What's Inside?

The Hilltop Old Tyme Market


Along a different east / west highway in Ontario; number two, is an old building that used to be a clay tile manufacturer.  (And also, a relative of mine was the owner when they made tile.)


Several years ago, someone tore down the brick kilns and cleaned the place up and created this enterprise. Now it is owned by Bob and Lynn Duval and it is chocked full of wonders and oddities!

 

I love how they managed to retain the rolled rooftop of the old buildings. Oh well, so they covered everything with aluminum siding... It hides a world of mess, doesn't it?

This is a market made up of consignors and they each rent a stall which results in the need to scour each booth with an apparent theme of chaos. I'm not sure why the picnic cooler is there in the forefront? (I didn't look inside!)

 

Some of the vendors do specialize in something and this 10 by 10 was stuffed full of vintage tools! 

I always got  a kick out of themed ashtrays!

 

I'm a sucker for a lovely cup and saucer. This one has quite a lot of gold leaf on it for a Royal Albert!  What do you think of the price?

There seemed to be dozens of vintage plaster plaques. For some reason, I adore them! 

Something for everyone's tastes and these fishing lures were in nice condition.

 

These china floral baskets are so hard to find without being covered with chips. I can picture my aunt's front room with these on her side tables!

More babies in a basket! The little sign was for the children, ordering them to keep the dollies in the basket!

(Well! That's just no fun!)

And to wrap it up, another basket of small servers! I think I'd keep my china in a more secure spot?

I have to let you know that I did buy something this trip, but it was a more modern hard cover titled: "John Kennedy in Vietnam" for Dick. He reads anything and everything on the man! I wanted a Long oval celery dish made by Avonware, England, but they wanted way too much for it!

So! Down the road I go again....
www.hilltopmarket.ca

All of these photos were again shot and loaded directly from my Nikon P90 and then posted without alteration of any kind.

Barns!

A beautifully rusted old barn near Eagle, Ontario catches my eye!

 

A field of corn stubble.

The shades of brown and red of the rust blend beautifully with the drab gray, somehow matching the dull February day!

 

How many more storms before the siding is stripped off and flung to the ground exposing the sawmill planks underneath?

Do the plates on the roof hold out the onslaught of a rainstorm? 

So many of these have been patched with whatever was cheap and available. They didn't quite make it all the way to the top with the steel siding.

Still with a decent cement foundation and fairly closed in from the elements, this one might last longer than one would think. 

I hope so anyway....

All photos downloaded straight from my Nikon P90 and posted without alteration of any kind.

Natural Art

One of the wonders of winter: Frost.

 

A carpet of frost greeted me this morning. 

We have a black car.

With brilliant red tail lights

The sky was so blue and reflected in the car's clear coat.

 

Was beginning to melt with the heat of the sun

Art in nature!

Paczki Day! Or Fat Tuesday

What are Paczki? 

Well, not just another donut!

Paczki are traditionally made for the two weeks before Fat Tuesday. Pronounced Pooch-Key or Punch-Key or Poonch-Key. Any one of those is correct. Polish in origin, these round, sugar coated, fruit filled pastries were served up annually on the day before Lent. 

Originally, they were made for practical reasons, to use up all the lard and eggs which were prohibited during Lent. Now, they're more of a last minute binge of sweets before the sacrifice. 

 

The word Paczki means 'little package' in Polish.

The new world version, like the old, is an extra large doughball, rich in egg yolks and deep fried, just like a donut. 

It's overfilled with raspberry, strawberry, custard, lemon or even the traditional filling of prune. Then, it's topped with a smooth sugar glaze or rolled in fine granulated sugar. IT's 100% quality, or you can't call it Paczki!  The one that I bought was stuffed full of the most delicious blueberry filling. I could have taken either this glazed one, or sugar dusted.
And don't ask about the calories, you just don't want to know.

Paczki are becoming what chocolate is to Valentines and pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving. Many folks share then with family and friends. In past years, bakeries claimed Halloween as the day that sold the most donuts, but now areas of the country show that Paczki sales surpass even their Christmas figures! 

For two weeks of the year, I think I'll be Polish! Yum! Yum!


The Paczki pictured here was purchased at:

The Courtland Bakery Ltd.  Owners: John and Mary Peazel
519-688-2023

Winter Scenes

 Trees in Snow


Almost nothing is more beautiful than a tree.


Now, I say that a lot about all sorts of things and each time, I truly mean it. I look at something and it takes my breath away and it is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen... Each and every time!

 

Stark branches cut against the snowy backdrop.

 

The whites of Birch and Poplar compliment the scene.

 

A hillside defined by the charcoals and grays.

 

A soldier that Mother Natures' erosive trait has claimed.

All of these photos were again shot and loaded directly from my Nikon P90 and then posted without alteration of any kind.