Have you ever noticed when out for a drive in rural Ontario a brightly painted quilt on a barn? Have you wondered what they are and why they can be seen on more and more barns throughout the province?
It all began in Ohio in the early 2000’s with Donna Sue Groves, a lover of barns AND quilts. Donna wanted to brighten up a barn and so a wonderful tradition began!
Yesterday, experiencing some COVID-19 cabin fever, I decided to hop in my car and follow one of Ontario’s Barn Quilt Trails in lovely Prince Edward County. I did some research on this fantastic site dedicated to The Barn Quilt Trail, downloaded a map and set out on a charming backroad adventure worthy of this Vagabond Photographer.
I did not find every barn quilt on the map as I got side-tracked by a local craft brewery and a winery in a purple barn! I loved visiting Midtown Brewing Company in charming Wellington, Ontario for a curb-side pick-up of their IPA and was amazed by the sheer beauty of Closson Chase Vinyard’s stunning purple barn and old Methodist Church. I added a lovely Pinot Noir to my market bag and set off for my last planned stop of this adventure, Presqu’ile Provincial Park.
Presqu’ile in French means “almost and island” and if you visit Presqu’ile Point Provincial Park you can understand why. The drive through the park meanders through lovely vegetation surrounded by windswept beaches and the constant chatter of a variety of birds. On this sunny Saturday it felt like a piece of heaven! My goal on this visit was to check out the towering 63-foot lighthouse perched at it’s very point. Presqu’ile Point Lighthouse was built way back in 1840 to ward off passing schooners from crashing on its shores. Dozens of shipwrecks occurred in this part of Lake Ontario, often witnessed by local farmers on shore. The lighthouse became a life saver!
Thanks for joining me on one of my first photo adventures in a long while. It felt SO good to have the sun on my face and the open road in front of me!
Here’s a collection of these photos transformed into watercolours by one of my favourite apps, Waterlogue. Thanks for joining me on my Vagabond Adventure. Until we meet again!
We have visited some of these places over the last few years when we had friends who had a place there. A trifle busy on main roads, but so easy to,get lost on side roads. Many, many places and scenes to discover.
It is such a lovely and vibrant area Don!
I can’t say as I have ever noticed a barn quilt, though I love Prince Edward County. Now I will keep my eyes out. Of COURSE you were sidetracked by a craft brewery! I hope the beer was good.
I especially love those cloud photos…ahh, they do my heart good. Thank you!
Thanks for visiting dear Nancy! Maybe someday when our “circles” widen we can take a drive out again to The County and tour the barn quilts and art galleries.