lions and tigers and...

...BEARS!

Or, bear. 

We seem to have a bear spotted on the island. There is much consternation on the book of faces. 

We didn't spot anything last weekend, but we were hunkered down inside as mother nature tried to blow us to Hastings.  (40 out of the southwest, gusting to 60). 

Whilst hunkering I started on my birthday gift to me: some Tim Packer online art lesson videos.  Current progress attached. They're not my usual "realism", but the colours are cheerful and the subject matter is great. 

i don't like the tree one as much, but it was the first one, so we'll label it a learning opportunity and move on. I may someday go back and repaint it. 

I've found some fabric I like to make a Roman shade for the kitchen. If it wasn't so $$$ I'd make curtains too, but it's $$$. 

Here's our new cottage mascot, Bassackwards. He says "Phteven".

And, what the hey. Here's a nice sunset. 

Do I have any pictures of the ridiculous deadhead that's washed up on shore? [Looking]  

yaha!

That's a whole-ass tree Rowan and Eric are trying to secure so it doesn't smash into the boats/boat lifts/dock when the waves blow up (and they do). It's been an ongoing project because, as Monty Python taught us, witches are made of wood and wood floats. 

And lastly I leave you with the philosophical debate of the weekend. If cheddar cheese at the cottage is cottage cheese, what is cottage cheese at the cottage? Cottage cottage cheese? Cottage cottage cheese cheese?

opening day 2026!

We're baaaack!

A balmy 21 degrees inside and out. The marina docks are as janky as ever. How they're still standing is a mystery. The lake was super calm for our crossing, which was fortuitous as the pontoon lift was ill placed and we had some difficulty actually docking at shore. All's well that ends well, and we're mostly settled. Just the water hookup left, which continues apace. 

The cottage over-wintered swimmingly. There was only a small piece of siding knocked loose from the bunky (same darned piece as last year. Darn it.)

It's shaping up to be a lovely weekend. Pity we couldn't make it a longer stay. So happy to be back.