Coming up Roses

root fence

Between visits to PEC waterfalls on Sunday afternoon, we visited a few favourite places. It's always so reassuring to see this old place well-kept. There's new roofing and flooring on the not-likely authentic porch (and I quote no less an authority than Cruikshank in SD). The house is dated c.1830, is now part of the PEC museums system and does a fine job of portraying the simple farm life of the nineteenth century.

I love board and batten - not overdone as in a conspicuous neighbourhood updo on Paul Street in Picton, but the 'just-folks' red barn painted practical wood cladding of this house, and of our drive-shed at the farm. (Board and batten is somewhat rare in Prince Edward , according to Tom C.)

And this place has a connection to that drive-shed. Before they left the farm, dad donated a hand-sleigh, built by ancestor John who was a blacksmith in a shed attached to that building. I remember his annoyance at not finding the sleigh displayed on a visit to the museum. I have, somewhere, a photo of mom and a group of her contemporaries in their home-made 'Expo' pioneer dresses, on hand for some event at the museum house. I had, until a recent ruthless 'reduce and hand-on' campaign in the closets, two handwoven rugs made on a loom at the museum.

local flavour - woodhouse to the side, angled window, 'county' chimney

The house was built by the Rose family, likely a second home, as the first would have been built on the lake-shore far below, where today a very beautiful old cemetery in the pines tells the story of pioneer Peter Rose, an American Quaker, and his contemporaries.