As a former Ontarian who lived a short drive from Picton, Prince Edward County (PEC) meant summer. Carloads of friends would take off for the beautiful Sandbanks Provincial Park with its long stretch of sandy beach, swimming in the warmest, shallowest water around. We took beach blankets, coolers and our boom boxes (this was the early 80s) and we thought we were the coolest kids around. Later on, when living in Toronto, we would head east to take in the annual PEC Jazz Festival which wrapped up with a concert at the Regent Theatre in Picton. Wonderful memories.

Of course, there are three other seasons in this southeastern part of Ontario and a new photography book from Tagona Press beautifully highlights this part of Canada. It focuses on the work of four resident photographers, Peggy deWitt, Rob Garden, Phil Norton, and Jason Pettit, with text by Bryan Davies and Helen Dow. Creative guidance was supplied by Gary and Joanie McGuffin.
The entire book is full of beautifully reproduced images with a bio of each photographer preceding their respective sections.

In the book’s introductory pages, the authors note that: “Just as embracing the four Seasons is the surest way to delve deepest into the County’s soul, it is Nature that will ultimately tell the tale. Our Four Season County is not a lecture that preaches a single County truth. Instead, the beautiful image that are presented here reflect four distinct creative perspectives on what the County really means – landscapes that make us think, and wonder exactly what lies ahead.”
This is a magnificent souvenir-type of book, and if you have ever visited the County, you’ll want to have this in your collection, and if you’ve never been, (or are unable to travel due to Covid restrictions) A Four Season County will certainly inspire you to visit there some day soon.
If you would like to purchase a copy of A Four Seasons County, you may do so online here at the Algoma Marketplace: https://algomamarketplace.com/products/books-and-literature/prince-edward/
James M. Fisher is the owner and editor-in-chief of The Miramichi Reader. He began TMR in 2015, realizing that there was a genuine need for more book reviews of Canadian literature. It has since become Canada’s best-regarded source for the finest in new literary releases. James has been interviewed about TMR on CBC Radio and other media sites. James works as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologist and lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick with his wife Diane and their tabby cat Eddie.