5.10.13

Prince Edward Island Pt. 2

PEI has been called the "most beautiful place on earth"...  I'm not sure of that, but there were a couple days driving around the island that I was impressed by that statement.  About 200 miles tip to tip, around 150K people, and everything neat as a pin.


You get to the island via ferry or by crossing the Confederation Bridge (above).  Immediately you are surrounded by a very rural culture, potato farming being prominent.


Always surrounded by water, there are many Provincial parks as well as notable views of the Strait of St. Lawrence.  And lighthouses....    (it's common to have a little lighthouse in front yards, sort of like pink flamingos in the US)



We drove up to North Cape, the NW most point of PEI.  There's a large wind farm up here, and great ocean views.  (oh, and everything on the island is in French as well as English....  the Acadians maintaining their language and culture).






Note the size of this wind generator blade...  in comparison to the people...


Very rural, each farm has incredibly huge lawns, we're talking acres....  and, again, all neat as a pin (with tractors and implements all neatly lined up together...  I'm sure this is where I get my OCD gene, since my grandfather was born on PEI).



Got to be the riding lawnmower capitol of the universe!

27.9.13

Prince Edward Island Pt.1

We spent nearly a week driving around Prince Edward Island, Canada.  My grandfather was born there, so I've always wanted to visit the island.  There are some really dominating features found on PEI (besides tons of mussels and lobsters!).  About every mile along the roads are churches...  Catholic (French influence), Anglican (Brit influence), United, Baptist and a scattering of others.  Most of the churches are small country affairs, usually surrounded by cemeteries...  Seems like there are more than expected numbers of dead people!  Anyway, some pics of a few interesting churches we found.





Above is St. Dunstan's cathedral in Charlottetown...  the spires dominate the city skyline...

19.9.13

B&Bs on PEI

We recently took a trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada.  It's a very beautiful place, surrounded by ocean.  There's a zillion B&Bs available on the island, we stayed at a few, and here are the pics.  Note that each B&B was a wonderful victorian restoration with impeccably detailed interiors.


Above is the Orient Hotel in Victoria by the Sea, PEI.  It's a little seaside village of about 200 people but with good restaurants and a nifty playhouse.  Here's the famous Landmark Cafe (no, it is not a convenience store, it is a top flight restaurant).


OK, before we leave Victoria for the next B&B, here's a shot of the largest tree on PEI (somewhat debatable).


On to Summerside, the second largest "city" on PEI (maybe 20K?).  We stayed at the Summerside Inn, another incredible restoration.  As would be our fate, the owners are a Mormon couple!  I though we'd escaped!  But they were excellent hosts and were quite helpful advising us on our trip.  Only four rooms available, but a very good value.


We cruised along the coast over to the central part of the island and found this B&B in Rustico.



The Barachois Inn is a bit off the road, we luckily found it after some helpful advice at a gas station.  Again, a great restoration and amazing interior detail.  We had a room that was basically a full apartment, very comfortable.

After a long day exploring the eastern section of PEI, we arrived in Charlottetown, the capitol of the province of PEI.  We had reservations at the Fairholm Inn, one of the classic Victorians of Charlottetown.


Again, great interiors, detailed and comfortable rooms.  Charming beyond belief dining room for breakfast.

I'd like to thank all the innkeepers for making our stays quite comfortable and for the unique and filling breakfasts that started our day.  If I have any complaints, it's that B&Bs are getting quite expensive for a guy on a Motel 6 budget.  But the individual experiences were certainly worth it.

Speaking of Victorian restorations, I'll drop this pic in of the Beaconhouse, one of the most famous Victorians in Charlottetown.  It's now a museum and well worth a tour if you are ever in the area.


15.9.13

Muscle Car on Mussel Island

On a recent trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada, I found this absolutely cherry Plymouth Barracuda, a classic American muscle car.  PEI is known for lobster, oysters, and mussels.  Get it?  OK, forget it...  But here's the car...




10.8.13

Tour de France (ah, er, Utah...)

One leg of the Tour of Utah 2013 conveniently ran along 11th Ave.  So we stocked up on beer, got our camping chairs out, and joined our neighborhood friends in checking out the big race.  Five laps from the State Capitol, around City Creek Canyon, along 11th Ave. then down to South Temple to State Street and back to the Capitol.  Pretty cool, all in all, not exactly the wonderful Alps and countryside of France, but it didn't cost anything to enjoy.

Here they come on Lap 1...


Followed by 8 zillion support vehicles...


The race was broadcast live...  and helicopters were everywhere...


The fans gathered to watch...


Then the leaders came around on the next lap...


Followed closely by the peloton...


And then they were gone...


I don't know who won, or if there were any big time racers involved...  I do know that Lance Armstrong was not there (oh, a whole other discussion).  But it was great anyway, and a fun way to join with friends and neighbors to celebrate what I hope is a regular Utah event.

4.8.13

40, 50, 60... Birthday Bash



Trying to figure out the years...  Three of my favorite women celebrated a combined birthday bash this weekend, and zillions of friends came out to celebrate.







The dubious DJ...  But check out the disco shirt!  Got offered real money for this out in the parking lot...



Then there were the pirate babes...



And the intrepid explorer...


Things didn't take long to get weird...


Wait for it...


Not to be outdone...


Another interesting but more acceptable fashion statement...


These boots were made for fondling...



More friends arrived...






The birthday girls were granting wishes. I know what my wish is...


And more best wishes...



Outside, the party arranged for a Taco Truck to supply tasty treats...  Thankfully I'd filled up before they closed.


The smokers enjoyed the sunset...



The big celebration was hosted by a VFW club... complete with pirate theme as their standard decor.  Thanks to the staff who made this a great party (and we aren't near done celebrating yet).



One great thing about this bar is the cheap drinks...  gotta be the most affordable watering hole around.  So the booze flowed...


And the dancing girls flowed...





And more friends joined the celebration...





Happy birthday Jane, Pam, and Kathleen...  and thanks for the great party.