Coast to Coast: Prince Edward Island

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no
 mistakes in it yet." -Anne Shirley

After seeing Quebec City Laura, Lindsay, my mom, and I piled into Laura’s CR-V and we drove to Prince Edward Island. The drive was quite long and went through New Brunswick which, in my estimation, is nothing but trees. Laura coined the term “Boo Brunswick!” which we all shouted whenever something was annoying or didn’t work out right. We drove by a town called Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!. Read the name of that town with a French accent and you’re sure to giggle.

"This way to Prince Edward Island!"

Dreams came true during our three days on Prince Edward Island. Lindsay and I are both big Anne of Green Gables fans and we’ve wanted to come here for years. We stayed in a house with a lovely view of the water and terrible Wi-Fi. We complained plenty about the Wi-Fi.

The view from our backyard. Our neighbors wanted to remind
us we were in Canada.

We toured the actual Green Gables which was way fun. Obviously Anne Shirley is fictitious, but L. M. Montgomery used a relative’s house for her description of Green Gables in the book so the house and surroundings are quite real. I loved it all and learned loads about L. M. Montgomery’s life and how she singlehandedly saved the north shore of Prince Edward Island by making tourists visit it. The only disappointing thing we learned was that the movies were filmed in Ontario. There was an “Anne” walking around the park all day and I got my picture taken with her twice.

Me: Is it okay if I put my hand on your shoulder?
Anne: Why sure! Thanks for askin'. 

Me: Can we get a picture with you?
Anne: Didn't I already take a picture with you?
Me: Yeah, but you were wearing a different outfit.

Lindsay became inexplicably obsessed with dunes and lighthouses during the visit. We went to a beach that supposedly had the best dunes and Lindsay shouted, “Dunes!” when she saw them (which is a perfectly logical thing to do). Laura and I started saying “Dune!” in the same way that a surfer might say “Dude!” We ran with that joke for a while. In Lindsay’s zeal for lighthouses we drove on a dirt road to see one. The road was made of PEI red dirt, so that was cool. But then the road got really rough. Like, so rough that a car couldn’t make it through and Laura’s Honda CR-V jostled, swayed, and bumped like the cars on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. But then we got a beautiful view and all was right with the world.

Dune!

The lighthouse was a letdown, but the view was superb

My favorite place we visited on the island we discovered quite by accident. Lindsay saw a painting of it at a restaurant and said, “I want to go there. I want to go to Thunder Core.” Laura responded, “Do you mean Thunder Cove?” She did, she just read it wrong. It took a little sleuthing to figure out where it was, but the old man at the information booth told us exactly where to go. As we were walking along the beach to the cove we realized we were on the famed “singing sands” that make a whistling sound when you drag your feet across them. Super cool and I’m sure there’s some science reason for why that happens. The cove isn’t very well known so it was just the four of us there and we laughed our heads off taking silly pictures.

Jump if you love Thunder Core. I mean Cove.

During the trip Laura got a glimpse of why I’m so full of myself. Out of nowhere and with absolutely no irony my mother would say things like, “Ben is just so handsome and smart. We just love him so much." One time when I was driving my mom said, “You’re doing such a great job driving, Ben,” and Laura and I burst into laughter because all I’d done was turn a corner which typically does not warrant praise. My parents have told me how awesome I am all my life and so I just believed them. But they’re totally right, I am awesome (or “rad” depending on who you ask). I’m a product of the Pygmalion effect.

My mom loves me even more than I do

Laura ordered invisible ice cream. Only really
smart people can see it.

While we were in Quebec City we had a really cute waiter that Lindsay and Laura were very taken with. After we left the restaurant Laura lamented that she hadn’t taken a picture of him and that she could have easily snapped a photo while pretending to take a selfie. For the rest of the trip whenever I’d see a cute a guy I’d say, “Laura, take a selfie!” and she’d pretend to take a picture. The only “selfie” she actually took was of our waiter at this delicious pizza restaurant in Cavendish. Not only was he cute, but he loved our banter so much that he told Laura and me that we should do improv. A guy who compliments us like that totally deserves to get his picture taken.

Jonathan the waiter talked to us for at least 20
minutes. He wanted us to like him and we did.