Cows, Friends and Screaming Heads

A week ago, I enjoyed a great day with some of my friends from work. The sun was shining, the air was warm and the day just lasted and lasted.

It was just a small group of us; Tyler and Cam, Dave and Laura, me. The first place we visited was a store, the Circling Hawks Centre in Burk's Falls. I've only ever been a few times, but if you're ever in the area, it's worth a visit. http://www.circlinghawkscentre.com/

It's one of those new agey sorts of stores filled with trinkets and instruments, jewellery and books, various religious articles for various religions and all kinds of things for your general spiritual well being. There's tons to look at and it smells great. There's a bird named Chester and a cat wandering the garden in the back, which is worth a look too. Lots of plants, flowers, a fountain, a big beautiful tee-pee and a small stone labyrinth. There's also an art gallery, but we didn't stay for too long as we had lots to see. I bought myself a gorgeous harmony ball necklace -- it tinkles and chimes quietly when I move--and then we were on our way.

Next, we went to Cameron's parents' farm to see the cows. Dave wanted to pet them; he and Laura had never really been up close to cows before. I spent a lot of time on a farm growing up, and I'm familar with a few different barnyard animals. But not cows. They're much larger and more intimidating up close than you expect! But with Cam's dad there, they were calm and gentle enough.

After visiting with Cam’s parents, we carried on to our main destination, which was the Screaming heads, also in Burk’s Falls. I’d been twice before with my Gramma, but it’s always worth going back. The artist, Peter Camani, owns a farm which has become an ongoing art project. His house is like a castle, peacocks roam freely, there are gorgeous gates and heavy walls and the fields are filled with concrete sculptures of large, white heads, eyes and mouths agape. We walked around and took pictures of the art, each other and the scenery in general, which was beautiful too. http://www.mmage.com/screamingheads/

After seeing the heads, Tyler suggested we check out my Grampa’s memorial park, which was nice as I had never been there. It turned out to be a simple little spot with pretty rapids running through it, which I thought was perfect for Grandpa. He always took us out for paddles in his canoe and went for a dip in the river behind his house pretty much every day. Being there probably would have made me think of him even if the spot hadn’t been dedicated to his memory.

We finished the day with pizza and a movie and a visit with Alex and Nicky, a pair of cute brother cats. We spent that time in a small town I used to pass through several times a week, but hardly ever visit anymore. Just being there on the steps of the pizza place made me feel very comfortable and homey and close to my roots, somehow. It was a nice feeling.

If there was one day all summer that gave me the ‘summer experience’ feeling I hope for every year, it was probably this one. Summer’s not over just yet, there’s time for more. But if this was it, I’ll be content.