Signs of children

Kids leave their mark in a neighbourhood. Even when you don't see them, you see signs that just shout, "Kids!" Chalk coloured paving bricks are one of the more common signs that say, "Children."

The Abby in Sparta, Ontario

This colonial style home in Sparta, Ontario, is known locally as The Abby. It was built in the early 1840s. Originally it served as a home, then a furniture store and later it was a coffin shop. Today, it is a private home again with one area set aside as an art studio. It may be a small town but Sparta boasts quite a number of heritage properties for a place of its size.

Sparta House Tea Room

The little village of Sparta was founded by Quakers more than two centuries ago, in 1813. The Sparta House Tea Room was built about twenty years later and has served the small southwestern Ontario community ever since. It has been a hotel, a general store and even a funeral home. It sounds a little ghoulish, but today the funeral parlour is a tea room.

Sparta House is a great destination when taking kids, or grandkids, out for a Sunday drive. I have found that kids, especially little girls, love tea rooms. The Sparta House has a some outside seating making it an even better destination during these summer days steeped with the threat of COVID-19.

Another picture from Winter Wheat

The large piece of folk art sits beside the county road passing the Winter Wheat property. There is website dedicated to Winter Wheat and it is still up although the site seems closed. Possibly permanently. There is a chain across the entrance and a large No Trespassing sign hangs from its middle.

I believe the wife, Lucy Ogletree, was a painter in the folk art tradition, while her husband, Mike Roberts, was the folk art sculptor. I love the piece shown. The giant bird has wings made from scrap saw blades. Truly imaginative.

I have re-edited this post in order to add the following from a Sparta village website:

The loss of Winter Wheat by fire this winter has been a real blow to Sparta. This very popular attraction was totally destroyed. Mike Roberts, the owner is taking a year off to recuperate and may do something on a smaller scale in the future. Mike has done so much for Sparta. He started the first tourist attractions in Sparta in the 1970’s and continued to the present day. He restored two buildings in the village and then opened Winter Wheat. We are thankful for everything Mike has done for Sparta and wish him all the best.

A memory of Winter Wheat

The place was called Winter Wheat. It was unique. A local artist and her husband created it and maintained it. Sadly today it has closed.

Winter Wheat was an art gallery. The local folk art painter had a shop on the property stocked with art, much of it her own. Winter Wheat was a relaxing destination. The grounds had places to sit and enjoy the free coffee that was available. Visitors were encouraged to wander the grounds, enjoy the folk art and take a breather from the pressure of everyday life.

Tying all together was the folk art done by the artist's husband. He is truly a creative craftsperson. He takes found pieces of assorted stuff and assembles it into art. The stuff he created was well done and of enduring quality.

I have re-edited this post to include the following from a Sparta village website:

The loss of Winter Wheat by fire this winter has been a real blow to Sparta. This very popular attraction was totally destroyed. Mike Roberts, the owner is taking a year off to recuperate and may do something on a smaller scale in the future. Mike has done so much for Sparta. He started the first tourist attractions in Sparta in the 1970’s and continued to the present day. He restored two buildings in the village and then opened Winter Wheat. We are thankful for everything Mike has done for Sparta and wish him all the best.

West Five: a new approach to suburban living

The  London developer, Sifton, calls its southwest London development West Five. It likes to claim that it is the first neighbourhood in London powered by the sun. W5 is aiming to be a zero-net community. A very green dream..

Links flow through healthy communities

Healthy communities have links and strong roots. The newspaper and television station in London were once, and not all that long ago, owned by one family. The media company earned its money in the community and a great deal of the income stayed in the community. Today it's different.  A lot of the cash is siphoned away by distant hedge fund owners.

The local hospital benefited from the generosity of the Blackburn family as did many other groups. The photo hanging on the wall was taken by a London Free Press photographer and the hospital room on which it hangs may also have been paid for, at least partially, by the Blackburns. Walter Blackburn was a big and very generous supporter of  the LHSC.