Jenn and Graeme Visit Us on PEI...Life is Good!

On one hand we need to plan better so that we’re not travelling on our birthdays; on the other hand, arriving on PEI in the summertime is a pretty great birthday gift!! Yes, we arrived on PEI on Barry’s birthday, July 30th.

Happy Birthday, My Wonderful Husband!

We were so excited when Jenn and Graeme decided to join us on PEI for 2 weeks. Jenn is not a big traveller, so we wanted this visit to be perfect. I wanted them to fall in love with the Island so they would be sure to come back in the future, and not surprisingly, they did!

Flying from Edmonton to Prince Edward Island non-direct can be a very long day, but when flights are delayed and you miss your connection it’s even longer! Jenn and Graeme are both pretty laid back and take things in stride so although they were exhausted, they were just happy to finally arrive.

We wanted to stay in Cavendish for our first couple of weeks so we would be biking distance to the beach and well, the Cavendish and North Rustico areas are just so beautiful! Once Jenn and Graeme woke up from their nap ON THE GRASS, we went for some Cow’s ice cream and headed for a walk on the beach and watch the sunset. What a perfect way to introduce them to PEI!

I had put together a pretty busy itinerary but there’s so much see and do, not to mention a couple of days in Nova Scotia to visit Ryan and Melissa, and Peggy’s Cove!! We’ll see if they burn out! Jenn works at the Alberta Craft Council so she was very excited when I sent her the list: The Confederation Centre of the Arts, The Dunes Gallery, Victoria by the Sea, Charlottetown Craft Council, and anything local artisan. And we saw it all!! But first, Anne of Green Gables. This was high on Jenn’s list!

Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908 and since then has been published in 36 languages, there are 12 English-language film adaptions of the Anne of Green Gables series, 5 fan fiction movies and TV series, as well as numerous radio dramas and musicals based on the books! It was so much exploring the property and the gift shop. Graeme got right into it!!!

A couple of days after they arrived, we headed to Nova Scotia to see Ryan and Melissa and they joined us at Peggy’s Cove. On our way, of course, we had to stop at Borden Carleton to check out the shops and have lunch at the picnic area by the Confederation Bridge. Every time I drive over the 13 km Bridge, I remember Ryan and I walking/running it, along with hundreds of others, when construction was finished in 1997, before it was open to cars.

Having lived on the Island all my life until moving to Calgary in 2008, I have never been to Peggy’s Cove. Such an incredible, magical place! Mother Nature can be very peaceful, kind and beautiful but can also be very fierce, unpredictable and unforgiving. STAY OFF THE BLACK ROCKS!!

After playing on the rocks for a while we had our first east coast lobster roll before walking through the shops scattered throughout the small town. Lobster Roll…8.5! Barry and Jenn are not seafood people, although Barry keeps trying. Jenn…she opted for something other than lobster. Graeme loved it, as did Ryan, Melissa and I. Unfortunately, Ryan and Melissa had to take off, but the rest of us enjoyed walking around the really cool shops before heading back!

Since Ryan and Melissa are now on the East Coast and Jenn and Graeme are in Edmonton, it is and will be really tough to have family get-togethers so this day was incredibly special for us. And that’s also why this lifestyle looks so well for us.

LOVE THIS PICTURE!

We also did the Island lighthouse tour! Since PEI has 63 lighthouses, we couldn’t tour them all, but we did a lot of them! Just to mention a few, we visited Panmure Island lighthouse being the first wooden lighthouse on PEI to Cape Bear lighthouse which was moved twice due to erosion and of course, the Point Prim Lighthouse which is the oldest lighthouse on PEI, built in 1845. Unfortunately, most of our lighthouse tour days were raining and windy, but we still made the best of it.

And of course, being from O’Leary, we had to head up West where we toured the West Point lighthouse, which is the tallest lighthouse on PEI at 20.6 meters, built in 1875.

I never remember as much as I should but Tracey is always the perfect tour guide, plus I just get to spend quality time with my sister reminiscing about our childhood before moving to Charlottetown. She took us Coleman Hall where we used to sing in concerts when we were little, and then to Dad’s childhood property on Livingstone Road in West Point. Such an incredible property! I wish it had have stayed in the family.

We also took Jenn and Graeme for “fries with the works”! Pat’s Takeout started fries with the works in O’Leary back in the late 60s/early 70s, and although Pat’s is no longer there, we went to a restaurant attached to the Potato Museum (also toured!) where, according to my sister, is the best place to go. It didn’t disappoint!! Jenn can be a picky eater, so fries with the works didn’t appeal to her, but Barry, Tracey, Graeme and I ate her portion so it worked out! LOOK AT THIS MESS OF YUMMY!!

We explored a lot of beaches on the Island during this visit and I have to say, I think Skinners Pond (Stompin’ Tom!!) and Greenwich (biggest sand dunes on PEI and the beautiful boardwalk) were our favorites. They’re all beautiful of course!! Panmure Island…oh, so many…

Although it was a rainy day, we still wanted to go see the bottle houses in Wellington. It’s more like a village! It contains a six-gabled house, tavern and chapel, not to mention the beautifully landscaped property and gardens! The buildings are made of over 25,000 recycled glass bottles! When the sun shines on these glass houses it’s just amazing…a photographer’s paradise for sure. Graeme got some great shots!

What I love to do on the Island is drive down dirt roads to see where they lead, and that was what we did in Darnley. The red cliffs were stunning, and the ocean was full of energy and breathtaking! We were amazed to see a couple of guys fishing off the rocks that jut out into the ocean. They clearly didn’t see the message from Peggy’s Cove, “STAY OFF THE BLACK ROCKS”!

After spending a couple of more days in Charlottetown, and a couple of days where Jenn and Graeme took off on the bikes on the Confederation Trail, it was time for them to leave. It was sad to see them go, but wow, we did a lot, and everyone needed a rest! They loved it and they will be back…yay…that was our goal.

The day before Jenn and Graeme left we moved to Pine Hills Campground in Brackley Beach. Merlot loved the green space and all the company we had! Roxanne and Cam even bought him a new toy!

The next two weeks was about visiting! It was so great to spend time with close friends, reconnecting with others. Such great people! And we got to spend another couple of days with Tracey who knows all the hidden gem places on the Island. I always feel like a tourist when I’m exploring with her. It’s fun. We even got to spend a couple of hours with Doug and Darcie, our fellow rvers. Met them at Gahan House. BEST CHOWDER I HAVE EVER HAD!! Islanders may be surprised to hear that, but really!!

We also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the Island, making a great dinner with even better wine (Amarone!). It feels like we’re still newlyweds but together forever. We’ve made so many wonderful memories in such a short period of time. We’re so grateful! Our time on PEI was crazy busy and better than I could have imagined. We can’t wait to be back for much longer next time.

To see more pictures, click here!