Week 40

Country Fall Fair

     This past weekend was perfect fall weather and my husband and I enjoyed being at our cottage.  We decided to attend a fall fair on the Saturday morning as our good friends were involved in organizing the parade for the 150th Ripley Fall Fair.  One of the highlights of the parade, for me, was a car carrying an old lady who had won the "baby contest" in 1914!  She was 99 years old and seemed to be enjoying the notoriety she was receiving!  My favourite part of the fair was seeing the children and their animals in the various 4H competitions.  I realize that this fair or festival has a different focus than the festivals that the Israelites were to have in the Old Testament, but I think the atmosphere of community and celebration would be somewhat similar!  

"Moses answered, 'We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, 

and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.' "

Exodus 10: 9 NIV

                                         No parade is complete without an old fire engine                            Sept 28, 2013

                               The Ripley/Kincardine area has a large Scottish heritage!                     Sept 28, 2013

                           The drumming section of the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band                          Sept 28, 2013

                                                        Clydesdale Horses                                                       Sept 28, 2013

                                                               Ferris Wheel                                                       Sept 28, 2013

                       The rides were not busy as these photos were taken during the parade            Sept 28, 2013

                                               A boy hoping his sheep is a winner!                                         Sept 28, 2013

                                          Some older dairy calves being judged                                         Sept 28, 2013

                              A beef cow (heifer or steer or ?) strutting along quite proudly!                     Sept 28, 2013

                                        Keep that head up!  (That is a brush in the girl's back pocket)          Sept 28, 2013                                  

                                                        Senior Command Horse Competition                                          Sept 28, 2013

                                                    Junior Command Horse Competition                                 Sept 28, 2013

Week 39

Autumn in Waterloo County

     I love fall!  I love cool nights and warm, sunny days.  I love watching sumac bushes,  burning bushes and the leaves on the trees turn to their various red, orange and yellow colours.   I enjoy seeing the farmers harvesting their crops.  I enjoy the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are available.  I like seeing piles of pumpkins, bales of hay, and stalks of corn.

     The only down side of autumn is that it doesn't last long enough!  In a few short weeks the leaves will all fall down, the trees will be bare and the brilliant colours gone.  There are nice things to be found in all of our seasons, but this next little while is truly a glorious time of year and I am thankful to God for creating such beauty for us to enjoy.
     

"As long as the earth endures seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,

 day and night will never cease."

Genesis 8:22 NIV

"Praise be to His glorious name forever;

may the whole earth be filled with His glory."

Psalm 72:19 NIV

                                                      Pumpkins at Martin's Family Fruit Farm                             Sept 24, 2013

                                                         Apples at Martin's Family Fruit Farm                              Sept 24, 2013

                                         Orange-coloured maple leaves and maple keys                             Sept 24, 2013

                       Coloured leaves always look their best against a blue sky                   Sept 24, 2013

                    There seems to have been a bumper crop of golden rod this year!                       Sept 24, 2013

                                         Sumac just starting to turn its crimson colour                               Sept 24, 2013

                       Overall not much colour yet, but just give this scene a week or two                  Sept 24, 2013

                                      The sumac bushes giving some colour                                      Sept 24, 2013

Week 38

 Bees, Nectar & Honey 

     The bees were busy this past weekend collecting nectar from the flowers around our cottage.  There are 3 different kinds of bees and/or wasps in the following photos.  I'm not sure they all use the nectar they collect for making honey, but I think at least the fuzzy yellow one is a honey bee.

     I have the hardest time with my macro lens getting what I want to be in focus, in focus.  Between the bees moving, the flowers moving, and my camera moving (next time I must try the tripod) it is a challenge.  While it looks like I have some decent photos, these are the best of about the 50 that I took!

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Psalm 119:103 NIV

                                                                              Bee on white sedum                                              Sept 14, 2013

                                                            Bee on pink sedum                                                Sept 14, 2013

                                                          Bee on pink sedum                                                    Sept 14, 2013

                                               I like the detail you can see on his legs                                  Sept 14, 2013

                                                         a bee/wasp on pink sedum                                           Sept 14, 2013

                                                               Bee on zinnia                                                        Sept 15, 2013

     While I was leisurely taking photos of bees and flowers, my husband was as "busy as a bee" cutting the lawn, spreading grass seed, hauling away dead tree branches and cleaning out the eavestroughs.  And this was all after doing a 10km run!  I figured he at least deserved to have his picture on this week's blog!

                                                              My hard working husband                                    Sept 15,  2013

     

Week 37

St. Jacobs Farmers' Market

     The St. Jacobs Farmers' Market draws thousands of people every week, both locals and tourists.  In fact, it is probably the most popular tourist attraction that Waterloo County has.  Early on Labour Day, September 2nd, the main building at the market was destroyed by fire.  

Three days later the market was open for business with outdoor vendors and I was there with my camera.

     I have included a couple of photos of the charred remains of the building, but most of the following pictures show what the market is most famous for - its fresh produce and people, including both vendors and buyers.  The people in the Kitchener/Waterloo area are very fortunate to have such an abundance of food grown locally and so easily accessible.

"They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest."

Psalm 107:37 NIV

                                            Welcome to the St Jacobs Farmers' Market                              Sept 6,  2013

                                   The charred remains of the main market building                               Sept 6,  2013

Sunflowers stuck in fence  - the petals sort of look like "tongues of flame"    Sept 6, 2013

                                                  Business as usual with the outdoor vendors                          Sept 6, 2013

                                                                                         Apples!                                                            Sept 6 , 2013

                                               Peppers of all shapes and colours                                          Sept 6, 2013 

                                                                   Plums                                                              Sept 6, 2013

                                                          Picking a good potato                                               Sept 6,  2013

                                                       Bouquets of cut flowers                                                Sept 6,  2013

                        Girls having a chocolate milk break                 Sept 6, 2013 

                                                  Peaches - a favourite in our family                                        Sept 6, 2013

                                 Buying potatoes                               Sept 6, 2013

                                                      Some whimsical gardeners                                               Sept 6, 2013

                                                                     a busker                                                          Sept 6, 2013

                                               Mother & baby                              Sept 6, 2013

                                                                 "a honey of a deal"                                              Sept 6, 2013

Week 36

Rockway Gardens

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

Genesis 2: 15 NIV 

     Rockway Gardens isn't exactly the Garden of Eden, but it is the best municipal flower garden we have in the city I live in.  The many volunteers of  the Kitchener Horticultural Society manage these beautiful flower beds.  Enjoy some of the colours and sights I saw the other morning as I strolled through the park with my camera.

                                           Rockway Gardens in Kitchener, Ontario                                     Sept 2, 2013

                                   Lilly pond in Rockway Gardens in Kitchener, Ontario                              Sept 2, 2103

                                         Window-box at Rockway Gardens                                                Sept 2, 2013

Morning Glories

                                           Huge yellow marigolds along with purple flowers                         Sept 2, 2013

Rose of Sharon 

Sedum flowers just starting to bloom

                                                       Sedum plant - a sure sign of fall                                        Sept 2, 2013

Week 35

Beach Glass

     One of the past-times of cottage life for me is looking for beach glass (sea glass) along the shore.  It is quite thrilling for me if I find a well frosted nugget, and if it is a colour other than the most common white, brown or kelly green, then it is even more exciting.  Beach glass started out as broken pieces of glass from garbage thrown in the lake or from ship wrecks.  Over the years the waves and sand have rounded out the rough, sharp edges and frosted the surface of the glass.  What was once garbage has been transformed into a treasure or a "jewel!"

     Experiences in our life, good and bad, help mould and change us.  With God's help our lives can become more and more beautiful as we exhibit more of the "fruit of God's spirit" in our lives.  I hope I am found to be a treasure and not someone with sharp edges!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Galatians 5: 22 & 23 NIV

                                                 an assortment of beach glass found along Lake Huron                           Aug 2013

Week 34

Cute Little Visitor

     I think it is about time again to feature my cute little grandson on my weekly blog.  He is now 10 months old, has 4 little teeth and has just about figured out how to crawl.  He enjoyed playing with the different toys at his grandpa and grandma's house this past weekend and was just as good as he could be.  How thankful we are to have such a healthy little grandson and pray that as he continues to grow, that he will learn to follow God as little Samuel did in the Old Testament.  "Samuel" is our grandson's English name.

"The boy Samuel grew physically.  He pleased the Lord and the people." 

I Samuel 2:26 NCV

                                                                                     10 months old                                                        Aug 18, 2013 

                                                A happy boy and a proud grandfather                                     Aug 18, 2013

                                                   He can really throw that ball                                              Aug 18, 2013 

                                                                      Adorable!                                                        Aug 18, 2013

                                             A little Blue Jays' fan with his Uncle Tim                                    Aug 18, 2013