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!"

Fun Along Fundy Bay

Perhaps after my last post, you might be wondering if my family's Canadian Road Trip ended up in a roadside ditch despite the diligence of our designated driver.  I'm thankful to say we made it to Fundy Bay National Park without a hitch.

I had reserved a cabin at the Fundy Highlands Inn and Chalets.  The chalets were tiny, but the view of Fundy Bay from the property was breathtaking.  We planned to hike along a promontory of the park the next day, but first--dinner on the back deck of the Tipsy Tails Bar & Grill where we watched the fishermen dock with their day's catch.  Richard ordered his usual lobster roll while the rest of us explored the menu.

(Note:  I took the top photo of the above collage while waiting for our dinner at Tipsy Tails.  Then the next day I returned to snap the bottom photo.  If you look carefully, you'll see the red boat on the left floating in the evening at high tide and beached the next day at low.  It's another example of the famed Bay of Fundy tides.)

The next day we hit the trail, hiking along Matthews Head.  The trail loops through the park's characteristic conifer forest before trailing along the headland.  Disappointingly, we had only a few glimpses of the coast through the trees.  However, we did happen upon some scenic spots where we could view sea stacks, columns of rock standing in the sea that remain after erosion of the cliffs.

All that hiking made us hungry so we headed back to the nearby town of Alma to a restaurant recommended by Richard.  Throughout our trip, Richard took the lead in researching the best restaurants to try.  This time he led us to a real winner--The Alma Lobster Shop--where once again he ordered--you guessed it!--a lobster roll.

In fact, all of us ordered the same and found these freshly-caught (ah, so freshly caught that the day's lobster traps were still floating in the processing shed at the back of the shop) versions of the sandwich delicious.

Returning to the chalet, we spent the night playing games.  We'd located a copy of The Settlers of Catan at a store in Saint John the day before.  In this popular game, players try to become the dominant force on the island of Catan by building roads, then settlements, and finally cities.  Julie and Rick, friends of ours, introduced us to the game last summer when we visited them in Corbin, KY.  Then, during our Thanksgiving holiday in Washington, D.C., we played it again, using the game owned by Richard's roommate.  Now, we are proud owners and--I wish I could also say--winners of the game, but I must confess the strategy often eludes me.  Still, as you can see in the photos above, games are fun to play no matter who wins!

Throwing our suitcases back in the SUV on July 12th, we had plans to reach Prince Edward Island by nightfall.  But first, I persuaded the family to stop at Cape Enrage simply because I had been intrigued by its name when I researched our proposed itinerary.

There a lighthouse warns passing fishing boats to keep away from the rocky shore.

We climbed down to shoreline for a closer look at the rocky cliffs.

On our way back to the highway, we added stones to the cairns left by earlier visitors, leaving our final mark on New Brunswick.  Before the day was done, we crossed the Confederation Bridge, an 8-mile span that links New Brunswick with Prince Edward Island.  Passage is free when crossing to the island, but tolls currently at a rate of $47.75 for 2-axle vehicles are collected when one leaves.  I warned Tim that we'd better have a full tank of gas.  Anyone who runs short of fuel is charged $100.  Yikes!  It's a good thing the toll keeper takes credit cards!