A Drive in the Country

Switching gears, Wednesday was a lovely day for a drive in the country.  R and I drove to St Jacobs for a stroll through the village.  This area is best known for the Mennonites who farm here and every time a family goes past in their horse and buggy I'm filled with wonder about their home life.  Old Order Mennonites reject technology and motorized vehicles but others accept varying degrees of modern appliances.  The Heiress attends university nearby and while working at her part-time job in a hardware store she sometimes has Mennonite families stop by in a horse and buggy but ask for items such as USB cords or cellphones. 

(Google Images)

I will never forget the image of two Mennonite women walking towards me one cool autumnal afternoon with their black capes billowing in the wind.  R enjoys an irreverent sense of humour and loves nothing more than to tease me while I'm admiring this way of life that he can see an iPod sticking out from the pocket of a calico dress.  How rude!

In one of the market stalls we came upon a mini museum about the collection of maple syrup.  Here are some molds which would be used for storing maple syrup mixed with sugar.

And some maple syrup decanters.

I may be Canadian but I am also a bit of a klutz and cannot fathom these snowshoes making my trek across snowy fields any easier.

We took back roads most of the way home and fantasized about life in the country as we munched on a bag of licorice all-sorts bought at a candy shop.  The next time we'll be out this way will be to take The Heiress back to school...too soon for a change in the leaves but a whiff of woodsmoke would be nice!