Saturday, July 7, 2012

founded by accident - never made it to the brook!


 

well it's not the breakfast of champions (trouts and sprouts) but it still made for a lovely breakfast - yummeh! aged cheddar, cherries, artichokes, avocado, hearts of palm, apricots, strawberries and watermelon - mmmmm good!

dinner was some potatoe salad - that rocked too!



good thing we ate so well this morning and at dinner becuz this afternoon we decided to head into the woods and find where it was that Strachan's Brook trickled into the Framboise River. we know where it enters the river based on jambaloney's coureur de bois adventures (he really is a coureur de bois....see more here). so we wanted to find where the brook was on our land. the majority of our land is heavily forested - beautiful, virgin forest. so jambaloney cleared us a path with the weedwhacker. and off we go!

Helga - yer gonna' need yer gum boots for this adventure. hurry up and get them on. we have adventures to go on.



we love the forest. both of us admit that whenever we are in the forest we feel like kids. i guess that's because both of us played in the forest as kids. isn't it beautiful?


so many different things grow on the forest floor. can you believe that no one has ever walked here before? wow!


i feel like a faery whenever i am in the forest. i feel like a forest-sprite. but when i am down at the river i am definitely a water-sprite. look at this gorgosity!!!


sorry that this pic came out so blurry. i promise to do better next time. i just wanted to share the forest floor with you - amazing ferns and such delicate and beautiful moss. i wish i could wear moss. but that's for when i wear clothes - which i don't do very often!


more beautiful forest. it's breathtaking. hey - what's that up there?????


uh-oh. i think we accidentally stumbled on our neighbour's property. we had a survey done when we bought this property. we have searched high and low for our "supposed" 4 survey markers - we have only found 2. i think we need another survey...what about you?

that structure that we saw....it is a beautiful dug well. but it doesn't use crocks - it's hand-built with sedimentary rock. have a look:


check out the beautiful, crystal clear water!!!! i feel terrible for people suffering from drought as we have soooo much water at our disposal!


we are still searching for the brook when we come upon what looks like a overgrown path???


and then we see the cabin. and can't help ourselves. we have to go and look.


according to our friend who lives on the other side of this property, the owners haven't been around for years. the owners live in the US and i guess they just haven't been able to get back here.

here's a pic of looking through the window - we knew that we shouldn't - but how can you not take at least a little peak?


we didn't check the doors to see if the place was locked or not...we just wanted to have a look around without trespassing too much. can you blame us?

it is obvious that this beautiful cottage has not had a visitor in several years. so sad.

this open window is not a good thing. i imagine that there has been a lot of weather damage to the interior of the cottage due to this open window. i wanted to close it but jambaloney told me not to touch anything.



this poor cottage is going to fall over any day now. notice the slanting beams that it's sitting on. it breaks my heart - so much love went into building this. check out the chinking between the logs. where are the owners? why haven't they maintained this beautiful cottage?


this is the front deck. and it shows more that this structure probably won't make it through another winter. both jambaloney and i want to go in and save it.



this is the front. again - the deck won't last another winter.

 this is a plaque at the front door. jambaloney told me not to go up the stairs as we had trespassed already, but i had to see what the plaque said. 

 

finding this little cottage made me sad. jambaloney said that obviously the little brook was not on our land even though we can hear it. it must be on our neighbour's land somewhere. we didn't continue looking for it as again, we felt that we had trespassed enough.

we are going to try and find out who the owners are and what they plan to do with this land. who knows? with the price of land around here being pretty cheap and/or next to nothing - maybe the owners no longer want the land. if that is the case - you all should run. i'll be hitting you up for "the donate to the kymber and jambaloney  so that they can buy this land" fund. bahahahahahahaha! naw' i'm jest teasin' witchya.

we do need to find out who owns this land. just to be able to tell them that their beautiful cottage is going to fall down. maybe they don't know? we have to find out for certain. it would be such a waste to see such a beautiful cottage just fall down.

my heart is heavy after finding this place. thank goodness this little ball of joy and wonder stopped long enough for me to take a pic!

i love butterflies - don't you?

43 comments:

  1. It's only trespassing if they don't want you there and you have no good purpose being there. With no owner being around for so long you kinda have a right to snoop no telling what problems an abandoned neighboring property could make for you and your property. As long as nothing is harmed then no foul IMO.

    Too bad that place is falling down looks like it could be a wonderful little home.

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    1. PP - thanks for that. we felt terrible stumbling onto our neighbours land but we can`t find our property marker on that side - it`s driving us nuts!!! and we thought that the brook was on our land as we can hear it and where it enters the Framboise River it looks like it is on our land.

      we didn`t touch or harm a thing. jambaloney didn`t like that i went up their step nor did he like that i took a pic of the inside. i couldn`t help myself.

      honestly buddy, it is just so pretty. we want to save it.

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  2. Oh ya nice reflection in the glass. Where are the bunny ears and why are you wearing clothes?

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    1. lolololololol....thanks PioneerPeppy.

      Kimber...what a beautiful place. It hurts my heart for that cabin to go to waste. Looks like all it needs is some TLC.

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    2. yo, PP, dude - did you see that forest?!?!?!?! you can't walk through it without wearing clothes and i am certainly not wearing the bunny ears in there - i could lose them forever!!!

      Tango - you feel the same way that i do. with a little love that cottage could be so beautiful. we are going to do our best to find the owners. no one around here really knows who they are. and they haven't been back in years as you can see from the pics. we'll try and find them and see if they want us to steward the land and cottage. i would hate to see that cottage crumble. thanks hon! xox

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    3. So basically you're saying you would be like a scratched up bare babe in the woods?

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    4. oh ya PP - i learned the hard way once. and i have never repeated that mistake again - bahahahahah!

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  3. I see old farms that are falling down and feel sadness too. With my yen for property and a little cabin tucked into the woods, this breaks my heart.

    Would love if it was mine, I would take care of such a sweet property and having 2 great neighbors wouldn't hurt either.

    Oh well, only a couple more years til we can "bug out" of here for wilder parts.

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    1. Beth...i think that we are the same when we see such things. and yes, of course because you yearn for such a thing, this would break your heart. it breaks mine too. and heck, if we can find the owner, i bet this property would be so cheap as to be affordable. our neighbour on the other side of the property is R - he bartends at all of our community events - he's an awesome guy! so ya, you would be snuggled between 2 sets of awesome neighbours - bahahahhaha!

      hon - you'll get there and bug out to the perfect property - i just know it! xoxox

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  4. Hey sis - Oh what a lovely forest to meander through ! I like the cabin and it's sad to see it abandoned like that. We should buy that land and move there. The cabin could be for both of our guests - and imagine how we could make it look so shabby chic together !

    I can see how you'd feel like a little fairie in that forest! I'm with you on the moss - I adore moss ! Think I'll stay here awhile.

    Enjoy your weekend sis ! Much love sent to you .... xoxoxooxox

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    1. Sis - i knew that you would love that walk through the forest. heck Helga - most of our property is forest and we still haven't been able to trek through it all. but that's what we love about every new day - a chance to go and see something for the first time! the cabin breaks my heart as so much love went into building it. bahahahahah - i only wish that you would buy that property - we could build a beautiful big cabin for me, you, jambaloney, A and C down at the river to live in and then we could have 2 guest cottages - oh wouldn't that be awesome?!?!?!?!?

      ya - i must admit - in the forest and down at the river - i just feel like a faerie. i've always loved them...them and gypsies. just like you!

      honey - you hang out in the forest with the variety of different mosses and entertain yourself for hours k? i'll keep you hydrated and fed - i promise!

      love you always Helga! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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  5. Kymber and Jambaloney,

    To funny! We picked up watermelon today and cheese, I guess we were thinking the same thing for breakfast and or lunch :-)
    I love going on adventures through the woods to find little things like creeks, moss and ferns. Omg, now thats a cute little cabin. What a shame it's in need of such repair. I don't know if I would have checked in the window, with my luck I would be looking into the other end of a shoot gun, LOL.
    Thank you for sharing suck beautiful pictures, I felt as if I was hicking through the woods with ya'll.
    I love butterflies and flowers and clouds....I could keep going on with my list of things I like. Have a beautiful evening. Your Friend, Sandy

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    1. Sweet Sandy - they say great minds think alike - bahahahahah! we love adventures too and Sandy you would love walking around here in our forest - no one has ever walked here before! it is such a shame that the beautiful little cottage is right about to fall down. i wanted to close the window to keep out the elements but jambaloney told me not to. i am glad that you enjoyed hiking with us today...you are always welcome to join us on our hikes! i know that you love all kinds of beautiful, natural things - just like me! i hope that you have a beautiful evening too, sweet friend! xoxox

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  6. might be a "tax write off" for income tax purposes

    at least when it all crumbles, a source of salvagable materials

    or the owners are dead.....

    Wildflower

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    1. Wildflower - the owners apparently live in the US so i am not sure how that could be a tax write off - i will have to ask my friend Jane as she is an American who owns land in Canada, too. and yes - if it crumbles we will be salvaging. i hope the owners aren't dead...that would be awful.

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  7. All I could think when I saw that DESERTED cabin was "GO IN!!" Your husband sounds too much like mine for comfort. The first thing in his mind is always "Is it the right thing to do?" and his conscience always says "No", while mine says "YES!" Mom and dad used to take Sunday drives and we never, ever found an empty house (deserted) we didn't go in. In fact, I used to think they OWNED all the empty houses we walked through. lol

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    1. lotta joy - you and me both but we got them dang husbands eh? bahahahahah! oh and your parents sound like a real hoot - you thought they owned all those houses - bahahahahahaha! oh good one!!!

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  8. kymber,

    Love your breakfasts. Who ever said it HAS to be eggs?

    That cabin also makes me sad. The building itself looks to be in decent shape, just no foundation. That's why a good foundation makes all the difference (in all things, if you know what I mean).

    Looking down that well reminded me of visiting an aunt & uncle that had no indoor plumbing but had a well right off their back porch. Almost as good as running water. I helped pull up many buckets of fresh cool water. A single ladle hung on a nearby post. Everyone used that same ladle to get a cool sip of water throughout the day.

    Germs were shared back then ....

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    1. DFW - yep breakfast don't HAVE to be eggs eh? actually, i like eggs at suppertime but then i am weird that way. ya, the cabin makes me sad too and it wouldn't be too hard to fix/build a better foundation. and ya, i know what you mean about having a good foundation!

      the well is quite beautiful and the water was crystal clear - if a ladle had have been hanging there - i would have taken a big delicious drink. i was raised sharing germs - so i'm not afraid of them - bahahahahah!

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  9. Commonlaw generally says you have to post your no trespassing signs. I believe you need to post them even if you have a fence.

    Your woods look like secondary growth. With a little of forest forensics, you might be able to figure out what was where in the past.

    http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Forensics-Reading-Forested-Landscape/dp/0881509183

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    1. The book looks like an interesting read!

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    2. Russ - thanks for the commonlaw info. but down here, you just don't go trespassing on other people's land...you just don't. so no one here even knows the state of this cottage except for the neighbour on the other side of the property. any time we have asked him questions, he doesn't seem to know anything. ah well...we have to figure out a way to find the owner.

      and thanks so much for the info on forest forensics and the book - i appreciate that very much. jambaloney loves learning about flora and fauna so he will enjoy that book greatly!

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    3. Sandy, it is interesting but it is more useful in areas (like Nova Scotia) where the permafrost can move the rocks around in you fields. It changes a little of the dynamics of how you might figure out what was what. It has nice pictures too.

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  10. I'm with you, close the window and find the owners. Beautiful well.

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    1. ya Stephen - that window must have been left open since the owners were last here - which based on local legend was probably 5 or so years ago. i shudder to think of the weather damage to the cottage due to that open window. but the well is absolutely gorgeous!!!

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  11. Breakfast is whatever makes you happy and fills you up! I know I can't pass up cold leftover pizza for breakfast if it's around (not that it's around often, it never lasts that long but that's another story).

    I LOOOOOVE the adventure you went out. How exciting. We don't have those kinds of "adventure like" places near the farm (no babbling brooks, no forests and certainly no abandoned adorable little cottages). I would have been right there with you and going against Jambaloney (sorry J!) and said "let's go in!" Of course then I'd feel guilty and bad about it afterwards, ha.

    You know, here in the states, there are online websites for the different property taxing entities and you can put in an address and find out who owns it and their mailing address. Maybe Canada has something similar?

    Keep us posted what you find, it does look like it's not long for the world. As soon as a couple of those beams/supports go, it could be a cascade effect that will bring down the whole thing onto it's side. :-(

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    1. bahahahahaha - cold pizza for breakfast - now yer soundin like a frat boy 1st Man - bahahahahah! and ya - you and me would be breaking and entering and jambaloney would be calling the police on us - bahahahahahah! and yes - we have a property search thing available here in canada too but you have to pay to use it. we'll pay though so that we can have our lawyer contact them. and you are right - the cottage certainly won't make it through the winter if it even makes it until then. some of the support beams look like they are going during the next big wind - and we get lots of heavy wind here. no worries, i'll keep you posted, buddy!

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  12. Wonderful post. I think the owner has issues with health, or maybe he can't legally enter Canada any more.

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    1. Rob - we were thinking along the same lines. maybe the owner doesn't have a passport and Canada only recently required passports from Americans. or as you say, there may be health issues involved. we are going to try and find out as much information as possible.

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    2. My bet is Rob is right. There is a huge number of people who cannot enter Canada for the stupidest little things.

      Trust me.

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    3. PP - i think this might be the case as well. i can't imagine someone owning such a beautiful property and then not taking care of it???

      and buddy - i am still working on getting your name cleared.

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  13. I always enjoy your posts,Kymber. Love the food and the views! Thank you again for your kind words to my post.

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    1. Donna thanks for enjoying the posts...i enjoy taking the pics and then writing about it here. i also love taking pics of food. and i looooove food.

      you are very welcome for my words on your post...they came from my heart.

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  14. Do follow up on the cabin. We have a cabin in the Sierra's and the next door property looked abandoned...I did a property search, my brother contacted the owners (the original owner had died)the estate sold the property to my brother for very little $$. We were shocked...but they all lived far away and just wanted to get rid of it. We got our place for a few $1,000 (1 cabin, 4 outbuildings on 5 acres with 6 springs and river frontage) because the owners (older folks) loved the fact we had 5 little kids! They were moving to another state to be closer to their grandchildren and altho they had many offers of a ton more money than us...they took our offer and gave us back some cash to fix a few problems with the property! You just never know.

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    1. Lynda - thanks so much for sharing your story. i am so glad that you got the place because of the kids - that's awesome! and yes, we will definitely follow up on this cabin...who knows what may happen? i am going to check out your blog right now.

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  15. I think finding the owners would be a good thing. Maybe you can get permission to close the window. The open window might be a sign of real trespassers in the past. Be careful around that house because it does look like it can fall down any minute. I bet jambaloney could repair it, shore it up to as least keep it from collapsing. Jambaloney the stone man could carry/load some stones for a make-do foundation then make it permanent...if the structure is worth saving.

    That well was really a cool find! Is it yours or on another's property.

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    1. PracticalP - we are definitely on the hunt to find the owners. and i never thought of it that way, that the window could have been left open by real trespassers....hmmm??? we were very careful around the house and we will not be going back now that we know that it is there and obviously not our land. we will try to find the owners and find out if they would like us to try and save the cottage. and yes - jambaloney could definitely shore up the foundation.

      PP - the well is incredibly beautiful and hand-built. the pics don't do it justice. and the water is crystal clear. but dang nabbit - it's on their property!

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  16. Okay, I went back and read all the other comments. In the states, I can go to the county courthouse and go to where I pay property taxes and have them locate my property and find out who owns the property next to me. The people could be dead, senile, or just have put the property out of their minds due to health or other problems. I would not advertise to any neighbors about my search or intentions. Someone might beat you to the punch.

    I would not mind living there myself. Of course, I would be afraid of bears and hating that I could not wear sandals all winter like I do here except for week long cold snaps.

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    1. PP - it's a little different here in Canada. we can get the name of the owner (which we have done) but that is the only info that is provided. we have to go to an online site, and of course it costs money - $90 for 8 hours searching time - can you freakin believe that?!?!?!?!?!? and then we might, i repeat, might be able to find out more information about the owner....like address and telephone information. being that the owner lives in the states, the info may, or may not be correct. it's a real hassle!!!

      the building seems to be in pretty good condition from what we could see - it's just the supporting beams that it sits on that are crumbling fast. it's a beautiful property - we would love to have it. teehee - no worries about bears here although the island is full of bears - they just tend to stay in areas where there aren't any people. but you would have to give up your sandals for about 5 months a year - bahahahah!

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  17. Such adventures on a daily basis and so close to home!

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  18. Try picking up the book "the Story of Framboise" it is old but very informative regarding founding families and their property. My family came down from there many years ago, my family name is Strachan however the family still owns property even though the original farmhouse is long gone. A few cousins have cabins. The best way to get info I think is talking to the old timers. Good Luck!

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