MJWS in PEI

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I've been meaning to blog for several days now, if only to provide a personal update, but, well, I haven't really spent much time at the computer this week.

You see, I'm on vacation for a couple of weeks in Prince Edward Island. (In? On? Both, I suppose.)

It's my favourite place in the world, a long way from Democratic impotence (understandable, to a point, given the need for 60 Senate votes to get anything done) and the descent into madness of the Republican Party, and of American conservatism generally, and I'm enjoying some time away from it all. Other than watching Stewart and Colbert, I'm just not paying much attention to the news.

Although I did read about Ted Stevens, and I did plan a post with this title: "Ted Stevens is dead. Long live the Intertubes!" Maybe later.

I may get to blogging a bit in the days to come, if I can tear myself away from rest and relaxation, much needed with a busy fall ahead, what with the November midterms and all, but be sure to keep checking back for some great posts from my co-bloggers. (Of course, I've been reading their posts, as always -- and, as always, I come away far better for it, so good do I think my co-bloggers are.)

In the meantime, I'm eating a lot of seafood -- the halibut is simply unbelievable, as are the oysters, as fresh as can be, harvested just minutes from here -- and basking in the beauty of this place, of which I cannot get enough.

-- Michael

Life on the Island

By Michael J.W. Stickings

It's been a quiet day at The Reaction but a busy, and very beautiful, day for me here on Prince Edward Island -- "the Island," as we call it -- and I'm rather sad that my vacation will soon be coming to an end. Thankfully, we have a few more days left.

It's a different world here, in many ways, much different than Toronto, where I live -- especially so when, as I am, you're spending your time not in front of a television or computer screen. There's simply too much to do, and why would I ruin my vacation by paying close attention to the inanity that is U.S. politics? I'll have more than enough of that when I get home and return, sadly, to "normal."

Oh, sure, I know all about the race-bridging beer-drinking at the White House, and all the rest of the mustn't-miss news of the past couple of weeks, but it's been a real pleasure being away from it all, if only for a fairly short time. I cannot recommend it highly enough, just as I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

And what's going on here? Well, gas prices are set to rise -- that's the top story at the website of The Guardian, the Island's main newspaper, based in Charlottetown, the provincial capital. (The paper covers the Island "like the dew." Seriously. That's its motto.) Also, road work is set to begin at a major intersection in Cornwall, one of Charlottetown's suburbs. On a related note, I remember listening to a "drive home" traffic report last year on the radio -- I think it was on Spud FM (seriously, that's one of the radio stations here, with potatos being one of the Island's main crops) -- and the major development was that the traffic light was out at the intersection near Sears (the only one in town). We came to the intersection a few minutes later, and -- if only big-city life were like this -- there was only a brief delay getting through. That's what passes for a major traffic problem here.

What else? Holland College, which includes Canada's justly famous Culinary Institute, is set to get a $40-million expansion, which is hugely significant for a place this small, and, earlier today, concern at a woodworking facility in Summerside (the Island's second-largest city -- or is it a town?) that "specializes in wooden doors" that sparks could ignite sawdust prompted the evacuation of a few nearby businesses. "Emergency personnel were called in," but everything was fine.

And that's about it.

It just started raining a bit here on the north shore, but no matter. I had mussels for dinner, a renowned specialty of the Island (and from a local restaurant, Shipwright's, that I consider one of the best anywhere, and one of my two favourites here) that were fabulous -- in a Thai broth that is simply amazing. And tomorrow we're off to the Charlottetown farmer's market and, after that... well, we're not sure yet. Maybe out east, maybe to the beach, if the weather holds up, maybe for a walk around town, maybe for a relaxing afternoon here at home.

Life on the Island. Honestly, you can't beat it.

The view from here 3

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, I've blogged much more than I thought I would during my vacation, and this weekend is when I've finally taken time off from any and all serious posting. I'll get back to the political stuff tomorrow night or Tuesday, once I'm back home in Toronto.

For now -- if you'll indulge me -- here are some more photos, from today, walking along the Dunelands trail at Cavendish, in PEI National Park, which is just east of us.

That's me in the second one. And in the fourth one you can see the famous Cavendish Beach in the distance, the start of the Dunelands trail.

Have I mentioned that I love it here?

The view from here 2

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, it's the last weekend of our vacation here in PEI. Alas.

Suffice to say that I'm not all that eager to return to Toronto.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos. The first is sunset from our beach -- the sunsets here are spectacular. The second is a view of Charlottetown, the province's capital, from Rocky Point -- you can just make out the skyline in the distance (it's a small city with not much of a skyline). Note the red soil, for which PEI is famous. It's caused by oxidized iron. The third is the view from East Point, looking north, at the very eastern tip of the province -- the ship in the distance is the car ferry from Souris, one of the larger towns in the eastern part of the province, to the Magdalen Islands, part of Quebec, further up in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Stay tuned. I might actually post a photo of myself later today. (Can you feel the excitement?)

The view from here

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I don't think I've ever posted any personal photos here at The Reaction, but it's beautiful day here in PEI -- I just got in from kayaking -- and I thought I'd post a couple of photos I took a little earlier this afternoon.

The first is the view from our deck, out over New London Bay towards Stanley Bridge (which is at the left of the distant shore), up on the north shore just west of Cavendish and PEI National Park. The second is the view from our beach, up towards the top of the bay -- you can't see them here, but there are large sand dunes around to the right, separating the bay from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

They don't quite capture what it's really like here. It's pretty awesome.

Maybe I'll post a few more photos over the weekend. We head back to Toronto on Monday. In the meantime, I hope you're all having a great Friday.

The McCain I love

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, maybe not love. But they -- McCain, that is -- certainly make some really fine french fries. (Though I like Cavendish, too.)

We took a drive along the south shore of PEI yesterday and came across this large McCain plant down near the bridge that connects the Island to New Brunswick and the Rest of Canada (the Confederation Bridge, a marvel.)

Here's one of the photos I took from the road. It's just about large enough to house the various lies, smears, and bullshit emanating from Johnny McBush and his malevolent campaign.

Island News: Alcohol, politics, and patronage

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I'm on vacation in PEI, as many of you know, and I thought I'd let you know what is currently the top story at The Guardian (the province's major newspaper -- which, according to its banner, "COVERS PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND LIKE THE DEW") website:

Major shake up coming at P.E.I. liquor commission

As expected, the appointment of a new commissioner, "one of the most coveted positions within the provincial bureaucracy," has generated controversy. The appointment is made by Cabinet (the Liberal government led by Premier Robert Ghiz), and the appointee is a current deputy minister, Brooke MacMillan.

In response, the Progressive Conservative opposition is calling it "a plum, patronage appointment."

Far be it from me to have much of an opinion on the matter, but I will say that the alcohol selection here is pretty bad.

There are some genuinely outstanding restaurants on the Island, and the food in general is fantastic, but the wine, beer, and spirits selection at the government-run liquor stores is nothing like what one finds not just in a major city like Toronto but even in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There's almost no international beer to be found, and almost no Canadian wine (and we have some fine wine being made in Ontario and British Columbia). There are a few well-known international wines available, but not much variety, let alone quality. There's some decent scotch and whisky, but, again, not much variety. I'm enjoying the PEI-distilled grain vodka, but I'm waiting for the PEI-distilled potato vodka -- the liquor stores don't have any in at the moment, but, as you may know, the province is famous for its potatoes.

So whoever runs the liquor commission, and whether it's a patronage appointment or not, I just hope some effort is made to improve what is available to restaurants and, of course, to us, the consumers.

Not that I'm spending my vacation boozing it up or anything...

The Island goes Liberal

By Michael J.W. Stickings

In case you were wondering, the Liberals are back in power on Prince Edward Island. In yesterday's provincial election, they won 52.9 percent of the vote and 23 of the province's 27 districts to secure a solid majority in the legislature. The Progressive Conservatives, who were going for a fourth straight majority victory under Premier Pat Binns (first elected premier in 1996), were reduced to 41.4 percent of the vote and just four seats. The new premier will be Robert Ghiz. Voter turnout was 83.4 percent of registered voters.

Although the Conservatives looked unbeatable when the campaign kicked off, the Liberals ran a strong campaign, promising new spending on health care and education, a reduction in the gasoline tax, and a balanced budget. Meanwhile, the Conservatives made what were seen as desperate promises -- a new junior high school and health center in Stratford, as well as a new convention center in Charlottetown, without explaining where the money would come from. The province's main newspaper, The Guardian, had predicted a Liberal victory, but the magnitude of the victory comes as something of a surprise.

See The Guardian for more. As well, see Wikipedia (which includes the image below).