Despite the fact that this year’s time spent at Maple lake was unique and precious to me, there were a couple things I want to acknowledge in case anyone is wondering what planet I’m from, though in the states I am actually an alien. Har.
First, the weather. If I hadn’t had the luxury* of the ability to do paid work at the cottage I simply could not have stayed on as I did.
The key reason is that after months of discussion with the two potential internet providers that could serve Maple Lake it became clear that only one– the satellite Internet guys could actually complete the install for this summer.
They did a brilliant job. The service was better than what I have on a day-to-day basis with my American provider, Comcast, and through a bit of good luck I had more online work than I could handle.
It would have been very, very tough to chose between a beautiful day on the Lake and getting my work done but because many days were not beautiful in the traditional sense, I didn’t have to chose. I could find a nice spot only feet from the lapping of the lake and work away as the lake itself was colder than I’d ever experienced during high season.
My first week at Maple Lake was very quiet as I was alone in the cottage. I’d not ever been alone like that at Maple Lake and though a bit eerie the first night or two, it became quite peaceful. I absolutely never recall my dreams at home and here it seemed I woke each day with vivid recollections. I also had a transformative experience at one point when I awoke but I’m not sure blogging about it here is what I want to do right now. It was very, very helpful, I will say that.
I had time to notice a lot of what’s happening on the surface of things at Maple Lake. Even so, I have no illusions that I know much beyond that but here’s what’s not good that happened and that I’m very concerned about for my family both immediate and extended and for other folks on the lake.
Between the time that my spouse and I opened the cottage in early June to the time I returned in the third week of July and than again in the two weeks I was absent in August several acts of property damage and loss occurred.
Even before this happened–and it was a deep shock– I felt that it’s imperative that the residents of Maple Lake both summer and year-round, watch out for one another. This was a wake-up call for me and I’ve taken steps to keep a closer eye on the place and I will return with a stronger security mindset next June.
I am concerned that modern life, though it can seem to be pretty far away when one is at the cottage has indeed been able to creep down our gravel road or perhaps wander the perimeter of the Lake and we need to stop feeling secure that what we’ve been doing is enough when in fact there are many renters on the lake and there is much new development (teardowns, especially). Once you go out and paddle around the Lake’s edge it is very apparent.
We simply cannot know all our neighbours–as many may never return after their vacation. Again, I want to be emphatic: I have no reason to believe anyone we know vandalized our property but I can’t be an ostrich when taking note of the multiple incidents.
I am intensely curious to find out if the crime rate in the Maple Lake area is rising. That would seem to follow as more people equals more activity of many kinds.
Sorry this has been rambling. I hope that what happened to us didn’t happen to anyone else.
Next year I’ll try to be at the cottage even longer than this year–but on a different schedule based on my son’s need to visit potential universities which has yet to be determined.
No one is paying me to say this but having the ability to set up a webcam or two so you can literally keep an eye on your cottage may be worth the investment. It’s my opinion that the guys at the link above may be the best investment I’ve made thus far in our cottage.
A well-made groin. 
(above–the rock thingy). Spouse just kept at it until he couldn’t doing anything else to it. 
First, hello officially from the US.
It was so perfectly beautiful.
I went to Maple Lake three times between June and September 2008, staying for 4 weeks straight in July/August plus two extra long weekends. My original plan involved staying up to two months but by late May my son had decided to take Driver’s Education at Fremd High School over the summer as there was no room in his academic schedule during the regular school year. Plus, the class is offered at about half the going (or less) than traditional driving schools. Last summer he took Health Education and something else. Killed summer vacation dates then, too. But as a wise person recently pointed out, in only a short while he’ll be away at college! I’ll miss him terribly but the cottage is much more likely to be occupied by me and spouse is *cough* getting older and accruing some good vacation time–so he can stay awhile as well. He very much likes it which I think is kinda cute as he married into summering on Maple Lake.
***Don’t miss the last photo. It’s the best.
Spouse working doing stuff at the Lake.
Dug up a pesky stump
Prepping for grass
Spouse removed an old stump and planted a patch of grass where it had been. That patch is now known as the best patch of grass on the property. LOL
South side of Maple Lake (click to enlarge)
Ack! Tried to find a cool older (5 years ago) photo for comparison. It’s pretty amusing but I’ve used three PC’s in the last week and I’m not even sure which one they are are on–just which one they are not on. So… more later.
St. Peter's Church, Maple Lake, after 2006 tornadoes
Maple Lake in Grey (2007)
Maple Lake Dawn
Moonlight (R. Corrao)
Sept 1, Sunset (2008)
Thanks to Alice and Frank and my Dad (pictured, age 2 months) and my Mom for picking my Dad.
Dad's Baptism?
Frank, holding 2 mo. old Jim, Alice
I love how well this photo cleaned up (and yes, I know I could have done a better job) . My grandmother looks so pretty and, for the very first time I can see the same jawline on my grandfather, Frank as that of my Dad (and me to a degree). Very interesting and fun to know.
Hey there from Maple Lake!
The Labour Day weekend was perfect. No one wanted to go home. All my relatives live close enough to come upon the weekends if September continues from it’s fantastic beginning. I’m a bit envious as living too far from here will prevent us from doing so.
Just the same I’m happy to say that I’ve been here this year in the months of June, July, August and September and have gotten reacquainted with Cottage County to the extent that the massive amounts of rain let me.
Alice
We went on a final canoe ride today–all the way to the south side of the lake. Its was perfect. We saw some photo-shy loons and I got some nice snaps of St Peter’s Church.
Now we are packing and closing up for the next nine months. Real life duty such as work, child rearing, and more work call and they take precedence. We leave a bit of our hearts behind here at Maple Lake though.
St. Peter’s Church
Look how big the beach is now!
Torbay Cottage, North Bay~
Well folks, it’s t-minus about 64 hours and the clock is ticking down to my momentous leave of my entire family for a week at Maple Lake (they’ll join me for three more weeks at the end of week one).
It’s a bit unnerving and I can feel the anxiety starting to creep in–not about a week alone (are you kidding?–nirvana!) but of leaving the guys behind. With the youngest being almost 16 y.o. no one really needs me but I’m a control freak so I’m completely beside myself that they’ll forget to do all the things that I always do–and then what? Probably no big disaster–but tell my itchy brain that!
My main concern is the additional three weeks when spouse and younger son and our dog, Raven will join me at the lake. I’m afraid that eldest son, who does not have the vacation time to use so is staying here, will let my plants die. 
I should be getting anxious about the near-700 mile drive there–but I’m not as I’ve done it so often–either alone or with a kid or two.
Moving along.
I stopped by Maple Lake Ontario today to check on the weather and the bugs and before doing so I checked on the the sun setting in Ontario and what a beautiful sunset it was!
I have a number of really pretty sunset web shots to share, then long-range weather, then bug forecast.
*About the webcam shots. It’s quite hard to obtain a good webcam shot due to factors including that most webcams are outside so the lenses get dirty, the webcam gets skewed to a strange angle, and bug juice collects. What I do is grab the shot and most times or in the case of the Dorset and Haliburton webcams, always clean them up and try to bring out as natural a photo image as I can.
Kincardine Harbour~ from Lighthouse One
Kincardine Channel overlooking the Penetangore River which connects to Lake Huron.
Silver Lake Resort~
Dorset Sunset, July 15~
Haliburton Sunset (enhanced)~
Once again the goofy neon car image at the top right area is where the road turns sharply, avoiding a plunge into Head Lake. I used to love going around that as a kid. Still do. 
Extended Weather Prediction for West Guilford:
That looks really good to me!
Hrm. Don’t forget your DEET!
This is a photo of my dad and me (taken by my mom). He is being quite brave because he’s taking an infant camping. I hope it’s only Ontario because I would have been really hesitant to venture much further away from our home in Toronto but he and mom may have felt adventurous and we could have landed somewhere in Michigan.
Regardless, my dad was and is a great dad. He was and continues to be a strong presence in my life and for that I thank you, Dad.
love, Cindy
Rockport, Ontario, Thousand Islands~ 06.05.08~ Ed Huck Marine Cam
After sitting alone for nine months our cottage will once again be inhabited by mid-day Saturday. Keeping in mind that we’ll need to put in the water and of course, clean a place that sometimes becomes a haven for little creatures, I hope we travel at a fast clip and get there with enough time to get all the kinks worked out before sundown. We have reservations in Ann Arbor, Michigan to stop on the way there as younger son has school on Friday (his final, final exam).
So big excitement. I’m very much in need of letting go of the accelerated pace I’ve been keeping since the Google shake-up last year. When I think about it I’ve been going full-throttle for 6 months–working 12-14 days usually 7-days a week and I cannot wait to make this trip despite not bringing the baby (the Mustang GT) because we need to pack stuff for our next trip–our official vacation starting in July. If the satellite Internet install goes as planned I may drive ahead of son and spouse in July–maybe two weeks before them, and then I will take the Mustang. Woot! (I just need to trust that they can get by without me for two weeks!)
Both guys have commitments here–spouse’s work that you can only take so many weeks-off of and he’s taking 2 long weekends and three weeks at the Lake this year and son–who can only fit Driver’s Ed. into his schedule by taking it during summer school. Three-hundred fifty dollars and a trip to the DMV later and he is ready for the first day of school on June 11th.
The weather forecast has in some ways changed for the better for us. Now we have warmer temps and less rain (see below) but the bug report is looking a bit scary as the temp is forecasted to soar to 30C at Maple Lake on Saturday. Unless Maple Lake is sealed by ice nothing is keeping me out of that Lake on Saturday.
Silver Lake Cottage Resort, Ontario~05.19.08
Actually, spouse found it in the exact place where it “should have” been. The “safe” place. lol. Where I keep it with other important Canadian stuff –border crossing-card, birth certificate. I’m still trying to get a photo for my CDN passport that is acceptable to the Canadian government. <eyeroll>. It’s come to, I’m just going to go to a Canadian prof photographer and if you think about it, that may be the whole point. I just wanted to get it done a while ago. Because from what I read, many folks* got exasperated w/American photographer’s unreliable rendering of Canadian photos that they shrugged and got it done in Canada–where apparently the residents Canadian have very little trouble getting an accurate passport image of themselves that the Canadian government will not reject. I may as well have one done of my youngest son as now that we know he’s got dual citizenship. He has the choice either or both. If you had your choice. would you prefer to travel the world as an American or as a Canadian (living in the US) which would you pick? It’s fun that he gets a choice.
Here’s the bad deal though. Canadian passports are only good for 5 years. And they cost about $30 more for each one. Bah.
American is good for 10. Supposedly, the Canadians are just a “step ahead” in the process of giving you less for your money (blame the terrorists) and the US will be dropping the years that a US passport is good, to five years as well.
The key was in a dresser “summer” drawer which normally wouldn’t get used much in the winter except that I went swimming quite a bit over the winter. I’ve now surmised that I need to toss a couple of swimsuits that chlorine and usage have wiped out–and maybe clean out some of the greetings cards I have stashed in there, too. Anyway, no worries about the key–I can go on now <phew> and stress about something else. I just bought a new swimsuit and it’s not a Speedo for the first time in a while. Hopefully it’s as utilitarian as I need it to be but somewhat less “one colour.” It looks good for swimming and it’s black with little pink polka dots. We’ll see how it goes when it gets here. I’m planning on swimming often this summer. In Maple Lake. :)
*Canadians not living in Canada–there’s lots of us.
It looks like we can do three weeks at Maple Lake this summer. Plus Labour Day weekend, I think (we have been for a few years in a row now).
Which is great as long as there’s Internet. I know I’m a broken record but I’m not the only person that can’t afford to take weeks off of paid work. And dial-up in my hyper-competitive online world won’t do it, regardless.
I think need to call the Haliburton County-affiliated W3Connex cable guy.
I’ve talked to him once on the phone and he seems very nice but with service orders for exactly what I need at about 800 online inquiries ahead of me in the email queue.
That’s why I’m thinking maybe going to the cottage a bit later so there might be a chance to get the cable people out our way? Oh please, oh please?
Last summer, whilst at our cottage in Ontario, Canada I realized that something was missing. Many years ago my grandparents built three cottages on a beautiful, clean lake in the Haliburton Highlands. The property is quite large and one had to take a dirt (later gravel) road to make their way to the cottages. After it had been some years since my grandparent’s passing and the three cottages had been willed to their three adult children, the gravel road was named in honour of my grandfather. It thrilled me to see his name on the street sign yet at the same time I felt a bit sad that the force behind our ever having the chance to be part of the beauty there was in fact, my grandmother. I resolved that this summer I would get a custom-made sign to honour my grandmother’s memory and I would place it not on the road but next to our cottage.
NOTE: I’m not sure “who” in my family reads this blog–everyone is welcome but I feel compelled to say again that this is about me and what I think and feel. We all have our own memories to keep. The most precious I have other than those of my own children are of my grandmother. It’s imperative to me that she never be forgotten. My idea about the sign is just that–an idea. The sign pictured, the name–that may change as I have more time to think on it. What won’t change is that I want a tangible “sign” that says she was once there because for me her spirit will always be at Maple Lake.
Peace,
Cyn
This is me and baby Jim visiting the Lake from California. Warning: Some rough personal revelation(s) ahead. Again, I must mention that this blog though in honour of my grandparents, is in fact part of the story of my life.
Don’t be shocked. I’m deliberately keeping my hair over my eyes here. They’d both been blackened the-night before my trip. :/
Going up there without the person who’d blackened my eyes was the best thing that could have happened for baby Jim and me. It solidified my tentative plan to get out–and that I did 3 months later.
1984~ James Dalton McCrackan, James S. F. McCrackan, Cynthia Leigh McCrackan, James Daniel McCrackan–photo by M.V. McCrackan
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