Rideau Pines Farm

I think this marked our last time strawberry-picking at Rideau Pines Farm, and the moment was magical and just right. We arrived an hour prior to closing time, just as the sun was starting to set.

While we didn’t get to fill our basket this time around as strawberries were very sparse, we were still very lucky to have made it out this late in the season. In fact, they’re one of the only — if not the only — farms that had strawberries available for picking going into fall.

These strawberries are the sweetest I’ve ever had, even the bright red and white-tinted ones. Imagine the deep reds — they’re like candy!

Cannamore Orchard

Keaton excited to go pumpkin picking with his wagon

A longer walk, but we found BIG pumpkins at the farther patch

The addition of a toy shed this year

Gaia enjoyed playing with the farm house toys

Cannamore Orchard holds a special place in my heart, because last year, my parents came along with us — they’d visited many farms with us when I was pregnant — and my mom got stuck in the cow train ride, which made for the most epic laugh of the season. This year, though, we returned with only our family of four (Gaia being the new addition).

Since it was a weekday, they didn’t have their Family Fun Weekend activities running — those happen only on weekends — but we did get to access the whole farm. We went to their pumpkin patch and found some really big pumpkins. Then, we went to the kids’ play area. This year, they’d even added a toy shed — a cute addition.

While it was soul-rejuvenating and peaceful because we were the only ones on the farm — so quiet and serene, in fact, that my husband and I were almost sleep-induced on the spot — I did miss having families around. I know Keaton did, too, because he loves playing with other kids.

I remember handing Keaton his lunch box and opening snacks for him last year, as he was running around and having a blast amid a crowd of kids on a busy weekend day. This year, seeing Gaia with us, already nine months old with five big teeth and playing with toys here, feels like time had just flown by.

I love spotting all their Halloween art displays; they’re so darn cute and fun!

Mackenzie King Estate, Gatineau Park

Side of the Main Building of Mackenzie King’s Moorside Cottage

Garden at Moorside Cottage

William Lyon Mackenzie King is Canada’s 10th and longest-serving Prime Minister, and this Estate in Gatineau Park was his home and pride (now bequeathed to all Canadians to enjoy). It’s amazing how you could see and feel the legacy left behind by him; the gardens and ruins depict his dearest ambitions and romantic nature.

When we visited the Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park last year, it had already been mid-October, so the sight was very autumnal with all the classic oranges, yellows, and reds. As we visited in September this time, much of the sight was still a summery green, not to mention the odd hot temperature.

So many hiking trails abound

Even if the bright autumn colours are an exciting sight to behold in Gatineau Park — it draws an impressive amount of visitors annually — I appreciate the earthy greens just as much. Forests and nature by and large are my home.

Kingsmere Lake next to Kingswood Cottage

Kingswood Cottage