This photo, from my recent vacation in Prince Edward County, is a tribute to Alex Coleville. At least that’s what I’m calling it. Something about the way the light is wrapping around Michael with the patio doors out onto the lake in the background seems reminiscent of a Coleville to me.
I think Coleville would have enjoyed the place we stayed – Lake on the Mountain Resort – with it’s modest cabins by the lake, changeable weather, varied and grand views, rolling highway and mysterious lake.
I’m not sure, however, what he would think of Birdhouse City.
I loved Birdhouse City.
Maybe not the kind of tourist stop for everyone, but it made me very happy to see the dozens and dozens of birdhouses all clustered together.
I was also made happy by the distillery, cidery, honey farm and many vineyards we visited. This, above, is the County Cider Company’s vineyard looking out over Lake Ontario.
Notable wineries: Long Dog and the incredible vinegars at Black Prince. Also check out the “mead” available from Honey Pie Hives and Herbals.
This is one of the many gazebos at Lake on the Mountain, which is also a brewery as well as a lovely place to stay. There is definitely something “old world” about the landscape in Prince Edward County, especially on the Picton side.
[This isn’t an HDR photo, by the way. In fact this is unaltered except converted from RAW to jpeg. The light this evening was incredible.]
This stunning view over the Bay of Quinte is much like many of the views in the County.
I don’t get many vacations so time like this is very precious. This was a beautiful part of the world to spend my few “idle” days off.
Highly recommended.
love this, Esther. Lake on the Mountain is probably one of my very top favourite places in Ontario, since learing about it it two years ago, courtesy of my friend Linda Lee Chamberlain. thanks so much for sharing
You’ve brought back some nice memories for me – where can I get some of that Mead!
Follow the link to the Honey farm. They make the mead!
Alex liked the quiet moments as much as the climatic. Very much a tribute!
Beautiful Esther! Cam grew up in Picton. You certainly did it justice.
A beautiful County indeed. My favourite approach is from the east along Loyalist Parkway (Hwy 33) because taking the Glenora ferry gives a marvellous sense of arrival. And then Lake on the Mountain is right there. By the way, I have heard that that lake is the same elevation as remarkable Oak Lake up near Stirling and probably connected. I can’t google anything to confirm or deny that.
Hi Monroe! The lake is a big mystery apparently. Where does the water actually come from? No one knows. We canoed all the way around it and there’s no place where a visible stream or river feeds it. Plus, it’s on the highest point of land in the county so the water wouldn’t be flowing “down” from anywhere. There’re lots of legends, stories, theories and ideas about how the lake works, but none have been confirmed.
Lovely pics! RT @evmustang: New blog post: Prince Edward County Vacation http://t.co/xcWTrvAUWZ #photo #wine #princeedwardcounty #pec
It would be a perfect Colville if the table were cleared and a handgun placed on it (as in his painting “Pacific”). This would add Colville’s element of “contingency” (his word) to the composition.
Yes, Robert! And also if there were a “casually” half dressed or naked woman facing away from the viewer bending to touch the water’s surface – or something like that.
The apparent serenity of Colville’s paintings is almost always broken by some element that makes the viewer uneasy. Sometimes that element is too blatant, in my opinion (as in “Horse and Train”), but in other paintings subtle, as in “Truck Stop” (Why does that man at the gas pump have a cast on his arm?).
Did you see the Colville exhibit at the AGO last year? It was an excellent overview and did a pretty good job of outlining his fascination with tension and mortality.
I wish I had. I have admired his work for decades.
His sensitivity to light and the way he layers his paint are incredible to get your nose right up to. It was a lot to take in (as so many of the AGO’s main exhibitions are) but was worth being overwhelmed by.