Here in snowy Ontario we are waiting for spring to arrive (it’s April–hurry up already!) so I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you a wonderful waiting experience I had last summer. Yes, I said wonderful! Have a look at these photos and you will see what I mean.
After my husband and I enjoyed a canoe trip in Quetico Provincial Park, we drove to Manitoulin Island. Since we hadn’t exactly planned in advance, we arrived in South Baymouth just in time to see a ferry leaving the dock. Drat! What else was there to do but wait until the next one?
As we walked up the street to the little grocery store, we noticed a fence and could see there was a large garden behind it. After wandering the grocery aisles looking for snacks, we remarked to the woman at the register that we would love a look at the garden across the road. To our surprise, someone overheard us and said, “Dick and Eunice? I think they’re home. They’d love to give you a tour. Just go and call at the gate!” That’s when our waiting turned wonderful.
We could never have imagined what lay beyond that garden gate. It was a paradise of fruit and vegetables, flowers and butterflies. There was a huge stand of corn along with tomatoes, onions and even a hops vine that had escaped its trellis and was growing up the side of the greenhouse. Native plants grew in abundance alongside annuals like petunias, impatiens and strawflowers. Perennials were everywhere: hosta, globe thistle, iris, lupins, gaillardia, phlox…
Not only did we get a personally guided tour of the flower beds and greenhouse, we got to see the chapel. Yes, on their not-very-big property, they built a sturdy wooden building for prayer and worship. It was tiny! “I planned it that way,” Dick said. “It’s so small that it only fits one person at a time. That means that this is the only church in the world where there will never be an argument!” We laughed in the way that only seasoned church goers would (they are Anglican and active in their local church).
When it was time for us to catch our ferry, we were sorry to leave. Dick and Eunice were the kind of people that are fun to be with because their lives are overflowing with adventure (you can get a sense of that from this 2014 article about them).
They insisted on driving us back to the terminal so that they could show us the entrance of the local trail system they have created. Dick loves to walk, and about ten years ago he decided to clear paths on nearby vacant land for forest walks. Wanting others to enjoy the beauty and exercise, he built bridges and boardwalks and added handrails to make them all child and senior friendly. As if that wasn’t enough, Dick hand carves beautiful walking sticks and makes them available at the entrance and exit of each trail (he hopes you will leave them for the next person when you’re finished).
It’s important to meet people like Dick and Eunice–people who are ahead of you on life’s journey–because it’s important to have great role models. I know that my empty nest years are still a ways off, but these are the kind of people I would like to be when I grow up: full of laughter, rooted in love, and living lives in which their faith easily infuses everything they do. Also, I would love to have a garden like that some day!
If you find yourself waiting for the ferry on Manitoulin Island anytime soon, look upBowerman’s Garden. Call out for Dick and Eunice at the gate and you might get lucky enough to enjoy a tour yourself. It will make your waiting wonderful!
