Archives!

Today I ventured forth to the PEI provincial archives in Charlottetown. Its about 5 (walking) minutes from my parents' house, on the top floor of a building that houses the offices of provincial legislators. It looked like most or all the other researchers there were doing genealogy, which isn't surprising. I started to look through the papers of a nurse who served in Vladivostok during the Russian civil war. I already know a little about her because there's an article written about her adventures in "Vlady." Actually, I was telling my dad on Saturday what I would be looking at in the archives, and mentioned that article, and then a few minutes later when we got into the car en route to check out more PEI scenery, I noticed a book on the dash . . . and the book was written by the author of the article! The author's written several books on Atlantic Canadian history, but it was still a surprising coincidence.

So far I've only read a few letters, but I'm hooked! Letters and diaries are just so much fun. Well, as long as the handwriting is legible, but I haven't had much of a problem with this so far. I'm such a history nerd that I'm really looking forward to going back to the archives tomorrow morning . . . even though I will have to wake up at an ungodly hour to do so. Blech.

Before my archive adventure this afternoon, my dad and I took the dog to the vet. My parents mean well, but they just can't be trusted with my dog's health, having stopped giving her the medicine she needs since they moved out to C'town in late June. Parents! But she's now got all new stuff, a new vet, and my dad has detailed instructions on how to care for her. She should be much less sore from now on, and better able to enjoy her romps on the beach!

The end of August was not the best time to come to this part of the world. It really is quite chilly, and most of the touristy stuff is over. It's a good thing that I'm not much of a traveller, or I might be more disappointed at having missed the historical reenactments of the Charlottetown Conference! (The building where it all happened back in 1864 is just a few minutes away from here, as it seems is most everything in C'town.) If my dad manages to drag me to a ceilidh, I'll let you know.