am just so tired these days. The next morning, the sunrise fills the horizon but it is still not raining! very happy about this. A very gentle wind is here and there but nothing too bad. As I ready to leave, a tour bus spills its pasengers out and some walk on his property, some ask about the mock lighthouse he's built while the others go to see the real lighthouse. I am surprised about how good natured he is about all these intrusions. I try to get away but 2 tourists from Sask. corner me and we talk about my trip. They are just trying to get a taste of the maritimes themselves. A great night with a very interesting host. I suspect I'll be writing a song about Blaine and his castle on the coast. Locals refer to North Rustico as the "Crick". Next stop Charlottetown! I must admit, my infatuation of "Anne of Green Gables" stems more from my crush on Megan Follows than on the original written work by Lucy Maude Montgomery. Having visited her Ontario home in Leaskdale, I felt obligated to see the inspirational area she wrote the book in. I raced down the Confederation Trail stopping in at towns such as Tignish, where I asked a clerk if there was a library around and she replied using soft vowels and strengthened or accented R's like her Irish ancestors so many hundreds of years ago. The accent on the Island is interesting. I really had a good pace going on the trail even though the line was more like a snake than a straight line. Apparently, the original builders were paid by the mile so they didn't pay too much attention to the line going through the towns. I was about 20 kms outside of Summerside when it started to get dark again and I couldn't actually see the trail anymore, just the dark lines on the ground where others had written. A half hour later, it was so dark I was having trouble staying on the road so I got out my light and tried that for a bit before heading onto the main highway fully lighted up front and rear. I made it into Summerside and scouted out a potential spot to sleep for the night. I cooked a great pasta and ate it under the shelter that was behind a mall. The area was a bit too busy so I moved to the corner of a rowing club. I passed a good sleep until I heard the soft drops of rain on my tent around 4:30 am. I decided to get moving before the rain really fell but that was it. I was all ready to go but it was too dark so I hung out in the local Tim Hortons. There are a group of about 15 people who must be regulars because everyone seems to know one another. They don't seem to be in a particular hurry to go to work either. I onlt had a 40 km bike ride so I took it very leisurely. The drive to Kensington was pleasant and the town has done great things with their train station. It is only one of two stations made of fieldstone-beautiful buildings. What was most pleasant about the day was that I was fully expecting showers but the sky seemed to be clearing up! By the time I approached New London, the sky was empty of clouds. I pulled up to the Birthplace home of LMM and an older lady arrived at the same time to open the building. It was a pretty house with lots of memorabilia on Anne. I learned that her father didn't abandon her but it was more the circumstances of his life that led to this. He always meet up with her when he could. LMM and the new wife (23 yrs) didn't exactly hit it off and she missed the Island. I can see why. I spent about 30 minutes there and while talking with the lady learned that cruise ships docked there with many of the thousands intending to visit the LMM places. She said that sometimes the visiting Japanese tourists break down and cry because they are realizing a dream in arriving in this place. I bike on to Avonlea Village but it is closed for the season and only the gift shop is open. There is no shortage of Anne commerce here. There are also several strange museums including one place that has a replica space shuttle along with a dome that looks like Science World in Vancouver or the old Ontario place dome. For some reason, the place went out of business and is now for sale. So much of the town is closed and it is a little quiet; it must rip in the summer. I make it to Green Gables and am treated to the farmhouse where LMM would have spent time and the places she walked. The guides were able to point out places in the room that were described in the book but I admitted I had actually never read any of LMM's work. She proposed that I be whipped! :) For some people, this must be a powerful experience of going into the imagination of their authoress and seeing what inspired it. The walk around the grounds was good and I realized what an appreciation LMM had for nature in general and how much she loved the place. A walk through the Haunted Woods takes you to her gravesite and further still, to the remains of the actual house where she lived. Her relatives still maintain a bookstore there and take care of the property. She absolutely adored the place. I sent postcards from the post office that is a similar style to the farmhouse that LMM lived in. I hadn't realized too, that she had been rejected 5 times by previous publishers. Big Mistake! They've done a good thing here in protecting this area and the area has LMM to thank for the thousands of jobs that come out of the tourism here. I manage to call up a last minute couchsurfer in North Rustico so I will have a spot to wait off the storms that look determined to fall. Next stop is Charlottetown, the birthplace of Don Messor! (and Confederation...but they needed to build their railroad, that's the only reason they joined). More so than his acting ability, I admired Patrick Swayze for his singing. My favourite is certainly "She's like the Wind". I woke up after a restful sleep which was only disturbed once by some random shouting in the night. I peddled up to North Cape to see the Experimental wind farm. I stopped on the way to ask an older guy why everyone had stars on their houses. He said it didn't have special meaning. He was also interested in my trip and he shared that he had an uncle who walked across canada in the late 60's. he carried an ax to the Expo '67. neat fellow. I arrived early at the museum and was able to recharge my iphone. The manager of the site opened up promptly at 10 and I got to learn about the history of Cape North. It has a massive reef that took down lots of ships before a lighhouse was put in. neat facts were that the locals think a sunken German sub lies about 2 km off the coast becuase their fishing nets always get stuck on it. Also, people claim to see a burning schooner off the coast from time to time. They also try to teach about wind power and hydrogen power that they create there. A little while later in Tignish, I learn that a german sub waitted off the coast of cape North for 4 days to try to pick up some escaped German POWS. I was lucky enough to have scored a computer in Alberton at the town hall which is funded by the federal government. They are shutting down the funding today as everyone has a computer-sad. Off to soemwhere before the rains start and I will be making my pilgrimmage to Anne of Green Gables at Cavendish. Happy Birthday Megumi! I had a great sleep in the palatial home that the Studers live in. They were nice enough to feed me breakfast and we chatted a little more before everyone went off to school. Cody came over to babysit Seamus and I played with MOlly to burn off some of her energy but I hardly made a dent! She is the kind of dog that even once you give her attention she keeps on nudging and biting you. I've never met one like her. MOlly easily wins "Most Obnoxious Dog of the Trip!" KIm and Cj say she is more behaved when guests aren't around-I hope so! :) I went to the Acadian museum and was surprised to learn that PEI was originally stolen from the Micmaq Natives by the French and named "Ile de St. Jean". The Acadians who lived there saw a burst of immigration from the Acadians expelled from NOva Scotia but the English soo n got around to PEI and kicked out all the Acadians there too-harsh. Years later, when things settled down, the Acadians wanted to promote themselves to have the same rights as English in the area so they had these meetings. The 1881 meeting at Miscouche was important because they introduced their own flag and anthem, "Ave Marie Stella". I'd like to get my choir to sing it sometime. It was a cool museum and there are a few families with names like Gallant, Arsenault, LeBlanc who are community founders. The curator at the museum was nice enough to provide me with the words and music to the anthem. I headed out of Miscouche on the Confederation Trails which were really the old train track beds. the red-clay gravel path was good and the forest with the changing leaves made for nice cycling. I soon tired and joined the Hwy 2 up to O'Leary where I stopped in at Vinny's and had some french fries dressed up with ketchup. Big sized French fries indeed! I checked into the Canadian Potato museum and learned everthing I needed to know about potatos. They came from Peru but were not embraced by the Europeans until they'd had a crop famine or two. Jefferson is credited with bringing the French Fry back from France and some annoyed cook in the States was angry a customer had complained the potato slices were to thick so the cook made them wafer thin-coila-the modern day potato chip! I wandered around to the back to look at the old far machinery and met Stan whio was a retired guy who volunteered in the spring and fall when the summer students took off. He gave me information that I hadnt asked for but I found he was quite a pleasant fellow. I saw the machines set up to be powered by walking horses and thats where we get the word "horsepower" from. He was very interested in my trip and when I let it slip that I was going up to Skinners Pond even though the museum was closed, he confided in me that he'd heard that the guy running the museum was involved with drugs so Tom wiped his hands clean of the whole thing. A shame. The old schoolhouse was still there to see apparently. I said goodbye to Stan and made my way up to Skinners Pond via the raillines. At Skinners Pond, a tiny sign greets you as you enter the endless series of small houses with farms. There isn't really a concentration of houses anywhere. I made my way further into the town and found the Stompin Tom Road but as I travelled the road, I didn't see a house or school. I headed back, ignoring the beach on the other side of the dunes, and found to my great delight, the old schoolhouse which was on the opposite corner. If I had just turned my head at the street, I would have seen it! There was a stone marker with a sign saying that the schoolhouse #19 was the one that Tom went to. It was shut down but I was still very happt to have made it there. The sun was setting and it was looking to be a nice night. There was a farm behind with a few horses grazing off in the distance as well as an outhouse where Tom might have sat and done some thinking! The holes were all filled up with cement. I sat on the steps up to the school and sat down and composed a tune called "Stompin' Tom". I'm quite happy with it and its even cooler that I was at the place where he went to school. I was hoping to see the farm where he lived but I couldn't find anyone to ask. When it got dusk, I set up the tent and when I moved my bike, the horses all rushed over to the fence to look at me. I walked over to them and just looked at them. They weren't too eager to be petted. I read for a bit and then went to sleep in the warm, fall night. I greeted the sunshine streaming into the C'Mon Inn's room with great delight. A good day to ride. I had a pleasant breakfast with Alexandre and Heather the staff at the hostel. Heather had actually lived in Hazelton recently so we shared some horror stories about the place. I hope she is happier in Moncton now. Morgan, who was the owner, also chatted with me a bit. He thought it quite funny that I secretly hoped my bike would get stolen each morning before I went to retrieve it. Darn, still there in Moncton. Here's hoping....I gave my goodbyes and headed down the buys but very wide shouldered Hwy 15. The roads in New Brunswick are great and lend themselves very well to cycling. I made good time through the countryside and was getting closer to PEI. I stopped in at a grocery store to load up on my daily chocolate milk and noticed the sign for "Nepolian" ice cream. I chuckled to myself and found chocolat spelled wrong as well. The containers of ice cream were right there so someone must have been in a hurry. I stopped in at a gas stand to inquire as to the crossing of the bridge. The guy called the bridge centre and got the information as to which exit to leave. When I got to the centre, I picked up a phone, took a number (?-maybe for the busy season) and was told to wait for the truck to come. As I am sitting outside, my legs start to sting and I look down to see a dozen or more mosquitoes feasting on me. I haven't seen a mosquito for a month now. They were so vicious, I had to go inside. A half hour later, the guy pops his head in and asks if I need the shuttle. I head out with him and he loads my bike on and I load my stuff on. I ask him if he's ever lost a bike. He tells me no and I say theres a first time for everything. I hope not he laughs. The bridge is 12km long and it is a fantastic day. I discuss my trip with the driver and get the lay of the land from him. All too soon, we are at the other side and I offer him any price to take me to Summerside. No such luck but he is sympathetic. I ask where the tourist centre is and he points in the general direction of the liquor store. Seems a strange way to greet visitors... The town of Bolton-Carlton is almost artifical because everything is so new and colourful but it doesn't really look like anybody lives there. It seems to be all created for the droves of tourists who visit. I walk in the visitor centre and see that they have divided the province up into 4 corners. North, South, Green Gables, and East. I ask the lady at the counter where the section for Skinners Pond is and she takes a second to realize I am joking. I tell her I'd like to see the Stompin' Tom Conners museum and she looks puzzled. She says she is unsure and thinks that it was closed down. She confirms this with her friend. I cannot believe that this has happened and that there was not rioting in the streets. The lady is nice enough to provide me with a few things I can see on my way up and down. Very informative people at this centre! I head off into the sunshine and already I can feel the pace of life change here. People drive slowly, give lots of room, and are quick to offer help. The red clays are bright and the fields of potatoes endless it seems. I follow hwy 10 up to Summerside which is a bigger, older town. I learn that the Mr. Green named the place Green lodge but a visiting guest remarked that it was easy to live on the island if you were on the 'summerside'. Mr. Green put a sign above his tavern saying "Summerside Lodge" and the name stuck. I called my sub-host from couchsurfing and they gave me the go ahead. I biked out and was soon sitting in the kitchen of Cody and Jim in Miscouche. Jim was a retired air force Sargent from Newfoundland and Cody had grown up in the area and was "100% Acadian". So Acadian in fact, that her farther had helped build the first museum. We had a delicious meal of chicken, potatoes, carrots, followed by homemade apple pie for dessert. I almost said, "What? No Lobster?!!" but showed some rare maturity. They had cheese with theres but did not. Seamus the 4 year old grandson was also in attendance. It turns out that once the farmers go over their fields that you can go in and pick the remaining potatoes by hand. Until mom showed up, we played a game of Mexican trains that was a variation on Dominoes. Fun indeed. Soon enough, KIm showed up with the 2 other children -Ashlynn and Deidre who had done their numerous afterschool activities. We rode to teh next door house and went in the garage door. Molly, the chocolate lab came bounding up to me and I stuck out my knee to pre-empt the inevitable jump up. She was so excited and would not stop. At 10 months she had energy to spare. Kim kept her on a leash while the kids showed me their cavernous basement that made Carol Koepke's place look tiny! I went upstairs and played a few songs on the piano and uke before the kids went to bed. They pointed out the tractors in the fields taking in the potato crop even though it was dark. KIm said they would go allnight to take advantage of the good weather to get the crop in. KIm also said that one time she was home alone and was trying on clothes a friend had given her. She forgot the farmers were out late at night and she figures she must have given them a good show! :) No curtains in the house at all! The children went to sleep and were qite nice kids who weren't shy at all. CJ came home soon and all three of us talked about teaching and the issues facing them in PEI. |
About meAmateur cyclist, bon vivant, writer and internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter. Archives
February 2013
Categories |
Travelling Musician |
|