Instead, I am writing about Prince Edward Island. Again. We were here just about a year ago, and at that time, I wrote about how magical a place this is for me. I honestly had no intention of writing about PEI this weekend.
But circumstances change. I discovered, when we checked in to our cottage yesterday, that this will be the last summer we will be able to rent it. The owners have been wanting to retire for some time now, and they have decided this is the year.
Once in a while, if you’re lucky, you find somewhere that immediately feels special, where you feel an instant connection with the place, the scenery, the ambiance. I have been fortunate enough to find places like that several times throughout my life. Fox River is one.
Fox River Cottages are owned by Belinda and Glen Machon, in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island. History runs deep here. There have been people living in this area at least since the Acadian Expulsion in 1755; likely both the Acadians and Mi’kmaq had settled in this area at some point before then. Machons were among a group of immigrants from Guernsey in 1806. Like much of PEI, agriculture has played an important part in the life of Murray Harbour, but the dominant culture here is the sea. There are at least half a dozen wharves within a 5 or 6 minute drive of the cottage. As I write this, it is lobster season, but mussels, tuna, clams, oysters and crabs are also caught in season. The lore of the sea holds a certain romantic appeal for me, growing up as I did mainly in the landlocked prairies, and one of the most enjoyable things about Fox River has been watching the fishing boats coming and going, and hearing the pulse of their engines early in the morning and throughout the day.
I think the first time we stayed here was almost exactly ten years ago. We were looking for somewhere special to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and my husband happened upon the web page for Fox River. It looked quiet, and lovely, and peaceful, and it was affordable. When we arrived, it felt like home.
Since that first visit, I have been back several times. I came with my kids, my parents and my brother’s family one year, and at various other times, I have brought my daughter, friends, and my husband. I haven’t been here every year, but I have probably been here at least ten times in the past ten years. I have recommended Fox River to many people, in the hope that they would find it as peaceful and relaxing as I have.
This place has been a haven for me. I have spent some of the most near-perfect days in this place. One afternoon in particular will always stand out in my mind. It was June, and I came with a friend. My friend had other plans, so she left me at the cottage by myself. It was a perfect sunny, warm day. I spent the day sitting on the deck watching the lobster boats, and when it got too hot, I moved into the screened in porch. I walked on the beach, ate when I felt hungry, read, and had a nap in the sunshine. I was completely alone and I loved every second of it.
During our visit last year, the weather was uncooperative. It was cool and rainy, and we were pretty much confined to the cottage. While my husband bemoaned the lack of good cycling weather, I curled up in the porch with a blanket, a stack of books, and a hot cup of tea, and spent the time watching the lobster boats and the bird life. It was another almost perfect day.
We have been lulled and soothed by the rhythm of the ocean tide, the sound of the waves on the shore and the boats in the water. We’ve found hundreds of blue starfish on the beach here, as well as mussel, oyster, clam, snail, and scallop shells, beach glass, and the shells of crabs. We’ve watched herons, osprey, bald eagles, terns, cormorants, gulls, and rabbits. Ironically, although PEI is noted for its abundance of foxes, and we’ve seen foxes many times on the Island, we have never seen one at Fox River (edit: the day after I posted this, a little fox trotted along the shore).
I am sure there are hundreds of other wonderful, peaceful, and beautiful places here on PEI. And maybe we will find another cottage where we will want to return year after year. But I can’t imagine any of them will evoke the same feelings as Fox River.
I’m hoping to squeeze one more visit in the fall before they close for the last time. I don’t know if it will happen. I am happy for the Machons, that they are taking the time to do the things they have always wanted to do. They are lovely people, and they deserve their retirement. I am exceedingly grateful for the chance encounter on Google that originally brought us here, and I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had over the past years to retreat to this lovely haven. I will miss Fox River Cottages, and I will treasure my memories of time spent in this place.
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| Sunrise at Fox River (photo courtesy of John Perkin) |
