There is and always will be a special place in my heart for my wonderful
great-grandparents. These were my dads' grandparents. I spent a great part of my summers there as a child and loved them dearly.

They had come to Canada in the late 1800's from Ireland, crossing the Atlantic in an old sailing vessel. They found a place to homestead on in Cantley, Quebec......just a stones throw from Ottawa, Ontario where I was born and grew up. They had three children, a son and two daughters. The daughters are still alive today. The yougest girl being my dad's mother, my grandmother who passed away shortly before her 101st birthday. Her health was good she just was tired.

They were well into their eighties when I was born in 1945, so you can imagine what they had to endure crossing the ocean and homesteading in a new land. Even though hydro and phone were available to them when I was small, they saw no need for these things. They still carried water from the mountain stream & lived off the land. Great-grandma burned orange peels in the wood stove every morning after making orange juice, she said it cleaned the stove pipes, plus there was always a nice scent of oranges in the air. We used oil lamps to read by and she had some beautiful lamps, so old with lovely hand paintings on them. Great-grandpa used to tell me all about their trip over on the sailing vessel and settling their land. I found them both so loving and very interesting.

Great-grandma was still ironing with the old heavy irons that were heated up on the stove. They had worked hard all their lives and even in their 80's they still worked hard. I can't say enough nice things about this wonderful couple from the 1800's who still lived & worked as they had since the 1800's in the 1940's. I am happy to be related to them and happier to have had the chance to spend so much time with them and learn so much.

Their farm was in a valley surrounded by 4 Gatineau mountains. I loved walking up through the forested mountain sides with my great-grandma and most times looking for the old family horse, "Bubbles" who spent most of his time up there. We would give him carrots when we found him. Often we would hear bears, but they never bothered anyone. Yes, their home was always open to me and I was there every chance I could get as I hated living in cities. The quiet peacefulness of staying with them was good for me, who sufferred anxiety attacks from birth & still do. It was like stepping into another world.

Great-grandpa passed on when he was in his very late 80's and great-grandma was 96 before she joined him. I miss them, but know they are very happy together again, as great-grandma really missed her departed husband.