Maud to The Nickle

Hello

I'm going to play a little catch-up.

On Sunday October 12, our adventures kept us staying the night in Leaskdale, Ontario where the author Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of "Anne of Green Gables" lived for 15 years
with Rev Ewan MacDonald.

This Painting

"A Moment With Lucy Maud Montgomery"

artist: Arnold Hodgkins 1911-1989, Leaskdale Ontario

This painting of LM. Montgomery is in her home in Leaskdale and I stood before it in amazement as each picture painted around her portrait displays her life and times.

These places and events displayed here of Maud's life and career from the right side of the painting the North Shore Coast of Prince Edward Island and the Macneil farmhouse at Cavendish where Maud was raised by her grandparents. The top left illustrates the Marco Polo, a sailing ship that went aground in a storm at Cavendish. Maud witnessed this in her childhood and wrote a short story, "The Wreck of the Marco Polo", published in 1891.

The middle left side illustrates the fictional character "Anne", created by Maud in her first novel, "Anne of Green Gables", published in 1908. It may not be noticable in the picture but one side of Anne's hair is red the other green, a failed attempt at getting rid of her red hair and it turned green.
The lower left side shows the Leaskdale Church and the pasteral countryside of Leaskdale.
The airplane sympolizes World War 1 which influnced Maud deeply and inspired her to write "Rilla of Ingleside" published in 1921.

The painting was unveiled at the Uxbridge Music Hall on July 14, 1974 by Dr. Stuart Macdonald her youngest son.
This portrait was commissioned by the Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery who was born on November 30, 1874.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank presented it to the Historical Society in recognition as their 100 year of service in Uxbridge

This painting top right is also painted by Arnold Hodgkins and is hung in the front room where Lucy sat most of the time writting as the light was the best and the school house road faced the house and she could watch for the boys coming up the dirt road. It is of the Mill in Leaskdale directly across with the creek running behind. The top left picture is one I took of this same mill still standing.

The bottom left is an old stove that was used around the time LM Montgomery would have been in this house. Without running water or electicity the door right beside this stove led outback to a privy. We had about a private 3 hour tour that was amazing. I was shown the little closet room under the stairs that Lucy talks about in her journals, I sat in the church pew where she sat while her husband gave the sermon. I was given history on the house and the restoration and shown the mystery cupboard that Lucy Maud talked about in her novels however wasn't found until a wall was taken down and there stood the cupboard full size of a door but only as deep as two cans of soup. Everything from her chiar, favourite dishes, to how they came to restore the wallpaper on the walls. The trunk is of pure cedar and was owned by Lucy Maud and given to the society by Kate Macdonald recently.

The home of LM Montgomery Macdonald and Rev. Ewan Macdonald

As written outfront the house.

A miniature statue of LM Montgomery is inside the church and is a replica of a life size bronze statue that will be unveiled this month in front of the Presbyterian Church in Leaskdale, a short few steps from the home above. The life size will have Maud wearing her glasses.

The top picture is Lucy Maud's sewing room. The bottom was a find at a farmer's market, cute or what?

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Onto Owe Sound,

Indian River.

Monday was Thanksgiving and so we spent the day driving and taking pictures.

Dreaming of our small house

We have been toying with the idea of having a small house, one that I could tie a feather duster to my a__ and turn a circle once and the house be cleaned, you know the kind? Anyway this house would have to qualify

a dock with night lights so we could see the ships coming and going, it would or should be on or near water, with lots of rocks.

LOTS-A rocks, like a rock garden so there were no more weeds to pull, or grass to cut or trees to trim and my French Gardener would have more time to cook he said, or perhaps he would have more time to relax.

Relax, yup I could see us now, sitting back having a glass of wine, waiting for our crock-pot supper to cook and having time to relax. Garden work is done after you moved two rocks today, one pair of scissors took care of all the grass that needed to be cut for the day. Nothing but time, time to relax.

My Garden

Yes, my garden, it would be small about the size of a roast pan, that's it

more time to relax.

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Onto

Indian Falls

I bet you weren't ready for that were you?

Beautiful or what?

It took a bit to get there, the hike was long and the walk was damp and we followed the creek, as long as we could hear water we knew we were almost there.

Some of the steps were tree roots.

It shouldn't be hard to find the falls, it is just past the fairy homes at the bottoms of the trees, then

beyond the only wild asters I could find, around

these trees

until you reach the top of the falls

Memory - when I was a little girl I always wanted to go fishing with dad at Mackey Creek and he would always head to the lower falls to fish off the falls. I would tag along, afraid a bear would come up behind me and I tried with all my short little legs would go to keep up to Dad, while he cut a path through the bush. I'll never forget getting the fishing line tangled in a tree branch and he got out of sight while I tried to untangle it. I panicked thinking I was going to be lost or eaten by a bear and so I took tree branch and slipped in my own sh___ to get caught up to dad. Me and that tree branch landed safe at the falls.

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Onto Spirit Rock, Wiarton, On

Still Monday

As meditation can heal what melancholy freezes in your mind - this place will get you in touch with your inner self.

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He is a legend in his own time

Wiarton Willie

Wiarton Willie, an albino ground hog that has created a world of fun. Feb 2 marks the mid-winter hum drums so a single individual created a little story about a ground hog that appears from his whole in the ground to see his shadow. If he does see his shadow then the legend stands to be told there is still another 6 weeks of Winter ahead of you.

Wee Willie has passed on now, the last of the family of 3 albino groundhogs in existance.

A stone monument dedicated to this legend sits in the Provincial Park in Wiarton, On.

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Lions Head

Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, On

I find this peaceful, yes, however most often than not people don't come to Lions Head to meditate but they come to visit this limestone cliff and climb it. Plenty of rock climbers come here as it is open for climbing - no me, my feet need to not dangle up high, anyhow this cliff does look like a lions head, grassy main and all on the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron.

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Off to Wasaga Beach

A long walk on the beach

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Drive around Midland, On

What a town of coloured brick

Drumroll

They are all on the sides of brick and you just have to be there and up close to appreciate the look and feel. I tried to bring it to you however I just don't see in the picture what I saw in the wall.

My favourite

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Onto Sudbury

We arrived in time for our crock pot supper, a few groceries and a short walk before it started to rain.

The Big Nickel is a 9-metre replica of the 1951 Canadian Nickel

Ted Szilva, at the time a 28-year-old City of Sudbury fireman, read about a contest in the Sudbury Star. The contest, sponsored by the Sudbury Canada Centennial Committee, chaired by Maurice Lacourciere, requested that citizens of Sudbury forward suggestions on how they would like to see the City of Sudbury celebrate the Canadian Centennial. Among the many entries, Szilva put forward the suggestion for a major tourist attraction featuring a giant replica of a five-cent coin, an underground mine and a mining science centre. Szilva’s idea was rejected because the committee felt that "it did not have sufficient use for the citizens of Sudbury as such".
Read (wikipedia's Big Nickel) how Ted Szilva, single handedly spend years, and fundraised, and purchased property, rejected building permit and managed to still make his dream come true to errect a "Canada's Most Unique Tourist Attraction.

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What a day,

blessed for sure at all the beauty there could be in one single day

Cindy

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