Apple, Butter & Cheese Festival

Henri had fun with his cousins on Saturday at the Apple, Butter & Cheese Festival in Wellesley. There was so much to see, including a mini-speed-boat race, antique car parade, Dairy farm guided tour, Apple cider factory, street festival, etc. We didn't have enough time to see it all since we had a BBQ at a friend's house later on so we prioritized the farm tour. It is one of the most technologically advanced in Canada. Almost everything is automated and the twice-daily milking of over 450 cows requires only two part-time employees! Many parts of the complex looked more like a factory than a barn. Each cow wears an ankle monitor so the computer can measure how much milk it produces, an indicator of the cow's health. Even the calves get fed a measured amount of formula by a 'robotic udder'!

Henri and his cousins were petting a horse when it suddenly 'snorted', causing quite a reaction!

Judo Lesson

Ever since his ten minute one-on-one judo demonstration during Canada Day celebrations at Riverside park last Summer, Henri has been looking forward to trying a full lesson. He had his first introductory judo lesson organized by the homeschool group after lunch on Wednesday. He found it quite demanding physically but he said he enjoyed it enough to return for more lessons.

Hills of Erin Studio Tour

One of my favourite aspects of being a photojournalist is that it allows Henri to see and learn so much about what happens 'behind-the-scenes' when we cover stories for the Erin Advocate.
While taking photos of the Hills of Erin Studio Tour on Saturday Sept. 18 we were given a private tour of a few artists' workshops and learned many 'trade secrets' about the tools and materials used to produce such beautiful artwork.

Doon Heritage Crossroads

Friday Sept. 17 was homeschool day at Doon (only $4 admission for both Henri and dad!). Doon just re-opened recently after being closed for one year of renovations. Henri was fascinated to learn about how every facet of everyday living was so different just a few generations ago! There were live presenters at each exhibit to explain their trades.

Monarch Butterfly Seminar

Henri has been learning about Monarchs all summer long and has been looking after four different caterpillars throughout their amazing transformation process. He (and his dad) learned so much about the fascinating Monarch butterfly's life cycle during a two-hour seminar at Wings of Paradise during their monthly homeschool day activity, which on Sept. 15 was dedicated to the Monarch. The group released a dozen tagged Monarch butterflies which we will be able to track online next spring to find out if they made it safely to Mexico. Henri was thrilled to find his first two Monarch caterpillars during the activity but unfortunately it was catch-and-release. Thankfully, a few days later Henri found two more during a trail hike closer to home.

Peter's Birthday Party

Here are a few photos from one of Henri's friend's birthday party on
Sept. 12

Not Back To School Picnic

The weather was perfect on Friday September 10 for Henri's first ever not-back-to-school picnic. We were amazed at the size of the crowd of people in the group. Henri enjoyed meeting a few new friends and re-connecting with a few others.