Missing My Christmas Oranges This Year

by Anita Mae Draper

Bowl of tissue-wrapped Christmas oranges

I’m missing my Christmas oranges this year. That’s not to say that we don’t have any oranges, they’re just not the same ones I relate to Christmas. Oranges and other subtropical citrus fruit aren’t grown in Canada due to our cold weather and must be shipped in and/or railed in depending on where it is grown. Historically in Canada, there was a lack of oranges in the autumn, and then a burst of excitement as oranges miraculously appeared in time for Christmas.

Easy to peel skin of a mandarin orange

The green tissue paper helped develop my anticipation for the fragrant gift inside. I loved the excitement of breaking open that first Christmas orange—the only orange I could easily peel due to the skin slipping off the flesh without effort—yet I knew that first juicy bite would have a sour snap to energize my sleepy taste buds. It was only after eating several segments that I appreciated the tangy sweetness which left me craving for more. 

Even during the tough times of my childhood, the one thing I could be sure of was finding a green tissue-wrapped orange in the toe of my stocking on Christmas morning. A bowl of oranges always held a spot on our holiday table along with other treats, such as chips and nuts. 

Christmas morning 1967, Port Arthur, Ontario

The fact that the oranges came all the way across the Pacific from exotic Japan added to their seasonal appeal. But this year, I'm really craving them because I can't find any of the Japanese ones, and not many of the Chinese variety, either. Yes, we have the larger types of navel oranges and others, but it seems we've seen less of the original Japanese oranges, and even the Chinese mandarins each December. Now, the small tangerines and clementines compete for space throughout the year, yet some of them have so many seeds, and skin so thick I almost wreck my thumbnail breaking through the surface to peel it. 

So I started wondering what happened. I was hoping my research would give a definite reason, such as a Pacific typhoon, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami combination, or even a trading dispute. Instead, my search led me on a different quest—the history of what Canadians call the Christmas orange.

I knew that the Christmas orange was first brought to Canada about 1890 by Japanese workers who received them in parcels in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I was quite surprised then, to find that the first mention of them was not in a Canadian newspaper, but in a 1901 and 1916 American one.

In Canada, the oranges were shipped across the Pacific in 9 pound wooden crates and unloaded in Vancouver.

Christmas mandarin oranges being unloaded from the ship, S.S. American Mail. VPL Accession Number: 81110. Courtesy of Vancouver Public Library

I found a 1926 article in the Montreal Gazette reporting that 1,452,000 oranges filling eleven Canadian National rail cars were on their way from Vancouver, British Columbia on Canada's west coast. So approx 40 yrs after the first oranges came across, a special train was used to carry the shipment across the nation.

The Montreal Gazette - Dec 4, 1926

The Japanese orange trade was so successful that a 1931 Drummondville, Quebec newspaper, reporting on an article from the Canadian prairie province of Manitoba, said that over 2 million oranges crossed the citrus-starved Canadian landscape by Dec 7th of that year.

The Drummondville Spokesman - Dec 7, 1931

And then Canada joined WW 2 and Japan was our enemy. The trans-Pacific orange shipments stopped, and Canadian parents told their children that everything was fine. But Christmas wasn't the same. Even with the availability of tangerines shipped in from Florida, Canadians felt the loss of their beloved Christmas orange. 

When the war ended, countries worked to restore their economies and Canada renewed trade with Japan. But Canadians felt the loss of their fathers, uncles, brothers, and all those servicemen and women who'd given their lives for freedom... and resentment against the people of Japan was hard to put down. 

Japanese oranges were scarce during the 1947 Christmas season, but by 1948 they were back with a new name. In an attempt to take the onus off their origin, they were re-introduced simply as mandarin oranges.  

CP Rail Mandarin Orange Express train

The mandarin orange express trains had special markings, yet only one car carried this paint scheme in a shipment of almost 60 cars. We didn't care what they were called or where they were from, our special Christmas orange was back—more than 3 shiploads of them filling over 32 freight cars that year. And that was just the beginning of the resurgence of its popularity.

Which brings me back to my original question... what happened to our favourite Christmas orange since it's rare to see a crate of the boxes sitting in a grocery store these days.

Are oranges a traditional part of your Christmas? Did you receive one in your stocking?

This post was originally published on the Inkwell Inspirations blog on Dec 16, 2015.

As this is my final post for the wonderful Heroes, Heroines, and History Blog, I want to share my sincere appreciation for all the readers and contributors who made this such a great place to be a part of during the past seven years. 

Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly this holiday season and in the coming year.

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

A Sailor and His Ditty Box

 by Anita Mae Draper

In honour of Remembrance Day on November 11th, I'm sharing the story of my husband's grandfather, Noah Clement Draper, a man who couldn't swim, but still joined WW1 as a sailor in the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve.

Noah's story has been passed down in a series of letters he sent to his wife and family starting in November 1916 when he signed up, until March 1919 when he finally came home. Reading about his experience on ship gives a unique account of the Great War not often shown in images and film of those horrendous days. 

A ditty box was included with Noah's kit. A ditty box is a lockable wooden container where a sailor kept his most treasured items like photographs, money, letters, writing instruments, etc. Anything that mattered to him during those long trips at sea were locked inside...his life in a box...and a lifeline to those he loved. Losing a ditty box was devastating. Although we don't know if Noah painted or embellished his ditty box as some others had done, we know what it held on the day it was stolen. 

Ditty Box of James Hoyle Allen, Dover Patrol WW1. Courtesy of BBC A History of the World

On Sept 9th, 1917 while serving aboard the HMS Bacchante, Noah wrote "Well I had a bit of hard luck on Friday. Had my ditty box stolen, and all my valuables my bible, watch and chain, pocket book (but no money) pen, a razor and all my photos and about 50 other things, oh yes my date book along with the rest. I do not expect to see any of it again, in all it would be worth $50."

Due to his letters being censored, Noah couldn't give his location, however back on March 28th, 1917, he had sent his mother this postcard from Rochester, England saying that he had no need for winter clothes at present.

Post card from Noah C Draper to Ethel Draper, March 28, 1917

Noah was taken off strength at the Chatham Barracks, Rochester, and assigned to the HMS Bacchante on February 15, 1917. According to the Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era, the Bacchante served as the flagship of the 9th Cruiser Squadron based out of Sierra Leone, under the West Africa Command, from April 1917 until 1919. Indeed, he didn't need any winter clothes in the tropics.

HMS BACCHANTE at anchor. Public Domain

Noah's next letter mentioning the ditty box is dated Sept 14, 1917. "Well Ethel my pen went with the watch ect. so am using a pencil but I guess it will do for a while..." 

The date is ripped off his next letter (possibly due to censorship), but his location still shows the Bacchante, and since his service record shows he was in transit aboard the Monea from Oct 21st to Nov 6th, this letter must have been dated prior to Oct 20th when he wrote, "Well I put in a request to see the captain and expect to go up before him tomorrow to see if I can not get compensation for my ditty box and service contents which amounts to about 14 shilling or $3.50. Not much compared to the value, but I guess I will be lucky if I get that."

Nov 9th, 1917, Noah writes from the HMS Swiftsure that he arrived back in the old country (England) yesterday morning after spending 11 days on leave in Scotland. He wrote that he had had kit inspection that day and had to buy a pair of boots and a ditty box.

Royal Sailors' Rest, Devonport letterhead 1917

His next letter with mention of the ditty box is written on stationery from the Royal Sailors' Rest in Devonport, England where he is stationed at the HMS Vivid, Devonport Barracks. He wrote, "Well Ethel I got a chit from the Post office on the Swiftsure last Sunday to call for a parcel and went over and got my ditty box. It had been found on the stoker mess deck but of course it had been broken open and every thing taken that was any good to the thief who stole it. They took my watch and chain, my bible pen pocket book and a lot of other things, all my post cards and snapshots but left the big photos, a pipe bottle of ink and a ball of yarn, ha ha, but I had bought another box so now I have 2 to look after, but I was glad to get the photos back anyway. So you see that is something to be thankful for, eh."

Noah was stationed in Devonport from Dec 1st to 19th. His letters are filled with thoughts of what he lost in his ditty box as well as wishing he was home. He starts a lot of sentences with suppose...as in, suppose mother is doing this now, or suppose the kids are big now. His time at Devonport is a waiting game filled with menial tasks, drill, and guard duty. 

In his Dec 18th letter, he wrote, "Say I had some silk handkerchiefs from Sierra Leone but guess they went in my ditty box. ha ha."

On Dec 20th, 1917, Noah was assigned to HMS Courageous. His December 29th, 1917 letter starts with, "Well Ethel I am on the good old boat..." He doesn't mention his ditty box again, but tells Ethel, "I wish I could describe the ship to you but ==== that is all I can tell you about her, but I do not think I will be seasick when we go to sea. Ha Ha." 

HMS COURAGEOUS, 1917, RRPC by Noah C Draper

Although it's difficult to tell from the images, the Bacchante was a 472 ft cruiser, while the Courageous was a 786 ft battlecruiser. Noah took several photographs while on the Courageous including those of its single aircraft.

Noah served on the Courageous until February 1919. He returned to Canada on March 25, 1919 where he was greeted by his family and finally had a chance to meet the son who had been born several months after his departure. We are thankful for the legacy of the letters, postcards, and photographs which Grandma Ethel saved over the years and which we share on the Author Memories blog.

We will remember those who served in the military conflicts in the name of Peace and Freedom, those who came home, and those who were lost and only remain in the minds, memories and memorabilia of those who will never forget.

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Anita Mae Draper served a 20-year term working on air bases in the communication trade of the Canadian Armed Forces before retiring to the open skies of the prairies. She uses her experience and love of history to pepper her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism as well as faith. Anita Mae Draper's published stories appear in Barbour Publishing, WhiteFire Publishing, and Guideposts Books. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com 

EP Ranch From Prince to Present

by Anita Mae Draper

Calgary Daily Herald Page 1, Jan 21, 1936, Calgary, Alberta

On January 21, 1936, the Calgary Daily Herald was filled with news about the death of King George V. Under the article titled, "Body to Lie in State at Westminster Hall", it reported that the British Parliament had met and swore allegiance to "His Majesty King Edward VIII, his heirs and successors, according to the law", and that "The new King came to London by airplane--the first British sovereign ever to fly..."

As you can see from another article in the bottom right of the same newspaper, the man we've been following in this series of posts is none other than our Edward Prince of Wales, owner of the Edward Prince (EP) Ranch in Alberta, Canada. This article continues on other pages with the history of Edward and his ranch, showing in detail his several visits and activities while in the area as well as his travels in Canada and the United States.

EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1936. Calgary Daily Herald

King Edward started his reign showing his usual trait of going his own way. He broke tradition with the Royal Mint on British coinage, he spoke his opinion in political matters, and he publicly enjoyed affairs with married women, to name a few. Edward had met Wallis Simpson in 1930 in London while she was still married, and although their affair was news in the United States, the British dailies were quiet on the matter. 

Fort Belvedere, Surrey, England

On November 16, 1936, King Edward met with Prime Minister Baldwin and expressed his desire to marry Simpson once her divorce was finalized. Baldwin responded by saying that it was impossible because his subjects would consider it morally unacceptable by the Church of England which didn't support marriage after divorce if a spouse was sill living. Baldwin offered three options: give up the idea of marrying Simpson, marry anyway despite the opposition, or abdicate.

Edward chose love. 

On December 10, 1936, at Fort Belvedere, Edward's residence in Windsor Great Park, Surrey, and in the presence of his younger brothers, King Edward signed the document of his abdication. 

The next night, having reverted to the title and style of a prince, he gave a radio broadcast explaining that he couldn't fulfil his duties as monarch without the love and support of the woman he loved by his side, and that the "decision was mine and mine alone..."

Thereafter, he was named the Duke of Windsor and travelled to Austria where he awaited the arrival of his love whose divorce would not become final for several months in the future. On June 3, 1937, Edward married her in a private ceremony near Tours, France. 

Duke and Duchess of Windsor at EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1941. Glenbow Archives

It wasn't until September 1941 when the EP Ranch received a visit from Edward, now the Duke, and Wallis, now the Duchess, of Windsor. The weather was cold and wet with lots of mud and swollen creeks. Edward, now Governor of the Bahamas, is said to have spent a happy time in relaxation, while it seemed that the Duchess was always cold and longed for warmer temps.

During their trip on Canadian soil, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol escorted their every move. The photograph shows two Mounties and their highway patrol van from the High River detachment. 

Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol escort for Prince of Wales, Pekisko area, Alberta, 1941

Due to wartime travel restrictions, it wasn't until 1950 when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor returned to the EP Ranch in Alberta. When questioned if the rumours about selling the EP Ranch were true, the duke responded, "indeed no, it's the only piece of property I've ever owned." 

Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Calgary, Alberta. Apr 11, 1950. Calgary Herald

Edward never returned to the EP Ranch. In 1962 the ranch was sold and blended with the adjoining larger D Ranch which assured that the property would stay intact and not cut up by developer's hands. Edward died on May 28, 1972 at his Paris home and his body was sent back to Britain for burial. Although the EP Ranch had been designated a Provincial Historic Resource in 2004, it fell into disrepair aided by torrential rains that flooded the homesite in 2013. 

Today, the ranch continues to operate as a working cattle operation, except with herefords and longhorns instead of the prince's original shorthorn stock. As a designated historic property, it is only opened to the public for special occasions, such as the 100th anniversary celebration in 2019 where a guided tour showcased the EP Ranch buildings and property. Restoration work is an ongoing project. 

Conservation of main ranch house, Oct 2015. Courtesy of Alberta's Historic Places

I hope you've enjoyed this series on the EP Ranch in Alberta, Canada. Check the following links for the rest of the posts in this series:

May 5th - Alberta's Edward Prince Ranch

June 5th - EP Ranch Royal Visit 1923

July 5th - Butter Prince of 1924

Aug 5th - EP Ranch Furnishings

Sep 5th - Movie Location EP Ranch

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

Movie Location EP Ranch

by Anita Mae Draper

The Calgary Stampede, movie poster, 1925. Wikipedia

If you've been following my series on Edward Prince of Wales and the Edward Prince (EP) Ranch, you know that 1924 had been Edward's third visit since 1919 when he'd bought the old Bedingfeld Ranch near Pekisko, Alberta, Canada. As a true working ranch with qualified staff and hands, the ranch continued its breeding program, stock sales, and ranch maintenance no matter where Edward was in his schedule of royal duties as heir to the British throne. 

However, even without a royal visit, 1925 was an exciting year at the EP Ranch because it had been chosen as the location for some of the scenes in the silent western film The Calgary Stampede starring Hoot Gibson, Virginia Browne Faire, and among others, a very young Walter Brennan.

Hoot Gibson and party at EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1925. Glenbow Archives

Second from the left in the above photo shows Helen Carlyle, daughter of EP Ranch Manager W.L. Carlyle. In this next photo, her father and the film's star Hoot Gibson, are enjoying themselves watching the action. 

Hoot  Gibson and W. L. Carlyle on EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1925. Glenbow Archives

As stated on the movie poster at the top of this post, many scenes were also shot on location at the 1925 Calgary Stampede. I found a video by a youtube reviewer which shows parts of the actual film footage of The Calgary Stampede with commentary (time 2:55-5:35), and gives a great example of the silent film era.

Westember II - 4. Hoot Gibson in The Calgary Stampede (1925)

Other scenes were shot around the Calgary area.

Virginia Browne Faire and Hoot Gibson, Calgary, Alberta. 1925. Glenbow Archives

The 1992 Academy award winning movie Unforgiven starring and directed by Clint Eastwood also has scenes shot at the EP Ranch. Edward Buscombe's book with the same title as the movie Unforgiven states, "Most of the exteriors of Unforgiven were shot on the E.P. Ranch in Alberta in Canada, sixty miles southwest of Calgary." Running into Clint Eastwood in 1991 was said to be a common occurrence as several locations in Alberta were used extensively in the filming, as well as the Red Hills Ranch, Sonora, California. 

According to wikipedia, in 2004 Unforgiven was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 

You can read previous posts on Prince Edward's EP Ranch at these links:

May 5th - Alberta's Edward Prince Ranch

June 5th - EP Ranch Royal Visit 1923

July 5th - Butter Prince of 1924

Aug 5th - EP Ranch Furnishings

Do you watch the credits to see where a movie was filmed? I do. Sometimes I even get to visit the actual location. Watching the movie afterwards brings back memories of my trip and vice versa. A nice circle. 

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

EP Ranch Furnishings

 by Anita Mae Draper

Prince of Wales "E.P." Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, Canada, early 1920's

When Edward, the Prince of Wales of Great Britain, bought the Bedingfeld Ranch in 1919, it came with a house full of simple furnishings. Thanks to the Glenbow Archives located both online and in Calgary, Alberta, and the Toronto Star Archives located in the Toronto Public Library, we have images of what the furnishings looked like in 1923 as well as in 1941.

The photo above shows the main house on the left and the original Bedingfeld homestead cabin on the right. As you can see, the main house was surrounded by open vine-covered and closed verandas, ensuring a great view of the Rockies no matter what the weather. According to the following photograph from the Toronto Star in 1923, Edward liked to sit and read on the veranda.

EP Ranch Veranda, 1923, Courtesy of Toronto Public Library

Twenty-two years later while still under Edward's ownership, similar simple furnishings were still used in the veranda when this next photo was taken in September 1941.

Veranda at EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, Sep 1941. Glenbow Archives

Likewise, the bedroom was sparse with the personality of a hospital room when Edward first bought the ranch, as shown in this next photo.

E.P. Ranch Bedroom, 1923, Courtesy of Toronto Public Library

Although Edward filled his ranch bedroom with more furniture, it isn't what one would expect as the personal chamber of the heir to the British throne.

Bedroom at E.P. Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1941. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library

According to historical records, Edward had the bottom floor of the ranch house enlarged and renovated prior to 1923 when he made time for his first visit since buying the ranch in 1919. The following image shows the living room as it was that year when he returned after the four year absence.

View of living room in EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1923. Glenbow Archives

Edward returned in 1924 and 1927, and then not until 1941 when this next photo of  the same side of the room was taken. By that time, the room was referred to as the new wing to avoid confusion with the original two rooms before renovations, although not much had changed in the way of furnishings.

New wing, EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1941. Glenbow Archives

On the right is the new fieldstone fireplace created with stones collected from the EP Ranch fields. It is interesting to note that when the EP Ranch celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2019 with an open house, the living room was called the reception room and still contained most of the same furniture, right down to the light stands on either side of the fieldstone fireplace.

Fieldstone Fireplace, EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1941. Glenbow Archives

The light stands were made from German shell casings. They were Edward's stamp on the place and reminded him of serving in the Great War. Also note the letters 'E' and 'P' carved into the stones, another of Edward's personal touches, although probably not by his own hand.

Edward's office was in the corner of the dining room, as seen in the images below.

Corner Office in Dining room, EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1941. Glenbow Archives

Although the original extendable table with its heavy twist spindles is long gone, the chairs still remain as they did when Edward walked the carpet-covered oak floors and sat down to eat his meals or read a newspaper.

Dining room, EP Ranch, Pekisko, Alberta, 1923. Glenbow Archives

Along with renovations to the ranch house, Edward instructed his manager to build new barns for the purebred stock he was sending from England. By 1923 when Edward returned, there were two log barns and one large wood frame barn in use.

New Barn, EP Ranch, 1923. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library

It seems that although Edward was known for avoiding state affairs while enjoying the social life of a 'playboy', he didn't mind the quiet, simple ranch life...as long as he didn't have to stay too long.  

In my last post on the Butter Prince of 1924, I asked how many pounds of buter you thought were used to create the butter scene of the prince at his ranch. The actual answer is 3,000 pounds.

You can read previous posts on Prince Edward's EP Ranch at these links:

May 5th - Alberta's Edward Prince Ranch

June 5th - EP Ranch Royal Visit 1923

July 5th - Butter Prince of 1924

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

Butter Prince of 1924

 by Anita Mae Draper

Butter sculpture at the British Empire Exhibition of Prince of Wales at his EP Ranch, Wembley, England. 1924. Glenbow Archives

The postcard above features a butter sculpture display of Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, at his EP Ranch near Pekisko, Alberta which he bought in 1919. The sculpture was created and in public view in a refrigerated case at Canada Pavilion during the 1924 British Empire Exhibition in Wembley, England. According to wikipedia, Edward's mother, Queen Mary, laughed when she saw it and said it was, "quite a remarkable likeness."

The butter sculpture intrigued me. I had seen these types of sculptures in the dairy section of the Regina Exhibition where farm scenes were featured in great detail. Yet, butter sculptures have been a perennial favorite at state fairs, exhibitions, and expositions for over 100 years, and historically have been used on banquet tables and at religious events for hundreds of years. 

Dreaming of Iolanthe. Stereoview 1876 version of Caroline S. Brooks butter sculpture. 1876. Wikimedia

In 1873, farm woman Caroline Shawk Brooks from Helena, Arkansas, created the bust of a woman in a bowl of butter and displayed it under the name, Dreaming Iolanthe. (above) Over the next few years, she continued to redo her creation as a marketing tool, until finally, in 1876, was invited to sculp it in front of a live crowd at the Centennial Exhibition. 

The success of her display led to more sculptors taking up the art and helping butter compete during the 1890s to 1930s against a synthetic substitute, Oleomargarine, which we call margarine. Butter sculptures became prominent features at state fairs where dairy producers often showed a cow and calf scene to bring attention to the source of the wholesome butter. The postcard below was published in 1911 and featured a cow, calf and boy scene, yet it was the same, reworked butter sculpture which had been displayed annually at the Ohio State Fair since 1903.

Souvenir Minn. State Fair 1911, Milton Dairy Co.'s Butter Exhibit front. Wikimedia

For the Universal Exposition of 1904, or commonly called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of St Louis, John K. Daniel sculpted a historical scene from butter which featured Father Hennepin and the guides who led him to the discovery of St. Anthony Falls, the only natural major waterfall on the Upper Mississippi River.

 John K. Daniels's butter sculpture of Father Hennepin and guides discovering St. Anthony Falls, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, 1904. Wikimedia

Another historical butter scene was crafted featuring the meeting between explorer Jacques Cartier and Donnacona. Sponsored by the Canadian Dairy Association, it was displayed at the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition in London.

Postcard of butter sculpture tableau of the meeting of Jacques Cartier and Donnacona, Franco-British Exhibition, London, 1908. Sponsored by the Canadian Dairy Association. Wikimedia

To complete this journey into the art of butter sculpture, I'm including a present day image of a nativity scene which is on display at the Butter Museum in Maslovice. Such dainty work involved in this art.

Butter nativity scene in butter museum in Máslovice. Dec 2006. Wikimedia commons Manka

Now that we see all the possibilities of butter sculpture, who would like to guess how many pounds of butter went into the butter sculpture of Britain's Prince of Wales and his EP Ranch which is featured at the top of this post? Here's another view of the complete tableau to give you a better idea of the size and contents...

Butter sculpture of HRH the Prince of Wales and his ranch (EP Ranch)

You can read previous posts on Prince Edward's EP Ranch at these links:

May 5th - Alberta's Edward Prince Ranch

June 5th - EP Ranch Royal Visit 1923

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com