Summer Memories

This one will be easy. It's the Fall and I've collected pictures over the summer from various events. I'll create a "My Summer" review to keep me motivated throughout the fall and into the winter. Enjoy..

Sailing was a big part of my summer... many summer evenings were spent on the water enjoying the Ch'town Harbour. Once, we went up the Northumberland Straight and now that I had a taste of that, I want to do more of it.

I like the shot to the right. It's taken off the side of the boat as the sun was setting.

Although I spent a lot of the time heading down to the waterfront to sail, I also spent time enjoying the ability to work in the downtown area.
As part of this year's tourism, there was the addition of a bronze statue of Sir John A. MacDonald on the corner of Queen and Richmond, otherwise known as the enterance to Victoria Row. As with many other changes in Ch'town, there was much ado about nothing over the installation. Yes, there were the immature people doing things with the statue for the tasteless tourist photo opp but over all, many people could be seen enjoying the sheer playfullness of the likeness.

To the right is the Coles Building at the foot of University Avenue. It sits next to Province house and tends to hide in the old growth trees.

Below to the left is a shop on Victoria Row and is just one of a number of things to see and do in that area. It's a mix of shops, sidewalk Cafes and restaurants. The sidewalk tables stay out into October but then move inside until the late spring.

To the right is the St. Dunstans Bacillica and was undergoing construction to update one of it's steeples. I would have loved to have been able to go up to the top and take pictures of Charlottetown from that angle... but they seemed to have expected that and cut me off at the pass by locking the gate to the scaffolding. http://www.stdunstans.pe.ca/ was rather interesting because it's such a landmark on the skyline of our rather flat waterfront.

The Main point of my summer wasn't to be sailing or any other activity. My main goal was to enjoy the summer with friends and family here on the island. I did go "off-island" a few times but generally speaking, my summer was completely and thorouglhly enjoyed with friends and family.. and friend's dogs.

This here to the left is my partner, Darrin. He's had a rough summer getting ready for his Architect's exams at the end of October so I had to entertain myself with him only being able to join in now and then. Don't get me wrong, he was very good about not making me feel guilty for enjoying my summer without him by my side. I on the other hand, did try to contain myself when I had an utterly fantastic experience. I'll make it up to him.

This is Isabelle and Theresa, the grandchildren. Any time I was able to bring them out to the cottage... I did. There was always the hour of bickering while the rules of conduct while at Grampie Doug's but after that it was fairly much fun and games.

The patio, when the weather allowed it, was a great escape to the outside but without the hoards of bugs to bother you. Thanks again Darrin for the screened porch.

I included this photo of when we had the hammock swings in place prior to getting the patio set. They always will be the quintensential indicators of summer and everything carefree and timeless for children. I can't go back, but I can visit any time I like.

There is one amazing thing that happened this summer, I reconnected with my cousins in St. John NB. I hadn't really been in touch with them since moving to PEI some 30 years ago. It wasn't a delay because we didn't get along... stuff just happened along the way that needed tending I guess. Anyway, through Facebook and a series of threads, I got in touch with one, then another and before you knew it, I was over in St. John having supper with them as if it were only a month ago that we had last seen each other. From the left, cuz Bonnie, Aunt Marg (mom's sister), Cus Andrea and myself. I hope to be seening more of them now that I have some ability to define what I want to do in my spare time.

As you may or may not have figured out by now, I truly enjoy my life and the good things in it. Family is first and without Darrin, the kids, and the grandchildren, along with my other close family, not much would matter a whole lot. Since I do have the good fortune of family I thought I'd take the time to let them know how much they matter to me.

The rest of these pictures I like for one reason or another and I'll add a little blurb to tell you why along the way.

I'm a sucker for walks in the woods a field of wind blown wheat, and fantastic sunsets. What can I say, there is no cure for that.

Now here we have a very good story. This is TammyFaye. She is one of the raccoons we fed through the winter or rather the early spring and through to now. Darrin and I sort of think of her as "ours" and even when faced with moving into town we were thinking of ways to continue feeding her since we got her hooked on cat food and peanuts in the shells. Sometimes WE forget that she isn't a dog.... don't we Darrin!

To the right is my attempt at growing giant pumpkins. You know what... I did. What I did not think about is ... what the hell do you do with 6 giant pumpkins in the fall? I have one destined for carving but in all reality you just don't have a NEED for giant pumpkins. I can't wait until next summer and try again to grow bigger ones. Darrin's dad and I know we can grow bigger ones than these. I think I see where this is heading.

To the left is a wharf shot of Victoria and about 5 minutes away from our place. Darrin and I had the kayaks out in that area this summer for the afternoon. It's great to drift along and snooze in the kayak. It's like a big cradle.

This on the right is my bridge. It has taken me two years but it is complete. I can now start the work on the water wheel to generate power for the cottage to keep it warm for the winter. It's also going to power the lights I have under the water in the stream. It's beautiful in the evenings down there summer or winter when the lights are on.

There are many many other shots I could be adding to this page but for now, this will be it.

Fall Colours

Fall has arrived

For those of us who deny it, there is no way to escape the obvious... the summer has passed for 2009. :( A sigh escapes my lips every time I think of it. I am, and will always be, a lover of summer. I can be the friend of the fall but I'll forever be the lily white guy in search of a tan.... never quite achieving that goal. Similar to poor Charlie Brown who will never kick that damn football. I know his lament for I will never get that tan. There is always next summer!

We have now hauled the sailboat out of the water, the lawn gets one last mow this weekend and the patio furniture will, with great hesitation, be stored away . It's time to stock up on the firewood out on the deck, locate the snow shovels and cover the trees that need that little bit of TLC to endure our Atlantic Canadian winters.

On the UP side... I only have one more mow to do on the lawn and this time I won't have to go at full throttle in order to out maneuver the misquotes and black flies! The trees acting as a backdrop to our place are creating a fantasic pallet of colour that goes without equal the rest of the year.

I think we (Darrin... not me) planted the fall bulbs too early. They're starting to pop up now. LOL

This year is a bit odd. Normally Thanksgiving weekend is destined as our official Anniversary date but unfortunately celebrations have to be put on hold until Darrin writes his Architect exams. It's 'head down and study' this year so I'll have to make due with what I have for activities. Our friends from Sackville, Jerry and Stephen, showed up last weekend for a visit but unfortunately I had already commited to a weekend in Cape Breton NS with my friend Barb. She had not been there previously and needed someone to drive. I've been there maybe 9 times before and loved every trip. This trip was just as nice and continued to thrill me to share it with Barb... while discovering more sites.

Labour Day home treks

It's now the weekend following the Labour Day Weekend. I have to tell you, the short week seemed longer than the regular week.... and I love my job! LOL

Last weekend I jammed as much into the period as possible. It was my so called Line in the Sand, for the summer's objectives. For all the days I said I'd go kayaking, working on projects and just plain old relaxing... I did in 4 days. I swore I'd enjoy local opportunities if it killed me. Well, it didn't kill me. Just the opposite as a matter of fact.

I started my weekend by working from home on the Friday morning just to get a jump on the resting. I'm an odd duck.. no need to point out the obvious. I started by getting the yard work out of the way. Mowing was first on the list since it really isn't a chore now that I have a ride-on mower.

Next came the planting of the trees we purchased early in the summer. Yes, you are reading that correctly. We bought trees early in the spring/summer and I still hadn't planted them. I could say it was because I was trying to place them for the optimum effectiveness, but that would be a lie. I lied a lot to a great number of people this summer. Matter of fact, any time someone asked why I had a beautiful Japanese Red Maple sitting in a pot next to the front walk. I'd say "oh, I can't make up my mind where to plant it so I'm just trying it in different locations". I ended up planting it in the last spot because I got tired of moving it around so it wasn't obvious I was just being lazy. I hope it lives at the end of the house. I hope I can find some way to explain the awkward angle it seems to have ended up having when I stomped the dirt in around the tree.

By the way, a word to the wise, don't throw away the tag that goes with the tree. Apparently it has valuable information on where to plant the tree and if that burlap wrap should stay on or come off. I opted for stay on in the hope that the roots would eventually work their way through. If not, I mark it off to Gawd's Will! It had nothing to do with sitting in that pot the whole summer. Besides, what kind of tree survives a whole summer in a pot with less watering than a cacti in the Sahara Desert, only to end up dieing once it's placed in real earth!

That Saturday morning I did do some work on my bridge to finally, once and for all, finish something I started. Well almost. It is technically finished, but I'd like to do more to it. As you can see here, it's a nice traditional bridge. It spans 25 feet across and is a wood clad metal frame to give the impression that it isn't too sturdy. It WAS intentional. I didn't want the local ATV users to think it was their way across the water. In essence, the bridge is made for ME to be able to cross the water, once I can afford an ATV. :P

On Sunday morning my friend Elly came over and we borrowed my partner's dad's 1/2 ton truck and took off with the kayaks down the Bonshaw river. The day was perfect. Elly had never been down this river before it was my first time taking the river out into the larger river area. It took about 2 1/2 hours but it was breathtaking. I'll have to do it again in the fall when the leaves have changed.

The rest of the weekend was spent just enjoying the weather and puttering around. I did PUTTER more in the tree planting activity on Monday. I now have over 30 new young trees planted around the yard. Darrin helped by pointing out that my arrangement wasn't natural enough so he strategically arranged them in 'natural' formats so as to look natural but good. Lucky for me Darrin is able to improve on Mother Nature's trade. Not many could get away with showing up Mother Nature, but he does! LOL

This weekend I have my grandchildren out for the night and tomorrow morning we're off for a breakfast with friends just before we all go out sailing. I'm holding off posting this until I bring back pictures of the day. I hope there are some keepers out of it so they'll have precious memories for a lifetime.

Waterworks works!

Great times on the Water and in the water

Last week we had a fantastic time on Wednesday evening. The weather was perfect, warm but the wind was a tad bit too low for strong sailing. That was just fine with me because I'm learning the process for flying the Spiniger Sail. I'd rather learn to do it with less wind and gradually move into stronger winds with more confidence.

Hope, Mary and myself were able to pull it off together even though we were missing Elly for that night. All went well and no major issues other than my ability to figure out where all of the sheets (ropes to the sails) were coming from and going to!

On Friday night we had my partner's mom and dad, plus his sister, join us for fireworks in the upper part of the yard. It's our way of celebrating when my grandchildren come out for the night. The evening found us sitting out in the lawn chairs in a semi-circle as I managed to set the fireworks off without burning my finger tips! It lasted for about 30 minutes with the amount I had on hand. After our little light show, we had a call from an appreciative neighbour who also had grandchildren visiting. Fireworks go a long way when set off in the countryside. LOL.. we warned the neighbours first just so as to not cause issues.

We filled the short stay at the cottage with a lot. I taught Theresa how to use a ride-on mower... somewhat!, we had fireworks, played in the yard with watersides, watched some movies, had great BBQs... a very fun time.

This weekend my partner Darrin and I are supposed to go hiking but due to work demands he'll not be joining me. I'll just go into the back fields and explore the old clay roads for a spell or head out for a sail up the coast to a little village call Victoria.

It's kept it's country charm while addressing the tourist market..it's a busy little spot as far as what they offer. I'll have to get more pictures of the surrounding area but here are a few.

Summer Time and the writing has slowed ....

Just saying... I have a really good reason for not posting any notes. Frankly I've been having far too much fun to be sitting down in front of my computer. I have however, been taking photos and such so I can recount the activities. I'll try to summerize things.

Sailing on Monday and Wednesday evenings has become my constant, the rest has been an exercise in adaptability of scheduling. I sometimes don't know what I'm heading for next and therefore, tend to be going where the winds blow me... LOL but, they have been great winds.

Let's get started. Sailing Regatta at the Ch'town Yacht Club was a blast. For 3 days we sailed and in the end we won 3rd place in our class, and 3rd place in another standing... which I don't understand yet but hope to by this time next year!

Tree Go zipline adventure

This is just one of the many things I've enjoyed this summer. It is just 2 hours from Ch'town. Located in Moncton NB and it's the best $30 dollars I've spent all summer. It took three hours and never boring or dangerous. Then again... I'm sometimes referred to as a monkey when I'm working up high. Someday perhaps I'll act my age, but not for this point in time. LOL http://www.treegomoncton.com/english.html

Check it out. Can't say enough good things about the experience, the people running it, or the people we met while playing in the trees.

Aside from really making the package look good (sorry ladies.. it reallllly does!) the equipment (their's not our's) is top notch as is their course. There were NO weakness or questionable aspects to the entire experience. I always felt safe and ready to experience the event without any fear of injury. On the down side, after three hours of playing in the tree tops, it's wise to take in some water. We didn't realize how dry we were until we completed the whole course. Just like kids playing in the rain.. too involved in the event to pay attention to those minor things like.... thirst. :P

This weekend I want to spend some time working on my stream bridge, make it to Blooming Point for an afternoon, attend our friend Wayne's summer party, as well as go Kayaking with my man. All in all.. a nice PEI summer weekend. I'll take pictures along the way to post.

Once my friends come over from Sackville NB for the weekend, we'll spend a day exploring the clay roads around my neck of the woods. That will make for an excellent photo session.

To my friends on the sailboat, it's been a great summer so far and thanks for including me as one of the crew. To our fiend Allan to went zip-lining with us, had a great time and can't wait to make it the four of us. To all of those who want to join us the next time or come out on the boat... let me know and we'll make plans. Our summers are too short to not take advantage of them at this point in time.

As you may have guessed by now, my partner and I aren't your normal everyday gay couple... we lack the ... hmm how to put this... refinement necessary to run in the other direction when wild animals show up at our back door!

I grew up in NB and for the most part, think of wild animals as wonderful additions to the forest area but had not related to them as anything more than a possible road bump to avoid.. okay.. I've not been a great animal activist in my past.

Darrin on the other hand, can have his day go to hell in a hand basket with a bird dive bombing his car in a suicide act reminiscent to the Japanese fighter pilots of old movies... only in this case, they are much smaller and are of the red breasted species!

Together we rival the Sigfried and Roy status in our little world of South Melville. It started with me making friends with the birds at the feeders and then making a bet with Darrin that I could have them feeding out of my hand if I wanted.. it went rapidly downhill from there! The birds were easy, the squirrels were more difficult but then.. Oh My Gawd.. the raccoons were beyond easy to have hand trained. I felt like we were in a smaller version of some Disney reality show where others saw what was happening, but we were oblivious to the events surrounding us.

Needless to say, Darrin's love of animal life and my desire to control things have ended us up in hot water. We have named all of the squirrels Sherylie because... well.. you really can't tell them apart. The humming birds have names, but, and make a note of this.. all four of the raccoons have specific names. There was Scrapper, Miss Pittypat and one more who's name escapes me at the moment, whom Darrin named when they stared showing up in early March.

Not to be outdone, I wanted to name one so the next new addition I got to name and the only thing I could come up with was TammyFaye because of the darkness around the eyes.. sad .. but that was my best. In the end, all of the raccoons have ventured away over the last few months and we're left with TammyFaye showing up at least once a night. She is the BEST FED animal in our neck of the woods and yes, we do know you shouldn't feed the wildlife.

TammyFaye is no longer 'wildlife' as it's defined in Webster's Dictionary. TammyFaye is a Disney version of wildlife. She has her own dish, a special menu of dry cat food, peanuts, dog treats, trail mix, and at times Ritz cheese and crackers. We've justified feeding her now because she's obviously a mother of several kits based on the sagginess. The girl just needs to take care of herself.. she'll never get her girlish figure back.

So, TammyFaye comes when you whistle for her and she'll sit up on her bench.. yes.. she has a bench for her food. You don't expect her to sit on the ground like the common animals do you?

Once August hits we'll start cutting back on the food in the dish, but I doubt it because that's when I suspect she'll bring along the irresistible babies for us to go ga-ga over. It's inevitable and we all know it.

For now, this is fine with me. It keeps us from wanting to replace the dogs in our lives we lost, both over the last year. Our misfortune will be TammyFaye's good fortune. At least until the fall when we move back into town and she goes into her winter sleep.

Sailing with friends

You may not have guessed this but I'm sometimes a little difficult to peg when it comes to what you think I'd be up to. As a transplanted Islander, CFA (come from away), I'm without borders. I can choose to be as off-the-wall as I want. You may catch me sewing a button on the shirts at home, chopping wood for winter heat at the cottage, programming spreadsheets or out sailing. Hell.. I sometimes thing I'm multi-polar when it comes to my activities! I don't just think about it, I tend to go out and do it. Sometimes it wears me down too much, but it's better than sitting back and being bored and wondering what might have been.. as the saying goes.

Tonight, for example, we went out sailing even though it was a very cold, wet and windy evening. The sailing has never been so exciting. We were being pushed beyond our comfort zone and at one point we came about 4 feet away from another boat in a tight cross-over. The whole thing was frought with "edge". Liza, Mary's partner agreed to fill in for another person who couldn't make it tonight. All in all.. great time, great memory of the night.

I can't wait to take visitors out with us sometime and share the experience.

History in the making on PEI

Well, today I was part of something that really didn't register in my mind until someone pointed out the obvious. We have just formed the legal entity called the PEI Gay Tourism Association. The coolest thing of all was that it was pointed out by a straight person who stated "We're witnessing history in the making and now maybe things will get shaken up a little". How fantastic was that to hear!

To everyone who has been part of this, thank you for including me and for those who are just reading this for the first time, Welcome to PEI's Gentle Island where we do indeed include all.

http://www.arcofpei.com/reviews.html

Pride listing for 2009 on PEI.. just one of the things you can look forward to.

Pansies and Gay Gardners go hand in hand

To those who don't find my title funny... too bad! My blog, my thoughts... you are not in the driver's seat. :P



I'm feeling a little empowered today. The weather is showing promise, the plants in the greenhouse are actually growing, and the dirt lanes are now open and the freshest of greenery has exploded across the island. All good things have come to those of us who have waited.... and whined.



With the summer months, the returning of the Tourists, and I'm out and about with a renewed sense of drive. I also have several coffee in me at the moment as well.

On the weekend I created yet another plant bed with the assistance of my father-in-law's tractor. I'm glad the guy I love happens to have a farmer dad up the road. Anyway, the island stone raised bed now had the beginnings of giant pumpkins along with watermelon plants. I have to be careful with the plant side of things. Last year my tomato plants took on a life of their own. I didn't know a tomato plant could grow over 7 feet high... and all those tomatoes... OMG ... everywhere.

This year I've scaled back a lot. I'm going with Grapevine slips to see if I can begin a small vinyard of my own over the next few years. With 10 acres to play with.. I can do just about anything I want... so why not.

I've got some handyman jobs for friends, one being the renovation of a cabin near the Confederation Bridge. He wants to rent what used to be a family cabin so that it's suitable for vacationers. The difference between a 'Family' cottage and a 'Rental' cottage is about 6000 worth the work! In the end, he's got a new 12 x 25 ft deck, new floors, refitted bathroom, new paint and tongue and groove trim, and trimwork.

I'll have to get pictures and insert them into this posting later on. I've already got one friend who is going to sail up the straight and take the cottage for a weekend. All-n-all... a nice little get away plan.

Everyone is now out and about

It's now the time of the year when the whole Island comes to life... soon the elusive "Tourist" will return from where ever they winter! LOL



Right now we have wildlife such as raccoons and foxes passing by our cottage door at all times of the day and night. Lucky we don't have anything larger than a dog that is wild on PEI.



Every day something else happens to reinforce that summer is truly upon us. Mind you, be careful for what you wish. You just may get it. Only last night I was told that instead of going to see the latest Star Trek movie out, we were instead heading to S'side to pick up a 1/2 ton of dirt for the front flower garden!



I'm not sure where the love of summer also meant I'd want to give up a movie night out with my partner to play in mud. Perhaps I should check into just where it slid off the rails in order to avoid future occurrences from taking place.

Showers followed by Rainbows!

It is amazing what living on an Island offers that perhaps not many other people can experience. Because we're more 'flat' we can see forever and with rain and sun often always within eyeshot, rainbows are a common sight. Even double rainbows from one end of the arc to the other. Gotta love it!

It has indeed been a very rapid change in surroundings in just two weeks. The grass is now very green, the fresh new leaves are opening and the birds.. wow.. the birds have just landed. Our feeder, although only showing one here, has a full house of feeding birds and some in waiting.

Welcome to the end of spring and the launch of the summer... NOW.. you can enjoy our Island.

catching the greening

Okay... it's PEI. Spring has arrived. I'm out taking photos of something.... anything green and flowering! Photos and mini-movies to follow. Warning.. the blooming flowers movies may be a bit slow in their content!

Keeping sanity in the family...

Until the last of the snowbanks have melted, I've sworn to endure this pre-spring spring by living vicariously through my friends who actually have travelled!





I've tried to keep a nice wide variety of friends who come and go to exotic lands in swing shifts, so to speak. Therefore, I'm always being entertained by someone just returning from someplace I wished I had been. Stay with me on this!





One particular set of friends, Lisa and Mary, went to Mexico, returned to a late season snow storm, then fell into a deep depression. I was the smart one. I stayed home, let them pay for those fantastic pictures, and I was elated to hear of the wonders. See my mind game here?





I have my mind getting a reprieve from the long winter by being told about these wonderful vacations. I, almost a third person here, become elated by the stories as if I, were there. This is almost always a plus! To them, it's a horrible realization that they didn't stay away long enough.





Some would argue that they, the "returned", at least have their tanned bodies to show for the time away and that my body, which has the colour tone of a miner who's never seen the surface, is almost translucent in tone. My rebuttal to that statement is that yes, while they are tanned, it is I who looks normal when I get that cold and look horrible, a tanned person with a cold just looks out of place. Don't you agree?





If you don't agree, keep it to yourself, I'm trying to construct my own sustainable reality here and so far it's working.

spring runoff

Well, we may not be like those poor victims of the Manitoba floods, but we do get some rise in our water levels.

It is fair to say that we do have rising waters... but only for a couple of weeks and then we're back to normal. The water running through our property, which is normally a nice crisp (ice cold) clear running stream, has become an island mud colour! This too will resume it's normal state and become a clear look in about a week. It is not a time of the year that I'd suggest for hiking, unless you know the area you're going into, and you own hip waders!

On the plus side, fishing season has started and even I have the urge to head out to the river banks for a day's fishing. Then, when I look at the guys sitting on the bank next to the melting snowbanks... I rethink my devotion to the fishing experience!

Don't get me wrong, I've done the 4 am trek through the muddy fields with my buddies so we could be down at the best spots along the river, on the first day of fishing season.

The memories come back to me now. The last time was a frosty morning after a heavy downpour the day before. It made for a mud consistency that would halt a bigfoot truck! I don't think it would have been too bad had I not been loaded down the backpack with beer!

I was doing well slopping my way through the rain soaked plowed fields, until I had to maneuver my body over the barbed wire fence. You can see where this is going, can't you?

As I put my weight on one foot, I soon recalled my basic junior high school physics lessons, in that lifting one foot only increases the weight per square inch on the only remaining foot. Into the mud I descended and thus lowered my crotch on to the barbed wire. There I was, caught up on barbed wire in the pre-dawn hours in the middle of a farmer's field playing a tug of war with the fence. Lucky for me I have the strength of 3 fishermen at that time of the day and I just went for the whole nine yards and lept over the fence while doing what equated to some sort of exquisite dance move.... all the while using my crotch as the center of balance because it was the pivot point at that moment!

As I gracefully landed both feet on the far side of the fence, I realized that in tipping forward, my beer landed out in the mud. This was only a preview of the rest of my day. Let's just say, picture it raining, the woods being too wet to start a fire for warmth, and too stubborn to leave. Lucky for us we salvaged the beer!

Due to there still being a lot of ice on the river, we didn't really get any fish... but we gave it a great shot! I was never so glad to get home to a hot shower, as I was that day. After that.. I didn't go for opening season. I gladly wait until the temperature has warmed up the river banks so that I can sit there enjoying ... the bugs!

post winter pre spring on PEI

Okay, I've put this off for as long as I could. It is at this time of the year that you find a great number of Islanders heading to other Islands for a few weeks!

It goes without saying, although we like to think of OUR Island as THE Island. You could easily convince anyone to swap for a few weeks...just until the mud lanes dry up. LOL

It is the only time of the year when you can have your car covered in Island red mud while driving through a snow storm and leave muddy footprints in the snow!

I'm crossing my finger but there could still be another snow storm before the end of April! I'm a true optimist though, I've got my seeds ready and my eye on the greenhouse every day when I come home. You'll find a large number of Islanders enjoy home gardens. The soil is great but the growning season is short. It gives us something to work for I guess.

There is an annual Garden Show in the small community of Crapaud (if you pronounce it with a french accent, it sounds sooo much better) this weekend. I think I'll dig myself out of the snowbank and visit just to remind me that summer is only a few weeks away.

March ... almost spring

Today I had the advantage to view a document which, just by it's existence, creates what I believe to be a great statement on how far PEI is advancing in just a few years.(wordy but.. hey.. it's my blog!) What I had the privilege of seeing was a preview of a presentation designed and presented by the PEI GTA (PEI Gay Tourism Association) to the PEI Tourism body.

We have officially become a recognized body and we're going after what would be considered a piece of the Tourism pie! In our presentation package we speak to the potential marketing out aimed at the Gay and Lesbian tourist base, and that we now need to focus our attention on getting their attention in order to grow the PEI's tourist base to offset the reduced number of tourists travelling as a whole. There we go... we have arrived! We are our own, and we are part of the whole.

Actually, we've been here forever but never really have been this formal about it. With our strong Arts community, we, the gay market, have always been a part of the Island's tourist base. Now we can just openly enjoy the status.



For those who do want to come here or are looking for things to do here, you can pick up a free copy of the local activity paper called The Buzz. http://www.buzzon.com/ In it you will find all sort of community activity throughout the year. We do have a strong convention base and it's growing every year. One of the most successful winter activities, and this year was better and bigger than last years, was the Jack Frost Festival. http://www.walkandseacharlottetown.com/jack-frost/

Believe it or not, the streets are lined with people of all ages taking part in the festivities. This happens regardless of the weather conditions!

If you are into winter activities, you can keep yourself very busy doing everything from great cross country skiing to special events like Festivals and Events. The PEI Government website listed here has a great listing of events underway throughout the year.

See you soon.

Winter Activities..

Not that this blog has been sent around too much, mostly just for my friends to review and give me feedback on how I could improve it.. or notes of encouragement, but if you land here by mistake.. just look on it as my diary of PEI.



It's the dead of winter and you'd think this little icy Island would be "Closed for the Season" but you know, it's as though we've discovered it's okay to wander out into the white world.



Two weeks ago, I joined a crew of friends for a late-night sleigh ride at Potts Farm. It was not my first choice of activities to undertake in -30 degree weather, but you know, all of us huddled in the sled with the blankets covering the important parts, and the spirits being passed around, it was like something I'd expect to read about in a poem.



The evening sky was without a blemish of any artificial lighting source and the stars almost seemed to be just out of touching range. Even while we wove our way in and through the hardwood stands the stars seemed to reach through the naked limbs of the birch, maple and oak trees standing guard over us.



After it was all over we huddled around the antique wood stove, which was quite ornate and unique. I'd never seen such a design before. Mrs. Potts served the hot chocolate and we warmed our cheeks next to the stove for a spell before heading back to the house party.



Get this... under 5 bucks each for over an hour or so of trails and laughter. Try beating that!



Now last night we went a little upscale from the sleigh ride. It was Valentine's Day and ARC, the local community organization for PEI held a festive night at Mavor's. There were friends and great music and even made a few new friends during the evening. If you're coming to PEI, please check out the ARC website for the schedule of dance events. It's normally held every other Saturday evening at Mavor's. Since we have very few clubs to begin with it really isn't feasible to open a 'Gay Only' club and expect it to survive. So.. we sublet and that works just fine for us.



I'll have to get some photos of the dances to share as we go on.

Morning to Night tranquility.

Early each morning we have this fantastic stretch of sky that just opens up. You'll find this almost everywhere on PEI because of the pastoral layout and absence of tall buildings.

In the evening, nothing beats a walk on the beach before heading home, or like us, a great after supper walk. Since you are almost always near a sandy beach, this is a fairly common thing to do.

I'll send more photos and an Islander's set of directions to get to them in another post. This of course means "heading west until you get to the turnoff by the blue church, and then go down the road until you hit the dirt lane" type of directions. LOL Actually, I'm trying to figure out how to get a GPS method of directions into this blog to help reduce the "lost" moments.

If anyone has similar photos and stories of thier favorite beach on PEI, by all means, post them.

PEI Dirt lanes

I strongly recommend that the one thing you must do when you get to PEI, is to experience any of our many shady unpaved lanes. Some are well marked and while others require directions to find, but all are a wonderful way to become more familiar with the peace and tranquility of the Island.

I suggest you plan ahead by looking on the map at the official government Tourism site. These roads are all across PEI so you can work it into almost any other day's activity. I prefer to take my bicycle and spend a bit of time travelling the back lanes in Queen's county when possible. If you can take a picnic lunch, you will have ample opportunity for a perfect spot to relax with the vista view of open fields and valleys.

This lane in the photo goes on for about 3 miles "back country" as they say, and take you out in another community.

Things I love about PEI

For all who are reading this entry, then you have somehow stumbled across my blog while searching gay travel or PEI. Either way, welcome to my own little world.

If you have any questions about PEI or possible vacation highlights, just leave a note and I'll do my best to provide an answer, or I'll find someone who can.

It's time I honestly started to promote what it is I love about PEI. It isn't just the fact that we are indeed overly friendly, and yes, Gay-Friendly destination. Nor is it just that we love to meet friends , or make new friends while sitting at one of the great sidewalk Cafes on Victoria Row. It is that, for the most part, we are an important part of PEI's fabric of life. We just need to get our act together and somehow find a way to reach out to everyone!

As Islanders (Yeah.. I know I'm still from AWAY since I wasn't born here) we can also enjoy the same things that the tourists enjoy. By that I mean that events and activities are affordable and available to everyone.

As a result, I tend to put together itineraries for our many Island house guests each summer. When possible, I will actually tag along. If you've ever tried to take in all of the Islands theatre productions during the summer you'll know what I mean when I say, you just don't have enough time to do everything. That's where we Islanders are great people to know. If you don't know any when you arrive, you will soon after landing. There is no way to avoid it. Don't feel shy about stopping people and asking questions, we love to chat and show off our Island.

The ARC website http://arcofpei.com/ is a great way to find out where and when a Gay related activity is taking place, and the regular Island Tourist Information site is great for all general activities you may want to take in. It's links are posted to the side of this blog page.

We now have an active group of interested people who have taken it upon themselves to start the daunting task of somehow advertising to the GLBT tourist market. My thanks goes out to them because we are lagging behind in this area and everyone needs to jump on that bandwagon or at least support it.

That is enough for now but as I said, if you're a tourist and want to leave a comment, please do. If you're an Islander and want to offer an opinion or suggestion, by all means. Fill your boots as they say!

Evolving pains..

It's been a few days now and I've been spending far too much of my free time on this pet project according to my partner... and yes, he's still my partner. What started out as a fun exercise, has begun to take on a life of it's own, as I was warned it would.

I've been asking friends for input, organizations for support and feedback, and strangers for forgiveness! After years of volunteering with gay and non-gay organizations, this would seem a great way to exercise all of those acquired training skills in the non-profit market.

It is obvious that we, the GLBT community, lack visual recognition when it comes to vacation information on-line and at tourist establishments. Being a mild mannered person, this has always been something I accepted as part of the "Island" lifestyle. Unfortunately, it makes for lousy Branding! We need something to show that we exist on PEI and that it is a great place to vacation, and well worth your hard earned dollar.

My contacts so far have responded with a resounding "PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE WE CAN FIND" and then there was a secondary theme of "but how do we know you're gay friendly". Neither of these were unexpected and I'm glad to see that the obvious has presented itself.

This research exercise is step one. Step two will be to start reviewing what Island based information I can find. The "review" is going to be fair and based on points. This point system is now being constructed from feedback I gather from those who do not live on PEI. Instead, it will be from the view points submitted, via e-mail, blog feedback, and chat notes.

Just be patient and grow with me.

Doug

Looking for input

Now that I've decided on the "look" I want to establish, I need some input from the GBLT vacationing community. If you were interested in coming to PEI for a vacation, what would you need to see within this blog that would help you better understand what we have to offer.

It may be the issue of Gay-Friendly or Gay Owned accommodations, to just plain old excursion packages available.

Please send me your notes and I'll see if I can figure out how to incorporate them into this blog somehow.

Just the Beginning

For the longest time many of our visitors, both Gay and Straight, would tell us that Prince Edward Island is one of the best kept secrets in Canada.

Since this is the initial posting to start it all off, I want to first explain that this blog is directed at all the GBLT groups. I normally, and not out of disrespect, refer to all as Gay.

Frankly I was very surprised that there hasn't been a move to create at least one of these Blogs already. Perhaps more will follow to help others gain more rewarding vacation time while on Prince Edward Island.

You never know what is possible until you try... so let's give this thing a whirl