CHRISTMAS - NEW YEARS 2010

We are now back home after a wonderful winter week at the cottage.

Much to my content this year there were no frozen or burst pipes once the cottage defrosted. After a few hours with the woodstove blazing away we were very cozy indeed. It is surprising just how much firewood we used up in a week - but then as our only source of heat the fire was never allowed to die out 24/7 for the duration.

Our time was spent enjoying the wonders of the season - snow shoeing, x country skiing, hiking, tobogganing and of course shoveling!

We have established a holiday ritual of visiting with the neighbors to provide a bit of holiday cheer via chocolates and with a dozen people to see this usually takes us a few days to accomplish. It is a great way to connect with the other cottagers and locals.

We had Matthews' friend Luca and his father James up for a night and we enjoyed sharing the winter spirit with them.

Last year Matthew attempted cross country skiing for a few minutes before bailing on the concept as he couldn't seem to get his legs! This year he spent a good chunk of each day skiing around the property on the trail he made with Nicholas his neighborhood friend and also tackled the most demanding hills on the road and driveways in the hood!

Waking early on several frosty mornings, I overcame the intense desire to crawl back under the covers and instead respected the creative spirit I am trying to cultivate and nurture when at the cottage. Being surrounded by nature calls to me and I intend to seek out the light and beauty and capture it through my lens. Going out early on several mornings I was able to shoot a variety of winter scenes in the beautiful morning light. New Years morning in particular the snow lay fresh and heavy on all the trees and provided a truly magical winter wonderland, hopefully an omen for the year ahead!

We thought we would settle in for a quiet new years eve at the cottage when the phone rang and Dave (our cottage road maven) informed us that a neighbor Pete had cleared his pond and the "traditional" cottagers new years eve shinny game was scheduled! We couldn't of dreamt of a finer more "Canadian" way to spend the evening! We headed down with our skates to find a mild evening with light snow falling. The pond was lit by two spotlights on ladders at either side, Pete brought down his new snowblower AKA "Zambonie" and cleared the ice as we laced up on a freshly installed bench at the ponds edge. Deb brought some wine and chocolate to provide additional holiday cheer to those sitting around watching the game. Matthew played with a vigor rarely exhibited at his team games in the city. Maybe it was the magical setting, maybe the spirit of the company - he skated his little heart out and we all really enjoyed a wonderful new years eve of camaraderie in our small corner of the the world. A new years eve that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Photos of the summer

Here is a link to photo albums from our 2009 summer and others

http://www.picasaweb.google.ca/phil.pellat

TreeHouse Visit

View of the forest and Canopy 30-40 feet above the treehouse.

As I spent a good chunk of my days over the past week building a
treehouse, it was a celebration of sorts tonight with Matthew and I
sitting up there during dusk until after dark listening for animals
from this new forest platform. It is rare to actually get Matthew to
sit still (with no TV in front of him) so this was a great event! We
heard lots of animals scurrying about but didn't see any. I think
getting up there a bit earlier in the evening might be good and
perhaps towards the Fall we can bait the area with a few bales of
straw and bags of apples to attract the Deer and Bears.

August is Here

Well after a brief two day visit home, one of which I spent in bed
feeling like a Mac truck had run over me, we returned to the cottage
with Deb's parents!

I must admit a week with the in-laws is always challenging - but we
did manage to keep pretty civilized and have a good time. We took them canoeing, hiking and did a bit of touring around the area.
Not bad considering they are both in their eighties!

The projects continue.
Today we got the firewood rack completed and made some progress with the tree house, or as I like to think of it "the animal viewing platform" as that seems to make it a more permanent part of Our Magic Forest. One would think that a few boards nailed together as they used to do in the old days would suffice. But as I start researching online into methods of construction and various considerations regarding tree health and flexibility issues of using two trees things get increasingly complex. It will be a great platform to view the creek area behind the bunkie once it is completed.

I also had a delivery of materials so I can finish the bunkie - this
may not however happen this summer.

We topped our day off with a nice bike ride up the road!

So it seems the summer is running quickly by - I need to get through a
few more To-Do items, but also accept that a few simply won't happen this summer.
Also important is the time I promised myself to relax and spend listening, watching, photographing and relaxing.

Wildlife Sightings

There is a lot of wildlife around here... so far this summer we have seen:

Mink

Beaver

Whitetail Deer (many)

Fox

Rabbit

Bears

Birds (many)

Wild Turkey
Grouse
Ducks

Heron

Fish
Bass
Sunfish
Trout

Frogs / Toads
Snakes

Salamander

Butterflies
Damsel flies
Dragon flies
Deer flies
Horse flies

Weevils

Another Rainy Day In Paradise

Early to rise today as Matthew is at day camp this week at YMCA Wanakita and the bus stop is a half hour drive from the cottage.

Then off to Minden for a few chores - of course a mandatory stop at Home Hardware to look at deck preparation and staining supplies... I manage to get out on the cheap side with a gallon of "eco friendly" deck cleaner/prep solution and a colour chart for the stains we need to choose for the deck and house.

A stop at the Minden Hills municipal offices to talk about replacing the missing "Bacon Road" signs at the turnoff for our cottage proves unnecessary as someone has beat me to it and they are already on order! Then a drop off for Purolator to courier to Peterborough a well water test sample to see just how much if any metals are in the drinking water - I am concerned as there is much talk of Uranium in some of the Haliburton wells.

From there driving back to the cottage i find about a dozen Ford Model A's (circa 1928) parked all down main street Kinmount - a good photo opp.

Finally back to the cottage and I get going on the ongoing Bunkie reno project.
A mid afternoon bike ride up the road brings me face-to-face with two deer - well maybe the same one twice!

Finally a bit of R&R reading before driving back to the bus stop with deb to pick up Matt.

Another rainy day in Paradise...

Start of Summer Holidays

Our arrival on Sunday at the cottage was met with an auspicious viewing of a deer on the neighbors property and news that a big black bear was seen there Sunday Morning!

Bug season is still in full swing here with the mosquitos drinking
heartily!

Our first day was full of action. As usual I was up working way before the rest of the family even stirred. By the time they awoke, I had already done several hours work in the bunkie.

Greeted with sunshine instead of the promised rain, after breakfast we headed out and cut down several small trees in front of the house to tidy things up as we haven't really touched that part of the property much.... Then I got to work on the vegetable garden fence and more stones for the firepit.... as we just have to replace the cinder blocks the previous owner used.

We decided to go for a bike ride and found ourselves going straight up the road as it turns into a bush trail. This adventure took us deep into the woods through many muddy washouts in the road and we all got a good workout. I was particularly impressed with Matt as he was riding a pretty heavy BMX with no gears and managed to keep pace with Deb and I with nary a complaint - I think the muddy road engaged him as he got "skunked" really well!

After lunch and a short fishing expedition at Furnace Falls (where I caught two slightly larger than minnow sized rock bass) we headed into town.

Barely a day can go by here without a Kawartha Dairy ice cream. And of course the mandatory visit to Austin Lumber to get reno supplies for the next few days work!

Matthew has decided to audition for a local talent show in Kinmount doing a comedy routine. We started writing some of his jokes down and did a bit of research for more online. A bit of rehearsing and he may just be able to pull this off!

To top off a full day Matt and I decided to get in the car after dinner to explore the road and do some photography in the evening light - we did manage a few photos however the mosquitoes won and we retreated as the sun set.

All that in only our first day!

We have been here for 3 days now and we are wondering if it will ever stop raining for more than an hour at a time!

Yesterday we managed to get in a bit of fishing at the dam on Salerno lake with Deb, Matthew and his friend Alyssa and I. It was fun - the kids each caught a few small Rock Bass and one nice Bass got away from me right near shore! Of course as with any fishing outing with kids - most of my time is spent untangling line, dealing with snags in trees and replacing lost hooks and tackle.

As usual I've got lots of pokers in the fire - work continues on the bunkie renovation, garden twig fence, firepit stone gathering, wood splitting, building ladder for bunk beds, trimming trees around the front yard, bathroom reno, more coat racks, etc...... gee and it's only been three days! I did think about meditation - but that will have to wait for a nice dry day as my favorite spot in the woods is pretty wet and buggy!

Today we spent in Minden for the soggy Canada day festivities, there were a lot of people out considering the conditions - overcast to torrential rain followed by short stints of heat and sun!

The weather forecast is good and it looks like by the weekend we will be headed for some sunny hot days!