Life as we know it...

We are very fortunate in being able to say that we love where we live. Many people are not in a place that they love or enjoy, usually not choosing to be there. Having acreage and privacy has always been a priority for us, even if it means giving up 'some' things, and also 'creating' some different problems. Since I was a weird young kid, I enjoyed solitude and animals above anything else. I wanted a horse since I can first remember, and from the time I was sixteen I had horses until my last one died three years ago. With my first horse, I rode through the Don Valley in Toronto from Pottery Road to Warden Avenue, sometimes with the mounted police riding in the Valley. All that area is now manicured parklands and I doubt I could do it these days. I was lucky for those opportunities. Northern Ontario called when the south became too congested. First we moved to Stouffville, and a weekend trip to Sundridge in winter convinced us that this was the area we really belonged. Two years later we bought property south of North Bay, not sure when we could ever move up there.
Eventually, the proposed Pickering Airport (still never built) forced us into a quick decision to move north - to a self sufficiency life style. This whole experience is a story itself. But we were there for 12 years, Davids' work move took us to Quebec for one year (expected 5), another long story, and then to Orillia area for 10 years before being able to come "home" to the north again.
We found a 100 acre parcel only 3 miles from our former homestead and fell in love with it. Very quiet, dead end road, not many people around at that time, and to the east was 400 empty acres which then joined gov't. land. Wildlife abounds, and to this day, we still find some critters standing their ground not far away and looking at us like they have no idea what we are.

These pictures are from a walk through the "backyard" of our place, with the forest starting directly behind our house. The front is mainly open to the road, our driveway being 1500' in.

Because of the complete mix of open/forest and fringe and mix of trees, we have a huge number of bird species all year round, and many 4-legged critters (besides the dogs!)

This is a little 'open' area where this particular trail curves back into the trees over to the right.

Pretty yesterday with a dusting of snow on the trees.

We lost our large snow coverage over the weekend to rain and high temps, also lost our snowshoe trails, but the walking was pretty easy in most areas. Trust is on a trail heading back into the s.e. part of the forest.

This deer was beside the house in the morning before we went out, there were just two there. We aren't sure how many are regularly hanging around, we've seen more deer tracks all over, than normal, but usually see a group of four together, two adult, two yearling does. They are very pretty but often curtail walk plans with the dogs to give the deer a chance to graze and leave.

The only thing missng from our property would be water. There is a spring creek through the corner by the road, but a pond would be lovely. However, we are in an area of lakes and two are only minutes away when I want to take the dogs out for a swim or water retrieves.

I just can't imagine not living here, it is so perfect. Nothing is more enjoyable than going for walks in the forest with the dogs...and they think so too!