Sept 2nd

Alas all good things must come to an end... and this was our last day on PEI. Morning really, as we intended to leave by 1 pm.

Didier and I took the opportunity of an morning low-tide to have one last walk down on the beach...

...where we were met by the only starfish to be found this season...

God I miss this place...


To give you an idea of the beauty of the beach... here is a 360 video I took... OK, it's ot the BEST quality again, but well I think you get the idea...

Back up to the cottage, and Mom and Dad returned from Charlottetown and Church. Didier and I served them Montréal's finest Smoked Meat (from Rubens) and then after some Apple Pie with Ice Cream (natch') it was time to say good buy...


I tell you I cried the 2 kilometers out to the highway. I hat leaving this place... I guess that's part of the reason I waited so long to go back... it's just so incredibly hard to leave...

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On the road again... we traversed the Confederation Bridge once more, and cut across and up the Western edge of New Brunswick til we were back in La Belle Province again. We made our way to Rivière-du-Loup. We found a small hotel "Auberge Saint Patrice" and got a room, then headed 'downtown' for a bite to eat. We made it to "L'Estaminet"...


an incredibly terrific resto/tavern with, wait for it... 150 beer to choose from! I swear I died and went to heaven! IT's hard to pick a beer from a list 150 long so I copped out a bit and got my fav... Guinness extra Stout. After too much food (NO ice cream for Dessert... there simply was no room!) ...we headed back to the Inn and went to bed... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Aug 29th

Did we sleep in today? ... actually no. :-(

Today I was up BEFORE 9 am! (sick huh?)

I was off to visit my maternal Grandmother...

Ain't she a cutie?! 93 and still full of piss n' vinegar! I love my visits with her, as infrequent as they are, I cherish every moment. And why not, she tells me as well as everybody else that I'm her favourite! (and can you blame her? heh) In fact she said the only thing she misses as much as me, is her car. (and trust me she misses that car... the remaining population on Halifax does not share her sentiment regarding the car, as for me they are mixed. heh)

We always chat about family, past ands present. I always listen intently to her tales of times gone by... I can't get enough of therm. And she is always trying to get me to eat... none stop! On this visit I relented and had a piece of Lemon Meringue pie... at all of 10:30 am! lol But you know what, It was, (as ever) the best piece of pie you can imagine!

Unfortunately this was a short visit, 2 1/2 hours and then I had to be off, back to the parents...

...pack the car and head to PEI... This was only a drive of 300 kms, but crossed 3 provinces and one kick ass long bridge!



The Confederation Bridge is just under 13 kms across and this was my first time driving across it (as it was Didier's as well, in fact the first time he was ever on PEI, but not the last!)

Then just 20 mins after the crossing we were in Hampton, at Shangra-la. Or 'Suits Us" as Mom and Dad call it. It USED to be called "No-lak-a-nookie Lodge" but seems Mom has mellowed in her 60's and thought the name too provocative... whatever...

I hurried Didier to help me unload the car and then we rushed down to the beach... MY BEACH...

I grew up, summers on PEI on this beach since 1976. It was low tide and it was half past 6, time was a wastin'! I had not been to the cottage since August 11th 1991... I was long overdue.

Didier was as instantly in love with the beach and it's inhabitants as I was as a child... and he took pics to show it too!...

Hermet Crabs...

Snails...



Razor Clams...

Quahog clams... and me (of course!)

and much more, Blue Herons, Seagulls, Arctic Terns, Piping Plovers, Sandpipers, Cliff Swallows...

And more than anything else... sunset...

Time ceases to exist at sunset there. You are outside of time, it avoids the Sunset so that you can be enveloped by it...

And if that was not enough enchantment, as we were returning to the cottage as twilight set in we passed the abandoned sand castle of one of our neighbour's grandchildren...


...How is that for magic?

Once we got back to the cottage we realized, hey! we're hungry, so we took the car into Charlottetown (35 kms away) and went down to Peake's Wharf and had dinner at the Peake's Quay Restaurant. YUM! Seafood Pasta Marinara.

On the return trip to the cottage we looked at the Moon rising in the sky, so full (like our bellies) as it shone it's silver glow over the countryside.

Yet another perfect day.