Evangeline by Weezilou

Evangeline

For many, this *IS* Nova Scotia.

Today, in the company of our friends and neighbors, Billy & David, the four of us drove across the peninsula of Nova Scotia to The Valley on the western shore. This side is also on The Bay of Fundy, an area that has the highest and lowest tides (during the course of a day) in the world.

An important destination was "Grand-Pre National Historic Site of Canada, which is the Acadians' most cherished historic site. The former village dates back to the 1680s. In 1755, this was one of the centres of operation for the deportation of the Acadians__an event that changed the course of Acadian history forever. Grand-Pre Noational Historic Site of Canada is a place that touches the heart of all Acadian people."

The poem, "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) "is his poignant tale of the Acadian Lovers of Grand-Pre. It is enshrined in the hearts of the world, the tragic memory of the expulsion, two centuries ago."

**The Statue of Evangeline**, pictured here, "...is a powerful, evocative symbol of the Deportation. It connects the story of Evangeline to the history of Grand-Pre... The "attitude" depicts Evangeline crying for the lost land."

The church, built in 1922, "reflects the Normandy-style architecture of the 1700s. Built with funds raised from Acadian communities throughout North America, the Memorial Church symbolizes the spirit of Acadians."

The information above is compiled from signs throughout this area. I confess that I knew only a scant amount of the information before coming here today. Interestingly, the Acadian flag, three vertical bars of red, white and blue with a yellow star closest to the standard on the blue, flies throughout this region and elsewhere (Cape Breton, for instance) there are pockets of Acadians living today.

Just a note about my day...we left home at 10 AM and went sightseeing, walking a trail alongside a river, shopping nurseries for plants, had an amazing picnic lunch (you really *must* see this when I get my pictures up on Shutterfly! Billy & David are awesome cooks! http://365daysintheyear.shutterfly.com/810 ...more coming soon...) , took 340 pictures (which means Ken patiently stopped A LOT for me!), spent an hour in a botanical garden & library in Acadia University, and even fit in a little clothes shopping (Nova Scotia-style...it's *not* Nordstroms!) We reached our driveway about 6:30, and Ken went out to get us a fish n chips dinner...which was delicious! All the rest has been uploading pictures and a spot of 365! It's only 10:50PM, so maybe I'll have a little more time to look at all your pictures. If I didn't leave many comments today, you'll know where I've been!

And if you read through all this, *thank you*...it required copious note-taking from my photos of signage today!
Sounds like you had an absolutely blissful day! I am jealous and I can't wait til you put the rest of your pictures from today up on Shutterfly - I'm looking forward to seeing them. This shot is gorgeous - you've cropped it perfectly with the church in the background and the blue skies above.
May 19th, 2010  
PS. Can't believe I was the first to comment! :)
May 19th, 2010  
love the history lesson, Louise! now I'm off to google "Acadians," as I have no prior knowledge!
May 19th, 2010  
BTW, love the composition of this shot ~ statue with church steeple in the background ...
May 19th, 2010  
Nice place and great history. I can not remember if I have been to this location when I visited Nova Scotia many years ago.
May 19th, 2010  
Another beautiful shot, Louise. I love this. And now I'll catch up on the history... :)
May 19th, 2010  
Excellent shot and interesting background
May 19th, 2010  
she is lovely and love the background to go with her
May 19th, 2010  
This is a simply wonderful shot. I love the backdrop.
May 19th, 2010  
its a sad,sad story. evangeline and gabriel....two more star-crossed lovers.
May 19th, 2010  
very pretty and I learned something today :)
May 19th, 2010  
Louise, not sure if I told you that my parents, who live in So. Cal, are touring the Maritime Provences this summer by motorhome. (They should be in New Brunswick by tomorrow.) I sent her the link to your photos so she can see your pics & read all the great history you've added. Hopefully, she'll check it out and you'll have yet another fan! =)
May 19th, 2010  
AWESOME for the theme Louise! i love it!
May 19th, 2010  
I hope you're having a great time! It sounds (and looks) like it! I love the composition in this photo by the way.
May 19th, 2010  
Good balanced photo!
and nice story-telling...
May 19th, 2010  
great composition! Thanks for sharing.. love it :)
May 19th, 2010  
Beautiful photo! I look so forward to seeing what you've seen on your daily travels. It's always such a treat at the end of my long day.
May 19th, 2010  
love the framing and colors in this shot!! :)
May 19th, 2010  
Love love love love love the poem and the story of Evangeline!
Sad...so sad.
Many of the deported Acadians, became the Cajuns of Louisiana.

And I love that I've been to some of these places, like, the Bay of Fundy. Missed Hopewell Rocks, though.
May 19th, 2010  
A great history lesson and a beautiful photo - what more could we ask. I'm glad you're having such a wonderful time making lasting memories.
May 19th, 2010  
BTW, I'm headed to the location of the 2nd highest tide fluctuation after the Bay of Fundy next week - Cook Inlet Anchorage, AK. As a tour guide I mention the Bay of Fundy many times in relation to the tides in Anchorage.
May 19th, 2010  
Love the picture and great story! Up today I never heard about Acadians, I went to wiki to know more about, wow, they had tough days. Thanks for sharing Louise.
I also look at the map where you are, it's fantastic place, I wish be there one day. :)
May 19th, 2010  
Beautiful shot for a beautiful statue!
May 19th, 2010  
Dear Louise,

This is more a letter than a comment that I'm sending to you. It's for a while I've been super busy so I couldn't check the site and I wanted you know that I missed you so. I checked and saw you've uploaded this photo. I couldn't read your explanation about it but I just wanted to say a hello and say this is a so beautiful.

Best wishes,
Morteza
May 19th, 2010  
Great composition Louise, the statue and the church work really well together
May 19th, 2010  
perfectly cropped! beautiful...
May 19th, 2010  
I love getting all of the background I can get to accompany a photo, especailly one this beautiful. I really like the way it looks like she's looking over her shoulder at the church.
May 19th, 2010  
Very nice. I love how it lines up with the chapel or whatever it is.
May 19th, 2010  
great statue!!! Such a pretty place you are at
May 19th, 2010  
That is a very moving statue....I can feel the emotion....Nice shot with the church in the background, and I too, will be looking into the history of Acadians...thanks so much for the history lessons
May 19th, 2010  
Lovely composition, the statue is so evocative of those times. I can't believe what stamina you have, all those photos, notes and a interesting article here! Sounds like so much fun!
May 19th, 2010  
I love taking photos of statues.
It just speaks volumes.
May 19th, 2010  
That's a great composition and such an interesting place.
May 19th, 2010  
This is a great photo with such an interesting description.
May 19th, 2010  
Beautiful. Your photography is simply wonderful. :)
May 19th, 2010  
Nice find!
May 19th, 2010  
Very good shot and I enjoyed the history.
May 19th, 2010  
Wow Louise..you got so much going on! Love looking at your pictures. However......you managed to make me cry before 8am today with your lovely comments to Chris about Gabriel...s'ok no harm done!! :-)
May 19th, 2010  
thanks Louise for sharing with us... very interesting
May 19th, 2010  
will be in Quebec this summer for a short visit
May 19th, 2010  
What a beautiful composition on this shot Louise. I love the gorgeous sky color as well. You guys are having some incredible weather. Great shot!
May 19th, 2010  
I really love this statue, Louise. And it was so interesting reading the story.
May 19th, 2010  
Hi Louise. first to your comment and than i will look at your picture and your caption. yes it's nice to send a video. i have uploaded a few by now as i finally found out how to do it. the funny part is that on my home computer the URL that we need to upload doesn't show up on my computer and then "Mr. Smart Aleck "finally decided to tell me to try his laptop to upload a video on YouTube and try it there and Bingo it worked. a window popped up with the URL. now i have to find out why not on my PC. just a question did you not see the one i uploaded especially for you on your special day April 29th i'm sure i read your comment. so now to your picture.
May 19th, 2010  
Oh, this was so interesting. I remember reading that poem in high school. I just looked up Evangeline and found out more on Wikipedia. Makes me want to go back and read the poem again.

Thanks for your comments over on my "blood-letting!!!" photo! lol School will soon be out and this is the first time in 9 years that I don't have to work till the end of June. I get our when the classroom teachers get out...the bad news is I lose 2 weeks pay but I will get used to that. My 1st trip will be "home" to West Seneca, NY, a suburb of Buffalo to visit my dad. My sis and bro live there also but sister will be out in Seattle visiting her son when I'm home so I won't get to see her :-( Will also visit with my brother and his wife tho.

In July the "girls' (4 of here us in Richmond) are heading to Florida for a week to visit with our 2 other g'friends who moved there recently. Those are the only plans in the works right now so nothing very exotic...of course I am sure I will make a few trips to NC to visit my younger son, his wife and my grandson....going there this weekend too...gosh, little Thomas grows and changes so quickly that I cannot let more than a month go by without a visit! You'll see ;-)
May 19th, 2010  
Here i'm back again your picture makes we want to visit there. we are planing a trip next spring to Newfoundland where my next door neighbor and friend moved to. now unless i go to the Internet i'm not so sure how far you are away from there. will have to google it. but your area there sounds to interesting especially the way you show it to us through yours eye in pictures. i read all of your info and looked at your lovely pictures on shutterfly and will continue doing so 'cause i find it very interesting. thank for sharing with us. i hope I'll have t least half as many pictures when i get back from Germany in in mid July ... keep them coming.
May 19th, 2010  
You can tell how much the person who created the statue cared about the people, it's touching. The building in the background adds a lot to the picture, but doesn't detract at all fromt he statue. I like it.
May 19th, 2010  
I llve the crop of this one - extra elongated lol which really makes the statue stand out. Re fox pics I would love to get the opportunity to take one ( though i am not a fan of foxes) but they tend to come out early in the morning ( sleeping ) and at dusk ( at my computer looking at 365 lol ) I will make it my mission to capture a fox and its hopefully its cubs.
May 19th, 2010  
How fun to see this pic of Evangeline. I have seen another statue of her at the other end of her journey down on the Bayou Teche in Louisiana. It has been such fun to see all of your pics, Louise. You have certainly found friends who are as patient as Ken when it comes to stopping for photo ops. What fun!!
May 19th, 2010  
I confess, I didn't know where Nova Scotia was until having read this I dragged out the atlas and found it on page 81Th ,so now I know and this is all very interesting and now I'm going to look up the Acadians!
May 19th, 2010  
So very interesting following you on your travels,seems as though you are getting my daughter Jane to get the atlas out!
May 19th, 2010  
Actually - thank you for all the information. I'm learning so much!
May 19th, 2010  
Oooh, I have to join the party here and say how much I like your picture of Evangaline - will also be looking up the Acadians - don't want to look too ignorant if Jane brings it up in conversation next time we're together! And as if three of us weren't enough, my lovely sister-in-law (my brother's wife) in Thailand has joined the 365 family and has already posted 2 amazing photos - she's http://365project.org/mem/365
May 19th, 2010  
I didn't know you were a NOLA gal. That's one of my fave cities!! My best friend from college hails from Lafayette, so I spent a lot time down that way trying out boudin, dirty rice and oyster poor boys. She even married a Muffoletto (with an "o" not an "a"). BTW - Did you know that muffoletta and muffoletto are modern Italianisms of the original Sicilian? :-)
May 19th, 2010  
I'm really loving the church in the background...absolutely amazing photo!
May 19th, 2010  
Louise, the perspective is fantastic and I am glad to see the weather is being nice to you and Ken!
May 19th, 2010  
dear louise, thanks a lot for your kind words of encouragement, they make my day!
May 19th, 2010  
and by the way, this photo simply amazes me! this would not even need any editing, the blend of the colours of the building with the dark gray statue make this photo just captivating!
May 19th, 2010  
Perfect picture and the best perspective, I love how she towers over. Brilliant!
May 19th, 2010  
wow. thanks for sharing. i love that i learn something new from this site everyday just by following people. i live in canada but i have yet to see how beautiful it truly is. i've read about the tides of the bay of fundy and would like to see that somedday. but for the meantime, i'm just going to have to live vicariously through you guys.

this shot is beautiful, louise. i love how straight out of the camera it is and how it doesn't need anything special done to it because it's already awesome.
May 19th, 2010  
toe is sore, but unbroken ... YEAH! thanks for your concern! :-)
May 19th, 2010  
I love this photo!!!! I'm a full blooded cajun and live in the Acadiana area not far from Evangeline State Park in St. Martinsville, Lousiana. I have been to the Evangeline Oak on Bayou Teche. Now I get to see where her journey started in Nova Scotia. Thanks for sharing this photo.
May 19th, 2010  
Nice rhubarb photo Loise. Thanks for the shout out and your kind words. I hope you enjoy the muffins.
May 19th, 2010  
ótimo enquadramento, ótima foto, ótima para o tema... great sho!!...
May 20th, 2010  
This is a fantastic shot!
May 20th, 2010  
fantastic shot!
May 20th, 2010  
So gorgeous.
May 20th, 2010  
Amazingly beautiful!!!!!
May 20th, 2010  
Grand Pre is such an amazing site. I've been there many times. It is so peaceful and relaxing there
May 21st, 2010  
Great composition, perfect lighting, striking photo. The photo speaks of the town history. Lovely.
May 23rd, 2010  
Great photo - so well taken and clear - lovely colours
May 23rd, 2010  
Great shot!
May 25th, 2010  
wonderful shot
May 25th, 2010  
louise!! i'm so excited to see this shot!! before i became a mom, i taught english--and i taught 'evangeline' to my 8th grade honors students!! it is one of my favorites!! i'm going to have to come visit... :)
June 26th, 2010  
Funny. I actually picked this book up last night at home. My mother was a huge reader and collector. I brought this one home with me when I visited there in May. I always remember my mother reading this one to us. Thank you for this. I didn't realize there was a statue.
July 20th, 2010  
I would say it hasn't changed in 100 years! Great to see your photo and so interesting to read the story again!
July 13th, 2020  
Thank you & I will read further on Google.
July 13th, 2020  
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