Archive for 2011

This is the time of year to reflect, give thanks and bring families together. We wish everyone the best of the season. May the New Year bring you good health and prosperity.

Christmas is special for the Kids of all ages

We are quickly approaching the time of year when the sun will start it’s way eastward across the sky. For the next several days it will continue its journey southward and the day light hours will get a little shorter then reverse its direction and the days will slowly get longer and longer.

A beautiful morning

The 21^st of December is the winter solicitous, for early cultures this was a special time of the year. I always look forward to this time because it means that it’s all down hill until Spring. I try to ignore the fact that winter has just arrived and the snow is still here for quite some time yet!

I get this sombre feeling as I look over the property, it’s no longer filled with the sounds of laughter, the whorl of machinery, and the phone rings only periodically. This is supposed to be the time when we get to spend a little down time, we do but it is short lived. There are the coming holidays, Christmas and New Years, the lights are already up, and in a couple of days so will the Christmas Tree. There are the preparations, and trying to keep all those secrets and not let anything slip before the big day arrives.

The resort takes on a different attitude when that first real snow storm wraps it all up in a blanket of fluffy white snow. The feeling is, we’re not really closed until that occurs. There is that feeling of accomplishment knowing that everything has been done. Knowing we will be ready to start opening once again in four short months, that is the furthest thing from our minds right now. Until then there a lot of planning for the coming festive season.

Not quite everything has been put on hold there are still the chores that have to be done regardless of the time of year, the animals have to be looked after. They let me know when it’s 5:30 in the afternoon. The goats and donkey line up outside the gate and when the back door opens they all bleat and brae in and out of unison. That continues until they get their ration of grain and as a special treat Harry, the donkey, gets his carrot and a hand full of horse crunch.

The biggest thing on our minds right now is when will that first real dump of snow happen, because we are ready for it. The plough is on the truck, the snow-blower is on the steiner and the shovels are by the door!

There is a major shift in the weather this morning. The sky and the water are gray. The ground cover was the frosty greyish white too. General feeling about is GRAY! If winter hasn’t moved in yet, he is claiming his territory and planting his “Occupy” sing firmly in the ground before it freezes solid. The tone has gone from leisurely getting things done to “let’s move it the ice is going to be on the water and it’s a drag to working when everything is freezing!”

There are a couple of trees that are in denial that winter is a given and for the first time they are starting to shed their remaining leaves. Welcome to the November blues, kind of makes one want to follow the geese southward. As a matter of fact they are rafting here in McGregor Bay and every now and then their honking and flapping pierces the cooling air.

On a good note we strung the exterior Christmas lights when it was a lot milder!

Yesterday was damp, breezy, and colder than normal especially on McGregor Bay. Jackets, lined work gloves, and tuques were a necessity. A bit of sun every now and then, but it was mostly cold, windy, with the temperature hovering near freezing. Oh yes, don’t forget the odd snow shower.

Today the mercury is suppose to climb to 12C with a brisk breeze from the SE. That makes it a little easier especially at my age, to work outside. There were several hardy souls out there fishing last night after dark but this morning the duck hunters were out in force. From what I can gather the Northern ducks are starting their migration south. Rice Lake is on a migratory bird rout and is a natural oasis for the flocks of ducks, geese and other water foul. The abundance of vegetation and fish give sustenance to the hungry travelers. The many bays and inlets offer shelter but many still prefer to raft in the hundreds in the center of the lake. After a little rest and a chance to feed they are once again on their way south. Like most people visiting this wonderful area they will be back. Spring is only 5 short months away and we will see them on their return trip North.

Like many Resorts and Camps around Rice Lake we are shutting down for the winter. This is a long task which takes us until the mid and sometimes the end of November. The resort looks a lot different than a couple of weeks ago, all the flower beds and pots have undergone major work. The boats and docks are well on their way to be put to bed till spring. Cottages have been stripped and cleaned and winterized. The grass has got it’s final cut and the leaves mulched.

We will keep updating everyone as winter passes into spring.