On Diving

With the recent Euro soccer tournament and the NHL playoffs a not too distant memory, it occurred to me that the primary meaning of the word "diving" is evolving. While the change is not as complete as the meaning that "surfing" has undergone thanks to the internet, the change for "diving" is decidedly for the worse. This is my stand for the conventional, wonderful "diving".

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Whenever I tell someone we have a cottage, it prompts a great interest and some fairly predictable questions: How far is it? Is it on the water?   Are motor boats allowed on the lake?

Recently, I noticed that another question is surprising me with its frequency:  Can you dive off the dock?  When I hear that question I know the person shares my passion for that short but sharp thrill.  And I realize it is probably just one of many things about the cottage I have come to take for granted after just a few years. The question and the reaction to my response that yes indeed, it’s a great dock for diving, reminds me that I am very lucky that our shore line drops off enough to enjoy this simple pleasure.

Diving off the dock sounds like quite a simple endeavour, but like most things, our personalities are therein revealed.  I have observed three categories of divers. First, there are the freestyle divers. Freestylers don't think about their dive for more than a couple of seconds before they launch themselves off the boards, gladly compromising form for creativity and quick wet results.  They may spin and enter feet first or dive sideways head first, but they are always completely satisfied with the results. Next we have our methodical divers. These swimmers carefully position themselves and contemplate the movements needed to complete a smooth entry and are satisfied with the straight, least disruptive piercing of the water's surface. And finally, we have our philosopher-divers.  These people write a wide ranging discourse in their head while standing in position, nowhere near ready to leap. They contemplate every sensation from the feel of the texture of the edge of the cedar boards which their toes have grasped to the filtered heat from the sunlight, shifting as the trees sway in the breeze. Then they anticipate the excitement of the brief mid-air interlude, the swift entry and the inevitable rush with the chill that will follow. Okay, maybe I've over analysed the philosopher-divers, obviously revealing which category I'm in.  Now sometimes people refer to philosopher-divers as wusses, but really, we just have so much to appreciate that we need extra time to enjoy it.





 


























To optimize the experience for all divers, 2012's first cottage project is a new dock ladder. There is no more need to stuggle to get onto the dock with a push-up and a quarter twist. Whether you want to instantly repeat a wild plunge, you want to perfect your form or you just want to stand around and contemplate the whole experience for another 5 minutes before launching again, enjoy!

Updated Slide Show

To help get us through the winter, I've updated our slide show on Flckr with some recent photos at the lake.

Watch it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32917079@N07/sets/72157623883858903/

Thanksgiving at the lake

October 2011 - Thanksgiving was blessed with perfect fall weather this year and turned out to be a great year to celebrate at the cottage for the first time. Greg came home from Toronto and Leona and Peter and Andrea and Alan (and Jake) joined us for Sunday afternoon dinner.

Barb, Leona and Laura with the delicious spread before them

Can you believe this was October?

Allan, Andrea (with Jake), Greg and Laura (with Shadow)

Autumn view from the dock

Colours at your feet

It's September, time for the Guy's Weekend (Man's Spa II)

It's like Weekend at Bernie's only better. And the host is a little more lively.

First, Bill again had us all sign The Oath. You know the one, the one that commits everyone to not tell anybody what happens that goes "What happens at __________ stays at  ______________".  It's of course intended to leave the impression that  really exciting and dangerous and outrageous things happened, and sometimes, but not often, that's exactly the case.

I'm not exagerating when I tell you that this was one of those rare occasions when the hype of the oath is actually warranted. 

Highlights of Summer 2011

There have been many great times at the lake in 2011, and it's not over yet.

Here are some of the highlightsto date.

Greg learning traditional culinary arts from the best

I wonder where he learned to hold a knife like that?

Laura, Greg, Barb, Shadow and I spent three wonderful days at the lake in early August,  when the weather was at it's best and the bug population had faded.   Saturday was a gorgeous day we spent on the water destination what I call the Hidden Bay behind the North Beach - we couldn't find it - hence the name.  We did find a couple of bays but I'm not sure if they included the Hidden Bay. Anyway, we stopped for a dip at the North beach before the arduous paddle against the wind back to the cottage.  Greg and I made veggie quesedillas and  stuffed sweet potatoes for supper.  We really got into playing scrabble for the first time this summer. Otherwise, I'm thinking about buying a second hammock as it appears Greg and other guests have caught on to my simple yet exquisite relaxation technique: S.B.H. - Swim - Beer - Hammock.  On good days you might even get to enjoy a S.B.H.N.B, Swim - Beer - Hammock - No Bugs!

Small Steps

This year hasn't been a banner year for progress at the cottage.  We started off the spring by painting the front room and one of the bedrooms.   Tim helped me cap the unfinished drywall corners of the bulkhead  where the two sections of the cottage come together to form the cathedral ceiling in the great room. It was a very hot day in June and even hotter at the top of the ladders up near the apex of the ceiling. When we were done we didn't need anyone to tell us to go jump in the lake.


I suppose the limited progress, despite the many weekends we spent at the cottage, is a sign that we're letting ourselves enjoy the place and that we have reached a level of comfort where the pressure is off little - both good things.

Here you see the New Growth (that's the colour of the paint).  Brenda kindly donated the pictures on the wall which suit the decor perfectly.

This is the result of an afternoon of teamwork with Tim (could be the title of a home improvement show)
We capped the corners with knotty pine to match the trim of the windows and doors. A big thank you to Emad who let me borrow his truck while he was in England in June so I could transport my laddder and the boards from town.

The rest of the painting will probably wait till next year at this point.  That will give us lots of time to think about colours - yeah.

Best Sunset Shot from the Dock

The last two week ends at the cottage have been classic cottage living.  First Mark, Brenda and Melissa joined us for a hot weekend in mid July.  And this past weekend we hosted Alain and Christine. Again it was ideal cottage weather.  We are making up for last year when the weekends seemed to bring out clouds and rain.  The hot summer has brought us sunsets like we haven't seen before. Normally, the sun just drops behind the hills to the west and often in a sheild of dull clouds.  Not this year. Our niece Melissa took these pictures from our dock on Saturday, July 16th, putting the Sunset Channel to shame.