June 24 - Pack your bags kids, time for a trip down memory lane!

We started the day at the scene of my former triumph - the Wellington Mushroom Plant.  Yes, one of the 15 jobs that I held before leaving for college was harvesting mushrooms at this, one of the county's most voracious employers.  Even entering the parking lot and smelling the distinct, pungent odor of the growing medium, also known as chicken poop, sent me instantly back to 1987 -- rolling in late to work with Brad and Greg in the Gran Torino.  So little had changed in the ensuing 27 years -- the whole experience was amazing!

Then we stopped for a quick peek at Jiffy Mart (another one of the 15 jobs) and my elementary school where we ran into a current teacher who also was a student at the same time I was.  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch where we happened to sit next to Mrs. Harris - my teacher from grade 2!  What are the chances?

Next stop was Consecon to see how the town has changed since I left in 1990.  Certainly, everything has shrunk compared to my memories but it has also drooped a little; it's a town with a slump in its shoulders.  The development that has come to the rest of Prince Edward County in the last 20 years has passed Consecon by.  No luxury waterfront developments or award-winning wineries here.    It was still so good to revisit the stomping grounds of my youth and share stories with the girls.  How different this is from the town that they will call 'the town I grew up in'.  For me, I wouldn't change a thing!

After dinner we slathered on the bug repellant and drove over to Presqu'ile Park to collect shells and skip stones on the shore of Lake Ontario.  Charlotte, our little magpie, just wanted to root for fossils and pretty rocks.  Natalie was bent on getting as wet as possible but Jacqui was genuinely interested in learning how to skip a stone.  Grandad was an able and patient teacher and, before long, success!  What a perfect day!

Natalie's addiction to electronics proves a little harder to break than the rest of us!

for the record, complete list of jobs I had before I left for college:
1, 2, 3 & 4 - Hamlet Grocery (fly killer, restocker, cashier, pizza maker)
5, 6, 7 & 8 - Sword (Dishwasher, sous chef, busser, waitress)
9 Maples Restaurant (Waitress)
10 Greasy spoon restaurant on the way to Picton who's name I've forgotten
11 Chip Truck
12 Hot Stove Bakery
13 Mushroom Farm
14 Jiffy Mart
15 Babysitter (very short lived - should have been a red flag )