Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Tag: lakelife

  • Closing Up

    Closing Up

    It’s that time of year again where fall is well underway and the overnight temperatures are getting close to freezing. That means it’s time to get the cottage ready for winter.

    Boats are away for the winter

    The boys, Eric and Scott come out with me Friday night to execute the Closeup Checklist. The main focus is taking care of anything that will freeze. We empty the fridge and remove food that won’t survive 6-7 months of sitting around in the cold.

    Three big tasks are putting away the boats and cleaning up the dock, draining the water system and winterizing the septic field. We get started, after coffee ☕etc. around 9am

    The boys do all the heavy lifting while I handle septic system. I won’t get into the details but it can be a bit yuckie if you think about it too much.?

    The 3 of us move through the task quite quickly. May hands make light work.

    By about 1:30 were done and heading into Kenora to pick up lunch and drive home.

    Thanks guys, love you, Dad ❤️

  • From Above

    During my work life I flew to Toronto from Winnipeg quite a few times. The flight path in both directions flies right over Lake of the Woods. In fact it flies directly over our cottage on Heenan Point and this is the point where they reduce air speed and begin the decent into Winnipeg.

    I’ve taken a few pictures over the years but never as clear as this one that my son Scott took on the way back from Montreal.

    Henan Point on Lake of the Woods

    There are lots of variables in getting a clear shot like this. Are you in a window seat with the lake on the correct side of the plane? How’s the weather, is it clear and cloud free? Are you paying attention and ready to get the shot? The plane is still going pretty fast and you only have a few minutes.

    Took advantage of the sunny calm weather to do a little kayaking.

  • Kayak is a Palindrome

    Kayak is a Palindrome

    Just a random fact because we gave Dane a kayak for his upcoming birthday to maximize the in-water time this summer.

    Paddle Boy

    When there are brothers you pretty much need two of these.

    Peas in a Pod? Two in a Kayak? Summer Fun!
  • Thankful

    Thankful

    A while back I decided to make an effort to be more thankful. And to that end I started a list on the iPhone Reminders app and I get a daily prompt to put something on the “Thankful” list. Now not every day gets and entry but most do. Another facet of this initiative is to monthly review the list to remind me of all the things I’m thankful for.

    As a part of this month’s review I thought that once in a while I’d share one of these “Thankful” items on the blog. First up is this one.

    Easton is my Grandson and this phone call was quite out of the blue and I don’t normally get any phone calls for the Grandkids so this was kind of special. The tree fort is at the lake and for me this meant he was thinking of good times at the lake and planning for more good times in the future. ?

  • Peak of the Summer

    This is what we wait for all winter long and here it is. Hot (25°-30°C) and sunny with a light breeze form the south west. Quite a glorious day at the lake.

    Up at 6am for a few cups of coffee and some reading in the quiet of the dawning day before easing into a bacon and waffles breakfast. A little yard work before the day gets too hot and I’ve satisfied my need to accomplish something useful for the day. Now it’s time to goof off, relax, adventure, and perhaps a siesta.

    We take a scenic boat ride through the Hades and over to Scotties Island before turning back home.

    After some dock time and a light lunch its on to reading a book which will inevitably lead to that siesta.

  • Rainy Day

    A rainy day at the lake is still a great day.

    I woke up to the sound of gentle rain and a light breeze rustling through the trees. It had been calm all night and as I drifted in and out of a dreamy sleep, I drank in the nature sounds.

    Shortly, there was thunder in the distance and then closer as the wind picked up and a small storm rolled through our location. I went upstairs to check on the windows and then just sat watching the raindrops on the patio door form rivulets running down to the deck.

    Time for that 1st cup of coffee and more gazing out at the magnificents of creation. It seemed like I was trying to lock it all into my memory, to preserve the feeling for as long as possible.

    After a breakfast of corned beef hash with poached eggs on top, it was time to get busy with a small maintenance project.

    So thankful to have this place to relax, rejuvenate and let the cares of life drift away for a time.

  • Cottage Opening 2016

    Opened the cottage a little early this year, the Thursday before the traditional May long weekend. I took a few days off and came down Wednesday evening. Part of the early opening was a group ride that was taking place in the Kenora area, billed as a “Spring Training Camp” which seemed like a lot of fun, and it would be nice to have the water running for a hot shower after the rides.  Plus, Gail & Gord are coming down on Friday and staying at the lake until they take possession of their new house in Saskatoon sometime in June. 

    After last years pump problem where it wouldn’t prime, but in the end noting seemed to be wrong with it after I dragged it into town for servicing, I was a little apprehensive about this years startup. But, no problems! It started up just fine on the first attempt and after starting at about 6:30am I had the bulk of the cottage opening chores done by 8:30 and was sitting down with a cup of coffee and waiting for the hot water tank to do it’s thing.

     Being pretty lazy and enjoying the quiet. After a trip to town to look for an Apple power adapter for the laptop (unsuccessful) and enjoying the first Chip Truck of the year, it was time for a nap. Life roles at a different pace at the lake, well, at least for me. 

    I’m thinking there are not too many people around right now as Netflix ran fine all evening without buffering. Normally, on a summer weekend, the wireless bandwidth is getting sucked up by all the neighbours and the Internet slows to a crawl, making Netflix almost unwatchable. 

    The weather is cool at 0°C and drizzling, in fact right now it’s snowing kind of hard . HArd to see in the photo, but it’s like a micro blizzard which I’m sure will disappear momentarily, right?


    The planned big group rides for the weekend have been cancelled because so many guys bailed because of the weather forecast. I guess I’m on my own. If there is a break in the weather I’ll take a spin over to Rushing River and if things really turn around perhaps a longer spin out to Minaki and back.