canadian culture

Canada Day

July 1, 2017 By Brittany Leave a Comment

It’s Canada Day … my favourite thing about being Canadian is enjoying the nature this part of the world has to offer, which has been around for more than the 150 years that is being celebrated today.

I’m sharing some images I put together very recently while spending time in the Kawarthas region in Ontario…

I love being close to nature, and I’m infatuated with the Canadian forests and changing seasons … that’s what I was inspired by when I put these shots together. I wanted to capture that feeling of being in an old cottage up North … in which you might find vintage books … at the beginning of summer when little exotic flowers start popping up along the forest edges …

Things that make for really good imaginative play-time as children. I included the the under-appreciated green maple leaf (usually they’re admired most in the Fall) … this was my favorite tree to talk to when I was a little girl. I remember being surrounded by green maples quite vividly.

Little wild strawberries …they’re all over the place in June-July if you know where to look …

Have a nice weekend and I hope you have time to enjoy the simple things 🙂

Petroglyphs Provincial Park Hiking Trail

June 20, 2017 By Brittany Leave a Comment

The Petroglyphs Provincial Park is located in Woodview Ontario. It is named such because it contains ancient Native American rock carvings believed to have been created before the arrival of Europeans to what is now Canada. It is believed that the carvers were from Algonquian speaking groups.

Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures of the rock carvings. The images depict animals, people and boats. The rock carving site and park is considered a spiritually sacred location.

The hiking trails pass through forests that are beautiful and wild with such a diversity of flora and fauna. The latter I didn’t see much of except for a large snake and huge broken turtle shell.

They warn you to keep chatting and making noise while on your hike, because if you’re quiet you might run into a bear who didn’t hear you coming. And they do not like surprises!

If you come to this park, bring bug spray! You will need it. I was also glad I wore full length leggings.

We hiked along the Nanabush trail which passes through mixed forests and wetland and around a lake with stunning views.

Some interesting looking plant growth …

A large broken turtle shell …

On our way out, we stopped to see McGinnis Lake – one of the only meromictic lakes in Canada, meaning that the thermal layers of water do not mix, resulting in a beautiful coloration. I was really glad we stopped to see this lake even though I was tired.

I really recommend going to see it if you visit this park. If you pack a light snack to have after hiking, this would be a nice place to enjoy it and rest up after the hike.

Have you been to Petroglyph Park? Where are your favorite places to hike in Ontario?

Cloudy Spring Day

May 4, 2017 By Brittany Leave a Comment

Sharing some photos from a perfect day in April …

It was one of those days that was really warm for the season, a little bit windy and some overcast clouds. This, in combination with the wild violets popping up over untamed meadows makes for a moment when you feel like you’re in a beautiful, dark fairy tale.

I’ve realized that when it is overcast outside, the lighting is great for taking pictures.

We also happened to be at a beautiful location, the Montrose Inn in Belleville, right at this perfect moment for a photo opportunity. My family and I were there having high tea, something we usually do in April for my birthday. It was lovely and I definitely recommend going if you like historical buildings and antique decor.

The owners were kind enough to let us tour the property and take pictures.

Shealyn-windy-day Wild Blue Flowers Overcast Sky_ Shealyn-April-02

The sights of the violets popping up in Spring and the feeling in the air of everything coming alive again is one of the many joys of living in a part of the world that has changing seasons.

Only lawns that are not regularly manicured have the pleasure of being blessed by the presence of the violets. On properties that are mowed and sprayed with “weed killers” this natural beauty won’t occur. Actually some people that are OCD about keeping their lawns perfectly sanitized, regard them as weeds. Seems blasphemous.

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Maple Sugar Bush Tour

April 9, 2017 By Brittany 2 Comments

My mother and I took a little visit to the Sandy Flat Sugar bush in Warkworth, Ontario this weekend.

Visiting a sugar bush during maple season is one of the many, fun traditional things to do in this area and a great way to support the preservation of good old-fashioned Canadian culture.

The season for tapping maple trees is very short, usually only about a month long, at the very beginning of Spring. During this time, due to the cool nights and warm days, the sap becomes under pressure and is forced to run out of the trees. Only three of the thirteen native maple trees in Canada are used for producing syrup.

The Canadian country landscape is really quite beautiful, which I think a lot of people who live here take for granted. I know I definitely did in my earlier days. When visiting a maple bush, there is usually a hiking trail that visitors can take a walk through.

Our forests are magical, always changing with the seasons, reminding us of the cycle of life, death and renewal. And some of our trees make sugar syrup! Candy straight from nature.

There are no additives used to make maple syrup, and it is considered a healthier alternative to sugar and has a lower glycemic index. I actually never use sugar for anything. Instead, I always bake and sweeten with maple syrup.

Syrup is made by boiling the sap until the water evaporates. It takes about 40 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup. The traditional way of producing syrup is shown below: by boiling it in a cauldron over a fire. This is still the way that some people with private property containing lots of sugar maple trees will do it at home.

The log next to the fire shows how the Native Americans would boil the sap : by placing hot stones from a fire into a hallowed-out trunk with the sap.

Here is an image of a traditional way of tapping syrup into a bucket vs. a more modern method, with lines that transport the sap to large machines for processing.

Sandy Flat Sugar bush has a pancake house where they serve breakfast with their real maple syrup. We decided to split a breakfast, which was extremely unhealthy and mediocre, unfortunately. But it was a good vehicle to eat the maple syrup on, which was divine.