Frank comes face to face with winter in PEI

Ever flown into Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island?

Didn't think so.  Well I can tell you it's very similar to Atlanta, S.L.C. Frankfurt or Madrid!

Except it has a shorter runway, and only one.

There's 3 gates instead of 103...

and to top it off, when  you step off the plane, you enter the atmosphere and whatever weather it happens to be having at the time.

Another foot since last week.

As I was on the last row of the Bombardier short haul jet, and I'd left Phoenix Arizona just that morning, I took the time to unpack my windbreaker to wear before I deplaned.  Let me explain this more fully.  By windbreaker, I mean one of those cool little nylon numbers that you can roll up into it's own back pocket, or conversely fit into the your tank bag with room for a camera, spare gloves, three Snickers bars, a pocket book or two, with a little room left over for the odd postcard!

My toys, ummm... tools.

In other words... it's a wind breaker for the slightest possible breeze, usually made for strolling down Melrose Avenue in Hollywood on a cool September evening.

To say I was shivering in my boots by the time I walked the hundred yards to Gate 1, would be deceptive.  I wasn't wearing any boots!

The flight (scheduled for Friday 11:30 pm) got in Saturday morning at 3 A.M.

Brenda was somewhat bright eyed and bushy tailed, I think.  It was hard to tell under that big winter overcoat she was wearing.  Outside, the Blazer sat under the dim airport parking lot lighting pretty much covered in snow.  The wipers were frozen solid and she mentioned that she had removed the windshield brush earlier in the fall and not replaced it.  Ever watched those helpful suggestive videos of a guy whose wife had taken the scraper one day and used it to stir paint, so he ends up using his Visa card... well that may work for L.A. frost, but it sure don't work in a full blown PEI winter gale, which is where I found myself wearing only a pair of Khaki's, a T shirt and a breeze blocker.

At least if the Sun where shining, the black nylon would have garnered a little warmth, but after all, it was the middle of the night.

I think we hit Hunter River before the heater got the better of the frost and I was just beginning to feel the heat in my toes as I closed the garage door at home.  This after negotiating the barely passable cut the local farmer had made at Brn's request on our snow covered driveway.

Yesterday morning... -24

I spent at least 2 hours a day over the next 5 days with only a brief respite during Christmas morning, widening the drive and measuring the snow depth for the Christmas tree cut from the yard.  It was in fact... three feet deep.  How can I be sure, well it was up to my waist!

Last year, lulled us into almost believing that global warming had actually caught up to the little Island in the Gulf... but that was just nature fooling with us.  Our civic number perched on it's post the regulation height of 40 or so inches, is currently under about 12 inches of snow!  I will go out and clear it tomorrow (again) after the nights 8-10 cm stops snowing. After all... it would be good for the ambulance crew to find the right house, if I were to collapse shoveling!

Like a mountain chalet, without the mountain or the crowds.

Okay, I jest, sort of.  Really there is about 4 feet of snow in the yard, and I do have a powered Cub Cadet 208cc blower, backed up by a 350cc Yamaha Big Bear with snow blade, so I really only have to do about an hour's actual bending the back shoveling... still, the early winter has caught pretty much everybody by surprise.

It's a new year.  2014.  A number that George Orwell probably would have had something to write about, had he looked farther than 1984, most likely some science fiction about missile armed drones flying around, people talking to one another via video phones, and computers taking over the earth.  If not G.O. then certainly G.R.*

Tomorrow is the third of January.  My deceased father's birth date, oddly enough, also my own.  In a few short minutes, I will officially be a year older.  I got out of bed to write this blog, after all... I am not getting any younger.

I once again, look back on the year passing.  I pull out my 2013 goals for myself and see I did pretty well actually.  Given all the stress that began the year past, it's truly a wonder.  Just to name a few... I kept my weight to 150, did several rides off Island, put the canoe in the water once, and got married... also once.  The canoe I would have liked to try several times, but the getting married part (something I said I would never do again) I kept to a minimum.

I've already made up my goal sheet for the coming year, something I have been doing regularly for a couple of decades.  Just to mention a couple... I want to set up the tire changer Hance brought back for me from New England, go back to Phoenix in the fall, work on the newly purchased Ascot, and stay married for another 12 months.  At my age, that's a Big Goal!

Stay healthy.  Make a point of getting out, and if you feel like a little exercise and are in the hood, my driveway could stand some further widening.

BYOS**

Cheers.

* Gene Roddenberry

** Bring your own shovel