I Heart Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash is a tastefully delicious side dish that my family simply adores. It is a fruit that can be roasted, toasted, pureed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads, and muffins.

"Cosmopolite"

The Painted Lady Butterfly is an avid flower-visitor and can often be found in gardens with butterfly bushes. It is perhaps the most widespread butterfly in the world. We have seen many in our area this August. Unlike the Monarch butterfly's round trip migrations, the Painted Ladies only travel one way.

Ravenscroft Legacy

isuites

                                         It is all about elegant simplicity.

Citrus Cornucopia

This magnificent arrangement of fruit was seen in the Conference Room at the Retro Suites Hotel.
If life gives you lemons...make lemonade.

Oldies but Goodies

These 1930 vintage Fleetwood Cadillacs were parked in front of the Fleetwood Auto Salon in Byron, Ontario. They are part of a 49 vintage Cadillacs collection owned by Steve Plunkett. He runs an annual event called the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In which allows  him to indulge in his three passions: old cars, oldies musical acts and helping local charities.

Dawg Days of Summer

What do you get when you have 25,000 people and 6,000 dogs? "The ultimate dog party!" We spent the afternoon at Pawlooza, strolling the grounds at the Steve Plunkett Estate. Pawlooza is London's massive dog festival for dogs and animal lovers that takes place on International Homeless Animals' Day. The event was expected to raise more than $50,000 for Arf Ontario, the animal rescue group, as well as Leads, the employment services for people with disabilities.

A Cut Above

This beautiful Larch wood end grain cutting board was given to my brother-in-law by his family for his 60th birthday. Larch is species native to Canada's east coast and this block was handmade by craftsmen in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Like the Larch, my brother-in-law is noted for his resilience, strength and ability to neutralize. Larch has all the characteristics needed to produce a superior cutting surface and he has all the characteristics of a warm and generous husband, father and friend.

This cutting block is sure to become an heirloom item in their family.

Heavenly Pairing

                                    Apple Crisp and Double Churn Ice Cream

Seed Corn Inspector

Slush Puppy

Nothing says summer better than shaved ice and flavoured syrup.

The Crimson Sumac

When I see a Staghorn Sumac, I often think how exotic it looks. And that’s no wonder considering that sumacs are found all over the world. It is very hardy and generally grows in open places such as roadsides, forest edges and clearings. The leaves in the fall turn from green to a radiant red or orange.

Mattel's Sweethearts Vacation in Chatham

Barbie is a fashion doll that was first manufactured in 1959 by Mattel and Ken was introduced as her boyfriend in 1961.

This life-sized pair of Ken and Barbie was once used in a window display at the Eaton's store in Toronto. They now stand in the front lobby of the Retro Suites Hotel, travel bags in hand.

A Bug's Life

The various insects that I find in my garden always seem to amaze me. This colourful fellow was snacking on pollen from the Dusty Miller blossoms.

Cooling Off

I just love Black Labrador retrievers and they sure know how to make the best of a hot day!

Of Days Long Ago

Once used each fall to harvest the McFadden hay crop, this old rake machine sits idly amongst the wild flowers and tufts of grass. Like the roller on the right, this old hay rake bears a patina of rich brown rust and sheds symmetrical shadows across the dry ground below it. The atmosphere in this photograph is one of solitude and rest.

Keeping Watch

As long as there have been farmers, there have been birds trying to eat their crops. And throughout the ages, farmers have tried to come up with ingenious ways to scare them off. Nowadays, scarecrows are familiar sights, not only in gardens but in autumn decorations, with no end to the cute (or scary) possibilities.

Tenacious Cedar

                            Ancient white cedar trees cling to the escarpment edge.

Old Growth Forest

The stature of the ancient Eastern White Cedars found along the Escarpment bears little relationship to their age. A tree with circumference of a few centimetres could be hundreds of years old. Fantastically, the 400 to 1000 year-old trees can be found growing right out of the rock of the Escarpment. These harsh living conditions dwarf the trees and limited their growth and size. The stunted trees have uniquely adapted to their environment. They survive the fierce cold that can occur along the edge of the Escarpment and their tiny seeds can penetrate and grow even in the minute cracks in the rock.

Eugenia Fall

If you've never stood at the top of a waterfall, for a droplet-eye view down the gorge, Eugenia Falls will take your breath away. Plunging into Cuckoo Valley, the Beaver River drops 23 metres over the Niagara Escarpment. One of the highest in Eastern Canada, this waterfall was the site of an early hydroelectric power station. Now, a dam upstream of the falls directs most of the flow through huge pipes, but even the trickle that remains creates a musical background to the dramatic view from Eugenia Falls Conservation Area, just off Grey County Road 13, at Eugenia .

The Outlier

The unique topography of the Niagara Escarpment with it's moss covered fissures and shear rock wall formations made for an interesting walk to locate a geocache hidden secretively in a crevice by the second rung of a stile.

Massey Harris Mower

Farming relic that was part of a way of life along the Welch Line in Harwich Township.

Teazel Waltz

      

 The Bride and Groom danced a magical first dance in a field of sunflowers and wildflowers.

Summer Sunshower

It has been such a hot summer this year! When it rains everything rejoices!