Farewell Canada

What did I miss most while I was gone?

This little one. I was happy to babysit first thing when I got home and get put her down for a nap. "Down for a nap" literally means face down at the moment.

Here is the last part of our time on Prince Edward Island. We didn't have a particular plan for our days on PEI, other than our ukulele day. So each morning we asked at the hotel "what should we see." Fiona at The Great George was wonderful at giving suggestions and directions. It was nice to have time to see things leisurely. And to enjoy some unexpected stops that we found when I missed a couple of turns along the way. It's a small island, so you couldn't be too lost. 

We rode to the tiny village of Victoria-By-The-Sea one day and then took the scenic route back to Charlottetown.

We saw the red sand on the shore at Victoria.

I was amazed that farms and sea sat side by side.

We had lunch at an honest-to-goodness tea room.

It was as lovely to look at as it was delicious. The entire tea room held about 12 people.

Bright colors were the norm everywhere we went. Maybe in winter's gloom, it cheers everyone up.

And a trip to Green Gables  at Cavendish is a must for all visitors. We love Anne of Green Gables--the movies and the books, so it was fun to see the farm that inspired author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The farm belonged to cousins of her grandparents with whom she lived as she was growing up. It was located nearby the grandparents, so she would have spent time here. It is now a national park.

I had heard about the red sand beaches and we saw a little of that in Victoria, but there are real beaches--the wide kind we have here in SC--at Brackley Beach and up that shore. The sand felt just like our beaches but it really is red.

We wish that our PEI friends could see the land near our farm. It is as red as this road here on PEI, but ours is red clay instead of red sand. Maybe this is one reason I felt so at home.

David and Diane took us to Summerside one evening to see Highland Storm, an evening of Celtic music and dance. But the surprise was a stop at Frosty Treat on the way to enjoy the best fried clams on the island.

The soloist in Highland Storm is a member is the ukulele group, SMUG, on PEI. We had met her the day I played with their group. This was a wonderful show. I discovered in the gift shop adjacent to the theater, where all things Scottish were sold, that the names on the mugs, plaques, etc. sounded just like the names in my community--Armstrong, Campbell, Robertson. Those are names of our neighbors!

As we rambled around we ended up back at the beach. Glad we did because the first time we did not see Dalvay By The Sea, a beach resort where Prince William and his new bride Kate stayed just weeks ago.

And we just couldn't leave without saying goodbye to our new friends, David and Diane. A visit with them the night before we left gave us one more opportunity to play a little music. Music just makes for instant friendship.

We will forever be grateful for their hospitality. It was a wonderful adventure. Maybe they can come visit us in the South one day.