Purple Path of Delight

When Anne Shirley first arrives on Prince Edward Island and is being carriage-driven to Green Gables by Matthew, she is enchanted by a pathway filled with white apple blossoms; a "canopy of snowy fragrant bloom." Matthew says that it's called 'the Avenue' and that it's pretty. Anne replies "Oh, pretty doesn't seem the right word to use. Nor beautiful, either. They don't go far enough. Oh, it was wonderful-wonderful.. It just made a queer funny ache and yet it was a pleasant ache... they shouldn't call that lovely place the Avenue. There is no meaning in a name like that.' Anne renames it the 'White Way of Delight.'

Well, I usually see that kind of loveliness on vacation- the Swiss Alps, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone... but during the month of May on my own front street- the one with the garbage trucks and street cleaning and parking enforcement people- I have to sort of echo Anne's exuberance at the springtime beauty. The huge trees are filled with Blue Jacaranada blossoms.

They're not a flower I knew in Canada growing up, but I'm glad to make their acquaintance. They hang down like grapes in huge clusters and it kind of does make your heart ache to see them all in bloom. It seems like we should rename Greenfield Avenue the Purple Path of Delight... or something like that. At least for a couple weeks each year ;)