Catherine told me last night that she would go to the beach every day of the summer if she could. Her desire is stymied by the fact that she doesn’t drive, and by my own beach aversion (all that sand — between my toes — uck).

So yesterday, when I announced that I was driving up to Park Corner for a L.M. Montgomery Land Trust meeting, she jumped at the chance for a free ride to the ocean. And so at 5:00 p.m. we three all headed north towards Cavendish; the plan was that I would meet and they would beach and then we would rendezvous.

Alas as we were pulling out of town it started to rain. At first a drizzle, then a torrent. With delusions that it was a temporary kind of rain, we pushed on.

It was with visions of a Lucky Duck burger that we pulled in to the Cavendish Boardwalk. Only to find that the Lucky Duck is gone, replaced by some crazy knick-knack store. So, unable to bring ourselves to eat at Subway or Pizza Delight, we headed to Captain Scott’s Fish and Chips.

Captain Scott’s, perhaps due to the demise of the Lucky Duck, has added “and Burgers” to the end of their name. Oliver had a tasty fish burger and Catherine went all traditional and had fish (which was piping hot but, she said, very good). I had a veggie burger, something made magnificent by the veritable wonderland of self-serve condiments: lettuce, hot peppers, two type of relish, sauerkraut, bacon bits. So it turned out to be a not-too-bad meal. But the loss of the Lucky Duck stings nonetheless.

By the time we were done eating, the downpour had reached a steady “I’m not going anywhere you foolish humans” pitch, so Catherine and Oliver drove up to Park Corner with me, hopeful that the storm would eventually pass and they could frolic on the beaches that entranced L.M. Montgomery.

The storm did not pass. And so Catherine and Oliver entertained themselves with fun iPod-based freeze-tag games on the covered porch of the Anne of Green Gables Tea Room while I discussed Serious Cornboil Issues inside.

By 8:05 p.m. we were headed back to town in an upgraded “super-torrential” downpour that covered the roads with a 1/2 inch thick layer of running water.

Needless to say, the first hint of sun this week, I will be leaving the office and driving my family to the beach, sand-in-toes aversion or no.