PEI vacation

We just got back from a 2-week vacation in PEI. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time there, as always. As soon as we arrived, Allison went looking for the old readers Grandpa & Grandma have on their bookshelf, and Jonathan went looking for toys--in other words, they made themselves at home.

This vacation was particularly special because I got to see all of my brothers--a rarity. We haven't all been together since May 2005. One lives in Maine, one in London ON, one in Fredericton NB (just moved from Edmonton), and one in PEI, so we are quite spread out. It was fun to see them, my 3 sisters-in-law, and my 2 nieces Meredith (14) and Sadie (almost 3).

The strangest thing that happened during our stay in PEI was a 2-day power outage. We should have paid attention to the small omen that occurred on Thursday night while we were staying at a motel in New Brunswick: the power went off for an hour in the middle of the night. Whether that was a portent of the coming storm I'm not sure but a big electrical storm hit different parts of PEI on Fri Aug 3 and Sat Aug 4. At 5 pm on the Saturday, just as we sat down to eat Allison's birthday dinner, the power went out--and it didn't come on until 3pm on Monday. There were many outages all over the Island; extra hydro crews from Newfoundland had to be called in to help get things up and running again. Meanwhile we had 9 people in the house and no lights, running water, or operational toilets. Enforced camping, you might say. We lit kerosene lamps, foraged for cold meals, did a couple of Tim Horton's coffee runs, went to a campground for water, took my parents' small freezer to plug in at an uncle's house ... in other words, we made do. These experiences always make you realize how much you take modern conveniences for granted! We certainly cheered when the lights came on on Monday afternoon.

Otherwise we had a lot of fun going on drives, playing at the beach, and doing touristy things. Allison and I went with my brother and his family to see the "Anne of Green Gables" musical--Allison's first time, my fourth, though I hadn't been in many years.

For me the best times were just sitting around in the kitchen or on the front lawn with family members, exchanging stories and laughing at the antics of kids and dogs. Bye for now, PEI--see you next year!