Green Gables: discovering historic Grandraisers in PEI
It feels like just yesterday we rolled into Prince Edward Island to dramatic winds, blue sparkling water, rolling green fields of potatoes and the winding rough and bumpy maritime roadways. Ooomph! Our destinations? Charlottetown first, then Cavendish. All things, Green Gables.
Families, families everywhere
Today I sat in the parking lot at the historical site, my engine cooling, watching the crowds. It is a busy place. Waves of families passing by my grille. I watched grandparents walking hand-in-hand with kids, pointing out the green peaks of the house.
But I know my crew. And my crew is different. Those folks in the parking lot are mostly on standard summer shore leave (that’s “Summer Vacation” for you mainlanders). They are everywhere…. spoiling the kids for a week or two before sending them back to their parents.
When you are a GrandRaiser, the journey doesn’t end when August days draw shorter.
Over the last week’s on the road, I’ve overheard I -don’t-know-how-many conversations in parking lots and around campfire when my crew chit chats with folks they meet. And they’ve met a lot! Naturally, they assume my crew are like so many on a short “give Mom and Dad a break” trip with our grandson. Sometimes the Skipper explains the reality of our full-time crew. Sometimes, honestly, it’s easier to just smile and keep moving.
Oh, I digress. Let’s get back to Anne of Green Gables. So we’ve been listening to all the stories on audiobook as we roll across Canada. And when I say “we” I mean all of us, me included, as its being narrated over my speakers for some 7500 kms. Honestly, I feel quite literary and cultured. Do I look it?
As you can imagine our 9-year-old First Mate couldn’t wait to explore all things Anne. And that’s already after they abandoned me at a mall parking lot and took the bus into the city to attend the musical. Apparently, even though Charlottetown is an inclusive city, they don’t make space for my type. When they came back, my crew was so excited about this thing called live theater, which I know nothing about, even as cultured as I am!
Something surprising they did learn was that author Lucy Maud Montgomery was actually raised by her grandparents right here on the island. In Cavendish. They clearly had a profound impact on her.
You know? It kinda makes me look at the Skipper and the Pilot a little differently through my side mirrors.
The Road, the Conversations, and the Music
Like I mentioned before, over the last month or so on our travels, I’ve listened to all sorts of deep conversations happening around me. People are trying to understand what it’s really like to be a GrandRaiser.
All that talking got the Skipper’s gears turning. It reminded her of a song she wrote over a year ago. I didn’t know her when she wrote it, but I’ve heard it. It was pulled straight out of real life, matching the coffee stains on the counter and the tired lines around her eyes. I think she needed a way to let those heavy emotions out. And maybe inspire others. I dunno.
You can make up your own mind. Hear what she wrote set to music and watch the video right here: A Grandfamily’s Song.
Back to the Open Highway
Anyhow… as the Skipper always says, the road doesn’t wait forever, and neither does a nine-year-old’s appetite.The moment we got back on the road after some raspberry cordial at Green Gables, the First Mate was already asking about lunch, and the Pilot was eyeing the map for our next quiet stretch of highway. I fired up on the first turn of the key and we rumbled back out toward another quaint and exciting fishing village and some sandy beaches.
There is still plenty of Canada left to see, and this old house on wheels has miles to burn.
