The Cottage Chronicles

Shopping In Maine and New Hampshire

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Shopping....you wanna talk shopping? We are just back from four days of shopping in Maine and New Hampshire, catching lots of bargains on everything from clothes to boat supplies to fishing rods to electric heaters for the camp! It was a great trip. 4 of us left Nova Scotia on Friday evening after work, and crossed the border at Calais, Maine around 12:30 a.m. Another couple of hours and we were happily ensconched in the Bangor Motor Inn.

The next morning, our little shopping party armed with credit cards and American cash, headed for Kmart to start things off, then we drove out to Marden's in Brewer, and lot's of other stores and shops in between. I'm always amazed at some of the bargains to be had on a trip like this....for instance, I got a pair of rubber bottom leather top shoes for $10....and a pair of $60 hiking boots for $14 and that was only the beginning.....

From Bangor we headed off the next day to New Hampshire, the land of "no sales tax" where we found more bargains, although, to be honest, I did better in Maine. However, I did manage to buy a special washer that I had been looking for to fix the throttle arm on my Evinrude 15 h.p. outboard motor at a boat shop in New Hampshire, just before the place closed because of heavy flooding. In fact, we were in the midst of the heavy rain and wind that was covering the Northeast the past few days. The Kmart, called the "Big K" was closed, their parking lot had about a foot of water in it. That was a disappointment for the girls, who love Kmart shopping, however, one thing about Maine and New Hampshire, there are lot's of Kmarts, so it wasn't long until we found another one.

We stayed overnight in Concord, New Hampshire, at the Days Inn then headed back to Maine the next day, shopping along the way. As we travelled North we got out of the heavy rains, and back into fair weather, making getting around much easier.

I have no idea what Wendy bought, but I bought more than I can list here, but I know it includes, a new 9"foot Cortland fly fishing rod for $40 and two weight forward fly lines, backing line, several fishing lures, several books, an electric heater for the cottage, a pair of chest waders, a new spinning reel and rod for $19.99, a 5 Gallon Camp Solar Water Heater Shower, a power washer, (for the garden hose) several artist paint brushes, 10 feet of chain, enough boot laces to last a lifetime, some plugs for converting a three prong plug to a two prong plug, a new anti-cavitation stabilizer plate for my outboard motor, called a Hydrostabilizer Jr a couple of new flashlights, some boat dock rope, pair of running shoes, and a bunch of other stuff, too much to mention here. We had a great time, and I managed to keep my spending down to just over the limit for the border, which was $400 for 48 hours, I ended up paying about $5.00 in duty....big deal! Wendy had to pay a little more, possibly because I managed to get her to pay for a lot of the other stuff for me and the family....ha ha....well...I had to buy the camp and boat stuff......

There are some good bargains to be had, there is no doubt, especially if you look for the discount stores that are not always as well advertised as places like Walmart. Marden's for example, is a great place with lot's of bargains on everything you can imagine from clothes to tools to sporting goods, hardware, shoes, you name it...they have it. These are discontinued items, buy-back items, and more, if I lived closer, I would be in Marden's every week. The same for the Ocean State Job Lot stores, lot's of bargains. Burlington Coat Factory is another great place to find bargains, with name brand products at lower prices. e even managed to do what seemed impossible, find wooden knitting needles my Mom wanted, in a store called JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores

As for the other stores, like Walmart and Kmart, they have much of the same stuff we have here, although I found the selection bigger, and the prices a little lower. In terms of sporting goods, the Walmart sporting goods section makes the Walmart sporting goods section here look like a corner store. I also enjoyed a visit to Dick's Sporting Goods I spent almost two hours in the fishing and hunting section, dreaming about all the stuff I would buy if I had more money and more room in the van. The only place we didn't get too, and just as well, was L.L. Bean and I say just as well, because I want one of everything they have, which would have been really hard on the pocketbook.....no matter, I can still order from their online catalog.

We had some good meals too, the best at The Texas Roadhouse in Bangor, Maine, we also ate one night at Applebees although, I have to say, I enjoyed the Texas Roadhouse a bit better. One thing we did find in short supply, was Tim Horton's Coffee. Although there are Tim's in Maine, unlike here in Canada, they are not on every street corner, which was a bit hard to get used to, somehow Dunkin' Donuts, just isn't the same.

I almost forget, the entire trip was made very easy because of a 'gizmo' that was new to all of us, we had a borrowed GPS Navigator What a fabulous thing that is....you type in your trip, or someplace you want to go, and it tells you how to get there with an onscreen map and a voice that gives you directions, like when to take an exit etc. We would have had a much more difficult time finding our way around without it. The funny thing is, I have one that I got two years ago, and never used, kind of forgot about it, thinking I had no use for it....before the day is out, I am going to get it figured out and hooked up to try it. I won't go on a road trip without one now.

We're home now, with nothing but empty wallets, and happy memories and of course, lots of new stuff, I'm exhausted but glad to have had a safe and successful shopping trip to Maine and New Hampshire!

Here are some of the stores I recommend for shopping in Maine and New Hampshire.

Mardens

Kmart

Dick's Sporting Goods

Ocean State Job Lot

WalMart

Burlington Coat Factory

JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores

L.L. Bean

Planning A Trip? Check Your Credit Card

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Hey Friend! I apologize as this post is not particularly cottage related, but sometimes when you come across something worth knowing, it is also worth sharing......

We are planning a little trip to the U.S.A. for a few days of shopping. One of the folks we are travelling with discovered that if you have a Visa Credit Card issued in Canada, and use anything other than a 4 digit PIN it can be troublesome with the new PIN pad machines used in the United States, and apparently some parts of Canada as well...so....I called Royal Bank Visa tonight, and sure enough, the customer service rep confirmed that to be the case.

All is not lost, she advised me to drop into the nearest branch of the Royal Bank and get my PIN changed, which shouldn't be too much trouble, just the nuisance of having to go to the bank, but it is what it is, and security is important....but....that is not all.....I also learned that these days, if you don't tell the Royal Bank, and perhaps other banks, that you are going outside of your usual baliwick, and they notice any "unusual" activity on your card, they can and sometimes do suspend the card.....sweet.....imagine having that happen as you are trying to pay your way out of a hotel on the last day.....

So there you go, a word to the wise about traveling and credit cards. It's probably says all that in the credit card holder agreement, but who the heck remembers where that is, and what it says.......

What A Day !

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:38:00 +0000

In light of a recent heavy rain and wind storm in these parts, I thought it might be a good idea to make a little run to the cottage today to see how it weathered the storm. It's only about an hour from home, so it's not like an ordeal to take a quick run there. However.....it quickly turned into something of an ordeal.....

We were about 10 minutes from the camp when suddenly my Chevy Tracker of the big wheels fame took to making a racket....that is how I describe it, "a racket" which is what happens when your vehicle exhaust system breaks clear in two in front of the muffler! Oh yeah Baby! We were roaring down the highway! With no such thing as a garage for miles, in fact, on Sunday in our part of the cottage country, there is no such thing as a garage most of the time....so we pushed on, and arrived at the cottage no worse for wear, although everyone knew we were coming! It sounded like an propellor airplane landing in the driveway.

First things first, check the camp while the muffler tailpipe assembly cooled down so I could touch it. The wind had torn a piece of my plastic off the veranda, but the plywood was all intact, the deck still pretty much protected from the weather. However, the roof was another thing entirely. Wendy picked up about 30 some roof shingles in the yard, and told me that many more were in the garden. I looked...sure enough, shingles everywhere. So I got out the rickety aluminum ladder and climbed up for a look-see. Yup, we have lost a pile of shingles. Luckly, most are the first layer, I think called the "tabs" which leaves some shingle material still covering the roof, which should help to continue to shed rain and water from melted snow. But it's still not good....nothing I could do about it today, but worry, so I put the ladder away and turned back to more pressing matters, the broken exhaust pipe.

Thank heavens and my Dad for having a bunch of "stuff" in the shed. I was able to find a pair of tin-snips, a tin can and some rabbit snare wire. With that, pliars and an old piece of carpet to lay on, I went to work under the Tracker. Now I don't know about you, but I am not much of a mechanic, but I am a bit of a "maciver" type, mostly out of necessity....I have a lot of stuff go wrong at the most inopportune times.....so I have learned how to patch stuff up for emergency purposes if nothing else. Can't fix a crooked picture, but I can tie up a muffler. That's what I did.......

I cut the tin can to make something to wrap around the pipe, joining the broken parts together as much as possible laying on the ground, working with mostly one hand. I used the rabbit wire to tie it up as one of the support brackets had given out, which is probably why it broke off in the first place. That done, I taped it up a bit and wrapped some more wire around it. That didn't satisfy me, so I got a piece of pipe hanging strap, wrapped that around the new joint and put it together with a nut and small bolt. Presto...well almost presto, but at least it was together enough to get us back to the city.

We got home after what Wendy described as an "ear shattering nerve racking drive," but we made it, and the Tracker is safely parked in the driveway until I can see to it this week. The cottage roof...well that is another thing to add to the list of repairs needing doing this summer. One of too many things to do actually, but it will get done eventually. In the meantime, let's pray we don't get too much more heavy rain or wind.......

On top of that, my blog account had somehow or other been disabled this morning when I got up, leaving me thinking that my blogging days had come to an untimely end....I worked feverishly to try and figure out what went wrong, and really don't know, however, I followed the instructions to email my phone number to them, and I received a code in return that I entered. That seemed to fix things up, and my account was restored.....thank you Google! I had no idea how depressed not being able to write The Cottage Chronicles was going to have on me. But we're back !

So...some lessons learned. One of them is to have some rabbit wire, some muffler tape and some pipe hanger material at the cottage. In fact, a supply of auto mechanic type tools would be a good thing to put in a box and keep there on hand for emergencies like the one we had today. If I hadn't found that rabbit wire and the wire cutters I would not have been able to fix it as easily. Chewing gum does not hold exhaust pipe together very long....neither do paper clips....

It's not all bad, we got home in time to see the Canada-United States Olympic Medal Game....what a nail biter that was....oh my....The U.S. played a heck of a game, as did Canada, it was about as exciting as hockey gets for me I have to tell you. Sidney Crosby's goal in the overtime period, well...that was something.....He grew up a few kilometers from where I live....I don't know him.....wish I did...I have two daughters about his age......Ha Ha! Just kidding.

Winter Weekend At The Cottage Number 2 !

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Hey Campers! We're just back from another great winter weekend at the cottage! That's twice this winter, and they keep getting better each time. The weather cooperated, cold, but sunny with not too much wind, no snowstorms to speak of, and lot's of stuff to do! Of course they all involve survival....by that I mean, at the camp in winter you need to get a supply of water, and a supply of firewood. That takes a good bit of time. So do other chores, like keeping water hot on the woodstove for washing, and for dishes etc. Everything becomes a little more difficult without running water. Not insurmountable, just more difficult. Of course it's cold too, so keeping the wood stove burning takes some attention, especially early in the morning, when the fire has gone out overnight, and the place starts to cool off. That's when I sure appreciate that electric blanket !

Last weekend was a big 4 wheeler / snowmobile rally on the lake, with apparently hundreds of machines running up and down the ice and over the trails. We missed that, this weekend there were some ATV's and snowmobiles going past the camp out on the lake, but not very many. I got a few pics and even a video a snowmobile that was really cooking as he went by, I guess he didn't want to be on the ice any longer than necessary.....As soon as I figure out how to upload it, I will put it on for ya!

As I mentioned, the weather cooperated so Doug and I went back into the logging business, cutting some more trees, one big one that got hung up....kind of exciting for few minutes, then we got a good old brush fire going and burned up the slash and branches. Really got a lot of it cleaned up, which was good because otherwise I worry that it will become a fire hazard in the warmer months.

There is nothing like a outdoor fire on a nice winter day. I love it, plus, it gets rid of so much of the old branches and stuff that won't make it to the woodstove. And speaking of the woodstove, my woodpile is growing, next trip we will be cutting this up and splitting it.

One thing about having a place on a lake, the scene before you is always changing, the seasons bring a different view of the same water. This time it is the ice, and the shadows.

I have to be honest, I much prefer the above view when it is water instead of ice, but it is beautiful nonetheless. I'm posting a few more pics from this weekend on The Cottage Chronicles Photo Blog

If this works...here is a video of a big old spruce tree that I cut down, only trouble was, it got hung up in some other trees....a conumdrum....As I stood looking at it, wondering my next plan, it starting breaking off branches, as the wind moved it a bit I guess....unfortunately this video doesn't really do it justice, and I had to stop videoing when we cut it through to get it to fall the rest of the way. A big old tree.....Hated to cut it down, but it was becoming too big, and if it had of uprooted, it would have been a mess.

Nestor Martin Oil Stove

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:52:00 +0000

This time last week we were comfortably settled in at the cottage. The wood stove cranked up with a wonderful crackling fire, making the cottage warm and cozy, enjoying the company of our friends, and having a relaxing few days. I'd love to be back there tonight. That's the only trouble with going to the cottage in the winter, when you come home, it leaves you longing to go back.

We actually discussed going back this weekend earlier this week, but the weather has been sooo cold, and quite frankly, there isn't a lot to do there at night in the winter. At least not when the temps have been so far below zero, doesn't really make for a fun night to have an outdoor campfire. Plus, it means we would be burning through our wood supply, which isn't bad, but it's not like it is endless, and in a couple of months or less, we will be going in earnest, and will need it.

So we decided to stay home, where we have 50 channels on the television, lots of heat from the hot air furnace and oil stove, which by the way, is an excellent source of continuous heat. Ours is a Nestor Martin, supplied by Ultramar. It's a wondeful appliance, giving more heat to our downstairs than we know what to do with, running steady, with little or no maintenance. Nestor Martin is a company out of the United Kingdom, but their products are available in North America through various suppliers. Ours came from our local oil supplier, Ultramar.

There are few things in life that I can say have been as trouble free and as satisfying as our Nestor Martin oil stove. It burns regular furnace oil, and we have a 200 gallon tank for it alone. The little stove is efficient, and clean, as a check of the chimney shows, it doesn't create a lot of smoke, something I find amazing. What it does create is a lot of heat, as well as a comfortable, ambience in our family room, that keeps us comfortable all winter long. Ours has a glass in the door to allow us to see the flame, which adds to the atmosphere in the room.

I've been a fan of oil stoves since we had our first Kemac oil burner stove at the camp when I was a kid. We still have one today, a old Enterprise stove that is built on the Kemac style, only this one has an electric range on one side, and an oil burner on the other. We don't use the oil burner side, mainly because of our proximity to the lake. I am not keen on the chance of an oil leak sometime when we are not at the cottage. Therefore, I disconnected the oil supply a few years ago although the chimney is still in place.

But for home it is great. And...if we do eventually move to the cottage, I will likely replace our woodstove with an oil stove such as the one we have in our house. I love how it burns continually, no wood to mess around with, no worrying that the fire will go out during the night. These days, with the chance of power outages caused by snowstorms, hurricanes and the like, it is a comfort to know that we don't need power for heat, and our stove, as long as we have oil, will provide us warmth, hot water and if we had too, we could even cook on it, or at least boil water, heat up canned food etc.

During a massive snowstorm in the 1990's known locally as White Juan, we lost power for a day or two, and the pellet stove we had at the time was useless as it required power to run the auger. Today I think they have backup batteries to keep them going in a power outage. However, pellet stoves and me do not agree, so I recommend an oil burning stove anytime I get a chance. It's no wonder we have become so dependent on oil. Let's face it, the convenience, warmth, dependability, all make good reasons to burn oil. I know the environmentalists may not agree, but....until someone comes up with something better.......

And now for something completely different.....a whitetail deer pic for no reason other than I like it!

Winter At The Cottage 2010 !

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:49:00 +0000

As my dear old Dad always says, "I never come home from the camp rested...." and I know what he means! I can say I come home happy, and relaxed, but always tired. That's how I feel tonight, we just got back from our January trip to the cottage, two night and two days "roughing it" at the camp! We left in a snowstorm of sorts on Friday night, luckily we got behind a snowplow who went almost all the way to the cottage, that made things a little easier. The snow ended Friday around suppertime, and was pushed out by the cold air....frigid cold air....Here is a pic of the old farenheit thermometer marking 19 degrees farenheit on Friday evening. Our buddies, Doug and Darlene arrived about an hour behind us, game to spend what could be a very cold weekend indeed....between the snow and the weather forecast calling for extremely cold weather, we had a real sense of adventure going on....Here is a snap of our old outdoor thermometer that hangs on the outside of the shed.

We got through it in fine style. It only took a couple of hours for the woodstove to get things heated up, and having electric blankets on the beds sure helps. They take the dampness out of the mattresses, making a big difference. The heat is also a big help in the morning when you wake up and the woodstove fire is out. Throw some kindling and a couple logs on the fire, and crawl back into bed until things warm up.

We got our water from a hole I cut in the ice, which wasn't too thick close to the rocks along the shore. So I filled a half dozen buckets, some for toilet flushing, some for heating for washing and dishes etc. All things considered, we arrived around 5:00 p.m. Friday and by 9:00 p.m. we were fully operational, warm and cozy, with everything we needed. We had a good supply of firewood in the shelter of the closed in veranda, and enough for the overnight and the next day piled inside the camp, which cut down on the need to be outside in the cold. Once we had our water and our firewood inside, we were tucked away comfortable. This is a picture of the hole I cut to get water. The next morning, this was frozen over so thick I had to move to another spot to get a hole cut.

Saturday Doug and I cut some trees and brush in our extra lot, and the best part, we had a good fire outside to burn up a lot of the branches and brush that has been piling up since the summer when we started thinning the lot of extra trees, deadwood and brush etc.

Got rid of a lot of the old slash that has been laying around, plus we burned up most of the branches from the trees we were cutting. Doug had a new machete which came in extremely handy for cutting branches and small saplings. It really surprised me, how well it worked.

We also managed to pile up quite a bit of wood that will eventually become firewood to keep us warm on another winter weekend. The above picture shows some of the wood we dragged out, in the foreground is Doug's John Serad chain saw, a wonderful lightweight saw that does heavy weight work!

There is nothing like a outdoor fire on a nice cool winter day, the crackling of the flames, the sizzle of the wood as the moisture and snow dry out within the heat of the fire. Here's my buddy by the fire as it dies down toward the end of the day.

It was a beautiful day, cold, but not too much wind which made things great. We topped the day off with a roast beef supper with all the trimmings and some laughs. Spending a winter weekend at the camp with friends is a great break to a long winter, and it gets you outside in the fresh air. Gotta love that! Plus, there is some spectacular scenery in the winter, with the frozen lake, and the blue clear sky accentuated with some beautiful cloud formations that signaled the end of the day.

I would have to chalk this one up as a successful weekend, good friends, good food, some outdoor work done and a couple of days worth of fresh winter air in our lungs. Hard to beat it! The cottage in winter is not the same as the cottage in summer, but in some ways, it might even be better! Just kidding.....I would rather swim than skate anyday....

Big Tires On A Chevrolet Tracker 4X4

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:11:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about putting big tires on a Chevrolet Tracker, my Chevy Tracker 4X4 to be precise. It was something I wanted to do for a long time, and I got a good deal on four 31X10.5 Light Truck tires and rims so I went for it! And...I am happy to say I am glad I did....At that time I promised a few pics of my Tracker 4X4 with the new wheels and tires, and today was the first opportunity I had. So here it is, albeit tame pics in a parking lot......

I've been running the tires now since before Christmas and have nothing but good things to say. Yes, it does affect the top end of the little SUV a little, and yes, they do give a different road feel, but otherwise, the added height is a bonus in the snow, and the ride is somewhat better too, and to my surprise, so is the steering at slower speeds. I like them....a lot....

Now that I said the good things, let me tell ya bout the bad...these tires are really a little too big for the Tracker, so sometimes they will rub the top of the wheel well when I hit a bump, and sometimes they fetch up a little making a close (very tight) turn as in parking. For normal driving, no problem, but they do cut down the tight end slow turning radius somewhat, although nothing insurmountable. They also tend to scrape the wheel well on a bump if I have a load in the back. That will be fixed when I add some kind of minor lift kit, if I decide to go that far. They also cut into the gas mileage a little, but the Chev was good on gas anyway, always returning mid to high 30 mpg, so a slight decrease in that doesn't make much difference.

However, I love what the bigger tires have done for the Tracker. The added height is fabulous in terms of clearance, and sure helps in the snow. Here is a comparison shot of the big tires on the Tracker now, compared to the 20575R15 all season tires that were on it.

I haven't had much chance to really get off road or even into any really deep snow, mainly because we haven't had much this year, but I was out in a couple of storms and the little vehicle handled the unplowed roads with aplomb. I'm not much on 'off road driving' as in plowing through mud holes, or climbing rock cliffs with the Tracker anyway, it's my daily ride, so I cannot afford to lose it in a sinkhole or roll it over on a pile of rocks. But I do like to go hunting some, and I do like to be able to get in and out of the cottage driveway regardless of conditions, and with these new bigger tires...well....try and stop me!

Is there any wonder why I have the feeling that I am sitting higher? The difference is fantastic, the Tracker is sitting higher, the ride improved somewhat, and the road feel, although not as tight at highway speeds, is great for my daily driving. I am a believer! I also think it is a little bit of the 'small man syndrome' at work. The little Tracker is often looked at with disdain by owners of larger 4X4's, who seem to think they are better than the little 4 cylinder engine and small size of the Tracker, well it's been my experience that this thing is like a 4 wheel ATV with a roof and back seat....there are not too many places it wouldn't go, even with the stock tires, I'm sure it's even better now especially where ground clearance is required.

I do have a bit of advice though. These tires are 31X10.5 Light Truck tires, they are just a teeny bit too big without a lift kit. There are tires available that are just a little teeny bit smaller that would be better, and save the need for any lift. I'm not sure of the actual size, but I'm sure if you talk to your tire dealer, they will be able to tell you. Ask for the next size down from 31X10.5 Or better yet, ask for what I am going to ask Wendy to buy me for my birthday! Mattracks!! Just look what a Tracker can do with Mattracks

Yup....these are definitely on my wish list....these and some snow....lot's of snow......

The vehicles in the above clips are equipped with Mattracks, which are a tread system that replaces the tires on everything from ATV's to SUV's to Pickups to tractors and they even make them for trailers. Check them out their website Mattracks

It Goes Right Thru Ya !

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:20:00 +0000

Sweet....gee....zuzzz..is it cold or what? I am no longer the tough Canadian guy I used to be...I like my creature comforts these days and let me tell ya, they are in short supply walking to work in this cold weather. Today I had the long underwear, t-shirt, turtleneck shirt, cordroy pants, shirt, and a sweater underneath my parka and I was still none too comfortable....my feet were good, tucked into my boots and with gloves and a hat the rest of me was OK, but it was a general cold feeling. The kind that as the expression is, 'goes right thru ya' and that's how it felt.

Here in the East, along the Atlantic coast, we get a kind of "damp cold" that is hard to describe, but it penetrates your body, apparently worse than the drier cold of the more northern places farther inland, or at least that is what we all like to believe. Apparently minus 10 below in Northern Alberta is not as bad as minus 10 below in the East....I don't believe that, minus 10 is minus 10 whether you are North, South, East of West....it's cold...wet or dry...although being wet and cold is never a good combination.

Right now in Nova Scotia it is Minus 6 degrees celsius, which equates to 20 degrees farhenheit, factor in the wind chill and what you get actually feels like minus 13C or 9F. That dam wind chill.....

A quick check of the weather channel and come to find out, right now in Jasper Alberta Canada, it is -2C or 27F it's warmer in the Rocky Mountains than it is in Halifax. On the other hand, way up at Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, right now it's -28 celsius and -18 farenheit...Ha ha...poor buggers...

Still, the damp cold that we get does seem to make it a little harder to take, perhaps because the moisture in the air gets on your exposed skin and starts to freeze. Now that...is a Rob Fact that has no basis in anything other than my imagination....ok...I am just rambling now....so I am going to shut up and go throw another log on the fire. Lets take a look at some temperatures.....see where it might be nice to go on a little trip....and where it might not be so nice.....

Fairbanks, Alaska..................-13F........-25C nope...not for me....
Halifax Nova Scotia.................9F......... -6C bring your woolies....
Vancouver British Columbia....48F.......... 9C bearable, but rainy....
Kansas City, Kansas ..............39F.......... 4C nope too chilly and tornadoes...
Orlando, Florida.....................48F........... 9C Not bad, but kind of cool for Florida....
Dallas, Texas..........................55F......... 13C Better, maybe pretty good actually
Michigan Center, Michigan......29F.......... -1C ahh....no...sorry Shelley.....
New Hampshire, New Hampshire...18F.......... -7C not likely my next stop.....
Edinburgh Scotland..................34F...........1C Yeah...and nothing under the kilt!!
Alert, Nunavit, Canada.......... -22F .......-30C OMG !!
Dawson City, Yukon Territory.-18F........-28C Yup...that is cold...very cold.
Moscow Russia..........................9F......... -12C not this year, sorry....
Bangor Maine...........................11F......... -11C anything with a minus number is not for me.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...70F........ 21C now we are talking....

Kingston, Jamaica.........................77F.......... 25C OK this sounds good....
Trinidad and Tobago.....................75F.......... 24C I'm liking this too !
Perth Australia..............................91F.......... 33C Wow! Now this is hot!!

It could be much worse, we could be in Haiti, with those poor souls suffering the aftermath of the earthquake, kind of makes the cold, even the damp cold, seem like nothing.....

Maintaining Johnson and Evinrude 9.9 and 15 Horsepower Outboard Motors

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:06:00 +0000

Ahh the winter....time to lay back and relax....well not really. It's actually a good time to get some cottage related maintenance stuff completed. I'm talking about the jobs we all put off during the Spring, Summer and Fall because we are too busy doing other cottage stuff, like boating, fishing, hunting, watersking, etc...

Now is the time to do some maintenance on things like the outboard motors and water pumps. Certainly that's on my radar. I am running around with a 1980's vintage 15 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor and a Lord only knows how old vintage Southern piston water pump....it's old...was old when we got it 30 years ago...it ain't getting any newer. So both the water pump and the outboard are due for a re-do, so I have begun my quest for information about both. I'm not having a good deal of luck finding much about the water pumps, but I did find an excellent resource, chock full of info about Johnson/Evinrude outboard motors.

There are all kinds of those motors on the water today, and they are as good today as they were then, which, in my experience was pretty good. I've gotten some great use out of both my 9.9 and my 15 Evinrude and with some repairs along the way, but not too many. One of the problems that small motors experience is the water pump, a crucial part of the outboard, and one that can be prone to problems on occasion, particularly if you run your outboard in salt water or in shallow sandy water. The sand can get sucked into the water pump and increase wear and eventually ruin the pump.

So...the point of this post is to mention that I found an excellent resource for owners of 1974-1992 Johnson Outboard Motors and 1974-1992 Evinrude Outboard Motors. It's called Maintaining Johnson/Evinrude 9.9 and 15 hp 2 cycle outboards and it's very good.

The author is LeeRoy Wisner and if you ask me, LeeRoy knows what he is talking about. The outboard repair section is actually an offshoot of LeeRoy's main site, LeeRoy's Ramblings, Fishing and Other Info I got reading his info, and to tell the truth, I have spent the last couple of hours reading and reading...it's very helpful, particularly if you own one of these older Johnson Evinrude outboards. We need more guys like LeeRoy Wisner on the internet.

My outboard is working OK as of this writing, so I am not about to mess with a good thing, but it's good to have the information if I need it, particularly since these motors haven't been made since the 1990's. I also own a 9.9 Evinrude Outboard, that isn't working, or hasn't run for a few years. I am going to try to get it back in action this year, as a backup motor if nothing else, so LeeRoy's site will be helpful I'm sure.

How To Replace Missing Roof Shingles

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:12:00 +0000

I mentioned in my previous post that we discovered a lot of shingles had blown off the roof of the cottage this winter, the result of a powerful windstorm we experienced a few weeks ago. That's always a problem with the cottage, roof shingles...

Oddly enough, our cottage roof was re-shingled not too many years ago, but these shingles haven't lasted nearly as well as the first shingles. I figure they couldn't have been the best quality. They were put on in early summer, which should have given them lots of time to seal in the heat, but they didn't. The past few years, more and more of them have blown off. One of the other reasons might be my recent penchant for cutting all the old spruce trees out of the woodlot, which, because it is on the North side of the camp, protected us from a lot of the North East winds that blow across the lake. Didn't think that one through did I....? I've traded a loss of weather protection for a better view.

So, that means some roof shingle repair is in my future, or better said, it's in my buddy Doug's future, given his carpentry skills and my fear of heights. He replaced a bunch of missing shingles earlier this year, so now he's got experience at it. Ha ha! Actually, unless it becomes a problem, like leaking, nobody will be going on the roof until the weather turns, and it is dry. Then we'll deal with it.

The shingles that blew off are really just the top "tabs". There is still a shingle underneath to shed the rain and snow. This might also be the time when I look at alternatives to traditional ashphalt shingles. I've always been interested in a metal roof, and now there are those laminate shingles, and other new types, that might be a little pricer, but may be worth the extra cost. It's something I will be looking into this spring. $$$$Money Money Money...that's cottages....got some extra money you don't know what to do with? Get a cottage....Ha-Ha! Just kidding, cottages are worth every penny...even if they take every penny.

Repairing missing or broken roof shingles is not a particularly difficult job, especially if your roof rise is not to steep. Ours isn't too bad, I think it's what carpenters call 3/12 meaning it rises 3 inches every 12 inches, and with the front deck roof, it feels quite flat when you are up there walking around...not that I am often up there walking around. If I never have to get on the roof it is too frequent for me.

However, if you are not afraid of heights, and want to repair your own cottage roof, and wondering how to replace missing roof shingles, there is a very good tutorial with pictures written by Bruce W. Maki at Hammerzone, you can read it Hereat Hammerzone Bruce describes replacing missing shingles exactly the way Doug does it. I also enjoyed Bruce's practical and important extra article, "Tips On Not Dying" which is a good refresher for anyone considering getting on a roof. I think I will print off a copy for Doug....LOL....Even if you hire someone else to get up there and replace your missing shingles, Bruce's article shows you exactly what your repairperson should be doing to replace your missing shingles.

Sunday Afternoon At The Camp

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:49:00 +0000

When I rolled out of bed this morning, I figured it was just going to be a lazy Sunday, maybe write a blog post or two, catch a nap, that kind of day. But then my Mom phoned and asked if I'd mind driving to the cottage, a friend of hers, a year round resident in cottage country, had called to say the fresh haddock they had ordered had arrived. Mom asked if I would go get it. Yup! I'm up for that, a reason to drive to the camp!

So Wendy and I grabbed our coats and away we went. The roads are clear, a few snow flurries along the way, but nothing too bad, an hour or so and we were pulling into the driveway at the camp. I'm happy to say that with the exception of a bunch of shingles off the roof, which had blown off a recent high wind storm we had, everything was good. The lake is frozen in front of the cottage, but beyond that, it's open water, owing to the recent mild weather we've been having while the rest of North America is in a deep freeze....hear that Florida snowbirds? It's nice and mild here in the Great White North...we get our frozen orange juice from a can, you guys get your frozen oranges straight off the tree....but I digress....

So it looks like a roof shingle repair job is soon in order, but not today, soon I hope, particularly if the weather stays reasonably mild. Otherwise, things were fine, we've no rabbit tracks in the yard, even though we do have one here in the city, but a ruffed grouse has been making the rounds, he's been walking around like he owns the place.

I took along my new Crosman Phantom .22 caliber air rifle to give it a try in the great outdoors, and it performed perfectly, I put some well placed shots into a target I set up. So far, I have to tell ya, I'm pleased with that air rifle. Seems to have plenty of power, and accuracy to boot. Since I got it, I've been shooting 25 shots/day in the basement in a little range I set up, and without sounding like I am bragging..I'm getting pretty proficient...OK I am bragging....I can shoot the eye out of a fly at 20 feet...a big fly....but a fly...

After we checked things out, and I played with my shooting for a little while, I repaired one of the pieces of plywood that we cover in the veranda with, it had blown off, and we closed the place up and went for the fish. Had a good, albeit short visit with Mom's friend, and then set off for home. A nice day out and about, and a day that has upped my desire to get to the camp. On the way home we started talking about scheduling a winter camp, maybe next weekend depending on the weather forecast etc. If the road stays open, and we can get in, we'll be spending a weekend down there soon.

Got home, delivered the haddock to Mom, and then when I sat down to write this post, I realized the camera had never left my pocket....I took it to get some winter pictures of the camp, and well...I got excited I guess....

Words To Live By

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:37:00 +0000

One of the things about winter is, I sometimes stray from posting about cottage life, and instead get into things that are often over my head.....but catch my eye, like a McDonalds bag on the street catches the eye of a passing seagull.....

Tonight what has caught my eye and my mind, is a quote from American autobiographer and poet Maya Angelou, who said:

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I'm always amazed when I read something like that, something that is what I call "profound" and true, and something that should be taught in schools. This is the kind of advice, that more people need to have, and to live by, as we go through a world where concern for people's feelings and lives alternates between what is real, and what is politically correct. By that I mean that today, instead of teaching people how to think, and therefore to understand, we try to legislate decency and rules about how we treat each other with laws designed to protect everyone. It's one of the reasons why laughter is in short supply, we're afraid that saying something funny might offend someone and get us in trouble.

Back to Maya Angelou's quote.....the expression, "You hurt my feelings" can hold more pain and be remembered longer than "you hurt my foot when you walked on it." Hurt someone feelings, and they will remember ti for a long time, hurt their foot and they soon forget. Make someone feel good, and from then on, they will think of you with fondness, no matter what, and always remember you as a nice person, a person they are glad to know, to call a friend.

In my advancing years, (since I turned 50 I can say that) I am becoming much more aware of such things, and starting to realize the truth in Maya's words. But the beauty of this is, it works both ways. If you make someone feel good, you too will feel good, and you will benefit from it as well. There is no gift more reciprocated than the gift of kindness. It's why we all need to practice 'random acts of kindness' in our day to day lives, try it, you will be amazed how it makes you feel.

So, while we are at it, did I mention how lovely you look today, that color highlights the amazing sparkle in your eyes.

It's as easy as that.......

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928. She's become known as "America's most visible black female autobiographer" and best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adulthood experiences. Angelou has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees and the nomination of a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie." You can read more about her at her website Maya Angelou

Ron James

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:33:00 +0000

Years ago, when I was a mere lad, my Dad and his friend, and a friend of my Dad's friend, and the son of my Dad's friends- friend...the son of the friend...who was my age, (around 16) and named "Ronnie" (Did ya get all that?) would go deer hunting. We hunted together a few times over a couple of years, at the old farm belonging to my Dad's friend.....Those were pretty good days, the two boys, keen to shoot a deer, hunting with the three old guys, (my age now) less keen to kill, but enjoying the outdoors and the hunting together. We didn't shoot any deer on those trips, but we always had a good walk in the woods.

Well, the son of the friend of my Dad's friend, who was my age, (the son not the friend) you recall I told you his name was Ronnie, turned out to go on to bigger and better things. Seems he moved to Toronto, took up acting, slid down to L.A. for awhile, did some more acting, then slid on back home, and did some more acting, only along the way he found stand-up comedy, which, it seems, he was born to do. He made a name for himself, and now plays to sell out crowds, for a substantial ticket price. His name is James....Ron James.

Ron has done OK for himself, with lots of comedy shows, television shows, and more. His humor is something many identify with, whether you are from Cape Breton, Vancouver or all points in between. Ron, by the way, was born in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, before his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. These days, Ron has made a home for himself in Toronto, Ontario.

Ron's an everyday guy, and his humor reflects that, and lots of stuff he talks about hits home for me, his choice of subject matter often things near and dear to my heart....he often jokes about the outdoors, camping, hunting, and things Canadian, like Tim Horton's coffee to mention a few.

So...because I like to say I knew him when, and because I get a laugh out of him, I thought you might enjoy a couple of clips of Ron James. This first one is about something we've talked about here before, Tilley Hats!

In this next clip, Ron is talking about something else we have talked about here, bears....

This one is camping and Germans....We've talked about camping here, but not Germans...at least not yet......

Ron James is a character.....that's how I would describe him, in the nicest kind of a way.....His comedy is infectious, his antics and movements on stage hilarious, and his facial expressions cap it all off, ensuring you are going to laugh or at least giggle.....

For more about Ron James including his upcoming tour dates, DVD's and more info about Ron and his own particular brand of comedy, check out The Official Website of Comedian Ron James

My New Pocket Knife All Purpose Tool

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:34:00 +0000

As a camper, cottager, hunter, fisherman type, I have had a passion for outdoor knives ever since I was old enough to cut my finger. And I've owned my fair share of them over the years, everything from cheap pocket knives to the more pricy ones. I've also lost a few over the years, and found a few too. Two years in a row I found a knife on the shore of our cottage lake during deer season. The first one was a Buck Stockman Folding Pocket Knife that was laying on the beach where someone had field dressed a deer. Imagine my surprise and delight when the next year, I found a sheath knife, I believe it was called a Grohmann Trout & Bird Knife minus the sheath. In almost the same place....well I could have left them for the person who lost them, but in those days, I was a big promoter of finders keepers....however, I still have both of them, so if they are yours, all you have to do is tell me approximately when and exactly where you lost them...and I'll gladly return them to you...

Knives to an outdoorsman are a passion, all outdoorsmen appreciate a good knife, and know one when they see it. That's why I have so many now, being unable to pass one up when I see a good one, even if I really don't need it. Lately my knife of choice for hunting is a Schrade 160OT Mountain Lion sheath knife
and my knife of choice for fishing is a Schrade X-Timer Folding Knife although I occasionally carry a folding Buck 55 Folding Hunter which is a heck of a good knife. Deer hunting I sometimes carry it as well as the Schrade belt knife. In fact, a good deal of the time if you took me by the ankles, turned me upside down and shook me, lord knows how many knives would fall out....even though, all you need is one good one.
In my pocket, through the week, I usually have a small Victorinox Swiss Army Pocket Knife which is an excellent little knife that has gutted it's fair share of trout, even though that isn't what I have it for really.

Those are a few of the knives I have, but there are more. Over the years I have accumulated quite a few, most of which I never use, but like a crow, show me something shiny, and chances are I need one. I've got them all over the place, in boxes, in drawers, pockets, some at the camp, some home, some in my fishing gear and a couple in my deer hunting gear. I went around and found a few for a picture. Found my little hatchet at the same time. I am going to start rounding them all up and see exactly how many I do have, it's gonna be substantial, especially if I count all the ones that I never use, but for some reason feel obliged to keep.

I have some kind of ceremonial daggar that came from a German Soldier in World War I kicking around somewhere too, although I absolutely never touch it, as it has perpetually brought me bad luck throughout my life everytime I lay my hand on it, so it is tucked away in a drawer, forever....and ever.....

Well my daughters gave me something I didn't have until Christmas, and I am thrilled with it. I just took it out of the package tonight, and it's now in my pocket, "It" is a Gerber Clutch Mini Pliers Keychain Tool, Special Ops Gray

Oh my..."special ops gray" I like the sound of that.....This handy little tool is well made and has all kinds of stuff in a small package. It's got drivers, openers, tweezers, a blade, and according to the package, it's for the guy who would "rather fend for themselves than take the easy way out" which of course...is me....and you...it's you isn't it? Cause it's definitely me.....and I am carrying mine now....Look how compact it is when it's folded up. Perfect for a pocket or adding to a key chain.

The Gerber Mini pliers are the answer to a practical pocket knife. It's not very often I am called upon to clean and skin a rabbit at the office, but I occasionally get stuck fixing a desk drawer. That's one reason why the Gerber is handy, but it's not the only reason. How many times have you been fishing or hunting and have to fix an outboard motor, or tighten a nut on a gun or fishing reel, perhaps an outboard motor. The little pliers should come in handy. All I could do with the knife is cut myself, then get someone else to fix the outboard while I scream and writh on the floor of the boat in pain....
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Grohmann /Russell Knives (second from the top in my photo) are made right here in my home province of Nova Scotia and have become quite famous. Grohmann is the original and sole manufacturer of the D.H. Russell Belt Knives for over 50 years. Grohmann belt knives are proudly owned by private collectors and outdoors people from around the world. Check out their full line-up at their website: Here

Outdoor Showers for the Cottage/Camp

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:25:00 +0000

If you're like me, your cottage is set up for a small group, like Wendy and I, which of course isn't a "group" but a "couple" which of course is taking me completely off track here....It's like this, at the cottage, when it's just Wendy and I, things are no problem, one bathroom works, one shower works etc. But, add some friends or family, and the place gets a little smaller. Particularly the bathroom and the shower. I'm always planning a second bathroom, probably an outhouse, and now I've been thinking about adding an outdoor shower, which would be great on those hot days, and just as a backup for when a crowd arrives.

There are no shortage of outdoor camp showers to be had, some very inexpensive, some very expensive, depending on what you have in mind. I want something with some hot water, otherwise we are back to plan 1 which is Wendy spraying me down with the garden hose.....that isn't a very viable option for me, especially in the Spring and Fall. And, although I am not adverse to a little display of 'skin' on occasion, these days I have too much of it, which is why I need some kind of shower shelter, if I am going to shuck my clothes and shower outdoors. So with that in mind, I've been looking at a few ideas for an outdoor shower arrangement.

The first is pretty inexpensive at $25.99 It's called the Stearns SunShower with a 4 gallon capacity, you hang it from a deck top, tree or truck roof and let the sun do the heating. It's supposed to be enough water for 3-4 showers.

This is probably all you need, as long as the sun shines and you don't have a lot of folks needing a shower. I think this would be practical for the backpacker or camper who doesn't carry a lot of gear. It's also limiting in that you need some daylight, preferably sun, to warm it up sufficiently, unless cold showers are your style.

If you want something a little more "robust" you need to upgrade to something that has it's own supply of heat, something like the Zodi® Hot Tap Single Burner Travel Shower This unit might be a better choice for the cottage, it is self contained, heats unlimited comfortable hot water instantly; has a plastic storage case that doubles as a 4 gallon water holder, and it can heat over 60 gallons of hot water between battery and propane refills. This one runs on the small propane bottles, but they have a bigger one, called the Zodi Portable Hot Shower X-40 that hooks up to a full size propane tank for hours of hot showers on demand. I think this might be the real mccoy for the cottage, but at almost $500 it isn't cheap.

Come to find out, there are all kinds of portable hot water makers, it's just a matter of deciding your own needs. For my money, I don't think I need the most expensive heater, but I prefer the idea of an on demand shower as opposed to heating the water in a solar bag, just for the convenience around the camp. Besides, I am not carrying it anywhere, so that makes the size not a problem.

That's why I am drawn to this one, the Camp Chef HWDS Triton Hot Water Heater which features fully adjustable heat and water flow and an adjustable shower Head with a 72-inches shower hose. This one uses a 20-pound bulk propane tank, and comes with the hose and regulator. The heat ignites when the water is turned on for "on-demand" hot water. I think this looks like a great arrangement, it can be mounted on an outside wall, or on a stand.

So the next thing on my outdoor shower agenda, has to be a shelter of some sort. Like I mentioned, gone are the days when standing under a shower unprotected from the neighbors....not that I ever did that, but even if I wanted to, I've passed that stage.....I think...but I digress.....What I need is a privacy shelter, of some kind, probably a permanent arrangement, but a portable one would be fine too, and less maintenance. One like this Stearns SunShower Enclosure for about $15 would be great.

Otherwise, we can get a solar shower and enclosure for about It's the Texsport Privacy Shelter w/Shower that comes with a 5 gallon shower, heated by the sun, and a ripstop shelter, that would be easy to set up and take down at the camp.

Now I am just showing gratuitous pictures of women in bikinis....Ha Ha!

Of course, there are all kinds of variations on outdoor showers, and at the cottage, a more permanent outdoor shower and enclosure might be the way to go, here's a book with lots of ideas The Outdoor Shower: Creative design ideas for backyard living, from the functional to the fantastic to help you design yours.

More Outdoor Showers

Happy New Year Cottagers

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Hey !! Looks like this is going to be the last post of The Cottage Chronicles for 2009! I'm off to a New Year's Eve Party tomorrow night, so not likely going to be able to post....sorry....wish I could...but you know how it is!

I'd like to take this post to say thank you to you for reading the Cottage Chronicles, and ask you to come back in 2010 for lots more posts about cottage life, cottages, camps, and the outdoors. 2009 has been a spectacular year for yours truly, in more ways than one, many of them revolving around my much loved family, and my friends. It's also been a great year for blogging, and I've enjoyed writing every post of The Cottage Chronicles, each and everyone of them one of my babies....and knowing that you are reading them, well, that makes my life feel pretty damm decent....to say the least!

This past year I have written 173 posts for The Cottage Chronicles, about everything from Star Gazing and Navel Gazing to How To Get Skunk Smell Off Your Dog and my Fascination With Outhouses and other posts like my trouble with the beaver to my adventure with the skunk and the Hornets and even Bats Yes, 2009 had it's share of wildlife, let's not forget Poison Ivy and Bears now that's a combination....

We also had a bit of fun late in the year, when my buddy and pal Doug, bought a speedboat! which got us on the lake in September churning up the water, kicking up some waves and grinning from ear to ear !

Ha ha! Just kidding, that isn't Doug and it isn't his boat, this is Doug's boat......

I took time out from the cottage and the great outdoors to write about Broken Down Trackers and Tom Selleck and Building A Firepit and an account of one of my favorite weekends of the year, Dads and Daughters At The Camp In between, we fixed the bloody old piston pump more times than I care to remember....and I listed 30 reasons why I love Canada

And of course, because we're nothing if we are not cultured here at The Cottage Chronicles, I also introduced a little musical...um...post...called Picking and Grinning which was very popular......ha! I almost forgot, I celebrated a milestone of sorts this year, turning 50, which of course required a post called Happy Birthday To Me!

And Wendy....my best friend and lover, well Darlin' we had a great year at the cottage, and you kept us warm and cozy all year with all the kindling you split! Still the best looking wood chopper I've ever seen!

Somewhere along the way I entered into a "relationship with a svelte and sexy trout" which ended rather abruptly when Wendy threw her in the frying pan.....but it was good while it lasted.......

It's been a rousing year, and I've had a blast everyday, thankful for my family, my wife and children, parents, the cottage, and my friends, I hope you all have a wonderful New Years and a fantastic 2010 !

Happy New Year Cottagers !!!!

The Outdoor Bloggers Summit

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:59:00 +0000

My more 'astute' readers, and that means you of course, because all of my readers are nothing if they are not 'astute' will notice that I have added a new link banner to my sidebar. That's because I have decided to link up to the Outdoor Bloggers Summit the brainchild of blogger Kristine Shreve, and 6 other fellow outdoor bloggers who combined their efforts to create the Outdoor Blogger Summit with the following Mission Statement:

The Outdoor Blogger Summit will:
* Support conservation efforts and positively portray the value of outdoor pursuits

* Encourage and support the efforts of existing outdoor bloggers
* Offer incentive and support for new bloggers who might wish to blog about the outdoors
* Unite the voices of bloggers so we can speak as one about critical issues that affect outdoor pursuits.
* Provide a clearinghouse for information about outdoor pursuits

Now let me say this about that....I normally turn and run whenever I hear the phrase, "our Mission Statement" I have heard so much of mission statement crap at work, that frankly, I find it somewhat passe now, and to be honest, couldn't give a good ~~god-dam~~ about mission statements....However, I do like blogging and I do like the outdoors, and I frequently write about the outdoors, so I couldn't see the harm in posting a link to the Outdoor Blogger Summit here on my blog.

What I have found at The Outdoor Bloggers Summit is an interesting place to find other outdoorsy blogs, blogging tips, opportunities for networking, and some fine outdoor bloggers and writers. Many of these stories are about hunting and fishing, which of course is a passion I share, and write about here on The Cottage Chronicles but there are other topics too, all revolving around the outdoors, including blogging tips, opinons and thoughts about blogging and about the outdoors and about both at the same time!

So if you are an outdoor blogger, slip over to the Outdoor Bloggers Summit and see what it is all about. I think it's worth a look.

A Winter Trip To The Camp

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Well....here it is...the Monday after Christmas. All those Christmas festivities are pretty much behind us for another year. The Christmas tree which looked so good last week, is now becoming a liability that soon has to come down. The outdoor Christmas lights soon have to come down, although we can drag that out until after New Years. It's kind of a downer, realizing that another Christmas has come and gone so quickly, particularly since here in the north, (low north, but North nonetheless) all we really have to look forward to is a long cold winter with snowstorms, freezing rain and cold....are you getting depressed?

Well don't be. The winter also brings lots to do if you want to get outside and take part in it. It can be a fun time at the cottage, skating parties, looking at animal tracks in the snow, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, ice fishing, rabbit hunting, cutting firewood etc. Firewood splits so easily when the chunks of hardwood are frozen, it almost takes the work out of splitting wood....almost....

Even if you don't do any of that, there is still something to be said for the adventure of spending a few days at the camp in the winter. There are obstacles to overcome, like no running water, keeping the place warm enough not to freeze to death overnight, flushing the toilet with buckets of water, when water is hard to get because of the ice. It's truly 'roughing it' although roughing it can be fun. I like things like cutting a hole in the ice for water, keeping the fire burning all day and night, and keeping a pot of water hot on the stove for washing etc.

Winter at the camp is also a good time to burn up some brush from the woodlot, which is one of the things on my radar this winter. I've been cutting a lot of old spruce trees from our extra lot, leaving lots of brush and branches to be dealt with before they become a fire hazard next summer. I've also got a plan to have a fire close to a big rock I want to break, so winter is a great time to do that. All you do is have a big hot fire beside it, then when the fire goes out and the temperature drops overnight, it will crack easily. A sledge hammer is a help, but you shouldn't have to hit it hard to get things started provided you had a good hot fire beside it.

I'm actually looking forward to the next month, because I saved a little vacation, to use breaking up the winter, and we are planning a trip or two to the cottage overnight, provided the snow doesn't get too deep. It's fun to look forward to a trip, plan for it, and maybe take a few days vacation attached to a weekend to spread it out.

There is something inherently spectacular about a winter night at the camp, listening to our frozen lake cracking and groaning as the ice shifts and moves, watching a full moon rising above the trees. Mother Nature in the winter is an entirely different woman than she is in summer. The air is cold, but it is so clear and fresh, it's a welcome relief from the stuffiness of being indoors all winter. If we are lucky, we'll hear a flock of Canada Geese flying over the camp at night, heading for some open water, and perhaps a coyote family across the lake howling at the moon or whatever it is that coyotes howl at....At least I hope they are across the lake....

Inside, a hot fire in the stove, burning dry hardwood, maple being preferred, will keep it so damm hot, we will probably have a window or two open. But we won't be cold. Of course in the winter you can count on drop in company, either a snowmobiler will stop by when they see the smoke from our chimney, or one of the local year round residents, who are bored silly and longing for a new face, someone new to talk to, will arrive as soon as they hear we are at the camp. That is always nice, to get the local news and hear what's been going on around cottage country while we've been basking in the luxury of city life.

And of course the meals...camp meals, like boiled dinner, simmering all day in a big pot on the stove, baked beans, fried venison, bacon and eggs, cholesterol in a pot....it's all good at the camp...

The only drawback to going is the possibility, however slight, of getting snowed in....of course with my big tires on the Tracker that is less a possibilty, but you never know. A freak storm and we are stranded, unable to get back to um....work....have to stay at the camp until the snow goes...maybe not until April.....hmmm....not a bad idea.....I wonder what the long range forecast is?

We aren't going yet. There is still New Year's Eve to attend to, after that, well who knows. I want to take some time, plan the trip, think about it, savor it for a while before we go, almost like Christmas before Christmas, the lead-up, the anticipation, is the best part, unlike Christmas though, the reality of a weekend at the cottage in winter is much colder....

How about you? Any plans for a winter trip to the cottage?
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Did you get your Kindle Wireless Reading Device yet? It would be a great thing to have at the camp for those winter nights!

Boxing Day Sales

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:11:00 +0000

We're off to the stores, it's time once again for the annual Boxing Day Sales, you know, huge mark-downs on prices, sales on everything. All the stuff you paid an arm and a leg for before Christmas, can now be had for next to nothing today. Makes me think it might be a good idea to delay Christmas a couple of days, at least the gift giving part, maybe until New Year's Day instead.

Of course the discount prices and later product sales might put Santa in a bit of a deficit situation, but times are tough everywhere, what with the recession and all, I'm sure he is used to surviving tough economic conditions. And the Elves, well they probably get laid off about now every year anyway, so they are probably used to it.

What's bad news for Santa and the Elves might just turn out to be good news for us cottagers. Now's our chance to buy some of those things we have been putting off, things that we might like to have for the camp, but haven't been able to bring ourselves to spend the money. So when you are out today, don't just spend your time and money on the advertised specials in clothes and apparel, and other gift ideas. Instead take a stroll through the sporting goods section, and the hardware section of your favorite store. Sometimes they have big discounts on products in those areas as well, which may go unnoticed by the throngs fighting over a pair of marked down Levi jeans or a deep discount shoes aisle.

Perhaps a new cordless drill might be in order, or a new chainsaw. Stores will sometime run Boxing Day sales on things that you might not expect, but if they do, you will be the winner. Other products sales to look for are things like kettles, coffee-makers, electric appliances, things that you can use at the camp, or if you are like us, we buy a new one, it stays home, but the cottage gets the one from home that is undoubtably newer than the one currently in use at the summer home.

So Cottagers...there is your mission....get out and shop till you drop but keep in mind, you own a cottage, it needs 'stuff' perhaps more than you need a new pair of discounted running shoes....you don't even run....well maybe you do...I don't....my advancing years have slowed me to a walk....

My Cottage Christmas Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Happy Boxing Day Cottagers! I hope this finds you full of turkey, surrounded by friends and family, and having a great after Christmas Day rest. I've been doing what a lot of us do after the big day, looking at all my presents. This was a big one for me, I got a lot of great gifts, too many....well....not really, but I am spoiled.....my darling wife, darling grown children, and even my Mom and Dad all like to buy stuff for the old man....and I am not complaining!

I got some wonderful cottage things, some I asked for, some were great surprises! When I was about 11 years old, I begged and pleaded for a pellet gun for Christmas. It took some doing given that my Father wasn't really a gun guy, but he eventually gave in, and I got one. That started me on a long interest in firearms, hunting and the outdoors.

Well....11 year old boys are still inside of 50 year old men, and this year I started dropping hints to Wendy that I would love to have a .22 caliber pellet gun for Christmas. Everytime we were in Walmart or Canadian Tire, I showed them to her, suggesting several models. She didn't give me much satisfaction at the time, but she was paying attention after all. Because on Christmas morning, she told me to look behind the loveseat in the living room, and sure enough, a long box......and you know what comes in a long box? Well...in addition to my 31x10.50R15LT new tires for the tracker,a Crosman Phantom air rifle of course!

An adult model, with a synthetic stock, front and rear fiber optic sights in .22 calibre. It's among the most powerful air-rifles you can buy in Canada without a firearms certificate, shooting up to 495 fps (feet per second) (500 fps is the limit in Canada) The gun I linked to is the same one, only it's 1000 fps, sold in the States. I think you can buy the 1000 here, but the one I have is plenty powerful for some 'plinking' at the camp which is what I wanted it for.

I own several pellet rifles already, but I had a hankering for a new one this year, and I wanted one in the larger caliber because of the extra 'oomf' it packs. Larger pellets travel slower, but contain more energy on impact, making it a better choice for dealing with any pests around the cottage....but no....I am not going to shoot the beaver that is eating all my poplar trees....I have kind of come to look upon him with a certain sentimental feeling...afterall he chose my trees over anyone else in the neighborhood, makes me feel kind of special. This little rifle is for target practice and Lord help any 'rats' that come near the cottage.....

Although the Crosman is pretty exciting to me, I got some other stuff too that I have to mention. One of those things is a 10 Million Candle Power Rechargeable Halogen Spotlight Oh my heavens....I am going to be able to light up the darkest night at the camp with this spotlight....I put the soup can beside it to give you an idea of the size of this flashlight!

Oh my...just imagine 10,000,000 candle power...that skunk in the front yard isn't going to know what is going on....he will think morning came early....The light has two power settings, a stand, and can be charged in the car or plugged into the wall at the camp, which is what I intend to do....I can't wait to try it out.

But that's not all....I told you I was spoiled.....I also got lot's of new clothes, even my favorite shirt, a new L.L. Bean Chamois Shirt from my daughters who sent away to Beans for it, knowing how much the old man loves these shirts. Warm and comfortable, so soft, two pockets....everything I love in a outdoors shirt!

And then....with you in mind, my good friends, Doug and Darlene, outdid themselves and got me a new digital camera, I think so that I can take better pictures for my cottage photo blog, a new Samsung SMX-F34 Camcorder with 42x Intelli-Zoom

What a fabulous camera, it's really a camcorder that also takes still pictures and it a terrific camera for a blogger! It's got a 42X zoom feature that is to die for....fits my hand perfectly and too many features for me to describe here today, but watch for new pics and a review after I have had an opportunity to use it and learn the features.

There is more, because I am spoiled rotten but like I said at the beginning, the 11 year old boy who wanted the pellet rifle is alive and well in a 50 year old body....Thanks to one and all for a great Christmas....I am off to play with my new toys!

Crosman Phantom air rifle

Samsung SMX-F34 Camcorder with 42x Intelli-Zoom
31x10.50R15LT Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar Tires
L.L. Bean Chamois Shirt
10 Million Candle Power Rechargeable Halogen Spotlight

Merry Christmas Cottagers !!

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:47:00 +0000

Well folks...friends....fellow cottagers....we've made it to Christmas Eve 2009. I hope you have all your shopping done and your turkey...um....~~plucked~~ prepared.....I wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, whatever you celebrate, may it be full of happiness, family and friends.

I hope that this Christmas is the best one yet, and you are able to take some time off and enjoy every minute of it. I also hope you receive some great gifts for the Cottage under your Christmas Tree!

And now...please enjoy my Annual Traditional Christmas Picture! I am off to cook the turkey !!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE COTTAGE CHRONICLES

Put Big Tires On A Chev Tracker

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:31:00 +0000

Hang onto your snow shovels because their is a winter storm beating the heck out of the Eastern Seaboard as he weather forecasters like to say....and they are right on this time. The storm is hitting the eastern United States and landed here this afternoon in Nova Scotia. The snow started around 3:00 this afternoon, and already the ground is covered with at least 2 inches maybe more. It's little snow, and my dear old Dad always says, "Little Snow-Big Snow" and "Big Snow-Little Snow" I have never known this weather philosophy to fail. Tonight, we are getting lots of little snow, and it's making up fast.

I know we all love the romance of a 'White Christmas' but I hate to see snow on the week when so many folks are travelling, trying to get home to their families for Christmas. Airports become tied up, flights get re-routed to other destinations. The highways become dangerous, and the driving a misery. The snow, pretty as it might be, also makes it more of a challenge to Christmas shop, something a lot of folks, men in particular, still need to do....don't we men?

The only thing that I like about this storm today are my Chevrolet Tracker tires....Yup, I said my Tracker tires. My buddy Doug, whom you've heard me mention before, got me 4 mud and snow tires and rims for my vehicle and we installed them today. Not just any tires and rims though....BIG tires and rims to match. My Tracker is now about 3 or 4 inches taller, and those of you who remember me getting stuck at the cottage last winter know how much I would have given for a little more ground clearance that day. There was a little bit of concern that the tires would be too big, and a "Body Lift Kit"

would be necessary, which of course would have taken more time than we had today, if we had, or could even get, a lift kit on short notice.

Well I have it now, the vehicle is just that much higher that you can see the difference and feel the difference from inside of the vehicle. Not so high to add to the tippyness, but high enough to gain some clearance, and with a much more aggressive tread pattern than my original little tire had. Couple that with the 4 wheel drive and I am just waiting for the snow to get a little deeper before I go to the store......

My tires are 31x10.50R15LT Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar Tires

Mine are second hand, but still lots of life left in them, and they have a very tough looking tread design, and the extra height will be a bonus in deep snow where getting hung up underneath is typically what happens, particularly in smaller, lighter SUV's like my Chevrolet Tracker. I would have taken a picture of the Tracker with it's new rubber, but the snow came on too quick and so did darkness. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get a picture or two.

Wendy bought two new snow shovels yesterday in anticipation of the storm......poor girl....she didn't know I was getting new tires and plan to blast right through whatever snow falls in the driveway.....mmm.....maybe I better put a shovel in the Tracker just in case......

James Delorey

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:12:00 +0000

Sometimes it's difficult to find anything to say....and tonight is one of those nights, certainly one of those nights when a heavy heart is about the only way to describe how I feel....

The tragic story of James Delorey, the 7 year old little boy who passed away in hospital last night after miraculously surviving two nights lost in the forest, accompanied by his little dog, is heart rendering to say the least.

On Saturday past, James, an autistic boy who didn't speak wandered away from his home in South Bar, on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. He was found yesterday, unconscious in a densely wooded area, curled up in the underbrush, suffering from severe hypothermia. Hundreds of searcher's had combed the woods for him, while the area was blanketed in a major snowstorm which hampered search efforts.

Searchers said the little boy was found curled up in the trees, and a form in the snow beside him showed that his little dog, "Chance" had stayed with his young master throughout his ordeal. Eventually, it's assumed after James fell unconscious, the dog headed for home and obstensibly, help. Indeed, the searcher's found James after following the dogs tracks back through the snow. That little dog, who stayed with his boy in the cold, without food for two nights, is testament to the reasons we have dogs, and surely why dogs are known as "mans best friend" I can only imagine the comfort that having Chance with him, staying close, must have been for the little boy. His form in the snow where he had laid beside James, speaks of the nights the two endured together.

James was airlifted to the IWK Hospital for Children in Halifax, where he was treated for severe hypothermia, but sadly he succumbed to the ordeal with his family by his side.

Naturally our hearts go out to his family, who have lost a son, in what was a horrific ordeal, one when all hope was lost, it was found again, only to be ultimately and finally lost again, leaving us to wonder why tragedies like this have to happen in the first place.

The tragic circumtances take a toll on the hearts and minds of the men and women who joined the search for the lost little boy, fighting tough weather conditions while also fighting the clock, knowing that their window of time to save James was short. They too had to suffer the elation of finding him alive, only to have that elation ultimately lost.

Rescuers should not let the sad outcome of this search stop them from thinking they did the right thing at the right time, doing whatever you could to save the young lad, and each one of you who took part in the search is a hero. Through the combined efforts of each of you, a little boy was brought home to his family, where he passed away with them by his side. There is not much more anyone of us can ask.

My hat goes off to the men and women who drop whatever they themselves are doing, to join in search and rescue efforts like this, without concern for their own troubles, and give whatever it takes to help others. These men and women are the angels among us....along with a brave little boy and his dog, "Chance".

Plowing The Cottage Driveway...Or Not.....

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:04:00 +0000

In addition to getting a new Christmas Tree, (see my previous post) we got some great news today...news I am really happy to have. Frequent readers will recall I had a tough time getting cottage property insurance, in fact, last year I had none. I just couldn't find a company that either didn't want a small fortune for the insurance, and in many cases, didn't want to insure it at all, because it was not a permanent home.

It was only thanks to a friend of mine who, as it turns out, works at an insurance company that we got our place insured finally. Well, originally, she had advised that we would have to keep the road plowed to the camp in order to be covered year round, even though we don't use the place much in the winter. Sometimes not at all. That created a new problem, number one, it was hard to find someone who would plow the road, and I was quite worried that they would make a mess of the new gravel we just got last spring. In fact, I had kind of resolved myself to keeping it open myself, either with my snowblower, (never good on gravel) or with a shovel. I even looked at buying a plow for my Chev Tracker, but that looked like more trouble than it was worth. Lately I have been scheming up how to make a homemade plow for the Tracker.....imagine that now...me making a plow.....ha ha! Wendy said that had disaster written all over it.....

Well...the good news is, and it is good news, my insurance expert phoned today, she had checked our policy for me, and because it is listed as a "seasonal property" I am off the hook on the snow plowing requirement. If she was nearby I would have kissed her....she is kinda cute....I would kiss her anyway...lucky for her she isn't nearby....however, it is great news and I am thrilled to hear it. One less thing to worry about!

Here's a guy who got creative with his snow plowing.....

Oh Christmas Tree...

noreply@blogger.com (J) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:45:00 +0000

So Wendy says it's time to get out the Christmas tree and get it up....I like the Christmas tree as much as the next guy, but I hate setting it up. I tried to resist, saying it was a little early for that, to which I got the look....So dutiful guys that we are, my son and I trudged (which is the same as walking, only kind of defeated) out to the baby barn last night to find the tree. It was in the very back, behind three bicyles, a lawn mower, a snowblower, 4 winter tires, three or four rakes and shovels, and numerous other things too many to mention.

The tree was in a big plastic crate that we got from someone once the cardboard box it came in fell to pieces. We dragged it into the house and set it up, noticing a peculiar odor as we did it, but didn't think too much about it.

Got it up, hollared to Wendy that it was up and retreated to my computer room to blog. She started screaming about 10 minutes later that there was "Something in the tree"

Sure enough, when she started unfolding the branches, a big old nest was tucked into the branches, probaby a rat or squirrel, and I am leaning toward rat. Fortunately the occupant had already vacated, all that was left was the nest, which was a mixture of paper, and stuffing from a chair, that kind of material. I took the vacuum and sucked it the hell out of there....

"There ya go!" I said to Wendy, who was hiding in the kitchen by then, "All Gone, nothing to worry about."

It was then that the smell hit me....it stunk...the heat from inside the house was turning the tree to a terrible, awful, nauseating strong smell....."Bring the Febreeze" I shouted to Wendy, "The tree needs a freshening up."

Yah...well...in the morning as I headed off to work, I passed the tree, the smell hit me like a baseball bat. I think it was worse. I grabbed my coat and headed for the car. In the car I swear I could smell it on my coat...It didn't get much better as the day went on, each time I put the coat on, I could smell it...I had left my coat on a chair beside the tree all night, the smell had gotten into the fabric.

Wendy called me at work this afternoon to tell me my half of the bill is $150.00

"Huh? $150 for what?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"For your half of the new Christmas tree I bought this afternoon." The old one is out in the driveway. Deal with it."

I suggested we put a sign on it, "Take Me" saying "Maybe a poor family will come and get it and have a nice Christmas."

"If they do they will come back later and put a rock through your window" my son said, while Wendy added, "You should be nice to people who are not as fortunate as us."

"I'm trying to be." I said, "It's Christmas."

Long story short...if you want a Christmas tree, don't come to us, ours is in the garbage.....so is my coat.....