A Road Trip Within a Roadtrip

Settling in Tignish for our stay here in PEI means that we usually have to travel at least 10 minutes in any direction for food, for a jaunt in the ocean, or for activities. We certainly don't mind as it allows us to see the beautiful countryside and shores of the island daily.
This morning was a quiet one. K. used the dining room table to make some construction paper crafts (it had been a few days since she had done any crafting and I think she was starting to go into withdrawal). G. used the time to play some games on the iPad (a rare treat) and J. and I used the time to plan the day's adventure.
At around noon, I packed a lunch for the twins and we headed out on some errands and a road trip to Summerside and then New Glascow. In Summerside, we stopped at Walmart to buy some long, warm pants for the twins. Temperatures here are quite chilly in the evening and the mosquitoes have been fierce (especially targeting my poor K. who has giant lumps on her legs, arms, and face). J. had spotted a Thai Express in a plaza within the Walmart lot, so he ran in to grab some take-out. I drove while he had his lunch. He was kind enough to feed me bites as I drove as I LOVE their Pad Thai. the kids were confused as to why Daddy was feeding me like a baby, but after we explained that I couldn't take my hands off the wheel, they felt better about the whole thing.
Our next stop would be The Toy Factory in New Glascow. One route there would have been faster than another, but we chose to take the more scenic route and we were so glad we did. PEI is magical and so beautiful. Lush and green, the many farmer's fields along the way looked as though they were from movies.
We arrived at the Toy Factory and were surprised at how small it actually was. Each of us pictured more of a Toys R Us kind of store with aisles and aisles of toys. The store was actually a converted house packed with home-made wooden toys and some marketed toys. Many of the toys I had never heard of and many were quite entertaining. The store owners actually encourage kids to play while they are there. So, the kids were in their glory testing out products and playing to their hearts' content. Soon, we ventured back to the work shop where some kind ladies asked the twins if they would like to try their hands at making their own toys. G. chose to make a wooden car and K. chose to make a magic wand. How lovely that the owners allow children to make their own special toys at no cost. After the toys were made, the owner engraved the kids' names into each creation and also wrote "PEI 2016". What a lovely memento of our trip to the Toy Factory.

G. and K. each also chose a toy to buy with money that Gramma and Grampa had given them before we left for the island. G. chose some minifigures that were not Lego, but looked similar and K. chose a fairy headband and a paint-by-numbers activity.

Our purchases complete, we headed out to the back of the store where a children's play area was set up. We were encouraged to venture toward the very back of the property to see the fairy village. K. made a beeline toward that. It was SO quaint! the owners had set up a path along which fairies, decorations in trees, and even a total fairy village were set up. So sweet.

We took some time to play in the children's area and then headed across the street to Hope Gardens and the PEI Preserve Company. Inside the Preserve Company we samples many different types of jams, chutneys, and relishes at the preserve bar (totally like a wine tasting experience). I enjoyed almost every one that I tried, but my two favourites were the Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier and the Garlic Relish. We ended up buying only the jam, but now I am regretting not buying the relish as well.

The owner of the Toy Factory had told us that we may be able to see eagles swoop down to eat fish from the vantage point of Hope Gardens, so after our jam experience, we headed out back to the gardens. Walking along the pathways, we were amazed at the beauty and aroma of the gardens. It was incredible. Along the way back, we saw it! An eagle soaring high in the sky. It didn't swoop down, but it was certainly scouting the area for its lunch. Amazing!

By this time, it was nearing 5pm and the kids were anxious to head back home. I wanted to stop at the Anne of Green Gables Museum on the way back, but after checking the hours online, we learned that it closed at 5pm. So, we bypassed it this time.
We, once again stopped at Walmart on the way back home as I had spotted some vegetarian fare (VERY hard to come by in the North Cape) and wanted to pick some up for the next 2.5 weeks.
We arrived at the cottage at around 6pm and the kids were starving. It would be a frozen pizza and fries kind of evening and that was okay by me.
While we waited for dinner to be ready, we Facetimed Gramma and Grampa to tell them about our day and to show them around the cottage. The kids were so happy and proud to share their adventures.
After dinner, the kids found some musical instruments and we asked them to go upstairs to create a musical for us. Once they had perfected their musical, they came down to perform for us. It was awful, but totally wonderful at the same time.

As the kids finished their performance, we saw Special Guest running around in the field, so we grabbed a carrot and the instruments and went out to the field to entertain her with music and to feed her a carrot. It took some coaxing, but she finally came over to eat the carrot.

Afterwards, we settled in and put on our PJs to wind down the evening. Another great day in PEI.