Danny Boy

We moved over to the east side of the island where there was supposed to be great golf and a campsite where you could watch seals. When we got there, the office was closed and there were no flags in the golf holes..... I guess it should have been our first clue. There were other campers along the water and throughout the park, so we just took our spot amongst them and settled in with some dinner.

I don't remember exactly when the winds started blowing, but during dinner I remember getting more and more uncomfortable as the seats started shaking. It started out as a little bum massage and ended up downright difficult to eat. My body was tensing up from the motion.... I kept remembering the islanders saying "it should just be a little wind and rain, that's all...."

The kids suggested putting on some music and having a dance, so mommy wouldn't be so afraid. Meanwhile, the rain started pelting down the windows and Winnie started rockin'. I would have liked to think it was from the music, but I knew different. We drank our last Rasberry Cordial and decided we should just go to bed, and sleep the storm away....

Well a good book, prayers, and all my imaginings didn't calm me from that night of terror out at Seal Cove. The rain came down in sheets. Winnie rolled back and forth. I feared we would wind up in the bay. A chick-fil-a cow fell off its ledge on our stove. One of our neighbors got in their car and left, I was glad they had a place to go.... I kept remembering Mary's advice on what to do in a Hurricane. "Just drive!! Far far away!!" and I was like ##@&**?, what about if you're on an island? In the middle of the night? And the bridge is closed?

We actually called 911 to get some advice. They were not too concerned. Greg and I agreed to leave at first light (it was so dark and wet you couldn't see two feet out the window) and I did my best to try and sleep.

By morning, it was calm and quiet. Winnie made it through, we didn't roll into the bay.... but I'm marking this one off as the worst night of sabbatical, by far. Very likely one of the worst nights of my life!! And the kids slept right through it!!

We went to a little Irish baptist church that morning and a woman was playing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on the organ as we came in. I knew we were in the right place. Somewhere in the course of that service I regained my peace.... I felt so at home, with the Irish Canadian accents all around singing some of Nan's favorite hymns. We talked with some folks afterwards, and asked if the storm was a bad one. One gentlemen had such thick accent I almost needed an interpreter, but he did admit "It did get a bit breezy, ay!"

Confirmed: Hurricane Danny hit PEI.... Charlottetown (the capital) got four inches of rain in one night, many basements flooded, half the island lost powere and the bridge was closed. We found out later a lot of RV'ers took to a hotel, but then when they lost power, they decided it wasn't much better. I think I was just happy it was over.