If this gets any more interesting we may be looking for higher ground. The lake level was high on the May long weekend and it’s been getting higher ever since. When we arrived at the lake last night we were greeted by some changes in our dock situation.
Since May 3, 2022 the lake has gone up 37.8 inches, over 3 feet! On about May 24th it surpassed the most recent high level reached in 2014. Before that you have to go back to 1950 before the lake was ever this high.
This morning it was down to the dock for some remedial action to clean things up and perhaps weigh things down a bit so there is no more damage or hopefully minimal damage. The garbage cans were nice more loaded with water and a few buckets I found floating around the shore line were all pressed into service. All the accumulated debris was cleared up. Big pieces were gathered on shore for future re-use or burning and the smaller gunk was pushed into the water and sent on it’s way further down the lake.
After the cleanup
Thankfully our dock is in a sheltered area on the east side of the point. The neighbours across the road have a huge dock under water and exposed to the prevailing west winds which blow across a 5 mile open expanse before hitting their dock. Lots of fun wave action.
They have 12 of those large water filled containers holding their dock down and even then there is some movement with the wave action.
On Friday, May 20th, I spent much of the day just tidying up after the fall shutdown putting things back in place for the summer. In the evening all the family came out and we had some nice conversation over a few beverages. (Part 1 is here)
In the morning Scott and I watch the F1 practice sessions, after all it is his birthday weekend and also an F1 race weekend in Miami. After breakfast the boys and I tend to some of the heavier dock work. Well, actually the guys do all the heavy lifting, I’m just directing traffic.
The aluminum boat is flipped right side up and the Merc outboard is put on the boat. After a few pulls (14 but who’s counting. Need to get that electric start fixed) it fires up and we go retrieve the sailboat ramp which floated away to the bay next to us. It’s still all intact so it’s repositioned and winched up to a higher location and tied to a large tree.
The boat roller ramp is re-positioned and comes in handy in dealing with the extra high water levels this spring.
It’s not all work and late in the afternoon there is a walk down the road with everyone
and smores around the fire pit. Along with roasting worms and other “boy stuff” ?.
Worm RoastSmores – much tastier
Dinner is the classic lake burgers with “cheese goo”, potato salad, beans marinated tomatoes and all the condiments. Plus a special dessert for the birthday boy.
On Sunday the family is packing up to get back to town for a number of different commitments. Scott and I watch the F1 race before he goes, well the start anyway. I finish it up after they have gone.
It’s early in the day and all the family have left so before tackling a few more startup tasks, there is time for the coffee on the deck lake tradition.
Then it’s back to “work”, which is always more like fun at the lake. I take the kayaks down to the dock mainly so I can use one to paddle over to some friends on an island near us to say hello.
Lots of docks are weighted down against the high water
After that it’s cut up some downed trees on the path and haul the brush up to the road. The yard gets a raking and the property gets the leaf blower cleanup treatment. Things are looking pretty tidy. The boat is washed out and battery installed, ready to go for the season.
With the high water I get the garbage cans from 2014 down to the dock and fill them up with water to hopefully stabilize the top of the dock against the high water and waves.
On Monday I’m up at 6:15 but still miss the sunrise which is 5:26am these days, perhaps tomorrow. Generally a relaxed morning then a quick bike ride over the Rushing River.
Rushing River from the Highway BridgeRushing River at the Cook Shelter
In the afternoon it’s cleaning the eavestroughs front and back both of which were more that a little plugged up with leaves and gunk.
Tuesday I am up for the sunrise at 5am on a totally clear and cool (8°C) morning. After easing into the day with several cups of coffee and a light breakfast I start the investigation on replacing the rotted beam that supports the deck in the front left corner.
This years major repair job
This could be a bit of a job as it’s 2 – 2×10 – 16′ and 10′ in the air at the high corner on uneven ground. New footings and a temporary support system will be required to do the replacement. Always something fun happening at the cottage.
We pack up in the early afternoon and head back to town. As we pass through Kenora we make the first of the season stop for a little treat for the road. The perfect end to a great opening weekend.
The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.76 m (1062.2 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level rose by 16 cm (6 in) over past week.
All very interesting but what does that mean to me and our cottage?According to the Lake of the Woods Water Control Board, today, May 13, 2022
Well, at this level the water is +19″ over the swim platform
And -2″ below the main dock at the far end, right hand side.
It also means we’re trying to prevent the dock top from ripping off and floating away with some garbage cans full of water to weight it down.
We’re out at the cottage on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the May long weekend. One of the perks of being retired.
May long weekend is the traditional weekend for opening up the cottage, turning on the water and getting everything operational for the 2022 season. May it be long, sunny, warm/hot, with lots of family and friends.
A foggy start to the day
In over 40 years of opening up this cottage it’s always interesting to experience. It can go totally smooth to a total disaster. Well, maybe not disaster but some openings are a little more challenging than others. This year things are going quite smoothly.
Pretty much the number one concern is the water system. For many years this involved putting the intake line back in the lake and priming the pump. A few year back this started to be a real problem. Several attempts were made at fixing the pump, replacing the pump, coaxing the pump, praying over the pump. Finally we switched to a submersible pump. Best decision ever. You turn it on and it pumps, no priming required and it stays in the lake all year round so no pulling it out in the fall and putting it back in the spring.
Over the years cottage water systems evolve. A leak here, a burst pipe there, additions and adjustments everywhere. To solve many of the issues with water freezing in the lines over the winter numerous pipe disconnect points evolved which meant disconnecting and re-connecting every year.
A couple of years back I made a fairly serious upgrade to the plumbing to facilitate an easier shutdown and startup. Pex pipe to the rescue. In conjunction with ball valve drains all the disconnect points were installed. 1/4 turn and it’s opened or closed. All the under cottage water lines were upgraded to pex and all outside taps were changed to 1/4 turn ball valves that don’t leak the way taps with washers eventually do.
All in all with the upgraded plumbing and the submersible pump starting the water system is much faster and easier. However, not totally bullet proof! Somehow last year some dirt got on the pressure switch contacts causing the pump to not run. And not immediately but the next day after it seemed to have started up just fine.
This years “mystery” was the hot water tank. After it was full of water I turned on the power at the breaker. Normally, 20 minutes later you have screaming hot water. This year, ice cold. Lake water temperature is currently 5°C. Not the best temperature for a shower. So I reset the breaker and thankfully we have hot water. This could be an early sign of the breaker getting worn out as we turn it off when we’re not here. So, 40 years of spring/summer/fall weekends with it getting flicked off and on may be wearing it out.
This morning (Thursday) I tackle a few more “opening” chores.
Move all the chairs and outside stuff out of the shop
Reconnect the washing machine (separate post on that)
Fire up the septic system by installing the air pump and connecting a few hoses etc. (uneventful, which is great as this is the Number 2 ? concern at the lake)
Cut up a downed tree blocking the path to the dock.
Unload the chairs and loungers from the dock storage shed
Notice that the sail boat ramp is “gone” due to the high water. I’ll look around the bay for it this after noon.
Ok, that’s enough, time for a coffee break, perhaps some lunch and then heading out on the Oarboard to look around for that missing boat ramp.
Back in mid-December Len and I were out at the lake and this is trip #2 for the winter season.
The drive was fine and we stopped in Kenora for dinner at the LOTWBrewCo and arrived at the cottage around 8 p.m. As usual the snow bank at the bottom of the driveway and the driveway itself was impassible so I used the snowshoes to clear a trail. A few trips and we’re loaded in. The cottage is only -5°C and didn’t seem all that cold. With the furnace, fireplace and kerosene heater cranked on it’s quite toasty in short order.
Some beverages, snacks and a couple of movies and it’s almost 1am so we call it a day.
Next morning after a few coffees and a light breakfast it’s time to head down to the lake to get some water.
There is still lots of ice but also lots of surface water this year. I shovel off a light cover of snow to find out that I can also break off about 1” of ice with the shovel and hit a water pocket! Normally, this requires a pick axe to dig out a trough to dip the bucket in. There seems to be alternating layers of ice and water for about the first foot and then it’s solid ice for over 2 feet. We scoop out two buckets and back up to the cottage.
Later in the day we head out across the lake past the island and across the ice road to an area where there has been some sort of snow clearing activity.
Out past the island, where we see people fishing during the summer, there has been another ice road created that leads form a cottage in the north end of the bay to this fishing spot. There is evidence of several ice fishing holes which are now frozen over. With the ice roads “officially” closed I suspect any ice fishing shacks have been removed.
Next morning I’m up at 6am with a coffee watching the moon rise being washed away by the sun rise at 7:05am
Moon on the far right and Saturn straight ahead 6:00am
Sunrise in the East just coming over the trees 7:05am
Our water hole has frozen over with about 2″ of ice due to the -21°C over night.
After coffees and a leisurely breakfast we clean up, pack up and head for home. A good winter weekend.
So, one day after my dad and I had finished working for the day we were relaxing in the RV and participating in what was commonly known in our family circles as “the cocktail hour”.
Generally, the “hour” was quite loosely defined. All it really meant was pre-dinner drinking.
I had brought some Yukon Jack which my dad had never had and there is this recipe on the back called a “Snake Bite”. It’s pretty simple, some ice, a squeeze of lime juice and of course some Yukon Jack.
I find them pretty tasty and I think my dad did too as we imbibed quite liberally. I think dinner did get made but I’m not too sure and by the end of the evening “Jack” was no more.
We had some interesting and wide ranging conversations about some quite deep and personal stuff. It was quite a special time for me, just the two of us, man to man. I don’t remember much about the conversation details but the one thing that sticks out was I told my dad I loved him. Might of been the first time I’d said it out loud, just the two of us. A good memory.
The next morning was pretty rough but we didn’t talk about our hangovers we just had some breakfast, maybe just a coffee, and got to work.
It’s at the lake with the whole family, at least the whole family as back on August 5, 1993, things have changed over the years. My dad is taking the picture and my mom is on the left at the back. Gail & Gord with Ian and Craig and Shirley and I with Eric And Scott around the table. To me this picture symbolizes what the lake was all about for my parents, especially my dad. A place where the family could gather all together and share in the lake experience. I remember working with him as we built the cottage from plans that were slightly more that the back of a napkin, actually two fairly simple drawings. The design goal was always about having enough space so that everyone could be there at the same time.
Today, it’s rare that everyone is there at the same time. Distance, scheules, relationships and life seems a little more complicated than back in the day. Perhaps I was just more oblivious back them. Today, As I sit in the livingroom looking out at the snow and Christmas is approaching I can feel a whistful longing for the lake and the way things were. But, life moves forward, things change, and I need to adapt to the new realities. The lake will alway hold a very special place in my heart for the memories that were forged in that place with loved ones in my life. Change can never take that away.
Three days ago the enemy penetrated our perimeter defenses for the second time. He was located hiding in a water reservoir. After a short skirmish, the enemy was extracted and left on the side of the road, presumed dead. After this incursion it was necessary to fortify the perimeter with IEDs (improvised entrapment devices).
Two nights ago there where heavy casualties inflicted on the squirrel army. Two dead, one wounded and one prisoner. The wounded and prisoner were relocated far from enemy lines. Last night it was quiet on the battle front, but this lull in the action will not make us complacent for we must be ever vigilant until victory has been assured. Repairs to the perimeter may take place today to facilitate improved ventilation to the fortress.
