August 16^th we took a ferry over to Prince Edward Island. They are so well organized at bringing on small vehicles, RVs and motor homes and huge semi trucks. They line them up in different lines and direct traffic so efficiently it is impressive to watch one vehicle after another disappear into a gaping hole. At the end of the trip the process is reversed and the vehicles all take off to separate destinations.

Tuesday we drove to downtown Charlottetown to the Confederation Centre to watch the gifted song and dance of PEI students. They performed Abegweit: The Soul of the Island. The 14 talented performers highlighted the history and culture of the province over a 45 minute production that was used at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. PEI and Canada have every right to be proud of these young people.

Tuesday night we drove back to the Confederation Theater to watch the musical Anne of Green Gables based on the novels written by Lucy Maude Montgomery. I grew up reading “Anne” books and was enchanted by watching her story on stage. Mitch was oblivious of the stories before our first trip to PEI. The musical was equally enjoyable to him because it is so nicely presented. We had some unexpected drama just before the intermission when the fire alarm went off. We were escorted out of the building and then let back in to continue the show.

Wednesday was a continued tribute to L. M. Montgomery when we went to the Cavendish National Historic Site of Canada. Cavendish was her grandparents homestead and she drew inspiration from the landscape and the peaceful setting to create a home for her red haired and fiery spirited Anne. Mitch walked through Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood with me with good grace while I exercised my imagination.

Thursday the 19^th was a change of pace. We went to Old Home Week in Charlottetown. It was an interesting combination of state fair, 4-H, equestrian skill, rides, food demonstrations, harness racing and a casino.

It was a nice way to spend a day and the weather was lovely.

We crossed back to New Brunswick by taking the Confederation Bridge. This long bridge has a lovely, graceful curve to give the best views during good weather of both PEI and New Brunswick. It has a number of special iceberg breakers at the base to protect the waters and boats as they traverse the area in winter.

We arrived in Shediac, NB on the 21^st. This city is the self proclaimed lobster capital of the world. In the middle of a small park is a sculpture of a lobster 35 ft. long and 16 ft. high that weighs a massive 90 tons. We could not resist taking pictures with it.

Parcs Canada has some wonderful national monuments and parks. We try and see as many as possible as we travel. Two places that show the importance of the tug of war for supremacy in Acadia are the Lefebvre Monument and the Fort Beausejour-Fort Cumberland. The monument includes the church, school and medical facilities started by Father Camille Lefebvre. The fort, overlooking the Bay of Fundy, was built by the French in 1751. The fort was captured by the British in1755 and renamed. It was also used to defend the shores during the War of 1812.

Sackville has a waterfowl park. It is about 2.5 miles of paths and boardwalks. There are supposed to be over 180 species of birds. My untrained eyes saw quite a few but I could not name them except to say that they are pretty, tall, or maybe colorful. It did make for a nice walk and a peaceful afternoon spent out of doors.

We spent a couple of days near Hopewell Rocks and Cape Enrage. The tides of the Bay of Fundy are legend. It is awesome to walk down to the base of the Flowerpot Rocks and realize that the greenery clinging to the rocks will be under water in just a few hours. Kayakers will paddle over the mud that you squished through. Marinas in the area must contend with boats on the sea floor at low tide and floating in sometimes rough waters at high tide. This was our second visit and we were just as fascinated as we were during the first viewing. The extremes are so visible and make a huge impression.

We walked to the Wolf Point beach with an enthusiastic park ranger. Nicky was great with the kids and adults answering endless questions. She encouraged us to gently pick up wildlife and place them in plastic containers. She discussed the interaction and importance of the water creatures and how they impact the future of the area. The kids were wide eyed and helped replace the animals into the water with great care.

This takes us to Wednesday, August 25^th. Next stop Bangor, Maine.