Monday 16 November 2009

09 Ontario Meaford and cousin Lynn

My cousin Lynn and I have a special connection. I was flower-girl in her mother's wedding and she was flower-girl in mine. I think she was destined to live on a farm.
The picture below is my grandmother as a young woman, notice the similarities? This is the road to Meaford - with the Georgian Bay in the distance.We were greeted by a wonderful collie - with the patience of a herd dog. When we visited, his herd consisted of cats. I'm happy to report that he now has 8 cows!My cousin and her husband have recently purchased his great-uncle's farm. The house is old and in need of major repairs. The question is: to rebuild or build a new house? The barn is ancient.The back had an interesting array of doors that were 20 feet in the air with no obvious way to use them. There must have been a ramp in the past. Note the handmade hinges.Surveying the scene ...The farm is located on a sunny hill.A pear tree was heavy with fruit.Back to the herd of kittens. These are the barn kittens, their mom and an old & creaky black tomcat. My husband bought them kitty treats ... and was he popular! Larry would dance for a treat!I would have loved to take this one home. Fluffy was shy and avoided people and the other cats. However, she would approach for those treats!
They also had two horses. Some cattle are to come. As with most farmers these days, Lynn and Brian both have full time jobs. We visited the Meaford Cemetery.
A special aunt and uncle:And sadly a cousin who was named after my dad, and who died too soon! A boating accident at 17. My memories of him were the summer of '59 when I visited. He was a 2 year old bundle of energy with a grin on this face.
The town of Meaford is a charming town of brick houses, churches and buildings.
The Meaford river runs into Georgian Bay. My uncle was known as the fisherman with such good luck that the fish 'jumped into his boat'. On a lighter note, the entire town was decorated with scarecrows for Thanksgiving and Halloween.Our visit was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my cousin and meet her husband. I wish them well with their new home and adventures in farming.

1 comment:

Vivien Zepf said...

You take gorgeous pictures to commemorate your travels, Vivian. Wow!

And good luck to your cousin. I live in a 250+ year old house and wouldn't trade it for the world but I do know the adventure she's in for!