Two weeks ago, the 98th annual International Plowing Match was held on the grounds of the St. Thomas, Ontario airport. By all accounts, it was a stupendous event, with more than 80,000 visitors and spread over 1000 acres. The Plowing Match resembles a huge county fair, but minus many of the commercial and carnival-type vendors, rides and displays. There were hundreds of booths and tents hosting an expansive variety of retail and wholesale wares, as well as crafts, of course food and even religion. Most of the vendors were definitely geared toward the farming industry and country living in general, and frankly it was refreshing and reassuring to see that our rural roots are indeed thriving, at least at the Plowing Match! Plowing matches have been part of our agricultural history in Ontario for well over a century. History records that in 1846 when the first provincial exhibition was held in the city of Toronto, a special feature of the event was a plowing match. These matches not only gave farmers an opportunity to display their skill in the handling of a walking plow, but to show off their fine teams of horses, mostly Percherons and Belgians, many of which were imported or were from imported stock. Today's plowing match still highlights the skill of the single-row plow, plus a host of other competitions, activities and demonstrations.The parking for the plowing match was very far from the actual activity, but there were volunteers helping us out. Once leaving the vehicle, we were directed to walk up to the road, where tractors pulling different types of wagons were waiting, like a nonstop assembly line. Yes, it did feel a little like cattle going to market! 
The grounds of the match seemed to go on forever. Getting closer in the shuttle wagon, it was more and more difficult to imagine getting around and seeing everything in just one afternoon.
Once you made it through the gate, you could pick up a map and plan the sights and exhibitions that you wanted to see first. I just started walking ... there was so much to see!
One of the most amazing and hilarious displays was the tractor square dance. There were 8 couples on identical tractors, all "dancing" to the square dance caller. The funniest thing was that although there were distinct couples, each "female" partner was a man, complete with dresses with padded tops and long hair wigs. They put on quite the show!
There was also a rodeo at the plowing match, which I hope to upload in the next few days.
After our visit to Old Salem, we set out for the Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches almost 500 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains. Starting in North Carolina and continuing up through Virginia, it encompasses some of the oldest settlements of both pre-historic and early European settlements. There are many mileposts along the way, which designate look outs, hiking and biking trails, historical landmarks and even a few restaurants and a lodge. Our goal was to get as high up and to see as much as we could in the few hours we would have before dusk. Dianne was a great tour guide! 
There are a number of old European settlements that have been preserved, and the Brinegar homestead is just one of them. Occupied for over 60 years, this 19th-century log cabin illustrates the isolated existence of mountain residents.
On our way back down the mountain to head home, we stopped briefly at one of the campgrounds. Before we even got out of the van, I spied a young fawn just beyond the clearing.
We had just finished our walkabout and were turning to leave, when we saw a doe we could only presume was the mother. It was a great finish to wonderful excursion!
The song is so true ... North Carolina in the morning is just pure soul food, especially when the summer's sun has started to wane above the 49th parallel. I spent 4 lovely days last week visiting my very good friend Dianne Hawes (Wistwin Shelties) near Raleigh, and it was wonderful to revisit summer weather again. Upon my arrival on Thursday, Dianne gave me an early Christmas present - a beautifully handpainted dish of my heart girl, Cady (Ch Laureate Cadence". It's an exquisite replica, and is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received.
My second day there, we planned a drive to the Blue Ridge mountains, approximately 2 1/2 hours away, and decided to take a side trip to Old Salem on our way. It was an absolutely delightful step back in time, carefully preserved and recreated.From the tourist information, "Salem was founded in 1766 by the Moravians – a Protestant group of people that began in what is now known as the Czech Republic. The Moravians were missionaries who established an earlier settlement in Bethlehem, PA before beginning "Wachovia" in the North Carolina backcountry in 1753. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is a unique community of original museum buildings, authentic craftsmen practicing their trade, fascinating collections of rare antiques, and one-of-a-kind retail shopping opportunities. The stories and activities experienced by visitors in the museums convey a much larger aspect of early America than just the Moravians who settled in Salem, NC. The experiences are a reflection of the evolving economy and diversity of lifestyles that made up the early South." Local citizens dress in the garb of the day and work in the shops and gardens. It is a town steeped in history and arrested in time, a small oasis in the midst of the modern world.From where we parked, this grand and original building gave an idea of the exquisite architecture in the village.
There are many artifacts on display as well as fully functioning implements or machines true to the late 1700's. It made perfect sense that an industrial-size hand water pump would be available within easy reach of the oven used for baking bricks!
Making our way up to the main street, you couldn't help but admire the beautiful stone work at the base of this building.
Although there is a guided tour with an admission price to many of the buildings, there are a number of shops that charge nothing, but have an amazing selection of wares on display and to buy. Ownership of the buildings and land is currently divided among Old Salem, Inc., Wachovia Historical Society, Salem Academy and College, and Moravian representatives. Many of the homes in the town are also privately owned, with the facades blending in with the rest of the village. One of the first businesses we entered was the bakery (no surprise! :)). It was heavenly!
The plant boxes on the fences or windows held some species that I didn't recognize, including this kind of berry-flower plant. And I don't think I had ever seen a fig growing on a fig bush before.
We also visited a hat maker's shop, where the hats were mostly for display, but many other items were for sale.
There were so many shops and buildings just on the main street alone, that we could have easily spent the day there. But we finished our stroll, took a few last looks, and then headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Part 2 of my blog for this delightful trip!
The weather this past Sunday was quite unsettled ... was it going to be rain or sun? The skies couldn't decide, so rather than head for the beach and possibly get rained out, I decided to visit St. Mary's, a small, historic and delightful town about 1/2 hour away. St. Mary's is known for being home to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, boasts of Timothy Eaton's first retail store, and is the burial place of Arthur Meighen, Canada's 9th Prime Minister. In the park that marks it's founding, there is an interesting set of falls fed by the Thames River, and lent the town it's nickname, "Little Falls". Although perhaps not large by Niagara standards, it still moves along at an imposing speed with plenty of froth and spray, and of course, water fowl.
Contemplating ... 
Takeoff!
