My husband and I first heard about “the County” from Father Fred McGee, the Oblate priest of our church in Ottawa who was always collecting money for a summer camp for underprivileged children on Waupoos Island. He kept inviting us to visit so we finally booked a campsite on West Lake and explored the area on the long weekend in July 1983. We were so smitten with the beauty and charm that by October 1983, we made an offer on a gorgeous Victorian-style home in Cressy and by January 1, 1984, we were County homeowners.

I have a whole list of “first” experiences in the County: my first time dealing with raccoons and other country critters (yup, I was a city girl); my first time dealing with cisterns, sump pumps and septic beds; my first time experiencing manure-spreading day and following behind one of their tractors on my way to town. Ah yes, the dairy-air, as they say.

But I think that some of my most memorable first experiences involve Waupoos Island.  We went to mass on the Island and it was so spiritually-uplifting – the combination of Father McGee (who was always divinely inspiring), the small quaint chapel plus the experience of having to have taken a barge across to celebrate mass on an Island.  Everyone there that night felt a special bond and spiritually connected. Fast forward 25 years:  the Oblates sold the property a couple of years ago and lucky me, I now own one of the pews that came out of the chapel.

Another first was when the Shannon House on Waupoos Island was owned by a couple who cooked meals for private parties. Our friends booked a table for eight and we all got in a boat at Waupoos Marina and headed over but the water was too shallow for our boat to get close to shore. So they had to come out with a dinghy to pick us up and brought us over two at a time.

Once inside the house, we were treated in their dining room to a choice of either fresh lamb or fresh pheasant and the meal was simply scrumptious. Following dinner, we had to walk along a dirt path, with sheep grazing on all sides, making sure to shut the gates along the way then catch a boat ride back to the marina. It felt like I imagined it would feel like strolling along the road somewhere in an English or Irish countryside – simply magical.

My last “first” story to share is about sheep. I was driving to town from Cressy and as I drove through Waupoos, I could see something in the distance that was in the middle of the road. There were cars parked on both sides and as I approached, I could see that there were thousands of sheep walking/running down the middle of the road. People had gotten out of their cars to help guide the sheep that went astray onto lawns so I joined in, of course, shepherding many sheep that day.  They were heading to the barge to cross over to Waupoos Island for the summer where they would be safe from predators.

These days in the County, every day is filled with “firsts” as restaurants, wineries, festivals, artists, event organizers, tourist organizations, locals, newcomers, visitors, to name but just a few, are continually introducing new things, new events and new products to this vibrant community.

I’ve only been here 25 years but I feel deep ties to this land that makes me proud to call the County home.