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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Here's an update to let you know what's been happening since I last wrote. The two rivers met in Dwight Bay on April 16th - one day later than usual. Then, heat wave! It has been the most incredibly, fantastic weather for the past week - mid to high 20's (Celsius, of course), sunny, light breeze...ahhhh... As of today, the ice is completely out of the bay. The water is VERY high! I can't remember when Lake of Bays' water was quite at this level. In Huntsville, the river that runs through the swing bridge downtown has already overflowed the town docks. Now, here comes the strange part, we've had no rain so we are now in an extreme forest fire danger - there's a total FIRE BAN! The bush/forest has all of the dried autumn leaves and dead branches on the forest floor, added to that the trees have not yet started to bud - so, there's the risk - fire can spread very quickly.
Lots of wild turkeys have been spotted around Dwight - their numbers just keep getting bigger. The deer are still making their daily visits and leaving us lots of pellets to feed our grass and gardens. A few mornings ago, around 6:00 a.m., we woke up to the call of the loons - now, I'm not the best of morning people, so, the only perfect morning there can be for me is...waking up at the break of dawn, with the windows open, cool breeze blowing in, not a sound except the loons calling to each other on the lake. We're so fortunate to be able to fequently greet the morning this way. Then, of course, it's tea time or look out! :-)
Update on the renovations: "D" cottage bunk bed room is finished except for the new window! Still waiting for the windows, I'm told this week. The room looks awesome! The bathroom has the new tub surround installed, new floor, new etc., freshly painted. The last touches are being completed and it should be up and running by the end of April - Spring cleaning comes next, of course. Oh yes, in the middle of last week, we realized that the shingles on the lakeside of "E" cottage needed replacing - all renovations stopped and our guys turned into roofers! My renovation budget, by the way, has been completely ruined. Oh well, the resort looks great.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
We still have lots of snow; however, we've also had lots of rain over the past few days. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm last night - great to look at, but a bit scary when the crashes shook the house! The rain has really helped knock back some of the snow. Our large green space/play field in front of the cottages is about half clear of snow now - there's hope!
"D" cottage is now a complete renovation site with the bathroom totally ripped apart, the new window has been ordered, the new tub/surround is here, and the bathroom drywall is on its way. The bunk bed room is over half complete - new pine throughout! It looks great! The new pine doors are here and everything is coming together ahead of schedule and (so far) within budget. Of course, now that I've said it... :-)
We're anxious to get at the Spring grounds clean-up - lots of branches are down from the winter winds. Some of the more hardier plants are starting to push through the small openings of cleared ground. Unfortunately, the deer have already discovered these precious sprouts and are having a great dinner every evening around 7:00 p.m. We have a doe and her 1 year old who love to clear-cut our plants, and are doing a thorough job of it! So far, we've had to go out 3 times banging pot lids to chase them away. The deer are so bold that they don't even start to move away from us until we're about 4 meters away from them. It's basically a love/hate relationship!
The chickadees are here in full force - eating tons of bird seed daily! The only other birds that we've seen are nuthatches... Can't wait for the full return to Muskoka!
Friday, April 4, 2008
We're back from our vacation in the Florida Keys! It's great to get away and become a tourist for a change. Now that we're home, our Spring plans are underway. This year, "D" cottage is getting a renovation! The bathroom is getting a complete overhaul that starts today. We're also planning a renovation to the bunkbed room that will transform it into a log-look rather than flat wood - it's going to be very cool! Since this is one of our most popular cottages with children (the only one with a bunkbed), I think they'll love the changes.
We unfortunately can't begin any outside Spring cleaning as there is still about 3 feet (a meter) of snow and a driveway that looks more like a skating rink...that was a shock coming back from vacation! The lake is still completely frozen - it doesn't look good for the annual bets on when the lake will open up (usually April 15th). My guess is around April 23rd this year - I hope I'm wrong and it's earlier.
We have a new Summer Schedule of Events that will be posted on our website shortly. The Kid's Craft Program will be held on Monday and Wednesday mornings only. As requested by many guests, this allows us to concentrate on more family-involved events such as canoe/kayak trips up to Marsh's Falls that we will be leading, and Archery Night. All events will be sign-up in advance and, of course, clear weather will be a big deciding factor in whether or not events will proceed, for example, canoeing/kayaking are calm weather/no waves activities. We will continue with our popular Marshmallow Roast/Fire Pit nights every few nights during July and August, starting on the Saturday night Welcome Fire! Oh, of course, all of these events are FREE to our guests! It's our way to ensure that your vacation time is enjoyable and has enough variety to help you experience Muskoka activities outside of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Summer bookings have already exceeded 60% so don't delay your booking!!
