What a wonderful day to spend a Linkletter Park, right down the road from my home here on Prince Edward Island. In the summer heat, it is wonderful to watch in real time the thunderstorms boil up high in towering cumulus clouds, drift across the strait-and die. I could lose the hungry deer flies. They are helping me with my manual dexterity.

Mostly tourists dropping by in rented cars, local kids, and kids with kids on the narrow beach there. The tide was low, with piles of eel grass and stranded unfortunate jelly-fish, locally called "bloodsuckers" for no reason, drying glassy in the sun.

The birds seem happy. A song sparrow kept visiting me and proclaiming on the sole light post near the shore.

Here I cleaned the "cottage" and await the big rains forecast for tomorrow. Time for haircut and laundry...a non-beach day.

Paradise lost...found..lost again..found again...what a fantastic experience.

Rainy night after glorious days

Cool rain now falls and the splatters make music along my leaky gutters. It has been a great stretch of days that I have spent with friends at Chelton beach. The place is one of those places.
There I cooked hot dogs and hamburgers, fries and sold ice cream at the little canteen there. That was the summer that Shel worked there and I went with her there to help out and enjoy the beach. That was the summer of 2007. In those days, Shel and I still lived together off and on between her various "relationships", always some kind of despiration, a feeling that I have never known. I didn't mind so much, as we were getting along as well as could be expected and I knew one way or the other our time together was concluding. I still enjoyed immensely, even the fights. She became my oldest daughter at the end.

She had to find an islander to eventually marry to stay here, as she knew my financial support had to end. I got her here, that was good enough. I transported her so she could date, which almost destroyed my poor truck. Funding ended, wife GONE.

Her pal Elwood who works at the park recognized me right away. He had helped Shel get her little car, and he asked about her. I told him that we were finally divorced in January this year, and that she had gone home to Colorado and family. He is a very nice, awfully poor man with an ill wife.

So now days pass without a concern that Mary will be calling, or wondering where I am. In a final conflict, she left in a huff Friday night mad that I had met my fishing buddies for a beer without telling her. Everyone says that I am better off, but after 2 years I do miss her many positive attributes. I am also very glad to lose the bad ones. The gulf of backgrounds was just too wide and we had been pushing it for months-but I will miss my Mary. Very much.

Perhaps some fishing this week and more swimming in the very warm sea. Its been an amazing July thus far. Summer is so short here each warm sunny day is a treasure. A far cry from Phoenix, where cloudless skies may persist for months.

I ordered a bunch of amateur radio equipment to replace the station that I sold here long ago to help Shel with her Colorado trip. It may help the long nights pass, talking to people around the word on shortwave.

My social circle evolves and most here have forgotten that I am not an islander. My children are very busy, so I may as well stay until I must leave, for whatever reason.

My little place here is humble, but convenient. I watch the property and show the vacant units as a favour to the landlord. Its his first property and he is a nice, hard working young man. His father saved my life in February, finding me very ill and non-responsive in my old apartment.

This is a very intimate place. A very small town with all the good and bad that that means. For now its home.

For today.

July 13 2010

Well I heard from a very dear old friend today. She isn't very happy with me and perhaps deservedly so. I hope that we can reconnect without hostility. In any case I went up west today and went fishing near O'Leary. Then off to the West Cape beach and lighthouse. I took a great swim in the warm salt water and missed my old friend.

There was a young man selling fish on the road in O'Leary. I bought scallops and some flounder that I just ate. Excellent.

The Lobster Carnival is in full tilt right by my humble abode. I walked over and took some pictures that I put on face book. A warm breezy lovely evening.

But my heart is empty. I do miss all of the travels and wealth of earlier years. And my exquisite young wife. In any case, I can think of no place better to spent a summer.

I have extreme faith as my mother said..."Walk as if you are hand in hand with God, and all things within you shall arrange to be well".

I sure miss her, and my sister.

A Wonderful Sunday Evening

Well I always write about the fishing or the beach. If I get much more tan I will probably get deported.What a great weekend. There was beach, dance, and some decent foods to enjoy. I must admit that I am very moved by the visit at my humble dump by a new friend. We had planned to watch movies. This amazing person was walking down Greenwood Drive to see me in the pouring rain. I decided that it was unacceptable and I found my friend in my old truck , in rain-gear walking to me. I brought her here.

We came back here to my place to watch the movies that my friend selected. Of course, my junk TV died during this....not being too embarrassed, we went out to buy a new TV.Well its Sunday and everything was closed.

We came back after the rain,,and talked. And talked. My friend can talk. I love it..I miss that.
But we played with the computer and talked about family faith and our mutual losses. We shared pictures and some painful memories.

It was a wonderful time time. But we live in a place that we have to be very cautious, as people talk here.

With a better TV I hope we can have another movie night. And frankly, I don't care what people say about it.

On into summer on the beach

July comes to the island with warm breezes and the warming waters of the Northumberland Strait. It was nice to take a swim in the salt today. The fourth of July, uncelebrated here, on my mind. We had Canada Day here on the first, with fireworks and parties abounding. A few friends came over and we ate chicken and watched the fireworks. That was a first for me as I come out of the solitude and the angst of dealing with the loss of my sister and wife only a short time ago.

Mary and I went to supper at Gentleman Jim-I was in a steak mood. I took her to our beach here by my place and then to Linkletter Park. It was warm and beautiful as I parked the old truck right on the shore and kissed her. Sundays with Mary.

I did talk to my daughter a while on face book. She is smart, strong and almost too beautiful. My son is working almost constantly and involved with his friends and his music so I hear from him less. I miss him a lot, but I now know how my mother must have felt as I went off into life and had less and less contact. I sure miss my parents and unexpectedly , my sister.

So here i am along Green's Shore waiting to see what happens. Something will..it always does.

facebook is keeping me in touch with friends long absent. i enjoy that medium...the only real way I seem to be able to talk to my children.

Mary was warm, affectionate, and wonderful to be with this weekend. Time moves forward and I think I shall remain here at least for now. After all, I am getting a great tan, the old truck still runs as new, and it is home. Where I hang my hat.