Labour Day. A milepost. Back to school. This year, although the norm, is different from what we have become accustomed to over the last couple of years. School buses are out in force and students are on the streets. It’s amazing to think that for some students who entered high school during the height of [...]
Photo Credit: Norm Drolet, "Moose on the Nipissing River" The morning mists have begun in spots, rendering soft the light of dawn on our pre-Cambrian frame. This time of year, with autumn quietly leaving hints, changing leaf tips pulling golden hues to the fore, is rich in abundance. John Keats wrote: Season of mists and [...]
Photo courtesy of Peter Hermann Wooden boats. There was a time when all pleasurecraft were made of wood: runabouts, sedans (fixed tops), cabin cruisers. Name it and it was in wood. For a small market, Muskoka had a lot of boat builders. Part of the reason was location… it was hard to get to Muskoka. [...]
There was a time when culture here reflected how well you could fish, play cards or paddle a canoe. From time to time for extreme culture, a boat trip to Bala and Dunn’s Pavilion (today The Kee) or an evening in the Opera House in Gravenhurst put icing on the cake. Of course there were [...]
The nights are slowly lengthening and, if the early mornings in these parts are anything to go by, they are cooling too. With the cool comes clearer skies. After sunset, the sky takes a page from the Webb telescope. As far as the eye can see there are points of light. Magnificent! On the dock, [...]
Come on in! The water’s fine💦, they said. Up until a week ago the waters in these parts were definitely on the refreshing side. Some might say cold. With heat of the last few days there’s been a definite closing of the tolerance gap. Super heated bodies need to cool down and, for the more [...]
Dog days of summer. Named for the brightest star in the summer sky, Sirius. It’s found in Canis Major, the dog constellation. The star has little to do with dogs lazing around in the sun... Although when it comes to dock time, lazing around in the sun is pretty nice - especially with an ice [...]
Segwun by Gordon Harrison MarketWATCH Muskoka: 7 July 2022 At the height of the steam era, Gravenhurst Wharf was a hive of activity. Passengers disembarked from the train🚂 onto the wharf and from there directly onto one of several steamships. For those going north to Royal Muskoka, Windermere, Pinelands or Elgin House (to name only [...]
The summer smiles, the summer knows… so goes the song. In these parts we might say, Muskoka smiles, Muskoka knows. The mystique of loon calls, exposed granite shores and whispering pines are special enough. But when the burble of a woody sliding by breaks the soundscape, Muskoka smiles. For more than 120 years inboard motors [...]
MarketWATCH Muskoka: 23 June 2022 Summer steamed in and made itself comfortable, breaking a few records as it did so. Along the way, it effectively diminished the mosquito population. Unexpectedly, summer’s first weekend may be without the ‘Muskoka wave’, a by product of swatting the pesky critters away. Once again, people are congregating, enjoying sights [...]
