Sunday, May 12, 2019

Visiting Ann of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables has made Prince Edward Island, Canada, famous. I wanted
to go there for that reason alone.
I also heard that there were great bike trails, so that was my other draw. After an amazing ride along the shores of the beautiful St. Lawrence Sea and through the
deep green forests, I traveled to the North Shore to see where this famous redhead came from.
I found Cavendish, the home of author Lucy Maud Montgomery, to be a charming place that was more fascinating than I ever dreamed. I came together with travelers from all over the world.
The first person that I met was a Chinese surgeon from Taiwan. He told me
that he had not read the books but knows of Anne and wanted to come and
 experience the place Lucy came from before reading the books. He told me
 he loved to travel to a place, experience the feelings he gets and then go 
home and learn more about the author and their works.
Many of the places that Lucy put into the book were places where she grew up,
 making it extra special to visit those sights.
Sit back and enjoy these photos of the significant places that Lucy Maud
Montgomery wrote about.
AnneHome
This is the home where Lucy Maud Montgomery was born. She was the first
 child.  When she was 23 months old her mother died, leaving her to be raised
 by her maternal grandparents. At 16 she went to live with her father who had
moved west to Ontario, Canada. Her father had remarried and they had four
children. She was not happy there and returned to her beloved Prince 
Edward Island.
AnneRoom
This was the room where she was born, November 30, 1874.
AnnePortrait
This is a photo of Lucy Maud when she was 16. Her passion all her life was
writing.In her career she wrote 20 novels and more than 1,000 articles and
 poems.
AnneGables
This is Green Gables, the house of the story. Even though Anne of Green Gables
 is fiction, it still lives true in the hearts of all who read and love it. Even to Lucy
it seemed real. To me, many of the experiences and events in the book seemed
as if they were Lucy’s real life stories.
AnneBarn
This is the barn that is right next to Green Gables. I am sure that it was not there
when Anne would visit some of her relatives that lived in Green Gables, but it is
 something that is true to the area and that could have been part of Anne’s
landscape and life.
Seaside
Lucy Maud wrote about the beautiful beaches that she so enjoyed. The rolling
 hills on the island and the red soil that is everywhere, mixed with the many
varieties of green trees, makes this island a place to visit and fall in love with.
It is the place that Lucy loved and that place that gave her the backdrop to 
write one of the most beloved books of all time. Anne has been translated int
more than 69 languagesand distributed throughout the world.
Dian Thomas is the author of several great idea books that are filled
 with creative ideas to do with you friends and family. For more 
information about Dian and her books go to 
https://www.dianthomas.com.

Celebrating Lunar New Year

For anyone who has traveled through Asia during the lunar New Year, they will be aware of this huge holiday. My first experience of it was when I was in Hawaii years ago. I was staying with some friends who ask me if I wanted to go to China Town in Honolulu to celebrate the New Year. I could hardly wait for the big event. When we got there the fireworks began to go off and before it was over I was holding my ears for dear life and wishing that I could get out of the noise as it was so loud.
puppets
Last year I was in China for this holiday. Millions and millions of people traveled by plane and train to be with their families. I went to the Western part of China to Chengdu. While I was there I went to the Tibetan area and stayed at the Sheraton. I was at the computer area and met a man who was working in China for his company out of Chicago. He told me that the factory that he worked at totally closed for two weeks. He said, the people in America just don’t understand how a country can close for two weeks. But once you have been there and experienced it you will get a sense of how important families are and why they all go home for this special holiday.
diningfamily
I just talked to an American Chinese friend that told me even here in America she
 will celebrate the new year by having four parties at her home. 
I met with a family in Chengdu for part of my New Year last year. One day we went
 to my friend’s mother’s family and had a big dinner. Another day it was to her 
father’s family and yet another day we stayed at her home and her father cooked
the most incredible meal for everyone. 
Gifts to the children are part of the experience. If you have a job and are making 
money you are expected to put some money in a small red envelope and give it
 to the children. My friends’ daughter who is three took all the money that was 
given to her and her parents put it away for her schooling. 
Toward the end of the two weeks they have a festival call the Lantern Festival. 
They turn parks into amusement parks with food, lanterns, and fun events for 
families to go to. Then on Feb 15 will be the last day and that night the fireworks
 begin toward evening and go until Midnight and then it is over. If you live near
a China Town and want a fun experience check out the activities and join them 
for the biggest holiday of the year.