Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas All!

Nip Ice

Some nice Lake Nipissing shore ice sculpture.

Lake Nipissing Waterfront Ice

Here you can see the results of the wind pushing up the ice at the waterfront this week.

Lake Nipissing Waterfront

I went to the waterfront yesterday to take some photos of the ice that was built up after some strong winds.  These grasses are usually beaten down by snow and looked pretty cool in front of the trees on the beach.

Bush Poplars

 

Sunny and I went for a walk in the bush after the start of the snow we've had, but before we got really dumped on.  These naked poplar trees really stood out in the bush.

One Mile Bay Snow

I took this photo of One Mile Bay on Trout Lake yesterday morning after a day of wet snow that froze overnight.  I'm thinking this could well be our Christmas card this year.

Cottage Stairs

This will probably be the last photo of these stairs at the Mazinaw Lake cottage.  The new lumber to replace the deck is under the cabin waiting for spring and the re-decking project.

Cottage shelf

Small spaces/shelves at cottages can yield lots of neat stuff that some day may come in handy.

First "heavy" Frost

Yesterday morning we woke up to the first heavy frost of the season.  It was the first time I had to scrape ice off the windows of my truck.  This is a photo of the frost/ice patterns on the hood of my truck.

Last Boat Cruise of the Season

Tuesday was a beauty day on the lake, and a great weather day for the final cruise of the season on the Fortuitous.

Thanksgiving Weekend View Over the Lake

Thanksgiving Sunday was quite nice and also very nice for photographs.

Fall Colours on Trout Lake

Here is a view from our boat looking along the end of the road we live on - some pretty cool fall colours.

Birch Face

OK, who sees the face on this birch tree?

Evening Lakeside Fire

We had a great fire by the lake last evening!

Jewel of the North

The Jewel of the North golf course went bankrupt a few years ago.  Here is how one of the par 3 holes looks today.

Redbridge General Store

This is one of my favourite stores.  You can buy gas, milk, candy, lotto tickets, smokes, bread, some boxed and canned food products, pop, candy, hardware items (nails, screws, plumbing stuff etc), fishing tackle, bait, AND beer, some cold, and liquor and wine.  Only in Ontario, eh?  Meanwhile our provincial politicians keep telling us they are not going to permit beer and wine to be sold in grocery and corner stores because, since the government of our province acts like our  parents and knows what's better for us than we do, it would be abused and under-aged folks may acquire some of the nasty stuff.  Well, it works in Redbridge and countless other small community stores in Ontario.  So what gives?!?!

Hmmm ... what would the UC have to say about this?

Cedar Logs

These Cedar logs are destined to border a garden in the Compound after a bit more seasoning.

Rock Face

This rock face near the compound occasionally has water pour over it, but usually the water seeps around and under it.

Mr. Easter Island Head

Mr. Easter Island Head reposes in the garden behind the deer fence.

Summer Flowers

The flowers in this hanging basket were a smash at the Workshop Bar all summer long.

Labour Day

Labour Day on Trout Lake

Late Summer Sunset

Here's another late August sunset over Trout Lake with Falconbridge Island in the foreground.

Pig Roast, Oxford Mills, ON

Getting ready to truss up and prepare the pig for roasting early Sat. morning.

Trout Lake Sunset 16/8/14

After 4 days of cold rainy weather, it was nice to finally see the sun, even though it was only late in the day, and it made for a great sunset.

Turtle Lake Cruise

Here is some of the gang in search of Margaritaville in Turtle Lake.

Turtle Lake

Six of us went boating to Turtle Lake yesterday afternoon in search of Margaritaville - needless to say, we were successful!

Sunset

Sunset over Trout Lake

Lake Nipissing

Sunset over Lake Nipissing

Trout Laker Shaker #5 July 12, 2014

Brock Zeman and Blair Hogan rock it out out at the Shaker for 2 of our girls' engagement party.

Trout Lake Chairs

4 chairs a-waiting

Happy Canada Day!

A great day to be thankful to be Canadian!

Clayton, NY

The small Thousand Islands town of Clayton, NY, USA, not only has an opera house dating back to the late 1800's, but it also boasts a Muskellunge on its roof as a weathervane - not your typical weathervane subject.

The Riverboat Bar

Here's the bar in the Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay, NY.

The Dancing Dog Cafe and Nightclub

A cool bar in Alexandria Bay, NY.

Street Sign, USA

Alexandria Bay, NY, has a few old street signs that are a bit past their prime, but cool looking nonetheless.

Lake Ontario

Here is a view of Lake Ontario from Cape Vincent, NY, USA just across from Wolfe Island, ON, Canada.

Downspout

I made this downspout for our garden shed.  I got the idea from the downspouts on buildings on some islands in the south.

Work Shop Bar

The outside Work Shop Bar is now ready for use.

Chippewa Creek

Here's Chppewa Creek in North Bay from the bike path.

Mazinaw Lake

This is Mazinaw lake looking south towards Bon Echo Provincial Park.

Cleo

Cleo staring out on Mazinaw Lake from the stairs up to the cabin.

Chief Commanda II 2014

The Chief Commanda is getting prepped for a new sailing season on Lake Nipissing.

Sunrise

Sunrise ... and in the far distance is Africa.

Atlantic Ocean

A nice view of the Atlantic Ocean from our room.

Dards

I wonder what the Brits would think of this.

Bird Tracks

My foot is in the photo for a sense of scale.  Those are pretty big beach bird tracks!

Lakeview Snackbar

I stopped in at the recently opened Lakeview Snackbar on my way home this afternoon and enjoyed my first fries of the season by the lake - yummy.

Lake Nipissing Ice, May 6, 2014

Our lake, Trout Lake, is ice free. Normally it is ice free after Lake Nipissing. This photo was taken at noon yesterday at the waterfront of Lake Nipissing. It is still very full of ice, especially around the Chief Commanda I.