Forks of the Credit River

Along the Bruce Trail, Caledon Hills, Ontario http://brucetrail.org/

The Bruce Trail Conservancy spent $1.7 million on land acqusitions during 2008, preserving over 800 additional acres of the Niagara Escarpment.

Photo: View from the escarpment across the Credit River, Caledon Hills.

http://brucetrail.org/

Along the Bruce Trail in Caledon Hills

One of the few remaining Canadian railways with replacement ties and fresh gravel.

http://brucetrail.org/ The Canadian autumn may be the most picturesque season for hiking on the Bruce Trail. Our day trip was almost too late this year; many of the leaves have fallen.

Photos: by Lorna

Beowulf

Mike Walton of Cayuga has written what could arguably be the best translation of the early Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf.

Many of us have seen the modern movie version of the Old English poem ~ the first major poem in a European vernacular language.

Beowulf, a hero in Scandinavian folklore, defeats the monster Grendel and fights to his death with a dragon. A beautifully bound hardcover, Beowulf Anglo-Saxon epic in modern English is the perfect gift for the legend reader on your Christmas list.

First editions available at The Neat Little Bookshop.

We will have more information on this extraordinary book.

Dorothy's Collectibles

Have you ever shopped in a great place and found yourself returning time and again just for the experience?

Dorothy's Collectibles is that kind of place!

It is hard to get Dorothy to talk about herself ~ much less have her picture taken ~ she came to Canada as a war bride from Britain. She has family and one gets the impression that she open-heartily takes in new members. She'll ask you how you are, and really mean it.

We go to Dorothy's for books but she also has the prettiest china and treasures: straw totes, an English bellow, beautiful pictures and lamps ~ just about anything to make a house a home!

We have kept this secret to ourselves 'til now but you can find Dorothy 9:00 to 5:00, every Sunday at Mizener's Antiques, 367 Hwy. 5 West, Waterdown, Ontario.

Photo: by Lorna. Click on photo to view more closely a few of Dorothy's treasures.

Our National Flag

The symbol on our national flag ~ the maple leaf.

Photo: Canada's beautiful fall colours. In our backyard.

Thinking Like a Mountain

Robert Bateman, Canadian naturalist and artist, suggests that the single most important thing that young people can do is to ask their parents to vote for "a politician with some backbone -- a politician who will not cave in to the special interests" and work toward a better environment.

In his book, Thinking Like a Mountain, Bateman outlines the ways in which we can pass on to succeeding generations the treasures that we value today.
"We all stand at the top of a mountain that offers us spectacular views in all directions. We have more knowledge of nature than any other civilization in history. We can look beyond the sky and beneath the sea. We can see both the forest and the trees: We can count the rate of its destruction and tote up the cost of saving it.
...All we need to do is pay attention and pay the price. I'd say the cost is more than worth it.
...Nature is resilient, but we are beginning to reach the limits of its endurance."*

His book, Safari, is dedicated to "...Young people everywhere: may you love nature ~ and protect it."
*Thinking Like a Mountain, 2000, Viking/Penguin books Ltd.;

Safari, 1998, Madison Press

Photo: Lake Erie by Lorna

As Lovely As A Tree

The Lovely Red Oak

"I think that I will never see ~ A poem as lovely as a tree."
~ Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918)
Photo: by Lorna