The blog of Canadian author Cynthia Reyes
Photos by Hamlin Grange
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One of the nicest things to do in Ontario’s early autumn, is to go for a drive in the country. We drove north of Bowmanville then east to Baltimore and Warkworth in Northumberland County. Northumberland County is east of Toronto, and is an area of outstanding natural beauty — especially in autumn.
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Kendal, northeast of Toronto, has many heritage properties, some dating back to the mid-1800’s. That’s why it’s the focus of Clarington’s Doors Open architectural conservancy tour on June 10th 2017.Â
The Grange — Wendy and Nicholas Boothman’s farm property — will be a highlight of the tour.Â
So will “Southwinds”, below. Â Visitors will be be able to see these houses, barns and properties up-close and learn about their architectural and family histories.
Also known as “The Marr House”, Southwinds was built of cut-stone in 1845 for Scottish immigrant Alexander Marr and his family.Â
Marilyn Morawetz, leader of Doors Open Clarington, says The Grange and Southwinds are excellent examples of their era.Â
“Both represent typical architecture at the time by or for families with much to contribute to the early development of the Kendal and Orono areas. Even the barns on both properties are wonderful examples of architecture and life at that time.”Â
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But let’s return to the Boothmans’ grand adventure in country-living and renovating.
The renovation would take 4 long years.Â
But the family loved their home, even before it was completed. So did friends, who visited on weekends during and after the renovation.Â
Finally, all the major work was done. The barn foundations were repaired; the house was made comfortable; the pool and garden put in; the planned extension and verandah added.
The results were beautiful.
With a comfortable house, a sturdy barn and farm animals, 140 acres and spectacular views, the farm was also a gorgeous setting. Nick says:
“After we were well settled at The Grange, the outdoor Shakespearean group Driftwood Theatre Group were looking for an outdoor venue for their first dress rehearsal and they found the beautiful settings at The Grange, perfect.
“So for 6 years in a row, we would have great fun inviting friends and their families from the area and Toronto to join us for an outdoor performance of Shakespeare. Their first season was Romeo and Juliet.Â
“It was fun and we like to think it gave Driftwood Theatre Group a good start on what has become a very successful annual attraction in Durham Region and beyond.”
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Life, of course, has its ups and downs.
In 1998, Nick became ill.Â
The children told Wendy:Â “Mummy, we’ll be okay. You focus on getting Daddy better.”
Wendy set a rule: there’d be no sadness and feeling sorry around Nick. At 5 p.m. every day, they held ‘happy hour’ in the bedroom and opened a bottle of red wine. She told visitors only funny stories and positive talk were allowed.
But one day, Wendy “needed to explode”. She drove up the hill to the spot where the whole family had gathered that first day for the picnic, got out of the car, dropped to her knees and banged on the ground with her fists, and screamed.
On her way back, a huge stag stood in one of the fields, staring at her. It didn’t flinch as she passed. Â Wendy felt the stag was saying:Â “It’s all going to be okay”.
“And it was,” says Wendy.
From that day, whenever anyone needed to scream about something happy or sad, they’d go to that spot. Today, friends still call to ask if they can go up there and “have a scream”.
That’s how the spot got its name: “Wendy’s Screaming Hill”.
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Photos 1 and 3 by Doors Open Clarington
Photo 5 by Nicholas Boothman.
All other photos by Hamlin Grange
See More Photos of the renovated Grange in Part 4!
Would you leave a very comfortable house in the city – a mansion, even by Toronto standards – to live in a dilapidated 1800’s farmhouse in the middle of nowhere?
I, as you know, have lived in interesting places. But when former model and media manager Wendy Boothman told me what she did 31 years ago, even I was surprised.Â
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In 1986, the Boothman family decided to move to the country. They found a large log house in perfect move-in condition. Wendy’s husband and children loved it.
But Wendy wasn’t sold. Without telling her family, she kept looking. She asked the realtor to show her a place in Kendal, a hamlet northeast of Toronto. They toured the property.
“It was a hot August day and the poor realtor was in his suit and tie. I had no idea what 140 acres meant, so we ended up walking and walking.”
They also toured the house. Wendy said she loved the place.
The shocked realtor replied:Â “Wendy, it’s so dilapidated! Look at the holes in the floors! You have 5 children and a housekeeper. You can’t live here!”
Husband Nick saw it next. An international fashion photographer and audio-visual director with a Toronto studio, Â he was stunned.
“Woman!” he said. “You’ve finally flipped. I refuse to set foot in that house!”
Wendy showed him the huge wooden barn with cathedral ceilings. Then she drove him up to the highest point of the property and showed him the view. Â He was impressed… somewhat.
“We’ll renovate the house to what we want,” she reassured him. “We’ll design the garden to what we want. But most importantly, the children will be part of the designing. They’ll decide on the pool, their rooms, and so on.”
Sounded nice. In theory.
“If you think the children are going to want to leave a Toronto mansion to camp out  here while we do all the work required, you have another think coming,” Nick protested.
This was a daunting challenge.
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Then Nick relented. “If you can sell the kids on this move,” he told her, “we’ll do it.”
One Sunday in August, Wendy and Nick took the kids on a long drive, turned off a country road and drove up to a hill with an impressive view of the area.
The children asked:
“What are we doing here?”
“We’re having a picnic in the country!” Wendy replied, smiling. “We’re moving to the country, so we may as well get used to it.”
After the picnic, the seven of them trooped through the fields and peered into the forest, excited.
Walking down the other side of the hill, the children spied a house and asked if they could look inside — not knowing their mother had a key.
They saw the tiny rooms, the old kitchen, the holes in the floors… the whole catastrophe.Â
But when Wendy took them into the barn, they were awestruck. Â
Wendy seized the moment.
“We can move into the log house… or we can get this place and design it together. Your friends can come on weekends. We’ll have horses – you can ride. Can you imagine if we had a pool on the side of a hill and gardens?”
They returned home to Toronto, and started drawing up plans together.
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They moved into the house on Halloween that October. Â Wendy, who knew nothing about school buses, sent the 2 younger kids to the wrong school the first day.
That winter was full of challenges. For one thing, the house was freezing cold.Â
Both parents still worked nearly 2 hours away in downtown Toronto — Nick at his studio, Wendy at her media management and design office. Â Every morning, he drove the 3 older children to school in Toronto. Wendy picked them up every afternoon.
A year later, she decided to move her business to her home, creating one of the first “virtual teams” in Canada.
That eased a few challenges on the home-front. But renovating the house and landscaping the grounds would become a huge, 4-year project.
Photos by Hamlin Grange
Aggie asked me to publish blooms of peonies from my garden.
I promised I would.
Aggie and husband Lou run Isis Farms near Avery, Texas. They call what they do “beyond organic”.
“We want to grow and supply ‘real’ food, for ourselves, and as many people as possible. We think that good, whole food is a key to health.”
They describe themselves as stewards of their 30-acre land.
“As stewards of this land, we want to nurture a healthy ecosystem, maintaining the forest, reintroducing native grasses, and keeping the chemicals out.”
Aggie and Lou believe the planet cannot possibly sustain the average American’s lifestyle. So they are doing their part to reduce their impact on the earth.
“For example, we are planning for solar power, and rainwater collection and drip irrigation to minimize water usage. Our home is small, and we heat with wood, which creates no additional greenhouse gases, and is freely available in our forest. We purchase used items when practical.”
Aggie and Lou have been working very hard to realize their ideals. And they continue to do so, through what seems to be every single day. This kind of work and vision take commitment, but they seem to have it in spades.
So these blooms are a tribute to Aggie and Lou and Isis Farms.
And because Aggie asked to see them.
This post is dedicated to Aggie, Lou, and all who are doing something to “reduce their impact” on the earth.
*The second and third images above are by my wonderful photographer Hamlin Grange. (The rest are by that awful photo-taker who shall not be named.)
Cynthia Reyes 