Spud Planting
Welcome to November!
The leaves are now mainly on the ground. Lawns, instead of being “Summer Green”, are now covered with “Earthy Brown” leaves. November is a time of change, when the thought of winter is upon us. For many, the thought of winter snows brings excitement skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, winter walks and more. For others, it the time for planning winter vacations in the sunny, warm, south. For Judi and me, its time to reflect on the past year, to plan for the future and to remember those who have passed.
We hope that whatever November means to you, that the future bring happiness and good health.
The month, the Nomad, brings you a “Dog Day Afternoon”. A few years ago, we came across a man and his dog! I’ll let the Nomad tell you all about it!
Our feature this month is all about “Spuds”. That’s right, from start to finish, Scoop and I witnessed “spuds” being planted and then, “potatoes” being harvested. We have created a couple of videos to help you see the whole process. Now you will see how your “favourite” potato chips come to be!
Our Spotlight Community is the town of Exeter. This interesting town is located in South Huron and is known for its amazing part in World War II.
Our final article is from “mystery” guest! You will have to read on to find out who it is!
A “Dog Day Afternoon”!
Article by Gary McWilliams (aka Festival Nomad) Original Artwork by K.C. (Susan) Caron
Every once in a while, we come across a funny situation when we visit a festival or event. But, when we come across two at the same event, it’s something to write about! This past fall we went on an artists’ studio and gallery tour. We traveled all over scenic Prince Edward County. After much time and mileage, we reached our final destination, the Town of Picton. Picton is a picturesque town located in the southern part of Prince Edward County. It is especially busy during the summer and fall months. It was towards the end of the day and we had only a little viewing time left to see a few more participating artists. Many of the artists we visited during the tour had their studios in their homes. The artist (who’s studio was in his home) we were about to visit was located in the south eastern residential section of Picton. After winding our way through a number of residential streets, we finally located his home. The artist was on the grass in front of his home sitting at his easel. He gave us a friendly welcome and showed us what he was working on. He then suggested that we enter his home to view his work. At the front door we were greeted by his wife. She directed us upstairs to the artist’s studio/gallery. Upstairs we were met by their son who was in charge of the gallery. After looking around and admiring the works of art we took our leave and headed downstairs and out to the front lawn. We looked to say goodbye to our host and found that he and the family dog were fast asleep on the ground. It must have been a long day! Our last image was dog and master raising their heads bidding us a goodbye. The next artist’s (a carver) studio we wanted to visit was located on a nearby street. We found his home and parked our car. We walked up to the house and went in. We were greeted by the artist’s wife who told us to take our time looking at the carvings that were placed around the living and dining rooms. As we were about to leave, our hostess suggested that if we wanted to see her husband at work we could go outside to the garage located at the side of the house. The garage had been converted into the carver’s workshop. We love to see artists and artisans at work, so we took the trip up the side of the house to the workshop. The door was open so we walked in. YOU GUESSED IT! Here was the carver, chisel in hand, fast asleep in his rocking chair! We quietly backed out of the workshop so as not to disturb him. This was not the kind of working we were used to seeing! Judging by the last two artists, it must have been a very busy day!!
From Spud Planting to Potato Harvesting
Each spring and fall, Scoop and I like to “take to the road” and look for interesting farming activities. When we come across planting and harvesting, we stop and take lots of photos and videos. As a result, we have 1,000’s of planting and harvesting photos and videos. This past year we were able to capture both the planting and harvesting of potatoes. Our feature videos this month, capture some of the amazing “Spud” equipment and farming, we experienced. While we were filming the potato harvesting, we were able to ask one of the workers what the potatoes were going to be use for. His reply was simple, “potato chips”. And, as they say, “that’s the rest of the story”.
Spud Planting
Potato Harvesting
Ontario Community Spotlight ~ Exeter
This month’s Ontario Community Spotlight, presented by Ontario Visited, is the Community of Exeter.
We had never been to Exeter.
Actually, South Huron, that’s the municipality where Exeter is located, is not an area that we have explored in the past. Since we were in Huron County for the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, we decided to check out other communities in the area. Exeter was one of the communities that we discovered. According to the “Experience Exeter” website, Exeter is the “Home of the White Squirrel”! Although we didn’t see any white squirrels during our visit, we did experience Exeter’s heritage downtown. Getting out of the car and walking, always gives you a greater appreciation of the what a community has to offer. Exeter was no exception! Walking through the downtown area gave us a glimpse of what the community and its residents were like! The shops were well maintained, with lots of variety to choose from. Like most rural towns, Exeter caters to the surrounding farms.
Exploring South Huron communities was a great adventure, one that we will definitely do again!
Click HERE for the Google Map of Exeter.
Click HERE for our Exeter article.
The Past Goes On!
Yes, I am still writing my memoirs! Now I’m in high school, Richview Collegiate Institute (RCI). I’ve left Appleby College and looking for love (girls!). Public high school didn’t quite turn out as I thought if would. I did find love, excitement and part-time jobs, but not the scholastic achievements that I wanted. In the end of my school days, I did go on to better things. Read on!
Potato Harvesting
