Our November Experience

 

For those South Channel Cottagers who are not required to return home after Labour Day to get children ready for a new school year or no longer have work responsibilities – ie retired – consider extending your cottage season.  Steve and I stayed on until Nov. 17^th this year and found it very enjoyable.

 

Being retired, we had the privilege of living on the Bay through three seasons this year.  We arrived on April 3^rd as the last bit of ice hugged the shore and new buds were forming on the trees.  Watching the bay “spring” to life throughout April and May was very special.  The summer months were ideal for water activities and family visiting. Then the fall brought the brilliant colours throughout the forest providing us with beautiful hikes.  As the leaves began to fall off the trees, cottages began to close up, reducing the boat traffic and darkening the Bay.  Finally our lights were the only ones shinning at night.

 

Here are a few advantages to staying on into November:

 

1. You have more time to complete the project list that was posted on the fridge early April when you opened the cottage.
2. You get to work in cool weather rather than the heat of July and it is bug free.
3. Shopping in town takes a shorter amount of time since there are no line-ups anywhere –grocery store or lumber yard.
4. You can take your time closing up the cottage, checking off a few items on the close up list each week.
5. You have time to go on hikes to check out trails used to access the cottage in the dead of winter- we had a few fallen trees to clear away and new grown saplings to remove.
6. Boat activity is at its minimum- just a few workboats pass by early in the morning heading to their work sites and then again at 5:00 pm returning home.  As we drove passed the many empty slips at all the marinas, it drove home the fact that we really were all alone on the Bay.
7. You have plenty of time to complete your cottage -reading list.

 

Here are a few challenges for you to be aware of:

 

1. The cool nights may leave a film of frost on decks, stairs and docks making it difficult to move about. Our property is shaded most of the day at this time of year, so the decks and docks do not dry out quickly.  Some of your cottages are bathed in brilliant sunshine, minimizing this problem.

 

2. The shorter days cut into your work schedule – we were forced to pack up tools by 5:30

 

 

3. The water levels generally drop in the fall. This can make it more

difficult to store a boat.  Earlier in the fall, there usually is a crew

of cottage friends willing to help with this job.  However, if you are

the last to leave, you are on your own.  We were fortunate that the

wind changed direction just before we stored our boat and on that

day the sun shone brightly and the water was as calm as ever.

 

 

4. When the temperature drops below zero, a small heater in the pump house will help

prevent the pump from freezing.

 

Generally we had sunny warm days permitting outdoor jobs to move ahead.  As we worked on the final close up jobs we didn’t have the usual sad feeling that cottage life is over for another year since it will only be a short few months before we return by snowmobile.

 

Submitted by Pat and Steve Blundy – Cottage owners near Five Mile Narrows for 35 years.