Weather In PEI

Our View January 31, 2013

When we decided to move to PEI, the first thing on everyone’s mind was “Why do you want to move to PEI? … the winters are horrible!”  I think people were concerned for me as I have never experienced a Winter in the East … and as anyone who has experienced a Winter in the East and in BC they will be the first to say … they are different!

When Winter started to set in, back in November, temperatures were dropping below zero.  I mean REALLY dropping below zero!  But what made it worse was the wind!  We have wind gusts that get so high that they have to close the Confederation Bridge.  Of course the more wind that blows the colder the temperature drops.  Lately in January we have had temperatures that are -21C but with the wind chill it’s feels like -31C.  Back in BC if the temperature dropped to +3C we thought THAT was cold!  So getting used to this weather has been quite an adjustment.

This past week we have had temperatures ranging from -6C to -24C.  Bailey got a new winter coat a couple of weeks ago to help him deal with the different temperatures from BC.  He doesn’t have fur like other dogs, he is a Maltese and has hair so he feels the cold much more than the other dogs. Needless to say, when he goes out to do his business he doesn’t dawdle.  It’s … let me out … let me in … NOW!! 

This morning, however, we awoke to some surprising weather!  It had been very windy overnight and had warmed up as well.  The snow had melted over night and we were seeing green grass that had gone missing for the past 3 months. The temperature this morning is a beautiful +14C!!  In the last 10 minutes we have had tremendous winds, sunshine and rain but the warm temperatures felt really good.

As excited as I was to see that it had warmed up, alas it was not going to be staying for long.  I have just heard on the radio that the temperatures are going to be falling again tonight back down -15C and … you guessed it … snow!  But Saturday is supposed to be back to sunshine and -11C … but then Sunday brings more snow!

So I must go and enjoy today for I hear I won’t be seeing another warm day like today until about April!  The weather here is a lot different from weather in BC.  Even though the Winter’s are more severe, I am still glad that I am here to experience it.  We wanted to experience all the seasons that PEI have to offer.  In the past we have only had the chance to experience Summer … which is beautiful.  Now we have experienced the Fall and now Winter.  All that’s left is the Spring … and I am definitely looking forward to that!

The little duck pond is still frozen

Not much snow is left in the front yard

The snow in the back yard has almost disappeared

How could you not love this view?

At the end of a storm comes a rainbow.  This photo was taken from the front porch of our house.

Déjà Vu? or Was This Meant To Be?

Kensington PEI 2005

Have you ever wondered why things look so familiar?  Or wonder why things happen or how did you end up in a certain place?  These questions have been on my mind lately and I think I have finally come up with an answer.

I was looking over some old photographs from our previous trips to PEI.  Our first trip to PEI was back in 2005.  We had just bought our first motor home, nothing fancy, but it had all the comforts of home.  During my summer break from school, we decided to head across Canada to PEI.  I had never driven across Canada before and had heard it’s a trip that one must take during their life time.  We enjoyed it so much that we decided to make the trip several more times over the years.

As I was saying … I was looking over old photos from our very first trip to PEI.  I wanted to see if things had changed over the years from the first time we were here to what it looks like now.  I was amazed to see the photo that is posted at the top of this blog.  It is a photo of Kensington in 2005.  I remember taking this photo.  We had just posted some postcards at the Post Office behind us (not in the photo).  I remember thinking that this was a really cute town.  Ron and I joked about how maybe we would move here one day!  Never in a million years did I think we would seriously move to PEI, let alone Kensington!  If you look at the photo you will see the Bank of Nova Scotia and right in front of that is our blue and white Motor Home!  We were surprised to see that we had taken a photo 7 years ago of the town we now live in!  Was this Déjà Vu?

It started me thinking about things.  In January 2012, we were shopping in Chilliwack and I came across a Christmas sale display of ceramic houses, that I collect, and they were dirt cheap.  I managed to pick up a Post Office and another house called “The Kensington House”.  I remember making the comment that maybe we will settle in Kensington when we move to PEI … and then quickly laughed about it.  Little did I know, that this would be what would happen!

Ron and I both retired from our jobs, said good bye to family and friends and headed to PEI to find our retirement home.  Then as most of you know, we put in an offer on a house but that fell through at the last moment.  I thought that we would have to wait until next year to continue our search for our retirement home.  But as luck would have it, 3 weeks later we would find a house that was much better suited for what we were looking for.  When our furniture arrived, I was amazed at how our furniture fit the décor of this house!  The china cabinet and kitchen table went perfectly in the kitchen matching the kitchen cabinets.  The wooden bench we have had for the past 10 years matched the wood in the living room perfectly!  It was like we had bought the furniture to match THIS house!  Was this a coincidence or was it meant to be?

After going through all the photos from our trips to PEI in the past, I have come up with the following conclusion.  

We fell in love with PEI during our first visit to the island. We have been to PEI 5 times since 2005.  We have made PEI our final destination more times than any other vacation destination in our Motor Home.  The first house fell through, and although disappointed, decided that it was just not the house we were supposed to buy. We managed to buy a house that we both fell in love with and our furniture matched the décor perfectly.  A year ago I bought a ceramic house called “The Kensington House” and now we have found photos of our Motor Home parked in Kensington taken 7 years ago.  Taking all these factors into consideration, we have decided that moving to PEI and buying this house … was just meant to be!  J

Our first moho trip to PEI

Bike Ride in PEI



Checking to see if I'm coming



Red Cliffs in Cavendish



North Rustico



Shops in North Rustico

The sand and dirt are so red in PEI!

Making a House Our Home

Our View of the Sunrise

From the time we moved into our new home on November 1^st, we have been busy trying to settle in and call it our home. 

For the first month, we had no furniture.  Actually to be more accurate, we had some furniture we borrowed from our motor home like the kitchen table (which we used to put our computer on), a couple of lawn chairs so we could watch TV, and of course we borrowed the mattress so we had something to sleep on.  We knew that all of this would be temporary until our things arrived from BC at the end of the month.  It was like camping indoors, but it didn’t quite feel like our place.

On November 30^th our furniture arrived.  Yeah!  The movers were excellent.  Every box they brought into the house they checked with me first to see where I wanted it to go.  I had clearly marked the rooms as to what they were so if I said “Office” they knew to go to the room marked “Office”.  It went very smoothly.  When the movers left, we were left with piles of boxes in every room.  The thought of unpacking all of them was overwhelming.

The month of December was spent opening up boxes and trying to figure out where we wanted to put things.  We had down sized quite a bit going from a large 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom plus Office home.  If we didn’t know where to put something, it went back in the box to worry about later.  But first … we had to put up the Christmas decorations!  After all, Christmas was fast approaching and traditionally our Christmas decorations went up on December 1^st.  I was falling behind!  We found all our Christmas decorations and managed to decorate the house in time for Christmas and it looked great.  But it felt strange not having the kids or family and friends at Christmas so by Boxing Day we took it all down. 

After taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations finally we were able to arrange the furniture the way we wanted it.  We love the house we bought, but it just didn’t feel quite like it was our home.  I couldn’t put my finger on it as it was just a feeling I had.  But something was just not right. 

We continued to open up boxes as we entered into the month of January.  We were surprised at what we would find in some of them.  Most of the boxes had been unpacked and put away, but now we were going through the “I don’t know what to do with this” boxes, along with the odd box we thought we knew what was in them but just hadn’t opened it yet.   We had made a list of the things in the boxes, but every once in a while we found something that wasn’t on the list.  Eventually all the boxes were opened but still, the house just didn’t feel like a home yet.

Then yesterday, Ron said let’s see where you want to hang this picture.  It was a large painting that was presented to Ron when he retired from the Army.  We decided to hang it over the sofa in the living room.  It looked nice there.  Then we brought out another picture, then another.  Before we knew it, we had filled the walls with our paintings, photos, and nick nacks.  As we hung the last large picture frame over the TV we sat back and looked around.  Now this place looks like OUR HOME! 

The feeling that something was missing was true.  Our personal touches, our familiar photos and mementos had not been taken out of the boxes and placed on the walls.  This is what makes this our home.  It took us a while to finally get it arranged and organized the way we wanted it, but it is finally a place that we can call Our Home!

Our Living Room

My Dad will always have a place in our home.

Perfect Spot for Our Wedding Picture

Ron's Sailing Blocks & Knots

To the Man Cave

Feeling like a home.

Bailey likes this place

Kitchen with my new Fridge

I'll never get tired of the view.  It's just beautiful!

Surprise Party!

Our neighbor Gordy called us last Saturday to ask us if we would like to come over the next day.  He was having some people over for an open house/surprise party for his wife Carolyn who was turning the big “50”.  We told him that we would love to come.

The next day we walked over to their house and was greeted with a very shocked Carolyn.  She was so taken aback by the surprise her husband had organized.  She stammered “I had no idea he was doing this!  I really don’t know who or what to expect!”  Her face was beet red but she couldn’t stop laughing.  I knew this was a “good” surprise for her.

As more and more people arrived, being the perfect hostess, Carolyn would go around the room and introduce them to everyone.  When she came to us, she would say “I would like you to meet our new neighbors Ron and Shirley Huybers … they are the ones that bought our house.”  People instantly knew who we were and wanted to start up a conversation with us, which usually started with “Why did you want to move to PEI?”  It was great to meet everyone and see a few familiar faces too.

People brought food and appetizers, and without knowing it, Carolyn had prepared a wonderful shredded beef pull for tacos the day before.  She was going to freeze it but Gordy had convinced her that it might be better to wait until the next day so that the flavors could meld together better.  She thought nothing of it, but of course it was a master plan of Gordy’s to have it ready for the party the next day.  What a sneaky fellow! 

One of the dishes that came was made by Carolyn’s father.  It was a chicken dish with potatoes, cheese, green onions, olive oil and a mixture of herbs and spices that was out of this world.  When I took the first bite of this dish, I just had to stop chewing and just let the flavors move through my mouth.  It was like it was doing a little happy dance in my mouth!  It was so delicious I just had to have the recipe!  I asked her father Chris if I could have the recipe and he agreed.  I am so looking forward to when I can make that dish.  It was probably one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had!

It was a great party with great food and wonderful people to share it with.  We got to meet several more people including one couple who have spent time in Chilliwack where we are from!  I know … small world eh?  I’m sorry that I didn’t think to take a camera with me so there are no photos, but trust me … there were a lot of people there and everyone had a wonderful time.

The Days Just Get Better!

Incredible Sunrise View from our house

We have been living on PEI for 6 months now and I have to say … the days just keep getting better and better. 

PEI is very pretty in the summer time with all the sunshine and water activities.  There is always something to do in PEI in the summer.  However, I was a bit worried about the winters here in PEI.  When family and friends first found out that we were moving to PEI, the first question out of their mouths were … “Why do you want to move there?  The winters are brutal and you will get a ton of snow!”  For those of you who know me, that was a valid question as I do NOT like snow, nor do I drive in it.  With everyone saying the same thing, I must admit I was a little worried about winter in PEI.

When we started getting the first few snowflakes of the season I thought to myself … well, here we go.  It’s snowing, brace yourself!!  But it didn’t seem that bad … as soon as I remembered I don’t have to go anywhere!  I’m retired.  I can sit in my beautiful home and cozy up to the fire.  It would snow for a few hours and then the skies would clear and we would have bright blue skies with a blanket of white snow on the ground.  It was beautiful.  The days got to be really cold, much colder than what I am used to, but again … I didn’t have to go anywhere unless I had to.  If we did have to go out, Ron drove of course. 

At times I thought the snow would never stop.  Snow drifts kept getting higher and higher but that didn’t seem to bother Ron.  In fact, he loved it!!  It gave him an opportunity to go out and play with his big snow blower!  The other day he came in after clearing a wide path with his snow blower and stated in a loud voice, “That was so much fun!!” He was like a little kid with a new toy.  I’m glad he is having so much fun with it.  I’m just as happy playing Suzie Homemaker in a nice warm house.

Since I’m not going out much these days, I have taken up baking again.  I’ve been making my own bread, which we find is better than store bought, baking cookies, cakes and even a pie.  Thank goodness Ron has been sneaking the goodies and eating them up.  It saves me from eating them and putting on any more weight!  Trouble is, if he runs out of cookies he starts whining at me to make more!  Well like I said before, I am not going outside so I might as well bake!  And I’m having fun doing it.

The other day we had to run and do some errands in Summerside.  It was a crystal blue day.  The water in the bay was frozen and looked amazing.  We saw some fishing huts on the frozen bay and had to stop to take some photos.  They looked so cute and each one had a smoke stack.  I’m guessing from a pot belly stove so they could keep warm.  I just imagined my son Andrew out there among the fishermen huddled in their cabins.  He would love that.

I must say though, although I had a little fear about the PEI winters (thanks to my family and friends back home … ya … you know who you are) so far it hasn’t been too bad.  I give a lot of credit to the PEI road crew for keeping the streets cleared of snow.  They do an excellent job of salting and clearing the roads.  Even when we have seen a blizzard (and there have been many) shortly after or even during, we see the snow plows going up and down our street making driving very manageable for those who need to drive. 

So far I think the winter months will be alright in PEI.  The views we have from our home makes this adventure enjoyable during summer or winter.  I wonder what the Spring will bring?  We’ve never been here in the Spring.  I guess I will find out soon enough.  Stay tuned!

Ice Fishing Huts on the frozen bay in Summerside

They look so little and cute!

The frozen bay looking toward the Boardwalk in Summerside

A Panorama View of the Bay in Summerside

I can just imagine my son in one of those ice fishing huts

Happy New Year!

I would like to say Happy New Year to all our family and friends around the world.  We hope you all have a wonderful 2013!

We rang in the New Year by watching the ball drop on Times Square on TV.  It felt a little strange not seeing Dick Clark there this year, but they did a really nice tribute to him so it “almost” felt like he was still with us.  It was just the two of us bringing in the New Year as we haven’t met too many people yet since moving to PEI.  So I made some snackies and we had a nice bottle of Champagne to toast the New Year.  We also had a little dance in the middle of our living room when the clock struck 12:00 which was fun. 

It was a quiet New Year’s Eve with no one running outside and banging on pots and pans or setting off fireworks, like they do back in BC, but it was nice nevertheless.  We looked at each other and said … “This is going to be a great year!”