Charlottetown in March

The Following Weekend

The Weekend

Victoria Park and Downtown

A loop around Charlottetown

What the video doesn't show is the twenty minute delay at the start while I repaired a front wheel puncture, nor the relentless uphill slog into a gale while we reached the early high point of our ride. The blue sky and sunshine I liked; the flags standing out stiff not so much, except later when they were pointing at our backs!

Charlottetown to Mount Herbert

To connect the east and west arms of our cycling trek across the southern portion of PEI we rode from my home in Charlottetown to Mount Herbert. Using roads meant we had serious hills to contend with and a wind which gusted from various directions; always from the front according to Susan!

A Shock at the Thrift Store

We were in our local ‘lightly used’ thrift store, Value Village recently and I wandered off to check out the jigsaw puzzles leaving Susan to work her way systematically through an eighty foot rail of jeans (at the small end), most so tiny I wouldn’t get a foot in them.

 

From a discreet distance I could see just the tippy-top of her little head and could tell she was engrossed in her trouserly inspections. I slunk surreptitiously back in her direction, keeping low to avoid detection. In no time I was creeping along the aisle next to hers and soon stationed myself right opposite her, just two rails of clothing now separated us.

 

The flapping of jeans legs and the clicking of hangers confirmed she was still rapt in her task and oblivious to most of what was going on around and about. Now I was crouched down and slowly parting the garments on my side of the rails... then, a swift swish of Levi’s and I poked my head through with a beaming smile! Well, the dancing and the jumping and the loud verbal protestations had to be witnessed to be fully appreciated. Suffice to say I could have done with my big spatula to ease the little lady off the ceiling!

 

Susan’s a good sport... but to calm her now thumping heart I skipped around to her aisle, sidled up to her and reached my arm right around round for a light squeeze of the upper t-shirt – a double squeeze, two in quick succession accompanied by a double-toot sound, somewhat reminiscent of a cartoon car horn. Inevitably I collapsed into giggles while Susan, to her eternal credit, gave me a sheepish grin.

 

Despite all this mischief she is still speaking to me (well, mumbling oaths, at least!)

google street view

For those who are curious about the small city I live in, for my Canadian friends who wonder how an odd Englishman sees Charlottetown, and of course for me, I am continuing to post my photography on Flickr.

It seems I am up against some stiff competition. While I hop from site to site on foot or in my Elantra, a certain Mr. Google is cruising theses historic streets in a Subaru Impreza dressed in mapping livery, updating the planet's view of the Maritimes.

Yesterday morning I spotted my adversary parked outside the prestigious Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, doubtless still dipping his bread into a soft-boiled egg and sipping coffee from fine china. His technical wizardry was safely under a protective tarpaulin while he perused the day's route. Meanwhile I scurried ahead capturing beautiful Victorian homes on Pownal.

The street view camera car records everything its multi-directional lenses can capture and transmits the data to Google HQ where they are stitched into a nearly seamless tour of... well, everywhere. I'm a sucker for virtually revisiting my old haunts, tracking down interesting places and often just stalking the cyber streets because I can. Navigation, tilt and zoom are my friends.

Thank you Mr. Google, but I think there is still room for my way. I can sneak down footpaths, crouch, stand on a wall, wait until the view is clear of cars and people, come back when the sun is shining, subtly shift position; I can crop, zoom, manipulate exposure.

This year I have been less bothered about writing my thoughts down on paper. Instead I am enjoying compiling this pictorial catalogue.

the parade

Here are some photos of this year's Gold Cup and Saucer Parade in Charlottetown.

old home week, charlottetown pei

Mid August is Old Home Week in Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown is bursting at the seams with tourists from the Far East, Europe, The United States and from almost every Province in Canada. So, a good time to showcase all that relates to Maritime family-run farms and rural life. Here are some photos of our day out.

We parked at my father-in-law's apartment and walked to the Exhibition Centre in blazing sunshine. For several blocks all around people have been renting out parking spaces on their front lawns, driveways and even back yards! Five dollars seems to be the going rate. Licence plates on glittering automobiles from New York, Tennessee, Georgia and even Florida jostle for position between rusting local Buicks and Mustangs.

We wanted the girls to see the livestock so headed first for the animal sheds. Sheep, goats and chickens held the interest for a while but soon we made for the larger beasts. However the overpowering aroma from the indoor cow and horse enclosures, not to mention the slimy floor, forced us to beat a retreat.

MJ was as busy as ever and we moved between exhibits and shows to keep the peace. Ever the extrovert, she joined the volunteers on stage for a kids' sing-along. The others were accompanied by parents but two-year-old MJ shot up the stairs alone and simply looked around for visual clues before joining in the clapping, and dancing. I have photos of her with both feet several inches off the ground!

I retreated to the indoor arena with KR in the stroller to watch a display of horse riding. At just six months old she was restless and in need of a nap. After that we took in a harness race on the attached Charlottetown Driving Park. I am accustomed to seeing racehorses in full gallop on British courses and at first I couldn't work out what was different about the gait of these horses. Then I realised that although they were moving pretty fast they were using the trot stride pattern. This made them appear to be walking but in fast motion. Odd too to see the driver perched on a tiny ledge behind the horse's bottom, suspended on thin wheels. Somewhat precarious whichever way you look at it!

After a leisurely stroll through the funfair under a baking afternoon sun, mesmerised by the gut-churning aerial rides and the crazy prices, we picked up the car and took two exhausted girls home.

gold cup and saucer parade, charlotte pei

One of harness racing's most prestigious events in Maritime Canada is the Gold Cup and Saucer held at Charlottetown's driving park. To celebrate and support the occasion roads are closed and a parade winds its way through town. Photos of the Parade are here.

We packed the girls in the car and snaked our way into town along with thousands of others, all optimistic of parking close to the parade's route. Arriving an hour before the start we managed to find a parking spot just a couple of hundred yards from a main road and set off carrying our folding chairs with MJ in tow and KR in the stroller.

By 10am the crowds lining the roads had swelled to five or six deep and a ten kilometre fun run raced past, with the loudest applause reserved for a five-yeariold who brought up the rear after running the whole way with his father.

We watched around a hundred floats grind slowly by, each one decked in bright colours and advertising a local business or organisation. Groups held giant inflatables, pulling on the guy ropes to lower their charges beneath Charlottetown's overhead power and phone lines.

MJ was pumped up by the sights, the sounds and the activity. She couldn't stop herself rushing into the road to join in the leaping and dancing of the cheerleaders and baton twirlers, or to march with brass bands and bagpipes. She is never a passive observer but wears her heart on her sleeve, pointing, shouting and faking fear as giants and clowns loomed in to view.

KR wriggled and fussed and squirmed in her stroller but eventually fell asleep. Flatbed trucks sounded their air horns making her startle without waking. After two hours the parade was over and we joined the rapidly dispersing tide of humanity hurrying for our cars.

Cold and White

There are some more pictures here.