Happy Thanksgiving!

This past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day, so I went for a long walk with my family in the park. My beagle, named Bella, wore her halloween costume and she was a huge hit with everyone in the park. 

We walked through the park to a historical home called "The House of Heads" or the Bell O'Donnell house in Guelph, Ontario. The house is named for the many carved heads that are in stonework on the front of the house. It was built in 1858 by Mathew Bell, a master architect, carver, and mason. Supposedly Bell was a huge fan of Charles Dickens, so the heads might have been modeled after characters in the Dickens novels. 

Right next door to the house of heads is the monument to John McCrae. The author of the well known war poem "In Flanders Fields".  The poem was written on May 3, 1915 during the First World War. 

    In Flanders fields

    In Flanders fields the poppies blow
          Between the crosses, row on row,
       That mark our place; and in the sky
       The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below.
    
    We are the Dead. Short days ago
    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
       Loved and were loved, and now we lie
             In Flanders fields.
    
    Take up our quarrel with the foe:
    To you from failing hands we throw
       The torch; be yours to hold it high.
       If ye break faith with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
             In Flanders fields.

After our walk, we returned home for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at my house. I brought out the good dishes and linens for a change.