THE SWIM IS IN

Although a bit later this year, the ice finally made its' exit on April 30. Normally we see it go somewhere around April 19, 20 or 21; last year was exceptional when it left around March 23. 
We headed off to Nepal at the end of March and thought that surely by the time we returned all of the snow would be gone. Much to our amazement there was lots left. Even as we landed in Toronto on April 16 the pilot announced that it was -7C. We learned that two days before we got back that there was a 10 -15cm snowfall at Foxwood. It was less that a week ago that the night temperatures were still dipping below freezing... our chickens didn't like that .
It now looks like we have turned the corner and spring is upon us. Julia made her annual spring dip on April 29 with ice still abound on the lake. The water temperature was very nice 44F/7C. And the next day the ice was gone so the timing was brilliant. Rumour has it that Julia raised the lake temperature and thus was the reason for the rapid disappearance of lake ice...aah, the wonders of a woman's hot body! 

WOLF, WOLF, WOLF....WOLF

Yesterday Julia and friends went out cross country skiing. Despite the fact that in the morning it was in the -20C's the day was beautiful. Clear skies, a skiff of fresh, dry snow and peaceful. The icy wind put a bit of a bite on the cheeks but other than that one could not have imagined a better day to be outdoors.
But it did get better, much, much better! Where the group were skiing was on Art's Pond, next to Goose Lake which is on the north side of Highway 35 between Dwight and Dorset and maybe 10 or 15 kilometers from Foxwood. There they were, four wolves. Apart from noticing the group of skiers the wolves were relatively relaxed.
The alpha wolf stood his ground and watched over things while the other three trotted off into the woods. 
As the group skied up to where the wolves stood earlier there were the tracks left behind. Their paw prints were massive compared to those of Annie our Border Terrier and even to paws of the Black lab that was with skiers.
Every now and then we hear the wolves howl at Foxwood. It is so neat to be able to see them. They're shy and try to stay away from humans. So being able to catch a glimpse, particularly in the middle of the day, was such a treat.
If you are interested in learning more about wolves try visiting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

A BIT ON THE WILD SIDE

The last few weeks have been cold, really cold.....crazy cold! There were a few days when the thermometer on the Weather Network screen reported -38C. That is about  the same temperature in Fahrenheit degrees. When we finally got our camera to take a shot of what it was saying the temperature had warmed up to a balmy -34C, oooowee. 
Whenever it gets that cold and thermometer dips down below that -30C mark everything starts getting affected. Standing on the back porch we could hear the trees in the forest making cracking sounds, the parking brake in our little car doesn't work, the seats in the truck freeze and they don't have that same amount of "give" when you sit down. The poor wildlife too. 

In fact, it was so cold that it got even more wild here as John Deer and Jane Doe decided that they would check in and spend a night in Jolly Rover. They walked straight up to the front door, expecting a cozy night sitting by the fireplace, sipping a hot toddy, but alas it was already booked by somebody else.
Hopefully we'll see a break in the weather this week; settling for -15C doesn't sound that bad these days. Fortunately we're staying warm in Chinook cottage and we have been leaving the heat lamp on for the chickens so they are managing OK as well. 
Family Day weekend is coming up in just a few weeks. There will still be lots of winter left then!

 

ENOUGH ALREADY, I SAID ENOUGH

What a winter we are having in North Muskoka. The lake froze over before December, the snow started in November, the ski hills had their earliest starts ever and mid winter conditions are here in the first week of January.
Just before Christmas we were getting snowfalls of 5 - 10cm on a daily basis. The snow was piling up on the picnic table just outside of our bedroom. On December 23 we took picture of the soon-to-be disappearing table. The holidays did not disappoint this year and we had one of the whitest Christmas' in years.

Last week we took a short two day visit to New York City to visit relatives. By the way, we flew Porter Air and was it ever a nice way to fly; inexpensive, lots of flight choices and way less hassle compared to Pearson. We returned last Tuesday just as the cold, snowy weather was wreaking havoc on the airports and roads. By the time we got back to Foxwood on Wednesday afternoon there must have been 40+ cm of new snow on the ground. The following two days were spent digging out driveways and cottages and shoveling off the roof of the Main Lodge. 
The picnic table that we took a picture of two weeks earlier really tells the story. It is now almost completely gone! Buried under a meter or more of snow, we likely won't see this stately piece of furniture 'til spring. So enough snow and how about some sunshine.
In the meantime, we'll be enjoying the fluffy stuff, after all that is what winter is all about!

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Bigwin Island as seen from Foxwood

This morning the thermometer read -24C! Yesiree, winter has arrived! Not a lot of snow but the ground is frozen solid and the heat lamp is on in the chicken coop to keep our hens somewhat warm. 
It was particularly beautiful this morning so we took a few pictures. Hoar frost was coating all of the trees and with the sunshine reflecting off the ice crystals it made for some neat effects. Even the rock wall that surrounds part of our waterfront was wrapped in an icy cloak. Looking down the lake we could see signs of Haystack Bay beginning to freeze over. Usually the ice doesn't start forming on the lake until just before Christmas so perhaps these are all good signs for a white Christmas and a real Muskoka winter.
By looking at our holiday reservations it appears that even our guests are confident the holidays will be snowy. We still have some space but so far bookings are looking very good. Our local ski hill, Hidden Valley Highlands, opened last week under the influence of good snow making weather. That is about as early as you can get and we believe they are the first to open in southern Ontario. 

We want to remind anyone who is thinking about visiting this winter that Foxwood guests can receive a 10% discount off the posted lift rates at Hidden Valley. As well, while at Foxwood we offer complimentary use of our snowshoes for exploring the nature trails at Foxwood. We are also happy to guide you around the trails during the day. There is lots of nature to see; deer, wild turkeys or fox. For a very special Foxwood experience, we also invite our guests to join us and share in our tradition of going out at night under the stars and moonlit sky. A cup of hot chocolate along the way, the hooting of an owl or the occasional howl of a wolf in the distance make for a very memorable experience. 

DOCKTAIL HOUR

Many of our guests this week have been gathering at the waterfront for docktail hour. Anywhere else it would be just plain cocktails. It has been amazing weather this week and what better way to spend the later afternoon hours than with great company, a cool breeze, fresh air, awesome sunsets...absolutely perfect!
For Len and Adele it was also time to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Congratulations! The two have also been bringing there family to Foxwood for about 15 years now.

With not even two weeks left to the summer, the summer holidays are quickly coming to an end. Nevertheless, the lake water is still beautiful for swimming and should stay that way for at least another two or three more weeks. Right now it's sitting at about 77F/23C. 
Fall colours will start happening by the 2nd or 3rd week of September and usually carry on 'til after Thanksgiving.
It's a good time to visit North Muskoka.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?

Although it seems like it was ages ago, the heavy rainfalls and quickly melting snow that created all of the flooding in April wasn't that long ago. Foxwood and most of area around really didn't get badly affected. There was the odd road washing out and the ground became very soggy. Huntsville was another story; we had sightings of people canoeing down Highway 11 just north of town and the Big East River spilled its' banks in many places.
Lake of Bays went up quite high and was about 12" above our dock. Fortunately for us, the ice didn't tear anything away and the lake stayed fairly calm throughout, otherwise the results could have been disastrous. We have friends on Peninsula Lake, one lake to the west of us, who had their large boat house taken right off its base, and tossed 25 feet away onto its side. Moving ice, even a couple of inches of it, carries so much power!
The lake water is still high but the water is warming up. It was about 60F today and Julia was in swimming. She said it was actually quite nice. Brrr ...to cold for me! By the weekend we are hoping to get the ski boat in. Meg is chomping at the bit to get on the water for some wakeboarding time.
What was really eerie was what we found a few weeks ago sitting on the dock. The high water had just receeded to a point that left the top of the dock exposed. Up until this time many things around the lake became floating objects, lifting many boats, dock chairs and boathouse items from the safety of where they usually sat untouched under normal water level conditions. While surveying the water levels one night, our daughter Meg, noticed a pile to debris sitting on our dock right next to shore. Right on the top of a small pile of scrap wood, pine needles and sticks, just waiting to be noticed, was a red pen. She picked it up and read the inscription on the side ...."FOXWOOD INN - LAKE OF BAYS, DWIGHT, ONTARIO   705-635-2333"
The resort hasn't been called "Foxwood Inn"  for years and who knows when that phone number was last used. The pen had to be at least 20 years old or more. Where did it come from? Did it float up out of our dock? Possibly, but most of it was completely re-built half a dozen years ago. Did it come from another place across the lake? Who knows, but somehow it made its' way back to Foxwood, onto the end of our dock, to sit on top a bunch of debris, to be found after so many years. Just like ET.
Maybe it is a sign that this will be the year that we see the return of many long lost Foxwood guests. Are you one of them? .