By the time we arrived at Thunder Bay we had to put on sunglasses again so we pulled into the driveway of Belluz farms in great spirits. Don Belluz is one of Fran's shirt-tail cousins who farmed here for 40 years before turning it over to his son - as his father had done before him.

The Belluz farm was one of the earliest farms in the region - and one that has successfully managed to survive the challenges of a relatively cold climate and small market. When Fran visited here as a child in the 50s this was primarily a potato farm. When we visited in the 90s they had diversified into strawberries and corn, and today they grow strawberries and several types of vegetables. They have done a great job developing the local market  through both commercial and community clients.

We were greeted in country style to a delicious meal of chicken lasagne spaghetti-squash, stuffed green peppers, and tomato sauce. Topped off with the choice of pumpkin or apple pie it was a perfect setup for an evening of catchup and reminiscences.