Farewell to Salmon Lake

This will be my last post on Salmon Lake Today.

On Friday, we will leave this very special place behind. With us, we will take 22 years of memories made here. Wonderful memories that we share with our children and now our grandchild.

Many of them involve many of you - friends we have made over the years and with whom we have shared this pristine piece of heaven.

It is not easy to say goodbye.

We leave our place in very good hands. Wonderful people who love it and will enjoy it as much as we have. If I can figure out how to transfer the content, they even want to continue with the blog.

We will miss this view. It really has been wonderful watching the seasons come and go. But the winters have become too long and too hard for us to keep up with the snow.

Wishing all of you a wonderful rest of the summer, now that it is finally here.

Garage Sale Season Has Arrived

Seems like everywhere you go, there is at least one garage sale somewhere. In cottage country, it seems to happen when the leaves are out, but it's still too cold to go swimming.

And this year, we are joining the parade. That's right, this Saturday, June 20th, we will be getting rid of 22 years worth of things that we don't use anymore - things that got pushed to the back of the crawl space when we renovated. All kinds of things. From tools to folk art, there is quite a variety of "stuff".

There have never been so many ways to get rid of things as there are these days. You can go digital with ebay, kijiji, craigslist - the online options are endless.  But for me, that's just too hard to keep following what's going on and dealing with people who are a keyboard away. I still like the old school kind of sale. I think most people still like to spend a day going from sale to sale, poking around to find something that someone else is getting rid of at a great price.  And furnishing a cottage is always a work in progress.

For some sellers like us, it's a little bit sad. Saying goodbye to things that at one point were important enough to buy. But now they are just extra "stuff" and you need to get rid of them. But for buyers, it's a chance to get something at a fabulously low price. Do you really need it? Maybe not, but you can always put it in your own garage sale later.

More and more, people are opting for the all-season garage sale, where they put up a temporary shelter, fill it with stuff and put out their sign any Saturday or Sunday they are around, and see who comes along.

For us, it's a one-day, one-shot deal from 9:00 to 4:00. That's about all the excitement we can stand.
If you are up this weekend, look for us at 319 Salmon Lake Road.

The Leaves are Out. So are the Bugs!!!

For those of you who weren't here for the long weekend, you missed incredible weather. But you couldn't go outside for most of it because the bugs were "the worst ever". I may say that every year, but this year I honestly thing they are. They are huge. There are millions of them. And even a brisk breeze doesn't seem to keep them away.

But with the wild fluctuations in temperature (Sunday and Monday's highs were close to 30 degrees and todays is supposed to be 9), I am hoping they have the wrong wardrobe and eventually go the way of all good bugs. Gone!!!

Here are a couple of pictures to show you how full the leaves are. And the gardens are doing nicely.
I still haven't planted anything outside and think I will wait a couple more weeks. You just can't tell what to expect - or what to wear.

Larry Columbo has taken over the water monitoring and has been out in his boat a few times. Other than that, we saw one on the weekend. Rick is just picking up the motor for our tin boat, so hopefully the temps will warm and the bugs will leave so we can have a few nice rides.

Ice Exit and Loon Arrival

It was an incredible weekend with temps so warm that garden activity was done in shirt sleeves on Saturday. Sunday was a bit cooler, but still lovely.

Then Monday morning happened. We were wakened by the incredible winds and rain. It was wild.
The wind was so strong that it  blew the ice into shore from the middle of the lake - moving our dock as it came.

But by the end of the day (with a good power outage and a little workout for the generator), the ice was nearly gone.

Here's this morning's photo.  Ice is pretty much gone, with just a bit around the shoreline. This was a much faster melt than last year.

And the first loon call was heard around 8:00. They really must be circling to see when it's safe to land.

Is it Spring yet?

What a winter it was!! It made for a great spectator sport from Barbados, but we were very happy to miss the extreme cold temperatures that seemed to go on forever. The silver lining for all of us from Ontario was that our friends there from Nova Scotia and PEI had it way worse than we did. I am sure they are still digging out.

Don't tell Mother Nature, but we have had 4 sunny days in a row!! With the sunshine and the milder temps, the snow is melting quickly and the ice is starting its slow departure. The last few days have encouraged us to walk, and the grader did the roads yesterday, so a few million of the potholes are gone. Still absolutely no point in getting the car washed, but you can't have everything.

Here are some pictures we took on yesterday's walk. You can see that there is water around the shoreline and that the portage is really starting to open up.

This is our shoreline and you can see water at the edge.

The Salmon Lake side of the portage. Look at that blue sky!!!

Still patches of snow under the trees, but going quickly. 

Today on the way back from town, I heard on the Moose FM that the snow is going very quickly due to the warmer temperatures and warm winds. Should all be gone soon.

Someone said that they were on their lake last weekend and there is still lots of ice. Even though we can see the water round the edges, there may still be up to two feet under there.  But fingers crossed it will be all clear by the time you and the loons start coming back.

Next up - blackflies.

Snow for 11 Days Straight

Not sure if this is some kind of record, but we had snow every single day since New Year's Eve (except for the day that it was _36 with the wind chill and too cold to snow - or go outside). We have more snow now - on the 11th day of January - than we did after a whole month of snowing in November. And it is still falling!!!

The forecast is getting ridiculous - "Snow squall warnings with 5-10 cm today, followed by 5-10 cm tonight and then 5-10 cm tomorrow."  We see Parry Sound on the Global Weather report virtually every night.

Since we spend our days moving the snow in the driveway, the deck has been sorely ignored, resulting in this. The drifts are nearly up to the railing and the snow on the railing has curled down on the outside.  This is now officially a job for the professionals. Our backs are much too old for this!

Rumour has it that we may get a reprieve this week, but by then we will be heading for someplace warm to hide for a bit. So we will leave whatever comes next to our "house sitters" to deal with. Surely this can't keep up forever, right?

Still no snowmobile tracks on the lake - either that or it just keeps snowing and covering them up.

And we thought last year was Snowmaggedon.....

So Much Snow

After nary a flake in December, January is more than making up for it.

We returned from Toronto on New Year's Day and it hasn't stopped snowing since. Every day we are waking up to 6 to 8 inches of new snowfall. Today we are somewhat housebound waiting for it to stop.

When we went to bed last night there was a good foot of snow on the deck railing. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture and by this morning, some had blown off, so it didn't look nearly as impressive. However, I did take a few pics to show to the folks in TO who have none.

Keep in mind, the decks and driveway were totally snow-free on December 30th. The first signs of snow were on the highway on New Year's Eve.


Here is a video I shot earlier today, to show the flake size  - and now the snow is even worse - cannot see across to the island out the window.

So, if you want to shovel, snow shoe, ski or make snow angels, Salmon Lake is definitely the place for it.

Here Comes the Ice.

After gaining and losing that massive amount of snow in November, we seem to be in a more "normal" winter phase now with occasional flurries that don't require twice-a-day snow removal.
The lake is beginning to ice over - enough that the snow is actually sitting on it.

And the ridiculous ducks that were trying to sit on the first skim seem to have moved along.

I wonder if this winter will make the lake more usable for skiing and snow shoeing than the past many. So many years of freeze-sink-flood have made the lake "no fun" for anyone. Even when you know there are feet and feet of ice out there, seeing rooster tails behind the snow machines means the skiing will not be great. Fingers crossed for a good cold snap to give us some nice ice.

Despite how grey these pictures look, we had nice sun today and a lovely pink sky is beginning, so tomorrow should have more of the same.

November White and Wet

Since my last post, we had a record snowfall for the month of November. We were right up there with Buffalo - we actually made the Global news last week when the 400 was closed and we got more than 90 centimeters of snow in 30 hours.

A true sign of how bad it was is that curling was cancelled. That never happens!! But for two days - last Thursday and Friday - they didn't want people driving to the club because the highways were so bad.

Because most of you don't have snow yet, I decided to share some of the beautiful 'Christmas card' shots that I took. If we never had to move any of the snow, I could sit and admire the beauty all day long. Unfortunately, the need for food and water means getting the snow out of the way to get into the car.

Using my barbecue perspective to show you how much snow we had, here is a shot from the same angle as last post.

Here is another look at the entire deck. By the time we got around to clearing it, it was well over three feet in the drifted parts. (And yes, Virginia, we did have sun for part of one day this month.)

After shovelling and blowing  the driveway for 9 days straight, you can see that the level of snow is just below the window sills on that side. And there is a big drop below there - so probably 6 feet of snow in some spots. That is where I dump the scooped snow from clearing around the cars.

And now it has been raining off and on since Saturday morning and this is the deck today.

So we get to start all over again tomorrow. The forecast is for more snow. But I don't think it will be like it was these past two weeks. Fingers crossed!!

The Flakes are Falling

It's another grey afternoon and as I stare out the window, I realize that I missed my post about the first snowfall - that happened on Hallowe'en. In the 20+ years that we have been coming here and living here, that is the earliest yet. Previous record was November 5th. Not a good sign.

Here are some pictures I took out the windows on the morning after that first snowfall. Once again, the leaves and snow are fighting for real estate. We never seem to get that final clean up done before the white stuff falls. Oh well....

It has been snowing on and off since then, but mostly not staying. However, as I returned from a workshop in the GTA this past weekend, this is what James Bay Junction Road looked like.

Snow tires are on the truck and the car will get them on Wednesday. I think the forecast is for about 15 cm here, so tis the season for the good tires. Rumour has it that we are in for another winter like last year's. I hope they are as wrong as they have been about most other weather forecasting.

But like it or not, winter is coming. It is as inevitable as people leaving after Labour Day. It will happen whether you want it to or not.

The Colours are Coming

The sunny days and cool nights have Mother Nature's paintbrushes on high speed this week.

I took these pictures from the car on Monday and today there are twice as many trees that are turning. Will try to take another batch soon. The sumach have gotten redder by the day this week.

Since George's web cam doesn't show any colour yet, I decided these were worth sharing.

Where is summer?

It is July 30th. We are stuck inside - again - with rain and very cool temps. High today (according to iphone weather) will only be 19.

Okay, so if we are a month behind, July's weather was June's. August's will be July's - unless August decides to do September's. Fingers crossed that will not be the care.

The only happy living things around here are the plants. They are ENORMOUS! There are thistle-like weeds at the side of the road that are well over 6' tall. And folks who have been coming here for the 20+ years we have been here can't get over how green everything is.

Oh well, no sense in beefing about it, since it won't change anything - oh to heck with that - of course we can complain.

Here's to a warmer, dryer August! And sunny weather for our AGM on Saturday, August 2nd. 
Our hosts will be Adrienne and Peter Boersma (of Boundary Lake, driveway near the recycling bins and our message board).

Look for the bright green sign in our Message Board for directions. 

Hope to see you there. 

Another Art Bombing

Not sure where you all are, since the lake is very quiet, but when you do come, you will see this on your drive in Blue Lake Road.

Here's a little closer view.

Once again, something that looks totally at home in the pond. It will have you doing a double take.
And then smiling.

Hope it is still here when you come!!

PS Took the first water temperature last Sunday and it was 19 degrees.

Leaves, Bugs and Keys Keys Keys

I am happy to report that the leaves are pretty much out. They seemed to pop in the last week.
With them, unfortunately come the bugs. Ya gotta love when blackflies and mosquitoes overlap. A feeding frenzy.

But the biggest pest this year are the keys. Thousands upon thousands of them everywhere. A banner year, according to everyone I have spoken with. Apparently it happens every five years or so, and I am sure we can thank that merciless winter for this year's yield.

Apparently, if they are on lawn areas, you can weed whack or mow them to get rid of them. But seriously, they are sprouting in places where the degree of difficulty for growing is horrendous. I have already devoted hours to picking them out of the driveway, pathways and river rock. And today, I will begin on the lake side. Here are just a few pics I took.

pathway in the garden

front "lawn" (and I use the term loosely)

garden bed

Bug suit, bug spray, rain boots and gardening gloves will all be in style while I pull bucket after bucket of seeds from the garden. You can sit in one spot and pull hundreds without moving. Yikes!!

Oh well, boats are in so we can have a lovely cruise before dinner as our reward.

GONE!!!

At dinner time last night, there was still a fair bit of ice out there, even though there were lots of open spaces.

And as the water opened up, the first loon landed in our bay. I swear they must have their own air traffic controller who lets them know when they are "good to land".


Then, when I woke up this morning, it was gone.

Just a tiny bit around the shoreline where the sun can't reach. But the next endless days of rain will get rid of that for sure.

Going, Going.......

It is a beautiful sunny day here today and the remaining ice on the lake looks like it won't last the week.
Most of the docks are now floating and the narrows near the Hawkes' is open. Fingers crossed the season is on its way.

And look who's back. Right at the edge of the ice on the right hand side is our little water line duck.

On our walk today, we saw a butterfly. That seemed strange, but hey, we'll take any sign that this awful winter is over.

By the time the long weekend is here - very early to be sure - we should be able to get out there on the water. Not so sure about IN, but ON seems like a safe bet.

Will try to post again when the ice is gone, gone, gone.

Land ho!!!

Finally, with a few mild days, good winds and a bit of rain, there are patches of earth showing through the snow!!!

Today we didn't get the predicted downpour, but we have a mighty fog and can't see across to Booze Island - well maybe just the tops of the trees.

Here are a few pictures to share:

One of a few big patches left in the front.

Front garden is mostly clear.

Lots of clear patches in the woods - even more now than day before yesterday.

Cautiously optimistic that the white stuff will soon be history.

This time last year our boat was already in the water - well, officially tomorrow. So we have a lot of melting to do to get there. The ice appears to be gone around the edges of the lake, but there still looks like there is lots in the centre.

Melting Has Begun

The warmer temps for the past few days have made a big difference already in the melting. After being on the lake on snow shoes just on Saturday, today the tracks from the snow mobiles all look slushy and probably not great for snow shoes or skiis. That might be the end of the season for frozen lake fun.

On this afternoon's walk, the road was pretty much clear of snow, but a muddy mess. Yesterday's drive was a lot of mud surfing and hoping that we wouldn't meet a car going the other way, since the tracks pretty much decided where you were going. Today, the wind has dried things considerably. On our walk, we took a few pictures to share.

Backing up a bit, this is a picture of the road sign at the corner of Point Road and Salmon Lake on March 24th. Snow was still kind of white and the sign was barely visible over the banks.

Same picture again today. Banks are dirty and noticeably lower. And you can see the road in the background.

A few large holes near the shoulders, marked in some creative ways.

Here is a long shot of the road, which gives you a good idea of snow quantity and the muddy bits.

And although we haven't seen a robin yet, we saw two of these little rascals today. This one actually made it across the road. The first one we saw wasn't so lucky.

But all the signs are encouraging. It sure won't be an early spring, but at long last, it seems like we might actually get one.