Duck, duck, goose!

Goldeneye ducklings

DUCK!            Several years ago we had a couple of goldeneye ducklings waddle down our driveway. We were both excited and surprised to see them because we have never seen adult goldeneyes around. They had lost their mama but were determinedly on their way to find water! I did some reading about them and discovered a couple of reasons why they may have been on their own. It is not unusual for goldeneyes to lay their eggs in another duck's nest or even another bird's nest. I wonder if that may be what happened to our little guys, although I have doubts that eggs laid in a strange bird's nest would actually hatch or if the ducklings would survive the other bird's surprise at finding them there. They most likely just got separated from mama during their journey to the lake. Their nest may have been as much as a kilometer away from water and 13 meters up in a tree! I can't help but think the poor little guys would have a hard time keeping up to mama and their fellow ducklings if they had such a long way to go.

Female Goldeneye

Male Goldeneye 

DUCK!                  We have always said that the loons are the first water birds back in the spring but we seem to have been wrong. The ice is out early this year and our loon pair has yet to appear. Instead we have several pair of goldeneyes to watch. They were here as soon as there was a bit of open water to swim in. They have obviously always been around because we saw young ones two springs ago but we have never seen the adults. They seem to be quite shy so maybe that's why they haven't been around when the loons were here. We know the loons can be quite territorial, chasing mergansers away so they will have all the fish to themselves. Goldeneyes are not fish ducks but perhaps the loons have kept the goldeneyes away just the same.

Click here for more common goldeneye info and to hear their call. Just imagine this is what a guy had to do to attract a girl's attention :)



GOOSE!            Those of you in milder climates probably don't get excited when you see Canada geese fly over as they are a bit of a nuisance. In Northern Ontario we feel a bit differently. Geese flying north mean spring is really on its way. It has been a very early spring and we've seen flocks of geese flying north since the end of March. Abby is quite fascinated by them and talks about them all the time. She'll say "geese" and honk her nose ever since we first saw them. For a while it was the last thing she talked about before she went to bed at night. They fly quite high above our house so it was quite exciting when she got to see some up close when we were in North Bay this week.

Our last hunting trip

For the first six years of our marriage Mike and I went houseboating at the very end of the season when most of the other houseboats were up on shore. It was a time to really relax knowing that another busy year was almost over. We say we went hunting but really we usually did more hiking than hunting. Oh, Mike carried a gun and has a small game license but that doesn't mean we'd come home with our fill of grouse. One year we had fun shooting squirrel for pate at our Chamber of Commerce's Wild Game Dinner because there wasn't a grouse to be seen. It was entertaining to say the least and we did a lot of joking about our big catch!

I don't know if we make too much noise - Mike has tried to train me but perhaps it is useless - or if the grouse are already spooked by the time we get out in the bush but we just don't seem to have that much success. Nevertheless we always have a great time. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. The crisp air, the colourful leaves, the frosty nights, the anticipation of my very favourite season - winter, and the winding down of another busy season all combine to make it a special time.

The last chance we had to go hunting was indeed a memorable one. Our houseboat was the very last one in the water and we headed out a week later than usual. I don't think we caught a single grouse but we certainly had a lot of fun hiking in the bush, playing our favourite German board games at night and relaxing. Our big catch that year was a collection of beer cans to cash in at the liquor store to buy us a nice chicken dinner when we arrived home!

We had a friendly squirrel on the small island we were camped at. He visited us regularly as he busily stored whatever he could find to get him through the coming winter months. Our first morning there we woke up to the sound of him dropping pine cones on the roof of the houseboat.We had fun helping him stock his larder with good things and laughing at his antics.

The most memorable thing about that trip however was our last morning on the lake. We woke up to two inches of snow! It had been a bit chilly at night but the heater had kept us comfortable and warm. The snow was perfect for snowmen and we built this one before we left for home. It was such a special return trip: the water was a deep charcoal and perfectly still and calm. The snow laden trees contrasted beautifully with the lake's dark calmness. There wasn't another boat to disturb our trip through the heavy, still water all the way home.

It seems that our hunting days are over for now with little Abby here but the time will come again when we'll be able to go 'hunting' in the fall. I know our little girl will love tramping through the bush and playing in the leaves but I'm sure we won't ever be quiet enough to catch anything, not even squirrels!

Houseboating and the environment

It was a few years ago now that the realization hit me that my garbage doesn't just vanish when it goes to the dump. I know that's a fairly elementary idea but I really hadn't thought about it before. Living in a small town we do not have curbside recycling so it is much easier to say that it's too much work to recycle. It was an article in National Geographic about our high tech garbage ending up in third world countries where people scavenge it for the precious metals by burning off the plastics that cover them. I was horrified to realize that my world is so neat and tidy because I allow those who go without to deal with my problem. That was when I began to recycle and to compost and why I've chosen cloth diapers. Having to deal with my own garbage is certainly more messy than just sending it off to the dump but I believe it's worth it. It's a bit overwhelming to personally take all of our houseboaters recycling to the blue bins but I did do it until our little girl was born. Now it really is too much but that doesn't mean that each of our customers can't take their recycling to the bins when they return from their vacation.



With our houseboat rentals we have tried to make them as environmentally friendly as possible. Protecting our environment is about taking responsibility for the garbage we make, protecting our natural resources and limiting the amount of pollution we create. We live in a nearly pristine part of the world and we want to keep it that way. But the question is how do you define environmentally friendly?As long as we use motors on our boats some people will say that they will never fit the definition. At the same time we can say that we are using very fuel efficient motors thereby making our houseboats better for the environment as well as more economical. Our Yamaha 9.9hp four stroke motors may seem small but they are designed to push barges through the water very efficiently. They motor along at about 5 miles per hour - just the right speed for enjoying a beautiful day on the lake. And when you don't run them at full throttle a little bit of fuel will take you a long way.



When people inquire about our houseboat rentals we are often asked if we have showers and running water on board and the answer is no. For one thing our holding tank does not allow for that much water usage. The other option would be to have the grey water from your sink or shower run directly into the lake but we would rather not see that happen. Lake Temagami is a beautiful lake with clean, clear water and we want to protect our water quality as much as possible. Just remember that whatever is dumped into the lake is what you will be swimming in later in the day and using to wash your dishes. We encourage guests to take their grey water up on shore to dispose of it and give the soil a chance to filter it before it reaches the lake.

Our houseboats are also equipped with garbage cans and toilets. We hate to receive reports from our guests who have arrived at a campsite only to find it strewn with garbage. We encourage our guests to leave the campsites they visit as clean as when they arrived. We live in a beautiful part of the world and we want to keep it that way. It's simple to burn what you can in your campfire and to pack the rest out in your garbage can.

Also because our boats do not travel at high speeds they have little impact on the shoreline because they do not create a large wake.  They are unlikely to cause damage to cottagers' property or to wildlife habitat along the shoreline like this loon's nest.

So back to my question: how do you define environmentally friendly? What more can we do to limit our impact on the environment?
Post Script: I did a quick search and found that the National Geographic article is available online at the following link if anyone is interested in reading it. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text

A peaceful day on the Tetapaga

One of our favourite spots to stop on our way home from a houseboating vacation is at the mouth of the Tetapaga River. The campsite marked on the map is quite shallow and rocky for houseboats but there is an unmarked campsite on the mainland which is perfect for several houseboats to tie up together. We have stayed there with my parents in their houseboat, a pontoon boat, a 14" fishing boat and Mike's bigger service boat all alongside and been quite comfortable. The shoreline is nice to troll for pickerel at night and there are some nice weed beds to check out for northern pike and smallmouth bass. If you are there at the right time of year there are lady slippers blooming just behind the campsite. It is fairly well protected from the wind making it an all round great place to stop while houseboating. In fact my parents like this spot so well they stayed there for almost two weeks last summer relaxing, fishing and watching a loon chick grow up and learn to dive.

If you are looking for a nice day trip with your canoe or kayak the Tetapaga is the perfect place for you. It is a shallow narrow river which in the middle of summer can be less than two feet deep in places.

I've been up the Tetapaga several times. The first spring of our marriage we spent an enjoyable sunny day in a 14' steel fishing boat. We traveled as far as we could and explored the shoreline at the other end. It was my first time to see wild rice and I was quite taken with the uniqueness of this special spot. It seemed like there were ducks at every turn as well as a great blue heron that seemed to keep just ahead of us. Mike humored me and took me down all the little trails through the wild rice to see where they went.


It was also my first experience boating in such shallow water and needing to watch for potential hazards in the river. I have to say I was more than a bit nervous that I might not notice a rock but as I watched the bottom there was a special surprise. I was excited to see moose tracks on the bottom of the river! I kept my eyes open for the rest of the trip but didn't actually get to see the majestic creature that had left its mark.

The cutest painted turtle was sunning himself that day, the first I had ever seen in the wild. We watched each other for a while with curiosity and then Mike and I left him alone to enjoy his spot in the sun.

We followed the turns in the river past this cute little island and pulled the boat over a fallen log before we reached the end of our journey. We had a lot of fun exploring the shoreline. I wanted to hike through the bush to Tetapaga Lake but it was really too late in the day so we checked out the remains from early logging days and then headed for our houseboat. All in all it was a beautiful, peaceful day on the Tetapaga.

What is a grocery store?

Exactly what is a grocery store? For most of you in large communities it is a place to buy food, maybe get in on some good sales or a place to pick up a quick supper on a busy day. You have several to choose from and have your favourite places to shop. So the answer to my question is a simple one.
For a community like Temagami our grocery store is so much more. It is of course a place to buy food. But when the next closest store is 40 minutes away you appreciate the convenience of having options close by. A grocery store becomes a place to pick up something to cook for supper, fresh buns to go with the chili you just made, ice cream that will never make it home on a hot day. It is also the place where the owners and cashiers all know who you by name and ask how your little girl is doing. It is where you can order the things they don't have in stock but you need. It is where you can get your meat cut just the way you like it.
It is the center of the community. It is where you see your friends and neighbours and find out how they are doing. It is where you find out about everything going on in town at the bulletin board.
Grocery shopping is about so much more than groceries in a small town. When I first moved here I got to know the people who worked at the grocery store and the post office first. They knew me by name before I knew their names and they were always interested in how I was doing.
With the grocery store closed last winter it seemed like we lost touch with one another. It was harder to find out what was going on in town because there was no one spot to check for coming events. It seemed like the winter was long. For me personally with a new baby last winter it was also a lot more work to have to plan a whole day out so we could have food to eat. Grocery shopping meant a long day away from home instead of a walk with Abby in the stroller to pick up the things we needed. I know that I was not alone in missing the grocery store. For the seniors in our community who don't drive it was also a long winter trying to figure out how to get out of town to get the supplies they needed.
For our business and for many others in the area a grocery store is essential. Visitors to our community need to buy groceries while they are here and they would rather not take the better part of the day to buy them. So many items don't travel well and it seems like you always forget to bring something.
It has been so nice to have our grocery store open again. I am thankful for it every time I need to buy groceries.
Our Daily Bread held an open house last Friday complete with baked goodies, and hot drinks. It showed off what it had to offer: the shelves are full with an excellent selection of everything you might need. The fruits and vegetables continue to be fresh and tasty. The bakery is now open and it is so nice to walk into the store and smell fresh bread baking. It's a real treat to be able to pick up fresh buns to go with supper when we want them. They are also stocking almond and soy milk for those of you who need non-dairy milks. You will find Udi's gluten free bread in the freezer section if you are limiting or eliminating your gluten intake. There are rotisserie chickens available Thursday and Friday which are always a tasty treat after a long day of work. There is a nice sitting area set up to enjoy coffee and a muffin with your neighbour and catch up on some of the news or enjoy some  homemade soup and a fresh bun which are available at the store.
I hope our community has learned how important our grocery store is. Unfortunately we live in a seasonal community and many people are unemployed in the winter. As a result there is not a lot of extra money to go around for groceries that cost more than they would at a bigger store and I understand that. But I hope our town will support our store throughout the winter so that we don't lose it again.

Houseboating with baby

It was with much anticipation that we planned for our first houseboating adventure with our little Abby. There were a lot more 'things' to pack and to think about. Should we bring the high chair? How much food will she need? What toys are most important to bring?or should we just bring them all? Before Abby's arrival it seemed like we emptied our entire house into the houseboat for our five days away. This year it seemed even more like it!

Another couple with a baby only four days older than Abby went houseboating not long before us so I asked what they wished they'd brought and what they were glad to have with them. They were very helpful and so I thought I'd share some of the things I learned with anyone else who might be thinking about houseboating with baby.

1. Vacationing with a baby is not relaxing. Don't expect it to be. Most of you are laughing at this because you learned it a long time ago. Somehow this was a revelation to me. We have always looked forward to this time as a getaway to really relax. But the sleepless nights came with us, and the dishes, and the diapers...

I will admit to one morning where I decided that no one in their right mind could possibly houseboat with children for fun. The real problem of course was my expectations not my baby. Our little Abby had a great time and once I changed my expectations I had a lot of fun too.

2. If you have a little one who is eating solids a high chair is very helpful. For most of you space in your vehicle is an issue on this one but it was great to be able to put Abby in the chair to eat. Booster seats can't be attached to the benches so if you hope to use one of them you will want to bring a lawn chair to attach it to.

3. Bring as many of baby's favourite toys as there is room in the car (once you have the essentials packed). You are going to be spending several days on the boat and you will want to have all the favourites handy for your little one to play with. Abby loves her books so we brought them all. She also has a bucket of little animals that she loves to play with so we brought them all. I didn't regret packing a single toy. She played with everything.

4. The pack and play is nice and we used it for nap time but at night I ended up sleeping with Abby most of the time. The different routine and surroundings just made it too difficult for her to get to sleep on her own and she still wakes up often during the night. We all got more sleep when I slept with her. That means you should plan to bring extra blankets for the front bench or other bed. 

The pack and play is also nice for letting baby travel on the front deck to see the sights. It was too cold when we traveled for Abby to really enjoy being on the deck but the other mom I talked to said her little guy loved it.

5. Plan to eat supper early so you can get the dishes done before baby goes to bed. You're living in pretty close quarters and if the dishes don't get done I find it's really hard to get breakfast ready the next morning. In the past we've eaten after fishing in the evening but that really doesn't work with baby unless yours sleeps through anything. Our little girl doesn't want to miss a thing so sleep is hard come by at times.

6. If you enjoy hiking bring a carrier along so you can get out and enjoy the outdoors. We used our carrier in the big boat while we fished. It's a Kelty and stands up so Abby played with some toys and watched us fish. She loved it and was quite excited to see the fishies up close.

7. Choose a spot to park where you can get out and walk around. Our spot was beautiful and very protected but it wasn't at a campsite and had a very steep hill right at shore. We were glad to be so protected when a storm came through but I but because of this I was nervous about taking Abby off the houseboat since it was a bit of a drop if I lost my balance. And there wasn't really anywhere for us to go once we left the boat. 

8. Bring a baby monitor so you can go fishing after baby is asleep. We rigged up our walky talkies so we could monitor Abby in the boat one evening. It was great to be able to get out for an hour or so and fish together. We were never out of sight of the houseboat and we knew Abby was safe so Mike and I were able to relax and enjoy some time together.

9. Make sure you bring a life jacket for baby. We provide one size keyhole life vests but not infant or children's life jackets. You'll definitely want one for swimming. If you are stopped by the safe boating team you need to have life jackets that will fit each person on board.

Highlights of the trip for me were watching Abby learn to stand up by herself at the windows, seeing her excitement over fish and worms and water and having so much time to spend with her. While Mike and I didn't get to have nearly as much together time as other years we made the most of the time we did have and I think we had a great first vacation as a family.

Riding the Dreamcatcher Express

The last two weekends have been busy but fun. The Dreamcatcher Express comes to town at this time of year and brings people to enjoy the fall colours during their trip from North Bay. They get to spend four hours in Temagami and then ride the train back to North Bay in time for supper.

We have had the privilege of driving our houseboats to provide a cruise on Lake Temagami during the Dreamcatcher for the past seven years and it has been a lot of fun. We have met so many nice people and had the chance to share what we love about our town. It's busy but a nice change from cleaning houseboats since right now we are busy getting them ready to come out of the water for another year :)

This year the fall colours have not been as spectacular in Temagami as other years but there was a nice showing in North Bay which made the train ride quite scenic.

For the first time we had the opportunity to ride the train and I have to say I was impressed. The dome car is beautiful and gives a great view of the scenic beauty you are traveling through. We saw four great blue herons on our trip back to North Bay and on two other mornings the travelers saw a moose. The entertainment car is spacious and the music had everyone's feet tapping.

Little Abby loved her first train ride and it made us want to travel by train again. It was so relaxing and we could all take in the view instead of keeping our eyes on the road and watching for dangers along the way. We took Abby for walks up and down the aisles and it was easy to amuse her. She made friends with a little boy on the trip. They played peek-a-boo between the window and the seats for at least 45 minutes. It was so cute to watch. Abby's ears perk up now whenever she hears the train go through town.