Welcome to July!
I had my imaginations come true when I got to visit Prince Edward Island in June. But first, Maine!
June was a blur of travel. My daughter signed up to take two classes with the International Guild of Miniature Artisans , which took place at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, ME. She made a basket and garden tools.
Look at the attention to detail. Her work amazes me! If you would like to see more of her work, please take a look at her Etsy shop.
While she was busy with classes, the rest of us explored.
While visiting some tide pools one day, a poem came to my heart. Having an eighteen-year-old who is doing her own thing is very bittersweet to this emotional mama.
Moose Point State Park June 13, 2024 Light waltzes on water to the 1-2-3 beat of my heart. It catches my eye more than the snails and crabs my family is tickled by. Sitting in the sun, Lulu on my lap, it occurs to me— one of us is missing—and I wish she could hear the tidal pool melody, too.
Maine was beautiful with all its lupine loveliness, but Prince Edward Island captured my heart.
I have dreamed of visiting PEI since I was a teenager watching Anne of Green Gables continuously in my bedroom. Green Gables, Lover’s Lane, and the Lake of Shining Waters? Yes, please!
Lover's Lane, PEI
June 16, 2024
Gravel crunching,
my feet meander
where Maud and Anne
once dreamed.
Our spirits mingle
for a moment as
Black-capped Chickadees
whisper a whistled
kin-dred, kin-dred, kin-dred.
The laughter of imagination
takes hold and I feel a
forget-me-not tickle
on my skin, delicate as
baby blue.
A piece of my heart
came home
in the bosom
of the woods.
If you love L.M. Montgomery as much as I do, or if you’ve never read her books before and would like to, I cordially invite you to read the Anne series along with me on Instagram or this new Substack space that I set up just for the book club. Both are free! We are starting with Anne of Green Gables this month. I would be delighted if you would join us!
And finally, we stopped by Niagara Falls on the way home. What sparkle and splash! You know I had to write a poem about it. ;)
Niagara Falls June 20, 2024 I witness the sparkle and splash as liquid shards of glass fall, creatively drip-dropping from a hand that spans the universe. Power rumbles and tumbles through my chest while kids eat ice cream and dogs melt from the heat. I wonder... how many see the Lord on display?
I spent the month of June re-reading The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. It is a book that is called “a new fashioned story that is as wonderful as the best fairy tales” and is listed as one of J.K. Rowling’s favorite children’s books. It earned the 1946 Carnegie Medal in Literature, an award that C.S. Lewis won in 1956 for The Last Battle.
“And then she saw him. A little white horse was cantering ahead of them, leading the way, and from his perfect milk-white body, as from a lamp, there shone the light. He was some way ahead of them, but for one flashing moment she saw him perfectly, clear-cut as a cameo against the darkness, and the proud curve of the neck, the flowing white mane and tail, the flash of the silver hoofs, were utterly strange and yet utterly familiar to her, as though eyes that had seen him often before looked through her eyes that had not until now looked steadily upon his beauty; she was not even surprised when he turned his lovely head a little and looked back at her and she saw a strange little silver horn sticking out of his forehead…Her little white horse was a unicorn.”
Instead of having a word for summer, I have a quote that I’m going to keep on my desk in celebration of reading the Anne series.
“…I’m going to let my imagination run riot for the summer.”
~Anne Shirley
May your July sparkle and splash,
~Stephanie
Amazing photos!
So it’s been a very long time since I’ve read Anne of Green Gables and I really can’t remember if I’ve read anything else by LM Montgomery. 🤔. This will be great for conversations with my grand daughters in the future. 💝 Now to go find a copy to read. 😊. Thank you. 😊