Busy Week!

This past week or so has been really busy.  When we ordered the washer and dryer we decided not to order the pedestals as they would have been $200 each plus tax.  I thought that was too much money for pedestals … besides, I knew I had married a very smart and talented man and thought he could make me some for a lot less.  I was right.  Ron took out a pad of paper and started to design the stand for the washer and dryer. 

After Ron built the stand, I was given the task of painting it.  We decided to paint it white so it would go with the rest of the room.  The base boards and window trim were all in white with the walls being a soft yellow.  It turned out great.  Ron even made little squares with the center cut out for the feet to sit in.  This would prevent the machine from slipping off the pedestal if the machine vibrated to the point of shifting.  He did a great job.

When delivery day came, only the washer was delivered.  The dryer somehow missed the truck and isn’t going to be delivered until tomorrow.  The washing machine was put up on the pedestal and Ron arranged his little squares under the feet of the machine and screwed them into place.  That machine wasn’t going anywhere!  It looked great! Of course the first thing we did after setting the washing machine on the pedestal was a load of laundry!  J

Today was a beautiful day with a high of 26 degrees.  Ron had a great idea of going to the beach early.  Being Wednesday, we thought it would be fairly quiet.  When we arrived at our favorite beach, just 6 minutes away from our house, we were quite surprised to find … we were the only ones there!  It was around 10:00 a.m. and the parking lot was empty.  We took Bailey and walked along the shore to the end where the red cliffs were.  After taking a few photos we decided to walk back to the other end of the beach.  We started to see people arriving onto the beach.  It’s such a long stretch of beach that a few more people wouldn’t make any difference. 

As we walked to the other side we came discovered some interesting things along the way.  Somebody must have had a lobster cook out on the beach because we found the remains of the lobster shells strewn about the beach.  Why can’t people take their garbage home with them?  What I found interesting though, was the size of the lobster.  This lobster must have been huge!  It could have fed 2 or 3 people I’m sure.  I’ve never seen a lobster claw so large before.  I hope it was good.  J

We also discovered some interesting holes in the side of the cliff.  It looked as if they had sliced the side of the wall off and cut through some animal homes.  There were all different sizes of holes.  We thought they might be fox holes, rabbit holes or even rodents holes.  We stood there for a moment in case anybody was home but nobody wanted to come out and say hi to us so we carried on.

We came to a little hide-away nestled in among the red cliffs and sat for a while.  We kept looking out into the ocean and saying how lucky we are to be able to do this.  The breeze from the ocean kept the heat from the sun from getting too hot.  After about an hour or so, we decided to go back home and have some lunch.  When we stood up and started walking back, we found that the rest of the world had woken up and the beach had filled up considerably.   It was time to leave.

Today, like many others, has been a good day.  It’s like being on a permanent holiday.  I wish more people could experience PEI like we have been seeing it.  It truly is an amazing place to visit … and to retire in.  J

Painting the pedestal stand

It's so big!  What is it daddy?

Waiting for the dryer to arrive

Beautiful day to go to the ocean

At one end of the beach

Look!  I've got the whole beach to myself!

Holes along the cliff

I wonder who lives in there

Hello?  Anybody home?

Relaxing at the other end of the beach

Stairway to the rental cottages above

Beach is very quiet today

Largest lobster claw I've ever seen!

Home relaxing on the deck after a busy day at the beach.
It's been a perfect day!

A Good Week!

It has been a really good week for us … or should I say mostly good for me!  J Since we moved into the house last November, we have slowly been upgrading the appliances from white to stainless steel.  In January we replaced the fridge and this last month we have replaced the dishwasher, the stove and yesterday we ordered our new washer and dryer.  I know … I am spoiled.  My husband has a saying that I truly believe EVERY husband should live by … “Happy wife … Happy life!”  I am so lucky to have married such a wonderful, smart, and generous husband.  J

This week we finally got around to buying some bird feed and hanging the bird feeder out in the front yard.  Today we saw some bright yellow finches perched at the trough eating the seeds.  At first there was just one yellow finch, then another one came along.  But when a little brown bird tried to come and eat, the yellow birds chased him away as if to say … “Go find your own restaurant … this one is ours!”  It was fun to watch them as they sat there picking away at the seeds but at the same time they were keeping a keen watch for intruders.

Today, as I did my daily check on my garden, I noticed that my peas were quite plentiful.  I decided today was the day we get to eat something from the garden.  I got a bucket and started picking the peas that looked the plumpest.  There were a lot of them.  As I checked out the rest of the garden, I noticed that the green beans weren’t getting very tall.  I couldn't see any green beans at first, but then my hand accidently moved some leaves and I saw that the green beans were hiding underneath the leaves!  They had grown to about 6 inches and were in bunches.  I was really excited about this and have decided that tomorrow night for dinner we will be having green beans!  I can’t wait until the beets and carrots are ready to serve up on a plate!  I did pull a carrot out of the ground today just to see how big they are getting.  It looked like a little skinny baby carrot.  I washed it off and ate it.  It was really good.

I brought the peas in and removed them from their pods.  I had picked 45 pea pods.  After I had opened all the pods and removed the peas it was just barely enough for the two of us.  I kept thinking about the bags of frozen peas that I usually buy and wondered how many pea pods it must have taken to fill the bag!

Ron put some pork chops on the BBQ and I cooked the peas and some scalloped potatoes to go with it.  I actually had to look up in the cook book as to how to cook fresh peas.   I don’t think I have ever cooked fresh peas before.  When we sat down to eat, the first thing Ron and I tried were the peas.  They were so good!  Ron immediately said, “You can sure tell that these are fresh!  They taste sweet and are so good!  I can’t wait to try the green beans tomorrow night!”

Being able to eat something from the garden was a great way to end the week.  I still have a lot to learn about gardening … and the spacing of plants … but I have all the time in the world to figure it out.  Live and learn as they say.  Next year I will know what to do, and more importantly … what NOT to do when planting a garden.  J

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer as much as we are.  We are really loving retirement and living in PEI.  It’s a great place to sit back, relax and enjoy life.

I now know NOT to plant corn too close to other plants.
It's only half grown and it's already crowding the other plants!

I planted the tomato plants too close to the peas.  Live and learn.

My tomatoes are growing!

Lots of peas on the vines

My green beans were hiding from me!

I think it's a little crowded but at least they are growing!

My spinach and extra carrots and beets

Picking peas for dinner

There are lots to pick

My bucket of peas

I think they are a good size

It's a lot of work for a few little peas.  But it's fun!

Our first vegetable picked from the garden

Yellow finch guarding the food

His friends are joining him for bite to eat

My new stove.  I waited 6 months for this but it was worth it!

I love my new stove!!

Happy Birthday Bailey!  You are 6 years old today!!

Exploring Nova Scotia

This past weekend we went to Nova Scotia.  Ron has an old army buddy who lives there and he and his wife invited us to stay at their place. 

It was perfect weather for driving to Nova Scotia.  We had beautiful sunny blue skies but not too hot for driving.  It felt good to have a little get away in the moho.  It had been a year since we have travelled anywhere in the moho.

We arrived at Kevin and Penny’s house late in the afternoon.  Once we got the moho parked and set up, we sat and relaxed for a bit on their beautiful deck.  They have 2 levels on their deck.  The upper portion of the deck is partially covered has grape vines growing up and above giving you plenty of shade to keep you cool.  The lower deck is more open with a large pond in the middle of the deck.  It is home to several large fish, lily pads and a couple of very friendly frogs who like to jump on the deck to get fed worms.  They were really fun to watch.

The next day Kevin took Ron and myself for a drive to explore Nova Scotia.  I had never been in that part of Nova Scotia before.  I found the drive most interesting.  Kevin was a great tour guide, explaining what everything was as we drove around the island.  He took us to Margaretville where we stopped and went through a local art gallery.  Actually it was more of a shack than a gallery, but the paintings and art work were really nice.  We then went out onto the wharf.  The tide was out but you could see how high the water rises when the tides come in.  It was very cool. 

We drove around for hours while Kevin pointed out little bits of history along the way.  The last stop we went to was particularly interesting to Ron.  It was the Canadian Forces Base in Cornwallis where Ron took his basic training when he joined the military.  He hadn’t been back there in 35 years!  It brought back a lot of memories for him.  We also discovered that Kevin and Ron did their basic training at the same time at the same base but they never knew each other.  They were in different platoons and I guess they didn’t mingle platoons back then.  They lived only a few buildings apart from one another too.  I thought that was strange that they never met back then, but later in life they worked together and are now friends.  It was really cool listening to Kevin and Ron talk about … “I remember that building over there” or “I remember so and so”.   It was fun listening to them reminisce about their basic training days.  Now they use the base for cadets. There were some cadets training in the parade square when we were there.  Thanks Kevin!  It was a great tour!

The following day Kevin offered to take us for another tour around the island.  I decided to stay home with Penny as she wasn’t feeling well enough to go the day before or today.  So Ron and Kevin took off for a few hours while Penny and I had a chance to visit.  Kevin took Ron up to a look out point where he was able to see the whole valley and the Bay of Fundy.  Ron took lots of photos so he could share them with me upon his return.

On Sunday, Kevin took Ron “off roading” in his new ATV.  I was a little nervous about Ron going because I had seen some Youtube videos of rides that had gone bad.  I was hoping that Kevin wasn’t one of those dare devils that like to go vertically up a mountain!  He assured me that he would bring Ron home safe and sound and in one piece.  I must admit … they did look cute in their helmets.  J

It was so nice to get away for a few days.  The weather was warm (but not too hot), I got to see parts of Nova Scotia I’ve never seen before and the company was great.  Thanks Kevin and Penny for your hospitality.  It was fun!

Leaving PEI on the Confederation Bridge

Heading for New Brunswick

At a rest stop we saw a moho from Germany

The town of Amherst

Sitting on the upper deck at Kevin & Penny's

They have friendly squirrels

The Art Gallery in Margaretville

Tides out in Margaretville

This is a different version of Bailey on the Rocks

You can see how high the water can be when the tide comes in

Old Army Barracks in Cornwallis

Someone important on the Base must live in that house!

Prepping the cannon on the Parade Square

Pond in the middle of the deck.  Very cool.

Frog looking for his dinner.  A nice worm please!

Two frogs ... best buddies!

Didn't anyone tell them the tides out?

Beautiful view of the Bay of Fundy off  Look Out Point.

View overlooking the valley and the Bay of Fundy

Ron is ready to go!

Looks like they are off to have fun!

Back home again.  Full moon over Long River.
Nice View from our house!