Ksenia and I arrived on Prince Edward Island July 26 and stayed through August 2, with more oysters, lobster rolls, and Anne of Green Gables than I can count. We crossed back into New Brunswick on August 3 and spent our last two days at the Bay of Fundy. The Raspberry Point Shuck & Sea tour was the big oyster day: I must have eaten about 50, including some pulled straight from the water. We also got seals, sea caves, a lot of bookstores, and a five-star gas-station-adjacent food stop.

Where we ate

Cavendish, Stanley Bridge, and the north shore of PEI

Charlottetown

Amherst, Maine

New Brunswick

Where we stayed

We began with a night at Elena and Gary’s in Biddeford, Maine. On PEI we stayed at Kindred Spirits Inn & Cottages in Cavendish. Verna was a treat and filled us in on all the Anne things. On August 3 we crossed back to New Brunswick and stayed at Broadleaf Ranch; the house even came with a history lesson about its builder.

Places and experiences

On PEI, we toured Green Gables Heritage Place, walked Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood Trail, visited the Anne of Green Gables Museum and Montgomery’s Cavendish historic site, and made repeated bookstore and chocolate stops. We saw seals, cormorants, bald eagles, and a blue heron on a boat trip from Peake’s Wharf. The Raspberry Point Shuck & Sea tour took us through the oyster beds and put us to work shucking. Thunder Cove Beach gave us warm water and singing sand, though no Teacup Rock.

At the end, Hopewell Rocks at low tide had foot-swallowing mud and amazing formations. The walk to Dickson Falls was stunning. We explored the St. Martins Sea Caves on foot and then returned in a kayak, with Ksenia steering from the back.

Day by day

• July 26: The long drive to Cavendish
• July 27: Green Gables, oysters, and Thunder Cove
• July 28: Charlottetown, Slaymaker, and ice cream
• July 29: Seal tour and Charlottetown
• July 30: Oysters straight from the water
• July 31: Mussels, mead, and gin
• August 1: Anne country and the north shore
• August 2: Montgomery’s Cavendish and a family-style dinner
• August 3: Across the bridge to Broadleaf Ranch
• August 4: Hopewell Rocks and Dickson Falls
• August 5: St. Martins sea caves by foot and kayak

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to the St. Martins Sea Caves and walked through small streams in the gray sand. We climbed rocks, then drove up to another path through woods above the caves. Lunch at Spinney’s Seafood Market was lobster rolls; a couple from West Virginia sat with us.

We went to Quaco Lighthouse, then kayaked around the caves we had explored earlier. Ksenia steered from the back. She tried hard and improved! We had dinner at the hotel.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

I woke to the smell of bacon. Home-cooked bacon and eggs started the day before Hopewell Rocks at low tide. The mud was fun and would swallow your foot, the water was brown from the silt, and the rock formations were amazing.

At Kelly’s Bake Shop in Alma, I had a sticky bun while Ksenia had cookies. We walked to Dickson Falls through the woods, over bridges and boardwalks; it was stunning. Driving through Fundy National Park unexpectedly cost $20. Dinner at The Caves Restaurant in St. Martins was counter-style seafood on the water, with a great view and good food: fish and chips for Ksenia, a lobster roll for me. Dessert was ice cream at Octopus.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We left PEI, stopped at Shop & Play to dress as Anne, and then faced the traffic. Once we got onto the bridge, the drive was fine. We stopped at Oh! Fries Take-out Restaurant, which was pretty much a gas station plus food. It beat my expectations: great service and hot food. Five stars.

We checked into Broadleaf Ranch. The hotel came with a history lesson about the house and its builder. We ate dinner there, a burger for me and kebabs for Ksenia. The table next to us ordered “nachos” without olives, jalapeños, or salsa, then was upset that there was “nothing on the nachos.” What else was left?

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We walked the L. M. Montgomery Cavendish National Historic Site: the Haunted Wood Trail, Montgomery’s grave, and the site of the grandparents’ house where she grew up. There was raspberry cordial, too. We had a light lunch with a nice view at On the Dock in North Rustico: oysters and mussels. Then we drove to the Tide & Tales bookstore and cafe, had a drink, walked the shore, and hung out in a gazebo.

Back at the hotel we played cards. Dinner at North Shore Canteen was family-style, with beans, steak tartare, mussels, quahogs, tuna crudo, sea bass, hogget, halibut, and hanger steak.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We mailed postcards, then stopped at Avonlea Village, a strange shopping center transplanted from L. M. Montgomery’s school. We drove by Cactus Pot for a beach view and Fin Rocks, Covehead Harbour Lighthouse, and Dalvay by the Sea. Lunch at Carr’s Oyster Bar was fish and chips for Ksenia, seafood chowder and a lobster roll for me, and strawberry champagne cheesecake for dessert.

The Anne trail continued with the Anne of Green Gables Museum, at the place that inspired the Lake of Shining Waters. We also stopped at French River Viewpoint and New London Range Rear Lighthouse, with a drink at the old Kensington train station. Dinner at the Malpeque Oyster Barn meant an oyster po’ boy for Ksenia and oyster chowder for me. I did not like her po’ boy.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

Laundry day. We had lunch at Blue Mussel Cafe: six oysters, mussels to share, and lobster rolls. Then we followed a fermentation trail. At Island Honey Wine Company we tasted mead, cider, dry oyster cider, a Haskap honeyberry drink that was more like a red wine and drier than mead, and a peach-flavored sparkling drink. At Deep Roots Distillery the tasting list included gin, spice apple, berry liqueur, and raspberry. We also stopped at a winery.

The day’s drinks deserved their own page.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

At Raspberry Point Oysters we took the Shuck & Sea tour: a boat ride around the oyster farms, a lesson in how the oysters grow, and all the oysters we could eat as long as we shucked them ourselves. I must have had about 50. The Irish Point were the smallest, mildest, and easiest to open; Lucky Limes were saltier; Raspberry Point had the strongest flavor; and oysters lifted straight from the water were warm, mild, and covered in seaweed. Lunch at their oyster bar was fried oyster po’ boy for Ksenia and a lobster roll for me.

We drove around a bit, returned to the Campbell House for Anne books, and stopped at an antique shop. Dinner at Sea Rocket in Charlottetown was mussels with truffle fries for Ksenia, a lobster roll for me, lemon tart and crème brûlée for dessert, and Anne & Gilbert: The Musical.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We took a seal and lobster boat tour from Peake’s Wharf. On the way to Governors Island we watched seals, cormorants, bald eagles, and a blue heron, and hauled up a lobster trap on the way back.

For lunch at Dave’s Lobster, Ksenia had a seafood roll and I split my lobster roll between the “local” Maine-style and “fancy” Connecticut-style versions. We wandered Charlottetown and got ice cream at Cows. A church we passed was closed, so nobody got down on their knees. We bought Anne’s chocolates and returned to The Lost Anchor for dinner: mussels, shrimp, seafood chowder, a lobster roll, and tiramisu cheesecake.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We had breakfast at the hotel, then drove to Charlottetown. After the rain cleared enough for parking, we conquered the restrooms at Founders’ Food Hall. We saw Anne of Green Gables: The Musical. Matthew died with no warning, a betrayal. We walked Anne of Green Gables shops, stopped at a local craft store and photography center, then returned to the food hall for a quick lunch: a California roll burrito for Ksenia and a prosciutto sandwich for me.

Dinner was an early one at Slaymaker & Nichols. We shared Let’s Go Mushroom Hunting and PEI mussels. Ksenia had shrimp scampi; I had a BLT with lobster. Then we found a bookstore: seven pens, four books, stickers, woodworking books, a werewolf picture book, and even a comic-book shop with a future actor. We finished with Cows ice cream, blueberry for Ksenia and strawberry for me.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

Breakfast at the hotel was fine: baked egg cups and sausage for Ksenia, waffles with blueberry sauce and whipped cream for me. We went to Green Gables Heritage Place, saw the house, walked Lover’s Lane, and tried raspberry cordial for the first time.

Lunch at Carr’s Oyster Bar came with perfect weather and a seat by the water. Ksenia had lobster and shrimp tacos; I had half a dozen oysters, fish chowder, and the steamed shellfish special. I compared Red Head oysters with Carr’s Malpeque oysters: the former were milder, while the latter were still mild but earthier.

We rode along the beach to the Campbell House Museum, where the author’s family spent time. At Thunder Cove Beach the water was warm, the sand soft and singing underfoot. We did not find the Teacup Rock. Dinner was the lobster supper at Fisherman’s Wharf: a huge salad bar, unlimited mussels and seafood chowder, breaded shrimp for Ksenia, and a pound-and-a-half lobster for me. The lobster and shrimp were good; the rest was good for buffet food.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

We slept at Elena and Gary’s in Biddeford, Maine, then headed north at 8 a.m. By noon we had reached Airline Brewing Company in Amherst for lunch: a burger for me and scrambled eggs for Ksenia. We crossed the border at 2 p.m. and checked into Kindred Spirits Inn & Cottages in Cavendish at 7. Verna was a treat and told us all about the Anne of Green Gables things to see nearby.

We walked to dinner at The Lost Anchor. The fish chowder was full of fish and lobster; we both had mussels. Tiramisu cheesecake and carrot cake cheesecake were both excellent.

Prince Edward Island 2026 trip summary

From the Notebook

I recently got a free Stanley 78 rabbet plane. The catch was that it was missing the depth stop and the fence. One of the big issues with these older Stanley planes is that none of the screws use common modern thread pitches so it’s hard to find replacements.

Enter Woodya.com. He has a wide varety of aftermarket replacement parts for Stanley planes: blades, screws, etc. They even have a full “fugly fence” kit but it was all sold out. I could still pick up the hardware that I needed: the fence rod and 10-28 Slotted Stainless Screws.

Now all I needed was something to use them with. Tenbergen.ca had a Fusion360 model for both the fence and depth stop. The first print was good, but the fence didn’t work with the woodyeh hardware. So I had to open up the files and tweak them in Fusion360 to increase the diameters for the fence rod and set screw. While I was at it, I increased the recessed height for the nut that holds the set screw.

With those tweaks, I was able to restore my free plane. Attached are the model files with my customizations in case I ever need to reprint them.

WIP

Goal

I have a couple of pretty simple 3D models that I want to tweak very many ways. There are a dozen different parameters, I’ll be tweaking each one one or two millimeters. When I’m done, I want to wind up with a library of different configurations, and be able to print each without a lot of hassle (finding the files, slicing, etc.). In addition, I want to be able to easily create new configurations quickly and without having to go through a lot of UI clicking.

Originally I was going to use Fusion360’s Configuration Tables but they aren’t available on the free version and it’s not worth upgrading for just that feature.

The stack I am going with is:

• DevContainer to simplify the dev environment
• Python with CadQuery to generate the models
• Prussa Slicer CLI to generate the slicing

This post will be about getting a minimal hello world set up end to end.

Set Up the Environment

1. Install Cursor/Vs Code - it doesn’t really matter which but I’m going with Cursor for this.
2. Install Docker Windows from the store
3. Install the Dev Containers extension
4. Trust the git repo from inside Cursor with: git config --global --add safe.directory /workspaces/pens

My blog has been running on Jekyll and GitHub Pages for close to a decade now. The workflow has always been the same: write markdown in vim, commit, push. That works great when I’m at my computer, but not so much when I want to jot something down from my phone or when I move around from computer to computer.
Pages CMS solves that. It’s a free and open-source CMS that sits on top of your GitHub repo and gives you a web-based editor for your content.

Getting Started

Setup is straightforward. Go to app.pagescms.org, sign in with GitHub, and authorize it to access your repo. Then add a .pages.yml file to the root of your repo to configure it.

The Config

Here’s the config I ended up with after quite a bit of trial and error:

media:
  - name: images
    input: images/posts
    output: /images/posts
    extensions: [png, jpg, webp]

content:
  - name: posts
    label: Posts
    type: collection
    path: _posts
    format: yaml-frontmatter
    filename: "{year}/{year}-{month}-{day}-{fields.title}.md"
    media: images
    view:
      fields: [title, date]
      default:
        sort: date
        order: desc
    fields:
      - name: title
        label: Title
        type: string
        required: true
      - name: date
        label: Date
        type: date
        required: true
      - name: tags
        label: Tags
        type: select
        list: true
        required: false
        options:
          values:
            - Pens
            - Pi Project
      - name: categories
        label: Categories
        type: select
        list: true
        required: false
        options:
          values:
            - .NET
            - Jekyll
            - GitHub Pages
            # ... full list of your categories
      - name: body
        label: Content
        type: rich-text
        options:
          media: images

Pitfalls

Of course nothing is easy. So here are some of the issues that I learned along the way.

type: list Does Not Exist

This was the biggest one. I originally had my tags and categories configured as:

- name: tags
  type: list

This silently fails. Pages CMS’s valid field types are string, number, date, boolean, select, rich-text, text, code, image, file, object, and a few others. There is no list type.

To make a field repeatable (an array), you use the list property on any field type:

- name: tags
  type: string
  list: true

Or, if you want a dropdown with predefined values:

- name: tags
  type: select
  list: true
  options:
    values: [Pens, Arduino, Recipes]

The really frustrating part is that type: list doesn’t produce a config error. The field just silently doesn’t work. If you combine it with hidden: true (say, to auto-tag posts), you get a validation error on save (“Please fix the errors before saving”) with no indication of what’s wrong because the broken field is hidden.

path: "." Doesn’t Work for Collections

I tried to set up a “Pages” collection to edit files in the repo root (index.html, about/index.md, etc.):

- name: pages
  type: collection
  path: .

Pages CMS doesn’t accept . as a path. The fix is to use type: file entries for individual files instead:

- name: about
  label: About Page
  type: file
  path: about/index.md
  format: yaml-frontmatter

Subdirectory-Organized Posts Show as Folders

If your posts are organized in year subdirectories (_posts/2024/, _posts/2025/, etc.), Pages CMS displays them as a folder tree rather than a flat sorted list. I tried view.layout: list but it didn’t help. This appears to be a limitation since the folder view is driven by the filesystem structure.

It’s annoying to have a blog list posts in chronological order, but it’s still worlds better than what I had before.

Hidden Fields with Bad Types Break Silently

I tried creating a separate “Project: Pens” collection that would auto-tag posts. This didn’t work as expected which is why I wound up going with the dropdown (type: select) on the main posts collection instead.

Bonus: Enforcing Tag Consistency

After a decade of free-form typing, my categories were a mess, e.g., c# vs C#, docker vs Docker, tools vs Tools. Using type: select with an explicit list of values fixes this going forward. No more typos, no more casing inconsistencies.

7.4 mm.

Maybe a little bit larger. But a touch of super glue would get it.

7.45mm to 7.49mm feel viable with just friction fit.

Fitted with Pilot Precise V5RT

Fitted Schmidt 888 102

Bushing Sizes

• Pk-penxxbu bushings are 10.8 mm
• PK Parkbu bushings are
  • 12.45 mm
  • 10.2 mm

Nose Cone changes

1. Increase inner diameter to 4.75 mm
2. Increase length 2.2mm for Schmidt
3. Increase length 2.75 mm for pilot Precise
4. Create 5 mm deep shoulder at the 4.75mm
5. Nose cone opening should be around 2.75mm wide.
6. Account for 4 mm thickness for about 10 mm for pilot

Ink bodies

• Pilot
  • 6 mm diameter
  • 90 mm length to shoulder
  • 21.25 mm Shoulder to tip
  • Springs
    • 18 mm included spring length
    • 4.3 mm included spring diameter
    • Parker style springs can be used
• Schmidt
  • 6.25 mm diameter
  • 90 mm length to shoulder
  • 20.5 mm Shoulder to tip

Roast Chicken Thighs, Potatoes & Peas (One Pan)

Oven: 425°F Pan: metal roasting pan / sheet pan

Ingredients

• 4–6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 lb potatoes (Yukon Gold or russet), 1½” chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion, thick wedges
• ¾–1 cup frozen peas
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1–2 small rosemary sprigs
• Olive oil, salt, pepper

Method

1. Potatoes first
   • Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper.
   • Roast 20–25 min, cut-side down, until browned.
2. Chicken + onions
   • Season chicken. Add thighs (skin up) and onion wedges.
   • Roast 15–20 min until fat is rendering.
3. Wine + rosemary
   • Pull pan. Splash ¼ cup wine against pan edge.
   • Add rosemary. Return to oven immediately.
4. Peas
   • Scatter frozen peas over pan.
   • Roast 8–10 min more.
5. Finish
   • Optional broil 2–3 min.
   • Remove rosemary. Rest 5 min, toss once, serve.

Notes

• If it doesn’t sizzle when wine hits, pan wasn’t hot enough
• Crowding is good — potatoes should sit in fat
• No liquid left at the end = correct

Setting up Claude to read your Notion documentation is easy.

1. Add Notion’s MCP to claude ```

```

claude mcp add –transport http notion https://mcp.notion.com/mcp Added HTTP MCP server notion with URL: https://mcp.notion.com/mcp to local config File modified: /Users/jq/.claude.json [project: /Users/jq/code/hightouch/claude_local/2026-01-wsl] ```

1. In a claud session, type /mcp to bring up the list of servers you can configure. If the newly added server isn’t there, then run /doctor to force claude to reread the configs
2. Select the Notion server from the list and authenticate
3. That’s it. You can now send Claude links to docs you want it to read

When I’m chasing tolerances on your 3D designs, I will print the same design with 1mm differences. ParaParam is great at scripting generating STL files with changes to a specific parameter.

To install the add in, download the zipped code from GitHub, extract it, and put it in the %appdata%\Autodesk\Autodesk Fusion 360\API\Scripts folder. You may need to create the Scripts folder.

The file structure should be

API\
  Scripts\
    ParaParam\
      ParaParam.py
      ParaParam.manifest
      ...

Fusion360 and ParaParam

We came back to London in November for photography, rock history, theater, books, and a lot of tea. We also took a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon for Macbeth.

Where we ate and drank

London

Stratford-upon-Avon

Where we stayed

We stayed at Hotel Indigo London Kensington. Its dining room handled both breakfast and our dinner after the Stratford day trip.

Places and performances

We spent time at the V&A, The Photographers’ Gallery—especially its Zofia Rydet and Boris Mikhailov shows—and Tate Britain’s Lee Miller exhibition. The Hunterian Museum was really cool to me and much too creepy for Ksenia.

Word on the Water was a bookshop on a barge beside the canal. Our rock-and-roll walking tour took us through Denmark Street and Soho, past recording studios, old venues, and the Beatles’ rooftop concert site at 3 Savile Row. We also saw Paddington The Musical at the Savoy, and Macbeth at the RSC’s Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon. Ksenia cried at Paddington; I got my rock-history fix.

Day by day

1. November 8: The V&A and Kitchen W8
2. November 9: Photographs and a book barge
3. November 10: Lee Miller and afternoon tea
4. November 11: Rock history and the Hunterian
5. November 12: Macbeth in Stratford-upon-Avon

The November 10 entry has no written date. It falls between the dated November 9 and November 11 pages.