A Family Reunion in Prince Edward Island

We were heading to Prince Edward Island, for the 4th annual family get together. But first, a stop in Shediac where Sissy and Trevor were renting a cottage. It was a lovely day...the first nice weather in over a week. Who knew it could be so cold in July? Bonus! My niece, Nika, was there as well. We amused ourselves with the selfie stick. The guys were tuning us out.

And then they couldn't resist! Pose this way...

and that way! It takes very little to entertain us.

Sissies at the beach...

We wore out the stick...

After lunch, it was time to move along. PEI, here we come!

After the always awe-inspiring drive across the Confederation Bridge, we were on the Island.

For a province as small as PEI, there are so many farms and so much green space. A field of canola is always breathtaking.

Just one of the many little churches...all immaculate.

And our destination for the weekend, Blue Crest Cottages.

Jeff and family had already arrived and the boys were busy playing catch. I liked how the cottages are all staggered so everyone has some privacy on their deck.

The boys are growing up so quickly. Damian at 8 with his cool sunglasses...

They found out that the ball can go a long way under the deck. Dominic was sent under several times to retrieve it. Visions of spiders danced in my head...

That evening we were blessed with an amazing moon...

A hidden lobster trap...

We made sure that Randy took note of the sign.

Dominic and Damian enjoyed the hot tub...

It was clearly a guy thing!

Randy reading Dominic the riot act...you can tell how concerned Dominic was.

Jennifer in the pool...here comes Damian!

Followed by Randy and Jeff...

It was time to call it a night and we ambled back to the cottages. This is what you get when you ask an 8 year old and a 6 year old to "smile!"

The cottages were really nice...exceptionally clean and spacious.

A great first day...

The next day we did a bit of exploring in the town of Rustico...

Posing at the water's edge with Stephanie and Erik...

We had a yummy BBQ that evening...

The next morning we were up bright and early to go deep sea fishing.

It was going to be a beautiful day on the water...

Lexi D. our boat for the day...

Fishing rods for everyone...

Rustico Harbour...

Sadly, I can't remember this guy's name. We kept him busy putting bait on our hooks and taking the fish off.

First catch...a mackerel for Damian.

A happy fisherman...

Our catch started accumulating...while the crew said it was a very slow day and we tried several locations, we were happy with our fishing experience. Everyone caught something...mission accomplished.

Dominic helping me with my big catch!

Mr. Crewman was great at taking the fish off the hook for those too squeamish to do it.

He started cleaning the mackerel to use parts of them as bait for our next catch of cod.

Bait for everyone...

Jennifer and Dominic...Dominic was cold and a bit overtired. I said "I think you need a nap." He said "Grandma, I need two naps!"

Erik caught a sculpin (twice)...an ugly fish, nicknamed the "mother-in-law fish."

Ilona was the first to catch a cod...

Tradition is you have to kiss the cod...she's going for it!

Blech...apparently not to her liking!

Dominic finally caved to his need for a nap.

Our captain holding Erik's second sculpin catch...

Randy caught several cod...

No problem with the kiss!

Go, Nadine! A cod for her as well...

I think the fish was enjoying it!

It was time to head back to shore. That was a fun experience!

Father and son...

That night we enjoyed some fresh cooked lobster. After much discussion about cooking times and salt quantities, the lobster were ready for eating.

Randy got up early to photograph the sunrise...

We played golf, which was an experience. (We'll leave it at that!) Monday morning came all too quickly and everyone was packing up to leave. Jim and I were staying an extra day so we toured around Rustico.

Can you find Jim overlooking the water?

One of the oldest churches in PEI, St. Augustine's Catholic Church was built in 1838.

There are so many farms on PEI...

That night we headed into Charlottetown to see Lennie Gallant, the real reason for us staying an extra day.

The show was being held at the PEI Brewing Company, so we went early and had a snack and a beverage (or two.)

Love Lennie Gallant! This show was so good. All the paintings in the background are his sister's, Karen Gallant. I knew he was from PEI, but didn't realize that he was from Rustico and he showed a lot of images of the places we had visited, including the church and Lexi D.

Loved it! It was worth the extra day...

And with that our lovely trip to PEI was over. We headed back across the amazing Confederation Bridge to home.

Next year's plans are up in the air. It would be great to find a spot out West so that Patrick and Krysten could join in. To be continued...