For Sister Johnson, no trip to Prince Edward Island, or anywhere in the proximity of it, would be complete without the total Anne of Green Gables experience. So this was the highlight of our trip. For those of you who aren't immersed in this saga, it was a book which led to a series of books written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, starting in 1908. It is a fictional tale in a semi-fictional place: Avonlea is actually Cavendish, PEI, where some of Lucy M's relatives lived. The family cottage has been restored and it is well kept, and a big worldwide fan and tourist draw. Of course there was intermittent rain when we arrived, but Sister Johnson was not deterred from heading right to the house.
She pauses briefly for a photo before disappearing inside to check it out.
This is the actual typewriter that L. M. Montgomery used to type the novel. There is a visitor's centre, and gift shop (of course) with memorabilia and souvenirs. Her novels about Anne have become part of the Canadian heritage, and the "Islanders" take particular pride in the worldwide success and longevity of the novels.
Sister Johnson is pointing to . . . hair flowers. We have a couple of these in our family. The first thought about them is sort of creepy, but when you understand them, they are quite meaningful. In those days, strands of hair from the recently departed - as well as those who were living, were skillfully woven into flowers and placed in a frame. The hair of different colours and textures was of course from different people, or sometimes the same person at different times of their lives. If I have any hair left when I'm gone, you're welcome to weave it into a flower.
The style and furnishings of the house bear some similarity to the pioneer period homes we have in the western US and other parts of the country. Noticeable differences between this period and currently are: these beds are very small. And the bathroom is somewhere else besides in the house.
Our friends Elder & Sister Leaming were with us for this jaunt and enjoyed the site every bit as much as we did!
Sister J and the Leamings pause for another photo as we're leaving the grounds - in the rain of course.
We make a quick stop for another Canadian tradition: Beavertails. They're not made of real beavers, but yeast dough that is flattened and fried, then topped with Nutella, jams, nuts, berries, or just about anything else tasty.
Sister J found out that you can have letters postmarked at the local Cavendish Post Office with a special Anne of Green Gables postmark. So of course she had to buy a lot of postcards cards and have them stamped. So if you're on her real good list, you may get one. I think she's going to send most of them to her granddaughters though.
The AofGG experience would not be complete with out the musical of the same name - which has been produced every year since 1965. It's put on at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown, and the Leamings and we had good tickets. It told a pretty good story of Anne and her life, and was a fitting finale to a great experience on PEI.
Of course I had to lean into the aisle and take a quick photo of the curtain call. Which was totally against the rules. An usher came running down the aisle to bust me, but she was caught up and carried backward by the exiting crowds, so I got away unscathed.
Our other experiences on PEI include:
1) walking to our downtown Charlottetown hotel at night, you can get high on the street just by inhaling, since cannabis is legal in Canada.
2) the shopping is much better in Charlottetown than in Sydney, so Sister J scored some nice slacks and other items for daily wear.
3) in PEI there is a a total knockoff of 5 Guys named Boom Burger.
4) milk is $8 per gallon/4 litres and diesel is $0.10 more per litre than on the mainland.
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