#i completely missed the cow egg thing when i watched that video the first time KHFKDGHDKFJG

[squuote]

okay I know we are all So Excited about the TSPUD Collector's Edition Stanlurine and Jim button but what about the Cow's egg. where's the cow's egg. I was promised a cow's egg with my sequel collector's edition.

(I'm sorry if this seems extremely random, the context is the TSP2 sequel video)

no cow's egg unfortunately. providing an alternative. its already hatched tho

[bookandcranny]

Stone Heart Gambit

Part 1 - Chapter 1

Soso likes her town, but she’s starting to think she’s never going to find a single interesting thing about it. There’s a supermarket, a park, a few family-owned shops and eateries that haven’t yet succumbed to the pressure put on them by the encroaching chain franchises. Pretty standard small-town fair, not unlike the one she grew up in.

Therein lies the problem. She’d been so excited to leave home for the first time all those semesters ago that she hadn’t considered that change doesn’t always equal improvement, and putting a hundred miles of distance between her and her old problems didn’t guarantee her a perfect new life. She doesn’t particularly miss living with her parents, rather she finds herself feeling homesick for a place she doesn’t think she’s found yet. There’s a restlessness in her-- her mom claims she gets it from her dad, and vice versa. It’s plagued her in small ways all her life, in the way she finds new friendships but struggles to make them last, in the way she throws herself into new passions only to grow bored of them within weeks, in the way college had seemed so thrilling and full of promise when she was a bright-eyed freshman and now here she is, on indefinite academic leave, struggling to remember what it was she saw in the place that was worth a lifetime of student loans.

She only has so long to figure it out too. She wants to finish her degree, she does, but art requires inspiration and there’s only so much to photograph in a town whose main export is cow shit and stale gossip. If she changes her major again at this point her advisor is for real going to mount her head on a pike outside the bursar’s office, so she has to at least try.

It doesn’t help that she’s pretty much limited to the immediate vicinity surrounding her housing co-op until she either manages to get herself a car or the bus drivers union wins their latest standoff with city hall. Cars cost money though, which means getting a real fulltime job, which she expects will spell the end for any lingering chance of her going back to school anyway. The snake devours its tail, and Soso commutes by bike.

Soso’s handy; she’s confident she can fix anything given enough time, the right tools, and a couple reliable video tutorials. That, among other odd jobs, is her main preoccupation right now. It’s something, but she can’t picture herself changing tires and cleaning out gutters for elderly neighbors to support her Chinese takeout dependency forever. At the rate she’s going, her best customers are going to start dying off before she graduates.

On that morbid note, Soso decides she needs to get out of the house. She slings her bag over her back just in case she manages to run into something photo-worthy and grabs her bike. It’s a brisk autumn afternoon and the fresh air is just what she needs.

On the way out she runs into one of her housemates, Carmen the highly caffeinated, returning from campus looking frazzled. Soso isn’t particularly close with any of her housemates, frequently as they tend to come and go, but that doesn’t stop her from offering her sympathies.

“Any luck with the research?”

Carmen groans. “My paper is doomed. Remind me why I thought ‘modern impact of classical mythology’ was a good choice for my level 300 history course?”

“Uh, beats me.” In reality she thinks it sounds like a fun subject, but it doesn’t feel her place to say so given that while Carmen’s been slaving away at the school library, she’s spent the better of her day half-watching questionable documentaries on alien conspiracies.

“Ensfield is full of weird old superstitions and legends,” she goes on frustratedly. “The old bridge makes it on one of those ‘top 10 spooky locations’ lists like once a month. Complain about a cough to the wrong person and suddenly you get people telling you you’re hexed and you need to walk in a circle counter-clockwise under the new moon to get rid of it.”

She’s pretty sure that’s not a thing, but nods anyway, waiting for the point she hopes is coming.

“You’d think the library in a town like this would have better sources on mythology. But no, all I get is a shrug and the same three books everyone else in the class is using. If I want to bump up my GPA, I need something you can’t just find on Wikipedia.”

Another one of their housemates crawls out from the shrubbery by the porch. “Maybe you should try that other library.”

“Jesus!” Carmen jumps. “What are you doing down there?”

Phoebe brushes dirt off her knees. “I saw a black cat go into the gap.” She points at a thin crack in the woodwork. “Halloween is coming. Any cats, especially black ones, you see wandering around need to be brought to the shelter pronto. People do terrible things to them if they see them wandering around this time of year.”

Soso squints. “Looks too small to fit a cat.”

“I saw what I saw. Anyway, there’s supposed to be an old town library way past the woods, thataway.” She points. “Guy who works there is really weird I heard but almost no one goes there anymore so you’d have first pick.”

Carmen looks thoughtful. “I think I’ve heard of it. I kind of thought it was just something people made up.”

“Nah, it’s real. My brother’s fraternity brings freshman there to haze them. They tell them to go up and throw eggs at the place and then ditch ‘em in the woods.”

Soso blinks. “Why?”

She shrugs. “It’s just a thing they do. It sucks and it’s totally immature but no one ever accused those guys of being creative.”

“Whatever,” Carmen says. “I’m done with books for today. I’m gonna go inside and enjoy some nice brain-rotting TV.”

“Good call, honestly. If you get caught hanging around that place too much they’ll probably start egging us next.”

Carmen heads inside and Phoebe goes back to making little coaxing noises at the gap in the porch. Soso frowns to herself. Sometimes she feels like people in this town purposely go out of their way to ruin anything that could be the slightest bit different. It’s probably just a normal library that happened to be in a weird spot, run by a typical cranky old librarian. Even if it is nothing it probably has more to offer than spending the rest of her day throwing french-fries to birds and squirrels in the Burger Beast parking lot.

“Hey Phoebe,” she says. “Where did you say that library was?”

 --

 The trip is longer than she had anticipated. Her legs are strong but the sun’s getting low enough that she worries she’ll be riding home in the dark. A generous part of it she blames on Phoebe’s vague directions, scribbled into a patchwork paper map of hear-say more than anything else. Despite this she continues. She’s snapped a few pictures of the foliage in its brilliant reds and golds, so if all else is a bust at least she won’t have completely wasted her time. Worst case scenario, she returns home with a little extra muscle on her calves from all the pedaling.

Well, the real worst case scenario is probably more along the lines of her getting caught by an axe murderer and left to rot in the spooky woods, another ghost for the local repertoire. Even then, at least she won’t have to worry about the next family phone call if she’s dead.

Grim musings aside, she loops back and manages to find the correct path, a trampled dirt road half-hidden under the leaf litter, and at last make her way to the fabled “other library”. It’s one of those old brick buildings, surrounded by a low fence that struggles to hold its own against the climbing vines and insects nibbling at its posts. It’s early enough in the season that their collective buzz-chirp-hum still fills the air, though otherwise it is almost eerily quiet. It’s strangely peaceful, Soso thinks as she wades through wild patches of tall grass, as if she were returning to somewhere familiar.

The place is clearly abandoned, she decides, sunlight refracting off the firmly shuttered windows. It’s a cool discovery to be sure, but she ought to have known a mysterious library in the woods with an equally mysterious shut-in tending it was too much to expect from a town like Ensfield. That doesn’t stop her from exploring though. She likes it here, and she especially likes the gorgeous, ancient-looking gargoyle that sits in front of the steps leading up to the entrance, like one of those stone lions that stand guard outside of libraries of greater fame than this one.

The thing is magnificent, as well as truly hideous, its face twisted in a snarl so visceral and strikingly lifelike that it sends a genuine chill down her spine. The attention to detail, to carving out each individual wrinkle of flesh, is astounding. The stance the stone creature is frozen in comes off much more threatening than the regal intensity she might have expected, and it seems to her a counterintuitive choice of décor, but one the artist in her wholeheartedly approves of.

Propping her bike up against the stairs she crouches in the shadow of the gargoyle to get a better look. Organic shapes like vines encircle the beast, so lifelike that feels compelled to touch, as if they might fall away under her fingertips. Just as she reaches out however, the front doors of the library swing open and a stout, middle-aged man rushes out.

“Don’t- who- don’t touch that! It’s- it’s not-“ he stammers. “It’s an antique. Very breakable.”

The man is well-dressed, but his head of yellow hair is mussed to one side, like he’s just woken from a nap, enforced by the wrinkles he anxiously tries to smooth out of his vest. His eyes are a shocking shade of spring green.

“Sorry?” Soso offers, still recovering from the fright. She pulls her hand back guiltily and he seems to relax. How fragile could something made of stone be, she wonders, that he would work himself up into such a state over it. “Uh, is this the library?”

The man finishes straightening himself out before he responds. “That’s what you’re here for? Books?”

“What else?” she asks. His eyes remain narrow with scrutiny, so she adds, “Books on mythology. It’s for a school project. I heard… I am in the right place, right?”

There’s a copper plaque by the door that reads “North Ensfield Public Library”, but at this point she’d be as willing to accept that she wandered into a random person’s front yard, for how he looks at her. After another awkward pause, the man turns back towards the entrance and gestures for her to follow.

“Sorry about that. I don’t see many regular patrons anymore, not for a while now. Pardon the mess.” He speaks quickly, not leaving any room for interruption.

There isn’t much mess to pardon, not really. In fact, the shelves look well organized, if a bit dusty, and the space isn’t as cramped or cluttered as she had expected from the outside. A certain saying about books and covers comes to mind, but she doesn’t think her host would appreciate the joke. It’s no wonder he doesn’t see many people if he acts this way with everyone. Soso bumps into a table and nearly upsets what seems to be a pyramid assembled from various glasses, topped with an upside-down teapot.

“Do you live here?” she asks before she can curtail her curiosity.

“I’m a librarian,” he answers. “This is a library.”

“Right, but that doesn’t…” she fumbles.

“Do Canadians not live in Canada? Do Norwegians not live in Norway?”

“Vegetarians don’t live in vegetables,” she counters.

He considers that. “Well-played.”

Soso laughs despite herself and, to her surprise, things seem to go more smoothly after that. She continues speaking with the librarian and learns that his name is Surehouser, though if there’s a first name attached to that one, she doesn’t catch it. He’s certainly as eccentric as the rumors had led her to believe, but he seems harmless, and quite frankly more than a little lonesome. She doesn’t know how a person could be anything else, living like this.

He’s not friendly or unfriendly; his words have a measured quality to them, as if he’s afraid of saying too much. Soso gets the impression, as the sole carer for this seemingly ancient place, his occupation is more out of a sense of obligation than a passion for literature. He looks the part of the academic for sure, down to the silver that threads through his hair and the half-moon reading glasses folded in the front of his shirt, but his eyes track her as she browses like he doesn’t know what to do with someone who actually wants to check out a book.

“Do you have an idea of what you’re looking for?” he asks after she’s been at it for a while.

She doesn’t want to admit that not only is she not sure, since it’s not really her class she needs it for, but that whatever organizational system is in place here is totally incomprehensible to her. “Anything you have should be good.”

Which is how she ends up checking out way more than she meant to, sending up a tiny prayer that her comparatively tiny backpack can rise to the occasion. Surehouser gives her a look like he knows what’s going through her head as he leads her to the front desk. There’s no computer in sight, just a leatherbound book of names and dates and a thick rubber stamp.

“On my way out, would you mind if I took some pictures of that statue you have out front? For my project.” She adds that last part as an afterthought, then regrets it right away. She’s a notoriously terrible liar and the more she enforces the threads of this pointless story she’s weaving, the more awkward she feels.

He frowns and says, more to himself than to her, “I always thought that old thing was a bit gaudy myself. I’d have gotten rid of it ages ago if I could.”

Something about the way he says it strikes her as strange. Not knowing how to respond, she simply says, “I don’t know, I think it’s cool.”

He laughs. Or, she thinks that’s what it is. The sound is gentle but rusty at the edges. “I suppose you would. Feel free to do whatever you want, only do not touch it, and be careful.”

She walks down the stone steps, her haul unexpectedly light on her back, and pauses to look at the gargoyle once more. The light isn’t any good right now, but she’ll be back.

“See you later,” she tells it.

Sure enough, the next day she’s back. She hadn’t actually planned to be such a regular, but she’d been unable to keep the place from her mind, and it wasn’t as if she had anything better to do. Carmen had looked about to cry when Soso showed her the books she’d picked out. The ones she didn’t need for her paper, Soso decided to flip through herself and had found herself more invested than she’d counted on. The book on obscure pagan deities she’d selected, though dense and confusing in places, was particularly interesting. Before she knew it, she was finished, and thus had the perfect excuse to go back.

“This guy kinda looks like you, don’t you think?” She holds the page open so that the gargoyle could “see” it. Despite arriving at noon on a Wednesday, the library seems to be truly closed today and no amount of knocking had managed to change its mind. Since she’d already come all this way, she figured she might as well find some other way to entertain herself before heading home.

“The horns are all wrong, but the general look is there. He could be, like, your second cousin,” she tells the statue.

The statue doesn’t respond, obviously, but Soso likes talking to it regardless. She adjusts her position so she can keep reading while keeping the book within its line of sight. When it’s time to leave, she turns to it and says,

“Keep an eye on that guy who runs the place for me. He’s weird, and should really keep more regular hours, but he’s nice, and I think being alone out here is making him a little…” She makes a spiraling motion with her finger. “Guess I’m not one to talk though. I’m chatting with a hunk of rock.”

She doesn’t stop though. Maybe it’s the boredom, maybe it’s something just fundamentally Soso, but whatever the reason, she keeps coming back. Partially for the library, yes, and for the company of the strange librarian that dwells within, but primarily to have a quiet place to vent her frustrations and speak her mind, where often the only one around to judge is one who’s incapable of talking back.

Surehouser is an acquired taste, and they don’t have much in common, but he never turns Soso away on the days when her visits magically coincide with the hours of operation. He always seems to have snacks on hand and is content to let the young woman ramble on about whatever latest subject has caught her interest, which as much as she could ask of anyone really. He still speaks frustratingly little of himself, but she believes she’ll get it out of him eventually.

She’s moved from taking pictures around the library to breaking out her old sketchbook, sitting on the steps and muttering to the empty air as she tries to map the contours of the stone body before her. She’s always been visually minded, for whatever good it does her.

“My mom keeps calling and asking if I want to come home for the holidays,” she complains, holding her knees to her chest. “And I know that’s months away but if I say yes that means having to see my family in person while they interrogate me about my future. I’m not even sure I have a future.”

She paces around for a minute to work out some pins and needles and brushes back her hair where it’s been falling in her face. Feeling playful, she imagines she can feel the gargoyle’s gaze watching her.

“Oh this? Yeah, I did get a haircut, thank you for noticing. Just a couple inches off the bottom but I think it’s nice.”

She tosses her head. Nestled among her dark hair, a tip of pointed ear pokes out and she worries idly at the cartilage like she used to do when she was younger.

“You noticed that too, huh. I was born with this itty bity point to my ears. They used to stick out when I was a kid. I was kinda self-conscious about it, actually. I dreaded whenever we had a course in school about fairytales because the kids in my class would call me an elf. I started making my mom do my hair so that they were hidden and just, never grew out of the habit I guess.”

The gargoyle is without comment. She smiles.

“I knew you’d understand, dude. Us freaks have to stick together.”

The following week is a flurry of last-minute Halloween preparations. Soso herself hadn’t been planning to dress up, not having anywhere to be other than planted firmly on the couch in front of a horror B-movie marathon, but the other girls insist they decorate, as there’d been whispers in their neighborhood of pranks planned on those deemed not festive enough. According to Carmen, who had become the resident expert on local tradition since she aced her last history test, the custom of shunning those who didn’t partake was almost as firmly rooted as the decorating itself. It stemmed from a belief from ye olden days that the festivities helped to fend off ghosts and goblins and the meddling of the fae on the day when the border between their worlds was the thinnest.

“Wait, do ghosts come from the same place as fae, or do they just, like, carpool here?”

She snorts. “It depends who you ask, but a lot of people around here believe that anything that’s magical or ‘otherworldly’ in origin is technically ‘fae’. Ensfield has a whole history of convoluted fae-based superstitions. Did you know some people still leave out bowls of fresh milk for house spirits?”

“House spirits?”

“Like, brownies.”

Soso nods. “I love having milk with brownies.”

Phoebe pipes up from the kitchen. “I had a girlfriend in high school who left out offerings when she was doing her SATs.”

“Did it help?” Carmen asks. “I’ll try anything.”

Soso is no skeptic, but she’s more inclined to believe that leaving food out overnight will attract more mice than faerie blessings. The sentiment is nice, but it’s hard for her to take comfort in fairytales without remembering her childhood teasing. How much worse could it have been if it had been more than just a joke, if her ears and her daydreaming demeanor were enough to get her labeled as an outsider for life, rather than just for the span of third grade.

“Are you doing anything special for Halloween, Soso?” Carmen asks.

“You mean like leaving out bowls of milk?”

She laughs. “No, like going to a party. You can come with me to Katy’s if you want. It’ll be lowkey.”

Carmen has been making more of an effort to get to know her since she got her those books for her paper, but while Soso appreciates the thought, being a plus-one at a stranger’s party where everyone knows each other from the classes she’s still not attending doesn’t sound like her idea of a good time.

“No thanks. Someone’s gotta stay and hand out candy to the trick or treaters, right?”

“Good point. Did you pick up candy?”

“Not yet, but I’ll do it.”

“Just don’t put it off until the night of.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

That is exactly what happened. October 31st finds Soso standing in line with a back of candy under each arm. Their neighborhood isn’t exactly kid-heavy, but better safe than TP’d she figures. She’s nearing the register when a pair of college-age boys stumble in, looking conspicuously red around the whites of their eyes. She sighs inwardly as they wander around, talking just a bit too loud for comfort, and does her best to ignore them even as they get in line behind her. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she notices that there is nothing in their baskets except a two-liter bottle of off-brand soda, a box of marshmallow snackcakes, and about four cartons of eggs, each.

It almost doesn’t click for her until she remembers what Phoebe said about the frat bros and their hazing. That paired with it being a night notorious for pranks by idiot teens is enough to get her nervous. After making her purchase she lingers outside the store for a moment and watches as the boys climb into a car and drive away in the direction of the woods.

It might still be a coincidence, they might be heading to some other destination that just so happens to be in that direction as well, but the image of some stupid stoners invading her sanctuary makes her hackles raise all the same. She starts pedaling after them, following just far enough behind so as not to be spotted in the swiftly fading light.

[depressed-chicken-man]

Cooped Up

Shane x OC

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5

Summary: 

After failing to start her dream in the city, the fashion designer turned farmer tries to cope with her new life in the last-ditch effort to make a happy home for herself. She has so many concerns for her new life. How much of her identity is stuck in the city? Will she even make a difference?

Even if she doesn’t think so, it’s undeniable that she will make a difference for a certain depressed coop keeper.

Chapter 1: Fake it

Chapter 1 on Ao3

To say that Jennifer’s world had done a complete 180 was spot on and in no way an exaggeration. Her new environment so harshly contrasted the life she had been living since she began college and graduated two years ago.

From studying to work in fashion design to being locked in at Joja Corp as a social media supervisor for their online accounts to being elbow deep in fertilized soil and beyond winded was as different as she could feel.

Having been on this new plot of land for only four days, she felt she had done well. She wondered if her grandfather would be proud of the way that she had cleared the weeds and drug all of the overgrowth and fallen trees from the choice plot in a short time.

In all honesty, this would never be her first pick nor was it something that she could ever see herself doing. It was the total opposite and she would be lying to say that she wasn’t concerned for herself and beyond doubtful. How could she ever do this successfully? When she cringed at the dirt that covered her? When she heard the call of a rooster and was startled and left uneasy by the prospect of being a victim to being flogged? When taking it easy and slow was already so difficult? She was deeply concerned and hoped that it wasn’t too obvious. She had always been somewhat hopeful and optimistic, even in the toughest times. She would always be okay.

She was even more determined to make it as she considered her other options. The day she decided that she couldn’t bear to work at Joja Corp anymore, she knew that she couldn’t turn back. The deep aversion to turning back now or years down the road was something that she knew wouldn’t wane. She couldn’t go back and with her dream of becoming a fashion designer, she wasn’t sure it would ever go forward. This plot of land, which she had never knew existed until a month ago, was her saving grace and she hopped it would continue to be.

She would have to fake it until she made it.

The dirt that coated her to her elbows was anything but fake, but the google search she had to make to learn how to till the soil and plant the parsnip seeds she had been gifted was more than enough to prove that she had no earthly idea how to run a farm or maintain crops. She had spent the majority of her free time absent of clearing the land in an exhausted state of watching tutorial after tutorial on how to do the basic things. Jen prayed that the videos and articles that she read held enough truth and experience for her to get through the season.

As she tilled the soil, breathing heavily and trying to ignore her aching bones, the farming podcast she was listening to mentioned something that she hadn’t considered before.

“…And in the spring is the perfect time for baby chicks! If you want eggs by summer, then this is the time to begin choosing the breed. Brown eggs come from…” she cut it short as she scrambled to pause the leave her tilling. Eggs would be great and would help her a lot in bringing in profit. She didn’t have as much faith in the parsnips as she did eggs and she was certain that she couldn’t pass the opportunity up. She wondered if there was anyone around in Pelican Town that sold livestock and could maybe give her some advice.

Setting the hoe down, she dusted herself off as much as she could and made her way into the small, drab house that accompanied the plot. She wondered how on earth her grandfather managed in it. There was no stove and only a fireplace, which she couldn’t imagine cooking on. For the past few days, she was living off ramen that she made with an electric kettle and cans of tuna. She was determined to get the place in working order as soon as she dealt with the stack of unpacked and nearly forgotten boxes that cluttered the small area. It was so small and disorderly, she couldn’t even bring her pet with her yet for fear of the move being too much for the old feline. Her dad kindly let it stay with him until she settled.

Scanning the box filled room, she spotted the small envelope that Robin and Mayor Lewis had emphasized as important. Pulled the paper out, her eyes lingered over the handwritten list of businesses in the town and she quickly found what she was looking for.

Marnie’s Ranch: Livestock and animal supplies

Jennifer nodded and took a look at the map she was also given. Lucky for her, the ranch was just south of her farm. She took a look at the time and it was only half-past noon. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to visit and ask a few questions, maybe get some advice?

Any advice would be good advice.

“Hey, are you Marnie?” She asked, her timid voice low. She had gotten herself a little spruced up, still wary of making good first impressions. The last thing she wanted was a lazy reputation when she was so new. She had opted to put on a full face of soft glam makeup and wash all the dirt from her before picking out a cropped shirt and high waisted jeans It was quite strange using the bathhouse due to the lack of shower in her new home, but it did the job. If there was one thing she could showcase to the town, it was her fashion, even if it wasn’t necessary.

Still, good style or not, she was still careful and timid as she shut the door to the ranch behind her, the older woman at the front desk raised her eyebrows and nodded. This would be the only person in the town that she had talked to yet besides Robin and Lewis. The woman gave her a knowing smile, her eyes creasing in the corners and her kindness was shown in the way her light wrinkled folded. She smiled a lot and her face showed that. Her red hair curled down and hung loosely, touching her faded overalls.

“Miss Jennifer, I was wondering when you would come to meet me! It’s so nice to meet you! Robin told me how lovely you were but I can see she under-exaggerated.” She cooed and made her way around to the front of the front desk, which upon further inspection, was just as much a part of her house as the kitchen to the right.

“Oh, that’s so sweet. Thank you.” Jen gushed and waved her hand. “I was hoping I wouldn’t bother you but I need to ask some questions. I hate that our first meeting has to have a little bit of business thrust into it, but I need to know how I should start raising chickens on my farm.”

“Oh, you’re so polite. I don’t mind answering your questions a bit.” the elder woman said and began to muse, “Let’s see, now the first thing you need is a place for them to stay. I don’t know if Robin told you, but she can build you a coop that will suit the chickens just fine. Second, you need to have a way to feed them. I recommend a silo for grain, but you can always buy it from here. After that, then you can come back and buy the chicks that you want. You can pick them out and everything.” Jennifer took a page of mental notes and nodded along.

“Get a coop, some feed, and come back later? Got it.” She stated aloud, more for herself than for Marnie. The elder nodded and added something else.

“Yes, just come back and either Shane or I will help. We’ll even deliver the chicks to your coop after you pick them out.” She added and Jen released a breath of relief. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go with her not so hidden fear of chickens, but it was nice to know that she didn’t have to bring them home and have to worry about losing them from the ranch to her coops.

“That’s a relief. And Shane is…?” she asked and Marnie took a moment to be surprised that she hadn’t elaborated.

“Oh right, he’s my nephew. He helps me out around here with the cows and chickens. You haven’t seen him around yet, have you?” she asked and Jen shook her head.

“I haven’t seen much of anyone yet. I’ve been so busy getting the farm started that I’ve only been into the town once.” she admitted, a small laughed punctuated her statement.

“Oh gracious honey, you need a rest. A little bit of socializing and meeting the townsfolk will do your farm no harm, I promise. Have you been to the Stardrop Saloon yet?” Jen shook her head and looked down.

“Ah, no. I haven’t. I’m not much of a drinker.” She gave and Marnie laughed.

“There’s not just drinks there. They have coffee and Italian food as well.” the redhead explained and Jennifer perked up.

“Oh coffee… I guess I could take the evening. Besides, I think I might go nuts if I have to eat another cup noodle dinner.” She posed and Marnie reached out and patted her shoulder, much like a grandmother or very friendly church woman would do.

“There you go, you poor thing. Get your belly full and meet some people. There’s a girl your age you may take to, her name is Hailey and she might be there. She sometimes gets a bite to eat. You both would make great friends.”

Jen gave an embarrassed laugh and felt like a kid for a moment, being set up for a playdate.

“Okay, I’ll go. Thank you so much Marnie! I’ll be back when I get a coop up.” She promised as she took the doorknob in hand.

“Don’t wait too long! I wanna hear about you and your farm every once in a while.” and with that, Jen was out and walked along the fence to head over to the Saloon, determined that she would have a peaceful evening and eat well for the first time all week.

Inside the fence, a chicken clucked and startled her, her heart jumped and she immediately felt silly after a moment. Her concerns resurfaced in the back of her mind.

How was she going to cope with a coop full of scary chickens?

The Saloon was cozy and dingy, warm and rundown. The cushioned barstools were comfy enough and after a few short conversations with Gus, the bartender, Elliot, some writer, and Abigail, an odd yet kind girl, she should be feeling better.

But she did not.

With her acquaintances gone, if she could call them that, she stared down into the black coffee and still felt out of place. The spaghetti she had ordered was a nice contrast to the ramen she had been stuck with, but it only served to remind her of the amazing Italian restaurant back in the city. The coffee was, however, not delicious and she had trouble bringing herself to take another sip of the watered down and stale liquid. Out here, there were no fancy cafes or specialty restaurants. This black coffee was good enough for most people and it was her fault for being so spoiled, but she found herself extremely repulsed by the lack of espresso, steamed milk, and caramel sauce that she ordered every day.

She was more homesick than she realized.

She was silently mopping about her lack of familiarity with her surroundings and the absence of her favorite coffee. Not sure what had caused her sudden shift in mood, she suddenly wasn’t up to continuing “social hour” and wanted to go back home and watch more online classes about farming. If she began to slack, she would fail and she was terrified of admitting she was an absolute beginner in a new place.

Her identity was a caramel latte and now she was trying to be a plain black instant coffee. Was it safe to say that it was hard to identify with the farm type? Was it their differences or her own reluctance to understand that would fail her? She didn’t know. Maybe she was the plain black coffee and everyone else was the caramel latte?

She muttered a small thanks and good evening to Gus, who hummed in acknowledgment. With her coffee forgotten, she hopped down from the barstool and turned to leave but went nowhere. Instead, she slammed into something solid and was drenched with cold liquid. She gasped and stepped back, the coldness shocked her. She found herself in the midst of a big mess, and it only took one whiff to realize that she wasn’t drenched in water or soda, but beer.

The victim, though she wanted to believe it was her, stood and stared at her in disbelief, his dull green eyes narrowing. The man scowled at her, his five o’clock shadow only added emphasis to his disappointment. His dark hair was messy and his appearance even more so. Gus looked from her to the man in his surprise.

“Oh my-…I’m so sorry.” she covered her mouth in her shock and embarrassment. She should offer to buy him another one, it was only fair. She was going to jump to action to make it up to the stranger before he spoke up and interrupted her decision.

“You should be. Try watching out next time. You don’t own this saloon.” he growled out and shoved his now empty glass to the bar top. “You cost me my beer.” he glared and she could stop herself from snapping back.

“Oh, your beer is the concern? What about my shirt?” she snapped and the man rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Your shirt? Looks like I did you a favor,” he smirked and turned away to order what he lost.

“Wow…” she started and mentally reevaluated the situation. Arguing wasn’t going to help and this was a bad enough first impression. Instead, she turned to the bartender.

“Have a good evening, I’m so sorry about the mess.” she apologized, shooting the angry man a glare. He didn’t seem to notice at all. A favor , yeah right. He looked like the type to go to Buffalo Wild Wings way too often, and that was not a compliment in the slightest.

The door to the saloon swung shut behind her and she took a deep breath. Any residual anger resided and she was left with the realization that she could have handled it differently. Although she knew she was justified, she was better than that. Her reputation was better and she knew her she would regret it. Even if she hadn’t said it, she still thought it.

Still, she needed to calm down. She didn’t know the town as much as she wanted to and the sun was beginning to set. Taking a walk wouldn’t hurt.

“That was a good girl you just ran off, you know that?”

Shane took the beer and handed over the appropriate amount of cash, before grumbling his response.

“Good. The less I see of her, the better.” He took his beer and shrugged off anything that Gus would have said, stepping over the mess that the woman had made. Served her right, he hoped that the encounter would warn her enough to stay the hell away. He didn’t want anything to do with the “new girl in town” that everyone was so curious about. It wasn’t like the arrival of anyone new would bring anything good to him and he knew that. All she would be is another face to pass by and ignore.

The gossip that everyone passed around is that she inherited some large plot of farmland and came from the city to give it a shot. A city girl like her wouldn’t make it a season, he decided, taking a large sip of his beer. The way she complained about her shirt. She wouldn’t last another few weeks.

The hearsay, not that he listened, was that everyone was excited and hoped she could help everyone out with her farm. No one wanted to rely on JojaMart and farmer’s markets in Pelican Town were greatly loved and anticipated. He would almost root for her if it meant taking money from the hellscape that was Joja Corp, but he knew she wouldn’t make a difference. All of the rumors and hopes were false. Everything that the townsfolk said was wrong.

Except for one thing. The rumors that she was nice looking were true.

The beer wasn’t doing it for him. He needed something stronger.

Venturing out into the dark, he stumbled along his path home, his light buzz only enough to smear his thoughts. This evening, he left the saloon just shy of nine, rather than his usual close to midnight departure. The atmosphere of the bar was a little more dense and uninviting this evening and he wasn’t about to hang around.

No, he would board himself in his room and get the whiskey he had stashed away.

The outside light of the ranch came into few and he took a deep breath. Jas and Marnie would still be up at this time and he really just wanted to sneak in unseen. He didn’t want to feel that lingering guilt if Jas saw him like this, but it wasn’t like she didn’t know. In his limbo, he thought he heard a distant voice. Maybe he was finally going crazy.

Moments later, he heard it again. It was too far away to decipher. Who would be out in the forest this late? He struggled between deciding that it was none of his business and checking it out. He wasn’t sure if he was curious or just delaying walking into the house, but he quietly followed the direction of the voice.

A faint glow of a phone and a voice came into view, at the end of the pier that stretched over the small lake. He could barely make the outline of the figure out in the darkness. The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar to him, but he immediately knew who it was. He frowned and wondered if he should yell out to her with something that will make her leave, but he opted to stand silently, his arms folded. Her conversation continued on, her half was all that was needed to understand what was being said.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, dad. I don’t know if I’ve made a mistake or did something right for once?” Her voice echoed over the lake.

A mistake

“I realized how much I miss home. How much I miss Greg. I miss…” she took a breath “The cafe I always visited every day.”

Good, go home, he thought. Go back to Greg , he thought, assuming that was her partner or boyfriend.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m complaining. I’m not giving up yet. Today has just been awful.” she paused and continued, “It didn’t start awful, but it ended awful. Long story short, I smell like a man cave carpet on Saturday night.”

Shane was sure she did and did he care? Not a bit. He had heard enough. He wouldn’t be seeing her much anymore and he took great satisfaction in that. Without much more of a clouded thought, he slunk away and tried to ignore the last thing he heard her say in favor of returning to his whiskey for the night.

“I just don’t know what to do.”

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5

[cantbetoolemony]

unlisted/hard to find sorted viddies

now cook it ads i knead my dough sausage shake hot potatoes avocado-phobia

ben’s vlogs

lost and hungry snapchat stories 1 2 3 4 black chicken mushroom coffee kefir at home buying indian sweets making tofu

lost + hungry (some of these were decently glitchy when i watched so shoot me a msg if theyre Not glitchy for you or if you know how to resolve it) the Rules get involved here we go travelling to nyc coming to la scouting for meet ups officially lost and hungry incl. today show clip

today show lost+hungry la tacos austin brisket clam chowder bit of an intro vid “sorted teams up w today” eating tour of new orleans taste test clam chowder chicken and waffles

intros  mike jamie ben barry jon

bloopers celebrate out of the city 9 tips to make ur food better brothers riedell 5 ingredient chocolate cake

hidden recipe vids (most of these are from around 2012) vegan falafel balls (barry and ben) cinnamon beaver tails (ben and mike, barry has a Moment) fluffy strawberry mousse (barry, ben, and jon) secret veggie pasta bake (ben and jamie) creamy mushroom polenta (barry and ben) posh beans on toast (ben and jamie) vegetarian bean burgers (barry, ben, and jamie) pumpkin and pecan pie (barry, ben, and jamie) mediterranean halloumi and vegetables (ben and jamie) honeycomb with chocolate (barry and ben, jamie cameo) moroccan chicken tagine (barry and jon) beef in black bean (ben and jamie) spaghetti bolognaise (barry, ben, and jamie) chicken and mango curry (ben and jamie) greek salmon parcels (barry, ben, and jamie) indian salmon hash (barry and ben) poached salmon n watercress sauce (ben and jamie) breakfast muffins (barry, ben, and jamie) courgette and tarragon rosti with chicken (barry and ben) apple and ham eggs benny (ben, jamie, and mike) lemon zebra shortbread (barry and ben) stuffed chicken ballotine (ben and jamie) cosmo fool (barry, ben, and jamie) bbq cola steak (barry, ben, and jamie) “guilt free” banana crumble (ben and jamie) churros w chocolate coffee sauce (barry and ben) lemon meringue pie (barry and ben) mushroom and bacon canneloni (barry, ben, and jamie) salmon courgette linguini (ben and jamie) miso steak salad (barry and ben) bloody mary soup (ben and jamie) sticky maple duck (barry and ben)

other this ones an update but also mike sings a little handyman barry that you didnt know you needed an entry to a yt competition w great discussion of sorted’s origins cookware promo (barry ben and mike bants) nyc meet up announcement live recipe lab going deep with james ask jamie anything ask ben anything ask mike anything cooking gap 1 2 3 how to not make a cooking show 5 gadgets no one needs 2 electric boogaloo golf gets sorted uptown dunk (dough.... doughdoughdough) goodwood revival 

hard to find/not fully unlisted do u wanna build a snowman big night in - going solo  (this is the first in a series, the rest can only be watched with membership) big night in - livestream (hefty few hours) intro to chocolate series (discussion of mike’s travel curse) grilled podcast (aka first dates with mike, no need to be a member, about an hour long each) grilled 2.0 (gotta be a member for most of them, but you can listen to jamie’s) the @ the table series

aftertaste videos (this will be a .... long time til its complete) fridgecam q&a (after the caramel oaty bars vid) mike’s interview w the genie from aladdin (after the disney battle) chef’s table, maroon edition charlie mcdonnel grilled going out for taiwanese vlog 3 sauces for pizza chefs table w mike sri lankan hoppers jamie and mike make marmalade anatomy of a cow (jamie) fried chicken bounty bar samosas  garlic bread fried eggs james testing avo egg cups granola w ben perfect smoothie  more marshmallows better mashed potatoes british scones perfect pancakes ben’s cheesy challenge franken-donut  speccy fridge cam dating horror stories chefs houses electric shock cupcake decorating

on other channels halloween makeup (this isnt hidden at all, but i feel like some people would miss it by virtue of it not being on the sorted channel 😔 ) another makeup viddy sdkfj the infamous YEHAW video (watch it. you need to.) “one sortedfood guy and his piano”  well. mikes in it technically not quite a ted talk but man its close blindfold chocolate test chancellors teachers band (MIKE ! playing! music!) beginners get sorted book trailer vidcon 2011 backstage barry and jamie exhibiting some gd behaviour w the youtube button mike and rob singing i suppose? (i think mike is like, back up but idk im bad w voices)

there are a few videos with someone w negative aspects and from what i can tell things that surfaced were after these videos came out but ig thats the necessary disclaimer as to why they might be unlisted 1 2 3

[entergamingxp]

Old School RuneScape and Shenmue • Eurogamer.net

Old School RuneScape

Matt: I have to admit, a good portion of my time allocated to this feature was spent signing up to RuneScape. It was frequently baffling – I somehow had an account already associated with Jagex which needed resetting several times, my usual handle (and my back up, and the back up to that) were already taken, and upon trying to buy membership, it wouldn’t let me type in any credit card details.

Downloading the game from the Old School RuneScape website really sets the tone straight away.

It was similar to the only other time I tried to play an MMO – an evening wasted trying to get my head around Square Enix’s account system to play Final Fantasy 14 in its infancy, forcing me to give up on what I hear is one of the best games in recent years – and a reminder of why I tend to stick to console games. There’s only so many captcha screens I can take!

Lottie: Back when I made my first RuneScape account – like a good fourteenish years ago – I’m pretty sure that it only required an unused username and a password. In fact, I don’t think I even attached my email address to that account until I signed up for membership a year later. I’m also honestly surprised you had such a time paying for your membership – you’d think Jagex would make taking your money an easy process.

Matt: You’d think so, right? However, once I was playing… I was pleasantly surprised! First, I absolutely love the way Old School RuneScape looks. I didn’t get into PC games until Half-Life, but it’s reminiscent of early PlayStation games, an era I’m more familiar with and tirelessly fond of – where everything was made of chunky, brightly coloured polygons, the world gradually clipping into view as you explore, and charming MIDI music blazing as you go.

Old School Runescape eases you into things surprisingly well.

It’s also impressively tutorialized, uncovering its menu options and associated systems one-by-one as you explore the opening island. I’ve already forgotten how to use an anvil, or how to bake some bread, but I misjudged RuneScape as something which drops you in the deep end without explaining how anything works.

I also enjoyed how the first thing you fight is a giant rat in a mine. This is an MMO all right!

Lottie: There’s a part of my brain that’s dedicated to pure RuneScape knowledge. I can write you a guide right now about how to smith a rune scimitar or how to brew a prayer potion.

I’ve always loved how so many of the skills in RuneScape are interconnected; you grow herbs using the farming skill, for example, and, thanks to herblore, use them to create potions, which can provide boosts to your hunting skill or help out in combat. There’s a real advantage to training every skill, which becomes more apparent the deeper you delve into the game.

Now that you’ve escaped Tutorial Island, how are your first real steps in Gielinor going?

True to form, you’ll fight… giant rats.

Matt: Okay, so now I’m actually playing and picking up quests, I’m starting to run up against the antiquity of it all. I’ve discovered it’s quite fiddly to get around, and my character’s stamina depletes very quickly, making exploration feel far more sluggish than I was expecting. Meanwhile, left clicking on things is unpredictable – will you converse? Will you pickpocket? Will you puncture that cow with your bronze sword instead of milking it? (I quickly discovered right clicking on things first is the way to go.)

Also, the combat is frightfully simple – you just click on a goblin (of which there are an alarming number of?) and you’ll automatically exchange blows until it dies, then repeat, occasionally pausing to eat something for health.

I ended up scrolling Twitter as I was chaining through a field of goblins, helping me get through the combat questline a little easier. At first this didn’t feel in the spirit of the game, but then I realised – that’s how MMOs are secretly supposed to work, right? It’s a thing you chip away at while doing / watching / listening to other things?

Goblins. Everywhere!

Lottie: I’ll admit that when I’m training a skill like woodcutting or mining, I usually do it while reading. Doing so has never felt like I’m betraying the game in some way, I’m still playing after all, I just don’t want to watch my adventurer chop trees for an hour. Grinding is an inevitable part of any MMO and, as long as you’re not using a bot, I don’t care how people get through it.

For me, the simplicity of the combat has always been part of the game’s charm. You can make it more complicated by using magic as your primary weapon or by training the slayer skill, which involves hunting down monsters that can only be killed using specific items, but I like how the melee combat is simplified, so that you can focus on buffing your abilities with potion or food.

(There’s also a really good questline that explores what’s happening with the goblins in the Lumbridge area.)

Matt: I’d love to find that, because there really are a lot of goblins. I was actually overjoyed when I saw a giant spider scuttling around, just for something else to fight.

I think where the game clicks for me is the non-combat stuff – I enjoyed the simplicity of milling wheat to help someone bake a cake, and digging up clues for a treasure hunt. It reminds me what I enjoy most about modern games-as-a-service stuff like Fortnite or Destiny – less the combat, but more completing challenges as an excuse to see the vast, beautiful world developers have created.

And, again, I love the look of Old School RuneScape – I might look up some YouTube videos later to see what other areas look like.

Working out Treasure Hunt clues was probably the highlight of the my brief time with Old School RuneScape.

I’m not sure whether I’ll come back to it – there are one too many rough edges with combat and controls for me, I think – but I enjoyed it more than I was expecting, enough so that it’s convinced me to finally start playing an MMO one day. Assuming they’re not all completely overrun by goblins.

Lottie: The graphics for Old School RuneScape have a special place in my heart as it manages to be both endearing and terrifying, sometimes on purpose, all at the same time! There are certainly some beautiful locations in the game, especially when you’re able to visit places like Prifddinas. I also promise that there are a lot of goblin free areas in Gielinor – you might want to avoid north of Falador though.

I do understand why you have mixed feelings about returning; MMOs require a higher time investment compared to other games, Old School RuneScape especially due to its age and, as you mentioned, certain little quirks. I’m glad, however, that you enjoy the non-combat skills, as they have always been my favourite aspect of the game. It’s really cool how, even if you completely ignore the combat system, the game still allows you to have a great time.

Now that you’ve tried Old School RuneScape, I think that it’s only fair you give RuneScape 3 a go too, just for comparison’s sake.

Matt: That’s not a bad idea. Though unless RuneScape 3 has the same incredibly cute ‘quack’ sound effect, I’m not sure it’ll ever live up to the original.

Lottie: Yes, the quack is the same!

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Shenmue

Lottie: Shenmue makes it very clear from the opening cutscene that it wants to tell a martial arts vengeance story; a mysterious stranger arrives to demand an equally mysterious artifact, a father is murdered in front of his son and revenge is sworn.

This was great for me, because I love a good revenge story, especially if it involves punching. When I began playing Shenmue, however, I realised that it doesn’t approach this story in the way you’d typically expect from a video game released in the late nineties. Instead of punching enemies in face, I was gathering clues by talking to Ryo’s neighbours and managing an allowance, which means spending it all on capsule toys.

Vengeance!

The game even used its genre to tease me; I dialled the number for the police, but Ryo refused to call them. He has to avenge his father himself after all.

Matt: First, I’m very pleased you tried to call the police! It’s one of many great Easter Eggs you can easily miss. The game rewards you for experimenting with the world around you in all sorts ways – and by Ryo reacting accordingly (i.e. being stubborn) helps establish his personality beyond a typical cutscene.

He will continue to establish his personality further through punching as you originally assumed, though, so stick with it!

Lottie: I hope so! I do like how, as you explore Ryo’s home, you can uncover little cutscenes that give more insight into his relationship with his father as well. As you said, scenes like those reward experimentation and helped me become invested in the story.

You can uncover a variety of hidden cutscenes by exploring Ryo’s home.

The more I played, the more I came to love how intricate the world of Shenmue is; the shops have different opening times, the streets grow busier throughout the day and each NPC has their routine, which means you have to learn when and where characters will be.

The game is as much about planning your day as it is revenge. Even when I found myself waiting for the local bars to open, the daily cycle continued to heighten the immersion of the game, rather than making me feel like I had hit a roadblock. It makes sense, in the story that Shenmue is telling, that Ryo’s journey begins with him patiently tracking down information and, while he waits, he can always waste some time in the Sega arcade.

You have to wait till 7pm to find this man.

Matt: Yeah – despite the heavy premise, Ryo is still a teenager, right? That’s exactly what he would do to kill time. Again, another way of establishing who Ryo is beyond a cutscene – people you talk to constantly remind he’s still in school, the cash you can spend is from pocket money, etc etc. This is also the point where the game doubles down on the time aspect which can leave many players frustrated – forcing you to wait hours or sometimes a full day in-game for the next event to happen – but it sounds like you’re fully on board?

Lottie: I am – I like games with well developed worlds, be it expressed through environmental storytelling, gradually revealing aspects of the lore or, in this case, applying aspects of reality, like the fact that most shops aren’t open 24 hours a day. What did break my immersion though were the quick time events.

For me, quick time events ruin the flow of the gameplay.

I’ve never liked quick time events, because, to me, their inclusion always feels forced; the flow of a game is brought to a standstill as you’re made to push a certain sequence of buttons, often until you’ve done it correctly.

In Shenmue, there’s always a chance that you might encounter a little side event, from a bike race to children playing football, and, like the daily cycle, these activities make the community feel more realistic. Unfortunately, a number of these hidden activities include quick time events and, of course, if you don’t do it correctly, then you have to do it again. It took me four attempts to correctly complete one such event.

Ten minutes later I discovered that the main storyline also included quick time events.

Matt: Fun fact – Shenmue was the first to feature (or at least popularise) Quick Time Events, so you’re seeing the birth of something which plagued every action adventure game for the next decade.

There are some brilliant chase sequences which use them effectively later in the game, but as you say, means you’re now on alert every time a cutscene plays out. There’s even a couple of arcade cabinets which are QTE simulators, if you need to kill some time and test your reflexes. I’ve played them so much the sound effect is forever seared into my brain.

Oh look – another quick time event…

Lottie: For me, it’s the quick time events that are really preventing me from deciding whether or not I’m going to continue playing Shenmue. The story certainly seems to be picking up pace and I would like to see what other early open world aspects this game has, but the knowledge that there’s even more quick time events to come is really off putting. I’ve had this happen with other games before when there’s an aspect of the gameplay I don’t like, such as the tests of strength in Breath of the Wild. I find myself unable to dislodge the thought of these features from my mind and, rather than simply enjoying the game for its own sake, I spend my time worrying about when I’ll have to deal with this feature once again.

Matt: The last third of the game certainly gets more punchy – and has one of the most infamous mini-games of all time, so if you can make it a little further, I would say your spirits will be… lifted.

Ultimately, I think Shenmue is a game which suffers from playing excessively in short periods, so come back to it and progress through the story whenever the mood takes you. Or not – Shenmue is a game, 20 years on, I still load up from time-to-time just to spend time in, usually waiting for the jazz bars to open by practicing martial arts or trying my hand at the Tomato Convenience Store raffle to pass the time. Either way, take your time and savour it if you do return – there’s no rush, despite how eager Ryo seems to get!

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Enjoy the Magic of a 5 Day Prince Edward Island Road Trip

Prince Edward Island Road Trip

We took a five-day 4-night Boston to Prince Edward Island road trip. If you have not visited this charming island in the Maritimes of Canada, I highly recommend it. It is an easy road trip from Boston, New Hampshire or Maine. We have provided a complete Prince Edward Island road trip itinerary from where we fly into, Boston Massachusetts.

Our Itinerary

Day 1

We began our Prince Edward Island Road trip by Driving from Boston to Sackville, New Brunswick entering Canada at the Calais/St Stephen Border Crossing. Remember to bring your passport! The drive is wonderous especially in Northern Maine and New Brunswick.

On the first evening, we stayed at the Sackville Bed and Breakfast. Our hosts Barry and Wendi were delightful. Their Victorian home nestled in the quaint village of Sackville, New Brunswick is warm and welcoming. Breakfast in the morning was excellent, and we enjoyed sharing it with the other three couples staying at the inn. We love the opportunity to make new friends.  Additionally, Sackville is charming and has some places where you can grab dinner your first evening.

  Day 2

Begin the second day by driving from Sackville to Pictou to take the ferry to PEI. It is always free to enter PEI, but you must pay to leave. We chose to go over via the ferry and leave by the bridge. Besides, it is more expensive to go by ferry so save some money for shopping by entering PEI by ferry and leaving by the bridge.

Your first stop in PEI is the Wood Island Lighthouse built in 1876. This lighthouse is close to the ferry. Additionally, if you like wine, then make your way to the Rossignol Estate Winery. They offer fruit wines, table wines, and liqueurs. Tastings are by donation.

Next stop is the Point Prim Lighthouse. Coincidently, it is the oldest lighthouse on PEI. Now it’s time for lunch, and even though you are in the middle of nowhere, the Point Prim Chowder House serves fantastic meals.  Located right next door, you can dine inside or outside. Most importantly, they serve delicious authentic east coast food and drinks. I had a fantastic plant-based lunch with arugula, sweet potatoes and pumpkin seed, yummy!

Head to Downtown Charlottetown and check into Hotel on Pownal. This hotel is excellent for exploring Charlottetown, Canada’s birthplace. Overall, the hotel has a classy, urban vibe. The staff at Hotel on Pownal was welcoming and helpful.

We walked from our hotel to visit; Province House, Great George Street, Victoria Row, Peake’s Wharf and Cow’s Ice Cream, yum! Finally, you are sure to find a restaurant that suits your taste in either the wharf or Victoria Row.

Day 3

Continuing your Prince Edward Island road trip, make your way to Cavendish, home of Anne of Green Gables. Along the way, I highly recommend stopping at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company in New Glasglow. They produce artisan preserves, fine teas, and local pottery. We bought gifts for ourselves and family from there. In essence, just walking through the store is a visual treat.

First stop in Cavendish is the Green Gables Heritage Place. Here you step back in time to when Lucy Maud Montgomery was inspired to write Anne of Green Gables. Next, visit the Cavendish Post Office. Inside there is an exhibit where you discover the connection between this Canadian writer and the postal system. Afterwards, enjoy a scenic drive through PEI National Park from Cavendish to North Rustico. Have lunch in New Rustico.

Experience PEI

For the next stop, follow Route 6 to New London. In New London check out Village Pottery. This studio creates functional and unique pottery for everyday use.

Next, we were on to Talking with Horses. Talking with Horses is part of Experience PEI. A Prince Edward Island Road trip is not complete without partaking in some of the wonderful PEI experiences.  There are many to choose from, so I am sure there are a few to fit your interest. We choose this one as our first. Here, we learned to communicate with our horse. Then, we went on a trail ride through beautiful pastoral lands.  Afterwards, we enjoyed some Acadian soup. Our trail ride took us through local farms, forest and down dirt roads.  Jasmine is passionate about horses, and her husband is excited about Acadian history. Additionally, if you would like to stay the night at the stables, they have a one-room cottage for rent.

French River

Now, drive to French River and check into the Beach House Inn located on a quiet country road close to the best beaches in PEI. The Beach House is in a quiet, tranquil, pastoral location. We had a balcony, so we took the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine from it. After some wine and relaxation, we were off again to explore the New London Lighthouse and the Cape Tryon Lighthouses just before sunset. Because of the location, the views at Cape Tryon are breathtaking! We heard the chorus of sea lions hungering in for the evening in the caves. Because of this, I highly recommend visiting at sunset. Brenda at the Beach House Inn makes you feel like you are a visiting friend. She will give you some great recommendations for dinner.

Our room was located above the kitchen. It was very spacious with a sleeping area, sitting area, large bathroom and a terrace. Above all, our breakfast here was fantastic. It was a piece of french bread covered with prosciutto arugula and a poached egg on top. Best breakfast in PEI!

Day 4

This morning make your way to Wellington and on your way stop at Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel Church in Mount Carmel. It’s one of PEI’s oldest churches and cemeteries. Moreover, its shoreline backdrop is a perfect setting for a place of God or a final resting place. While you’re visiting say hi to Norman for us, he sits outside the church to greet visitors.

Next stop is the Bottle House. Explore three fantasy-like buildings created of bottles set in a lovely natural setting. The designer’s intention was for the houses to enhance the natural beauty of the area. Thus, the entire grounds are tranquil.

Afterwards, follow the North Cape Coastal Drive to O’Leary. There you can visit the Canadian Potato Museum. By and large, potatoes are very important to PEI’s economy. One-third of all of Canada’s potatoes come from PEI. Thus, this museum celebrates all things potato which is my favorite carbohydrate! While you are at the museum, have lunch at the Potato Country Kitchen. Keith’s favorite was the potato fudge.

Another PEI Experience

Next, make your way to Albany. Our second Experience PEI event was Fun with Falcons. This was the best part of our trip. Yes there are many Experience PEI programs, and we recommend trying as many as you can, but do not miss this one! Jamie with Island Falconry is passionate and articulate. Watching a falcon or hawk in full flight, soaring and diving while catching the air currents is impressive. But, holding one on a gloved arm is even better.

After your experience head to Victoria By the Sea. This historic fishing village has many artisans located on cozy streets, one of whom is a chocolatier. If you love chocolate, stop by Island Chocolate. We were amazed to know that the owner has spent a lot of time in Ecuador. As you know, we live in Ecuador right now. Becuase the next stay is isolated, I suggest a very early dinner here in Victoria by the Sea, possibly at the Lobster Barn.

After an early dinner, make your way to Fernway and check into Briarcliffe Inn. Briarcliffe Inn is an over 100-year-old PEI farmhouse Bed and Breakfast. So, the setting is peaceful and rural amongst pastoral scenery. We sat in our lovely room enjoying a glass of wine and marveling how quiet it was. Malcolm and Carrie are charming hosts. They will give you a full history of the house which is fascinating. The breakfast is simply delicious. They also have a neighbor’s pigs living on their property, and the pigs are so cute! Make sure to walk the grounds, especially down to the beach.

Day 5

On the last day of your Prince Edward Island road trip, travel to Bolten-Carleton via Route 10 and stop at Marine Rail Park to get the iconic picture of the Confederate Bridge. Also, if a filling of BBQ beef and cheese in a puff pastry sounds like heaven to you, pick up snacks at The Hand Pie Company. These hand pies inspired by the novel series, Outlanders are delicious portable hot dishes. Some are sweet some are savory. Finally, depart Prince Edward Island via the majestic Confederation Bridge.

If you want to go back into the United States seeing a different part of New Brunswick, there is a second option, but it will take you a little more time. Head for the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing that will put you directly onto I-95 in Maine.

Idyllic and Charming

When describing Prince Edward Island, the first word that comes to mind is idyllic. This small province in Canada is charming. There are well-preserved lighthouses as well as world-class eateries. The people are very friendly making you feel like you’re in a second home. While visiting you feel as though you have stepped back in time. It is a place to gather handmade products from quilts to preserves. A Prince Edward Island Road Trip should be added to your Bucket List.

Have you visited PEI?  Please share your experience with us below; we would love to hear from you!

Watch our road trip video

Be sure to check out our other story on Prince Edward Island – Fun with Falcons