September 19th was International Talk Like A Pirate Day. For those of you who were unaware of this fact, you clearly live in a vacuum.

It also just so happens that last weekend my father and I went on a wee road trip to Prince Edward County, about 2hrs east of Toronto.

Given my father’s affinity for pirate-talk, stories about “Jean laFoot“, and corny jokes, I thought our road trip would be a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the serious history of these raucous seamen. Armed with the Piratology book I picked up for nine bucks, 2 bandanas, and a list of suggested pirate pick-up lines courtesy of the ITLAP Day website, we boarded our vessel and put our sails to the wind.

We had a grand ole time, melding our interests in history (him) and food (guess who) throughout the course of the weekend. We stopped at every historical plaque we saw, talked rural real estate, and got impromptu tours of an old courthouse and a winery. Using my map-yielding power, I guided us past every farmers’ market and roadside stand I could find whilst tried to engage him in conversation about the fields upon fields of GMO corn and soy we passed through. Good food was in no short supply though, being the peak of harvest season in what is being touted as the “new Niagara.” Between farmers’ markets, roadside produce stands, and our tour of Fifthtown Artisan Cheese Company, we were well fed. But I have to say, nothing says PIRATE like pillaging windfall apples at roadside orchards. Yeah, we like to live on the edge.

GMO corn...it all looks the same after a while. Oh wait, it IS the same.

Visiting a roadside veggie stand

My best pirate face. I think I'm pretty convincing.

Not as intimidating as I would have expected from someone who scared all the boys I brought home...