WRIGHTS LANE : ABOUT OUR HOME ON TANNERY HILL

Sharing with you things that are on my mind...Maybe yours too. Come back to Wrights Lane for a visit anytime! And, by all means, let's hear from you by leaving a comment at the end of any post. THE MOTIVATION: I firmly believe that if I have felt, experienced or questioned something in life, then surely others must have too. That's what this blog is all about -- hopefully relating in some meaningful way -- sharing, if you will, on subjects of an inspirational and human interest nature. Nostalgia will frequently find its way into some of the items...And lots of food for thought. A work in progress, to be sure.

17 October, 2009

ABOUT OUR HOME ON TANNERY HILL

...and the Queen(ie) of Fairy Lake

.
I walk only 100 yards from my home to pay daily visits to the Queen of Fairy Lake.

Her Royal Highness is a beautiful snow-white Mute Swan that I have named "Queenie" because she is so wonderfully majestic. Queenie cruises the waters of Fairy Lake like a schooner, leaving behind a perfect wake as she surveys her domain and tolerates a following of ducks that are always careful not to invade her immediate space.

If Queenie is in a good mood she will glide over to our vantage point on the bank and give my dog Lucy a couple of playful, not-so-mute "honks" just to establish her supremacy over the water she plies. Customarily, dogs are not swans' best friends.

Fairy Lake is actually an oasis of quiet, natural beauty with a perimeter trail that for the most part is a well-kept secret, even locally. It is difficult to believe that a little more than 100 years ago Queenie's domain was an industrial site where Isaac Bowman and Henry Zinkan built a tannery just above the northern bank of the lake. The tannery grew to become Southampton's major employer, until fire completely destroyed it on July 31st., 1900, throwing 100 employees out of work.

Houses, including ours shown in the Wrights Lane masthead, were eventually built on the site which was appropriatley named Tannery Hill. When I was digging out a couple of large tree stumps last year I uncovered several pieces of tanning bark and burnt leather strips from the old tanning factory. Other remnants from the fire are on display in the Bruce County Museum and Culture Centre which is located on the opposite side of the lake. A large iron wheel that had been part of the hulking machinery in the tanning factory was retrieved from the bottom of the lake in 1983 and stands as a monument at the foot of the hill just below our property.

This kind of history fascinates me no end. Just about as much as a certain regal swan that makes Fairy Lake her home.
.

Pieces of century-old burnt tanning bark and leather unearthed in backyard dig

Tannery machine wheel was retrieved from Fairy Lake 85 years after historic fire

Mirror-like reflection of fall sunset over Fairy Lake

Nature trail circumvents Fairy Lake

Even Lucy likes exploring the Fairy Lake trail

No comments:

WHAT DO YOU WRITE?

A PREFACE TO WRIGHTS LANE

A lot of what I write on this site borders on the philosophical. To say anything strictly new would be impossible; nor would I presume that my knowledge, ideas and experience would be as valuable as the maxims of the wise and sublime truths which have become a part of the standard thinking and writing. The best, therefore, that anyone can expect to do is to re-introduce the experience of the past, and compile such personal thoughts and extracts as have harmonized with the testimony of earnest and aspiring minds, and present them in a fresh, novel context that hopefully offers some inspiration. In the words of the poet:

"We have gathered posies from other men's flowers,

"Nothing but the thread that binds them is ours."

INTRODUCING SOME OTHER NEW BLOG SITES

DRESDEN: A PERSPECTIVE ON RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN MY HOME TOWN. Read about Anglo-Saxon elitism, the Dawn Settlement, The Underground Railway, Uncle Tom's Cabin and my personal musings on an extremely touchy subject. http://dicktheblogsterremembers.blogspot.ca/

THE AMAZING JIM LONDON STORY: Bad boy high school dropout left home to re-invent himself and become an accomplished PhD. Academic, teacher, athlete, politician, traveler, humanitarian, family man -- he did it all...and more.

http://jimlondonstory.blogspot.ca

BASEBALL: "The game That I Grew Up With". Taking a nostalgic look at the game we oldtimers played as kids back in the 1940s. I think that it will bring back a lot of memories, especially for some of the chums who experienced those wonder years along with me in good old Dresden, Ontario. You don't have to be a baseball lover to enjoy it however.

http://baseballnme.blogspot.ca

...THE WRIGHT STORY

NEWS FLASH!!! INTRODUCING A NEW BLOG SITE: You won't find much in Canadian history books about Britain's transportation of convicts to the New World in the 1700s. In fact, Americans in particular, have rather romantic ideas about how their country was founded.

We’ve long been fond of the mythology surrounding persecuted people freely traveling to the New World and building the greatest country on Earth. But, like all history, it’s much, much messier than that. Our history includes plenty of genocide, slavery, and just a dash of criminally-convicted folk — and the latter may be news to many reading this post.

Honestly, I didn't think much about that part of history either until, much to my surprise and temporary chagrin while doing some family genealogical research, I discovered that my great-great-great grandfather Henry Wright was in fact, one of the "convicts" transported to America as an "indentured servant" in 1763. The sad part of the story is that he was only 18 years of age -- a mere adolescent. The subsequent story that unfolded for me is indeed a remarkable one. To share in "The Wright Story" click https://mywrightstory.blogspot.ca.

WRIGHTS LANE SIGN HAS SPECIAL MEANING FOR OTHERS TOO

Sometimes it is the small things in life that do your heart the most good.

I was working in my front terrace the other evening when two women riding bicycles passed by. We exchanged "hi's". It was one of those lazy, hazy summer nights when people were out and about for casual strolls and exchanging friendly greetings and nods with others they met along the way...It's a small town thing!

Continuing up the street for a short distance, I noticed the cyclists do an abrupt U-turn and head back in my direction. Stopping curbside, one of the women said: "Pardon me, but I have to tell you about your Wrights Lane sign". I thought for a brief second that she was going to make a negative comment about it.

Much to my surprise, however, she went on to explain that she was originally from Burlington and that she had coincidentally lived in a home on a Wrights Lane there. "When my parents retired, they moved to Southampton and I used to visit them. The first time that I drove past your house and saw your Wrights Lane sign, I couldn't believe the warm feeling that it gave me," she explained.

"Both parents are gone now of course and I have since moved here myself. Every time I see your sign it reminds me of my childhood home and assures me that I am now in the right place. I just thought that you should know..." she added.

I thanked her for sharing her story with me and in turn explained to her the history of Wrights Lane in my hometown of Dresden and how I have adopted it not only for my home in Southampton but for one of my web sites and a book that I published some time ago.

Admittedly, not an earth-shattering story, but one that holds special gratification for me.

I had been procrastinating on giving the sign a spruce up this summer, but I will need to get busy now...I have to do it for that lady from Burlington, if for no other reason.

I BELIEVE...

...It is not possible for anyone to understand what their civilization is (and therefore who they are) without an understanding of their roots. Just think about it. All our laws, our morals, our mores, are predicated largely on a Judeo-Christian tradition. The standards and attitudes of our society have been profoundly influenced by the person and the life of Jesus, the Christ. Regardless of our attitude toward religion, a knowledge of what this young man from Nazareth said and did is enormously enriching. You can read all about Him in a book found on the dusty shelves of any library near you.

YOURS JUST FOR THE CLICKING...

TO VIEW SOME OTHER "WRIGHTS LANE" SITES...

* CANCER: One Couple's Journey

http://dicktheblogster2.blogspot.com/

* DRESDEN: Father & Son turn back the clock

http://dicktheblogster3.blogspot.com/ Recently revised.

* JUVENILES enter Sports Hall of Fame

http://dicktheblogster5.blogspot.com/

* FIGURE SKATING DAD...Lived to Write About It

http://dicktheblogster6.blogspot.com/

* THE PERRY FAMILY: My other half

http://dicktheblogster7.blogspot.com/

* A BASEBALL DREAMER

http://dicktheblogster8.blogspot.com/

* MY PAINTINGS

http://dicktheblogster9.blogspot.com/

* A DREAM DATE

http://dicktheblogster10.blogspot.com/

* BOY WHO MADE A BIG CATCH

http://dicktheblogster12a.blogspot.com/

**TO CATCH UP ON PAST POST ITEMS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED, CLICK BLOG ARCHIVES BY THE MONTH OR THE YEAR (2008 TO 2014), SEE BELOW.

WRIGHTS LANE

17 October, 2009

ABOUT OUR HOME ON TANNERY HILL

No comments:

JESUS LOVES DOGS TOO

THANKS FOR VISITING WRIGHTS LANE