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!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, April 20, 2009
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!
Friday, April 3, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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.
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