Photos of Yankee Hill at French River and the New London Rear Lighthouse our spot in the Summer. The marsh area and the small creek going into the sea.
Another dramatic photo from the beach looking back to the small lighthouse no longer lived in surrounded by marran grass. I love going there even in Winter, for the peace and quiet. These beautiful photos were taken by our neighbour at Yankee Hill, Bruce Stewart who lives there year round with his family and 2 dogs. We will return to the cottage in 2024, can’t wait.
Today is our anniversary, we met on this 23 Nov at Will’s house for one drink, no I was not the pizza delivery boy. I never left and here we are. A wonderful time throughout these many years all around the world, yes we have travelled and lived all over the world. It was not always easy but with patience and in drawing on each other in time of need and being there made all the difference. So let’s try for another 45 years, I remain an optimist. As for the mention of not one cross word in all those years, well my memory does not serve me well, I really don’t remember, just the good stuff.
This photo is of the area across the street from our home in 1960 when the train service still existed in PEI. The area across our street was the railway yard and repair shops for trains and locomotive, it was also the loading zone for potatoes which were stored in Terminal 1 which is now known as Pier 1 for all cruise ships in coming.
Of all those buildings only one large one survives and one small one, everything else was demolished and turned into a cruise ship and tourism area. If you see the area today you would never know that this was an industrial area until 1980. The bridge in the backyard is also gone, it was use for trains only and was replace by a bridge for car traffic by cutting the Hillsborough river in two with a dyke. Of the numerous trees in this picture most are now gone, cut down to widen the street which is unfortunate. My house is hidden in the picture by the trees.
The area today much changed, it’s industrial past forgotten. The photo below in December 2022 showing the skating rink and park area. It is much more pleasant.
Back from the dealership. Well I got a phone call from one of the sales people at the dealership asking some pretty lousy questions, things he should have known, if only he looked at my file at the garage. What he really wanted to do was to sell me another car. I am not interested at this time. I prefer to wait and look around see what might strike my fancy. But hey, no harm in nosing around to see if a customer might want to jump in and spring for a new car. Thing is, I am not much of an impulsive buyer nor someone who follows trends, others might but not me, the contrarian you could say, so this sales guy was not lucky with me. The car got its check and updates and the snow tires are on and tonight we have snow squalls. I also had some brake work done so the final bill was higher than anticipated but brakes are important. I did look during the day at the website of the car manufacturer and what a new car might cost. The problem is that you have to give your phone number and email address to get any info on price, that means they will harass you big time with dumb cold calls in the hope you might bite to the sale pitch. There is nothing wrong with the car now so I can wait and see.
This morning I left the car at our dealership for the Winter tune-up and tire change. My winter tires are brand new this year. They will do the usual check up, I have it done twice a year at regular interval. The mileage or Kilometrage since it is in Km on the dial is only 38,263 Km since purchase new in 2017. I also keep the car very clean.
I also like to look in the showroom at 2024 models, what I noticed only electric models are now featured and only SUV models. In 7 years time fossil fuel models will be largely phased out. So in all likely hood my next car purchase will be electric. Have to say this makes me a little nervous. Am not sure that at the moment there are sufficient charging stations all around. It will take time to get used to drive electric, I know people who do and it appears normal to them.
Dealership have a culture all their own, everywhere you look, it’s male sports, hockey and football mixed in with cars on show. The subliminal message is old fashion macho, even the sales staff fit a certain image that does not appear to have changed in decades, if you do not fit in that mind frame then forget it. Not a welcoming atmosphere for women or for anyone who simply want to look at a car with the no nonsense approach. I do not need the hype, I simply want to know is this car comfortable to drive. The emphasis on 0 to 60 in seconds for city driving is not practical, the idea that you are driving on the ledge of the grand canyon every weekend is also silly. Or driving through a nature preserve at 150km per hour leads me to ask what is the point? Or the emphasis on braking rapidly to avoid hitting someone gives the impression that a car can stop on a dime, again nonsense. I suppose that applies to distracted drivers who like to believe the car will do the driving for them.
I was never one to visit show rooms, in fact all cars look alike to me, same chassis, same grey dark colours, nothing distinctive. You really do not know what a car will be like until you drive it for a week or more. Then you will appreciate if it is really a model/ make you want. If I look at models from the 1950’s, 60’s or 70’s they were far more distinctive or elegant and the colour choice more interesting. All that is gone now, cookie cutter approach and conveying the feeling of power/ excitement at the wheel is what matters it seems. As long as it gets me from A to B, I am happy, my car is not used to impress people as long as it is clean, all is good.
I get good service from the dealership and they follow the car and maintenance, I cannot complain. So I should be good now until Spring time.
This past week I took Nicky and Nora to the groomer in Kensington about 45 minutes from Charlottetown. A nice sunny day, around 5 C. but very pleasant. The groomer has a farm on a side road just outside Kensington. Drop them off and went to lunch in the old Train Station of 1905 built by Charles Chappell . It is a very good restaurant, the two waiting rooms have been converted in dinning areas, all the original varnish wood interior has been kept. On the menu they had pickle soup, what is that I wondered, well has the name indicates it is soup with a sliced up pickle in it. A mix of chicken broth, some chicken and potatoes and a dollop of cream. It was very good! I also had haddock fish and chips which should be served really hot, the fish was very fresh in a beer batter. After lunch I walk around the old train station, it is an historical area and you can still see on the tracks an old CN train locomotive, it is impressive.
I had forgotten that her grandfather Senator Donald Montgomery in 1890 arranged for the train to stop in Kensington so that young Lucy Maud Montgomery could meet Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and Lady Macdonald who were touring the Island. Her family lived around the area and this would have been their train station. She left from that train station to travel all the way to Regina in Saskatchewan with her grandfather the Senator to visit her father Hugh and her step-mother, she was one of the first to travel by train on a brand new transcontinental railway. A trip that would have taken several days over 3000 kilometres. She returned one year later to PEI, the visit did not go well.
I then travelled down the road towards the sea and French River, going by the Campbell homestead and the Montgomery home which is high up on a hill and a B&B today. All of which are closely connected to Lucy Maud. The area at this time of the year is very quiet, harvest is over, the fields are ready for planting in the spring, tourists are gone and the businesses catering to them are closed. So it is a very sleepy and quiet area, but so nice and pleasant, the air is fresh and the panorama of the fields and the sea is very soothing.
The Church of St-Mary at Indian River, built in 1880 designed by William Crichtlow Harris, know for its perfect acoustic and now used by the Under the Spire Music Festival.
A frequent sign in rural PEI, Road Not Plowed warning in Winter not to proceed on such a road.
The Black Horse Inn monument on the road just outside Kensington near Park Corner. For years I pass by this monument not knowing what it was. It commemorates a famous Inn which stood on the road back in the 1800’s. Thomas Tuplin was the owner and this famous Inn is remembered in the area.
The road to Park Corner and French River, the sea and many large dairy farms in the area. An area settled by the Yeo and Cousin family.
Around 3:30pm I went to pick-up, Nicky and Nora and they made a run for the car, they see it as their get away car. Let’s get out of here they say, and promptly fall asleep on their blankets on the back seat. It is always a stressful day for them. Arriving home, they did their business and then supper and off for a big snooze and cuddles.
That evening at 7pm back in Charlottetown, I walked over to Baba’s Lounge, Thursday night is Jazz night and this has been going on for many years, every Thursday. Lots of artists in the Jazz scene perform at Baba’s and some guests and bands are famous. It only cost $5. and I often wondered that If I saw those big names in New York or Montreal, I would pay a lot more. They come here to PEI to relax and see friends. Baba’s is small and intimate, about 35 people can sit at tables, have a drink and eat Lebanese cuisine, a wonderful combination, there is also a restaurant, Cedar’s, downstairs same owner the Abdallah Family since 1979. The last time I was at Baba’s was 3 years ago before Covid. It was nice to return, I plan to go regularly. Mark Haines was the artist and he did a lot of great numbers, accompanied by Dan Rowswell on sax, who has been the host of these Thursday Jazz nights.
Walking back home, passing the Legislature still under renovation until 2025. The Government of Canada just gave another $46 million dollar to finish the work. The outside is done now the inside has to be finished in the same original style of 1847. The total in the end will be about $150 million. Province House as the building is called is an important edifice for PEI. It was built to serve as a Legislature and continues in that role. One of the original very large wood beam bares the signature in charcoal of the architect Isaac Smith.
Friday night friends invited us to the coach house of Beaconsfield house, a former grand mansion now a provincial museum. The old coach house is quite big, a venue for social functions. The show was called “Not another drag show”. great artists, some with a professional background, fun evening. Drag shows in PEI are a big thing and very popular.
This coming week, Monday I am going to the dealership to have the car tuned up for winter and have the winter tires put on, a ritual in the Fall and in the Spring. Wednesday 22 Nov, is the 60th anniversary of JFK death in Dallas. I can hardly believe it has been 6 decades all ready, he would be 106 years old today. The wife of his assassin was Russian and lived in obscurity after the tragic events. Marina Oswald is 82 today and lives in Texas.
Since it is American Thanksgiving on Thursday 23 Nov. I cannot resist offering some suggestions to save time in meal prep. Full festive meal in a can, open and warm up in the micro wave and serve, so simple, leaves more time for cocktails and drinks. Imagine the money you will save and your guests will be too drunk to notice. Enjoy!
Back in 2007 while living in Rome, a new line of the Metro was being built. Line A and B serve a central area of Rome but in the last 20 years the suburbs have grown and so has the street traffic on roads built at a time when horses and carriages were the norm. The city of Rome is just over 3.5 million people, so it was decided to built a new metro line which would cross the city from one far suburb to the area just beyond the Vatican hill on the other side of the Tiber river. It went pretty quickly while the construction of tunnels and access was outside the ancient perimeter of Rome, which is a small area but packed with villas, temples, army camps, sacred sites and ruins of all kinds. For more than 20 years now the construction across the old Roman Forum, colosseum area has literally crawled along and the budget has ballooned into billions of Euros. Because of the antiquities encountered all along that area, archeologists and historians have done a lot of studies and forced changes in the various stations along the way. The tunnels now are also getting deeper and deeper to avoid any archeological areas, which is pretty difficult given that ancient Rome was a very compact city with high density. So the tunnels are about 95 feet underground instead of 40 feet. Because of the wealth of historical remains found, several stations will be museums and stations all in one. The discoveries are very exciting and the finds have changed our understanding of ancient Rome. However a discussion on what do people really want, a museum city or a workable city.
These photos show the newest construction project which started just 2 months ago, Piazza Venezia, the very centre of Rome. This area will be under construction for at least 10 years and hopefully nothing new will be found. This is not the end of Line C, there is at least 8 more stations to be built. The station at the Colosseum is schedule to open in 2025, it connects with Line B and Line A at San Giovanni. I often took Line A and B and once Line C is completed it will make a difference in commuting in Rome. Of Line C already open are the Stations from Pantano to Amba Aradam, some 20 stations. Once the line C approached the ancient city walls at San Giovanni, this is where the work became very difficult because of all the historical discoveries. The Romans and the Italian public simply are very attached to their history and its preservation. Politicians are very careful not to upset the electors with ideas infringing on Rome’s past.
Piazza Venezia, the very centre of Rome since antiquity. Now a construction site, there are enormous historical ruins from the time of Emperor Trajan and Hadrian in the area. Some were recently re-discovered to the surprise of many archeologists. So it has been decided that for this metro station there will be a vast museum and commuters will walk through it as they use Line C.
Here is the plan of what the station underground will look like when completed. There was a plan to skip this area all together but given its strategical location, the plan went ahead. This is one project where no expense has been spared in the last 25 years.
Today I had lunch with colleagues of our tour company and the owner. We had a presentation on the next Season which starts at 8am on Monday 8 April 2024 with the arrival of the first ship which will stop in Charlottetown on a world cruise. We expect 100+ ships in 2024 and on one day we will have 5 ships in port, we have done twice 4 ships in one day most days it is 2 or 3 ships. I have difficulty imagining how we will do 5 ships in one day, think about the amount of passengers alone. Cruise ships represents only 10% of our total tourism traffic. The cruise companies and the Port authority control all and they want more. This year we had 89 ships and we had periods of calm with no ships for a week or two week period and then every day a ship or two would come in.
Halifax a city of half a million people is more accustomed to large number of ships but Charlottetown is a village of 40,000. we do not have the infrastructure but maybe someone is making a case for more to get government monies for development. I will be back on the job come April for sure. The lunch itself was quite tasty, good quality.
It was finally announced today that the Governor General in Council has issued an order under the Canadian Royal Mint Act for new Canadian coins to be minted as of tomorrow 14 November, the King’s Birthday, with the effigy of King Charles III and the usual inscription Dei Gratia Rex. We waited 14 months for this decision with no explanation from the government. The coin model was issued today by the Mint and guess what, the website crashed soon after, too many people trying to order coins online. Pretty sad, but oh so typical of anything to do with the Government of Canada these days.
The artist who created the effigy of the King is an artist from the Province of Quebec, Steve Rosati who is known for his oil portraits, including some of the Royals and Canadian coin designs. It is the first time in more than 70 years that the portrait of the Sovereign has changed with this new reign.
As of today all tourist attraction on PEI including restaurants catering to visitors are close until next May 2024. This morning the PEI Regiment fired its 105 mm howitzer cannons in an 11 gun salute for Remembrance Day. They are positioned just 200 feet from our home, the whole building shakes and the windows rattle. The ceremony starts at 11am every 11 November, commemorating the Armistice of 1918. I went to the club and there was lots of Officers and soldiers present having a drink after the ceremonies of wreath laying at the War Memorial.
Everything is closed today Saturday 11 November, so the town is very quiet, the weather is gloomy and wet. It is a day you just want to stay in bed. Usually the 11th November is like that, just a quiet day.
This week also was the first opening of Parliament at Westminster by the King since his coronation. Queen Camilla wore the diadem of George IV, which was worn so often by the late Queen Elizabeth. Both the King and Queen looked tired, they returned from a trip to Kenya just a few days ago. The reading of the Speech from the Throne is a Constitutional duty so the King must do it. The contents of the speech is the program of His government and written by the Prime Minister for The King who can only advise and warn. It is hoped that next year the King will come to Ottawa to open Parliament. Will see if the Government will invite him, Trudeau is fighting for his political survival, he may resign in the coming months. He appears very distracted and no one is buying his program anymore 53% dislike him now, what a drop in 8 years.
So you may be aware we are going into the frenzy season of Xmas. However when I hear the traditional music now, I simply don’t like it. With climate change the wintery scenes are gone. All purchases of food, trees, decorations etc that go with this crazy season is expensive due to galloping inflation. Then the too often repeated theme of Peace on Earth, really with the slaughter in Gaza and Israel, the war and other atrocities in Ukraine. Where is the goodwill? Is it really the most wonderful time of the year? I seriously doubt it. There is too much uncertainty all around. Then I wonder what will 2024 bring? I am hopeful and maybe some good will come our way. At least we are at peace in PEI.
Well Sunday we change our clocks and are now on Standard time but I confuse it with Daylight Saving time, I get the concept but the name confuse me. A bit like Mc and Mac for family names, I never know which is which.
The City now is much quieter, the tourists are gone and traffic has dropped dramatically. No more cruise ships until end April in 2024. I am going back to guide work in the Spring, I really enjoyed myself.
November is a different month, the weather is colder and daylight now is shorter, it is dark by 5:10 pm it is a novelty at the moment by a month from now it won’t be. Remembrance Day on the 11th Nov and the King’s Birthday on the 14th, he will be 75. The Holiday Season and the end of the year creeping on us. I hope that 2024 will be a better year but with 2 wars now one in Europe and one in the Middle East, who knows if this does not turn into a world war. Canada is totally unprepared, no army, no navy and or air force, no supplies of any kind. The Government wants to cut the military budget again. A Prime Minister who is in love with his own voice and think he is in a play. This morning the polls showed that if we had a national election today, the Conservative extreme right or the Trump Camp in Canada would win all.
I have been listening to Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari and is diverse comments on the situation in Israel and Gaza. I cannot be indifferent to this situation, I spent a good chunk of my career working in the region on various issues. He is very level headed, an intellectual and someone who understands this complex problem. He is making in his arguments a differentiation between the Israeli people and PM Netanyahu and between Hamas and the Palestinians. I appreciate that he builds his arguments on making that differentiation, it’s important to do so. This battle is really about politicians in Israel trying to explain their decisions in the last 30 years and Hamas who as a terror group on the payroll of Russia, China and Iran, will stop at nothing to control the Palestinians and continue their role to destabilize the region in order to push an anti-western agenda. The great threat now comes from the North at the border with Lebanon. Hezbollah (the party of god) could start a dangerous diversion by launching hundreds of missiles on Israel. At that point, I could see, though this seems far fetched, that Israel might use nuclear weapons against Iran to destabilize the regime and the USA could supply military support at the border of Lebanon and Israel. The US Navy already has nuclear submarines off the coast of Lebanon and two aircraft carrier group standing by, this is a very powerful message to belligerents.
All the while Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine and it now appears that we may be in a stalemate situation.
With this going on, I am reading John Le Carré book of 1980, a bestseller Smiley’s people. The description of London are accurate, Le Carré’s accuracy in detailing situation in his books makes the history even more interesting. Ah for the days of the Cold War, things were so much simpler in a way.
Here is a quote by world famous Canadian artist Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002) which invites us to think.
On 2 November, overnight we had our first snow fall of the Fall Season, not much just one inch but enough to create chaos on the roads. It was totally unexpected, the weather station did not see this one coming at all, by noon time with the sunshine it had turned to water and grime creating slush. There is the smell of Winter in the air, a very distinctive Canadian thing. We also had one of the last cruise ships in port the Royal Caribbean cruise line, lots of warmly dressed passengers around town.
Went to the dentist and again I am the poster child for great teeth, I am so proud of myself.
The year 2023 marks the Centennial of one of the great Canadian painters and sculptor, Jean-Paul Riopelle 1923-2002. The exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa is spectacular and so very well curated. I discovered a lot of things about his life, a long segment of which was in Paris as of 1946. Riopelle worked and befriended many great artists of the XXth century like Giacometti, which led to his bronze sculptures and his painting also evolved from brushes to knife to splattering of paint on canvas. Other artists he associated with where Pollock, Jean-Paul Borduas, Marcel Barbeau, etc.
His style was abstract expressionism. He had one of the longest and most important international careers of the sixteen signatories of the Refus Global, the 1948 manifesto that announced the Quebec artistic community’s refusal of clericalism and provincialism. Which led to the Quiet Revolution as of 1960 in Quebec and transformed the province and gave rise to new thinking in politics and society at large sweeping away the old ways. People like Prime Minister Pierre E. Trudeau was influenced by this movement. Riopelle was the only Canadian both to sign with Breton the Rupture inaugural manifesto, written by André Breton’s disciple Henri Pastoureau, and to participate in the VIe Exposition internationale du surréalisme organized by Breton and Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968). Well worth seeing this wonderful exhibit.
Ottawa the National Capital has changed in 4 years, flying in approaching the ariport from the East, looking North towards Parliament, I notice so many new tall towers on average 25 floors or more. For a city that never had building higher than 3 to 6 floors this is a departure. Lots of construction everywhere including the new light train transit system. It really has the feel of a big city now.
Our visit was not for tourism but to be with a very close and old friend of ours R.M. who is with John our family for the last 40 years. He lost his husband to a freak infection, our dear John who was a true light, kind, generous, supportive at all times and always with a smile. You loved John when you met him, so easy and fun to be with. Even as an adult he kept that child like quality to find pleasure in simple things around him, a rare gift. He was happy to make you happy. An exceptional human being. I am still not use to his being gone. It seems unreal to me. John did leave a strong legacy amongst his friends and family. I really appreciated him as a friend and Will and I miss you Johnny. Your memory lives with us.
Jerry and I get around. In 2011, we moved from the USA to Spain. We now live near Málaga. Jerry y yo nos movemos. En 2011, nos mudamos de EEUU a España. Ahora vivimos cerca de Málaga.
Telling the stories of the history of the port of Charlottetown and the marine heritage of Northumberland Strait on Canada's East Coast. Winner of the Heritage Award from the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and a Heritage Preservation Award from the City of Charlottetown