Host PJ, over at A ‘lil Hoohaa, assigned the theme One Word for October’s Photo Blogging Challenge. How to interpret this?

Option one = find ways to photograph representations of my personal one word theme for 2025 (enrichment). The biggest downside to that approach is that most activities I consider enriching would be degraded by stopping to take a photograph. These include spending meaningful time with family and friends, immersing myself in a good book, trying a new recipe, etc. On to Plan B…

Maybe I could photograph signs / graffiti with just one word. I actually have enough photos to do this…mostly street and building signs with a name of a family member or friend, or a place name related to my life. But that would likely be boring for readers. Next?

Pick one word and find ways to photographically interpret it. A more promising option, but what word? As the month progressed, the choice became obvious: bandwagon. Not in the original 1849 sense of the word (i.e. a usually ornate and high wagon for a band of musicians especially in a circus parade), Rather, in the current sense of the word (i.e. a popular party, faction, or cause that attracts growing support; a current or fashionable trend).

And yes, I landed on this one word because of all the Canadians jumping on the Toronto Blue Jays fan bandwagon. For example, my parents (whereas Mr GeoKs’ parents have been Blue Jays fans for years). Me! I started watching when they played the Mariners in the ALCS, having never paid attention to an entire baseball game before then. Mr GeoK, on the other hand, has been following the Blue Jays since they won their first World Series back in 1992.

Other examples include the host of my favorite morning radio show (who is a hockey fan and usually doesn’t engage much with the sports news guy when he talks about baseball). Pretty much everyone in my FaceBook feed. Those who wore a Blue Jays cap on Halloween and called it their “bandwagon jumper” costume. 😉 And all those tuning in to add up to record-breaking SportsNet audience numbers.

However, this blog post is NOT about the 2025 World Series. Nor is it about the Toronto Blue Jays. I confess I did not plan the photos I’m sharing. Instead, I backed into them after looking through my camera roll for the month and selecting those that best fit the bandwagon theme. Here goes…

1. Prince Edward Island Staycation

Many Canadians are factoring “elbows up” into their vacation planning. In addition to opting for non-US foreign destinations, many are choosing destinations within Canada. In fact, AirBnB bookings in Canada, made by Canadians, are up by 10 percent compared the the same period in 2024. And some destinations (including Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan) saw growth of more than 20 percent!

Ten months ago, when we booked our PEI / New Brunswick October getaway, we didn’t fully realize we’d end up aboard the staycation bandwagon. This is the Panmure Island Lighthouse, one of more than a dozen similar lighthouses we visited during our road trip around PEI.

2. In Support of a Good Cause

Using Google Maps for trip planning sometimes surfaces gems that don’t appear in guidebooks or online “must visit” lists. Hannah’s Bottle Village near PEI’s Point Prim Lighthouse is a case in point. It’s almost exactly what you’d imagine – several small buildings where empty bottles are the primary building material. Quirky, off-the-beaten-track and homespun. The surprise element? Visitors are asked to consider leaving a small donation to IWK Health (the nearest children’s hospital). To-date, visitors have jumped on board to the tune of C$155,000!

I enjoyed our time here a LOT more than Mr GeoK did. I experimented with various forms of intentional camera movement photography from inside the glass bottle houses. This example is bonus photo #1.

3. E-biking Along the Fundy Trail Parkway

E-bike sales in Canada are growing at about 30% per year, while pedal power bike sales are flat to declining. We joined the e-biking trend two seaons ago. And this fall, we continued the shift by renting e-bikes in New Brunswick. There’s an multi-use pathway that roughly parallels the Fundy Trail Parkway, a 30-km (20-mi) scenic drive that hugs the coastline of the Bay of Fundy. Our guide, Kerry from 2nd Wind Cycle, provided insightful and humourous commentary throughout our 4-hour adventure.

4. PEI Potatoes

Globally, PEI is probably best known as the home of Anne of Green Gables. Here in Canada, it’s also known as the birthplace of Canadian Confederation. And for its potatoes! Of course we had to sample the goods. I enjoyed a HUGE, vegetable-stuffed baked potato for supper one night. We sampled and shared a package of PEI potato fudge with our New Brunswick friends. The souveniers we brought home included a 5-lb bag of PEI potatoes we bought at a roadside stand plus a bar of PEI potato soap.

Side note number 1 = for many years, and despite its tiny size, PEI was Canada’s top potato grower. But since 2022, Alberta has taken the crown. The uptick in Alberta potato production stems from large investments in potato processing plants (think frozen fries, hashbrowns and potato chips) driven by a growing appetite for potato products in Asian markets.

Side note number 2 = pretty much every local we spoke with in PEI said we shouldn’t miss stopping at The Hand Pie Company and Island Chocolates. So we stopped at both! I hereby confirm the locals provided good advice. The wild blueberry-cranberry handpie (bonus photo #2) was so good that we even brought a few back with us! And there are a some dark Island Chocolate bars in our cold room.

5. Drone Photography and Videography

For years, Mr GeoK pondered whether to join the growing number of drone photographers. Earlier this year, as I mentioned in a few of my Norway blog posts, he finally decided yes. Here’s one of the many spots he flew his drone in PEI and New Brunswick, with the aim of returning home with aerial footage of fall colours. I’ll share some pics when I blog about our vacation, likely late this year.

Meanwhile, while he was immersed in his role as a responsible drone pilot, I pointed my camera at autumn leaves. One morning, on a single track red dirt road on PEI, a UPS delivery truck roared by while I used various intentional camera movement techniques to try to capture a solid impression of fall. I’m sure the driver wondered what the heck I was doing in the middle of nowhere! Bonus photo #3 is my favourite take.

And that’s it! I just realized that all of these photos are from our fall colours vacation in PEI and New Brunswick. So I guess this a teaser for future blog coverage of that trip. It’ll be a while, since I haven’t yet finished writing about our summer trip to Norway.

Meanwhile, please click through to host PJ’s site to check out how other PBC participants handled this month’s One Word theme. And I’ll reiterate my standing invitation to join us next month. You’ll need 5 photos and a blogging platform. You certainly don’t need to be as wordy as me. 😉 The theme will be near the bottom of PJ’s post.

One final note, to my fellow PBC participants. I am WAY behind in getting around to read and comment on your posts for the past few months. I aim to catch up this month. Thanks for your patience.