Puslinch is located south of Guelph, only an hour's drive away from Grimsby or Toronto. It is rolling rural farm land, typical of Ontario.
But it has an exceptional collection of steam traction equipment known as the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum. We were lucky to visit yesterday for the Volunteer Open House - with live steam traction engines in the yard and a fiddle orchestra in the shop.
This felt like the farm version of the Santa Train ride. These huge steam tractors were pulling wagons full of riders along the wooded trails. And there were quite a few tractors out and operating, so the air was full of steam.
There are so many forms of steam here - traditional tractors which we see in pictures of the yard. There are shingle machines, wood-working machines,ship's engines, even a collection sewing machines was on display, That is what is interesting in the shop - how many tools, parts and supplies are present.
But back outside to the steam in the yard and the whistle blowing.
Perhaps today our green grass will reappear and the snow will melt away like Frosty the Snowman, and we can say goodbye to it for another year. However, looking at the weather report, the headline is: "Brace for a second spring storm this week."
We return to the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum in Puslinch, Ontario to see a few more of the engines, and that great tractor with its smoke rising up in the cold air.
