Trails of Hats'n Hospitalitea

I sure was glad I made a trip to my local thrift shop a couple of days ago. Here is what I found, these small but “oh so cute” salt and pepper shakers just right for our wee little tables at Grandma’s Tea Room. They all fit in a dishwasher basket I had and then it was just a waiting game to make sure they were dry and I got to fill them this morning. “Aren’t they cute?”

ity bity salt and pepper

A perfect find.
xo,
cindy

Welcome aboard the Island, sit back, tighten your buckle, pull out a pencil for note taking, make a few adjustments – while we fill you in on some travel information that you should know before you go to Prince Edward Island.

The Bridge: Toll to leave
The longest bridge over freezing waters. Crossing time approximately 15 minutes, it is 12.9 km long, 9 years in the making, cost of 1 billion dollars, opened July, 1997. The Confederation Bridge known to locals as “The Straight”, “The Link”, or “The Fixed Link.” Either way you can jump on the bridge to Prince Edward Island and it is a toll bridge collected only when you leave the Island, I believe the cost this year is $42.00 a little less than the Ferry. FYI the bridge is green…vehicles using the Confederation Bridge use 1/10 of the fuel that a Ferry would.

The Red Soil: FYI
Plenty of it, and it is red from all the iron deposits in the ground.

Walking the Green Gables Shore

The Gulf Shore Parkway: Additional Cost
Runs through Cavendish National Park as well as Brackley Beach area. You will notice a toll booth set up to collect fees operating from June 18 to Sept 6. The cost is $7.80 per adult, or $19.60 for a family up to 7 people with a maximum of 2 adults. You can cut these costs if you are only going to catch as sunset because the toll booth is only open from 10am to 6pm. Or pull out your map and find an alternative road that might take you close to the beach and you can walk the distance.

Sunday Shopping: Don’t head out early.
We never had Sunday shopping however we do now. Just for the short tourism season we open the stores on Sunday, however don’t be the early bird as most stores don’t open until 12 noon. In the Spring you won’t find Sunday shopping.

The Island at large: Don’t be fooled by the size of our map.
The Island is 224km long from tip to tip and from 6 to 64km wide. From the bridge to Cavendish Beach it is about a 50 minute drive.

Cows Ice Cream

Cows: Not the four legged ones the cone type.
In 2006 Reader’s Digest voted Cows Ice Cream the best in Canada. It is homemade first started at the Cavendish Boardwalk in 1983. They use 16% butterfat, most only have 10%. They started with vanilla and now have 32+ flavours. There are 7 Island locations to get your cows ice cream and it will taste the same at every location, made here in PEI.

The Confederation Trail: It is free to travel.
However it never use to be free as it was the tip to tip rail way here on PEI. The Trail is 470 km and on December 31, 1989 marked the end of the railway and the beginning of the “Rails to Trails Project.” The Province will issue you a ribbon either at the East Point Lighthouse or the North Cape Interpret Centre. When you go to the other location (tip to tip 273km) you can exchange your ribbon for a certificate. The maps read surfaced trail, that means stone dust not pavement and not always packed, may be soft in some areas as well in rainy weather. Not many services along the trail and plenty of nature and mosquitoes. The trail guide will indicate where to locate lodging, food and snacks.

Go sharpen your pencil for the next round of notes. I may have to do this in a 10 part series. We have guests in our Bed and Breakfast over the next couple of nights and they are having a hard time finding places open, that is our next subject.
xo,
Cindy

Tips for First Timers at a Bed and Breakfast

First timers;
If you have never stayed at a Bed and Breakfast before and you’re a first timer then I have some tips that may make your stay a comfortable one for you and your innkeeper. Mark my word, once you have stayed at your first B&B you may never stay anywhere else.
What to expect;
Most bed and breakfast are family run and the owner is also the host. You will find the decor to be usually antiques, thick linens, hand embroidered pillow cases and quilt tops, fine china, and decorated with family heirlooms.
What to bring;
Take only what you need when you go away and ask about special amenities that are available like: shampoo, conditioner, bathrobes, slippers, beach towels, lawn chairs, & coolers or bicycles.
Complimentary;
Several Bed and Breakfasts have an evening complimentary tea coffee tidbit and invite you to sit with them as they don’t allow eating in the rooms. If you’re not sure, just ask.
Your Hosts;
Your B and B hosts are happy to tell you about their home and area. They often provide maps and brochures and will recommend or make dinner reservations for you at a near by restaurant. The attention is personable when staying at a B&B compared to staying in a hotel.
Breakfast and what to expect;
Breakfasts are always the highlight of your stay. You get to enjoy your host’s finest cooking talents and talk over your day’s adventure with other guests. At one time you could have people from 3 or 4 different countries come together at the breakfast table. In most cases a time is set for breakfast; the menu is the same for all and it changes each morning of your stay. Most B & B’s will pay special attention to dietary needs, but always advise the host when booking the reservation if you have a dietary or allergy.
Dietary Needs;
Some Bed and Breakfast’s are able to accommodate your requests, (ie. Starches, citrus, diabetic, carbs, vegetarian, vegan, likes, and dislikes). I alternate the entree and pastry menu over a two-week period. It is best to communicate when booking your B&B if your dietary needs can be met.
Type of Travellers;
Most bed and breakfasts have more than one room and can accommodate small groups. Often you can find backpackers, cyclist, great place for women travelling alone, small business groups, newlyweds, seniors, and college students just before class starts. Some Bed and Breakfast accept young children and babies, not all. Sometimes there is a cut off age because the house is not appropriate for young children.
Book Early;
Some differences between a hotel and a bed and breakfasts are: A B&B doesn’t have a front desk attendant and extra staff on site. B&B hosts do most of the work themselves. A B and B has only a few rooms that fill quickly (so be sure to book early).
Arrival time;
Most B & B’s have a check in time, and a check out time. This time is a set time allowing the host to finish up with the usual daily routine, appointments, shopping or just a 10 minute down time. I like to know when guests are checking in just in case we are out for a walk or happen to go out for dinner.
Shared or Private Baths;
My bed and breakfast is a 2.5 Canada Select star rating as it has three shared baths and four bedrooms. Canada Select only awards a 3 star and above rating to accommodation who have private bathrooms inside each room. If you prefer a private bathroom, look for a B&B at a 3 star rating and above.
One night stay;
Plan to stay in a B&B the length of time it takes to visit that area. The Trailside B&B is in the Charlottetown, Green Gables Shore area. I recommend the minimum of 3 days to see Anne’s Land and Charlottetown area.
Why a Cancellation Policy;
Hotels have anywhere from 25 to 200 rooms and B&B’s have 2 or 3. A cancellation in a hotel could represent 4% of the total days revenue, and a last minute cancellation at a B&B represents as much as 50% of a day’s revenue. When you book a room at a B&B we hold that room exclusively for you booking it off the reservation system means any prospective traveller can’t even see this room. A B&B cancellation period is usually longer than that of a motel. When you make a reservation be sure you understand their cancellation policy. Please read our cancellation policy.

I hope this is helpful for first timers to Prince Edward Island. I know I wished when I visited for the first time I had some heads up. I’ll do my best to try and cover more info PEI ie…weather, bridge, how to drive, travel hints, where to go, how google and the Island work, recycling, dunes oh and Cows.
Until next time
xo
cindy

I’m grateful, as grateful as rind is to watermelon. I have, dancing about a “princess,” Miss Sydney is in the garden today and she is sophisticated enough to help the French Gardener (aka Papa) this morning with his duties, shall we take a peek?

I have the seeds Papa!

I do some more papa....

"uh, I got some"

The Birds get fed by Sydney

Grandchildren are a blessing, and grateful am I to have many of them dancing about, all of them girls and that is ok as Grandma sees plenty of tea parties in her future. Come back again and meet Makayla, Anna-Grace, Emily, Hannah, Anastasia-Rae and you already met Sydney.
xoxo,
cindy

Monday morning comes, you’re fresh, want to start the week off just right. The start of a new work week. The kids go back to school after a long weekend. You know the afternoon is set aside for a get-together with a girlfriend and beading. So, you get up early, race down stairs put on the laundry because it is Monday morning, grab that cup of coffee and wait till you can hang it out. You know once the work is done you are that much closer to a fun afternoon. The morning is moving by fast; you grab another coffee to sit and read the paper and watch your clothes blow in the wind.

As you look out the window your clothes come crashing to the ground and you say to yourself, “there is just something about a Monday.”

Something about a Monday

Let the coffee get cold you have clothes to pluck off the ground.

There may be something about a Monday but everything happens for a reason. Why did the clothes line let go? It’s simple… It needed a new location and I know just where it will go. Not only can it be moved to a better spot, away from traffic, away from sight of afternoon tea, but this new location has room for two clothes lines. WWWWooooooohooooooo. “So is this my next job?” replied my French Gardener, “let me get started, stop taking pictures and give me a hand.”

And we get started with a new location

This is the old pulley in the new location I’m so excited.

I often wonder if my Mondays are unique or if others do as I do and rush to get things done and then something goes wrong. If your Monday was eventful, let me know I’d love to hear about it.

xo,
Cindy

Today April 25, 2010 we will get together for
a family Sunday usual gathering. This would
have been mom’s 36th Birthday “again.”

I wrote this poem for my brother Ralph.
He and mom spent her last day together.
I thank you for being there for her.

Grannies favourite place to be, fishing.

I knew, it was written on your face,
Could you feel me by your side,
You knew this was your final place,
Our wasted moments as I cried.

We reminisced of times gone by,
For me it was each and every day.
I needed you to feel warm and safe,
And secure in some way.

Each time you opened your eyes,
The same question you spoke,
Please, take me outside,
I need to have that one last smoke.

Then asleep you fell back to again,
I questioned being your best friend,
For if I was I would comply,
Oh, mom now I need to cry.

You wake and talk about the camp,
The fishing stories at Stoney Creek,
Reminded me of our happy times,
Oh, mom rest you look so weak.

I knew you were holding on,
Wanting me to believe you’re strong,
Knowing me, I’d return that smile,
You won’t be with me a long while.

I watched you while you slept,
And prayed for you’re final breath,
This can’t be happening,
I’m feeling too much guilt.

Wake up mom and talk to me,
Just one last time, please
Open up those eyes again,
Let me know I still have my friend.

As your breath grew farther apart,
I stayed and held your hand,
I’m scared, don’t leave me,
This is going to break my heart.

I listened to the silence,
And there it was,
Your final breath you breathed,
This is cruel and just “not fair.”

I hoped that this wasn’t the end,
I still have a lot to learn,
I need you still here with me,
I can’t accept this as the end.

My memory reached for a fishing trip,
I wanted to go back to a time that was safe,
A place where I saw that smile on your face,
The calm waters of ole Mackey Creek.

We once knew this to be a peaceful place,
You returned there again,
It was for sure for the angel had come,
And left one last smile upon your face.

I lost my mom, she lost the fight
And I tried to say goodbye,
To my best friend in the world,
Never again I felt would anything be right.

We speak of you kindly, holding your memory tight,
And its days like today we wish you were near,
For we will celebrate your Birthday without you here,
It’s ok mom… it will be alright.

There is more to my thrifting story then I told. When I made my way past all the treasures in Grannies Panties I got to the cash to find a fellow in front of me putting his finds on the cash counter.

He pulls out two mugs that he had tucked up under his arm and set them atop of the counter. They caught my eye, these mugs take me back a number of years to a time I can’t get back ever.

mom and her coffee mug

My mom left us in January 2006 after an eight year battle with Cancer. She drank coffee from one of these mugs, it had to be her favourite as there were plenty of other mugs in the cupboards but she always used this green Fire King mug. When I went to Ottawa for her funeral I asked my brother for this mug, I needed something of moms and this would be perfect. Sadden I was told there wasn’t anything like that at her house. I often questioned myself…did it get just get tossed because it was an old mug, or was it a sale item on ebay?

Here I was standing behind a man at Grannies Panties and he had two mugs just like moms. I told him how I had been looking for years for just this same mug, how much I would appreciate such a mug and then slipped in, “can I buy those off you?” The gentlemen smiled and told me he had two others like it at home and they were all going to be part of a 4 mug collection. My face welled up and tears formed in my eyes, I looked across to my daughter Jennifer who, whispered “its ok mom, it will be ok.”

I got help to load my tea cart and noticed Jennifer over talking to the man with the green mugs outside. When I approached she was finishing up the conversation with “well, thanks anyway you know I just had to try.” He said he understood.
On our ride home I told Jennifer that Granny (mom) always said if it was meant to be it would happen. I told Jennifer that I would have loved the mugs, but I rectified not getting them by saying, “no doubt I would put them on the shelf and every time I would pass by them I would think of Granny and not get any work done, it is meant to be.” Jennifer sadly agreed.

When we got home I was excited about my tea cart and had it out of the car sitting in the driveway by the time my French Gardener came out. He was impressed, I got a good find and he walked with me to the back of the Honda to see what else I picked up. Jennifer minded the tea cart like it would go somewhere, admiring it I returned to where she was, only to find the two cups sitting on top of the tea cart. We both turned on the tap and stood there like fools in the driveway crying while she was trying to explain, she wanted to keep them for me for my Birthday but couldn’t hold out any longer. She continued with “mom, I asked the man with the green cups if he would sell me one, and after I told him how much they meant, he gave them both to me, said we should both keep grannies memory.”

We continued to cry all the way into the house and made ourselves each a cup of coffee in those old green mugs, and it tasted just like grannies coffee did as we remembered when.
xoxo,
cindy

We arrived too early and so we had to wait 30 minutes before we could get in, oh the anticipation.
This is “Grannies Panties”

This ole house is Grannies

We had time for a couple of pictures in those 30 long waiting minutes…

Sign for "GP's"

I’ll never forget such a day, such a find, such a wonderful thoughtful daughter I have…(another post)

Then!! oh could it be, yes, it was mine, all mine, all mine, all mine, yippy. I found a tea cart for grandma’s afternoon tea room and it is perfect, oh how do I get it all the way back to Prince Edward Island?

My tea cart for Grandma's Afternoon Tea Room

It is just perfect and I hope you come to Grandma’s and see my little tea cart. I’m so excited!
xoxo
cindy

A visit to North Carolina was in order. I had a few shops I needed to frequent and so I asked Google for advice on where to find them. Well!!! to my surprise I found just what I was looking for. Google returned my search with this shop inside a big old house called “Everything But Grannies Panties”. That was an odd name for a shop, I wonder whats in store? do they have antiques? linen, oh maybe I’ll find some vintage tea sets for the tea room. I wasn’t sure about the Grannies Panties part but knew I wouldn’t reach into a box and pull out a pair and that was fine.
I have visited GP’s twice a year and never do we ever come out without a bag in our hand. Great prices and great finds that is all I have to say and I’m making one last stop before we head back to Prince Edward Island today.

This is without a doubt my favourite thrift shop. Do you have a thrift shop that always sends you out with a bag in hand? If it is between Prince Edward Island and North Carolina on the East Coast let me know I’ll go check it out.
xoxo,
Cindy

The Honda leaves the driveway at 3 am, I’m taking my French Gardener away for a few days. Beading shops, scrapbooking stores and thrift shops, I’ll have a lot to say later.
Bye,
xo,
Cindy