Speak to me as to thy thinkings, as thou dost ferry, (part three,

[catch part one here; part two here]

Thursday, August 20, 2026: Aoife and I went for a wander, for coffee and pastries, walking by the array of lobster traps. So many! We wandered over to the cafe they found the day prior, with quaint wee bookshop. Apparently Rose picked up a copy of Ocean Vuong's novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (2019) from this charming shop. This is a book I've heard good things about, but can't really ask her if she's enjoying without making it weird, apparently. What kid would want to read something their parents find interesting? Cringe. Still, I am curious to know what she might think about it.

The cool air around water, and the view back to the mainland (if one could see that far, certainly). A morning of a brief walk in one direction, returning for the sake of an eventual spot on the beach. Apparently we're going to the beach? Repeating the brief jaunt we made yesterday evening, nearly losing Christine and Aoife along the shoreline, the walk along the sandy shore not the roundabout direction the car wished to take us (not every line is a straight line, after all).

The way of things. A splash in the water, as Christine and the young ladies wandered the beach, splashed around, collected smooth stones and other items. Aoife, who returned with handfuls of shells and small stones. An hour-plus at the beach, and then a quick jaunt back to Cricker's Creamery for ice cream, and a slip into the post office (to be able to send off my second round of postcards). Ice cream, and then a toy store, en route to the ferry. Where was this? I can't even recall. The children picked up nonsense and insisted on photos by the array of items outside in the yard (but requested that they not be posted, of course). And so, my own.

Naturally, any visit to the island requires as much Lucy Maud Montgomery as possible, so we drove and we drove, heading back to the ferry, but stopping along points as best as possible, none of which interested our young ladies in any way. I keep forgetting that Montgomery married a MacDonald, wondering if he was related in any way to eldest daughter's maternal grandmother, another MacDonald from the island. 

And, to the ferry. The ferry, where I attempted to take notes, but Aoife was more interested in wandering. And so, we wandered. Once landing in Halifax, we were hanging with Christine's brother and his family in their new house, having moved this way after five years in England, a house myself and the young ladies had not yet seen. And to a variety of baseball tournaments over the next two days, although I was already back to Ottawa by the next afternoon, due to my above/ground press event [see my report on such here] on the Saturday night. It would have been good to spend further time in the area, perhaps even visit the handful of folk either Christine or I or both know around this way, but the timing didn't allow. Neither, the drive. I was one night in Halifax, back Friday afternoon; Christine and the young ladies back by Sunday morning. Will we attempt again next year, possibly? Might we ever have enough time?