Take a Bow, Dorset!

On Saturday morning, I was in Gravenhurst to accept an award on behalf of the Village of Dorset. (that was simply because we had difficult in fitting the entire village into a vehicle to get to the awards presentation, and because I Chair the Heritage Committee for Lake of Bays, who made the nomination).

The Muskoka Heritage Foundation presented Dorset with a Community/Cultural award recognizing the heritage values preserved in that great little village. Established in 1859, Dorset was originally named Cedar Narrows, because of the trees that lined the river at the narrows. In 1892 Dorset became headquarters for the Gilmour Lumber Company. Today Dorset sports a very active Historical Society that maintains the Dorset Museum, the Scenic Lookout Tower and the Lake of Bays Marine and Navigational Museum with its newest attraction, the restored Bigwin steamboat.

All that, plus the original hump-back bridge built in 1914, the Fiery Grill restaurant and Robinson's General Store, both housed in buildings that date back to Dorset's founding, and a whole lot more.

Every year the Muskoka Heritage Foundation recognizes excellence in Natural and Built heritage in our District. Established in 1987, this foundation's mandate is to protect, conserve and nurture Muskoka's natural and cultural environment now and for future generations. It was an honour for Dorset to receive this award, justly deserved. It was an even greater honour to be able to accept on their behalf. The award will be held in the Museum.

Stronger, Together

Sunday was the date for the CIBC Run for the Cure in Dwight. Last year, this run brought in $54,000 (give or take). I thought that was a huge dollar amount from a small community.

This year, Dwight was recognized as one of the National Run Sites, because of the spirit and committment shown by all participants and organizers.

So it was no surprise when some 220 participants arrived. They were entertained by the Northern Lights Steel Band Orchestra, one of our very favourite group of musicians.

"Oh Canada" was sung by Grade 6 student Hailey Scott, who did an outstanding job of taking that microphone and singing out proud.

Alex Cousentine brought the pace car, a 1957 Chevy Bel-Aire.

Dogs of all sorts appeared to Walk the Walk with their people. Some had come from the Paws for Paws fundraiser in Huntsville for the SPCA, so Sunday, with its crisp clean air and sunshine was an exceptional outdoors day for the dogs.

People ran, walked, pole-walked, dog-walked and pushed strollers along Dwight Beach Road, closed to traffic for the occasion.

It was an ocean of pink... who knew that pink was now a verb? "We're really pinked," one lady said to me, showing off her pink feather boa and tiara. We had teams -- families, friends, even the Painted Brownies and Sparks from Port Sydney were out. Individuals. Partners.

Trey, from FITT GYM got the crowd up and moving before they headed out.

As M.C., I had the honour of introducing the guest speakers, and helping to thank the sponsors. I'm going to let you go to the CIBC Run for the Cure website for more stories from the run.

But I'm also going to share some great news with you. This year, Lynn and her team of organizers, CIBC, the CBCF and all the fabulous folks who came out pinked to the max for this event? Well, they raised $62,800.

Wow. We truly are stronger, together. And cancer CAN be beaten.

We're off to see the Colour!

Lucy is here from England, visiting her brother Hugh. Hugh is a great long time friend, and spends a lot of time building and maintaining the cros country jumps I use to school the horses. He'll be here next week doing just that!

They dropped by on Wednesday evening, arriving too late to get into the Park and get organized, so they stayed with me. This let Lucy ease into the camping format - with a warm house, hot water and bathroom right to hand!

Next morning, bright and early, they headed out for a four day canoe trek. The fall colours are at their peak in Algonquin right now. We are always a little later than the Park -- it's because we are a little lower in altitude.

Mind you, Lucy didn't need to go anywhere to see great colour. This tree is just outside the door!

Too much Rain? We scoff at that!

Brian writes: "This is the latest in technology. We just need to add a little floatation and we can sell these things in India and Pakistan in direct competition to the Tata.
Best of all these are made here in USA so they are cheap, well built and contain mostly Chinese and Indian made parts so that when we ship to India getting spares should be no problem.

We are now working on a solar powered version. 2.0"

Make Mine from Tamarack...

Tuesday morning, under our umbrellas, Jackie and I 'test-walked' Dorset. In our hands was the brochure the Lake of Bays Heritage Advisory Committee has been working on, taking us on a self-conducted Heritage Walk through this charming Village.

Jackie came because she's not familiar with Dorset. She was our "fresh eyes." Our reputation ran along ahead of us, on this rainy morning. When we stopped in Robinson's General Store, one of the clerks greeted us with a cheery, "So YOU'RE the ones walking through town with umbrellas!" Not a lot of tourists were out mid-week in September, so with our big umbrellas, we stood out.

Zachariah Cole was one of the first settlers into Dorset. He arrived as one of the surveyors on the Bobcaygeon Road, and saw such promise here that he became the first settler, clearing 17 acres. When the logging boom hit, Zac Cole built a hotel and trading post on the site of an old French Trading post, complete with a whiskey still in the backyard next to a brick kiln. A driving force in developing the young village, Zac used to claim he wanted his coffin made from tamarack, because it burned with loud cracks and noises, sparking and spitting, so everyone in Hell would know he had arrived. Today a great many people consider the village that Zachariah Cole promoted to be a little piece of heaven.

One purpose of our jaunt was to time the walk. It takes about an hour and a half, with some pauses to chat to the gentleman bailing out the S.S. Bigwin, Jackie buying a sweatshirt in Robinsons, a short conversation with another committee member bumped into along the way. We didn't have the luxury of enough time to stop in one of the restaurants for even a cup of coffee... and the Museum was closed. But next time, Jackie wants to spend the entire day there. And why not?

From the lovely little church, with the stone wall built to keep out cows and the cheerful attitude that if it rained on Sunday, services would be held on another day; past the Marine Museum by the arched bridge built in 1914 to replace the old wooden bridge that collapsed under a team and wagon loaded with lumber (horses and wagon were fine, bridge -- not so much), out past Kissing Rock, where lovers' could hide from view under the arching trees along the road, to the Museum and the view up to the Fire Tower, this is one heck of a community, one delightful destination, and this Heritage Walking Tour brochure will be just one more great reason to spend some time there.

Rabbits Bay, Fall Leaves, Trout

These photos were taken at Rabbit's Bay landing on Tuesday, in light drizzle that didn't stop us from being out and about.

The good thing about dull weather is that the colours in the trees really "pop" against the background, and the wet leaves shine.

There is really no such thing as bad weather here, just the wrong wardrobe. We were well prepared with light jackets and huge umbrellas, but only needed them occasionally.

Rabbit's Bay is a public access point/parkette in Lake of Bays. Recently, the Andrew Daniels' Stewardship Memorial Fund went to work in this park. Andrew grew up on the lake during his summers. Loved it. Loved fishing it. Andrew knew where all the trout went to hide. Where the bass could be found. If you wanted to know about fishing, he was your Go-To Guy. This Fund was created to honour his memory.

The creek at Rabbit's Bay has been identified by the Ministry of Natural Resources Fish Biologist Steve Scholten as a trout spawning stream, so last summer the Fund volunteers set to work to clean it up. Some encroachment over the years by contractors pushing gravel back into the streambed to create a larger parking space needed to be addressed. The damage along the shoreline from certain boats landing also needed work. The streambed needed cleaning up for the fish.

Trees were planted, rocks were placed to limit the parking lot, debris was removed from the waterway. You'd think by now people would know better than to leave junk in waterways but you'd not always be right.

This summer the project was completed. There are new rock picnic tables, new trees along the shoreline, better defined parking areas. The place looks lovely. The stream looks lovely. The fish are happy.

A neighbouring property owner, Mr. Edgar, generously donated a portion of land to expand this park, Fowler Construction is donating some of the concrete dividers that graced our roads during the G8 to reinforce the shoreline where the barge lands and drops it's bow ramp. This will not only help steady the barge to make loading safer, it will protect the fragile shoreline. B.O.R. Aggregates was very generous in providing rip-rap stone and dimensional stone for the site. Dwight Garden Centre stepped up (as Linda always does) with plants and trees. Deb Cummings, representing LOBA (from whom she acquired financial assistance for the project), oversaw the site design.

So great thanks and congratulations to all, including District Councillor Ben Boivin, who sits on the Andrew Daniels' Memorial Fund Board, all the members of the Fund, George Daniels (Andrew's father), the volunteers and sponsors who came together to make this one of the prettiest places you can go for a picnic, especially right now, with the leaves all in colour, and the stream babbling over its rocks.

We think Andrew would be proud. We most certainly are.

Probus Comes to Play

Monday morning I was lucky enough to go hiking with a group from Probus. They're not easy to keep up with -- ten of them arrived, complete with walking poles and cameras and a history of hiking every Monday! Good thing there are so many wonderful trails around here! Next week they are off to the Limberlost Forest Reserve; last week, they were on Track and Tower in Algonquin Park!

I took them to the Lookout, which offers a wonderful view at any time of year but especially when the fall colours are coming on so strong. From there, we wound through North Ridge, Slalom, parts of Sugarbush and the back fields before coming back to the resort for a picnic lunch.

It's been a wet autumn, which is good for fungi. Mushrooms were everywhere, cool fungi, vivid colours, even a slime mold that got everyone excited (they don't last very long, so finding them can be tricky!)

We even found an inukshuk of sorts, growing along the trailside!

Probus offers an enormously varied selection of activities -- a few weeks ago, I was invited to speak to them about local history. (that will teach them to give me a microphone and ask about the early days! I have a zillion tales, facts, fables... it's all good fun!) One of their activities includes a photo contest, and from the interest shown out in the bush, fungi are going to be a featured item!

We also found woodpecker trees, bear claw marks on the beech trees, this stump that the bear was busy tearing apart, wild sage, and all the other wonderful things the woods and fields have to offer!

A great day, the mist was no detriment and soon blew clear, and everyone enjoyed the hike. Now that they know we're here, and have a Frisbee Golf Course as well as ski and snowshoe trails that are uncrowded and varied, they tell us they'll be back!