Chapter Two of Un Périple au Canada

19 July 2015 Rain! G. & S are wonderful hosts. G. was home when I arrived from Moncton. Showed me around and took me up to the Upper House. Then S. arrived after a long drive from a fishing trip in Upper New Brunswick and we had dinner. Very soon thereafter I excused myself and went up to my new digs. Despite, or perhaps in spite of the total quietness, the night was agitated: getting used to a new environment The drive from Fredericton, via Moncton - and I’ll tell you the story later - was long. The effect was more felt because I was being torn out of myself, giving myself to the road and those who use it with me. It’s nice to be away from the Berkshires. That said I have to have to own up to this morning’s headache as most likely a result of all the changes experienced in such quick order. The crankiness comes from reactions to all the new sights, especially the highways, long corridors screened in on either side by forests blocking views of the passing countryside. This is in contrast to more usual experiences, especially on the Mass Pike where those screened roadways are a pleasure because they allow a brief respite from the overly built up countrysides of Massachusetts. It is certainly not the case here, where one really begins to understand the term uninhabited. Don’t let me paint all of this as doom and gloom: I’m new to these parts and reacting to the surroundings. This morning, Sunday. the clouds lifted long enough for me to have a view of the waters and the shorelines in the distance. Then down to Lower House, breakfast and off to Church. S. Officiated at the 8 o’clock Service. The church, built in the 19th C. is white clapboard, with a balcony on three sides and no rood screen. The Prayer Book is the 1962 version of the Church of England Book. The Book of Common Prayer used in Massachusetts is a descendant of a Church of Scotland Book. After the Service we, and a few of the parishioners headed off to Café Kiwi where we had a version of Trinity’s Breakfast in the Parish House after the 8 o’clock. Later in the afternoon, I accompanied S. & G. to a flag raising party at the house of some well-connected people who’d invited friends to celebrate a new flag pole. They didn’t just raise the Canadian flag and be done with it. They asked particular friends to represent the Provinces or foreign countries of origin. So we had the flags of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Australia and the U.S. of A. I may be forgetting the full list. Then G. went to the mooring place of her motor boat, anxious to find out whether the battery was still alive after a few weeks of disuse. She and S. want the craft operational for when the grandchildren arrive with their parents. The investigation pointed to the need for some maintenance. Before I forget, here’s the story on Moncton. At Breakfast, in the dining room of the Fredericton Inn, I noticed flags over the main entry. One of them was a tricolore with a gold star in the upper blue field. This caught my eye. I googled it when I got back to my room: the flag of Acadie! The Original flag is kept at the Musée d’Acadie on the campus of the Université de Moncton. With that bit of information, I looked up the location of the Museum and decided I could do a little research expedition to Moncton on my way to Chester. I arrived on the campus, parked my car and eventually found the Museum: Closed until 1 pm… Found some nice people who pointed me to a venue where I could get a quick snack. A wonderful conversation in French - well not the French I know. A French of Acadia - its own particular language with enough similarities to be understood by a modern French speaker. I walked a short distance into town and found the recommended Restaurant Guacamole where I ordered a supercharged burrito. By the time I returned to the Museum it was near to opening. A few other people were waiting. The doors opened and we were invited in. The following quote is from the 2nd National Acadian Convention in 1884: The Acadian flag was chosen in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island in 1884, during the second National Acadian Convention. It was proposed by Reverend Marcel-François Richard from Saint-Louis, New Brunswick, President of the 3rd Commission responsible for studying the choice of a national flag. At the end of the proceedings, the following was announced: On the afternoon of August 15, once the 3rd Commission had finished its work, Father A.-D. Cormier presented his plenary report which he finished off with the following proposal: “It has been proposed by the Secretary and seconded by Reverend M.-F. Richard that: ‘The tricoloured flag be the national flag of the French Acadians. As a distinctive mark of the Acadian nationality, a star, representing Mary, will be placed in the blue section of the flag, which is the symbolic colour of the people who are devoted to the Virgin Mary. This star, Stella Maris, that must guide the small Acadian colony through storms and pitfalls, will be yellow in order to show our sacred attachment to our mother, the Holy Church.’ ” [Unofficial translation] After a speech by Reverend Richard, the proposal was put to vote and received unanimous support and enthusiasm from the crowd. During the course of the evening, while delegates were gathered in the large room of the convent to close the Convention, Reverend Richard, to their great surprise, displayed the new Acadian flag which he had asked one of his parishioners to make. It was with a great deal of emotion that the delegates saluted, for the first time ever, their national flag which was raised across from the Miscouche church the next day. Over the years, it became the most powerful symbol of cultural identity of the Acadian people. http://museeacadien.org/an/online-resources/frequently-asked-questions/du-drapeau-acadien/ The Museum has an extensive collection of artifacts, written materials and artwork that explain the Acadian Culture. It is not as I discover the only repository of things Acadian: In fact the above quotes are from the website of Acadian Museum 23 Main Drive East, Miscouche, PE C0B 1T0 Canada After a short visit, only too aware of the rapidity with which I was taking in all this material, I went back to the road to Chester.