Webwood Falls and Stops Along the Way

This past Thanksgiving weekend gave me so many things to be thankful for as we gathered with family and shared a fantastic thanksgiving meal.  But getting from the table to the trail was my favourite part of the weekend.

Thanksgiving Monday was this amazing, unseasonably warm and sunny day which enticed everyone to get out and enjoy.  I took full advantage of the gift that was this gorgeous day, heading out for a drive and with no particular place to go I would stop each time I saw some scene that inspired me and I had to capture.

I took in the view from the Top of Talisman.

My favourite barn along Grey Road 7.

I loved this old truck for sale.

Living in the moment and letting the day take me where it may, I turned onto Sideroad 25 and just over the bridge I stopped to experience the trails at Webwood Falls.  The trail to the viewing deck built by the Bruce Trail Conservancy is easily accessed from the road and provides a nice vantage point of this cascading waterfall.

If you follow along on Map 28 of the Bruce Trail there is a great Side Trail loop for you to take, making it easy for parking in the same spot where you start and end your hike, which is perfect for a family hike.

There once stood a mill here that served the community, the remains of which are still visible with the stone wall that still stands just above the falls.

On the other side of the falls stands the remnants of a shed which has much more significance than just an old charming building.  It is a Barn Swallow Nest Rehabilitation project where artificial nest cups have been placed inside the shed to encourage nesting of the Bran Swallow, who's numbers have declined in the area.  As a kid we had these birds nesting at our cottage and I would hate to see them disappear from the area.  There is an information sheet on the outside of the shed, please follow the request and do not enter the structure, I took these photos standing outside.

Webwood Falls and the surrounding lands were generously donated by James Horwood and is actually a nature reserve, protecting the diverse habitat with over 200 plant and fauna species.  Jim named the falls in memory of his parents and close to this commerative plaque you can see the remnants of the original homestead perennial garden still evident surrounding the trail as well as a hand water pump. It just makes me picture Mrs. Horwood tending to her garden which makes it so special.

Having read about the family donation it made me feel so honoured to be enjoying the beautiful trail that day.  On a day of Thanksgiving it seemed so fitting to be at Webwood Falls and I was very thankful that Mr. Horwood gave the gift of these lands for all of us to explore and enjoy.  I encourage you to get out and share is his gift if you have not already been.

The view of the falls from the other side of the trail.

Some of the plant life that was thriving.

A friend I found along the trail.

The trees guarding the trail.

Fell in Love with The Feversham Fall Fair

The weather last Saturday was amazing, it was a gorgeous summer day reminiscent of the equally beautiful day my husband and I were married on the dock at Lake Eugenia 11 years prior.  We were spending our morning sitting at the dock having brunch with our friends and family, finding it hard to make plans to do anything else that day.  I have never been to the Feversham Fall Fair and because I was in no rush to leave the serenity of the dock, I was wondering if I even wanted to go.  Finally later in the afternoon I was motivated enough to head to the 146^th Feversham Fall Fair to check it out for the first time, along with my small entourage.

Our arrival at the fair was with a greeting display of vintage cars and tractors which my son and nephew were just captivated by.  The kids like seeing the engines of the tractors and it made me imagine how vital the tractor would have been to the success of the family farm.  Today they have been lovingly restored to a show room shine and I was amazed at how many old tractors there were.  I really would have liked to have seen the tractor pull but that is definitely something I will be sure not to miss next year.

We stopped to watch the light horse show, where these girls had to ride their horses up to a barrel with a pole in it, grab the pole, ride around another barrel and then put the pole back in the barrel.  Sounds simple but some of the horses were spooked by it and this was a timed trail.  These young ladies showed off some real horsemanship skills, I was super impressed.  While watching the pole competition, I met one of the Fair’s beautiful ambassadors who let me take her photo, crown and all.  How great it must be to have a crown that you can wear whenever you want, even when you’re just watching tv, the lucky girl.

 

The display of all the best of everyone’s talents in the arena was impressive.  The flowers, art work, canning, baking, vegetables, knitting, quilts, just to name of the displays was so nice to see.  Can you imagine the bragging rights you would have for winning first place in the apple pie division?  The downside might be that anytime people came over they would most likely expect you to bake them your first place pie recipe.  I still think it would be so worth it when you served dessert to be able to say “here comes thebest apple pie in Feversham, I have the ribbon to prove it!”

 

I loved seeing the cows, they were beautiful.  If ever you wanted to pet a cow the fair is the time do it.  They were all washed up like they were dressed in their Sunday best on their way to Grandma’s house for dinner.  You still had to mind your step but they were so beautiful, I had to pet them all. 

I really was impressed with how much this fair had going on, so much for everyone to see and do.  I saw lots of kids with painted faces and great balloon sculptures.  The kids in my entourage had to get some ice cream, it was the perfect weather for it.  The hay pile was a hit with all the kids, even our littlest entourage member William.  That night they were having a Fall Fair dance which is another thing I want to plan to attend for next year.    

As we started to make our way out of the fair I really took away the sense of community which was the underlying theme in this friendly competition.   Even though everyone came out to compete against their friends and neighbours, it seemed more just a reason this community to get together and celebrate all the things that made them who they were.  I loved seeing the men gather around someone's tractor.  I loved hearing the ladies talking about their entries in the quilt competition and complement each other on their entries.  I really loved it and will try to recapture it at the Rocklyn Fall Fair this coming September 28.  Hope you can make it out to the Fair as well.