Dear South Channelers,
I'll bet it seems a while now since
you drained your pipes, set the mouse traps, closed the dear old cottage,
stored your boat at the marina and took your final trip home until next
May.
The cover of the winter edition of
Cottage Life shows a bunch of avid curlers in a bonspiel on their shovelled lake. An ad from Gordon Bay Marine asks,
"Do boats dream of the water while they are in storage?" And
the sea-doos have given way to ski-doos in the magazine's advertising. So, there is no
escaping the fact that our part of Georgian Bay, like countless other summer
playgrounds, has a second life...namely a deep-freeze winter. But not
only winter - the fall, too.
Be sure to read the article in these
pages by two of your directors - Steve and Pat Blundy
- on the good and the bad of staying at their cottage until mid-November.
They may well hold the record of SCA members for their early arrival in April
to open up, then remaining on until about 5 weeks before Christmas, and, in
addition, luxuriating in a few weeks in February and March. Do you know
any cottagers who spread out the seasons as they do?
Please know that the directors on
your Executive will be alert to any issues which arise over the winter months,
and will be making decisions on your behalf. Instead of 'pitching' this
copy of On the Waterfront with Georgian Bay Update, why not pass them on to a
summer neighbour you keep in touch with perhaps over
the winter who is not a member. It could help convince them to join our
ranks and strengthen our voice.
If you have concerns you feel won't
wait until next spring, when we are back on the Bay, let us hear from
you. Meantime, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Gervis Black