We’re packing up to head back to some semblance of "normal" lives in Ontario. As small as our quarters have been for the past year or so, it’s utterly amazing how much stuff we’ve crammed in there! And, in order to head for home we’ve had to strike a few deals over the past five […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Mile Zero and counting
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Victoria to Mile Zero
Among our many farm visits over the past week, our stop at Vantreight Farms was particularly interesting. This approximately-150-acre property (that’s a really big farm in these parts) produces a pretty vast array of goods, not least being daffodils. In fact, this farm is the single largest producer of daffodils (some fourteen varieties) in Canada […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Delta to Victoria
The regional municipality of Delta, B.C. lies south of Richmond, at the mouth of the Fraser River. Long-time residents say this area once felt quite isolated — prior to construction of the George Massey Tunnel in 1959. These days it feels more like a very "roomy" suburb; the Vancouver skyline is pretty easy to spot […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Revelstoke to Vancouver
Locals jokingly call it "Revelstuck." People apparently end up stranded here quite routinely — probably because it snows so bloody much, but not always for that reason. As readers already know, we too were "Revelstuck" for a bit. Make no mistake, however, it was no fault of Revelstoke, B.C.; this pretty little town that kneels […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Banff to Revelstoke
For us, the mountains have meant some lovely sightseeing in Banff and a somewhat strenuous tractor drive up the mountain to see Lake Louise. Molly truly was awed at the scenery, particularly Lake Louise. If you’ve not seen it, it is a travel destination that I can recommend without hesitation. It truly is spectacular. And […] Read more
Farmland comes to an end for a while
John Varty and his fiancée Molly Daley are driving across Canada in an effort to speak to farmers about the issues that concern them, and to bring those concerns to urbanites. They’re doing it in an unusual fashion — towing a "farmhouse" behind a Massey Ferguson 1660 — and will post periodic reports here of […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Calgary to Canmore
If you haven’t been to Calgary since the last boom happened, you’ll notice the skyline has filled in quite a bit. Large office towers dominate the downtown, and there is no shortage of expensive vehicles on the roads But, as it is still a city of around a million, it proves to be manageable and […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: New Norway to Calgary
If you’re ever in the Camrose, Alta. area and plan to drive south, don’t bother with the main highway (the QE2). Don’t get us wrong, Highway 2 is just fine, especially if you’re in a hurry. However, the really beautiful countryside is east of the main route, along Highways 21 and 56. We chose the […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Edmonton to New Norway
The Edmonton area provided more content than we had originally bargained for. Toward the end of our previous entry, we referred to land-use battles between citizen groups and the municipality. Well, after some digging around we soon found folks willing to tell us (albeit not on camera) some startling personal stories about ongoing battles for […] Read more
Across Canada in a farmhouse: Camrose to Edmonton
We’ve made our way north and west out of Camrose, Alta. to spend a few days in the "City of Champions:" Edmonton. We’ve camped in a nice little spot just north of Camrose where we had a chance to chat with some fellow campers who are also farmers. One fellow from east of Camrose spoke […] Read more