Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you’re having a nice, relaxing weekend. My weekend hasn’t been a relaxing one, but it’s been a ton of fun! Yesterday Tania and I held our long-awaited engagement party, and hosted ~100 of our relatives and friends in our house and backyard (thank goodness for rain tents!!) It was a beautiful day filled with love and celebration, but hosting that many people was no easy feat! We’ve been prepping for this party for months and did as much as we could ahead of time – I’ve been baking and freezing desserts for what feels like forever – but this last week was when everything really kicked into high gear. Tania and I both took Friday off work and spent the entire day – from 7am until midnight – cleaning, decorating, prepping food, moving furniture, and setting up tables, chairs and tents. It almost felt like we were hosting a mini-wedding! “The day after” – i.e. today – has been just as much work with all the cleanup, so we’re both feeling quite exhausted – but we’re thrilled with how everything turned out, and know all our hard work was worth it. All that said, I’ve had this blog post prepped for a few days but hadn’t gotten around to posting until now – but, better late than never!
I recently spent a weekend at a cottage up in Bancroft, Ontario for my friend Katie’s bachelorette. It was a fabulous and fun-filled weekend, and to top it all off, I got to watch her walk down the aisle at her wedding last Saturday, which was held at the beautiful Millcroft Inn in Caledon. She’s one of my best friends (and bridesmaids!) and it was such an honour to be a part of her special day. Here are a couple of snaps from the bachelorette weekend, hosted at my friend Bethany’s (also a bestie and bridesmaid!) in-laws’ gorgeous cottage.
The drive from Bancroft to Burlington isn’t exactly a hop and a skip, so I decided to break up my drive home by stopping at a couple of local attractions along the way. (As you all know, I’ll find any excuse to explore, especially when I’m in an area I don’t often visit!) One of the places I checked out was the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, and it was such a gem that I knew I had to share it with you all!
Located in Glebe Park in (spoiler alert) Haliburton, the Haliburton Sculpture Forest combines two of my favourite things – art and nature – in one spectacular setting. This unique outdoor gallery first opened in 2001 with three sculptures. Today, it’s home to no less than forty sculptures by Canadian and international artists. This interactive map shows photos of each work along with its location, but – contrary to my typical M.O. of researching and planning everything ahead of time – I didn’t look up anything beforehand, and just let myself wander, discover and be delighted by the art.
The trail is just 1.4 kilometres long, so you’ll definitely be able to see all forty sculptures on your visit. They’re all unique and beautiful in their own way, but I’m not about to post all forty here, so I thought I’d showcase just a few of my favourites:
Redwing Frond by Darlene Bolahood
Mother Earth by Scott McKay
Embracing Eos by Charles O’Neil – perhaps my favourite in the entire forest!
Sleep of the Huntress by Doug Stephens
Gelert by Mary Anne Barkhouse
Beaver by Haliburton Highlands Secondary School 2002 students, with support from Mary Anne Barkhouse & Michael Belmore – a very Canadian sculpture!
Moose Scraps by Leo Sepa – the Canadiana theme continues!
Fire & Ice by Charles O’Neil
Curled Figures by Susan Low-Beer
I See A Wish (Where Some See A Weed) by students of the Integrated Arts Program at Barrie’s Innisdale Secondary School – a mantra worth living by!
Pan by George Pratt
Flying Debris by Leo Sepa
Visionary: A Tribute to Sir Sandford Fleming by Richard Shanks
On my way back to the parking lot, I passed this charming log cabin, part of the nearby Haliburton Highlands Museum’s collection.
I would have loved to explore the museum, but I was there on a Sunday, and they’re closed Sundays and Mondays. Oh well… it just gives me an excuse to go back!
The Haliburton Sculpture Forest is open year-round, and admission is by donation. You can donate online or at any of the cash donation boxes located in the forest. On Tuesdays in July and August, free guided tours of the forest are offered from 10-11:30 am. You can also book a guided group tour for $100, which accommodates a group of 10-25. Click here for more information on guided tours.
P.S. If you’re a fan of outdoor art galleries, I’d also recommend checking out the Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County – you can read my post on the Oeno Gallery here.
Which of the sculptures pictured above is your favourite? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Leave a Reply