Little House in the County

for years, Courtney and Mohamed Khimji spent weekends at Airbnbs in Prince Edward County, Ontario. One Sunday in 2016, they were heading back home to Toronto when an ad for a county fair caught their eye. Mohamed could never resist a fry truck.

The detour led them to the annual Ameliasburgh Fall Fair, held since 1855 in one of the original townships that formed Prince Edward County. Scenes straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting were in full swing. “Kids from the local 4-H Club exhibited calves and sipped on milkshakes,” says Courtney. Bakers and gardeners sold their wares as live music played in the background. Courtney, a former competitive horseback rider, was enchanted by the ponies paddling in the lake. As the fair drew to a close, the couple mused about buying a second home nearby so they could bring their future kids.

They spent the next few years browsing real estate listings along Highway 401 that could be both a family retreat and a convenient stop between Toronto and Kingston, where Mohamed taught law at Queen’s University. (He’s now the dean of law at Western.) By April of 2020, they had a two-year-old son, Zain; a second, Rayan, on the way; and a standard poodle named Winnie. Finally, they found a charming house with white siding and shutters. Built in 1863, the 1,700-square-foot, two-storey home had been the long-time residence of an elderly couple. Though it felt dated, its bones were solid. The couple immediately put in an offer. (A few months later, they bought a cow barn across the road.)

Working with a local contractor, the couple embarked on a major restoration, updating the HVAC system, switching out the windows and adding a fireplace to the main floor. Meanwhile, the barn was transformed into a creative studio for Courtney, who runs her own PR agency. The couple stuck to a French-country design to suit the pastoral setting—hence their nickname for the home, “Little Louis,” a nod to Le Petit Trianon, the country escape that France’s King Louis XVI gave to his wife, Marie Antoinette. Refinished with new knotty pine floors, the space now features a light-blue farmhouse kitchen and refurbished bathrooms. The bedrooms are cloaked in old-timey wallpaper, while antique carpets, book-lined shelves and thrifted furnishings complete the classic decor.

Their neighbour Donna-Lee Truax rides at the fair every year. “You can see Donna-Lee’s horses in their paddock from the boys’ bedroom window,” says Courtney. They met when Rayan was a baby, bonding over a shared affection for blue-eyed quarter horses. “Rayan and I would stroll down the road with a pocketful of carrots hoping to make friends, human or equine,” she says. Eventually, Courtney and Mohamed enrolled the boys in riding lessons at Harper Run Stables, where the kids also do barn chores, egg-and-spoon relays and frisbee tosses. “A group of older girls have embraced two city boys as part of their crew,” says Courtney.

The family spend weekends and holidays at the home and occasionally Airbnb the property. In the summer, they read and swim at Roblin Lake or the Wellington Rotary Beach; they bring a picnic, climb the rocky path to the lighthouse and let the boys splash in Lake Ontario. On blazing-hot days, Courtney sets up two giant Slip ‘N Slides behind their house. “I learned my lesson the first year, when I drained our well on the August long weekend and left us without running water for three days,” she says. “A rookie mistake.”

A full-circle moment came for the family in 2023. The boys, both ribbon-winning equestrians like their mom, rode in the Ameliasburgh Fall Fair. Zain snagged a double win for both the riding show and the pony costume class. (He was Spider-Man, his pony was dressed as a web.) Rayan got to take his favourite pony, Gadget, for a swim in the lake. “It was a core memory for all of us,” says Courtney.