Calm in The County

A Part of Your Heart

When I was a child, my family would often go for drives in the country admiring the fall leaves, stopping for a frolic at the beach, weaving and rolling through the hilly forested dirt roads,  stopping at the cheese factories for some fresh curd or scouting out new campgrounds for our holiday adventures. It was a day discovering new places, buffalo or alpaca farms and revisiting our favourite places in the area.

These drives often took us into Prince Edward County where farmers' fields rolled along dotted with cows or crops.  We often visited pretty Lake on the Mountain (once thought to be bottomless by settlers) or frolicked in the waves at the Sandbanks provincial park admiring the big sand dunes and the vastness of the great lake.  I always loved walking out to the sandbars on the rippled, firm sandy bottom.  No squishy muddy bottom here!  On occasion we'd  take a ride on the Glenora Ferry or pick our own apples at Campbell's orchard.  A winter drive found us weaving through the giant snowbank tunnels left over from the most recent winter storm that pushed in off Lake Ontario.  PEC was only just across the bridge from my home of Belleville, but it felt like another world where we would escape the city and relish the peacefulness and natural beauty of the county.  Today, it still holds a very special place in  my heart and soul and elicits wonderful childhood memories.  I still visit the beach and jump through the waves like my 8 year old self.

All of these years later, the county is a major draw for tourists visiting it's famous vineyards, cideries and eateries.   The beautiful, big, ripple-sand beaches draw people in hordes. To the visitors it will be an adventure, another check on their bucket list.  For me, its a place that always reminds me of home.

This next painting, "Calm Before The Storm", was inspired on one of my recent drives home from the county.  The sky was dark and moody, heavy clouds were lingering above creating a dramatic contrast against  the bright  red barn that sat squarely below.   The bright yellow-green field glowed below the roiling sky and I couldn't resist capturing this moment to memory.

Now sold, this painting always brings a warmth to my heart that reminds me of those childhood days with my parents, exploring a part of my heart that remains ever fast.

Prints and cards are available for purchase.

What place speaks to your heart and brings you joy, comfort or peace?