While Brubacher House is only open for drop-in tours from May-October, life in and around the museum continues throughout the year for the hosts. The seasons change and many family and friend gatherings occur.
Spring
A huge ice storm, Columbia Lake, March 2016.
Daffodils and baby swallows, spring 1983.
Tulips, 1996.
Oran Enns walking under the crab apple blossoms, May 2021.
Oran Enns with the forget-me-nots in bloom, May 2021.
Apple blossoms, May 2004.
“We had several Easter egg hunts with our young niece and family members during our years there. One time, on a tour, a guest pulled a chocolate egg out from a dish in the pantry in October... oops, guess we missed an egg!”
Summer
“We ordered a load of compost from the University to spread on the flowerbeds. Arlyn & Judith came for a visit that summer and were shocked at how big all the flowers were. At the same time we doubled the size of the garden, and added some heritage vegetables and flowers.”
The Gimbels’ flowers: geraniums and impatiens, 1993.
“One memorable summer evening there was a sudden loud roaring sound coming from outside, along with a lot of suddenly excited voices. We ran to the windows just in time to watch two hot air balloons come gliding low across Columbia Lake, skim the treetops, and touch down in the soccer fields which, moments before, had been filled with players. The roaring we heard was the burner in the balloons. The winds had shifted unexpectedly and the operators were stuck over the city looking for a place big enough to put down. It was fascinating watching the process of landing, deflating the giant balloons, seeing the passengers exiting the baskets, and the operators packing everything into the (comparatively) small trailers.”
Bethany and Brandon hosted a large family gathering to celebrate the birth of their niece, August 2006.
Fall
"Our first Halloween at BHouse, I thought maybe people would stop by in the evening for candy, so I dressed up as a Chef (the front door of BHouse opens into a kitchen, after all).”
In late October 2016, Karl and I used our canoe on Columbia Lake one last time. We canoed to the little island on the lake and planted a small tree, knowing we’d be moving out of BHouse over the winter.
Winter
Tobogganing, January 2000.
Dorothy came home from her travels to find her home deep in snow, January 1985.
Surprise snowfall, March 2019.
Snowy walk down to the lake, 2005.
Building snowmen, winter 2001.
“A nighttime walk on a particularly snowy evening, I brought my camera to take a photo of BHouse in evening snowy glow - and we snapped this shadow selfie of us too, lit by the streetlight on the driveway.” Winter 2015.
Joshua and Laura Enns cross-country skiing at Columbia Lake, March 2019.
Christmastime at Brubacher House
The Enns’ Covid-19 Christmas tree. This tree was later planted down by Columbia Lake in honour of Oran’s first birthday, December 2020.
Steingart/Burkhardt’s gingerbread house, a replica of Brubacher House, and their Christmas tree, December 2005.
While at BHouse, all of our Christmas trees were “window sized”. This one was from Christmas 2014, in the living room south facing window.
Our first Christmas at Brubacher House, December 2006.