Sunday drive

Tags

Autumn, buoys, Canada, lighthouse, PEI, Point Prim, pumpkin, Seafood, sunday

On this beautiful Sunday, took a drive to Point Prim to see the 1845 Lighthouse still in operation as it marks for ships the entrance to the bay of Hillsborough into Port Charlottetown. We usually go to Point Prim every Summer but we did not this year instead going to New London/French river where another lighthouse is located.

This old map shows Point Prim that long extended point of ground at the tip of if since 1845 is the Lighthouse built by private interests and the Colonial Government of the Ile Saint Jean (John) as PEI was then known. The channel for ships sailing in is very narrow though it appears as a wide bay of water the reality is it quite shallow and full of rocks and sand bars. More lighthouses at the narrow entrance again to direct ships. Interesting to watch lakers and barges including cruise ships follow carefully that path.

A beautiful area with lots of trees and farmland all around. Many beautiful farm homes with vast gardens. Point Prim is about 30 minutes from Charlottetown on Hwy 1.

Here are the other lighthouses guiding ships around the Coast of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, all where built between 1807 and 1845 towards PEI. Prior to their construction a lot of ships were lost on the rocks. Storms are frequent on the open seas.

All the lighthouses are now automated and all maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. In Winter the Ice breakers of the Canadian Coast Guard will open the way for the fuel ships coming to PEI, all fuel is imported since the Island being a sand bar has no natural ressources.

It stands 60 feet (18 metres) tall and is built of brick covered with wood cladding and painted white.

There is also a nice restaurant only open in the Summer time and very rustic. The seafood is great and it is worth going but you need a reservation, they have about 25 seats. The Chowder House sign is also fun, it is made of sliced US licence plates, apparently American tourists are happy to give up their car plates, you can see NY plates, Michigan, Mississipi,

In the distance is the entrance into the Hillsborough river and the port of Charlottetown.

PEI Red sandstone not very good against sea storms. To protect the lighthouse from the waves the Government of Canada imported shipments of granite rock from the Mainland and built a barrier all around the area.

Lots of pine trees everywhere along the coast. They seem to do well as a species.

Looking towards the coast of Nova Scotia around 2:30pm, very quiet, deserted area. Just nice to sit quietly by the sea. The silver colour of the water is blinding.

I also love to drive by this house on the way to the Point, the tree is always decorated with these colourful buoys. This is the road on Mount Buchanan leading to Point Prim. Note there is NO Mount, it is just a fanciful figure of speech in PEI.

This is the view from the road across the street from the Buoy Tree. The land belongs to this family and they have cottages for rent on the coast facing the Strait of Northumberland and the view across the water is Nova Scotia in the general area of Seafoam and Cape John.

and back at home with our Fall flowers and pumpkins.

A lovely Sunday afternoon, fresh air and blue sky.

Visitors!

Tags

Acadians, Art Gallery, AZ, CCOA, Charlottetown, dachshunds, Dunes Café and Gallery, Ferragosto, Matos Wines, MCCA, PEI, Point Prim, Stanhope Beach, theatre

Summer time in PEI brings tourists and visitors/Friends. In the last week leading to Ferragosto (15 August) which is also the Acadian National Day in the Maritimes.

*Acadians are known as Cajuns in Louisiana. The Acadians are the descendants of French colonists who settled in Acadia during the 17th century going by ethnic identification, some would define an Acadian as a native French-speaking person living in the Maritime provinces of Canada. The Expulsion of the Acadians starting in 1755, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Deportation and Le Grand Dérangement, was the forced removal by the British of the Acadian people from the present day Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island —an area also known as Acadia.

Matos Winery on road 9 in Cornwall, PEI. The Rosé, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are very good.

View from the river of the City at Confederation Landing with the Spires of St-Dunstan Cathedral.

We had two friends with whom we have been on vacations to Stratford, Ontario for the theatre season. This year we convinced them to come East to the Maritimes to visit PEI, something they had never done. They were with us for a week. The height of the tourist Season is July and August, it tapers off after September 1, then we get cruise ships with retired and seniors coming in for the day. They got a pretty good view of the Island, met a lot of people, we introduced them to, saw many sights, fine dining, wine sampling, theatre and shopping. We also went to the beach on a quiet rainy day, the only one of their stay. We also did things with them we would not normally do such as taking a city and river cruise on the amphibious bus and saw seals in the Hillsborough river, they are pretty big seals, not cute little things. Also on two separate nights while walking back home we came upon a Fox which looked nervous at seeing us and moved on pretty quickly. Obviously a young fox, the older more mature ones will sit at a distance and look at you.

Our friends at Point Prim Lighthouse (1847) the oldest lighthouse on PEI, still in use.

Will and I walking from the Beach at Stanhope on that rainy day.

The garden at Dunes Café and Gallery with it’s cluster of multicolored flowers in the large gardens surrounding the sea side property. Peter and Nash have over the years done a superb job, it is such a pleasure to go and visit, just 20 minutes on Brackley Point Road. 

This week is Olde Home Week and Saucer and Gold Cup Week with harness races everyday. The 14 horses competing for the Cup have been named and now is time to place your bets.

We are going to see Anne Kenstein and Friends at the Guild Theatre this week, it is a play adaptation of Anne of Green Gables done as Rocky Horror Picture Show, it is described as the Mother of all PEI Comedy shows. This play has not been done for a few years but it was a huge success when it premiere. Some of the original cast are back this year, I am looking forward to it. There is quite a lot of theatre in town at the moment, Mamma Mia and Spoon River which I liked a lot, it takes place near Joliette, Illinois in a small town cemetery. The dead on the Hill come back to talk about their regrets and what they should have done while alive, great music and quite entertaining. There is also a lot of musical venues not only in Charlottetown but also in many smaller towns around us. All of it is really affordable, there is no lack of things to see and do and shows to go to. On the 25 August at the Guild there will be a special show Tower of Tease Burlesque which as the title indicates will be a mix of Gypsy Rose Lee meets Magic Mike, who said we did not have entertainment in this town.  The Art Gallery has 4 shows running at the moment, I am conducting a tour in French for a group of University students from UPEI next week.

All in all a busy Summer so far.

 

The puppies on the balcony amongst the flowers.

The Provincial Flag of PEI now on the front of my car.

 

Sunset at Point Prim

Tags

PEI, Point Prim, Seafood

This photo taken from the deck of the Point Prim Chowder House, a famous seafood restaurant next to the oldest lighthouse (1845) on PEI, this is a well known place for the spectacular sunsets and it is recommended you go, if for no other reasons but to see the Sun setting into the Strait of Northumberland. It is only 30 minutes down the road from Charlottetown, so stay for dinner at the Point Prim Chowder House, the food is the best and highly recommended.  http://www.chowderhousepei.com, they are open from Noon Time to 8pm so you can have lunch or dinner, half of the restaurant’s tables is on the deck facing the Hillsborough Bay. You need reservations to dine here, usually 24 to 48 hours notice. I was told that the Steamer Pot on the menu is highly recommended, it is composed of  jumbo crab legs, quahogs, mussels, and fresh fish steamed in a ratatouille stew. They also have a lot of daily specials, fish and lobster. The restaurant is only open from June to end September being exposed to the sea it would be too rough and cold in winter.

Church at Point Prim, typical Island architecture for a church not made of red sandstone, the steeple is always two tones in colour, making it distinctive.

Point Prim is truly a magical place, so quiet and rugged, you just don’t want to leave.