Early Spring Sunrise Overlooking the Onion Fields - May 11, 2011, 5:18 a.m.

Annual Clean Up - April 14, 2011, 8:14 a.m.

The crazy thing is that every Spring the fields need to be cleaned by hand.  Huge roots, tree branches continue to rise up (from the deep?) and surface. This photo was taken April 14, 2011.

Dancing the Day Away -- Best Friends

Sage Advice

"If you need advice, I can give you some" ~Jehu

The Good Old Days -- 1933, RV'ing at its Best

We've Been Thinking of Camping

This trailer is from circa 1930.  I love the relaxed look and dress of the campers! Maybe they've just come home from a worship service at a local church.

Updates -- click the link or scroll down

I found a few more photos of flood's impact on the house in which we're living!

Flooded! Updates Click the link or scroll down to Dec 8, 2010

Dream Home Series ?

Went to a RV show in the International Centre in Toronto the other week. What you see here doesn't really fit in the "Dream Home Series" because ... it's a bus! 

Such a deal at $319,000!! (I think it's a Charleston 430BH). The upshot to all this is that we're even more happy with our pop up trailer.

Dream Home Series

Dream Home Series

While this house may not be of the vintage of the others in my "Dream Home Series", it caught my eye. Found in Grimsby on Lake st.

Morning Mist over Muck

New Every Morning

Ducks in the Morning

There's a ditch that runs straight back of our house toward the 400. Likely the water will not freeze. Makes a nice place for ducks in winter time. 

One particular early morning, as I was walking to get a better shot of the sun rise, suddenly these ducks took flight. This was the first wave.  As I continued, wave and wave flew away.

They circled high above until I had left. 

Sun Rise over the Marsh (note the "sun-dogs")

Ps 113:3

Sights like these don't last long. When they appear, it's a mad dash grabbing camera, coat, boots ... Get dressed, race out to the field and start clicking!

Life@1351 - Part 2

There are many beautiful experiences that make living in the Holland Marsh a pleasure.  Beside all the wonderful people, there are fabulous sights. Here are a few pictures I took on the first day of winter 2010.

(A view from our back yard - sunrise)

It's only a thought, but it seems that the land of the Marsh retains it's heat & moisture longer than other soils we know. First thing in the morning, even now near the end of December, it's not unusual for a fog of some sort, more like gentle mist to float over the land.  This particular morning, the mist had climbed the trees and frozen there to sparkle in the sun.

 
Psalm 147:16 (NIV)

  "He spreads the snow like wool

and scatters the frost like ashes."

Here's a comparison shot. It's not exact, but these give you the idea of a field covered with snow and the same field loaded with carrots ready for the harvest.

OK, it's back to Life@1351 - Part 1

We live in the Holland Marsh (not near it, in it)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Marsh

The soil around here is called Muck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muck_Crops_Research_Station

Most memorable event: Hurricane Hazel - 1954

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hazel
2. http://www.hurricanehazel.ca/ssi/about_community.shtml (Scroll down to Holland Marsh)
3. Environment Canada account of Hazel's impact on Holland Marsh  (first photo on that page shows the original Springdale church building and the house next to it in which we now live. Here's a section of that photo) I should add that this photo shows house and church building partially under water!
   
   
   

   
   
   Today we're living in that house!
   
   

   

   
   
   

   
   
   The church facilities were eventually dismantled leaving only the steeple sitting on the ground. 
   
   

   

   (taken Dec 8, 2010 -- notice it's tilting a bit - sinking in the muck)

   
   

    
   

   New ministry centre was opened in 1998.

   
   

   

   (Click on image for larger size)

   
   

   (Panorama redone on Jan 22, 2011)

   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

   
   
   
   

   

   Reformation Day Gathering

    
   
   The parsonage has been expanded over the years, but essentially it's an old and large (expensive to run) house. This is the view of the back.
   
   

   

   
   
   
   

   

   
    A view from our southern deck (that's our trailer in its parking spot), and our closest neighbour's house nestled in the trees).
   
   Looking out the back of the house toward the east and the front toward the west, we see the sun rise, and the sun set. But that's for another post
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

That's right! Snow

Sunset on the First Snow Day

What we're really appreciating with life in the Marsh, are the sun rises and sunsets. I saw this one right out my study window today.

Sun Set, and It was a Day