Walks by Big Alex’s Pond by Henry Van Berkel [Tour with Excerpt]

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880’s to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as “The Klondike King”.

Welcome to one of the August 17th stops on the blog tour for Walks by Big Alex’s Pond by Henry Van Berkel with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more exclusive excerpt spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Walks by Big Alex’s Pond
by Henry Van berkel

Published 6 December 2019
Tellwell Talent

Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Nature
Page Count: 366
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880’s to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as “the King of the Klondike”. At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex’s departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases “Big Alex’s” family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | BD | B&N | Chapters Indigo | Bookshop

Excerpt

Sunday morning, I overslept to make up for Saturday morning. A window on the west side of our bedroom was open just a crack to let in a bit of the fresh, clean spring air. I awoke

suddenly to the honking of geese overhead and jumped out of bed in time to catch sight of the two birds swooping into the pond from the east. They were feeding early in the morning somewhere on a farmer’s field or along a brook. That’s why I hadn’t seen them the day before.

After breakfast, I set out on my walk. As I left the yard, I hardly took notice of the juncos, chickadees, blackbirds and fox sparrows milling around the birdfeeder in the front yard, and the flock of robins already pecking for worms on the sodded portions of our lawn. I was anxious to get to the pond. The geese, paddling leisurely, parallel to the far shore, were not noticeably perturbed as I quietly moved along the road. Good. Overhead clouds were gathering to the northwest, and just before a heavy deluge of cold April rain hit the water, I ducked into David’s cabin on the west side of the pond thirty feet from the water and close to the road. Through the window facing east, I had a clear view of almost the whole pond.

The sun, still shining between the eastern horizon and approaching clouds, combined with the rain to form a brilliant rainbow in the western sky, like a halo over the Keppoch. I stepped outside under the eaves and had a look. It was nothing less than glorious. I wondered how often “Big Alex” might have sat by the pond a century and a half earlier to enjoy such a scene. There would have been little time to snatch such moments on the farm back in his time of youth; or perhaps he too had seen the rainbow in the western sky and hoped someday to follow it to find the proverbial pot of gold.

About the Author

Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880’s to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as “the King of the Klondike”. At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex’s departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases “Big Alex’s” family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.

Facebook

Giveaway Alert!

Henry Van Berkel will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.