Sundays often see my guy and I driving out to search the roads of Southern and Central Ontario, especially if there is that special blue in the sky punctuated by white clouds and washed over by the warmth of sunshine. Well, he does the driving usually and I navigate, my iPhone close by and my math brain adding up the kilometres. We take a water bottle topped up with a few ice cubes and maybe a sweater and favourite books for each of us.
View from our table at the restaurant.
We had been gifted a book of places to visit and had in mind something called The Apple Park Farm Statues. First we went into Goderich and ate lunch at a favourite lakeside restaurant, Goderich Beach Street Station. As usual the food was excellent but the view of our favourite lake was spectacular. The blue green waters ribboned along the edge of the sand and out into the distant line where the lake met the sky. I actually think that view makes the spectacular food taste even better.
The Apple Park Farm Statues
Along the road east from Goderich we found the farm where the statues sprinkled the landscape. A knock on the door of the picturesque house brought a pleasant man to the door who welcomed us and invited us to stroll the property. This is the building his ancestor built near the road some time after 1895 and he used it as his workshop from whence came all the sculptures that still today dot the property. Here are a few.
Here is a team of oxen driven across the lawn with some of the buildings in the background.
I spotted this pair of well antlered deer scrapping. I didn’t want to get in their way.
Alongside the house a structure supporting a maple leaf and appearing to go right into the house–they didn’t–caught my eye. Native flowers and decorative stones in the flowerbeds basked under the sunny blue skies.
George Laithwaite was the artist and all these years later his creations still amaze. Below are what are supposed to be Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Robert Borden turning swords into ploughshares. I got the single furrow plough and the men and oxen but needed to read to find the identities of the two historical figures.
Here are the oxen before the plough.
In this photo I was struck by the old and beautiful tree from the time of George Laithwaite and, gathered behind it, trees that are much younger.
I am so glad that we decided to go looking for this farm. We got to learn some history about an historical person, to witness his artistic talents, and to commune with nature in a very unique manner. And that night we heated leftovers from our scrumptious meal. They were just as good the second time. What a rewarding fall day for both of us.
