To those driving by, the large wooden structure in the front pasture of the Molenaar farm looks like an elaborate play structure for children.
Take a closer look, however, and the tiny hooves that clatter up and down the playground ramps prove otherwise.
This goat enclosure, built for the animals to enjoy, is one of many creative features of the hobby farm on Wright Street in Fort Langley.
A quick walk through the barns and outbuildings on the 4.5 acre property reveal there are dozens of goats, chickens, peacocks, miniature ponies, cats, pheasants and ducks that call this farm home.
But it’s the man behind it all, 80-year-old Andy Molenaar, who inspired neighbour Nik Wall to pen a children’s book about this special place.
Andy’s Eggs, self published by Wall earlier this month, is a celebration of Molenaar and his service to the Fort Langley community over the last 50 years.
The story, which includes beautiful illustrations by local artist Nicholas Brancati, highlights a day in the life of Molenaar, who spends each morning hand-collecting eggs to sell to his neighbours, before settling into a new repair or building project.
When a Times reporter visited the farm last week, Molenaar was in a back room of his home with a shovel in hand, covering up an indoor pool he no longer uses. The iconic steel guitar of Hank Williams’ Your Cheatin’ Heart rang out in the background.
“I’m filling this in because it was a swimming pool, you see, we had a swimming pool here for the kids, for the whole family,” said Molenaar, who is a private person and requested his photo not be taken.
“I was always swimming, and then I got fed up with it. I was the only one using it so I thought, ‘enough is enough, it’s done.’ So I’m going to make it a dance floor I think.”
Molenaar came to Canada from Holland in 1965, and purchased the farm in Fort Langley with his late wife, Nel, in 1967. At the time, there was an old house and one chicken barn on the property, which is naturally divided from his neighbours’ lots by the Salmon River.
For more than 40 years Molenaar and his wife ran a poultry operation on the farm, and raised eight adopted children, one of whom still lives there.
A farmer by trade, Molenaar is a woodworker at heart, and has spent decades adding modifications to his home.
On the outside of his custom green and purple house are gigantic framed puzzles — some boasting tens of thousands of pieces — completed by Molenaar during the colder winter months.
The inside of the home is a feat of Dutch architecture, with ornate ladders and platforms connecting each room. In the front lobby, birds perched in a large enclosure chirp to those who walk up a steep ladder to a second storey loft, where a double-hung door opens to another platform outside.
Several walkways run along the side and roof of the house, allowing Molenaar to clean his gutters with ease, and enjoy breathtaking views of the countryside.
“Fort Langley is a good place to live,” Molenaar said. “We liked everything of it. It’s always got good things, bad things, whatever. By and large, we had a very good life here.
“People are honest here. And we are on the outskirts of Fort Langley, too, so that makes it nice.”
When he found out Wall was writing a book about him, Molenaar was not too keen.
“I don’t like it because I don’t like my ears, he makes fun of my ears,” Molenaar chuckled, while pointing to the illustration of him on the front cover.
“My reaction was not as enthusiastic as (Wall) thought it would be. Sometimes I kind of don’t like publicity. But they did a very nice job and I know that anyone who sees it, they like it, too.”
Wall, who now has a one-year-old son of his own, grew up down the street from Molenaar, and used to run errands for him. He has since moved out of the area, but continues to help Molenaar on the farm when he can.
With a career in sales, Wall claims he is “not a writer at all,” but says he felt compelled to create Andy’s Eggs as a tribute to Molenaar and the hard work he continues to do every day.
“He’s such a unique character.” Wall said. “He enjoys seeing the community come (to his farm), and he’s pretty private, so I just wanted to let other people experience it. Even if they can’t come to the farm, they can read the book and see the animals and have some sort of appreciation for him, and get some enjoyment of his farm and his work.
“It’s kind of like showing Andy off, but through the book, so it’s a little more private. Andy’s just been such a great person in the community. He used to organize Canada Day breakfasts, he and his wife, all the time. Kids come here in the summer and visit, so lots of people enjoy his farm. But it’s all 100 per cent his effort and his work.”
Andy’s Eggs can be purchase at Wendel’s bookstore & Cafe, 9233 Glover Rd., or online at www.andyseggs.com.
miranda@langleytimes.com
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