*sniff* all closed up

All closed up for the season. [Single tear]

Let's hope for an early spring!

what new at the lodge?

It's been hot as a very hot thing for weeks. Our new portable AC unit struggles to keep up against the heat, we can usually match outside temps minus the humidity, which is better than nothing. 

We've been organizing the basement some, I'll add pics when it's presentable. 

I finally was able to add the finished painting to R's room. It looks much more finished now. He's pleased. 

I've been painting some, which is nice and relaxing. 

There weather has been turbulent with high winds and a lot of rain, but last week we finally had some calm sunny days and were able to get some swimming in. 

There's been a fair bit of drama on the lake with first responders, a couple of drownings, and some crazy accidents (a 15 yr old jumped off a bridge over the Otonabee and landed on a boat?!) so that's always unsettling to hear. People be crazy. 

We took a day to visit Lang pioneer village. I haven't been since I was a kid. They've added a number of new buildings, but it's much as I remember it. E asked ALL of the questions. 

thats about it!

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. 

a chilly opening!

This might be the chilliest cottage opening we've had in a good long time!

It's a balmy 12°, and the wind is 30 out of the SW gusting to 50. The boys barely made it across the lake yesterday it was so choppy.

We've been pounding our heads against  opening weekend shenanigans: why won't the pump prime? Why is the water pressure so low? Why are there 11 million mayflies this year? Where did I leave the _____? 'Closing me' left 'opening me' some helpful notes like "The paper towels are in the wooden chest". Closing me is a gem!

It looks like we emerged relatively unscathed from the nasty ice storm that hit the area late this winter. We have a few branches down from our ash tree and that's about it.  Our neighbours seem to be in the same boat: some big-ish branches down, but nothing major. A chunk of siding blew off the side of the bunky, but was easily reinserted. Our new lower dock is starting the gradual droop into the lake that our last dock suffered, so I guess we'll be jacking that up again this year.

The lilacs are a couple of days away from full bloom but still amazing. They will always remind me of dad. We bought some bloomerang lilacs to plant in front of his bunky this year.

Today the winds are more out of the north, so while windy and cool, the lake isn't as angry.

We've seen plenty of geese, ducks, terns, and cormorants (patooey), as well as the little mink that swims around our boat lift. Ro swears he saw a turkey at the neighbours place.

......And the pictures are sideways again because the editing app on my phone won't let me rotate. Dangit. Sorry! Tilt your head this way ⤵️

flooding update

The conservation authority says the flooding should peak this weekend at 187.25. (pics stolen from fbook)

lake is up!

The water level is way high this year. We won't be putting the boats in anytime soon.

its kind of bizarre seeing the marina with no docks (because they're all under water).