Friday, September 28, 2012

Fall Progress

Took my camera outside and the batteries were dead. With the kids at my heels all morning I thought better then to go in and get batteries....somewhere upstairs.

The little ones were painting rocks on the front porch in the sun this morning. It is 16C out, but a lot warmer in the sunshine. In the meanwhile I started the clear out the garden. The first were the beets. I have five rows left. I removed one row for this week. They will do well in the ground for a spell yet. However I will mention we had frost this morning. I am planning meals around the garden for the next two weeks or so. My freezer is full so we will be eating fresh and little meat to use up the garden.

The raspberries are in full swing right now. No use bringing them in as the little ones get hungry ( always) and go down and nibble away on the raspberries.

Dearest came in from a walk in the fields last night ( full moon) with two puffballs.(http://www.mssf.org/cookbook/puffballs.html) which I am now cutting up, and cooking with onions and garlic and freezing, in an already stuffed freezer in small portions.

I have mending to do today. Mostly elastics in the smallest ones pants. They haven't lasted from the last child. And Dearest sleeping bag before he goes camping in three weeks time. He wrecked the zipper in this expensive bag last year. That is his fourth and I informed him last sleeping bag he will own. They are costing us a fortune because he doesn't know how to use a zipper properly. You slide down , not upward! He breaks zippers on everything. His mom never instructed his right I guess. Thank goodness for Velcro. That is how I am going to repair the sleeping bag. he will have to live with it.

Monday, September 24, 2012

PEI part three

Computer problems yesterday wouldn't let me type in where I wanted so only pictures.
Avonlea Village
Staying in PEI is not expensive. Our cabin cost us $60./night and we did our own cooking. groceries on the other hand was more expensive then I am use to, but really I am so use to a pantry which I didn't have here. We ate very basic meals and soup at noon hour. Fish is very cheap there. What I pay $6.99 for was $2.99 a package there. I thought apples would be cheaper because they are grown there and potatoes, but Ontario potatoes here are half the price they pay. I bought all our fresh goods at road end farm stands. At least the farmer gets the full profit that way. We had some lovely blueberry honey while there. I went back to get some before returning home, but it was all gone.

We spent most of our time on the east side of the island. But the first Friday we went to Delway and Cavendish area. We did not go to Anne of Green Gables because I know for a fact it is not the original home, which was burnt to the ground. There were 16 buses there from the states. A money trap!
We did go to Avonlea, which is not to be confused with the set which is for the greater part in Kitchener Ontario. WE heard beautiful island music there and saw how the fish and open an oyster. None of us brave enough to eat one! Then we drove up the west coast.
West side of the Island
 The beaches there were of red sand. But ATV's had driven down them and there was broken glass etc. Not a pretty site. the east coast was so clean. We slept in the motel there that night and I caught this cold. Oh in Alberton you have to eat at the bakery and coffee shop. Don't worry only two eateries there. The most excellent soup and homemade buns. Full pies for $4.00. Wonderful food.
North Point Lighthouse
The Saturday morning we went to the very North Cape of the island. It had rained a little throughout the night. Rain brings on the smell from the sea creatures. Smells like a septic system opening up. I found hard to get use to. It was really bad this morning. But on the Cape one could go to the other side of the island and there no smell. There is a really nice nature trail with lots of information about the sea life there, right at the north point.
Lobster fishing off the north point
windmills at north point
From there we headed back south on the west side of the island. It was a pleasant day. We wanted to rent a cottage on this side of the island for three days but no one would rent or rent only by the week. One thing you have to understand is the island basically tourist wise closes Labour Day weekend.
Home of Stopin Tom a Canadian Idol in folk music
A John Deere wedding in a small town
We landed out driving a long distance to Summerside to a motel. there are many there, all about $69./night for two bedroom, kitchenette and full bath. We tried the pool. Too cold!

Going to Worship throughout the week and on Sunday was a real blessing to us all. meeting new ones and learning life on the island. This particular Sunday was really windy. Not cold out but the wind dropped the temperature a lot. Dearest wanted KFC ( yuck) so we did and went to a park to eat. National parks were all still opened but we learned that Provincial ones were all closed. This park was closed, but I didn't want KFC mess on the clothes. So we ducked behind trees and got changed and ate lunch rather quickly I will add at this park.
Confederation bridge from the park
Got back in the car and called the lady we rented the cottage from on the east side and begged if we could have it again for the remains of our trip. She said she would love to have us. case solved. I wasn't budging from this cottage for the remains of the trip. Dearest can hunt around but i was tired not knowing where I was going to sleep next. Besides a felt a cold coming on.
house for sale $7.8 million

We had some cool nights, but cooking in the cottages and warm showers seemed to warm them up quite nicely. No heat was required but the days if not too windy were perfect. Still bathing suit on the beach weather ( in the afternoon). Dearest loves to look at real estate. A hobby of his, ( keeps us in the poor house- property poor) This little baby was walking distance from our cottage going for $7.8 million!!! The people are from the states and come up two weeks in the year. My landlady tells us they loose about a foot of land a year to erosion. The locals chuckle about this place and say it will be in the ocean in about 20 years. Their beach wasn't even nice.
whale watching
We saw whales and seals the last two days we were on the beach. The wind was coming off the land and the water was calm. We walked about 10km a day on the beaches, Dearest often more.

The price of gas when we left home was $120.9/liter, it had been cheaper in the states, New Brunswick was $129.9/liter and PEI was $125./liter. While we were there prices jumped to $133.2/liter in PEI, but what a shock when we crossed the bridge to New Brunswick it was $140./liter. I have never see it that high. In Quebec on route home $144.6/ liter!! Today here at home $118.2/liter. Sometimes home is the best place.
Confederation bridge from New Brunswick side






Sunday, September 23, 2012

PEI part two


On the beach where we stayed collecting shells

Sand dunes
Me taking a walk down the beach " alone!"
Dalway also known on Road to Avonlea as Whitesands hotel

Inside Dalway, on Cavandish Shores


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Back from Holidays

We arrived in around 4:30pm yesterday from our two week holiday to Prince Edward Island. I have a terrible head cold which began as allergies to a motel I found to have an unusual smell to it. Because of the smell I had to open the room windows only to smell someone smoking pot out the back way. I couldn't win and by morning I had a lump in my throat that has since moved throughout my head and throat. It will be one of those 10 day things, in the meanwhile I feel like crap.

Our holidays thought was wonderful.

We left Friday September 7th around 8:30am. It was around 1pm when we hit the USA boarder at Cornwall Ontario. We had made two major stops on route. Not for kids either but hubby with a weak bladder. At the second stop we had lunch right on the St. Lawrence River.

In the States we were in Upper New York where the driving is terribly slow as it is a native reserve and you cannot drive quickly for about the first 100km. Other then the slow driving seeing Amish vegetable stands outside the casino's on the roadway  gave me a great chuckle. I should have taken a picture because the comparison was too hard to comprehend.

We drove through Vermont until the daylight left us and we went looking for a motel/inn or cabin for the night. Things look so different in the dark when you don't know where you are. But the teenager saw this sign for cabins and we went up to see. It was a little pricey for the area and time of year. We asked if we could see first and the Dutch lady allowed that. It was a nice comfy place with room for us and all the things a cottage would provide including canoe/life jackets etc. So we stayed. In the morning this was our view.
Joe's Pond
The name of the place was called Injunjoe which I could help chuckle to think how my Dutch mother would say that "Inyanyo". I never asked the owner to say it, I am afraid I would have cracked up.

We were on the road again by 8am. Went through New Hampshire which I loved the area. The woods, and the homes. Hiking trails everywhere. Just a lovely state, into Maine. Trees and more trees. The drive became totally boring as trees were the only highlight until the mountains came in view. yet still more trees, I had a map that stated the elevation of the mountains and it became a guessing game as to which one was higher. It appeared to me that more then half of Maine is up for sale. For sale signs were everywhere. From Maine we went into New Brunswick ( back into Canada), where we lost an hour of our life with the time difference. We weren't counting on this! Ops!!

We took the TransCanada highway after taking more scenic routes it seemed too fast until we got to St. John. Dearest was getting tired and it was getting dark but we couldn't find a place to stay. Stupid me said there must be something on the ocean so we headed that way down worn old roads until we hit a small fishing community which had B&B. Dearest hates B&B's. Then again teenager spotted campers & cottages. We went in and got a cottage for $35.
camping cabin in New Brunswick
Hurricane Louise was to come in through the night so just having a dry spot was nice. However this very small outhouse with its beds with plastic covering had no sheets or blankets and we had no sleeping gear with us. So out came everything we had to wear and cover us. I think we were so tired nothing mattered. It rained in the night but nothing really bad. I was up (too early) and took a shower at the camp station. It felt good. It was now Sunday morning and we were not in PEI yet so we had a family worship together and then walked the beach. We left around 10am. New Brunswick is really a big Providence when you have been driving for days. I thought we would never get out of it. The last 90km in New Brunswick it began to rain and then pour.

To get to PEI you have to take the Confederation Bridge which is 13.2 km long. It was raining a sheet of water as the hurricane came through and we didn't see any bridge. We got on it and followed the cars in front of us seeing nothing. A little disappointing. We were now on the island and headed to the north east shore. It was still raining heavy and an unpleasant drive. We had no destination but a butch of cottages I took off the Internet. Dearest was getting weary from driving and wanted to set up camp somewhere. When he said so it was near the one cottage that a person had replied to my via computer a few weeks back. We saw the cottages ( one was opened) and dearest liked it. So I called the owner, but housekeeping had not gone through and none were available for two nights. Bummer. It was getting dark( early because of the rain) so Dearest decided to head to a city. I spied a motel, and inquired but they were full but they gave me an address of an inn further down the road and reserved me a room. She was a real sweetie and told us we would really like this place. Did we ever. It was something right out of a magazine...think Home Sense!! beautiful with antiques and lovely decorated. It was an old house made into a five unit inn, sort of like a B&B but don't tell Dearest!
lion claw tub and antique wash stand
porcelain sink
master bedroom
The owner with a heavy Nova Scotia accent made us muffins and brought up milk in the morning. So sweet of her. Wonderful hospitality.

10am on the road. Still raining but not so hard. Object for today is to find a cottage for the night and see a beach. First we stop at a grocery store and I buy about four days worth of groceries ( because we in a city) and we drive to the east coast. In and out every small road that leads to a beach and we see cottages but none are very private so we move on. It is off season now and you have to understand the tourist trade here ( a learning experience for me) their whole business ends Labour Day weekend! Cottage we find we can't have. It is still raining by afternoon, but has let up some, but the winds are hurling. We get to the very east point at a lighthouse and there is a restroom there, but just trying to get the car doors opened for the wind was a challenge, and cold. The tail of the hurricane we are told. The tail end has the bite. It is late afternoon and we find some nice cottages at Greenwich I call the number and the lady says she only rents by the week. Then hesitates and said she will be right there. She sees us. Everyone dressed  in dresses and bonnets and she says if we pay cash, not taxes and strip the beds in the morning. Done deal. The cottage is bigger then my daughters house! All wood, but cold. Thank goodness for heaters! The winds and rain have made it cold. Teenager can hook-up to WiFi and does schooling. Baths and a warm dry bed.

In the morning we head to our cottage for the next week. It is on the north-east shore at what is called Cable Head. Rent is $60. a night and has washer/dryer, showers, everything in the kitchen you would need to cook and BBQ and satellite tv ( what's that?). It was real homey.
our cabin
master bedroom
kids room
kitchen
living room
dining room
garbage bin
Recycling is taking very serious in PEI. Your garbage bin is in three sections. Recycling to the left, garbage to the right and composting in the front. You can compost all tissues, toilet paper rolls, cardboard. It was fantastic! however you pay a tax for water bottles, juice containers, anything plastic or tetrapak. I think it is $1.00/per carton which left all frugality behind. I wasn't about to drink the tap water here.
This was our beach. It ran about 10km of waterside walking. Monday morning the sun came out. It went up to 24C(78F) perfect summer weather.

to be continued.......................