Escape To Serenity Cottage

Everything Is Green Again At The Cottage

This is our first summer at the new cottage and we're just loving it.  Everything is different and exciting.

We hung four bird feeders from the deck and enjoy watching the birds cruise in for food.  In the spring migration period it was like Pearson Airport with groups of 6-8 birds at a time swooping in to feed and then take off again.

Turns out we really aligned our cottage exactly on the east-west line.  For a couple of weeks as the sun was moving north, it shone right in our bathroom window and straight into our master - great for waking up early :).

We wood chipped a lot of the branches that were piled up and then used the chips to make a couple of pathways from the cottage down to the water - recycling at its best.

The Trilliums were out in force during the spring as well.  They were all over the forest floor and bloomed for a couple of weeks before they disappeared for the rest of the season.

The big project for this year is to plant a lot of perennials so we'll have lots of colour every year from now on.  We created three flower beds last year and now are in the process of filling them.  We're also creating a bit of a rock garden along the front (water side) of the cottage - it should look terrific by the end of the season.

Take a look at the photo show below to see what our cottage looks like this season.

Cottage Client Party Sept 2008

Terrific late summer weather was enjoyed by all who attended our client cottage party this year.

Client Cottage Party At Escape To Serenity Cottage

Great Fun Boating, Waterskiing And Just Hanging Out

On August 25th we invited our clients to join us for a day on Stoney Lake, just 25 minutes north-east of Peterborough near Lakefield, and a short 1.75 hr drive from Toronto.

People started arriving late morning and stayed till after sunset.  We had a BBQ for lunch and then started the water activities.  We've got a water ski training bar on our Nautique SV211 so it was a lot easier for our son Rylie to train everyone in how best to get up out of the water and hold their form before 'graduating' to the long line behind the boat.

Then the daredevils took to the water and did some tubing... the girls won by holding on tight through the wakes :) while the guys were dumped! 

The weather cooperated and it was a great day for being busy or just hanging out on the hammock.

We ended the day after lasagna and dessert with a water ski demonstration by Rylie and I and our neighbours (we're all fanatics and ski every good weather morning and evening all summer).

Everyone had lots of fun and we'll be doing it again next summer so watch for your invitation!

Some Friends Tried Out The Sumo

On one weekend early in July, some friends and their families came up to visit and enjoy the lovely views and all of Stoney Lake's attractions.

The braver ones decided to go and try our Sumo and see if they could master it.  We'd tried it last summer but couldn't make it work.  Turns out the key is to go a bit faster with the boat and, when you want to cross the wake, let go with one arm and away you go!

You need to be a bit gutsy but it's a blast!