Singin' In the Rain

Day 27

There's nothing worse than sleeping in a tent when you really need to sleep in. Though it is cool and windy, the sun gets us up despite our 2 am bedtime last night. We just make coffee, and go in search of somewhere that will serve an early lunch. The skies are darkening by the minute, but the air is so nice that we chance it and ride without our gear. Predictably, we're in a rainstorm within 10 minutes, and we are soaked.

We end up pulling off at Carr's Oyster Bar to change into our gear, and decide to go ahead and have lunch there, since we enjoyed our dinner so much last week. It sucks, however, and we vow that we are not eating at another restaurant in PEI. It's too expensive, the portions are too small, and the food is mediocre. Let me emphasize that PEI is a great foodie vacation if you are a cook.

We continue on to Kensington, which is our goal today. There are a few galleries there, including an artist's co-op. For those who don't know, I am a founding member of an artist's collective in Marshall, NC called Flow. I'm able to sell my product line, river island apothecary, there along side world class art that is hand crafted in or very near Marshall. By the way, you can “like” both Flow and river island apothecary on face book.

In lieu of “not saying something nice” about the Kensington galleries and the art therein, I will say that it is my honor to be a part of Flow, the Marshall High Studios and the whole Marshall scene. The Pirate and I have realized that our compatriots in Marshall have turned us into the worst art snobs by spoiling us with their constant genius. I am moved by the work of the artists that surround me in my humble hometown everyday; not something I can say for much of the “art” I've seen on this trip. My plan was to take some photos of these galleries in Kensington and write magnificent things about artistic group endeavors, and share it on the Flow face book page. But alas, I can't. I was not too impressed.

We tooled around Kensington for a little while in the rain. The Pirate found the parts he needs to put a switch on the Girl's headlight so we don't have to bust the tool kit out every time it gets dark or rains. The reason we have her headlight out is that her stator is going bad. The stator is to a motorcycle what an alternator is to a car. To replace this on the road could be up to $400, so we're being as clever as possible and making due. So far, so good.

This is the fist day of our entire 27 day adventure that it rains all day long. It is a gray, sopping day. There is a break in the weather, so we ride back out for a scoop of our favorite ADL toffee almond twirl ice cream. We pass a little gallery, the Howes Hall, and it seems to be hopping. We pop in and are greeted warmly by the gallery owner. She welcomes us in, and we ask her what's going on tonight. She says “Oh, it's a private function, but just come on in!”. So, we happily crashed the art opening. To our delight, this gallery is wonderful. It's mostly 2D work, lovely haunting watercolors, delicious oils and bright, bold acrylics of bays, groves, fields and roots; also traditional hooked rugs with great designs and modern, tasteful palettes. We are served a stem glass of cranberry juice and soda water, and offered cheese and crackers. It's wonderful to be on this side of an art opening for once! All the people at this function seem really sweet and interesting, and, again, I am so impressed by the work in this gallery. Thank goodness, I was really beginning to wonder what all the fuss around art on this island was about.

Our evening is spent in the community room writing, looking at the weather forecasts and pricing sea kayaks. We thought we might watch a movie online, but a branch fell on the wire down the street and severed it, so the power is out. Tonight we get to read our story to the sound of raindrops pitter-patting on the rain fly of our summer home.