Friday Favourites – Thornbury

Happy Friday! I’m so excited to be on the cusp of a long weekend. I’m heading to my parents for three days of painting, boating and the annual corn roast. It’s chilly this morning, but I’m hoping that it will be a nice hot weekend to end summer with a bang.

When I started to put together this post and look at the photos I took throughout the week, only one thing came to mind – Thornbury, my family’s hometown. We went up last weekend for my cousin’s beautiful wedding (more on that on Wedding Wednesday), but it was also a chance for us to say one last goodbye to my grandfather‘s home now that its sold. I know I’ll be back to that little town again, but it was hard to think that it was the end of this chapter.

/ / /

We stayed over at my grandpa’s house, but it didn’t really feel like his house anymore. There weren’t any of his family pictures hanging on the walls, or bowling trophies on the shelves. His easy chair is gone and the house didn’t have that smell of “grandpa’s house”, so in some ways it made it much easier to be there than it was when we came for his funeral. It was just a house now, that held lots of history and good memories, but I’d let it go.

I felt I’d held it together well until my dad told me to go grab a few leaves from my tree.

You see, at the back of my grandparents’ house, they planted a red maple when I was born, and here it is today, towering over me. The last time I stood under it was for my grandfather’s 89th birthday two years ago, when we took our last family photo with him.

I tucked some leaves into my bag and told my dad that I wished there was a way we could plant some of the maple keys but they’re not ready to drop yet. Then he told me that people had been finding saplings in the yard….

…so I looked around and found five little saplings. Their leaves had been pretty beat up from the lawnmower, but I’m hoping that at least one of them will survive. Anyone know how to grow a tree?

You can always count on my little brother to lighten the mood. While going through the shed, my brother found an old fire extinguisher and thought it would be a good idea to shoot it at me. The following ensued…

I was sure I was going to die that night from some respiratory problem, ha!

My dad took us on a tour of all the things in the house that we never got to see normally, like this loft at the back that shows the original roof. It’s just logs put together, with the bark still on them! There are no trusses or supports like we see on modern homes – and this thing has been standing for over 100 years.

The original roof is just very wide wood planks, nailed into the boards, with the new roof on top.

Even the beams in the basement are just roughly cut, with the bark still on them.

We took a walk down to the harbour and the river that opens up into Georgian Bay.

 

The downtown, Bruce Street, is always one of my favourite places to walk around. Over the years, various members from both sides of my family have had shops here – Mom’s florist shop, Nana and Poppa’s convenience store, and my Great Grandfather & Great Uncle’s TV and radio repair shop.

My mom told me of a new shop I just had to check out – Ashbury Cabin. It’s full of great custom furniture and work from local artisans. Everywhere I looked there was something that caught my eye.

They also sell milk paint! Miss Mustard Seed and Homestead House.

I’ve never tried it before, but I loved the results. The store owner Lisa is so friendly and let me pop into her shop around back and see some pieces she was working on. On the left is a dresser that has been painted and is awaiting it’s wax finish and some sanding, like it’s partner on the right has already had.

There was also some great furniture made with salvaged barnboard. I love the rustic feel of that desk.

While I was busy getting all excited about home decor, Garrett hopped over to the Thornbury Bakery Cafe for a Chop Suey Bun…which basically smelt like Christmas with chopped cherries, cinnamon and a sugary glaze.

On our way out of town, we stopped into a roadside stand for some fresh vegetables. We missed our usual Saturday morning farmers market, so I was glad to pick up some produce for the week.

Of course I couldn’t leave apple country without getting a peck of apples. It’s a bit early for them, so I grabbed an early season variety – Melba. They taste great on their own, but I’m thinking about making the last of the bag into Glazed Apple Pie Bars or Apple Cake.

Now I’m off to finish packing for the weekend. I hope you all have a great long weekend! Got any fun plans?