Stagecoach Road
Stagecoach road is a secondary highway that travels parallel to a more heavily travelled highway going from Ottawa, south towards the St. Lawrence. It ends at Hwy 43, the stretch of road I travelled the other day. Doesn’t really get a lot of heavy traffic, so it was a nice way to get to where I was going on a very hot humid day.
One side of the road is not built up so much as it is populated. There was an old apple orchard that is now being “civilized”.. however, I did pass a number of gravel pits, and a quarry or two. All this to say, it was a nice drive. My mind had a lot of time to dream up story lines, and imagine what life must have been like on this road, many years ago.
Yes I am a bit of a dreamer. Part of me wanted to simply stop the truck and just enjoy some of the views… but today was not the day, the area here, was under a weather warning, super duper heat. High heat, with lots of humidity. Back before we had weather warnings over the air waves, I’m sure people simply went about their business, no matter if it was sunshine, or rain.
Remember this picture I took on one of our travels, imagine it with a fresh coat of paint, brightly painted roof, with matching cheerful colours on the veranda, and all the vegetation, lush and green. There is no hydro, so windows and doors would be open hoping for a cross breeze.
Children would be playing in the fresh air, chasing a ball, a little dog yapping and playing along. A woman can be seen washing clothes in a wash tub out back. On a clothes line, there are sheets drying under the full rays of the sun. Except for the cawing of the birds, and the sound of the little dog barking, there is nothing but the laughter of the happy children as they run and play, enjoying the day.
There would be no constant roar of traffic, racing by, the Mother need not worry about strangers arriving unannounced, the stage-coach would pass only twice a day, and it would only ride down the travelled road going from village to village. nowhere near this little home. What today, takes us less than an hour, would be a whole day’s journey over dusty roads, through dense forest, and overgrown vegetation, on roads, often only wide enough for 1 carriage at a time.
All this from taking the journey down Stagecoach Road, when I looked it up .. I saw that there are other Stagecoach Roads in other Provinces, and States.
What does a Stagecoach Road, conjure up for you?
Some time, some days, I do get lost in time and space/place. Life was so different at one time, yet, where I can romanticize what it must have been like, the reality is, I am such a city girl, I would be totally lost without the comforts of my home today.
PL Precept #20 Live maintaining equilibrium between mind and matter
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