Some Photos

Tags

Beaches, Canada., PEI, Seafood, tulips

Here are some shots of PEI at the moment.

No this is not Holland, it’s tulip fields in PEI. The Dutch community produces them including this one very special tulip for the 150th Anniversary of Canada in 2017.

Canada’s 150th Tulip

Tea cup rock at Darnley PEI. Red Sandstone

West Cape, PEI

Fresh Seafood PEI, clams, mussels, lobster and oysters

Covehead Beach PEI, minutes from our home.

No end to fun things to do

Tags

Beaches, fun, PEI, River Clyde, Summer

One of the many pleasures of living on the Island is the impromptu nature of many gatherings or visits. Per example a neighbour or friend will drop by to say hello, they will not stay more than 10 minutes but it is a social call nothing more, a quick coffee.

Often parties are given and you get an invite at the last moment, are you free for a drink, one may ask? Just pop over which often means walking over a couple of blocks, this is a small town.

Or you invite people thinking we will be 4 or 6 all together but on the Island it is likely that you will be 12 to 16, everyone brings a bottle and have a drink and then leave and you inherit all the unopened or half empty liquor bottles. You would not see this in Ontario, it is not done, this is typical Island.

Last weekend we had heard of the River Clyde Pageant organized by the daughter of a friend of ours. I did not have a ticket but a few days prior was invited to attend, the site of the Pageant is about 20 minutes outside of town in New Glasgow, PEI. The banner photo at the top of my blog is the area in question, the River Clyde meanders and ends up in the Atlantic.

I was told it was sold out, many more people showed up than were expected and the whole Pageant taking place along the river banks was magical, so well done with a shoe string budget and the help of neighbours and friends all coming together to make it happen. Afterwards a picnic dinner cooked up by Chef Emily Wells was served on the terrace in front of her restaurant The Mill, like always her food is wonderful. All you had to do was to make a donation to the Pageant.

I saw a lot of people I knew and the whole evening was great fun, very relaxed. Next weekend another party in the countryside is planned.  On any given day, the beach is an option, set in a National Park with pristine sand as far as you can see, quiet and pleasant.

I have a tan, the first in since I was a kid, this is a great Summer!

The Northern Sea shore

Tags

Beaches, Canada., Parks, PEI, Seashore

I live in Charlottetown and the Capital faces the Hillsborough River and further afield the Straits of Northumberland and the Mainland of Canada, all visible from the city. So today I went down hwy 15 to the PEI National Park which has some of the beaches on the North side of the Island, such as Dalvay, Covehead, Brackley Beach, Stanhope. From Charlottetown to the PEI National Park it is about 25 minutes by car. The beaches are clean, well kept, with people here and there, some stretches you are on your own. The road of the park is newly paved and a new bridge has been installed at Covehead. Parking in the park is in designated areas only and is free, there is also a bicycle trail and lots of paths. Nature conservation is the name of the game, so no dogs and people are asked to keep to the paths and not walk on the dunes which are fragile. Some weeks ago I got a Family Season pass to enter the National Park so you save money. On the way back home I decided to follow the road and exited the Park at the other end, then on Hwy 6 to Tracadie and turning right unto Hwy 2 back into the City. This was helpful to my understanding of road directions, I took Hwy 2 a few days ago to go to Mount Stewart and recognized the name of places. Hwy 2 becomes St-Peter’s Road to Longworth and then I am home down Prince Street. Coming into the City by St-Peter’s Road I past Jewell a well known Ice Cream, fresh fruit, vegetable, bake goods and garden centre.

Here are some photos of today’s excursion.

The beach at Stanhope, pines in the background, dunes, a few people here and there.

At some points, there is a line of dead pine trees, grey and dried up, immediately behind them are beautiful pines forming a thick curtain against the sea wind.

A broken and washed up lobster trap on the beach

there is also some drift wood washed up on the beach, the sea water and wind has polished the wood giving it the look of stone.

Dalvay by the Sea on Dalvay Lake. The beach and the seashore are just to the right. This former private home built in 1895 is now an exclusive hotel, it is quite beautiful inside, as a protected building it has kept much of its former grandeur. This so called summer cottage was used by the MacDonald family. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a canoe race on this lake in 2011 during their visit to the Island.

Aerial view of the area

The house was built in 1895 by Alexander MacDonald, a wealthy businessman and one-time president of Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. He named the house “Dalvay By The Sea” after his boyhood home in Scotland.