Maple Lake Ontario

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH–Tornadoes too!

Ξ July 28th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, NON paid Post, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, beach, canada, cottage country, family, nature, personal, summertime, weather |

July 28, 2009 Between Storms

Haliburton Issued at 8:16 PM EDT TUESDAY 28 JULY 2009

Update – midnight: Ever since this warning was issued and since I’ve battened down the hatches, there have been no severe storms. It’s a really big county laden with lakes. Small as they are (compared to the Great Lake I’m use to –Lake Michigan) they do influence how storms patterns play out  so someone may have borne the brunt. Hopefully not.

The warning that went out just minutes before the one below mentioned tornadoes which being in this lakeside little wood structure gave me a bit of unease.

In good news, after tomorrow my family will have rejoined me and the weather is getting better–less wet, a bit warmer though it hasn’t felt cold to me, not even in the morning. Maybe because I sleep very late? Seems to make sense to me.

I’d like to get a set of sunrise photos which I can usually snag on the way in but we got here too early. Maybe I shall try for when I next come up which will be Labour Day or possibly something will shake out in the next 3-4 weeks.
Here’s today’s attempt at getting a photo with the new camera. I believe I had the correct settings this time. It was taken between storms though it was just starting up again and I dashed back in to save my precious from any raindrops. Lake level dropped. We have beach now!

We Made It to Maple Lake Ontario!

Ξ July 27th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, NON paid Post, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, United States, beach, canada, cottage country, family, me, summertime, weather |

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We are  now here on Maple Lake. Arrived early today after a 12-hour drive which was uneventful save for heavy thunderstorms after we turned north on Hwy. 400 on the second-to-last leg of the journey. We lost an hour (I know. Usually people say “gained” but in my mind an hour goes *poof* driving in the U.S. from west to east,–so it is lost)  so after leaving the Chicago area at 3 p.m. Sunday we arrived here about 4 a.m -4:30 a.m. I would have been OK driving more but maneuvering the thunderstorms combined with the under-construction roads in various places made me thrashed so I instead clung for dear life as spouse navigated the last leg of our journey–the most “twisty and turniest”–on Hwy. 118 to Carnarvon. The roads were slick and though I’m well aware that we have a sports car (hence the two trips) Mustang GT’s are not known for their performance on slick, curving roads.

After a few hours spouse got up (he says by mistaking the time for 11:30 instead of 9 a.m. He was looking at an un-programmed clock. He had a nap later) and out but I tried to sleep. The day as predicted, was cool and rainy. By early evening though, the lake calmed down and it looked like we could’ve had a beautiful day (only it wasn’t). Tomorrow sounds like a repeat of today only in inverse with the a.m. nice and showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening. Spouse must retrieve both our son and our dog and then we’ll all be together for the  better part of 3 weeks. It’ll be the split trip going home again with me staying behind  to go on the second trip back, so I’ll probably end up with  close to four weeks here. I’m not complaining. Here are photos of our Maple Lake View from this evening. Trying settings on new camera. Pretty sure they are not “right” yet. It’s a 12X tele wide angle many pixeled model, priced more than my last point and shoot but less than my now-antique SLR. It’s all lens and screen–very small housing–which I like. Hope to get to know it well in the next month (and beyond).

One last thing: There are bats as in “bats” in a closed-off stove pipe (they passed an anti-fire law and we had to remove an antique wood burning stove) that is open-ended outside. and begins in the very centre of the cooking area in the kitchen. They are really loud and not-pleasant-sounding. Probably feel the same about me. Ha!

Weekend and Long Term Weather – Haliburton Highlands – Maple Lake – Bug Report 7.25 – 08.02.09

Ξ July 25th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Bug Report, Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, Photography, canada, cottage country, summertime, weather, webcam |

Indian River, Port Carling, Ontario - July 25, 2009

Sorry, gang, I’m very late to the forecast though the midweek long-term one,  if you happened to get a chance to read it, pretty well summed up what you already know if you live in the Haliburton County/Maple Lake area.

The summer thus far has been wetter than normal and cooler than normal to state it plainly. Upcoming weather in August is to improve significantly everywhere but eastern Ontario. I’m afraid we cannot catch a break.
However the temperatures should get closer to normal in August as well as a slight easing of the rainfall but this is a cautiously optimistic view. For the remainder of this weekend:

July 25-26, 2009

You’ve got thunderstorms or showers the entire weekend of July 25-26. Temperatures are below normal ranging from 60°F Saturday night to a high of 68°F Sunday afternoon.

Both Monday and Tuesday’s forecasts predict “showers” with Monday’s showers accompanied by thunder. Highs will be 71°F and 75°F respectively. Both nights call for comfortable temperatures with highs of about 60°F.
Wednesday is expected to have a low of 59°F overnight.
Thursday, expect a mainly sunny day with a high of 73°F. Wednesday and Thursday will have nighttime lows of about 59°F and 55°F respectively. Friday as has been many Fridays this summer, will be nice. Look for a mainly sunny day with a temperatures expected to be about 75°F and nighttime lows a cool 50°F.  August comes in on a high note with the forecast for August 1st calling for a sunny day with a high of 78°F and a nighttime low of 57°F.
Have a great week!
See you tomorrow! (Monday, technically).

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Don’t forget to click the thumbnails for the full-size photos, weather, and bug reports.

More Typical Summer Weather Returning to Eastern Canada

Ξ July 23rd, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, United States, canada, cottage country, holiday(s), me, nature, personal, summertime, weather |

Above: Maple Lake – July 2008

Since I run through the weekly weather cast for cottage country, specifically the Maple Lake area/Haliburton Highlands, I’ve been acutely aware of the cooler and wetter-than-normal summer that the area has been experiencing.

It’s been my experience that if you get a cooler than normal summer without a lot of rain, it’s fairly easy to adjust to by wearing a bit more clothing. There’s still enough sunny days and people find a way to enjoy themselves. Conversely, if you have a summer with normal temperatures but more rain than usual you can adapt to that as well. Going out in warm summer rain is wholly different than a chilly rainy summer day. And that’s what’s been far too often the case for the Maple Lake area/Haliburton Highlands thus far for the summer of 2009.

Now comes the Weather Channel with their best guess about what is to come for the remainder of the summer:

From the Weather Channel’s Chris St. Clair.

A few facts: Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg have been 2 to 4 degrees below average almost day in, day out since the season began. Halifax nearly doubled its average June rainfall. Days with more cloud cover than sun were common nearly all across Canada….

The rest of the summer, August at least, will be very close to average for nearly all of the country. The temperature should be where it ought to be but it is likely that cloudier and rainier days might prevail in the east…
… the weather pattern over North America and the weather we’ve had during the first part of our summer has a lot to do with something called the North Atlantic Oscillation, a pattern uncovered in the 1920’s by Sir Gilbert Walker.

The North Atlantic Oscillation is a variance in the location of a large area of strong and stable high pressure. For the past many weeks it has developed over Greenland and the Labrador Sea.
The emergence of the North Atlantic Oscillation has lead to a block in the usual, steady west to east migration of unsettled low pressure across our continent.

Simply, the cool rainy weather is stopped once it gets to the Great Lakes Basin because it cannot get past the big, stable high pressure over the western Atlantic. Not until the high pressure, that has manifested itself further east, relaxes will there be a change in the pattern.

While science continues to study the underlying reasons for the temperament and frequency of the oscillation, we can report that it is easing and more typical summer weather is returning to eastern Canada.

So, the upshot is that it may warm up some but in the eastern Canada, which is where Maple Lake, Ontario is, there will still be above-average rainfall.

This truly sounds like a repeat from the summer of 2008. I know my relatives were very unhappy about it. They have a somewhat different relationship with “going to the Lake” than I do (and I would gladly swap places with them). They are weekenders as well as vactioners as they are easy driving distance to the Lake from their permanent residences.

For me and my little family Maple Lake is a 700 mile drive so with the exception of Labour Day weekend, once we get to the Lake we stay as long as we can. I suppose in some ways, that makes us lucky though as we get a bigger picture-view of being at the Lake. The weekend for example may in a word “suck” weather-wise but come Monday or Tuesday it may be lovely for a few days and then as the next weekend rolls around it make get sucky yet again. Since we are there for the mid-week clearing up and temperature rise we still see good weather and as it worked for me last year a few days of good weather each week turned into a total of about a week of really good weather and while not overjoyed with how that worked out I was still awfully happy to be at the Lake. That is how I’ve benefited from not having the Lake at my disposal for most of my life. It means more to me because it is such a big deal to get there. It takes great planning and time off of work, neither of which is neccesary for someone who lives within a couple hours of the Lake. I’m not saying weekenders do not appreciate Valhalla while they are there but that I may appreciate it just a bit more than they.

Roadblocks on the Road to Maple Lake, Ontario

Ξ July 22nd, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, canada, events, family, health/happiness, me, personal, summertime |

Laguna Beach, CA - April 2009

Sometimes life just does not cooperate the way one would like it to. Basically my heart failure led us as a family from being comfortably middle class income to with one full time and 2 part time jobs clinging to the thin line between lower mid and middle middle class. That the car that was to carry most of our “stuff” for a 3-week stay at Maple Lake cannot be trusted to endure the rigors of the road trip is just one more thing. I’m not terribly upset about it when, on the balance we are darn lucky to have a cottage to go to, that my spouse’s company, despite cutting back in so many other ways (promotions, bonuses, co-pay on medical getting crazy high) he still gets a goodly amount of paid time off. It’s just really annoying and frustrating and inconvenient but none of that carries the gravity of ill health or losing a job or a home or the dog dying, for that matter. And all those things are not happening to us . (To clarify: I am stable though considered disabled from heart disease–I feel good! )

We are grappling with none of those, just that we are going to have to make 2 trips up to the Lake and two trips home because our good car is a Mustang GT in which we cannot cram everyone and all our stuff. We pulled it off before but our now almost-17 y.o. son is 6′3″ and cannot fold himself into what is only a token gesture of a back seat.

Renting a car came to mind. The cost of doing so has skyrocketed. And doing so one way, say to Buffalo or Niagara Falls to do a swap, zipping back and forth the few hours from the Lake is a no-go because the rental cars peeps do not want to play ball with us (“no cars available”).

So I’m trying to put on a happy face now that this trip is turning into what hopefully won’t be a logistical nightmare.
The upside is, by the time we get everyone to the Lake it appears as if the crap weather will cease at least for a bit. Wish I had a crystal ball. Been wishing for one of those for as long as I can remember.

No Pressure Weather

Ξ July 21st, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, canada, cottage country, holiday(s), home, home and garden, nature, personal, summertime, weather |

Our front yard. Hostas rule as they love all the rain we've had--whether we want them to or not.

People use to say when we’d arrive at Maple Lake that we’d “brought the good weather” with us. Well, we have not had great weather here in the Chicago area, so I’m afraid this time that we are going to need to turn the tables and say that “It’s nice to have some pleasant weather, now that we are here at the Lake.” However your forecast for the immediate 2 weeks calls for temperatures that only reach “normal “on two days and the rest of the time are below normal. That is not thrilling, guys. Now understand, I’d rather be there than here in the summer, regardless of the weather but it would be nice if you could muster up a really nice week while we are there. No pressure though, OK? Thanks.

Weekend and Long Term Weather – Haliburton Highlands – Maple Lake – Bug Report 7.18 – 07.24.09

Ξ July 18th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Bug Report, Haliburton Highlands, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, canada, cottage country, nature, summertime, weather, webcam |

Lake Muscoka Gravenhurst, July 17, 2009

As much as I’m really looking forward to my first three weeks at Maple Lake this summer the continuously “high” count for blackflies is a bit daunting. I guess DEET, long sleeves, and pants will be my friends.

This weekend’s weather is mixed.
The showers of Friday night will continue through much of Saturday. The high on Saturday will be a chilly 62°F.
Showers should end by Saturday night with variable cloudiness and a high of about 59°F.

Sunday, expect cool temperatures, variable clouds and a high of 68°F. Nighttime lows will be about 53°F.
Both Monday and Tuesday’s forecasts predict “cloudy periods” with highs of 71°F and 75°F respectively. Both nights call for very chilly temperatures with highs of about 48°F.
For Wednesday, expect temperatures to climb to a comfortable 77°F but the day will be rainy. Nighttime Wednesday will be a bit more moderate with a low of 57°F.
Thursday, expect another 77°F day but no rain and cloudy. Both Wednesday and Thursday will have nighttime lows of about 57°F. Friday as has been many Fridays this summer, will be nice. Look for a mainly sunny day with a temperatures expected to be about 78°F and nighttime lows a comfortable 60°F.
Have a great week!
See you in one week!

Don’t forget to click the thumbnails for the full-size photos, weather, and bug reports.

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Ten Days and Counting ’till Maple Lake!

Ξ July 15th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Haliburton Highlands, Internet, Maple Lake Ontario, Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, beach, blogging, boating, canada, computer, cottage country, family, health/happiness, holiday(s), me, summertime, weather, webcam |

Lake Muscoka, July 15, 2009

It’s difficult to put into words the feelings one has when about to embark on a trip that will keep them from home for the better part of a month. I have a to-do list in my head which I really should transfer to text–if I could find the time.

Last year I burnt up quite a bit of time at the Lake by working. Cottage County installed the base station for internet at (on, actually) our cottage so even though I swore I’d take a week off from work, I never did.

This year is decidedly different in that work has changed considerably. I’m doing more work independently but with that comes more juggling of  saying “stop!” to it for  the duration. As much as Canada doesn’t seem like a foreign country as far as mail service it is. Certainly in terms of internet access to a number of United States-based websites it is. Both these restrictions may prove either incentives to work less or work more.

Trying to find a workaround for them could consume large chunks of time and may ultimately prove fruitless. If I just say “no” to work completely then I won’t have to fret about getting access to the websites which provides a good deal of substance which I transform into content (I create content for put simply, things I like). I suppose it would be smart to find out just “how ” restrictive using the Canadian internet will be . (Is there such a thing? It’s probably using the Internet in Canada, right?). I hear so much about China and North Korea and other countries being crazy restrictive. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.

I can keep my freelancing gigs to a point but there’s also a point where I’m defeating the purpose of vacation. Ten days to go and I’m juggling so much that I’m not even worried about the weather.

Guess it just proves  that old saying about everything being relative. I do hope we get some good weather though. I’ve been watching the forecast for Maple Lake and right now, I see the first couple days of vacation ( should I say “holiday”?) look good temperature-wise though there is rain one day. The upside of regular rain is less fire hazard (though one must always be cautious–we are in the woods after all). The downside besides literally putting a damper on things is the bugs! My cure for too many bugs generally has been to stay in the Lake but not in the rain. See? Fret. Fret. Fret. Always wanted to be a Type “B” personality–never got there.

And where are all the people on Maple Lake who were supposed to sign up for Internet so our fee could go down? Don’t you know you can get television, too? No separate service, simply be slightly savvy and you can find your programs through the Internet and since it’s high-speed and since if you live on the Lake you cannot be far from us–the base station–your reception should be good. What are you waiting for? I’ll come over and show you the ropes as I’ve already –with son and spouse– gone through it. I’m seriously concerned that if people don’t sign up I’ll lose my service because I cannot see paying for 12 mos. of service and using it for barely one month. OK. I’d say I’ve fulfilled my fretting requirement for one day. Have a good one!

Weekend and Long Term Weather – Haliburton Highlands – Maple Lake – Bug Report 7.10 – 07.15.09

Ξ July 10th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Bug Report, Maple Lake Ontario, Photography, Travel/Vacation, cottage country, home and garden, marine/marina, weather, webcam |

Here we are looking at the weekend  in the Haliburton Highlands and hey, what a perfect day it was today!

Thunderstorms however, are moving in possibly as early as tonight, and they will continue throughout tomorrow, July 11 -Sat.  A temperature high of 64° is definitely on the cool side but there you have it. Looking past Saturday and into Sunday July 12, you’ve got a mainly sunny day! Temperatures are expected to be a comfortable 71°F and there is zero chance of rain on Sunday. As the work week begins, look for temperatures to fall a bit to 69°F but the chance of rain is quite small. Tuesday is a carbon copy of Monday–temperature is to be about 69°F but there is a very slight increase to 20% for showers.  Wednesday, July 15, you’ll see temperatures on the rise to 75°F with some cloudy periods and a 30% chance of precipitation. The nighttime low will be roughly the same as it is for the whole week at 50°F. Thursday will be a cloudy, rainy day with a high of only 68°F. Nighttime temps stay pretty high at 55°F. Friday, July 17, should be sunny with zero chance of precipitation and a comfortable high of 71°F.

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The Bug Report-

Except for tomorrow Saturday the 11 when it is to rain all day, the Bug Forecast for the Halibrton Highlands for black flies, mosquitoes, deer flies, and horse flies range from medium to high density.

Be sure to click the thumbnails for details on the weather, the Bug Report and for pretty webcam pictures from cottage county in Ontario from today,  July 10, 2009.

Have a great week!

‘Our True North’ Thoughts On Canada From Cdn Ex-Pats in the US

Ξ July 1st, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ United States, canada, holiday(s), humour, opinion, weather |

Source: New York Times online

UNTIL 1982, Canada Day was known as Dominion Day. I always thought that had more of a ring to it. Beyond the zippy alliteration, it reminded us citizens that our domain of orderly domesticity was graced by the dominant power of our “Dominus.”

And the rights granted therein to us by the glorious English crown through her colonial appointee, the right honourable governor general.

There was another problem with Dominion Day. Dominion was the name of a national grocery store chain. It would be like calling the Fourth of July D’Agostino’s Day.

Independence (now there’s a great name for a day!) came slowly to our country. In 1965, we dumped the old, staid British ensign for our own new flag. in lIt’s the one with the big red maple leaf in the middle. A simple, sweet leaf! We also have moose and beavers on our coins. And we call our dollars loonies because the coin has an image of a loon. Another old bird, the Queen of England, is on the other side of the coin.

I remember singing “God Save the Queen” every morning in school. “Long live our noble Queen!” we belted, thousands of us tubby little obedient Canadians. I guess it worked. She’s still alive. Now they sing “O Canada” in schools and at most sporting events; usually in French and English. Around the time we were changing anthems, dumping ensigns and renaming holidays, the official use of both languages became mandatory, except in Quebec where the required use of English is a bit fuzzy.

Canada Day comes and goes modestly every year. Sure, there are retail sales promotions and a long weekend. But there isn’t bluster or commodity in Canadian celebration. Canada isn’t big on bunting. Or jet flyovers, fireworks, marching bands or military pomp.

Canadians defer. We save our loonies and don’t jaywalk. It’s illegal, eh. We stand on guard at red lights, even when there is no traffic. We wait for clear, green governing lights to signal our turn and lead us on. Then we tuck our heads down, under wooly toques and worn-out scarves, one eye barely open, squinting headlong into the harsh prairie wind, cautiously, quietly, demurely Canadian.

— RICK MORANIS, a writer and actor

Back home, hockey highlights lead off SportsCenter. That is the height of civilization.

— SEAN CULLEN, a comedian

The gourmets say there isn’t a native Canadian food worth remembering after you’ve left the country. The gourmets have never bitten into a Coffee Crisp.

A Coffee Crisp tastes like Canada to anybody who grew up gnawing on that confection, a memorably crisp blend of coffee cream, cookie wafers and milk chocolate as wholesome and satisfying as the Canadian national anthem. It was a square-edged rectangle, like a brick, wrapped in a yellow-going-to-gold paper that seemed to elevate its value above all rival confections. It was unlike other chocolate bars.

I say “was” because no sooner had I left Canada than its originator, Rowntree’s, was absorbed into the giant international food conglomerate Nestlé. Soon enough, factors beyond the ken of the layman led its new owners to “improve on” the faultless original. Coffee Crisps were reshaped to be longer and slimmer and, as the infallible taste buds quickly revealed, reformulated to be less crisp and less coffee-flavored. Nestlé next undertook to expand the brand: Coffee Crisp Orange, Coffee Crisp Raspberry, Coffee Crisp Café Caramel, even Coffee Crisp White and, God save us, Coffee Crisp Yogurt.

But even in its diminished form, the classic Coffee Crisp still ranked superior to all the sticky-sweet American “candy bar” alternatives. I’d snaffle up half a dozen on a Canadian visit and wolf down a couple right away, just to make sure it wasn’t all just nostalgie du chocolat. It wasn’t. Taste memory never fades.

The demands of homesick Canadian expatriates were finally answered, circa 2006, when Coffee Crisp made its debut south of the border. But Nestlé’s efforts at carving a niche in the United States, alas, seemed half-hearted. I never saw an ad, and found only one seedy neighborhood hole-in-the-wall that even sold Coffee Crisps; the single box was all but hidden down on the bottom row of the candy display rack near the dust kittens and lottery-ticket stubs.

A month later the box was still there, its contents by now grayish and moldy and stale with age when the wrapper was torn away. In another month the box was gone. Coffee Crisps slunk back out of the American market in 2008, as quietly as they’d entered.

I suppose the Coffee Crisp debacle proves yet again that Canadian products — with the notable exceptions of Bombardier jets and half the comedians in Hollywood — just can’t compete in the American big time. But all visiting Canadian relatives and friends arrive at my door with pockets mysteriously bulging, or they won’t be let in.

— BRUCE McCALL, a writer and illustrator

In history class, in seventh grade (or as we like to say in Canada, grade seven) we learned the story of the American Revolution — from the British perspective. Turns out you were all a bunch of ungrateful tax cheats. And you weren’t very nice to the Loyalists. What I miss most about Canada is getting the truth about the United States.

— MALCOLM GLADWELL, a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author, most recently, of “Outliers: The Story of Success”

I miss the “u” in color. — LISA NAFTOLIN, a creative director