Sunday, July 31, 2016

Museum

Welcome to the museum! Since it has been 14 years since my last Avonlea update, I had a good laugh over the outdated content that I was still hosting online.  From time to time, I will share a few relics from the past.  Although they will probably not be relevant or useful today, it's still fun to look at them and reminisce about a time when the internet was young, social media didn't exist, and official fan sites were few and far between.

Avonlea.tv: Remembering Jackie Burroughs



I emerged briefly from Avonlea hibernation in September 2010 when I read about the death of Jackie Burroughs's, Avonlea's formidably Aunt Hetty.  I created this tribute video, proudly finishing it before the beginning of the year school crazies that are a part of every teacher's life.  I was surprised when I looked at the video today and discovered it had over 41,000 hits! Clearly, there are other fans out there who remember her incredible performance, too.

Avonlea.tv Returns

Twenty years.  Has it really been that long since I watched Road to Avonlea's final episode on the Disney Channel back in 1996?  When I designed my first Avonlea fan site a year later, I never realized how much the show would become a part of my life for the next few years.  As I began to connect with other fans, the digital world exploded, and my website became a place where I could express my creativity. 

So where have I been since my last update in 2004? It's no surprise that my last update corresponds with my first year of teaching.  As I devoted most of my creative energy into my classroom, my Avonlea projects were moved to the back burner, still simmering, but never finalized or shared.  In the summer weeks, I always returned to them, but inevitably, I was never able to finish before fall.  Then came marriage, a daughter, and two master degrees. 

Rather than maintain a large website that is outdated between updates, I decided to move Avonlea.tv to a blog format.  It's easier to maintain, and I can spend more time on creativity rather than coding.  With this new site design, some of my old, irrelevant content will be moved into the museum (for laughs), and while I can't promise frequent updates, the heart of my website will remain the same, as a personal creative outlet to share with other fans.  Road to Avonlea will always be a part of my life, and as my daughter grows up, I hope it will become part of hers, too.