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"Creating
a family vacation which spans generations and fuels "I remember
when's",
has a lot more to do with time spent together than the location being a
major tourist destination." |
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Early in the year we
thought of finding a little place on Prince Edward Island ... a
summer cottage where we could spend family time together Bryan,
Tammie, Tavis and Tyler. By the looks of things it
was going to be expensive and crowded. |
After searching on the
internet for alternatives we came across an ad for a lovely
new-looking cottage on Pictou Island owned by Gillian and
Paul at http://vrbo.com/vrbo/3371.htm.
Picture by
Ron
Garnett. |
It looked wonderful. Really so
wonderful that, even
after we booked, we really didn't expect it would be as great as
the pictures made it out to be.
We decided to learn more
about the island with its 30 or so residents so we read each page
connected to www.pictouisland.com
including the minutes of the community meetings and "Tips for Tourists". |
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Upon arrival at Pictou,
Nova Scotia, on the mainland, in August, a taste if the island
came out to greet us in the form of the island ferry. |
| Everybody
helped get everything aboard. From baggage and beer to bikes
and bread were passed down from the wharf and piled onto the
deck. When all was loaded and right on time .... off
we went across nine miles of water to discover the six mile by 2
mile island of Pictou. |
| Friendly faces were on
the dock to meet the ferry as we pulled in. Again helpful
hands made short work of unloading groceries and goods.
There are no stores on Pictou Island.
Paul, our host, greeted us warmly and had his
truck right there on the dock to load our goods and take us down
the one and only road on Pictou to the cottage. It
was beyond what we had expected. |
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| The
view was magnificent. The ocean lay before us,
with the mainland floating on the horizon, framed by
trees on the left and right. Pictures from the web
site came to life and a tour of the cottage made us appreciate
how much more lay beyond the imagined ...
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| ...
the entry |
...
the family & dining rooms |
...
master bedroom with ensuite |
and
a fantastic screened porch. |
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Tavis and Tyler
unpacked their backpacks and settled into their bedroom as we
unpacked the first load of groceries and made hot dogs for lunch
which we ate on the screened porch.
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| We
couldn't dally long over lunch because the sea
called (via seashells) ... |
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| so we grabbed
pails and
shovels (so kindly provided with the cottage) and headed
across the green lawn to the wooden stairs and down to the
shore. |
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"Help, Gramma, we're
building a sand castle!" "Look, Grandpa, a
jelly fish!" "This is
fun!" (... and not a tv or video game in
sight.) |
| Once we washed the
sand from between our toes, we walked up the windy driveway
and waited for Tavis and Tyler's Mom and Dad (Tammie and Bryan)
to arrive. Paul had picked them up from the evening ferry
with another load of groceries and "Lady" the dog. |
| We needn't have worried
about salt, pepper or other spices, for in this sparkling clean
kitchen Gillian and Paul had an array of flavourings and other
staples as well as a full complement of pots, pans, dishes,
glassware, cutlery, dish clothes, cleaning supplies and, just in
case, an invitation to ask them for anything that might be
missing.
With such gracious accommodations
our focus was on family togetherness.
Tavis and Tyler helped with the
tidy-up chores after dinner and then took their Mom and Dad on a
tour of the beach. |
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It had been a day full
of wonderful new experiences. Our surroundings became
still. Candles (compliments of Gillian and Paul) were lit,
a cd (from the wide selection provided by our hosts) played
quietly in the back ground and books (enough to satisfy all our
tastes) were begun from the well stocked cottage library.
The only thing left to do before
snuggling into bed was to watch the moon rise and weave a golden
ribbon across the water as millions of stars sparkled in the
clear dark sky.
So began our family vacation on Pictou Island. |
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The following
two weeks were FULL
... playing on the beach ... |
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...
running, kicking, splashing, discovering starfish,
jellyfish and watching how
fast clams can dig themselves back into the sand;
laughing out loud, screaming
with glee .... or just walking in quiet conversation
with Grandpa. |
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Rabbit
watching was a frequent and fascinating sport. |
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Tavis
was the best at finding clam holes, digging them up,
washing them and then, best of all, getting the clams to squirt
Grandpa! |
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| A
visit to the community hall and school/library/CAP
(Community Access Program) centre made for an wonderful
outing. A walk up the driveway put us
on "THE" road. One road connects
the 14 families who live on the island year round.
In winter, after the waterway from island to mainland is
jammed with ice, this dirt roadway becomes a landing
strip. Islanders email their grocery lists and
wait for the plane to bring their supplies. |
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| The little
hall was the sight of a wedding party while we were on the
island. We peeked in the windows and it reminded us of
happy times in other small community halls when old and young
would dance together or share conversation over a bean
supper. A little further down the road we came
to the fire hall and school/library/CAP centre. |
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Caitlin, a
vivacious islander, welcomed us. Schooling for Caitlin,
along with a handful of other island children, took place, at
times, in this building with part time teachers; while her other
studies were accomplished through home schooling around the
kitchen table. As a high school student, she now boards
over on the mainland during the school year. Going from a
small island where everybody not only knows everyone else but
cares about them, to a larger and more impersonal setting has
it's challenges, but Caitlin is meeting them face
on. |
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| With a
winning smile and bubbly personality, Caitlin showed us what the
centre offered: internet to connect with those at home
letting them know we were well and enjoying our stay; a library
from which we checked out books by simply saying we would bring
them back when we were finished; and a swing/slide set out
back. |
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| There
are so many things to discover along the way:
grasshoppers, big friendly dogs, pretty flowers,
feathers and neighbours (everybody on the island is
considered a neighbour) who call Pictou Island home. |
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| After such an
"intensive" outing and telling Mom and Dad all about
it ... well ... it just takes a lot out of a little person
... and taking a snooze seems to be just the right thing to do
... |
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| Tavis brought
his plastic army with him and patiently waited for the right
time when he and his grandpa could get off to themselves and
build army camps. |
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| They
found the perfect spot between the water and bank.
It took hours of
concentrated work to build strategic lines of defense.
Once the war
began it took only minutes to destroy with bombardments
from above.
Only after a
peace treaty was negotiated, were outsiders allowed in
the war zone to survey the now demolished bases.
Who won?
Not sure. But did see Tavis doing a victory dance
on the rocks.
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TIME
....
... time
to talk
...
more importantly ... time to listen
... time
to simply enjoy
being with each other
...
and build memories
to last a lifetime.
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| Cards were
played, planes were built (thanks to Paul and Gillian's rainy
day chest), videos were watched and learning time was spent
together. |
| The rain left
behind the fresh smell of nature. A walk in the
woods seemed like an ideal thing to do ... and we
could do it without even leaving the property. Half way
between the cottage and Gillian and Paul's home we were greeted
by two friendly dogs who were also taking advantage of the cool
fresh air. |
| We
found our host's wood pile and Grandpa explained how the log
splitter worked. "That's a lot of logs,"
said Tavis. Then he called out. "Hey look
everybody. A caterpillar!" Tyler really
likes caterpillars. Just the day before she had drawn a
picture of a caterpillar's cocoon. Further along in
the woods Tyler called out, "Look! Look what I
found. It's a tinkerbell. Fairies can make
them ring." |
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Below the
trees we found some pretty yellow fungi. Some mushrooms
(fungi) are poisonous so we didn't touch them ... we just looked
at how pretty they were. |
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We saw
lots of pretty flowers and then ... Tavis called out
"I found it. I found it." |
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| Tavis
had found the "secret" pond Paul had told us
about. Paul said there was a beautiful
little pond but would not tell us how to find
it. "Finding it," he said, "would
be an adventure." Tavis found it! What
a beautiful pond; fringed with bulrushes and a path all
the way around. We chased each other and hid, ran
and laughed. |
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| Tavis and his
Grandpa found two broken and rusty lobster traps washed up on
the beach. With all the rabbits around, they decided
to build a rabbit trap with their finds. The rabbits
watched. The trappers found a good place to set the
trap and hung a carrot to lure the unsuspecting bunnies
in. The rabbits watched. Tavis had many ideas
of what he would do with the rabbit when he caught
it. The adults were concerned what might happen if
he caught it. |
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The
rabbits knew just what they would do.
They would
eat the carrot.
And they
did.
They ate
one carrot, two carrots, three carrots .... more.
Sometimes
the trap would be down ... but never a rabbit inside.
Even if we
didn't catch a rabbit (whew !!) ... it was fun. |
| Another time
we went fishing. The experience was a little like
rabbit hunting. We
all hopped into the truck that Paul and Gillian had left for our
use, and drove a couple of miles to the dock. |
| Bryan quickly
became "bait master". As a young man
on the other side of the dock was catching one fish after
another, Tavis was the only one close to being lucky ... but
even his luck ran out when the crab let go before it reached the
top of the deck. |
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Before
darkness set in, we tried our luck off the rocks on
"our" beach just below the cottage. We may not
have caught any fish but did capture some good moments on
camera. |
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Everybody chipped in cheerfully
to make meals, clean dishes, clean bodies, read stories, mop
floors, ... |
| set tables,
and for a couple of lovely ladies, there were even foot
rubs ... a picture perfect vacation. |
| For a change
of pace from "our own" cottage beach, we made up a
picnic and headed off to John McCallum Memorial Park (or
the "East End Beach"). It is a nice walk for an
adult, but with two children, a picnic and beach toys in tow, we
took the truck past other homesteads that inhabit the
island. |
| The driving
speed is about 20mph, slowing down for any pedestrians and
dogs. It gave Tavis and Tyler an chance to
experience riding in the back of a pickup truck (with cautions
of "never try this at home."). |
| No crowded
beaches here .... just soft sand, water warm enough to lounge in
and beach combing walks to find just the right shells, rocks and
sea-glass while "awing" over starfish, jellyfish and
cranes who moved their massive wings as though in slow
motion. |
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Tavis made
up a game using badminton birds (but not the rackets) and Tyler
preformed a water ballet. |
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We played
in the water until the sun went down ... then drove
"home" in the afterglow of sunset. |
| Two weeks
went by quickly ... but it seemed the perfect length of
time. Time to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy each
other. |
| At the end of
two weeks the children were looking forward to getting back to
their friends. Heading back to reality is a must for
young parents. We saw them off on the boat, then
spent our last night in the cottage reflecting on what a truly
wonderful time with family it had been. |
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A last stroll
along the beach and watching the sunset from the cottage porch
seamed to seal the memories.
"Memories" ...
such wonderful things ... moments to share with loved ones over
and over again with "... remember when we ... ! "
Our remembrances of
family time together on Pictou Island are so vivid ... so
cherished ... that we believe this island and Gillian and
Paul, along with their beautiful cottage, specialize in building
memories.
Recommend
it to others? Without a doubt! |
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Post
Script:
A few days after leaving the island, we celebrated our
granddaughter's 4th birthday. |
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