Fish Fear Them

Fishing at sunset last week, Dave and Mike deployed the very latest in fishing gear.


Fancy lures, deft casting, careful planning.  Mike commented that if he totalled up what he's spent on fishing gear, he could probably just purchase fish for life.  Still, it just would not be the same.



Instead of scooping something frozen in temura batter, the lads spent the evening drifting along, fingers crossed and hooks baited.

David landed a sizable bass.  The team fish with Live Release, so the fish is back in the lake.  The thrill is in the chase, after all.

Fishing is an imperfect science, which is what keeps folks coming back.

The movement of the water against the hull of the boat. The call of the loon. Wind over the fresh water, the rustle of trees... you can't buy that at the grocery store.

Nor can you purchase sunsets like this one.

Recently on CBC News it was revealed that there are doctors who are now prescribing time spent in a provincial Park to help their patients "de-stress."

We think they are on to something, but we're sad that it would take a prescription to convince people to get back to Nature.

Still, if that is what it takes... we suggest you take some time in North Muskoka, and don't bother to call anyone at all come morning... just breathe and relax.  And maybe toss a line in the water...

Flight School

They are out of the nest.
They are out of the stable, exept at night, when everyone comes home for dinner and to talk about what they did in the Great Outdoors today.

They are our baby barn swallows.

Their bright chirping always cheers the stable, and their ability to catch mosquitoes makes them very very welcome.

We've got our fingers crossed, since it is still early in the summer, that Mom and Dad will nest again.  As far as we are concerned, you cannot have too many swallows.

And, did we mention? The babies, especially when enrolled in Flight School, are totally adorable.

Messing about in Boats

There are few man-made things more beautiful on the water than the classic old wooden boats.

JESTA is currently moored at Clover cottage. She has been out of the water for a while, and like all wooden boats when that happens, they need to absorb water into the wood again to make the seams tight.  While that is happening, as Stuart remarks, "She is taking on water."

And it is being regularly removed through the bilge pump.  As wood dries, it shrinks, making the seams a little leaky.

We sympathize. We once owned a classic runabout Ditchburn, Pine Bark. She is now on display at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, because our father Paul realized he couldn't afford to maintain her the way she demanded.

Muskoka has a rich history in classic wooden boat design and construction.  Brian has a dispro, a disappearing propeller boat, that has the distinction of having a bullet hole in the hull. No-one knows why.  These little putt-putt boats (so called because of the noise of the little engine located in the centre of the hull) were a staple on the Muskoka lakes for a long time, able to slip over logs that were left floating in the wake of the log drives without tearing off the propeller -- which would fold up inside the hull if it struck anything underwater. Built in Port Carling, from 1914 to 1926, these boats have their own society, a large fan club that keep the boats on the water.

At the Gravenhurst Wharf, the Grace and Speed Museum will also let you get up close to a constantly changing display of antique wooden boats. True classics, every one.  It's well worth the drive. Next to the Museum, the steamships S.S. Segwun and Wenonah offer daily cruises --everything from Pirates and sunsets to luncheons and short tours.

After all, there's really no better way to spend a hot summer day than messing about in boats!

Athletic Endeavors

The first Bondi summer Cookout was last night. Despite a quick sprinkle of rain in the mid-afternoon, the sun shone on the Roast. It usually does.

Hot dogs, veggies, cold drinks, a bonfire, s'mores and marshmallows... all topped off with a demonstration of the reknowned Potato Canon, and a visit from the mallards (who love the cookout - there is always a treat to be had)

Good fun, good fellowship, and great memories.  Among the best? The unforgettable Seed Spitting Contest. Since genetic engineering took the fun out of watermelon by breeding out the seeds, we use popcorn kernels. Clean, safe for those with nut allergies, easy to obtain, and very popular with the passing ducks who come in after the event to clean up the course, popcorn flies well.

Jake was out youngest participant, at 4 years old. He got a distance of 4'2". Taller than he is.

Participation is not limited to the person with the seed in mouth -- there is a keen contingent who watch to see where the kernel lands and measure out the distance.

When Tris came to the line, the whole family converged.   At 22'11, it was an impressive performance, just (dare we say?) pipped by his brother Ash, who won that particular division with a distance of 24'.

The big winner of the evening however, celebrating Girl Power, was their sister Emma, with the overall best distance of 27'10".

Certificates go to all the participants in our Great Expectorations event. Those hang in offices all over the place - lawyers' offices, doctors' offices', teachers' home rooms...  living rooms, scrapbooks... they're everywhere.

And why not?  Great memories should be celebrated.

Welcome home, Evelyn

This is a landmark.  This is the 50th summer that Evelyn has spent here with us at Bondi Village Resort.

We could not be more honoured.

We have so many memories tangled up with Evelyn, and Walter, and their children and grandchildren.

The year the Clan 'took over' the resort, and ran it for a day, answering phones, greeting customers... The For Sale signs had folks phoning up to ask if we'd really sold the place.

The year the banner went up overnight proclaiming a Free Nudist Weekend...

Trips to bring in hay, with Dave and Rob hanging off the top of the load of hay as we came through town.

The annual Williams' Family Picnic on the beach, larger every year as the kids and grandkids grow up...

Sue and Jim coming in the autumn for some very very private R&R.

There's more. Lots more. But we'd need too much space to capture it here...

Memories that tie families together through the good and the bad and everything in between.

Your family is our family, Evelyn.  You are ours. And we could not be more honoured.

Green

In the corner of the bay, where it is a haven for ducks and herons, the water lilies are beginning to bloom.

With the reflection, it is all green over there... which is fitting.

We've been "green" at Bondi since long before the phrase 'global warming' had everyone running for their air conditioners.

We compost, we recycle, we have solar heaters for water, and a 10kw solar panel soaking up energy as well.

Our gardens are organic, our chickens are free range.  We welcome in the wild, with our nature/ski trails proving a popular means of access for deer and the wolf pack.  Our bird boxes bulge in summer with nestlings, including Eastern Bluebirds - a bit of a rarity up here. 

All our cottages have canoes -- we encourage people to be outdoors, at the lake or in the woods, under their own steam if you will... and we've been doing that forever.

The diagnosis "Nature Deficit Disorder" did not need to be invented up here -- here we know we are part of the big picture.  We don't harden or citify our shoreline with rocks and walkways, our beach is a natural sand and shallow and was like that always. The only difference is a man-made dam at Baysville raised the lake in 1914, and flooded the beach. Bad news? Well, we got a narrower beach. Good news? Well, we've got a wonderful sand base under that water, that is shallow and ideal for kids.

We participate in the Eco-Credit system at Muskoka Heritage Foundation.

It doesn't get a lot greener.  And we love the colour green. Truly we do.

Fireworks and Community Spirit

There's lots going on in Dorset these days.  Not just Robinson's, the greatest general store  east of the Atlantic; nor the Museum with the scale model of the fascinating Gilmour Tramway; not the ice cream from Northern D'Lites on the dock; or the S.S. Bigwin, just waiting for the new boiler so she can steam the lake.  Not the Lookout Tower, with one of the district's best views.

There's something you don't quite see -- and that is the community spirit behind this little community.  You can see the results: the new flower boxes, new dock, new gardens and new gazebo. Soon you'll see a new childrens' playground too.

And on Saturday, we got to see one of the best firework displays anywhere.  This is put on by the volunteers of the Fire Dept. and the Community Group.

This should be on everyone's list who is up here for July 1st weekend.

Just like Firefest at Dwight, on the long weekend in August, should be on the list.

It is the great volunteers and the keen community spirit that make these places hum.