Hills of the Headwaters Archives

Skies blue enough to swim in, Fall sunshine, still warm but gentler now than summer’s pounding intensity.

Pumpkin, squash and indian corn; orange dominating, but highlighted in shades of yellow, cream and gold, with dashes of green for contrast – resonant with the gratitude of harvest. Farm-store feeding frenzy – the busiest day of the year; pies, pies and more pies – apple, blueberry, bumble-berry, pumpkin (of course) and more, flying from the shelves.

A fantasy of domed turrets from a Russian folk-tale beckons, resolving into fabulous, wooden Eastern Catholic church, St. Elias. Ukrainian folk-song, hauntingly wraps round me as I absorb the sense of shared thankfulness of the apple festival, of a place truly built to the glory of God.

Counting caterpillars as we walk (along with blessings), furry brown and orange, exuberance bursting from us, hearts full.

” Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue”, over a jewelled landscape; flying, flung free a while – it is not difficult to relate to the thought of “touching the face of God”. (Read more)

Reflected reds, golds and greens; the shimmering of Aspens caressed by a warm breeze; an occasional flurry of yellow leaves, swirling like snow; a single splash of red, spiralling downward; cathedral columns, drawing the eye heavenward.

A perfect day for thanks-giving!

The Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend, 2013

I seem to be too busy living to keep up with making albums of our various expeditions and adventures (a good thing, I think!)

But I have just uploaded photos from a recent escape to a lovely nineteenth century farmhouse, about and hour and a half north of Toronto near Mono Centre – a much-needed retreat. And we saw our first porcupine.

In the same album are photos from a nature walk filled with natural wonders in Mono Cliffs Provincial last August, a magical day at Alton Mill in the winter and some earlier photos from the area.

We spent a glorious Spring day at the Royal Botanical Gardens on May 19, just catching the Rock garden saturated with the colour of the tulips, yet still with the pastel daintiness of the cherry blossom. These are a series of gardens that you drive between, though it was too early for some. But we had a wonderful long hike out through Arboretum and beyond, again blessed with an abundance of wildlife and natural wonders. For the first time in 50 years, Bald Eagles have raised chicks on the shores of Lake Ontario – we were able to view the nest from a distance. That so many people were so excited by this is truly heartwarming.