How much has music played a part in your cottage or camping experiences? Or maybe its the road trips singing along with the stereo cranked.
Music has been a huge inspiration to me with so many powerful memories that connect. Old friends, new friends and the ones that left before their time. Sitting around the fire with friends or family groov’n to some cool tunes – does it get any better?
I must confess that I’m a huge Neil Young fan, yes a Rustie as we are referred to. I can hear Neils lonesome voice now around a blazing fire with a zillion stars in the sky and the Loons cry echoing through the night. What moves you?
There is a town in north Ontario,
With dream comfort memory to spare
And in my mind I still need a place to go
All my changes were there Neil Young’s, Helpless
As I stood on the shores of Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman Island at midnight continuous fireworks and yelps of joy shot off into the warm Caribbean night. I think for many we were happy to wave bye bye to 2009. I have now arrived back fully energized and ready to kick-off the new year. I want to thank the many people who have visited this blog over the past year. I appreciate your suggestions and comments as they are always inspiring. A happy, healthy 2010 to all!
Seven Mile beach Grand Cayman Island January 01, 2010
Someone flipped the switch and we turned into Baffin Island.
Most cottagers have vanished now with only the retiree troopers and the local yokels left to hold down the fort.
The deer will soon be trotting across the lake looking for dessert. Yup cover up those cedar trees Mable.
The bubblers are in – let the season begin (and end soon)
For those of you that enjoy High Dynamic Range Photography there is a new website that features HDR Photographers from all over the world. HDR Spotting was started by Trey Ratcliff one of my favorite HDR photographers. I have been fortunate to have a few of my photos featured on this cool site.
I finally found the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve just south east of Bala, Ontario. This conservation reserve is made up of about 5000 acres of Precambrian rock, wetlands and modest tree growth making it ideal for astronomical instruments. It is Canada’s first Dark Sky Preserve. I plan to dust off the telescope I received as a gift many moons ago and return here one night to check out the skies, which are apparently mind blowing. This is a photo of the Highland Pond near the parking area off district road #13.
Things are looking up in Parry Sound, Ontario the hometown of one of the greatest hockey players ever Bobby Orr no less. This is a shot looking straight up from under the Canadian Pacific Railway train trestle. Its quite an engineering feat from the early 1900’s.
Its starting to feel like summer has arrived – finally!
This is the interesting and ever changing antique shop up in Rosseau, Ontario.
Please don’t forget the Rosseau Market is open every Friday starting July 03 and until Sept. 04, 2009. If you have not checked it out I would highly recommend it.
Why do people leave vehicles in the woods? While driving north bound on highway #69 towards Parry Sound we spotted this old pickup truck (well not that old) through the trees in early spring. I think its a Dodge? It had a 1982 license plate sticker on it however I don’t think its that old with the square head lights and such. Please click for a larger sized photo
Please click on the photo for a truck sized 1280 pixel image
From the shameless self promotion department -
Myself, and a bunch of other Muskoka blogger’s were recently featured in a popular Muskoka magazine called “The Muskokan” The story covers the many different types of blogs, why they blog and the personalities behind them. You can pickup the print version almost anywhere around the Muskoka area. For the digital version see the full story here.
This is a photo of reporter Kerri MacDonald attempting to take my picture without breaking her camera
There are signs of life in Muskoka as we approach the May 24 (Victoria Day) weekend which is actually on May 18th this year. Many birds, frogs and night crawling creatures as well as a few of the Homo Sapien varietal are scurrying about. I have not seen any signs of the dreaded black flies as of yet but have heard they are out there.
I was a little slow on the draw trying to snap a shot of the two ducks that took off in this photo however they left some nice rings in the water. Please click for a larger size
As you drive around in Muskoka or anywhere within the Canadian Shield areas you will see these rock cuts with giant icicles oozing out of them. This only takes place during winter of course but they do tend to hang on for a bit into the warmer spring weather. This photo was taken on Highway # 169between Glen Orchard and Bala, Ontario. Please click on the photo for glacier sized images.
A close up of the oozing ice that comes out of these road side rocks.
Click image for glacier sized photo
After a few days of mild temperatures and a February thaw we are back to more snow. Well it sure seems like its been a long winter. It won’t be long now until we shed the winter bleakness.
Driving down Hwy #169 towards Port Carling you can’t help but notice the many snowmobiles around. The trails are busy. These guys were settled in at the Bass Lake House which is a great place to hang for some wings and pints. Glad to see people are doing their part to keep the economy going.
I am not sure if there were any recent boxing day sales on barn board. I noticed this place on Highway #27 just south of Nobleton, Ontario has been slowly picked apart like a turkey dinner exposing only its bones. Remember these images are scaled down to 72DPI and are only about 60k in size so they do not reflect the true quality of the photo. Clicking on the image will bring it up to 1280 resolution but still I wish you could see what I see in extreme high resolutions.
I saw Santa !
He was just outside the LCBO down in Niagara-on-the-Lake. No he didn’t have time to stop. Old Mr. Claus seemed his jolly self but there was something missing. There were only 5 reindeer powering the sled this year. Also, not an elf in sight. The recession has hit Santa hard however there are rumors of a bailout package coming soon.
In the middle of snow flurries everything stopped for a minute and the sun peaked through the clouds. I was hoping it would drop so I could shoot it between the trees but it disappeared and continued to snow again.
Stumbled upon this Bus parked in a wooded area. It appears the road tour may be over for a while. Not sure if anyone was living in it or not. Please click for a larger size.
There are many roadside signs offering up “cheap smokes” as you cruise through Muskoka Road #38. This road starts in Bala and connects to Highway #400 passing through the Wahta Mohawk Reserve. It was raining and I was short on time but managed to snap this photo of a drive thru shop along the way. Click on the photo for biggie size
Remembrance Day, also know as Poppy Day. We are so removed and insulated from what it was like for our dads, brothers, uncles, grandfathers and friends to go off to war and never arrive home again or return changed forever. We now take those sacrifices for granted. Please ponder it a moment…
Last night the temperature went down to about -2C. When I awoke I noticed the pond out front was frozen and contained some unique patterns in the ice. I knew it was time to get the boats out for November is upon us.
The sun sets over Clevelands House to end another summer/fall season in Muskoka. I took this photo from a new trail that opened up along the shoreline from the Wallace Marina over to the New Red Leaves Resort. Of course Red Leaves now owns Clevelands and the entire shoreline around to the resort. It has to be close to 2 miles of shoreline on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka – do the math.
Muskoka has two large cranberry farms and makes the claim that they are the Cranberry capital of Ontario. This photo was taken at the Johnston Family Farm near Bala at harvest time. They have been growing Cranberries here for over 50 years.
While driving the back roads of Muskoka I discovered this wonderfully weird mailbox. Those are actually large boulders mounted on top that would weigh a ton. The driveway also had two poles with similar boulders adorning each side. I was curious what I would discover down at the end of this driveway, maybe a great artist or some other eccentric character? The dueling banjo’s went off in my head and I decided it was just a little too creepy to continue.
When I was a kid we could hardly wait to go to the annual fall fair. We would usually sneak through a hole in the fence somewhere at the back so we could save the extra money for the midway. Well there was this amusement ride that all kids were really freaked out about called “The Zipper“. Of course we all wanted to ride it and brag about how we lived to survive it despite the rumors about people being launched out of the cages and crashing to a brutal death. (I later learned those weren’t rumors.)
After coming off with green faces we discovered that if we hung around the Zipper we could pick up the money that fell out of peoples pockets. This was a great way to make some extra cash until the nasty Carni man with the stick chased us away – but that’s another story. This past weekend while strolling around the Bracebridge fall fair I discovered my old friend the Zipper
My good friend Rob loves Muskoka. Like many of us, its in our blood. Just like me, he can spend hours cruising around the Muskoka Lakes such as Lake Joseph, Rosseau and Muskoka checking everything out. Its absolutely breathtaking and it just sucks you right in like a giant vortex. Its a deep rooted feeling you get from being up here and it may even be traceable in our DNA.
What am I doing here? I noticed this Power Cat boat over in Gravenhurst at the annual boat show. Pretty funky looking design with twin Mercs on board. This baby was built in California probably in the 60’s. There was no one around at the time to give the run down on her but nevertheless it turned a few heads.
Marty’s World Famous is located in Bracebridge (Muskoka) Ontario. This place features BIG Ass apple pies, Butter Tarts to die for and the best bean salad you have ever had. Marty, (yes there is a guy named Marty)Â has recently revealed his secret recipes in his new cook book. A cool place to visit in the Muskoka area.
Here is a close up of the freaky cormorant birds that inhabit a small island up on Lake Joe in Muskoka. I have seen them on Lake Rosseau and Lake Muskoka as well. Apparently the double-crested cormorants were near extinction at one time due to the levels of toxic chemicals. The fact that they are coming back is a good thing even if they are creepy, eat lots of fish and destroy some vegetation. Some people think they came from another area however they are a native bird of Canada.
If you have ever traveled down Lake Joseph in Muskoka by boat you may have noticed a very strange looking island. It could be a scene right out of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. This small chunk of land is in fairly shallow water and seems to be the home of a large colony of Cormorants. Its very creepy.
This past weekend I visited the Muskoka Arts & Crafts “Summer Show” 2008. This annual event is held in Bracebridge, Ontario and features many excellent artisans from the area and beyond. One of my favorite artists, Andrew King is always busy with many people dropping by to check out his latest original work.
This frog was nice enough to pose for me while I took his photo in the pond beside my cottage. I discovered an interesting article by Canada’s David Suzuki entitled, The Year of the Frog while I was searching for some philosophical copy to accompany the photo. Apparently many different species of frogs are vanishing from the planet at an alarming rate. Scientist consider these amphibians the “Canaries of the Coalmine” as a benchmark for our planets health. Climate change, pollution and a silent killer called chytrid fungus are the main suspects in the mass disappearance.
I am always intrigued by doors. Whats behind them? Who goes in them? Do they come back out of them? How did they get to look like this? What gnawed the hole through at the bottom and who put those latches on it? I was walking down the main street of Bracebridge in Muskoka, Ontario and saw this door in the alleyway of an old building. Now I have to go back to see what the building was for.
I debated with myself on whether I should post this next picture or not. We all enjoy the great things about Muskoka and cottage country but sometimes along the road something happens to remind us how fragile life really is.
This terrible tragedy happened close to my cottage and had a very strong and disturbing impact on all of us in the area. All weekend long people streamed by in cars, boats, walking and on bikes to pay their respects to the three young men who lost their lives here on the eve of July 3, 2008. Unfortunately there are no words to make it better. Our deepest condolences go out to all family and friends.
Sometimes taking a little peek around the corner pays off. I discovered these cool old doors around the side of the building that sells antiques in the town of Rosseau, Ontario. The building was just crammed with memorabilia and assorted stuff that someone must want.
Last week the Globe and Mail (Canada’s National Newspaper) contacted me and asked for permission to use some of the photos I took on the high water levels around Muskoka’s cottage country. They also interviewed me on what I had seen and were nice enough to make mention of this blog.
The Saturday print edition came out with the photo shown below and a story. The on-line version is sans photo and located here
I noticed quite a bit of traffic and a few new comments on the blog then all of a sudden our data center that hosts our websites went down due to a transformer exploding. Unfortunately we have been down for a couple of days but are happy to say we are back in the saddle again.
With the Victoria day long weekend quickly approaching the folks at the Port Sandfield Marina in Muskoka are sure hoping for the lake levels to drop. At present the water is rolling over their docks. Lake Muskoka appears to be back to normal however Lakes Joseph and Rosseau remain a bit high. Port Sandfield is where Lake Joe and Rosseau connect and is a well known stop for gas, shopping and supplies.
Another shot of North Americas oldest operating steamship located in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. They will start cruising in early June. These famous steamships can be seen in the town of Gravenhurst right on the new waterfront development area which is on Lake Muskoka.
The “Grace & Speed” Muskoka Boat and Heritage Center is located here as well and worthy of some time.
Its a sure sign that the warmer weather has arrived when you see dock spiders relaxing on your dock. Apparently these are the largest spiders in Ontario. They are usually seen around docks and rocks near the waters edge. They are carnivorous and can actually dive under the water to snatch their prey.
Muskoka’s Bala Falls is located in the town of Bala, Canada and widely known as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario. The extremely high water on Lake Muskoka is being purged through the dam. The water flows down the Moon River into one of the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay (Lake Erie)
Checked in on a friends new dock near Acton Island since we noticed the water level was so high around other parts of Muskoka. Betty’s not going to be happy when she sees this. Unfortunately this is a typical scene on Lake Muskoka right now. The water has leveled off and should start dropping.
The ice has finally melted off the lakes however the water levels remain very high. Tremendous volumes of water are gushing in from Algonquin Park, Huntsville, Brandy Leonard Lakes, Lake Joseph, Rosseau and other rivers and creeks. This large amount of spring run off gets dumped into Lake Muskoka and is then controlled at the falls in Bala diverting it down the Moon River into Georgian Bay.
Below is a picture of the Bala Falls. There is so much water flowing out that it has encroached on some of the park shorelines. I noticed some young kids playing here and wish they weren’t as it would be quite dangerous with freezing water temperature and extreme rapids.
With a record snowfall of 18 feet this past winter the Muskoka lakes are experiencing very high water levels. Currently Lake Muskoka is about 18 inches above its normal mark. Since Lake Joseph and Rosseau are higher lakes that drain into Lake Muskoka the levels are not quite as severe. ( 8″ to 12″) Pictured below are the new underwater docks at the Beaumaris Marina on Lake Muskoka. Upon driving around Bala and Milford Bay areas it was quite common to see boathouses and docks submerged.
Here is a picture taken from the Port Sandfield bridge exactly 2 years ago when the area was under construction. Port Sandfield is a very important historical part of Muskoka Ontario that consists of a canal that joins Lake Joseph with Lake Rosseau. There is a marina, some shops and a great general store and bakery here. Many boaters make the obligatory ice cream stop.
For some reason I like to leave the flag up all year long. Most cottagers take them down and to me it seems like they have surrendered. Well maybe only until the warmer weather arrives. Whether I arrive dockside in the scortching summer heat or struggle hip deep through the snow, I love to see and hear the flag. Theres just something about it.
