The Holland Marsh & Orangeville Tree Sculptures

This is what the traffic looked like as we were leaving Orillia.

Quite the view from the Princess throne eh?

                       (Please keep in mind that these photos were taken                  through glass as we were travelling.)

Workers in the Holland Marsh – The Heart of Canada’s Vegetable Industry

“The Holland Marsh, located 50km north of Toronto, Ontario, is commonly referred to as Ontario’s ‘vegetable patch’ because of its incredible variety and copious amounts of fresh produce. Produce selections range from more traditional crops such as carrots (of course), onions and celery, to more diverse options like Chinese broccoli, Asian radish, and water spinach. The ability to grow and harvest these crops, which cumulatively amount to over $50 million worth of produce per year, results from a combination of dedicated farmers and incredible muck soil.”

If you want more information or photos click here

We see a lot of quaint little villages and towns as we travel and we make notes of places that we would like to return to and spend some time exploring. Orangeville is one of those places.

These tree sculptures and wood carvings line the streets.

Again, keep in mind that we are travelling in our motorhome towing our Grand Vitara. The Cowboy’s not real crazy about stopping just to let me take a picture.

“The Art Walk of Tree Sculptures for Orangeville has attracted a lot of attention from residents, visitors and other municipalities since it was initiated in 2002. The project gives trees a new life after they have been declared beyond hope by the municipal arborist.”

“All kinds of wooden carvings on permanent display including "chainsaw carvings", "totem poles" & "cigar store Indians" along roadways in parks in front of stores, lodges and wherever they may be placed for outdoor public display. *Wooden signs do not meet this category's criteria (those currently accepted previous to Feb 4 2008 will be grandfathered). The wooden display must be of a sculpture format. The carving must be made of wood and not resin reproductions.”

Most of the information here is from the internet. Just google ‘Orangeville Wood Carvings’ and you’ll find lots of web sites. From my understanding, there is a team of artists that work on this project. One that caught my attention is Jim Menkin, a chain saw carver. You can check out his website here for more (professional) pictures and info.

Thanks for travelling along with us.