Including the Kitchen Sink

The Rigby’s spent their annual weekend at Silly Island which required four or five tents, a screened in dining room and even a kitchen sink (see upper right hand corner) for the approximately 10 kids and 5 adults who camped out this year. Despite a heavy rainfall, everyone appeared to be dry and having fun when we stopped in for a visit.

A Weekend With Jamie

This weekend Carolyn was in Texas to visit her mother and so I spent the weekend at the cottage with my best friend of over 30 years Jamie Armstrong. It has been a long time since we spent a weekend together, and we had a great time doing all the things we love to do together – clockwise from top left – boating, eating, observing nature, and sharing meals (and a few drinks) with friends.

After the Storm

Two weekends ago Carolyn and I drove home just ahead of the major storm system that knocked out power in large parts of Ontario and Quebec. The storm roared through the Park, causing lots of damage as it went. We were relatively lucky on the island. The Rigby’s lost this tree on their point and branches were down all over the island.

APRA Annual General Meeting

It was a full house at the Two Rivers East Beach Pavillion – the new location for meetings and events following the demise of the Rec Hall. John Winters, Park Superintendant, updated leaseholders on fees, motor restrictions etc. and thanked leaseholders who jumped in to help during and after last week’s storm. Following was a very comprehensive report from the APRA chairman. Cache Lake leaseholders should remember to attend their own annual meeting Saturday, Aug. 5 at 10:00 to hear important information.

Our 1st Anniversary

It’s been a full year since our wedding (and since this blog was started) and we celebrated at the cottage, taking an extra day off so we could fully enjoy our anniversary day. Here we are on the point where we were married, having an intimate dinner for two the night before our anniversary.

Whiskey Rapids Trail

We started our anniversary day with breakfast in bed and opening cards from thoughtful friends, relatives and of course from each other. Then we got up and went for a walk at Whisky Rapids next to the Oxtongue River, followed by a trip to the old museum for their annual art show where we ran into cousins Barb and Rick and their guests.

A Lazy Afternoon

We went home, had lunch and then a lazy afternoon soaking up some sun on the dock, reading our books and magazines and then finished up with a swim and pre-dinner cocktails.

A Night Out

We changed our clothes and boated over to Bartlett Lodge for a romantic 4 star dinner in a lovely setting. Our hostess Marilyn Smith sent out dessert with a sparkler and some complementary truffles to help us celebrate.

A Final Surprise

We arrived home a little after around 10 to find the door of our sleeping cabin had been boarded up by cousin Rick. We had a great laugh and then went up the hill to congratulate Rick on his anniversary prank.

Nighty Night

A few glasses of wine and lots of laughs later Rick accompanied us down the hill and let us into our cabin.

A Walk Through the Forest - Head Lake

Sunday was a dry and breezy day at the Lake, and that meant ideal conditions for a walk through the mile-long Head Lake Portage. The light breeze ensured a virtually bug free stroll.

Shallow Roots

Two trees toppled at the side of the trail and ripped up a sizeable chunk of earth in the process. My wife took this picture and she pointed out how truly incredible it is that trees can grow at all with such a shallow root system.

Wild Rose of Algonquin?

It’s not the “Wild Rose of Texas” but my wife and our friend Daphne both think it’s in the wild rose family. Whatever they are, there were masses of them along the Portage. I guess I’ve never walked the trail at this time of year because I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. If you know what they are, drop me a line and I’ll post it here.

Received by email from Libby Otto: From the look of the leaves and the flower (was the plant very prickly?), I'd say it might be a blackberry - a member of the Rosacea (rose) family.

It was definitely prickly. Thanks Libby - if you're right then I'll be going for another walk in a few weeks and collecting some yummy berries!

Woody Woodpecker

You’ll have to click to enlarge this picture and then look carefully in the centre to see it – but we did come across this downy woodpecker at the side of the trail. Other “wildlife spottings” included some wolf scat and some moose tracks.

Head Lake

And here is the view at the end of the trail. Head Lake was quiet – we only saw one couple the whole time we were on the trail. It was a lovely quiet spot where three of us rested in the shade while our friend Daphne swam all the way to the point you see in the right hand side of the picture.

Canada Day Weekend

We loved all the activities on the island as our friends joined us for a three day weekend jam packed with activities. There was fishing, swimming, moose hunting, dancing, painting, boating, singing, exploring and falling in the lake just to name a few. We enjoyed every one of them!

Hitchin' a ride

Mom and Dad got the biggest workout of anyone on a visit to the Pionner Logging Exhibit.

I'm kicking, I'm kicking

Amy's first swim in the lake went without a hitch as she kicked her way out into the channel and back to the dock with Mommy providing a reassuring hand and lots of encouragement.

Cruisin'

A boat ride around the lake wraps up a full day of outdoor activities.

A makeover

And when you've run out of things to do outside - there are always lots of activities to do in the cottage. For instance you can give your auntie a whole new look!

First steps

Or you can impress everyone by practicing your first steps just before bedtime!

Loon Nest

We found it! (see loon picture below). This nest is about 6 feet from where I shot the loon pictures several weeks ago. We're not sure if we can see eggs, but Mama loon is definitely sitting on the nest. We surprised her early Sunday morning when we came down the hill, and later when we showed it to our cousins, Mama floated by and tried to lead us away. There are no baby loons, so maybe the eggs are still to be laid. In the meantime - if you're a Cache Lake person reading this - please slow down in our channel in case we're having babies!

Fish nest

This is the second year we've had a bass nest next to the dock. If you look in the lower left hand corner of this picture you'll see a circular area that looks sandy and lighter than the rest of the picture. I am told that the fish sweep the area clean with their tail fins, lay their eggs and then guard the area until the babies are born. If you click on this image to enlarge it you can actually see Mom and Dad in the centre of the nest.

Spider Nest

This spider's nest was alongside the Cansibay Lake Road. If you look carefully, you can see that it actually forms a ball shape. We'd never seen one quite like this before and so here it is.

Dock nest

While I'm on the subject of "nests" I couldn't resist this one. Our cousins Rick and Barb under their beautiful new pergola - built single-handedly by Richard in two days!

Cottage nest

And finally a cottage nest - one of our guest bedrooms at the cottage. You can't tell from this picture but it has a lovely view of the lake when you are lying in bed.

Home for the weekend

Although we RARELY miss an opportunity to be at the cottage, every so often there's an occasion worth staying in the city for. This weekend, it was our turn to invite our former neighbors, current neighbors and forever friends to dinner in our backyard. Mother Nature was very co-operative and a we partied on until the wee hours of the morning.
More from the Park next weekend.

You can still make "smores" in the city

We may be in the heart of Montreal, but with a clay chiminea you can have a campfire in your very own backyard - and so smores can be made. These two kids were good enough to make smores for the whole gang!

What to do on a cold and gloomy weekend?

It was not the finest of weekends in the Park – the thermometer never rose above 45F and we never saw the sun. Bad weather doesn’t have to be a total bust though and below are my two favorite options for a “poor weather weekend”.

There are always chores!

And keeping moving and doing things keeps you warm. Plus there’s always that “glow” that comes with a sense of accomplishment. This weekend I got the bath house pump running, sanded and painted the refrigerator shelves and installed (not entirely successfully) the new automatic bilge pump for our boat. It turns out the pump is defective. Thank you Canadian Tire!

Or better yet…

You can always build a warm fire, put your feet up, turn on some music and read a good book!

Grandmother's Log

I went for a little ride through the Madawaska River to see if the lilies had started to show their pads. Not yet, but I couldn’t resist taking a quick snap of this log. My grandmother used to attach her minnow trap to this log, and on many evenings it was my job to paddle up the river and collect her fresh bait supply for the next day’s fishing. For a couple of years there were iris growing among the grasses on this log, but then my grandmother filched them and for years they bloomed in front of our cottage

In the River

Soon the lilies will fill in the sides of the river, but for now there is only the marsh and the trees. A wonderful juxtapositon with the very old dead tree trunks and the fresh green of the new grasses and leaves.

Sunset in the Back Bay

This gorgeous sunset is the view we often see through our kitchen windows in the evening. After a dull and rainy day, the skies cleared and graced us goodnight with this rosy display.

A sure sign of spring....

Is blackflies - and this year is the WORST year I remember EVER! There are masses of them and they're big and they're biting. Let the hot weather come and finish them all off!

And pollen on the lake

Every spring it coats docks, boats and the lake with a soft blanket of yellow. There seems to be an extraordinary amount of pollen this year too - directly proportional to the number of blackflies, but I suspect unrelated.

Old and New

Here's some new wood growing on some old wood. New bushes spring to life on the ruins of one of the two old railway trestles that crossed Cache Lake.

Come into my parlor

And a lovely parlor it is. This web was built on an old railroad trestle that collapsed onto the lake several years ago. A long time ago, the trains used to travel through the Park across these wooden "bridges" and deposited guests at a couple of luxury hotels in Algonquin. Now this trestle houses a "hotel" of it's own.

Red Sky at Night

This lovely evening sky was snapped by my wife Carolyn on Saturday night. It capped off a day of sunshine and blue skies, but contrary to the rhyme, Sunday was overcast and muggy.

Our Loon

I call her/him "our loon" because it was never far from our shoreline this weekend. This loon is actually one of a pair and we think they are nesting right in front of our deck. This one let me get within 6 feet to take this picture and about 30 seconds of some nice close video. The pair of them floated up and down the same 15 foot stretch along our shoreline all weekend while making soft cooing noises. We don't know exactly where the nest is because we didn't want to disturb them. We're hoping for babies! If you have a high speed connection and you want to watch the video, click here. It's best if you watch it at the smallest size since it is highly compressed for the web.

What Global Warming???????

Yes indeed - that is what you think it is on the ground! Snow. My cousin shot this on the morning of May 21st. Over the course of the Victoria Day weekend we had rain, snow, hail, wind and cold. Hardly a weekend for first swims or sunbathing. But hearth and friends kept us warm and cosy and a great weekend was enjoyed by all.

Beaver Art

This week we arrived to find that the lake contractor had removed all the fallen trees left us this winter by Bucky the Beaver. As a souvenir he left this piece of "beaver art" on our deck. It's actually quite beautiful and we will be sure to find a suitable display location for it this summer.

New Green

Here's one of the things I love about Spring in the Park. I call it the "new green". It's the soft green of the new leaves on the birch and maple trees when they first come in. It usually doesn't last more than 10 days so I'm always happy when I'm there to see it.

The maiden voyage

As many people have noticed - I drive on the wrong side of the boat. I have my grandmother to thank for that. She taught me to drive a boat when I was about 7. She was happy to teach me, but she wasn't giving up her seat - hence I drive from the left (or right depending on how you look at it). Oh well - it works! This is the maiden voyage of our new boat and motor.

Our new boat has arrived

This spring I called the local marina to have them get our motor ready to go to the cottage. Color me surprised when the owner told me the marina had burned to the ground and taken my motor with it three weeks earlier! So since I had to buy a new motor anyway - I bit the bullet and bought a boat too. I found a nice, used fiberglass boat with a 4 stroke Yamaha motor on the Internet and it was launched into Cache Lake this Sunday afternoon.

Eager Beaver

We arrived on the island to discover Bucky (as my cousin called our guest) had been very busy over the winter. He gnawed right through this big cedar and took out two more trees at my end of the island and a couple of good sized birches at the other end as well. Bucky needs to find a new home!

It may be spring, and although both Saturday and Sunday were gloriously sunny and warm, it still is pretty cold at night. There were still lots of pockets of snow along the highway and the lake entrance a full 10 days after the ice went out. We drove in on Saturday morning and it had been cold enough the night before to leave a skin of ice on the ponds.

Moose Season

Spring is a great time for seeing moose along the Park road. This was one of a pair of yearlings that we stopped to watch along the way.

Spring has sprung!

While the ice may be off the lake, there is still some to be seen on the rock faces along the highway. In some spots water rushed down the sides of the rocks and on to the highway. In others, water slowly dripped from the melting ice.

This Just In

The ice is out on Canoe Lake (and I correctly predicted the date on the Canoe Lake Ice Out Website - Ice Out). I'm assuming that means the ice is out or very near to out on Cache. And so another season begins. I'll be going up next weekend and will post some spring pics!

Isn't she lovely?

Dorothy Gray sent me this picture taken last year. What a beautiful building it was. A few of you have emailed me for news - I have no info what the next steps will be, but it seems there are willing hands.