The last night I was on PEI, I was in the hottub with my old skiing buddy Paul having a little debrief (no we kept out shorts on…. the other kind of debrief). We both came to the conclusion that it was the people I got to hang out with, that make my summer on PEI so marvelous.
Lets start with Blind Tim, an old ski buddy of mine from Colorado and Tim lives an hour or so from where I was in PEI. Once a month I’d head down and hang out with Tim for a few days.
We went on a double date, I’m always a good wingman so I took the 96yo so Tim could focus on her 70yo daughter. Tim and I kicked kids off the waterslide at the Bible Camp. They only let me in because Tim’s Dad started the Bible Camp… and that explains why Tim can sit on water.
Our standard joke was that I’d come to visit Tim, he would come and visit me, I would come and see Tim, but he never came to see me (blind joke). He also said I was the most intelligent person he has ever seen…. I think he was saying I am dumb.
Basin Head is a famous (in PEI) “Bridge Jumping” location and since I had never been there, Tim thought we should do it. It was October, bit of a grey day and there were a bunch of tourists, mostly Asian who were rugged up like they were about to embark on an Arctic Expedition. A blind man and an Aussie walk up to the bridge is how the joke starts…..
Another person I spent some time with on PEI was Brother Johnathan. I had heard that Brother Johnathan is a golfer, so when I arrived I looked him up and he pointed me in the right direction. I joined the Green Gables Golf Club which he was a member of and turned out to be the best course and most amazing deal.
Turns out it was a good deal for Brother Johnathan… After golf he and I would go into the club rooms and one of us would have to buy the other a beer for winning. There were mussels there…. the famous PEI Blue Mussels. Brother Johnathan told me to tuck in which I did with gusto. I asked, who I have to pay? Brother Johnathan said “Just give me $10 and I’ll look after it.” I couldn’t believe it!!! What a deal!!! Unlimited mussels for $10!!!
Turns out… they were free for members (and I’m a member). Cheeky bugger.
I have some video of golfing in PEI.
After I got back from London I was send into exile. Most Aussie’s sent into exile from London had to go to Australia but I was banished to the Chateau Stanley….. Stanley House (where Brother Johnathan once lived and part of the big hotel).
The property had a hottub, and on day one my hottub skills came to the fore. I’m a very experienced hottuber and nothing more will be spoken about this.
At the Stanley House I got to hang out with Robin who took me fishing….
And hunting…. I think I can claim that Robin and I are animal lovers because no animals were digested from either of these activities.
In the last few days I was on PEI it snowed. I went for a dip in the Atlantic Ocean a week or two before it snowed….
There is a wee little ski hill on PEI and I had scoped it out earlier in the summer…..
The day before I left PEI, Paul and I got to ski PEI POW!!!!
None of this would have happened without Christine and Paul, and their entire crew. It was amazing to finally see their home and hang out with their crew in their environment (as opposed to being in mine). This really was a unique thing I got to experience because of where I was having sold the condo and trying to get setup for a Canadian winter. Hopefully I can return the favour to them and their crew…..
As a post script, this photo is a selfie taken at the end of the beach in Cavendish. It is 7kms from one end to the other and I had it ALL to myself. Not a single other person out and back. I even managed a November swim in the Atlantic. Priceless….
