Click on the map for a larger view. The photo will open on Picton, follow Rd 10 south to where I am.I was brought up in Ontario but left when I was old enough to legally escape! I was running from a past, always thinking it will be better somewhere else but ultimately turning around and finding it looking me in the face. Anyway, the longer I was away from Ontario the more I bought into the west's version of what the east was.....Ontario gets everything, BC gets nothing, Ontario thinks they're the centre of the universe etc. etc. As much as I love where I am, floating off the coast of British Columbia there is much I love about Ontario. I have family here, Ontario is an amazing part of Canada and has much to offer.
I am housesitting in Prince Edward County, the Heart of Loyalist Ontario, a history I am ashamed to say I am not very familiar with but is at the heart of the creation of Canada. So over the next six weeks I would like to share some of this history as I learn about it myself.
My walk yesterday was to remember what early spring in Southern Ontario is like. I went for a Walk through Beaver Meadow Conservation Area which is located about 1.5 kms from where I am staying.
The day was mild with a high overcast, a perfect day for a walk. Still a little snow on the ground but the sounds of spring were all around.
The trails were soggy and the small creeks are flooding and the ice is still on the pond but it was nice to walk through a deciduous forest of birch, oak, maple and beech. There is a man made dam which creates a wetland for waterfowl. Heard lots of geese and ducks but it was too wet to get close to the water. There were subtle signs of spring but nothing in your face.
The Conservation area is in the middle of farm land, remnents of the rock clearing that had to be done before fields could be plowed are everywhere.
Shenzi was my companion on my walk.
Old vehicles were scattered on the edge of the fields where they meet the woods.
Last years leaves.....
As Shenzi & I walked out onto private property we met a farmer and his son putting up their sap buckets for collecting maple sap.
The Maple Syrup Festival here in Prince Edward County is March 28 & 29, 2009 with three of the sugar bushes within several kilometeres of where I am staying...I know what I am doing for brunch and dinners that weekend!
Going to the sugar bush for sleigh/wagon rides, pancakes, taffy pulling, the sweet smell of the sugar shack and great ramblings in the forest represented the end of winter as kids, now there's live jazz, wine tasting (Maple Ice) and gourmet food!
This is a small family operation for family collection only.
Lots of split cedar rail fencing still stands.
Coming up to the road I saw what look like a church steeple in a valley.
However it is a water pump. There was no one to ask about this contraption. That is a hand pump on top and the building is 20 ft. tall in the middle of a field....I will find out more!
Like many rural areas, development is creeping in and the farmer always seem to be on the short end of money!
My walk yesterday was to remember what early spring in Southern Ontario is like. I went for a Walk through Beaver Meadow Conservation Area which is located about 1.5 kms from where I am staying.
The day was mild with a high overcast, a perfect day for a walk. Still a little snow on the ground but the sounds of spring were all around.
The trails were soggy and the small creeks are flooding and the ice is still on the pond but it was nice to walk through a deciduous forest of birch, oak, maple and beech. There is a man made dam which creates a wetland for waterfowl. Heard lots of geese and ducks but it was too wet to get close to the water. There were subtle signs of spring but nothing in your face.
The Conservation area is in the middle of farm land, remnents of the rock clearing that had to be done before fields could be plowed are everywhere.
Shenzi was my companion on my walk. 
Old vehicles were scattered on the edge of the fields where they meet the woods.
Last years leaves.....
As Shenzi & I walked out onto private property we met a farmer and his son putting up their sap buckets for collecting maple sap.
The Maple Syrup Festival here in Prince Edward County is March 28 & 29, 2009 with three of the sugar bushes within several kilometeres of where I am staying...I know what I am doing for brunch and dinners that weekend!
Going to the sugar bush for sleigh/wagon rides, pancakes, taffy pulling, the sweet smell of the sugar shack and great ramblings in the forest represented the end of winter as kids, now there's live jazz, wine tasting (Maple Ice) and gourmet food!
This is a small family operation for family collection only.
Lots of split cedar rail fencing still stands. 
Coming up to the road I saw what look like a church steeple in a valley. 
However it is a water pump. There was no one to ask about this contraption. That is a hand pump on top and the building is 20 ft. tall in the middle of a field....I will find out more! 
Like many rural areas, development is creeping in and the farmer always seem to be on the short end of money!To explore more great places around the world go to My World Tuesday.
13 comments:
Excellent photos, thanks for the tour.
Have a great week!
Guy
Regina In Pictures
Great photos, indeed! Glad to have you join us!
Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
Beautiful pictures. That's a walk I'd like to take.
My sister in law lives in Ontario and every time we see each other she brings me delicious maple syrup. The people of Ontario sure know how to do it right!
I spent a lot of time in the summer in Picton as I was growing up. I was last there in 2004 and looked at it differently than when I was a child. It is a very beautiful part of the province. Thanks for the interesting tour.
Carolyn, should be fun to rediscover your home town. The milkweed pods bring memories from childhood in Illinois. I love maple syrup. That waterpump is crazy. How deep does the snow get there? LOL
Shenz is adorable.
Great post. Look forwrd to more.
I love rediscovering my roots! Did that in Norway last spring. Time flies... Loved your post! And your dog is so cute! Sheba would have loved to join her for some play!
Those old vehicles could use some maple syrup to cheer them up!
What a lovely walk you took me on. I love that steeple pump house
You've come (gone) a long ways east. I will be interested in the places you visit and see. Wayne and I want head east, maybe this summer, in our plane. We used to travel a lot before we discovered our float cabin in 2000. Since then we haven't wanted to be anywhere else but there. The old vehicle at the edge of the field reminds me of Rupert's Farm in Theodosia Arm. You can't get there by road, but there are over ten vehicles abandoned at the edge of a field. They must have brought them in by boat, either in Theodosia or from Powell Lake over logging roads. It's fun to pick through them to see what history is hidden. - Margy
Fascinating! Your 'walk in the woods' certainly covered a lot of interesting stuff.
great series of photos and interesting post...thank you for sharing your world with us from prince edward island.
have a great week.
Hi,
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you are from Haida Gwaii, it is one of the places in the world that just grabs my imagination and would love to visit one day. Your blog is very interesting. Would love to know the story behind the handpump.
I am catching up backwards! The woods are so inviting, and I love the term sugar bushes (never heard of it in the suburbs of Philly!)
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