Getting to Niagara-on-the-Lake

There were a lot of reasons for buying the particular home we did... the one at 96 Paffard Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake. But if we were to name one, it would be the existing gardens and the potential we have on the property. There are fourteen Japanese Maples along with many other beauties too numerous to count... but include maple, beech, cedar, juniper, red bud, elm, and several we have never seen. There is also a 5.5 foot deep pond with a giant filtration system that will allow koi to live... along with others. The house is on the south side of the street, and when you look south from the mid-point, you can see here, the view past a large silver maple to the pond. There is a lot of statuary, stone supported gardens (most of which will change from formal boxwood defined to Lynnda's favored English Perennial gardens in the coming years.

The owner that designed the gardens several years ago was originally from Madagascar, off Africa, and he knew what he wanted... privacy and peace... he hand built eight foot cedar fencing, cutting each strip of cedar webbing with a saw over a couple of summers.

His design of the koi pond is right from a 1995 book which was left with the house... making it easy for us to assimilate what he was thinking, even though it was not kept up by the latest owners.

Looking north, again from the mid-point, the deck is outlined by yet more boxwood and plantings. The deck and back of the house will soon be a large glassed in porch, allowing four-seasons of living in the natural surroundings, protected from the elements.

From the Street, looking south, here is 96 Paffard Street if you are coming to visit. Of course you are welcome if you are in NOTL for the Shaw Festival, or just checking out one of the 21 (and counting) vineyard wine outlets in the town. The old village dates to the 1700's when the town was the capital of the Upper Canadian Territory. The history is mostly of British settlers, with a lot of them coming via the USA as Loyalists, following the American Revolution and also the War of 1812.

Many will wonder where exactly NOTL is on a map. Look for Niagara Falls and follow the river to where it empties into Lake Ontario... it is across the river from Lewiston, NY. Because it is on the lake side of what is known as the Bench and the Canadian Shield, the weather in NOTL is significantly more mild than the rest of Ontario, and in particular the area around Buffalo, which we all know as a snow wonderland... wondering why anyone would want to live there...

So, that's the story of our move to Niagara, and my trip to in September. We are going to miss our friends in Nova Scotia, but look forward to visiting them, and they, us. I will be coming to Halifax regularly for my check-ups three or four times a year, so I will be staying in touch, and as a Bluenoser will keep up with the Down-East nature of my soul.