Hello from Port Perry: Age Is Just a Number
for Merle Heintzman of Landfall Farm B&B
After being stuck in the city for what seemed like an eternity
I was itching to get out into the countryside. So I decided to embark
on a little getaway within an hour’s drive of Toronto. Given
the recent sharp rise in gas prices I was determined to find interesting
travel opportunities just a short distance away from the big city.
I set off eastwards to explore Ontario’s Waterfront Trail.
I stopped at the Rotary Park in Ajax to do some inline-skating.
This recreational trail stretches all the way from Niagara Falls
in the southwest to Brockville in the east and spans about 780 kilometres
of designated pathways. The Ajax section stretches from Duffin’s
Creek in the west to the Whitby townline in the east and encompasses
a series of parks. Well-kept parklands made this a very pleasant
experience, but fog, a leftover from last night’s thunderstorm,
kept hanging over Lake Ontario. As I rolled along the waterfront
I was thinking that the only thing missing were a few waterfront
cafes to relax and enjoy the views over the lake.
Along the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail
Finally it was time to head north and I took Highway 12 into the
rolling countryside. Farmland was interspersed with forested areas.
As in many other areas surrounding Toronto, various real estate
developments are encroaching on this bucolic country environment.
Turning east on Highway 7A I made my way through Port Perry, a
very cute waterfront town that I was planning to explore in further
detail. Just 10 minutes east I had arrived at my destination: Landfall
Farm B&B, a 20 acre property adjacent to the highway. A long,
wooded driveway took me to the 1868 fieldstone farmhouse that was
converted into a bed and breakfast almost 30 years ago.
The historic 1868 fieldstone house at Landfall Farm B&B
Sam, a friendly black lab, came to greet me and as I went inside
she barked to announce to her owner that a visitor had just arrived.
Merle Heintzman arrived to say hello and made me feel welcome in
her house, encouraging me to settle in and get comfortable. At 88
years of age, Merle is still a consummate entrepreneur, and her
bed and breakfast as well as the expansive property surrounding
it are in perfect condition.
Merle Heintzman with her dog Sam
Merle took me upstairs to show me my room for the night: a spacious
queen size bedroom with an adjoining dressing room, equipped with
a sitting area and a desk. I particularly liked the cushioned window
seats which provided a great view of the garden. Since the other
guests had not arrived yet, she showed me the two other bedrooms.
One offered two twin beds and shared a bathroom with my bedroom.
Connected through two wooden doors was the master bedroom which
had its own ensuite bathroom.
One of the two beautiful Gothic-style windows
The key feature of this room is a stunning Gothic window that provides
a view to the eastern side of the house. The upstairs hallway also
features a pointed-arch window. Merle gave me free reign to take
photos and videos of the entire house, so I started documenting.
As I came downstairs I went past the dining room into the other
north-facing room and realized it was an antique store. I now remembered
that Merle runs an antique shop, aptly called “The Front Room”,
from her property.
The "Front Room" houses all sorts of interesting antiques
An enclosed porch with an attractive sitting area took me outside
to the huge garden. Merle has planted several meticulously kept
flowerbeds. The western side of the property is highlighted by a
free-form pool that is surrounded by deckchairs and a cabana that
features a fridge, two change rooms and a washroom. This is definitely
a great place for a weekend getaway.
View of the pool area with the cabana
Always curious I then followed the long driveway past the main
farm house to the two old barns that have been located on this property
since the 1840s. Past another large meadow I walked through a wooded
area to arrive at a private pond that is also part of Merle’s
property. Lawn chairs were set up there as well to provide for a
leisurely lounge experience by the water, but the pesky deer flies
would have none of it. These animals kept buzzing around my head
until I decided to venture back into the house.
Serenity by the pond
As I came in Merle sat down with me on the enclosed porch that
allowed us to enjoy the late afternoon sun. I was curious to find
out more about the life story of this almost 90-year old dynamo
who has been running her hospitality business since 1979. She offered
me a drink and we settled in for a nice long chat.
My cozy bedroom
Merle Heintzman grew up in Ohio and studied nursing after high
school. Shortly after graduating she joined the US Army Airforce,
as it was called during World War II, and became an army flight
nurse. Having joined the service in 1943, she was stationed in England
for nearly two years, where her job was to fly with supply
planes into emergency landing strips just behind the ever moving
combat lines, pick up the wounded and fly with them back to England.
After VE Day (Victory in Europe) she also spent time in Naples and
accompanied the wounded to Casablanca from where they were airlifted
back home to the US.
The main bedroom also features a Gothic window
Flying had become one of Merle’s passions, so after the war
she left nursing and worked for eight years in the airline industry
in New York City, doing statistical work for TWA and Alitalia. There
she met her husband and moved to Ontario with him. She says living
in Southern Ontario was not a big adjustment from growing up in
Ohio. The people and the topography were indeed very similar.
Slate floors and countertops in the master bath
In 1968 the couple purchased the farm, and after her separation
Merle opened the antique store in 1974. Five years later her bed
and breakfast followed. Initially, she provided farm vacations that
were promoted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. As part of
this program, guests were staying for an entire week, and Merle
had to supply three meals a day. This was a very onerous way of
doing business.
Sitting area on the west side of the house
A prominent bed and breakfast writer came and stayed at her property
and gave her a very good write-up. Together with publicity in various
regional papers this allowed Merle to significantly expand her clientele
and switch from the farm vacation concept to a true bed and breakfast.
Merle preferred shorter-term guests that would require breakfast
service only, and her transition to the new format was successful.
Twin bedroom
Today, the main bed and breakfast travel season is from May to
October with the months of June to August being the busiest. Merle
has adjusted to the times and has had a website for numerous years
now and advertises on popular bed and breakfast portals. Her step-son
gave her a computer about 5 years ago, so at age 83 Merle started
to learn the intricacies of using the Internet. Today about 50%
of her guests come from her Internet marketing efforts while the
rest are repeat customers and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Landfall Farm B&B - a designated historic property
Recently Merle went over her guest books from the early 1980s and
realized that even at that time she had guests from all over the
world. Today her bed and breakfast is well-visited by travelers
from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and other parts of the
world. On average her guests stay two nights, usually on weekends.
Many come for special events such as weddings, anniversary celebrations
and local festivals. Port Perry hosts a lot of popular annual events
such as the “Dog Days in Port Perry” as well as various
events for theatre lovers, cloggers and Scottish highlanders. In
addition, the town attracts busloads of shoppers from the city on
day trips.
Main street view of Port Perry
On a typical work day Merle serves breakfast at around 9 am. She
gets up around 7:00 am to prepare breakfast; some of the preparation
work is already done the night before. At 8:00 am her live-in assistant
Wendy joins her and helps her make breakfast which always consists
of three courses: fresh fruit, cereal and an egg dish. All the items
are accompanied by pastry, for example cinnamon or coffee cake;
fresh juice, coffee or tea are also served.
Breakfast is served on the dining patio
At noon Merle handles checkout while Wendy looks after cleaning
and laundry. Merle used to do all the work herself until about 10
years ago, but she is happy to have live-in help. Wendy’s
husband Bob assists with property maintenance and handles all the
lawn-mowing for this large estate. Despite her advanced age, Merle
has found creative ways to keep running her beloved bed and breakfast.
Merle still enjoys hosting the guests and loves to share her beautiful
house and property with her visitors. The price for a weekend getaway
is surprisingly affordable: a night for two will run between $80
to $90 (Canadian), and the price for a single traveller is $60 to
$70 per night. All of these prices include a multi-course breakfast
and access to a swimming pool, a country pond and a beautifully
maintained expansive property. A stay at the Landfall Farm B&B
definitely allows for a relaxing and affordable getaway in a beautiful
environment.
Beautiful flowers, looked after by Merle
In the afternoon Merle does some gardening – she still handles
all the weeding of the flowerbeds by herself. In the late afternoon
new guests arrive, and Merle looks after checking them in. On days
where she does not have guests she does her food shopping. Like
everyone over the age of 80, she has to pass a driving test every
two years. When she took her last test her driving examiner was
surprised at her great memory and mental sharpness. She attributes
her mental agility to doing crossword puzzles and sudoku.
Dining room at Landfall Farm B&B
Famous guests have also stayed at the Landfall Farm B&B: the
real person behind the 1996 movie “Fly Away Home”, Bill
Lishman who taught a flock of Canadian geese new migration patterns
using his ultralight aircraft, is one of Merle’s neighbours.
The movie, starring Jeff Daniels, was shot in the area and the director
of the film stayed at the Landfall Farm B&B. More recently the
young actress Aria Wallace who plays “Roxie Hunter”
in the TV movie “Roxie Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody
Ghost” stayed at this bed and breakfast with her mother. Port
Perry is a popular destination for movie makers; Merle ran into
Gene Hackman once in the hardware store when he was filming a movie
in town.
Beautiful flowers adorn the grounds
We also had a chance to talk a bit about the history of the Landfall
Farm property. Samuel and Sarah Ferguson, immigrants from Ireland,
came to Canada in 1836 when this part of Ontario first opened up
to new settlers. They painstakingly cleared the trees, removed big
boulders from the fields and started setting up a farm with oxen,
horses and cattle. A plaque by the front door attests to the official
heritage designation of this property. Over time the Fergusons accumulated
about 1000 acres of land, which was distributed upon their passing
to their 10 or 12 children. The farm was owned by descendents of
the Fergusons until the late 1950s. The next decade saw a few short-term
owners until Merle purchased it in 1968.
Harbour view in Port Perry
The barns on the property are even older than the house, and they
date back roughly to the 1840s. Merle loves these barns and would
never take them down, as so many other property owners have done.
All the beams in the barn are hand-hewn and the entire structure
is held together by wooden pegs. The original barns had no metal
nails whatsoever.
One of the historic barns at Landfall Farm B&B
Slowly but surely it was time for dinner, so Merle and I resolved
to talk more tomorrow. By now it was raining, and I decided to head
into Port Perry for a quiet dinner. I ended up choosing Miguel’s
Restaurant where I had a heaping and tasty plate full of nachos
which were spiced up with a Mexican salsa and some feta cheese.
I could not even finish my entire plate, and fully satisfied after
this savoury meal I headed back to the bed and breakfast for a restful
night of sleep.
Fresh fruit salad as the first course
Grey skies and drizzly weather greeted me the next morning. Right
at 9:00 am I went downstairs and the breakfast table was already
set in the screened outdoor porch. Three other guests had arrived
last night: a young couple and their mother. We sat down at the
table and had a delightful conversation. The two young people had
just broken out of the rat race themselves and had ventured forth
to become owners of a café in a suburb of Toronto. They were
truly enjoying their new found independence and added that whenever
they work long hours these days, they know they are doing it because
it is their own business. Another pleasant B&B experience…
A hearty breakfast
After breakfast the young couple went to check out some items at
Merle’s antique store and ended up purchasing a few unusual
historic kitchen implements. Once the couple had checked out Merle
had a bit of extra time for me. Finally the weather had cleared
up and the sun was shining. Merle and I hopped on her golf cart,
her main means of transportation on her huge property, and rode
a short stretch down the pathway to her barns. Over the years, Merle
has developed some balance problems which makes it hard for her
to walk long distances. The golf cart is the perfect solution for
getting around on her estate. Her dog Sam joined us on the excursion
and was running happily alongside.
Merle and her golf cart
Merle took me inside the historic barn and explained the hand-hewn
construction and joining technique. The morning sun was flooding
in between the wooden planks, one of Merle’s favourite photo
motifs. When the property was first settled, the barns were used
to house farm animals. Granaries were located here as well. Today
the barn is Merle’s object of pride.
Inside the historic barn, a masterpiece from the 1840s
We continued on the golf cart down to the pond and I had a chance
to admire this secluded nature area in good weather. There is even
a small brook running on the edge of the property, and the pond
is full of frogs and goldfish. Lawn chairs invite you to sit down
and relax in the serenity of this country paradise. No wonder Merle
enjoys living here so much.
Big panorama windows in the living room
Well, after a nice brief country excursion it was time to say goodbye.
I picked up my luggage and had a pleasant conversation with Merle’s
assistant Wendy who was cleaning my room. I then said goodbye to
this courageous and entrepreneurial woman who at almost 90 years
of age still runs a successful bed and breakfast. Merle’s
story reminded me that in many ways age really is just a number.
There is definitely an inspiring lesson here for all of us….
