Norwood on the Washademoak

Norwood on the Washademoak

I bet you’ve heard this line before: “When I retire, I’m going to open a Bed and Breakfast.” Maybe you’ve even said it. Well, my friend Ines and her husband Doug have actually done it! Norwood on the Washademoak in Cambridge-Narrows!! Let’s pay a visit.

Norwood

This is a BIG house. Built by Saint John architect Harry Mott in the early 1900s as a summer home, Norwood is actually like two houses under one roof--the family quarters and the caretaker's quarters. Ines’ family bought this property in the late 1950s and operated it as a working farm and a vacation rental. In 2013, Ines and Doug purchased Norwood and began extensive renovations. Over the last three years, they have lovingly restored the house into a beautiful and welcoming Bed and Breakfast. 

Sideview

In October, my friend Janet and I booked an overnight visit to Norwood. I stayed in The Majestic, the room named for one of the riverboats that serviced the St.John River system in the 1800 and 1900s. Janet was housed in Furstenau, the room named for the birthplace of Ines’ father. 

The Majestic

The Furstenau

Ines and Doug have successfully integrated the historical with the modern in their restoration of this house. We spent a Jane Austen evening in front of a soothing fire in the parlour.

The Parlour

The Parlour Art Gallery 

Artist: Don Rigley

Original Kitchen Cupboards

The Front Stairs

(one of 3 sets of stairs)

And, of course, BREAKFAST is an important "B" of every good B and B. And ours was delicious and beautifully-presented. Fantastic coffee! Local bread, meats, eggs, vegetables and fruit. 

 

Breakfast at Norwood

Ines and Doug have two pet sheep, Dill and Dot, which add a certain novelty to Norwood. Ines has been seen walking them through the fields on a leash.

 Dill and Dot

Recently these two characters have been added to the grounds at Norwood. Ines claims Doug was a bit "bored" when he created them!

The "Bored" Couple

Washademoak Lake. Where is it? How do I get there? Not easy to pronounce or spell, research tells me that Washademoak comes from the Maliseet word "Wasetemoik" which means "unknown" or "the way to the other side.". Less than an hour’s drive from Fredericton, a visit to this hidden nugget is well worth the trip. 

Washademoak

And what do I do when I get there?  Take your imagination for a walk in the Robinson Conservation Area. 

 My Friends, Anne of Green Gables and Diana Barry

(aka: Janet and Ines)

 Lake of Shining Waters 

(aka: Dug Pond) 

 Lovers' Lane

(aka: Snake Rail Fence)

Pine Needle Carpet

(aka: Monoculture)

Go biking on fairly quiet roads...

Janet, the Biker

....if you can get the bikes off the car.

Extreme Bungee Biking

Visit points of interest.

 St. James Anglican Church, Lower Jemseg

"Peace": Pines Conservation Park

(Part of the International Sculpture Trail)

Mott's Landing Vineyard

Anthony Flower House Museum

 9J Antiques

Cambridge-Narrows Regional Library

Acacia Galley

Enjoy the outstanding scenery.

 HayBales

 Field and Shadows

Canada Geese on the Washademoak

 PeaceWater

 Norwood from the Lake

Vine-Covered Building

....Until Next Time....

How I Spent my Summer Vacation

How I Spent my Summer Vacation
      The end of August is fast upon us.  I am NOT going to say, “Where did the summer go?” or, “My, the air feels like fall, doesn’t it?” or  “The days are getting shorter, aren’t they?”  No, I’m hanging on to summer for Dear Life.

Dear Life by Alice Munro

High School Reunion
     Forty years.  Can you believe that?  Sitting at the Hampton Pub in late June with Friends of my Youth, I was absolutely thrilled when the ever-charming Leo Kelly took my hand, gazed into my eyes and crooned, “Barb, I loved all the girls in our class, but you were my favorite.”  Butterflies.  Just like when I was 18.  Five minutes later, Leo had moved down the table and was holding Dorothy’s hand.  I overheard him say, “Dorothy, I loved all the girls in our class, but you were my favorite.”  Sinking feeling in my stomach.  Just like when I was 18.  Charming Leo continued to change seats about every 5 minutes.  “Tanya, I loved all the girls in our class, but you were my favorite.”......  “Cathy, I loved all the girls in our class, but you were my favorite.”  ET CETERA!!!  You get the picture. 

FIND LEO!!!!

     A Lady Never Discusses the Size of her Yarn Stash
     Then there was the daytrip with my cousins Susan and Peyton from Halifax, and my cousin Mary Ruth from Ottawa to Harvey to shop at the Briggs and Little Woolen Mills.....because, I don’t have enough wool in my life.  And neither do they!

That Could be Me!

Send me a Letter... 
    I had a quick visit with my daughter Julia in Toronto in mid-July.  Sweltering Toronto is not my favorite place to be in July; however, the temperature was pleasant and I had an event-filled week.  One of the highlights was attending a play performed on various porches in a downtown neighbourhood.  Postman, based on the life of Toronto’s first black letter carrier, was excellent!

Laurence Dean Ifill as Albert Jackson

Aunt Gladys to Norwood     
     While chatting with Aunt Gladys earlier this year about my friend Ines who is converting her family homestead to a Bed and Breakfast, we determined that Aunt Gladys had been to that very house in the 70s to buy hens.  At the age of 92, Aunt Gladys is no longer in the hen business, but she maintains a definite interest in old houses.  I suggested that Aunt Gladys might like to visit this house again.  She was keen, so away we went! 

Aunt Gladys on the Verandah at Norwood

The Hen Story:  One warm summer day, Aunt Gladys and her husband, Uncle Eldon, travelled 60 kilometres from Gorham’s Bluff to Cambridge Narrows to buy some hens.  The hens were packed in threes in burlap bags and loaded in the back of the Dodge half-ton.  On the way home, Aunt Gladys suggested that they stop at The Country Kitchen for dinner; being on a farm, they did not often get a chance to eat out.  Reluctantly, Uncle Eldon agreed.  Unpacking the hens at home later that afternoon, they discovered some hens to be half-dead and many to be dead-dead.  Uncle Eldon was not impressed.  There followed a beheading, gutting and pin-feather picking Hen Party.  A memorable day. 

Not Aunt Gladys; Not a Hen

The John Deere Trail
     We hit the John Deere Trail in Carter’s Point one hot Sunday in early August.  This trail, built and maintained by twin brothers, features a gentle walk through the woods and an inspirational tour of impressive vegetable and flower gardens.  At the end of the walk, you are rewarded with refreshing lemonade and home-made cookies and cakes!  One Sunday every summer, Jerry and Joel host a tour of their trail and gardens as a fund-raiser for Long Reach United Church.  What a gift!

The John Deere Trail

Cemetery History 

     One August afternoon, my cousin Betsy, my Aunt Muriel and I made a stop near Gagetown at Elm Hill Road,  the site of an early settlement of  Black Loyalists in New Brunswick.  In the Elm Hill Cemetery, field stones with no markings indicate the head and foot of most of the gravesites.  Occasionally, you will find a tombstone with writing. 

Tombstone, Elm Hill Road Cemetery

Life on the Lakes     
     A weekend of heritage, nature, arts events took us back to the Washdemoak in early August.  We attended a quilt show, a book sale, the Flowers House Tour.  Several artists and craftspeople were on site at Norwood demonstrating and selling their talents.   We purchased a gourmet picnic and a bottle of wine at Motts Landing Vineyard and Winery and sat in their field to eat it.  Beautiful.  We could have been in Tuscany, but we weren’t.  We were in Cambridge-Narrows overlooking the Washdemoak. 

Mott's Landing Vineyard and Winery

Charlotte’s Tea     

      In mid-August, a tea was held at 1810 Carter House in honor of my mother, a dedicated member of Peninsula Heritage, and an excellent tea-maker.  Ladies arrived in hats, gloves and pearls to enjoy the wide variety of teas and vast array of desserts. Charlotte, who would have been 99 years old on August 16th, would have enjoyed that tea party!!

Tea at 1810 Carter House

Noel at the Camp   
     Noel, my "Little Brother", was able to spend 3 nights with us at the camp this summer.  I am going to let the pictures tell that story.  We all had a good time!

Noel at the Camp

Fisher Noel

Hammock-Lounger Noel

FireFighter Noel

Captain Noel

Tree-Climber Noel

ZooKeeper Noel

Kitten Farmer Noel

Puzzle-Solver Noel

Land of Potatoes and Plenty
   Last weekend, my sister and I took our elderly Aunt Carol to visit her elderly cousin Freda in Carleton County.  Freda would be our first-cousin-once-removed, in case you’re wondering.  We have many second, third, fourth cousins in Carleton County.  Our second cousin Gary took us on a wonderful tour of the area where we saw acres and acres and acres of potatoes, fields and fields and fields of oats, hectares and hectares and hectares of hay, big sky, rolling hills, antique cars, tractors, trucks, seeders, harvesters, sprayers, etc,etc,etc.  Plenty of evidence of lots of HARD WORK and agricultural success stories.  What a beautiful corner of our province.   And what kind, genuine, generous relatives I have in Carleton County.

Potato World

Until Next Time.....