Aug 6, 2010
Haliburton, Ontario, Canada
Photos: 26
Buttermilk Falls, Stanhope Township, Haliburton Highlands
Buttermilk Falls, Stanhope Township, Haliburton Highlands
This is our last day at Maple Lake. We drove the 700 miles home–3 people, 2 cars, 2 dogs, the next day after nearly 2 weeks for the guys, 9 days for me. Buttermilk Falls was the absolute-best thing we did. We squeezed in a few other fun things, too. For my part I worked way too much. Not next time! Weather was much better this year though there was NO beach because Maple Lake was VERY high this summer (so far). Will see for myself when next I haunt the place. Boo!I hope to go over Labour Day week to another nearby spot, the “Five Points.” It’s on the map in the Picasa album that you click on. You enter at area “d” which is not much farther from our cottage than Buttermilk Falls. The actual 5 Points, are at what appears to be the south end of Little Hawk Lake, which is not very far north of Maple Lake. Yay! Double click for all the Buttermilk Falls info in the photo album.
Raven, Obi & Roger (L to R) in Maple Lake - August 2, 2010
Obi at Kawartha Dairy, Minden Ontario
We adopted Obi about 2 months ago. His caretaker did not know what breed he is. We are pretty sure that Obi is mixed and there have been many guesses with Boston terrier coming up frequently along with Schipperke, a much more rare breed that interestingly, his purebred “step-sister” Raven is. We adopted Raven 10 years ago after she’d been abandoned, we guess because her hip dysplasia rendered her worthless for breeding. Their loss, our gain.
Raven & Obi at Kawartha Dairy, Minden Ontario
Raven, Obi & Roger at Kawartha Dairy
Kawartha Dairy ice cream is the best in cottage country. Fresh (versus grocery store bought) is best. There’s a Karwartha Dairy ice cream stand and store just outside of Minden Ontario on Hwy 35.
I was planning to put up a “Happy Canada Day ” post and after quite a bit of searching google.ca I came up with very little in the Haliburton Highlands even though I know there is plenty happening. Heck, it’s enough that this is the first official long weekend of the summer, right? That is something to celebrate.*** Scroll down to check out the weather below.
Coincidentally, I was was reading today that if Americans want nationalized health care like Canada and Europe then we shall have to pay taxes as you do. Now that I’ve read through a comprehensive list of what you have been paying for sales tax and what you will as of July 1, Canada Day, for my area of the United States (Greater Chicago) there is __right now__ little difference in taxes. (Illinois’ taxing system is both incredibly complicated and incredibly corrupt. Currently some areas pay 11.50% sales tax.)
Even out here, 25 miles northwest of the City of Big Shoulders we pay 10% sales tax and that includes infant car seats and baby clothes and shoes and of course, we pay our health care out of pocket (including prescription drug taxes, taxes on eyeglasses & contact lenses, etc.) whilst paying relatively high sales taxes overall (the highest in the U.S.– Governor Terminator out in California raised their base state sales tax to 11.5%, allowing county tax to be added so they are probably paying what Ontario is and they still don’t have health care!)
So to get to the point, you really do not have it all that bad especially if you cut your own hair, give yourself your own mani and pedicures, don’t smoke, don’t take vitamins and don’t drive a petrol-fueled car. Just about across the board your so-called sin taxes are going up according to the “Harmonized Sales Tax Guide,” which I’ve pieced together and you can read at it’s full size but clicking on each page twice.
I can’t say I’m thrilled about the gasoline taxes getting higher but we kept that in mind when we needed to replace our family sedan. We aren’t in the income bracket to purchase a hybrid but still we found a decent compact car that sips petrol at about 40 mpg. The fact is we won’t change our behaviours that impact ourselves/the environment without a nudge and sometimes a kick in the derriere and so the new “harmonized” taxes reflect exactly that.
This is completely inappropriate to bring up here but it’s true (skip this paragraph if you have tender sensibilities).
The harmonized sales tax dings diaper-clad babies at the 5% GST but incontinent adults are completely exempt from all taxes. Since diapers are paper products usually, they shouldn’t be in a special category because the are deathly to the landfills so making them exempt from HST makes the “sin-tax” logic go out the window. Same argument for adult diapers and paper-based feminine hygiene products. I’m sure if I read closely I’d find other examples that go back and forth sometimes seemingly tied to logic and others not.
Anyway Happy 143 Birthday, Canada! You look wonderful and are and will remain my favourite country in the world–always. Canada Day Weather : It is NOT going to rain!
Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group 20th Anniversary Party
June 12 2010
Come and celebrate on Saturday, June 12th from 1:00-4:00 pm.
FREE admission to all!
Door prizes!
Genealogy booths
Refreshments
Opening Ceremony: 1:30 pm
Keynote speaker: 2.00 pm – Melody Richardson “Memoirs-Legacy Writing for Future Genealogists”
“Melody will explore with us the technique of memoir writing, a form of legacy writing for future genealogists in your families and communities.”
Visit Website
Place: Minden Hills Community Centre Minden
Contact: Linda Heeps Tel: 705 457-2064
Email: hhggroup@gmail.com
From the website:
*Haliburton County is located in Central Ontario Canada just to the southwest of Algonquin Park. The area was settled in the latter years of immigration (mid 1850s) when lands in Southern Ontario were all taken. Children of those settlers and new immigrants were led to believe that they might be able to establish farms in an area too rugged and rocky for that purpose but valuable mainly for lumber.
I knew about the lumber but until now hadn’t realized that people were told that the Highlands were good for farming!
Welcome to your weekend! (More events to be talked about here in a few hours!–plus later tonight, the weather for the weekend and week-to-come).
I’m sure you noted the name of this blog. Not much thought needed to go into naming it as it is written on behalf of the Haliburton Highlands and more specifically when an occasion arises, the Maple Lake area, which I believe is properly referred to as the Township of Dysart et al.
There’s a fantastic FREE opportunity, Young Eagle Flights for kids ages 8-17, to fly for free out of Stanhope Airport this weekend which calls to mind some of my own recollections of the airport.
My memories of Maple Lake–and one cannot separate Maple Lake from the airport if you take a quick peek on the map*–is how awesome it is when a plane takes off over the water. I’ll be in my default place–in the lake–hear the sound of the small aircraft engine, and look up to see the undercarriage of said small aircraft zipping by overhead, then watch the plane as it disappears into the distance.
*in the aerial photos it looks closer to Green Lake which it indeed may be
I’ve always loved that. However, when I was younger and my mom was around she expressed her displeasure with the noise. That left me perplexed but I’ll leave it at noting that we all have our own reactions/perceptions of things large and small. So dear mum would gently curse the plane flying just a short distance above us and I would silently cheer for the plane and think “Wow!”
My mum cannot make it up to the lake anymore but every time a plane flies out of Stanhope airport I think of her–then I think, “Cool!”
Free small airplane flights for kids age 8-17 (click on Visit Website for details)
Visit Website
Haliburton/Stanhope Airport Haliburton/Stanhope Airport road Minden
Contact: John Packer Tel: 705 754 2611
Email: airport@halhinet.on.ca
Sometimes, I miss living in Ontario throughout the year (as opposed to being a cottager). I live in the Chicago area–in the northwest suburbs to be precise, and our weather is uncannily similar to Ontario. However underneath the asphalt we are on what was prairie.
The big, beautiful tress, the massive granite walls lining the highway, the lakes, my goodness the lakes of south central Ontario a/k/a cottage country. We have none of that but we do get the weather. Since I do the forecast for the Haliburton Highlands each week (there will be a post tomorrow) and I need to know the weather forecast here at home to know for example, that at the beginning of this week I could go top-down motoring as I went from picking up my son at school–to taking him to the dentist–going to the library–all in weather in which I was comfortable in shirt-sleeves.
Chris & Raven on the Palatine Trail behind the library - 4.5.10
Today: rainy gloomy, COLD. A day or two ago we had the same hailstorm activity that Ontario is seeing and next week we’ll have the same warm up. I’d say about 85% of the time the two regions weather is near identical with two significant differences. One, the used-to-be prairie we live on is as you would guess, flat. There is nothing geographical to cut the wind from cutting through you. And it does. I’ve never felt the wrath of the winter winds as I have in Chicagoland. Two the timing of the weather ‘events’ differs by about 36 hours.
I know that cottage country gets very cold in winter and usually there is significant snow but it’s my belief despite that that the snow actually makes the winter feel less harsh and the hills cut the windchill a bit. I realize too that Ontario and much of Canada had a mild 2009-2010 winter. The consensus here, despite fairly consistent snowfall is that winter ‘wasn’t that bad.’
Now just like their Canadian counterparts, folks here have spring fever as I saw in photographs and read that many Canadians did last week, too. Spring can be quite fickle. Getting one dreaming of a warm spring on sunny days–and then snatching it away with snow flurries.
Don’t dispair. Here is a thumbnail of what you can expect for this weekend. I’ll have a detailed forecast on Friday.
This is my dad and mum at Maple Lake during the summer of their courtship.
Photographs preserve moments in time, many of them precious.
My father is now the patriarch of the family. He carries his father’s name, James McCrackan, and his son–my only sibling carries the same name. It is my last name too after giving it up for 6 years and then getting the name legally returned to me decades ago. I’m taking it to my urn (no grave for me).
I don’t think my grandfather had any time for pettiness, jealousies, vindictiveness–certainly none for gossip. My father is very much like his father and I learned from him at his knee that these traits are highly undesirable.
After a truly awful experience at Maple Lake of which I”m not sure what the end result will be ( though unless addressed in an honest way the repercussions will go on for years) I was astonished to hear of a genuine kindness that was extended towards my spouse on Labour Day. I shan’t name the person–it was “persons” actually, but one in particular who sat aside what might have got in the way of being a good neighbour, a decent person and just helped. It meant a lot even if it wasn’t intended that way. For all the snark that flew past this summer, one person managed to adjust the sails and set a course correction.
Fleming Collage, Haliburton Campus (Photo: Roger Corrao)
Hey there!
I’m spreading the news about the Internet Outreach Program’s series of courses through Fleming College that is being offered to folks in the Haliburton County. It’s been a long time coming but with the funds from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farm, and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) finally released Haliburton County can finally join the information age with the Internet. I’ve supplied all the information you should need (below) no matter if you are an absolute beginner, beginner through intermediate, or perhaps a business person building a brand on the world wide web.
I’m truly impressed with the diversity of offerings and the token fee involved for each series that should make this endeavour one that anyone can undertake.
It’s my understanding that broadband service is now or soon will be available to 95% of Haliburton County residents and the cost is extremely low.
I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this service next summer. Unfortunately, since the funding was held up and I needed to work from the cottage my spouse and I committed to a 2-year contract with a satellite Internet provider and the cost is ridiculous. I’ve been told by a Broadband Outreach Program representative that this provider will need to lower his rates to be competitive but I’m not holding my breath as he’s made no offer yet.
As my cousin’s spouse remarked, this guy should be paying us as we agreed to be the point of origin for his satellite dish so he could offer services to the folks on Maple Lake.
I thought he’d put some effort into marketing as we were promised a lower fee when 5 more people signed up. He never did much–at least not via his website–and he certainly won’t now and it’s become a real pain. Lesson learned. I simply wanted to spend more time at the Lake but the reality was I couldn’t afford to do so without working. Now I’m paying over two years many times more than I made in the sum total of two months using the service.
But back to you smart people for whom the waiting is now paying off. All the info on the almost-free Internet classes is below.
Enjoy!
County of Haliburton- Broadband Outreach Program
Internet Courses for individuals and businesses
at Fleming College for only $10
This series of courses is being offered as part of the County of Haliburton’s Broadband Outreach Program.
This program is made possible by general funding received through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farm, and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) Rural Connections Broadband Program. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of these reasonably priced, yet very interesting courses.
To register for the below courses, please contact Heidi Hudspith at the Haliburton Campus, 457-1680 ext. 6734Internet, Email, and You
This introductory level course is directed at individuals interested in learning about the exciting world of the Internet. Course content will include web browsing, email, social networking, accessing government services, and other uses of the Internet.
Section 1- Tuesday, September 15, 6:30pm- 9:30pm Section 2- Thursday, November 5, 9:00am-Noon
Section 3-Saturday, November 21, 9:00am-Noon
Instructor: Peter Smith
Fee: $10.00Internet Safety and Security
This beginner-intermediate level course is directed at individuals seeking to understand and manage some of the perceived dangers of the internet. The first part of the course will address data and systems security in the face of spam, phishing, viruses, and junk mail. Secondly, the course will help in ‘webproofing’ systems and children from undesirable content and social interactions.
Section 1- Tuesday, September 22, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Section 2: Thursday, November 12, 9:00am-Noon
Section 3- Saturday, November 28, 9:00am-Noon
Instructor: Peter Smith
Fee: $10.00Your Domain-Your Brand This introductory level course is directed at small/medium business operators interested in raising a profile of their brand through a customized web domain. A customized web domain offers businesses a unique address on the internet. This brings businesses a high level of portability, visibility, and general perception of professionalism. The course will help in finding and developing a domain. Specific items to be touched upon will include business website and email basics.
Section 1- Thursday, September 29, 6:30pm-9:30pm Section 2- Thursday, November 19, 9:00am-Noon
Section 3- Saturday, December 5, 9:00am-Noon
Instructor: Peter Smith
Fee: $10.00Understanding Web Design
This intermediate level course is directed at small/medium business operators looking to manage the development, or redevelopment, of a business website. The objective of the course is not to teach people how to program their own website, instead it is designed to help business operators effectively work with web designers. Essentially, the goal is to teach what is happening ‘under the hood’ of a business website. Topics to be covered include HTML, Flash, cgi scripting (php, ASP, Javascript, etc.), and database integration.
Section 1- Tuesday, October 6, 6:30pm- 9:30pm
Section 2- Thursday, November 26, 9:00am-Noon
Section 3- Saturday, December 12, 9:00am- Noon
Instructor: Peter Smith
Fee: $10.00
To register for the below courses, please contact Heidi Hudspith at the Haliburton Campus, 457-1680 ext. 6734
We had some notable weather whilst at Maple Lake plus I had some really intense storms go over when alone in the cottage for an additional week. My battery was charging on the new Panasonic Lumix point and shoot I bought specifically for this trip when the tornadoes hit the area and spouse had taken the other camera home with him so I was late to the picture-taking party of the crazy-orange skies. At least I’d finally gotten the hang of taking clear pictures. I’d been doing the stupidest thing or more correctly, not doing the most basic thing you do before taking a digital photograph.
Anyway I ran out of good weather and out of time prior to me getting very many shots off but spouse did ‘cos he gets up in the a.m. so I have many to post that he took and technically, he’s a better shooter than I am—not that I’m all that. :p
It finally turned warm for the first full weekend this summer. It turned really warm. And humid.
In the early evening, prior to sunset I thought I’d go and snap a few photographs–which I did– but as soon as I got in the vicinity of the back field I started getting eaten alive–and I had bug spray on!
Big storms came in tonight. They came up so quickly that the screen blew in at the front of the cottage and quite a bit of water came in too through the upper window which I have to go outside to close. I was too late though. The winds were so strong I could barely open the front door, never mind play around with a 12 foot window closing stick (I usually love using it–so simple yet effective–a wonderful example of something made by my grandfather, who with my dad, built these cottages that we all enjoy). Anyway I got some plastic sheeting and *lightbulb,* a large umbrella and after the worst of the first storm passed I went out and closed up.
Right now, I’m alone here as we are driving back to the States in shifts.
Despite the rotten weather the first two weeks here were OK and then I really wanted to be done with it.
Cabin fever, I suppose.
Also, things are so different here now. It’s like party central every weekend. The guy across the way shoots off fireworks well into the late evening (meaning near midnight) every. single. weekend and that crew is incredibly raucous until 2, 3, 4 in the morning.
I work at night as you can see from the posting time and me and a bunch of party animals just don’t mesh well.
You were here and so was I and it’s the same as it ever was, isn’t it?
