IT'S BEEN FAR TOO LONG

Don't ask, but it has been way too long since our last post. Lots of excuses as to why it hasn't happen for so long, unfortunately none of them are very good. In any event, writing later is better than never.
Our winter has been cold this year which is nice 'cause that's what winter should be like. You know, snowy, white, rosy cheeks, hot chocolate and the best stars that you'll see anywhere without using a telescope.In fact, it was only a few nights ago that we saw a sliver of a moon right next to the bright light of Venus, with two framing in the red planet of Mars....and you could really see the red!

It's been colder.....but not by much!

We have been hearing from our friends living on the west coast in British Columbia that winter just hasn't happened. My old haunt at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver is brown; no snow, no skiing, no winter, no way! While it has been warm and balmy on the west coast, just a short time ago it was -37C here. We have had lots of snow, not quite as much as the Maritimes, but plenty to keep the trails (skiing, sledding, sliding and shoe-ing) in great shape. I wish my back could agree the same way.
Lately, I have been involved in a number of discussion groups, committees and workshops that have been trying to focus on what Muskoka is all about and how we can attract more people to come and visit. There are so many ways to look at this great part of Ontario and sometimes words simply aren't enough. The amazing fall colours, the hikes and parks, the beautiful clean lakes, the history... this place is iconic. It is so rare to find spots like these, so close to "civilization", amazingly safe and untouched and all with a hint of "wild" just about everywhere you go. The brand of Muskoka, and in particular where we are at Foxwood in North Muskoka, is so much about what is real, simple and pure. It is about the surroundings - the air, the water, the fire and earth.
Families have been coming to Muskoka for generations and for many of those who call it home, it is hard to fathom the thought of anybody wanting to change it. But change has happened and it will continue. The cottages are slowly getting bigger, the lakes are slowly getting busier, the noises are slowly getting louder and the people are quickly expecting Muskoka to have all of the luxuries of the big city. I wish I could convince those living in the big cities that coming to Muskoka as a way to "escape the stress of the city" on the busiest weekends of the year, when everybody else is here, is not the way to do it. And the "make or break" decisions should not be based on how many TV's we have (or even if we have them) or how fast our internet speed is.  
For us at Foxwood we realize how important it is to have Lake of Bays, a quiet location at the end of road, simple clean cottages with screen doors that slam shut in the wind, a measly WiFi service that can't handle downloading movies or large files and no TV in 90% of our cottages. What we do have is an atmosphere that allows guest to let their guard down and still feel safe, to relax, to enjoy the sounds of children (adults too) laughing and playing with others, to sit under tree and hear the waves lapping up on shore, and being able to read a book without being interrupted for hours! Can you imagine enjoying a lake that is so clean you could drink the water out of it... but don't, because the fish and birds do their doo-doo in it.
Some who call us about staying at Foxwood think we are a long, long ways away from Toronto. Those who finally come and stay with us at Foxwood feel that they could be a million miles away! Yes, we are at the end of the road, just the way we like, just the way all of our guests like it. 

We did a fun movie about what living in North Muskoka and what running Foxwood means to us.Click here to view it. Most of the shots were taken at Foxwood, the others are from the nearby surroundings. The first minute of it moves slowly however we hope that you enjoy it

NEPAL

Our trip to Nepal was nothing short of amazing. Unlike a trip to the beaches of the Caribbean or a trip to Disneyland, this trip had everything in it and it had a profound effect on how we see things. At times it was emotionally wrenching, other times it was awe inspiring, but all of the time it was truly an education. 
Here is a country that for the most part has stayed still for generations, but on other levels it has seen great change. It was less than 10 years ago that Nepal was going though internal strife that resulted in the execution of its monarchy, thousands of civilian deaths and the displacement of just as many children into the hands of strangers or left abandoned to fend for themselves.
The city of Kathmandu comes alive before it gets light and goes to sleep hours after dark. Every aspect of day to day life happens on the streets and alleyways. There are two traffic lights in the entire city. Crossing the street is a balancing act that would challenge the Great Wallenda. The markets are alive with colour and activity and the congestion of people is claustrophobic. Everyone is trying to sell something and we found great fun great in negotiating a good deal but at the same time being respectful of the fact that making a living means earning enough to buy food and have shelter.
Nepal is a spiritual garden that is being constantly cared for buy its people. It seems to be one thing that holds them together and for many, makes getting from one day to the next meaningful. There is a festival  for everything and there seems to be one happening all of the time. 
We met Beverley Bronson the first day in Nepal. She is a New Yorker who came to Nepal in the mid 90's and in 2001 started Ghar Sita Mutu - House With A Heart - a children's orphanage which provides a loving atmosphere for about 20 children. The story of Nepal's orphaned children is one that tears at your emotions. Read Little Princes to get an idea of what is going on for the children in Nepal

Our trip brought us to the southern edges of Nepal, into the jungle where we rode elephants and saw rhinos, wild boars and alligators. We travelled north by plane to the edge the Mustang region, where the countryside is like a moonscape, barren, dry, covered in rocks and boulders, but oh, so full of things to see. A few hours up a river valley from Kegbeni we came to the small village of Tiri. We were invited into a farmers mud hut - no light, no heat,cramped - and we were offered coffee and masala tea. Their generosity was overwhelming. Their life is not easy, they don't dream of big plans, nothing had changed in that family for probably generations and generations. 
Who would go to Nepal and not see Mt Everest? Certainly not us! We took that trip of a lifetime and got into the sight seeing plane to see where history was made 60 or 70 years ago. The plane we were in couldn't even go up half the almost 30,000 ft that Mt Everest soars to. 
We could go on and on, however to give you a feel for what we saw and experienced we put together a short slide show. Click here to see it and enjoy.

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.