Dear Cottage

Dear Cottage,

I'll try to keep this short, but I make no promises.

It was a long and miserable winter in 2008 when I took up a pencil and filled many afternoons imagining and sketching what you would look like. We had chosen your spot a year earlier. It wasn't a hard choice.  Even though there were 19 lots to pick from, none matched lot 30 for accessibility and privacy. Unusually level, this acre and a half of forest had a short, gentle slope down to the shore.  Nestled in a bay with nothing but crown land in sight, it seemed perfect, and it was.

They struggled mightily to get you to the lake and onto your foundation in November 2008 as wet snow made the ground a slippery, muddy mess.

It's been said that I needed a project at the time. Looking back, I have to agree. You filled that need nicely for many years and brought us so much more:  a peaceful retreat from chaos, a place to think, to appreciate the wonders of nature, a perfect setting to play music and most importantly, joy with family and friends. Thank you.

So why are we parting now? It's complicated. As often happens, the current has drifted us along a little faster than expected. Different projects are calling. Rest assured that your new owners treasure you at least as much as we did, and if it's possible, perhaps even more. They bring excitement to their new responsibilities and a deep passion for your wild surroundings. So while we carry forward wonderful memories to cherish, I know your walls will continue to echo much laughter and reflect the warmth of family.

I'll close  with an excerpt from a song by Neil Young I heard on one of my last trips to the lake. It was about a car he loved, but the spirit of the song seems apropos as we bid farewell.

"We've been through some things together

With trunks of memories still to come

We found things to do in stormy weather

Long may you run

Long may you run

Long may you run

Although these changes have come..."

  
(This is the last post. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading here as much as I enjoyed writing.)

Last Hurrahs

They came. Friends and family traveled as though on pilgrimages, upending other plans, squeezing rushed visits in on a week day after work or catching a flight at the last minute.  Tom and Joy, who were our first friends to visit in 2009, were our last friends to visit in 2019. Kids came from out of town. All worthy tributes.

A couple of years after the cottage went up, we started an annual family reunion for a day of fun, food and laughs.  We enjoyed good food, drinks, the lake and each other.
We kept this tradition alive in 2019 for one last time. It seemed fitting that our youngest niece, the one we would consider the baby of the family, was about to leave to study on the west coast. We had a great turn out and it was a memorable last celebration. Here's a wonderful picture of the 2019 family reunion gang.

Pics of 2019

These pictures were taken during that last couple of weeks before we closed up the cottage for the last time and handed the keys to the new owners.

The Rose doesn't like waiting on shore when barb is out in the kayak

Looks like pretty serous discussion between two of the lads at Man's Spa 2019

Catch the colours in the water

Evening paddle with Greg

There have been hundreds of cottage projects over the years. Many were described in posts to this blog. For the record, this was the last cottage project: fixing a cracked dust pan with duct tape. I was quite happy with the results. Not all cottage projects turned out so well. Contact me if you would like detailed instructions for this one. 

Rose will miss the freedom. We''ll try to make up for it with more visits to the dog park  

Our last time on the dock

Correction: that was our second last time on the dock

Man's Spa X - The Finale

Finally, a roman numeral I can easily remember!  2019 marked the tenth annual Man's Spa. We had to move the date up so we could squeeze it in before the cottage was sold.  There was the usual great feast, drinks and music late into the night, but also lots of reminiscing with stories of past Man's Spas. We've built quite a history of good times together! I was left with a satisfying sense of closure and comforted by Billy's plan to carry on with the Man's Spa tradition at his cottage starting in the fall of 2019.

These guys are great friends. They helped a lot at the cottage over the years and I am most appreciative.  I've known them all since high school and some of them since kindergarten. How many people in their retirement are hanging out with friends they've know since they were five years old?

Tim, Billy, Laddy and me on the dock

Al, me and Billy trying to mask the melancholy

From the time of his first visit, Al had a special fondness for the place. Here he is stretching out on the dock, taking in the surroundings for the last time. 

Signs of the Times at the Cottage

One day in June of 2019, I realized we've acquired quite a collection of signs around the cottage. Here are some of my favourites....

This Welcome sign was a gift from Laura. She knows I have a thing about moose. 

This was a retirement gift from Mark and Brenda. I have followed these instructions many times.

Fortunately, this never happened, but they were hard at work. Thanks Lise.

This fridge magnet was a perfect gift from sis BA. Good one.

 WHAT? Yep. I know this last one is a surprise. It's hard to believe we've reached this point, but it has been over ten years since we built the cottage. There have been many great memories created there, but after long deliberation, we've made the painful decision to move along to make way for other adventures.

We Got a Shed at the Cottage

That's the title of the original song spontaneously produced around the campfire at Man's Spa 2018 edition.

"We came in from the city...for a really big deal...we had a plan...
We got a shed at the cottage....We got a shed at the cottage..."

Just give a group of guys some wood, some tools and screws and watch how all their cares get tucked away. It's cheaper than therapy.

"We built a woodshed at the cottage..."

The project was pretty simple: a mini-woodshed built with re-purposed materials such as deck railings and left over deck boards.  This year's participants not only built the shed, they sang songs about the shed, they decorated the shed, they designed architectural finishes for the shed and then chopped enough wood to fill the shed. And typically, they added a feature so the shed can also serve as a stand for a video screen that enabled us to watch videos of the campfire the night before in the great outdoors.  That's a lot of fun work and creativity for one weekend.

Shed builders Pat, Bill, Alain, Tim, E and me

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The finished product with seasonal decorations 

Relaxing after a day of shed building

IX at Man's Spa VIII

Sunday Mornin'

Man's Spa VIII (not IIX) had the largest turn out since the first Man's Spa in 2010 and the best weather ever!  Newbies Laddy and Don joined John, Tim, Emad, Pat, Al, Billy and me for this super fun weekend. So total attendance in 2017 was IX!

Other than at our high school reunion 15 years ago, we hadn't seen Laddy in 38 years. So obviously there was a little catching up to do.  We also welcomed Don back to Canada after his last overseas posting (Vienna) as a Foreign Service Officer.

The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny for September 23rd. Seizing this rare fall opportunity, some of us went for three or more cooling dips throughout the days.  The highlight was the kazoo orchestra that accompanied Tim and me to our rendition of Wagon Wheel.  Actually. there was an even greater  highlight.  Hands down, the greatest feat, perhaps in all the history of Man Spas, was the late night interpretive dance by the fire with Emad rotating while raising Tim above his shoulders.  That was one scary and hilarious sight!

On Sunday, Tim, Emad and I were the last to leave. We loaded up the car and went down to the dock for one last swim.  Then the car wouldn't start. and everyone else had already left.  Fortunately, I could hear neighbour Neil's generator going and was able to get a boost and all ended well.

It was great to see everyone. Thanks for coming.

Music in the afternoon at Man's
Spa 2017.  

Strawberry Fields

Lots of wild strawberries this year. A by-product of a very wet spring I assume.  I was startled when I went around the corner of the cottage and found two wild turkeys in the berry patch behind the cottage. They ran, if you can call it that. Trotted (?)   

Productive 2017 Already.

After a harsh winter and spring, and the highest water levels we've seen, it wasn't surprising to find our dock in need of significant repairs. I took this opportunity to expand it so it extends 6 feet further from the shore.  That will give us more sun exposure when drying off on the dock.

MAN'S SPA VII

At this year's event, five guys (Tim, Emad, Al, Bill and their host, yours truly) survived 48 hours of quiet serenity infused with kale smoothies and meditative poses and...  Wait! Sorry. That was a bad dream!

In reality, the same five guys survived a typical traditional man's spa, complete with chain saw and axes in action, an overdose of meat and a steady beer tasting competition.  Horseshoes were thrown too, mostly at a pin covered with a bright red work glove so we could better see it. That work glove somehow raised just one finger at us as we tried to hit it.  Imagine! Must be the internet of things.

That night, the horseshoes were adapted for percussion instruments (Cool beat Emad) as the quality of improvised musical arrangements soared to new levels  next to a great campfire under a clear sky. (Nice fire Billy!)

Saturday morning brought the great crisis of 2016! After everyone had a few shots of coffee, we realized we were all out.
Alain, who was driving up that morning, saved us by answering our desperate calls for more coffee.  He was so determined to come to the rescue that he risked and received a parking ticket while he waited in line at Starbucks.  That's taking one for the team. Coline de contravention! He also packed an elaborate brunch for Sunday to go with the coffee. Thanks Al!

And there was storytelling. We've become really good at this over the years, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering we tell the same damn stories every single freakin' year! What is surprising is how much we enjoy hearing them again and again. One year seems to be just enough time for the memory of a good story to fade to a level at which a refresher is welcome. Thanks for the refreshers guys. Okay, I'm mostly talking to Tim. Thanks for the refreshers Tim!

Saturday brought rain for most of the day and we spent the evening indoors playing music.  This was my first year playing guitar to support Tim with his guitar and harmonica.  Others joined in with voices and more percussion.  Tim's John Prine renditions were at their finest and we played the tunes we had practiced together over the last few months.  It worked out quite well, especially considering there was alcohol.  Actually, maybe the alcohol is why it went so well, or why I THINK it went so well.

Not everyone at Man's Spa is retired. If you have to work remotely, this is a pretty good hot desk. 

Unfortunately, Pat and John weren't able to make it this year.  Guys, you were missed.  Imagine how much you'll enjoy hearing those stories next year when you haven't heard them in two years!

You'll note in the official group photo below that we are sporting new Man's Spa identification tags.  This is useful in case one of us gets lost and he can't remember his name. So if you find one of us, and he can't remember his name, you just look at the name tag.  It's brilliant! You might want to take the opportunity to ask him to tell a story, cause even if he can't remember his name, I'm sure he'll remember those stories.

  

Horseshoes Anyone?

This November will mark the 8th anniversary of Neil and Barb's Cottage. So I'm surprised it has taken this long (well, maybe not too surprised) to set up a horseshoe pit. Thanks to Andrea and Allan for a really smart gift.

Last week, I tossed a horseshoe for the first time in many many years.  I immediately remembered how much fun we had at my parents cottage playing this old fashioned pass time.  Three horseshoe related stories from those years stick in my mind.  First, there was the time our mom tried her hand at it and tossed the heavy U through the canvass wall of a nearby tent.  Maybe the tent was a little too close to the horseshoe pit, but no one else had managed to hit it before she did.  I think it was the first and last time she threw a horseshoe. That story was retold countless times over the years with accompanying laughter.  Less funny was the time Mark and I were playing catch with a football and he fell backwards and landed on the iron stake - ouch that hurt! Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it could have been and he survived with a bad scrape and a bruise.  Lastly, one summer in the mid 1970s, my cousin Pierre from Montreal came to the cottage. He brought his new video camera. As you can imagine, that was a really big deal back then.  Together we experimented with what we thought were genious film making techniques. We couldn't edit the film after it was shot so we had to make every scene perfect.  In one scene, I threw the horseshoe and he stopped  filming while it flew through the air.  This was to be followed by a tight close up of the pin. My job was to toss the horseshoe from about two feet away, just outside the camera range. This approach was to guarantee we would film a ringer.  I was nervous because I only had one shot at it.  I practiced several times before we rolled the camera, nailing it each time. Then, of course, with film rolling, I missed! We laughed. Anyway, Pierre would go on to a career as an award winning television cameraman and director and I would go on to write a blog about clumsy adventures at my own cottage.  We'll have to wait and see what horseshoe tales are created at Petit Lac Cayamant. 

Greg throws for a ringer! It's easier if you aren't throwing from two feet away.

Meet The Rose

It's been almost a year since we lost our beloved Shadow at the age of 17. You can find her in several pictures on this blog.  The new reign belongs to Rose. Born on June 16, 2016, she's a schnoodle too, although it is obvious she will be almost twice the size that Shadow was. It's also become evident she will have a more assertive presence in many ways.  Here are a few pictures of puppy's first visit to Petit Lac Cayamant.

Laura holds Rose on the dock before her first peddleboat ride

Barb introduces Rose to the cottage life

Laura reassures Rose after the boat runs out of gas. How many puppies have experienced that thrill?

Man's Spa 2015 a Snorefest

Seven snorers!?  It's not possible to know for sure how many participants there were.  We do know that one camper sought refuge in a car at 4 a.m. to get some sleep.

Another first this year was the interruption of the camp fire at 11:00 p,m, Friday night so we could combine our talents to electronically submit a work related proposal that was due that day.  That was fun.  And as expected, it became the basis for one of Tim's improvised songs!

And we almost had donuts this year! Maybe next year?

Thanks to everyone for making it another success.  Special thanks to John for brining his pillow. Here is the official photo of 2015.

 

Reviving an old tool - a scythe

I have mentioned some of the stuff inherited from my parents cottage from time to time, including the rusty sledge hammer and the canoe built circa 1974.

Much older than both of those, however, is the scythe.   I have resisted buying another gas powered tool and have been using the scythe to cut back growing brush along the edge of the cottage clearing and the driveway.  A few years ago, I joined other cottage owners to cut back the growth along the main road. Not surprisingly, I was the only one to show up with a scythe.  Everyone else had their gas powered trimmers. (It wasn't the first time I was caught doing things differently from the crowd.)

I can tell you it's good workout, but with a sharp blade, it works quite well.

The background of the old scythe is a little unclear.  We think it belonged to my grandfather, which would make sense given how old it appears to be.  I'm guessing he would have used it in the 1940s or 50s, but it could be older still.  Our uncle then would have had it for a period of time and passed it along to our dad when he was moving out west in the 1980s.

I know Dad used it at his cottage, and I think that's the first place I did too.

By today's standards, its design is quite primitive.  The wooden shaft is attached to the steel blade with an unusual hardware design. Instead of a collar with clamp to tighten, it has two pieces that secure a short arm of the 'L' shaped blade against the handle.   Last fall, while clearing some brush, the lower end of the shaft of the wooden handle finally broke off just above where it meets the steel hardware that attaches it to the blade.  The original end had been shaved and worked to just the right width and shape for the hardware components to fit and two holes through the shaft held the nuts and bolts securing the two main pieces of steel in place.

This week I undertook to cut off the base of the broken handle and replicate that shape on the remaining shaft and reattach the hardware to extend the life of the scythe.  Using a wide range of hand tools, including a saw, drills, files and chisels over 5 hours, I was eventually able to reassemble the pieces and reattach the hardware.  You can see the results in the picture above. Hopefully, it will all hold together when I next clear the brush around the lot, quietly. 

Hot Water!

Warning: the following post contains technical information of interest to persons conducting research for a DIY project,  or other people interested in off grid projects. If you're looking for the wildly entertaining blog post normally featured here, you might want to skip this one. I decided to post this entry because I found it hard to find information about small scale off grid projects like this one for a cottage.  Please do your own research by talking to solar power experts and viewing other sites and you tube videos.  I am just sharing my experience to help you identify possible options for your own plans. Feel free to post a comment if you want to ask me a question.

Come Along, with Me and my Boat

Already the end of another season!

2014 can be summed up as a poor year weather wise, with regular rain and few hot days making conditions favourable for bug populations until later than normal. At least we had a couple of wonderful weekends late in the year to remind us of how great a cottage escape can be.

Projects this year: install screen door - done; move basement ventilation fan to opposite side of the cottage - done; change fridge door to open from the other side - done.  Plans for next year: solar power, hot water heater, dock repairs, replace fireplace hearth. Notice we don't even bother listing painting the bedroom anymore.  That's on the "someday" list now.

Closing up for the winter means bringing home anything that can freeze, clearing the water lines and pouring RV anti-freeze in the drains. It also means hauling the pedal boat and the aluminum fishing boat up on shore. Having bought the boat in 2013, last Fall was the first time I had to pull the fishing boat out for the winter. There's a slope at the shore and while it's doable to pull it up using manpower, its easy to strain your back or to slip on the damp leaves carpeting the hillside.  My dad had a "come-along" at his cottage years ago for this type of work.  Over the summer I searched in vain to find one and I wondered if  they stopped making them. I asked around and eventually a co-worker told me it is also known as a hand winch. Bingo! It's a hand winch!  With the proper name, I found them in a few places online, including Canadian Tire. When I went to buy it, I told the saleswoman in the automotive section that I needed a hand winch. From her startled reaction, she must have misunderstood what I said. I think she heard me say "I need a hand, wench."  Once I repeated myself, carefully articulating the sound of the "i", she said she had never heard of that and brought me to her supervisor, an older gentleman.  Predictably, when I told him I was looking for a hand winch, he said "come-along?" Yes!

October 18th we closed up the cottage for the winter and here's the picture of me with this neat little gadget. I just attach one end of the cable to a tree and the other to the boat, crank back and forth and along it comes.  Old technology, but it's all I need to make hauling the boat up the slope a much easier task.

Man's Spa 2014: Photobombed by an Outhouse

By popular demand, for Man's Spa V, we extended the duration of the annual gathering of high school buddies to three days.  Emad made his return to the Spa after skipping a year and joined Tim, Al, Billy Two Steps (AKA Billy Two Sheds), and myself.

Tim, Bill and I kicked things off on Friday with a grand tour of the lake, foregoing canoes and kayaks for the motorized version, and spent the much of the day cleaning up a section of the lot, cutting and chopping wood, and burning it in a great campfire.  A first this year was the dueling harmonicas Friday night which worked surprisingly well, thanks to Tim.  Our only potential audience member was snoring in the cottage through much of our performance so impartial reviews are not available.

Emad and Al joined us on Saturday, a rainy day that prompted another first for the Spa - Trivia and Scrabble games.  Below you see our Scrabble board results. It seems that the presence of beer cans helps move the game along faster. Try it some time! In a show of good sportsmanship, we allowed Tim's use of the word "promo" early in the game. That proved to be a bad move as he then went on the kill us on the scoreboard. 

Once again, we had a really good time, enjoying the company, reminding each other of incidents that occurred in high school and solving the problems of the world.

 

 

 

Below: The first selfie ever photo bombed by an outhouse! Tim, Billy, Neil, Al and Emad.  We hope the human John and the rest of the lads who couldn't make it this year will be back for Man's Spa VI.

A Tippy Start to Season 5

It's hard to believe this is already season 5 for the cottage! The place has come a long way in five years, with the addition of running water, propane appliances and most recently, a large deck making it quite comfy for living in the wild.

We opened the place for the year on Victoria Day weekend. I'm very pleased to report that everything was in good shape. There were no surprises and no water leaks when I opened the water like there was last spring when there was a small flood in the basement from a pipe that froze and split over the winter. Evidently, the repairs I made withstood this winter’s freeze. I was most relieved to see that our new deck, that Greg and I built last summer, looked as good as new. I was confident that the design and workmanship would make it a solid deck for many years, but with the huge amount of snow this past winter...well you never know.

And then there's the dock to attend to.  Each year, the dock needs some adjustments after the forces of freezing and thawing on the lake. The water was so high that the shore pilings were 6 feet from shore and had been pulled up somewhat and leaning towards the lake.  So I spent a couple of hours making adjustments, standing in water to my knees, one hand straightening the shore piling in the water while the other lifted and dropped the sledge hammer to drive it into the lake bed. Luckily, there were no misses with the heavy hammer and the dock is once again accessible.

Having accomplished all that, I decided to poke around the bay in the canoe.  I didn't take the wide beamed veteran fibreglass classic, but instead I used Andrea and Alan's less stable Coleman variety, as it was closest to the water.  While paddling, I noticed some debris in among the bushes about 50 feet from the dock.  I wanted to retrieve it and tried to move close enough among the bushes extending over the water.  It turned out it wasn't worth the risk and I ended up doing something for the very first time in my life: I tipped a canoe.  As I was being dumped, I jumped and landed standing in frigid water up to my waist and immediately righted the canoe as I landed.

Man's Spa IV - back to its roots

Not since the flip flop of the New Coke has there been such a dramatic branding and marketing about face!

The people have spoken and SPArtan weekend is reverting to it's original moniker as "Man's Spa", reclaiming it's proper title.  I tried to get Canadian Tire to sponsor the event but they couldn't afford us and instead they blew their modest budget on naming rights for a suburban hockey rink. Too bad for them.

Billy was back, joining Pat, Tim, Al, Johnny and me for round four. In a clever move, Billy had us sign an oath of secrecy for eternity.   I'm not sure how long that is so I waited a couple of months before posting this just to be safe. If I just broke the oath, oops, sorry about that.  It was an accident but seeing as it's already broken, I might as well just carry on blabbing.

Imagine, if you can, musical icons Johnny Cash, Neil Young and Bob Marley entertaining Man's Spa attendees around a roaring fall campfire in the Upper Gatineau.  Have you got that image in your head now?  Well, that's nothing like what happened at this year's Man's Spa, although we did do our best to pay tribute to them with some of their best (and most difficult) tunes. Thanks for the music Tim.

Every year at Man's Spa Johnny takes a Sunday morning plunge off the dock to wake himself up and refresh. For the first time, he wasn't the only nut to brave the chilling waters as 4 of 5 made a splash. Then we had to fight for the hammock.  Next year it's BYOH.

Oh Johnny, before I forget, please remember to thank your sister for the pillow.

And finally, RIP hawks.

Next year we'll gather again, during the harvest to keep the ring of fire burning with no woman.

Thanks for coming!

 

 

Want to feel like a million bucks?

Feel like a million bucks? You don't hear that expression very much anymore. Perhaps it's the inflationary effect that makes it less impressive than it was originally. Or perhaps its the move to electronic banking that makes a million bucks seem antiquated.

But that's how you can feel if you plunge into the lake on the record breaking late date of October 12th.  That's how I felt anyway.  Barb said she just felt cold. She actually tried to swim out for a bit. She realized that wasn't a good move and got back to the dock. The water temperature was shocking and that shock stimulates everything into overdrive, as blood rushes and flushes out the organs. The extremely relaxing effect of a cold water plunge leaves you sleepy and content, like a million bucks! Perfect preparation for the hammock. You may have noticed that Barb's hammock is getting a lot of mention on this blog. I assure you it's well deserved.