Headwater Farms Begins the Summer Construction Season

Exactly a year earlier we had purchased 34 acres in the County, and now we were beginning the construction season, anxious to start excavating the site for our NetZero home. We were beginning our weekend migrations from home in Eastern Ontario with a hastily planned weekend designed simply to 'rest and relax' somewhere in the County. Our hopes were dashed, however, while traveling south on Highway 416 as we listened to yet another B&B operator who was booked up to the rafters with cyclists down for the weekend from all parts of Ontario. I quietly settled into the thought of taking the most economical route much promoted by my husband, the architect, and that was CAMPING.

By the end of that first mid June weekend, I decided to put my research skills to work to find what the necessities for comfortable camping through three seasons would be, listing, surfing the net and talking to of course my trusty well stream of knowledge, my school librarian.

Now the seven elements of Bob and Linda's most excellent tent adventure are: a large tent with an indoor seating area or vestibule; a full kitchen with cookstove and clothesline; a fire pit for a yarn or two and a marshmellow at night; a shower to rival Ali Baba's secret camp; a hammock; a dining room table and humble latrine. With some planning, we made it so.

One the way to our new adventure playground, we came across a 'Quebec Garage' for tool storage and so another important part of our construction was to be established for ongoing work through our busy construction summer.

That second Saturday of the season was dedicated to setting up our camp called 'Twin Oaks' and the following morning a sign of approval came when a heron swept through the sky above the campsite in the direction of the marsh to bathe in the perch of a dead branch. As the heron rested on his perch did we survey our work feeling relieved that we had settled into our campsite for the season.