Princess of Prince Edward Island

It's not a stretch to say that the orphan, Anne (with an E) Shirley, is the princess of Prince Edward Island.  References to this irrepressible fictional character, first a seed in the mind of authoress Lucy Maud Montgomery, have sprouted all over the island just like the isle's principal crop of potatoes.

In fact, the farmhouse in Cavendish that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery's setting for the Anne of Green Gables series has become Green Gables Heritage Place, a national historic site maintained by Parks Canada.

Of course, Jillian and I who have read the series had to visit the site, dragging Tim and Richard along for the ride.

A new visitors center just open in May 2019 with exhibits such as this first edition of Anne of Green Gables published in June 1908 and the typewriter used by Montgomery.

It's hard to believe it took six tries for Montgomery to find a publisher for the beloved classic which now has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Anne la Maison aux Pignons Verts

However, once it was published, the book went through six printings in eighteen months.  In fact, the series of seven sequels gained a readership as wildly popular as the Harry Potter books in our day.

The farmhouse once owned by Montgomery's aunt and uncle is now furnished as if the novel's characters lived there.  Over the closet door in Anne's bedroom hangs the puffed sleeve dress she longed for until Matthew, the taciturn man, who along with his sister Marilla adopted the feisty orphan, purchased it for her as a surprise.

A real-life, red-headed Anne in braids roams the grounds and is more than willing to pose for visitors' photos.  She looks just as I had imagined Anne would.  In fact, when I told her that she seemed real, she offered to let me pinch her, but I told her I believed her.

My portrayal wasn't nearly as convincing.

Tim and Richard were good sports.  They walked with us to the nearby cemetery to see where Lucy Maud Montgomery is buried.

Although the author loved Prince Edward Island, she did not live here as an adult, but made her home in Toronto where her husband was a Presbyterian minister.  She visited Prince Edward Island as frequently as she could so it seems fitting that she wished to be buried here.

Then as if it wasn't enough for Tim and Richard to visit Green Gables Heritage Place with us, I made reservations that night to see "Anne of Green Gables, the Musical" at the Confederation Center of the Arts in Charlottetown where we were staying.  The show in its 55th year is the world's longest-running musical.  Songs such as "The Apology (Oh, Mrs Lynde)" and "Gee, I'm Glad I'm No One Else But Me" brought beloved characters to life.  Jillian and I loved it and walked back to our Airbnb humming,

"So when all is said and done,
imagining's a lot of fun,
but when there's battles to be won,
be what you are, it's best by far.
Gee, I'm glad I'm no one else but me!"