Life is Good

What could be better than being pushed around the lake in a comfy blow up rowboat on a sunny afternoon?

New Leaseholder Map

Finally - it took a while to get it organized, but here it is - the new Cache Lake Leaseholders Map. There are plain paper versions for those who just want a map and laminated versions for those who like them as placemats. Interested in acquiring??? Contact myself or Richard Rigby!

Cache Lake Map Maestro

This is Jean Ledoux, a talented and generous Montreal graphic designer who graciously donated his time and expertise to create our new lake map. Here he is proudly wearing the Cache Lake hat that was part of a small but heartfelt thank you!

Cache Lake Shines

Park Superintendant John Winters updates leaseholders on various Park issues. Here Cache Lake gets kudos for their stellar waste management percentages. With 65 percent of all waste going to recycling or organics, we are ahead of all other areas of the Park and the Park target of 60%. Cache Lake leaseholders - take a collective bow.

2009 APRA Meeting

This year the meeting took place at the Two Rivers East Beach Pavilion. For those who attended there was encouraging news. For those who didn't - contact your lake association!

Barbie Fishing Rods

Our friends the Kemps joined us for a long weekend and Amelia and Isabelle were kind enough to let me fish with their Barbie fishing rods. I think this may be my new facebook picture.

Off on an adventure

On Sunday afternoon, the girls set off with Carolyn and I for a little walk and paddle around Beaver Pond. Here they are, ready with their paddles to cross the trail.

Paddling the pond

Once we got to the other end we hopped in the canoe and went for an exploratory paddle around Beaver pond. We actually found a little creek to one side and followed it to it's end, picking a few lilies along the way.

It takes two to portage

On the way back, Amy helps to portage the canoe between Beaver Pond and Tanamakoon Lake. A couple more years and she'll be ready to carry by herself!

Mother and child

On a boat ride up the Madawaska we found this little loon hitching a ride on Mom's back.

Heron in the river

And this heron let us get unusually close. I thought for sure it would fly, but it stood very still, trying its very best to look like a stick while I circled close and got a series of close-ups.

New addition

And here is the latest addition to the island - two sunshine yellow "sit on top" kayaks, just waiting for a couple of kids to take them for a spin.

Spring Cleaning

On the first weekend that it was really warm enough to work outside, Carolyn got to work sweeping away the spiderwebs.

Summertime, summertime

Finally warm enough for a beer on the dock!

Mama on the Nest

When we arrived on Friday night we found Mama Duck sitting on her nest and she wasn't moving for anything. We walked right by her and she didn't budge. I was pretty sure that meant she was sitting on some little duckies, and sure enough we got to see them on Saturday.

Not Rubber Duckies

These little ducklings were all that were born of the 12 eggs that we found earlier in the spring. There are three heads but if you look carefully there are four beaks. Mom got off her nest for a very short time and I took the opportunity to get a shot of our little babies. We were lucky to see them at all because by Sunday they had all left the nest and gone to the lake. We will keep an eye out for them this summer.

Deer in the Forest

Saturday was a rainy day so we hopped in the car and did a little exploring. It's amazing the places that are right at our back door and somehow we've never come across them before. This weekend we discovered a wonderful little road near Dwight that runs along the lake, past a church built in 1837 and winds in and out amongst many beautiful old cottages. This deer came out along that road and while she kept a wary eye on me, she allowed me to come quite close.

Raindrops on Iris

This was our first wild Iris to bloom on the island, but there are lots of flowers out on the island and along the highway. This weekend we saw lots of Ladyslippers, Devil's Paintbrush, and Daisies.

An even dozen

On Saturday morning as I walked up the hill to the outhouse there was a great beating of wings as a very large bird shot up from the underbrush and flew off into the sky. When i went to investigate I found a dozen duck eggs in this beautifully feather-lined hole in the ground. Mom was soon back on her nest and we spent the rest of the weekend making sure to give the her and her eggs a wide berth. I briefly considered pinching just one to see what scrambled duck eggs might taste like but Carolyn succeeded in changing my mind!

Many meese

The blackflies were absolutely wicked this weekend, and so the moose were literally hanging out on the road. Caitlin Glynn-Morris had emailed me last weekend with pictures she shot of a moose right outside our parking lot. On our way out, I shot this picture of Dad next to the Cache lake sign and his calf trailing along behind. We then spotted this cow a little further down the road closer to Mew Lake.

Roosters is no more!

The little store that always had everything you ever needed is now empty and up for sale. According to my cousin Richard the owner has moved all the stock and retired, moving to be with his daughter in Orangeville. Where will I find new foot valves???

The First Long Weekend

Our first long weekend (and opening weekend) at the cottage was marked by "variable weather". Saturday was windy and wet, Sunday was cold and SNOWY and Monday was beautiful and sunny. Jamie, Shawn, Carolyn and I spent our first weekend mostly by the fireplace. Despite the weather it was great to be back for another year!

Let the New Year Begin

Richard reveals a plate of delectable lamb sirloins as we all sit down at the Rigby table to start another year of good friends, good food and good times!

Together Again

Jamie and girlfriends - Janice and Patty - the party is on!

Chilly Cook

Since the kitchen is not heated and the temperature in the morning was round the 0 mark, Carolyn had to dress warmly while she made pancakes in the morning!

Snow on Sunday

So here we are in the middle of May and it snowed. The flakes were fine so you can't see them in the picture, but it snowed pretty steadily on and off for a good chunk of the day on Sunday! Meanwhile we were told the weather was beautiful in Toronto! Oh well, a good excuse to sit by the fire and do nothing!

Finally - the Sun!

After two days of cold and damp we were very happy to see blue sky on Monday morning!

Cache Lake Hat

Because we finally got some good weather, we all piled into the boat and went for a cruise around the lake. Carolyn models the new Cache Lake hat. Richard Rigby had a bunch made and is selling them for a very reasonable $25 which goes towards getting our leases renewed.

Skymount

You can't see them in this picture, but there were lots of people up at the lookout at the top of Skymount. The leaves really haven't started to come out on the trees on Cache, but there should be some nice soft green in a week or two

We're Back!

OK - it's been over a year since my last blog. Last year just seemed like there was too much going on. But I enjoy my blogging - and as this was our first visit to the Park this year I decided it was time to get back on track. What a beautiful day in the Park - a spectacularly sunny day and the temperature was a comfortable -2C. The lake was solid ice with virtually no snow - perfect for walking. We spent about three hours just walking all over the lake - and taking pictures of course. Enjoy - the lake is truly beautiful in winter!

Parked at the dock

It was also a perfect day for driving on the lake. First I drove onto the ice for about 40 feet and then chickened out and drove right back into the parking lot - it felt too freakish. But later we ran into Randy and Jane who assured me there were 19 inches of good ice and they had driven on the ice the day before. I had always wanted to do it, so we hopped in the car and off we went. After some initial butterflies we both actually enjoyed driving across the lake and the very different experience from sitting down in a boat.

Like walking on a drum

The ice was very "busy" while we were there - doing lots of expanding and contracting and making all kinds of interesting noises as cracks opened and the great plates of ice shifted. The various sounds were easy to hear without any snow to muffle them, so as we walked we were accompanied by a constant symphony of burping, whumping and cracking sounds. Most often it sounded like a quick hit on a kettle drum and Carolyn said she felt like we were walking on a drum skin. Big cracks like this criss-crossed the lake - sometimes opening right under our feet! It was a bit startling but still perfectly safe.

Walking up the Madawaska

We decided to walk up the Madawaska, carefully keeping to the shoreline because moving water means less than solid ice.

Wolf tracks

We found lots and lots of wolf tracks on the Madawaska - these ones were particularly well defined

Open water

The further we went up the Madawaska, the more of these open spots we found. We finally decided we had probably gone far enough and turned back towards more solid footing.

Walking Home

We ran into Jane, Randy and their friend Len while we were out walking on the lake. After swapping hellos and exchanging news they headed off home for lunch while Carolyn and I continued our walk.

Northway Channel

Looking down the Northway Channel

One last weekend

We got a taste of winter as we spent our last weekend before the lake freezes. This looks like fog in the picture, but it's actually one of the many snow squalls we had on Sunday. A great day for sitting by the fire.

Looks like winter

As we drove out the Park road, we found several spots where the snow had made some real accumulation. The next time we drive this road, it should look like this everywhere.

Another weekend with Jamie

Jamie and his adorable pooch joined us for our last fall weekend - a weekend sharing warm fires, good food and friendship.

All tidied up

We hadn't been over to the Rec Hall since regatta, so I hadn't seen the final clean up. I think this will probably be the end of the new trail. We like the big rocks they planted.

A very old fireplug on a very new trail

It's amazing what you see when you are looking for something different. I can't count how many time I've walked this path in my lifetime, and I don't recall ever noticing this old fireplug before. Having walked the trail today, but looking at it as a historical exhibit, I suddenly noticed this very old fireplug up in the woods. It's probably always been there.

A last walk in the woods

Carolyn heads down the trail towards our car as we end our last walk in the woods until the lake freezes over. Bye bye until the winter.

Splash of Orange - One Week Later

Last week was definitely the peak for color as most of the leaves had fallen between last week and this. Here is the "splash of orange" shot from last week - minus the leaves.

A carpet of needles

The leaves aren't the only things that have fallen in the last week. The forest floor is thick with needles as they turn brown and cover the ground.

Foggy night

When we arrived on Friday night, the sky twinkled with stars and the dock twinkled with frost. Later on the sky clouded over and we had a little snow. The water has gotten colder, but not colder than the night air, so we had some pretty thick fog on Saturday night - which you can kind of see in this picture.

A chilly kitchen

Since we didn't do any cooking in the kitchen, it was pretty chilly by the time Carolyn went to do dishes after dinner. A heavy terry cloth robe and her sheepskin vest helped keep her cozy while she washed up.

The warmest Thanksgiving ever!

Although the sun never shone all weekend, it was still the warmest Thanksgiving I have ever experienced! On a weekend where it often snows, we spent much of our time outside in shirt sleeves or in a light jacket. That meant we got to spend much of the weekend outdoors appreciating the spectacular fall colors. By this weekend, the reds had pretty much disappeared but they were replaced by striking oranges and golds. All in all the colors this year were pretty spectacular!