Tuesday, August 6, 2024

A Family Reunion in PEI

It's family reunion time once again! This year we chose PEI, going back to the same cottages we had in 2015. I can't believe it's been that long!
PEI is so pretty...lots of green spaces.


We booked at Blue Crest Cottages again because they were perfect last time.

AC was welcome! It was so hot!

We had two bedrooms, which was great. Somehow we also had a lot of stuff!

Love how the cottages are staggered, so you have some privacy.

Mussel traps...we found out later that PEI harvests 50 million lbs of mussels each year. What the heck?!

AC on full blast, neck fan and a portable fan...because that's how I roll.

Jim's daughter made the most delicious Vienna Torte cake. It's been a tradition in the family for many years.  She made it at home, travelled 1800 km in the car with Randy, and assembled it once she got to PEI. Now that's going the extra mile!

The next morning we decided to go visit the Bottle Houses. They were always on my bucket list, so it was nice to have everyone on board.

There is a $10 fee ($9 for us oldies!) and it is well worth it. Lovely gift shop inside...

The gardens were spectacular, as were the interesting wood carvings.



There isn't just one house, but several buildings made of glass bottles. This is a church...

Dominic wasn't reading a sermon, but information about how the church was constructed.

Loved the little pews...

Lots of interesting exhibits...

Family photo (thanks, Randy!). L-R Jim; Jim's son, Jeff; me; Jeff's son, Dominic; Jim's first wife, Ilona; Jim's daughter, Stephanie; and her son Erik. We were missing Jeff's wife, Nadine, and their other son, Damian, who were at a baseball tournament in Moncton.

Jim and me...

Stephanie and me...

It was lovely...not too many people around, so you could take your time and enjoy the surroundings.

Family photo with Randy included this time...


Love this house with the bottles on top...



Dominic signing the guest book for all of us...


Not sure what the story is on the lighthouse. It's not made of bottles.

Lots of space to walk around and enjoy the gardens...




I have no idea...unique!

White puffy hydrangeas...

One more house...

The bar!




A very tall tree...glad it was a bit cloudy.


And more gardens...

One last hydrangea pic...if you have a chance to visit, it's worthwhile. 

We went into Summerside for lunch...

Lots of little shops and restaurants...


These decadent treats were from Get Caked. On the left is a salty caramel donut with pretzel and the right is a cinnamon roll donut. Worth every calorie! They were delicious. 

Back to the cottages...loved the sun on the field.

Damian and Dominic playing golf. Damian's baseball games in Moncton were over, and he and Nadine made it to the cottages.

Pool time! I look like I'm afraid someone is going to pelt me with the ball. Not that anyone would do that! Trying to get the ball away from the boys was a challenge.

I think they more cautious with Randy!

Family time on the deck...

Love this! Father and son...

Family photo with Nadine and Damian in it to complete the group.

Yummy lobsters! We had stopped at the fish shop on the way back from Summerside. Jim went with lobster and I had scallops, which Randy cooked to perfection.

And a very serious game of Five Crowns! It's cutthroat!

With music by Randy...

The next morning, we took a few pictures before the boys and Jeff went to play golf. We have to stop putting Jim next to Dominic!

Dominic, Stephanie, Damian and Randy...

Those who weren't golfing opted to go on a Solar Boat ride in Charlottetown. We wandered through Founders Food Hall.

The girls with some pretty big flowers!

It's supposed to be an action shot. I think the others missed the memo!

The Water Prince Corner Shop never disappoints...

Lobster roll was delicious!

You could do the party bike tour or the boat tour. It was hot! The boat tour won hands down.


Looking at the building where Jim and I have enjoyed a few stays.

Waiting for the boat tour. It was hot and we were trying to find whatever shade we could. Stephanie being Randy's photo model...

I tried to snag a large fan that was on one of the tables, but Steve had little miniature fans for those who wanted (needed!) them. Me, please!

Cold coffee hit the spot. They have a can opener that leaves a smooth rim, so no glasses are needed.

Randy, Ilona, Nadine and Erik...

Me and Stephanie on the other side of the table. I think I finally cooled down.

Charlottetown skyline...

Lots of cormorants...

A demo on how a lobster trap works...

Our tour was over and the clouds were rolling in...

Still time for photos! Erik...

Nadine and Ilona, her "second" mother...

Stephanie and Ilona, her real mother!

Mother and son...

And the group minus our photographer, Randy...

We couldn't leave without a visit to Cows Ice Cream. Great ice cream and they sell "udder" stuff. Lots of punny t-shirts!

It was busy, but they had lots of staff and the line moved quickly.

Not too excited! Ice cream was delish, but you really had to eat quickly before it dripped everywhere. 

Jeff, Damian and Dominic were happy with their round of golf...

Randy and Jeff enjoying a nice soak with their rubber ducky...

The pool games were getting serious!

Jeff and Nadine...

A lovely sunset to end our day...

With goodbyes all around, everyone headed home. Love the Island!

We stopped for delicious handpies to take home. Jeff, Nadine and Ilona had the same idea and were leaving as we arrived.

Back across the Confederation Bridge...

Another fun reunion...we are so lucky to be able to do these!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great pictures and description of the reunion! Thanks, Kim!