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Little Surprises
by Danielle French South Pond Home
It’s been almost a year since I left the farm in Pontypool and moved into Peterborough. It was a
change for sure. Large acreage,vegetable gardens and flower beds, events to be planned and executed, recipes devised, bouquets made and lots of maintenance to today a very simple existence with just a few planters to water. The transition wasn’t that easy these past months, moving from a daily whirlwind of constant purpose and direction to a life with not much real structure other than walking the dogs and booking a pickleball court. New ideas will come to fruition but until then, life seems to unfold slowly as it should. One of many unexpected surprises and pleasures I found here in town was discovering that the Centennial Fountain on Little Lake is in direct view from our terrace. The fountain comes on every day and stays on for eight months, shooting water 75 meters up into the air. It is the highest jet fountain in Canada. At night, there are coloured lights and on windy days, I might feel the spray when I sit outside. I have lived in the Kawarthas for over 16 years and hardly knew Little Lake existed. Surprisingly, I now live directly on it. Little Lake is really a widening of the Otonabee River and was an important passage from the Kawartha Lakes to Lake Ontario when steamships passed through the area. Since leaving the farm, the dogs need constant walking in comparison to the country freedom they enjoyed. We walk endless kilometers exploring locks and trails along the river, with the fountain in sight helping get us back home. The fountain was built in 1967 to mark the Centennial 100th anniversary celebration of the Canadian confederation. It was planned and built by the local business community. A donation by General Electric helped pay for engineering and materials for its construction. The pump has specialized parts and nozzles in order to control the water pressure making it one of the only pumps of its kind in the world. Today it is operated by the City of Peterborough and is a tourist feature. 48
From our vantage point, I watch water fowl come and go, look out for their babies, watch people paddling, swimming, walking or picnicking along the bank of the lake. It is a lovely spot and the fountain makes the experience of being an on looker all the more beautiful. A documentary Shining Waters on the history of the fountain can be found on YouTube. https://youtu.be/_ybTPrrKoB4 Danielle French was the founder of South Pond Farms, a destination for authentic culinary experiences, weddings, celebrations and homemade food products. She hosted the television series Taste of the Country formerly on Netflix. Danielle has started a new adventure called Design your Escape offering help for those wanting to start their own event based business. She co-markets her product line with Walton Wood Farm. I acknowledge I am living as an uninvited guest on the traditional Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg Territory. We are located on the land associated with the Williams Treaty of 1923 and Rice Lake Treaty #20 of 1818.