Our Destination

After three days of barn photos as we drove through the countryside, you're probably ready for something else, so here it is, our destination - the Kemble Women's Institute Monument and Lookout.  On a sunny day like last Saturday, the view was spectacular!

The Kemble Women's Institute was formed in 1897, the third in the world.  That makes it the oldest remaining active, after 123 years.  This monument was placed in 2007, to mark the 110th Anniversary.

It's the view that makes it such a spectacular setting.  Sitting on the upper escarpment bluff, it provides a very wide view overlooking Owen Sound Bay of Georgian Bay.  The water was a deep blue on the day we were there.

It took me three photos left to right to show the entire view.  You can see the two bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment in the second photo.  In this area it's often separated into two by the underlying geological formations.

The sculptor Marnie Cheyne designed and sculpted the unique tea service and open book which seems very appropriate when you read the story of how the women's institutes operated and what they accomplished.  The open book has the words of the Mary Stewart Collect, the official Women's Institute Creed.  When I read it I'd interpret it to say 'Quit complaining and work to make a difference in your community!'

I think this farm must have a tremendous view!

At the end I did remember to use the wide angle and got one shot of the entire view.  A beautiful place to pause and take a break when you're driving by.

One Last Post of Barns (for now)

We kept on driving, up to our destination near Kemble, and along the way I got a lot more pictures of barns.  Actually a lot of the landscape is rolling fields and fencerows, with no barns in sight.

As I said, a lot of rolling fields and fencerows.

And a couple of valleys.

Many views of distant barns across the fields, and one right beside the road.  It looked largely unused.

I think that's enough for now!  I hope you've got an idea of what our countryside looks like around here.

Plus a few willows turning yellow; early signs of spring.

More Barns

Continuing our country drive, we passed farm after farm.  Barns seem to be a winter photo target for me, and they're usually back far enough from the road that the new camera can get a clear focus even though we're moving.  I'm really pleased with the focusing ability it has.

A lot of these are shot facing west, partly into the sun, so the barns themselves look dark.  I can lighten them up but then you lose the bright blue sky.  Did you notice the second big barn behind the trees toward the right?

This has long been one of my favourite, with the giant Canadian flag painted on the barn roof.

And this illustrates the cropping I can do with shots from this camera - the same photo cropped to a tiny little square around the barn.  Look at how clearly the individual trees show up.

Another of the old schoolhouses that dot the countryside, often with their belltower and sometimes the original bell like this one.

One of my favourites because buried under that snowbank is a beautiful old drystone fence. that extends all the way across the front of the farm..

Here it is, in the summer several years ago.

I find it's hard to photograph a valley we're driving through and show the feeling of depth that you get in the car.  There are two big hills we go up on this road, and looking ahead is one of them.  Notice the big snowbank on the west side of the road only, because that's the side the snow drifts from.

I found it was fun trying to crop these photos both to get a closer view of the barns and to level the horizon while making an interesting picture.  I could have got quite close pictures of the barns, but these show the landscape just as you'd view it from the car driving by.  I think keeping the fences in front and showing a wider view than just the barn makes for a more interesting picture.  These are still cropped quite a bit.

This is the last barn before we turn west south of Walters Falls.  This farm, which has no house left,  is used as a community pasture when farmers need extra during a dry year.

Still lots more barns to go, but there is a great view of the bay at the end!

A Long Saturday Afternoon Drive

Last Saturday the sun rose into a blue sky and we decided to go for a long drive.  I started snapping pictures, mainly of barns, as we drove.  I find my new Canon EOS is light enough to use with one hand as we drive, and it has good enough resolution that I can later crop pictures dramatically and still get a good shot.  A lot of these are heavily cropped.

This is a busy cattle farm just outside of Meaford.

An older barn, but I didn't notice the two horses until I saw the shot on the computer screen.

Another busy cattle farm.  Can you see the single animal out behind the barn?  You probably can't see the cluster of beasts in the shadow of the barn, gathered around the hay bale.

How's this for a great shot!  I could not have positioned that tree right in the centre of the old church if I'd tried!  This former rural church is now a residence, but inside it retains the appearance of the old church.  We know the person who lives there.

And across the street the old Bethesda one-room schoolhouse, now also a residence.

A typical small barn on a hobby farm, probably just used as a drive shed.

Two more nice looking farms against the blue sky.  Today most of the snow is probably gone, giving a very different picture.

And finally, for today, the Bighead River.  Lots more barns still to come - it was a long drive!

The Streetsweeper Came Already!

I was delighted to hear the dull roar of some heavy equipment in the distance, a rumble which turned itself into the streetsweeper driving past the house.  I hurried to the front door and confirmed my hope.  Yes it's true, much earlier in the month than I had dared hope for, our street has been cleaned of the worst of the grit..

You have no idea what a difference this will make in my life.  The grit is the single biggest problem that I face getting outside over the winter months.  Combined with melting snow it means I can't easily get clean and dry to get into the house, so I can't go out for rides up and down the street.  Needless to say I was out for a ride later this afternoon, my first of the season!

Our Ostrich has Emerged Again!

I've been taking these pictures to share, starting right after the big snowfall 10 days ago.  Our poor garden Ostrich/Heron/Crane was totally buried by the drifting snow, but finally yesterday its head came up for air!

No sign of the bird at all under the snow, Feb. 29th.

Can you see the slight bump in the snow where it's buried?

Here it is, starting to re-appear.

A little more melting.

But the big difference was over one night of high temperatures and strong wind, scattering Ash seeds over the surface of the snow.

Another night finished the rescue, and here it is!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

With temperatures staying up at 8°C even overnight, the snow has been vanishing fast.  Not much visible melting, except for a trickle of water down the edge of the road, but the snow is obviously being just sucked up into the atmosphere!  And it's been raining for 12 hours now, helping to further wash away the dirt and grit I hope.

Yesterday morning, Monday, the view was like this, about half of our own yard green, but the golf course still all white.  It had vanished overnight fast.

This morning, if you can see it through the raindrops on the window, our yard is almost bare, and there are large patches of green on the golf course.  It's supposed to be colder by tonight, but warm again by Thursday.  I've rarely seen the snow dissipate this fast, though I'm glad to see it go.  Now, if they'll only get those street sweepers out.

Just for comparison, this is the view 10 days ago, just after the big storm.  glad to see this sort of weather over and done with for another year (I hope)!