(This article originally appeared in Maclean’s Magazine)

If island tourism was a prom, Cape Breton would be queen, Vancouver Island a graceful runner-up, and P.E.I. the wallflower that didn’t get any signatures in her yearbook.

In its annual reader survey, Travel + Leisure magazine—called “the bible” of the tourist trade by industry insiders—ranked the land of fiddlers and bagpipes the number one island to visit in North America. Cape Breton was also named the number three island in the world, right behind Bali and the Galapagos, beating out such high-profile destinations as Hawaii, Maui and the Maldives.

Among the Canadian contenders, Vancouver Island was close behind, coming third on the continent and 10th worldwide. But P.E.I., which ranked fourth in Canada and the U.S., didn’t place globally at all.

“It’s disappointing,” Robert Ferguson of Tourism P.E.I. conceded. “We would have loved to see Prince Edward Island as number one. But at the same time, Cape Breton Island is a fantastic destination.” Ferguson then added that the ranking is “very subjective.”

Capers don’t seem to care. Roy Cavanaugh of the tourism agency Destination Cape Breton­ says the ranking is no surprise. “Our culture sets us apart. Our music and our dance, our stories, our history. And I think we’ve got a very friendly and welcoming population who are particularly open to visitors.”

This is Cape Breton’s second year in a row in first place. Before that, Vancouver often held the title. “We like to be number one,” says Dave Petyk of Tourism Vancouver Island, but he still wants to congratulate Capers. He also wanted to take the opportunity to remind them that Vancouver Island is still ranked as North America’s best island destination by Condé Nast Traveller, one of the world’s most prominent luxury travel magazines.

The best way for someone to sense they are being spun is to listen for jargon or trigger words repeated over and over, says a reporter for the CBC.

With the seemingly never ending barrage of news stories popping up in the media related to politics, citizens are constantly exposed to political spin. Most politicans have become masters of trying to influence the behaviour of voters.

How can a regualr person see through the spin tactics of politicians and make an informed decision?

Political reporter Bendan Elliott said if someone keeps going back to or repeating the same message using different words, then this person is more than likely trying to spin you into hearing their version of the story.

“Also, regular news observers should listen to whether a question is actually being answered. If a journalist asks a question, and the person does everything except answer the question, then there’s a good chance that person is spinning.”

a It is hard for the average person to counter this spin, he said.

“The only suggestion would be for the person to continue asking their question until they feel satisfied that their question has been answered.”

CBC producer Donna Allen, said people should stop and ask themselves a few

questions,when considering whether or not they have been spun.

“Does this sound likely, reasonable, does it pass the smell test? What aren’t they telling me? Why is this person saying what they are saying? Might there be an ulterior motive? Does this person seem credible to me?”

SANAA at the Toledo Museum of Glass

I just stumbled on a great blog post at FastCompany.com. It’s long been known to Mapos (and other aficionados alike) that there is a lot going on in Ohio, architecturally speaking.

Down on the Ohio River, Cincinnati may lead the pack with Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Art Museum. The University of Cincinnati is single-handedly transforming into a Who’s Who of American architecture (Gehry, Eisenman, Morphosis, Gwathmey Seigel, etc.)

Up North, Cleveland made headlines with I.M. Pei’s rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Frank Gehry again at Case Western, and now Vinoly at the Museum of Art.

Toledo (SANAA, Gehry), Wooster (LTL), Bowling Green (Snohetta) and Akron (Coop Himmelb(l)au, Polshek) even got in on the action.

But what about the capital? This Columbian credits Eisenmann’s Wexner Center as instrumental in his own early impressions on architecture. His convention center is worth a look and don’t miss Scogin Elam’s architecture school at The Ohio State University.

Ohio, it turns out, is not Iowa.

Prince Edward Island is the best place to visit when heading out to see a game developer, says Sega of America’s digital content producer.

Ethan Einhorn spoke to students of both the Video Game Arts and Design and Interactive Media programs at Holland College’s Charlottetown Centre on Oct. 8.

He praised the students.

“They had a lot of great questions. They are clearly focused on wanting to understand what major publishers are looking for in games.”

The presentation was made possible through Video Game Art and Design instructor Chris Sharpley, once a co-worker of Einhorn’s.

Before becoming an instructor at Holland College, Sharpley was a game artist who worked for several different developers, including Sega.

While working at Other Ocean in Charlottetown, he did some of the design work for the IPhone version of Super Monkey Ball,  a popular Sega property and a game produced by Einhorn.

Of all of the producers he has worked with, Einhorn was one of his favourites, Sharpley said

“He was probably the most easygoing and easy to get along with and I’ve never had any problems with him.”

Sharpley saw the presentation as a possible source of inspiration.

“Hopefully the students aspire to follow their dreams like he did and if you put the hard work in you can work anywhere you like.”

The students enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Einhorn individually after the lecture, Sharpley said.

“Afterwards, he must have spent twice as long casually chatting with students, just as he did during the presentation.”

During the presentation, the students learned about the role of a producer in a game’s devlopment and a little bit of Einhorn’s background before he worked for Sega, said Sharpley.

If the presentation demonstrated one thing, it was even though P.E.I. is a small part of Canada, it is still possible to be employed with a full-time job, Sharpley says

“You could work on top international brands, dealing with people in San Francisco and Tokyo and see your work releashed globally and appreciated by millions of people.

Einhorn said he wished he had the same opportunities growing up that the students of the Holland College Video Game Arts and Design program have.

“I wish there were schools like this available when I was a student myself, but there was really no such thing as video game programs that long ago.”

Holland College student Spencer Mosher, tries out the new wireless Internet connection in the Charlottetown Centre cafeteria. Conway photo

Due to a growing student demand, the wireless Internet connection at the Charlottetown Centre the first of what could be a series of upgrades.

On Oct. 15, the wireless Internet services provided at the campus expanded as part of a pilot project to make it more accessible throughout the campus.

The new wireless system is designed to be more stable and manageable, said Richard MacDonald, manager of computer services.

“It is  also capable of handeling traffic more efficiently.”

The new connection was made possible due to the co-operation between Computer Serivces, the Student Union, and the Computer Information Systems and Business departments, he said.

“With everyone working together, we have a better wireless connection here than we would have had if we did not co-operate.”

Still, there are only three routers providing wireless Internet for the cafeteria and bottom floor, he said.

“To provide coverage to the entire building would require 20, 30 wireless routers. We could eventually have 25-30 routers to provide full coverage.”

Students are enjoying the wireless connection, although there are some minor glitches.

“It’s pretty good. It goes down sometimes but other than that it works well,” said Spencer Mosher.

MacDonald said the main goal is to figure out the best way to have wireless access on a large scale for all Holland College centres.

“Students want to be connected and we want to provide it without students having to pay too much for it.

“It would be nice to have the same student experience in all of our major centres.”

Brian Langille filming and episode of The Langille Show. Conway photo

A man answers the door on Halloween. He is greeted by children in their costumes.

“Trick or Treat,” they yell with glee as they expect their sugary treats. The man choses trick.

He morphs into a horrific monster. The children flee in terror. This 30-second clip took  three hours of careful editing.

It was the opening of episode 189 of The Langille Show. It is the Youtube show created and hosted by Holland College’s resident Mac technician, Brian Langille. The episode, Sweet, Sweet Candy, serves as the show’s Halloween special.

A lot of work went into the making of the show’s introduction. In fact, it takes a considerable level of technical skill to make his face so terrifying.

Langille shot the original footage and took it back to his computer, where he began the editing process.

“I cut to the piece where I wanted to make my face to expand, export that, put in some after-effects and motion track it. Once I have it motion tracked, I can apply things to my face and make them move with my face. “

Then he was able to shrink his eyes and nose and puff up his face and everything else, he said.

“Once I get that done and rendered, I test and apply a couple more things. I changed the tone of my skin colour and I imported the sound and everything else.

“That is what gave me the demon effect. It’s fun to do something like that.”

Langille filmed the episode during his lunch break on Oct. 28 in his front yard. It was a beautiful autumn day in his quiet suburban neighbourhood. He couldn’t have asked for a better day to film.

In the driveway was the infamous van blown up in many an opening sequence. You’d expect it be in several pieces scattered across the lawn rather than parked in one piece. Perhaps he has a secret stock pile of vans somewhere?

Before the actual filming began, Langille went to his basement to gather some equipment. His version of the bat cave contains the technology that makes filming The Langille Show possible.

There were two 2,000-watt lights and a green screen used for indoor filiming, his microphone, camera and computer.

Langille grabbed his microphone, camera and tripod and headed out the door, but before that he had to make sure he was wearing his trademark glasses, hat and jersey.

“When I’m putting on the gear, it makes me feel like Clark Kent turning into Superman.”

Before turning on the camera, he noticed someone looking as they drove down the road. It happened before.

“There are times when people who are driving by will slow down to check out what I’m doing. I remember I got some strange looks from the neighbours the time I filmed the episode where I shaved my head.”

As soon as he had his camera adjusted to get the perfect shot, he began recording. He started things off with his trademark, “Hey!”

It echoed throughout the neighbourhood as he started his opening monologue. He let a little blopper slip out as he remembered he wanted to tell a joke about a tree but there was no tree in the shot.

He was able to improvise with a joke about the Toronto Maple Leafs and all was well.

The episode revolved around an incident which occurred on Halloween a few years back. He was in charge of passing out the candy, but instead ate the candy himself.

The shoot took about 11 minutes and besides a few pauses and bloopers all went smoothly.

There was one thing that seemed odd. There were a few moments when he would pace from one spot to another. The reason would be revealed during his editing process.

One of Langille’s biggest fans is his wife, Susan. He does some great work on the show, she said

“He puts a lot of hard work into every show and it really pays off.”

She usually doesn’t get to see any of the tapings since they are done when she is at work. But she is occasionally exposed to some content unseen by viewers.

“Whenever I happen to be at home when he is filming, I get to hear some of the outtakes. I get a good chuckle out of them.”

She has nothing but good things to say about her husband’s show.

“I think it is amazing. He makes it look so easy to do. He taught himself how to do it.”

After Langille completed filming the episode, he headed back to the basement to begin editing.

He took the opening segment and attaching it to the nine minutes of video he had just finished filming. After that, it was a matter of trimming the new footage and cutting anything he didn’t want to use.

He cut the jokes he doesn’t plan on using to get straight to the punchline.

He does this to take the over 10 minutes worth of footage and convert it to about three or four.

“Sometimes I realize that not every joke needs to be in there.”

Langille also revealed the reason why he was moving around so many times during the taping.

It is to compensate for not having a director to zoom the camera in and out. He also said he makes sure the time it takes him to move is taken out of the video.

“I also have to make sure to cut out as much dead time as possible, so that I am constantly in different spots on the screen and that there is no down time as far as silence goes.”

This process used to take hours, now it takes about 20 minutes.

“I got better over time and learned what material I want to keep or remove from  a video.  It comes with practice.”

After he completed the video it is just a matter of fading to black and inserting the final punch line.

“I guess this takes away a lot of the mystique.”

A killer fungus known as chytrid, which has caused the death of approximately 200 species of frogs worldwide, has been found in P.E.I.

A group of researchers found traces of the fungus as they spent the summer travelling to ponds throughout the province.  The fungus is seen as the root of the worse case of mass extinction in history.

The spread of chytrid originated in 1934 when South African clawed frogs were imported to North America and became a popular test subject for pregnancy test research. The American bull frog, which can also carry the fungus, made it a worldwide problem when frog legs became a popular culinary export.

Humans can also spread the fungus when travelling through different habitats. Something as simple as mud on a boot can contain traces of chytrid. The fungus is not a threat to humans however.

Assistant biology professor at UPEI Natacha Hogan was one of the researchers here.

The research team would spend every day to every second day sampling several ponds from west of O’Leary to Souris, she said

“We swabbed several frogs from each pond we visited and sent the swabs to a lab in Washington.”

The lab performed what is known as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test on the swab samples. The tests revealed 26.3 per cent of frogs on P.E.I. tested positive for chytrid. Froglets are also 4.5 per cent more likely to have the fungus than older frogs.

It is a form of bacteria within the fungus that is killing the frogs and it is impossible to treat frogs who live in the wild, Hogan said.

“There could possibly be a way of treating frogs which live in a laboratory setting, however there isn’t a cure for chytrid at this time.”

The  fungus came up in a recent speech in Charlottetown. Dr. Maria Forzan was a keynote speaker during the opening night of Amphibian Week at the Atlantic Veterinary College on Oct. 5.

Chytrid spreads through the body, casuing an electrolyte imbalance, and respiration problems, since frogs breathe through their skin, she said.

“Tadpoles can also carry chytrid but they carry it in their mouths rather than their skin. Chytrid causes the tadpoles to develop with mouth deformities and behaviour changes.

“Tadpoles with chytrid tend to be more prone to panic attacks, which gives them a better chance to escape predators. It is fortunate for them to be able to escape but it is unfortune they survive long enough to spread the disease.”

The extreme tempratures in P.E.I. may determine whether the frogs live or die, said Forzan.

“The heat during the summer months and the cold during the winter months could keep the bacteria from spreading.”

Hogan said it is too soon to determine the effects of chytrid in P.E.I. due to this being the first year of testing.

“The effects of the chytrid spread is something that must be monitored for a number of years.”

Cows was a must this summer when we visited the beautiful island of PEI…yummy, yummy, yummy!  It was great to see not only how the ice cream was made, but also the t-shirts and award-winning cheese (which I didn’t even know they made).  It feels funny to blog this on December 1st, but why not!?  Enjoy…and sorry for making you hungry!

I am finally finished with a full two months of travel on behalf of RRU and am glad to be home for the next couple of months.  Since my last post I  have been to Atlantic Canada, Calgary (twice) , and Montreal and wanted to share with you some of my observations about what is going on in industry and tourism education across Canada.

Atlantic Canada – I used the opportunity of  attending the Tourism Industry Association of Canada annual meeting to drop in on 3 colleges while I was in Atlantic Canada. At Holland College in PEI, I participated in a university fair and took the time to have lunch with a faculty member there, who graduated from the college I taught at in Ontario.  Holland College has an award winning dining room that overlooks the Ocean so it was a treat to be able to spend time on their campus. It was interesting to me to hear about the number of students that are seeking university degrees upon completion of their diploma and I think there are some significant opportunities for us in that region. I also paid a visit to Nova Scotia Community College where I discussed the establishment of transfer agreements and had lunch with their faculty. To my delight, two of them had spent time with Fairmont Hotels during the same time I did, so we had a grand time swapping stories about some of the great characters we had worked with over the years. Finally, I spent half a day at NBCC in St Andrews-by-the-Sea (home of the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel). This was where I started my hotel career in 1979 so it was an extra treat when my roommate from way back then, who is now a hotel management teacher at NBCC took me for a quick tour  of the hotel. At TIAC I ran into lots of old friends and graduates and even ran into a couple of RRU MA students who will be joining us in the spring. I came away from this trip, reminded once again about what a small industry the tourism industry really is and how important networking is.

In Calgary I attended the Resort Investment Conference, which gave me an opportunity to learn more about the vacation home ownership side of the industry and to talk with industry leaders about what their educational needs might be.

Most recently, I attended the annual meeting of the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council in Montreal. This organization meets annually to  address issues of education and training as well as labour needs for the Canadian Tourism industry.  I also participated in an educators advisory group which allowed us the opportunity to share our vision and ideas for the future of tourism and hospitality education.  For those of you just starting out in your careers and concerned about job prospects, all indications are that by 2012 we will be essentially right back to where we were before the recession in terms of labour shortages and it is not expected to  change  substantially until 2025. The predicted shortages are staggering, and economists at this meeting suggested that unless there is massive immigration and dollars invested in training for the hospitality industry,  the problem will take care of itself because so many businesses will shut down due to lack of labour. One industry leader even suggested that Destination Marketing Organizations should consider introducing a training tax that is added on to existing pillow taxes in order to generate the monies needed to encourage people to make careers out of this industry and to train them properly. An interesting idea that no doubt we will hear more about in the future.

Now that December is here, I am looking forward to absolutely no travel except for a few days spent with friends at their cabin that has no road access, no electricity and best of all no internet or cellphone access!

-Assistant Professor, Ted Wykes

For me, nothing say’s grey like the month of November. I always thought that once retired I would take advantage of the month and try to shoot some moody images that capture that ashen darkness that only November can flaunt. I thought that if I searched around I would be sure to find a scene that embodies the cold grey of late fall on PEI.

It’s not happening.  I’ve traveled about the Island looking for it, but it’s not there. The only thing that is now confirmed is that this time of year does nothing to inspire me.

Haunted

I forced myself to stop and shoot this house that I have often photographed before. It appears haunted to me.  Probably isn’t but if I were a ghost and I had to pick a house to haunt this would be it.

Dezza has recently posted up a new mix, entitled Top Pix Mix of Now. Check it out

1. Dezza – When I Get That Feelin [CDR]
2. Dezza & Dutch – Take You Home Feat. Michelle [CDR]
3. Dj Feel & Alexander Popov – Time After Time Feat. Tiff Lacey (Chris Reece Progressive Dub) [Unreleased Digital]
4. Christian Smith & Reset Robot – Elixir (Gary Beck Remix) [Excentric]
5. Antix – The Hoard (Dousk Remix) [Iboga]
6. Dezza – Tonight [Solarscape]
7. SQL – Chocolate (Lank’s Cream Filling Mix) [Spherax]
8. Martinez – My Anthem [Area Remote]
9. Robert Dietz – Teleparty [Cecile Numbers]
10. Hakan Ludvigson, ALX002 & Cedar M – Nothing Ever Ends [Kant]
11. Moonface – Futurized Fears (Guy J Remix) [Bedrock]
12. PROFF – Starstruck (Solarity Remix) [Silk Royal]
13. Oxia – Whole Life [8bit]
14. Pitto – Feelin’ (District One’s Feelin’ Techno Remix) [Rejected]

[Download] 1:20:42 runtime

A pretty mellow mix overall with a great beat. Definitely something you can run on a loop for the better part of an afternoon.

Dezza, based out of Halifax, is a pretty well established artist by now with a couple of major labels under his belt. You can find some of his stuff on beatport if you’re so inclined or hop on over to his myspace for a bit of a bio low down and other preview tracks:

[Beatport] [Myspace]

Next is PEI’s own DJ KonfliKt, with a mix entitled The First Hour. Traackkss:

1. Gotye – Learn A Lil’ Givin’ an Lovin’ [Passion Pit remix]
2. Ooma – Beat On
3. Chromeo – Needy Girl [Lifelike remix]
4. Mr. Patron – Funky Bus Fair
5. Lykke Li – Dance Dance Dance [Grandtheft remix]
6. Armand Van Helden – The Funk Phenomena [Starkillers re-edit]
7. Gramophonedzie – Happiness
8. Shout Out Out Out Out – Dude You Feel Electrical
9. The New Deal – Gone Gone Gone
10. Cassius – Youth Speed Trouble Cigarettes
11. Phonat – Learn To Recycle [4 To The Floor mix]
12. Jape – Floating [D.I.M. remix]
13. Lazy Rich – Disco Ballistic
14. Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive [SebastiAn remix]
15. Justice – DVNO [Les Petits Pilous remix]
16. MGMT – Kids [80kidz edit]
17. The Gossip – Standing In The Way of Control [Soulwax nite mix]
18. Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal

[Stream] [Download] 1:00:40 runtime

A nice mash-up of some brand names and more underground talent. Gramophonedzie is one group we’ve previewed on the site before and they continue to deliver that big bang sampling. Also love the transition into Smooth Criminal at the end and if you’re not up and dancing by then, nothing can be done for you.

KonfliKt has been getting around as of late, recently joined up with the Nightcap DJs from downtown, but could definitely still use some support. Be sure to check out some of these links:

[Myspace][Facebook][Mixcloud][Twitter][Nightcap DJs Myspace]

As well, we just updated the About page. We’re looking for people in Moncton, Halifax, St. John’s, and other Maritime locations who can take photos of DJ shows and send them in to be posted. If you’re interested definitely send us an email!

On a recent business trip I was very fortunate to find myself in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island (PEI), the extreme east coast of Canada. Always on the lookout for great local beers I discovered that there was only one brewery on PEI, The Gahan House Pub & Brewery.

Located on Sydney Street, ‘Gahan House’ is in the older part of Charlottetown and was built in 1880 by a prominent merchant John Gahan. It’s a very special building that later in its life became home to the ‘Sisters of the Precious Blood’ before becoming a pub/brewery. As soon as I saw the 19th century building I knew things were going to be good, maybe even a religious experience? I mean how could anyone brew bad beer in such a great place? The good news is they don’t, the beer is excellent.

The interior of the building is as old fashioned as it gets in this part of the world and creates the perfect atmosphere to drink quality beer, seven (7) in fact, all brewed on-site by brewmaster Trent Hayes.

Here’s their excellent selection.

A great selection of hand-crafted beers at Gahan House Pub & Brewery

I sampled several (hey I wasn’t driving), the ‘Harvest Gold Pale Ale’, ‘1172 India Pale Ale’ and ‘Coles Cream Ale’. All were extremely fine beers, well crafted and each with their own distinctive characteristics and flavours.  Picking a favourite is difficult but I might have to say the ‘Cole’s Cream Ale’ was my favourite, very smooth, nicely hopped and really easy to drink.

Added to that, the staff were great. I’ve read some negative comments about the service on other blogs but I have no idea why. The service and welcome we received was outstanding, so much so that we were given an impromptu tour of the brewery in the cellar and sampled some of the beers straight from the steel kegs. A real treat.

So, if you’re a beer lover then the Gahan House is a must when you are in, or close to,  Charlottetown and PEI. I for one will wear my “Gahan House Pub & Brewery” with pride!

(photo © kiwidutch)

We have enjoyed an excellent day on Prince Edward Island.I took some  photos on the way home as the sun was setting…

We also approached the bridge again, it’s a Toll bridge of course, now I see why they charge on the way off the island… the toll isn’t cheap: $42.50 for a car.

But then again, this bridge wasn’t cheap to build and it is a very very  long bridge indeed.

I also don’t know what a ferry ride would have cost in the past, but  a return trip would not have been cheaper I would guess.

Friends who have lived close by this area have also told me that the ferry’s in the past often incurred long waiting times, were regularly canceled due to adverse weather conditions and the crossings were often rough.

The cost of the bridge might not make for a cheap trip, but knowing that  we can travel swiftly and safely back and forth, with no waiting and no sea sickness makes it all well worth the money.

Prince Edward Island is also more than just the Green Gables experience, much much more, so there is a good chance  that one day we will be back here.

Next time for longer and  for a wider look around more of the island. PEI is definitely a place that inspires and we have been delighted with our introduction.

(photo © kiwidutch)

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We have had a very busy day on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Now it’s time to look for somewhere for dinner.

We first intended to make our dinner-stop double as a rest stop, since  it’s several hours drive back to the hotel, but the meager food intake  at lunch time is now producing murmurs of  mounting hunger impatience from the kids in the back of the van  so we switch to ” plan B”  and keep our eyes peeled for somewhere suitable to eat as we head back across the island towards the bridge.

We don’t have too long to wait,  as my friend spots a sign that says ” Cole’s Family Restaurant” .

” Family restaurant” … yep that’s us… so a quick “U” turn and we are in the car park within minutes.   Then the bad news… the sign on the door tells us that  they close at 7.00 pm and  it’s 10 minutes to 7.00p.m.

Hubby goes in to ask if we are too late or not and we are met with a friendly reply… “No Problem, come on in…”  Welcome words indeed. We herd slow kids out of the van and inside before they have any chance to change their mind.

(photo © kiwidutch)

The menu is fairly standard as far as variety of food… in keeping with other diners we have eaten at,  but it all looks great at this moment and we scan quickly and order. I go for the fried fish, but not wanting french fries yet again with a meal, ask if it’s possible to substitute mashed potato with it instead, and again, that’s no problem at all.

(photo © kiwidutch)

The fish arrives and I must say that it’s the best I’ve had for a very very long time. Cooked to perfection, great flavour… yum!  Hubby had Ham…

(photo © kiwidutch)

I was delighted to see that my daughter liked the idea of  the macaroni cheese (a new item on our kid’s menu, because  even though we have managed to add many new vegetables,  getting them to eat  them or pasta with sauce is a fairly recent  development)

(photo © kiwidutch)

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The food is simple, but what they do, they do well. It’s clear from the amount of people finishing up their meals  when we first arrived that this place is well patronized too, an excellent sign. We were not disappointed.

Ours is a quick meal, and since little one was falling asleep in his meal,  the other kids close behind on the weariness scale, the restaurant was closing up  and we were tired, we didn’t  bother to take any desserts.

Everyone enjoyed their meal a lot regardless and the service was great so this was an excellent place to have stopped. We stepped into the van happy, well fed and began the trip back to our hotel.

(photo © kiwidutch)

The Green Gables house was the inspiration for Lucy Maude Montgomery’s famous novel “ Anne of Green Gables”

The house did not actually belong to Lucy Maude Montgomery, but to cousins of her Grandfather: David and Margaret Macneill.

As a regular visitor L.M. Montgomery ( known as Maude) liked to walk in the nearby woods and was so inspired by the house and setting  around it that she depicted it in her famous novel “Anne of Green Gables” .

The story in the novel revolves around a girl called Anne, who is orphaned and sent to live with an aging brother and sister, on a farm called “Green Gables” .

They were  expecting a boy to help them work the farm, and are not at first delighted to have a girl dumped unexpectedly into their midst.

Anne’s spirit and imagination soon wins them over and the story of her adventures  on the farm and in the imaginary village of Avonlea are the central theme of the book.

So… having taken you though the barn, walking in the woods and though the inside of the house it’s now time to see the Gables that inspired Maude so much…

…enjoy!

(photo © kiwidutch)

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Someone comes to close up the house as I exit, our car is the last one in the carpark as we leave and suddenly the children sit still enough to remind themselves that they are really hungry… so  we take to the road,  our next adventure? …. to find somewhere inspiring for dinner.

(photo © kiwidutch)

We are visiting the Green Gables House made famous by the author Lucy Maude Montgomery’s novel ” Anne of Green Gables” .

The house is located on Prince Edward Island in Canada.

The interior of the house has been restored and decorated to give and idea of the typical  items that would have been inside it at the time that Maude  knew and loved the house…

It’s an insight into a simple way of living, with many of the modern labour saving devices we take for granted today absent, it would have also been a hard way of life as most every day chores were very labour intensive.

The emphasis was on home made and hand made and implements were made well and used daily. cast iron pans in the kitchen stood up to  constant use and look as good today as they  did 100 years ago.

Maybe there were feathers in the comforters on the beds, naturally we couldn’t get close enough to check, but I hope that they were warm because  the simple wood fires would have struggled to keep out the deepest cold of a Canadian winter.

Certainly the feeling  and character of the house is a warm one,  the sense of community, family and the lives lived here, are present in a way that dominate the tourist aspects of the house.

Since we arrived here later in the afternoon, took time for the woodland walk and then went into the house as it was closing up for the day, we had the benefit of  having the place almost to ourselves, and once our children had dashed outside to expend yet more energy in the garden, and the other adults in our party followed them, I was left  peacefully alone in the house with my camera.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

It doesn’t matter if you are an artist with words or with a visual media,  any place that inspires someone, will often inspire others… and alone in the house I felt that inspiration. Am  I an avid ” Anne fan?” … No. Did I enjoy the books as I grew up reading them?, Yes….

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

Maybe it’s about learning to just “do” the thing that you’ve been meaning to do for ages but kept putting off… (like this blog has been for me for the past several years), or just just pausing to remember that often it’s the simple things in life that  make our happiness, ( like my kids  excitedly squealing with delight the whole day as they discovered new things all around the Green Gables house and the Avonlea Village)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

Was I touched by the Green Gables House? ….   in a very quiet subtle way that I couldn’t at first, quite put my finger on, I certainly was.

(photo © kiwidutch)

The “Green Gables” books made famous by L.M. Montgomery (1874-1942) of Prince Edward Island owe much of their inspiration to the beautiful setting of the Green Gables Farm, where Maude was bought up.

To the northeast are the ruins of the authors home from 186 to 1911,  is the Cavendish farmhouse where she lived with her maternal grandparents: Lucy and Alexander Macneill, following her mother’s illness and death.

It was here that Montgomery wrote her most famous novel “ Anne of Green Gables” (1908), and her beloved “ The Story Girl” (1911) as well as numerous other stories and poems.

Outside the house there is a walk,  that follows the paths that Lucy Maude would have taken when she went to the schoolhouse,  or to visit nearby houses.

These walks show us a glimpse of the beauty that is depicted in the books that tell us of  the adventures of Anne.

She drew inspiration in much of her writing from these surroundings, including the house to the west, now known as Green Gables, and places such as the Haunted Wood and Lover’s Lane, which are cherished by her fictional character Anne Shirley.

This landscape of rolling farm fields, woodlands, and winding paths provided Montgomery with great joy in her early years, and remained dear to her throughout her life.

Let’s take a walk towards the schoolhouse site and “visit” around the vicinity…

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

Site of the Cavendish House…

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

… and as far as being haunted is concerned… who knows?

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

The original barn that stood on site until 1940, is now replaced by a new building that houses various displays to help visitors understand the rural way of life as it would have been in Montgomery’s time.

The courtyard on the other other side of the barn has been restored.

Mechanization of farms began in the 1800’s and horse drawn threshers, binders, seeders and reapers were all essential pieces of farm equipment.

Horses such as Percheron’s or Clydesdale’s suitable for farm work were a very valuable commodity and cost as much as $400 each (more than a year’s income for most farms) but were an essential part of  farming life.

(photo © kiwidutch)

Turnip Pulper and Seeder

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

A staple or people and livestock, turnips were almost as important as potatoes on Island farms. They wintered well, if kept from freezing in a pit or root cellar. Some farmers fed them to their livestock whole. Others chopped them in a pulper, added grain and chaff for filler and boiled the mixture to make a delicious mash. Special seeders were used to plant fields of turnips.

Hayfork

(photo © kiwidutch)

This labour saving device consisted of a large set of tines that hung from a pulley, which in turn ran along a metal track. A team of horses pulling a rope could easily hoist up a loaded hayfork to the loft where it was then pulled inside to drop it’s load. Lifting great forkfuls at a time a hayfork could make short work of a loaded wagon.

Threshing Machine

(photo © kiwidutch)

The threshing machine was used to separate the edible kernels from the inedible straw and chaff. Bundles of wheat, oats or barley were fed in one end of the machine which was connected to a horsepower by a drive belt. The resulting grain was either made into flour, used to feed the livestock, or kept to plant next year’s crop. The straw was used for animal bedding and the chaff as “filler” in the livestock feed.

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)

(photo © kiwidutch)