Changing Seasons-our time at Eagle Tree Farm comes to an end

     As is often the case when you come to the end of a season or chapter in your life, I find myself full of seemingly conflicting feelings-sadness to leave what has become home, and excitement for what lies ahead; regret at the things we wanted to do or accomplish that remains undone, and joy at remembering the wonderful things we did experience here, all emotions interacting with the rest, creating a wonderful brew of nostalgia.

     So much can be said about this amazing place, the history of the area, fond memories created that we will cherish the rest of our lives, and yet as is always the case what remains the most worth saying centers around the individuals and relationships. Reflecting on our short 3 week time here, it is remarkable how quickly the seasons of life have changed! When we first arrived, Kaitie and Aiden were here, and we shared the space with them for the first week as they showed us the ropes. After they left, we had the whole downstairs to ourselves, ushering in a new season of settling in and creating 'home' as we said goodbye to our new friends.

Bailey and I watching the clouds in our backyard

As we were cloud gazing, we saw a rainbow suspended in the sky, drifting along with the clouds

     As we continued living life here, doing the Farmers Market on Fridays, connecting with people coming in and out of our paths, building trust with the animals we cared for, and deepening our relationship with our host Sherry, the land around us changed with us, as though it sensed our coming departure. We had perfect weather by anyone's standards until the this last Monday night, when it rained for the first time since we arrived. Since then, it has been colder, and everywhere we turn there are leaves that were the most vibrant green when we first arrived and are now golden gems falling onto the increasingly padded ground. The plants are pulling their leaves and flowers back, preparing for the long cold winter just around the corner, and the animals are found grazing more in the open getting in their last easy meals for several months. We are experiencing our first real fall, and it is just spectacular.

The colors of fall

We have seen increasing herds of deer similar to this along the side of the road enjoying the last of the fresh green grass

     The changing seasons has been reinforced by the change of duties at the farm the past week, as the 2 adult goats were sold to be bred to produce milk,  20 of the 26 chickens were sold to someone more equipped to care for them during the winter, and the 3 adult sheep, 2 baby sheep and 2 baby goats were relocated to Ann Armonn's ranch for the winter.

Saying goodbye to Io, left, and Calysto, right

Sweet, noisy Buckey

The adult sheep are going to Ann's farm where they will join hundreds of other farm animals for the winter

     We had the opportunity to say goodbye to many friends at our last Farmers Market on Friday-the wonderful German couple who sells fresh organic honey, Deborah the fudge lady, Eva Van Horn, the wife of the one of the best chefs in town, to name some. It was a bittersweet day, where we enjoyed delicious free baked potatoes donated by a booth to celebrate the ending of the Market season. To cap our time here, last night we went to a book launching of renowned Canadian photographer Chris Harris' latest book, 'Flyover', who lives here in 100 Mile House. It featured a slideshow of photos from the book, and gave a whole new perspective of the wild and immense beauty of the area. There have been enough hugs and exchanges of love to keep us all warm in the winter, or as Sherry says, "I keep people here as much as I can in the spring and summer, to fill the space with laughter and joy to keep me company during the lonely winter." We have met so many incredible people here, and have learned so much more than I had expected. The people of 100 Mile House that we have encountered are an educated, spunky, passionate about the 'First Nations' (Native Americans), local agriculture and nutritious food, but mostly a hugely dedicated, community centered group that have welcomed us into their homes, lives and hearts with open arms.

     A fitting quote that sums up the livelihoods and motivations of many of the people we have come to love here is something that the cattle rancher Ann said after I told her she was an inspiration to me. Seeming perhaps uncomfortable with the recognition, she replied, "Well I really I think I'm quite ordinary, you know. I just want to provide people with healthy, nutritious food, but I suppose not everyone wants to do that ."

Us helping out Ann Armonn at her farm

  We will continue enjoying Canada as we backpack through the Rockies starting tomorrow, and make our way down to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, but no matter where we go, 100 Mile House and the Eagle Tree Farm will always hold a dear place in our hearts as our first WWOOFing location and a time of joy, love and friends. 

This will all join us in our car as we shift into a season of road tripping and hit the road to Mt Robson Provincial Park for a backpacking trip tomorrow and slowly make our way back to California for a wedding!