Moncton, NB and Prince Edward Island

Lloyd and Elaine left Riverview on Sunday to visit FDR’s summer retreat, Campobello, which we had toured a few years ago. We bid Eric and Norma farewell, drove on to Moncton the next day, catching up with mail, phone calls, and laundry. Tuesday we visited over lunch with our good Canadian friends Gloria and former diplomat Mike. We had all lived in Vienna, VA and had attended Providence Baptist Church 30 years ago. We hope they will soon visit Texas instead of wintering in Florida, their usual habit.
Lloyd and Elaine arrived at the campground on Tuesday evening. The four of us met Judy and Al, hosts for our Columbia Baptist Sunday School Reunion. The latter was the main reason we had come to PEI. Other attendees had also arrived early, and we all enjoyed a seafood dinner at the Magic Mountain Restaurant. Afterward our hosts invited us to their wonderful seaside home in Shediac Bridge. The lovely house, Judy’s family summer place as a child, has been expanded from a cottage into a beautifully decorated, comfortable home. Our reunion group has been meeting every two years for the past ten. This was our first time to attend. Our group is more like family; we pray for each other, trust one another with personal needs, and laugh together easily. All 27 of us descended on Stanhope Beach Resort on Prince Edward Island (PEI) for four days. Lloyd, Elaine and we were the only RVers, and camped at Vacationland Resorts RV Park a few minutes from the lodge. Each day was filled with sharing, touring, shopping, and eating—much EATING. PEI is the birth place of the Canadian Confederation.

Several highlights of our four days on PEI were a river cruise on a converted lobster boat with our group, a lobster feast and exploring three scenic island loops. While on the cruise we were entertained by two capable musicians, one on the sax and his father-in-law on the guitar. Anne of Green Gables is a huge draw for tourists in PEI. Many of our group attended the play in Charlottetown while we and Lloyd and Elaine elected to drive to the northeast coast to investigate lighthouses and photograph many quaint churches that pervade the island. We were treated to a hands-on unloading of hundreds of mackerel on the north coast in the Gulf of St Lawrence. The fish were to be sent to the other side of Northumberland Bay in New Brunswick to be used as bait in the lobster traps. Lobster seasons vary with location to prevent over-fishing any one area. On another exploring day, we visited the Point Prim lighthouse, the tallest and only round brick lighthouse on the island. We were delighted to find a cozy little seaside shack that served delicious sandwiches and had a most romantic porch view, including a swooping great blue heron. We did a little touring in the Capital, Charlottetown. One night we walked the wharf, had a fabulous fish dinner and attended a laser light show projected on an historic building.

Our last night at Stanhope was topped off with a delicious dinner of grilled hot dogs, corn on the cob, salad, and pie ala mode. Bidding each other farewell, we committed to be better correspondents and more faithful prayer warriors. We expressed heart-felt thanks to Judy and Al (left) for their two years of comprehensive planning to make the reunion a (memorable occasion. We had driven our rigs over the (Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick for free, but on the return we were slapped with a healthy $63 fee. Guess they wanted us to stay on PEI.