Honey On The Island

So, it is still raining.

This past Thursday saw Honey on an Island adventure. The last time she was in the car for any where near this amount of time was when she accompanied us to Stan Rogers Folk Festival in 2009. On that journey, she threw-up 7 times on the way to Canso and fewer on the way home. She's not a dog that really, really enjoys the car. For example, shaking the car keys does little to entice her to the door. But I enjoy her being there, so into the car she went, with her blanket and a doggie survival kit. We were on the road shortly after 7 a.m., headed to the Caribou Ferry Terminal. As we crested the hill leading to the terminal, I remarked, is there still ice in the Strait? No, my dear, those are white caps. Oh. Our car was loaded with the other few cars into the belly of the Confederation and we readied Honey for a walk upstairs; only to find a sign with a black dog and a strike through it! Yikes. Back to the car, and I ran away, but could hear her barking amid the roar of the engines on that glorious ferry. Anyway, didn't really ever get my sea legs, as it was a rough ride over. As we drove towards Charlottetown, the sky almost lightened, there were even little spots of blue! Honey spent the majority of the time in the car with a quiet pant on, never really relaxing.

I was able to visit with my Aunt Olive and Uncle Wesley in Summerside. They are now in an assisted living space, being in their 90s, and being incredibly inspirational for me. Olive battled, successfully a first round of breast cancer only 12 years ago or so. While there, I ran into my cousin Eric and I was able to then go to the family home and visit with Eric, his wife Kim and their daughter Jennifer. Then it was off to find Lee, which we did with no difficulty. Honey was very, very pleased to see him. We had lunch together at his place and then Lee took us on a tour of all of his significant places in Summerside. Once that was through, we headed to Cavendish beach via Kensington/Stanley Bridge. It was a lovely drive, and it is indeed a beautiful Island, even with grey skies. When we landed at Cavendish, another car pulled up with a couple of young lads. They were determined to go swimming. I took pictures. It was cold. The ran screaming into and out of the ocean! Leaving the beach, there was a fox ambling along the small highway. I didn't have time to get a picture or to let Honey get a sniff. Bah. Then off to Charlottetown, where Tessa was destined to meet up with us for supper. We found the coolest little shop and I found two new summer hats for my collection. We had coffee, toured Charlottetown and stopped in to see if Aunt Shirley was home; but she wasn't. I left a note for her in her mailbox.

Finding a parking space for supper turned out to be fun. It seems Thursday night is a vibrant night in downtown Charlottetown. But, we were settled before we knew it in a funky little pub; Tessa arrived; we had a fabulous meal, some more pictures, and then it was time to say goodbye for now, gas up and head back to Scotia Nova (as I've heard it called). Gas is considerably cheaper on the Island, and now in New Brunswick as well.

Anyway, what a great trip we had. I hope to get over again and am in fact searching out Stanley Bridge which is absolutely delightful. I could see myself resting there for a few days.

Yesterday was rest day. Today is rehearsal; bass practise; and rest.

I had a call from a friend and a request from a friend yesterday that continues to fill my heart to overflowing. I will continue to digest it and will give you more news on this soon.

A brain MRI has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday. I've had a couple of weak spells, and pain, and so let's get to the bottom of this so we can deal with it as it has to be dealt with!

Get 'er done!

Okay. I know it is still raining and grey. But we are here, and we have each other, and we can be present with each other and we can still rejoice in the fact that somehow, our prayers are answered. And we still have the chance to be kind to one another. And we can still share a laugh, in spite of the weather.

Peace today,

Emma Lee