Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2021 i Cottage Life

Returning TV shows Watch new seasons of What on Earth (June 7, 10 p.m. ET/PT) and Restoration Australia (June 24, 10 p.m. ET/PT) on Cottage Life! Find your channel at tv.cottagelife.com. The Cottage Life Podcast, season two New episodes of our podcast are coming! Expect the same great cottage news and views, plus some special guests. Catch up on season one while you wait, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Mission: Tossible One plan, three wooden throwing games, hours of fun. See this project and many others at cottagelife.com/projectplans to get yourself ready for outdoor hangouts. Follow us on: Subscribe to our enewsletters It’s the best way to stay in touch with CL between issues—straight to your inbox every week, for free! For more information and to sign up,…

Thunder Bay, represent We just received the May ’21 issue of Cottage Life—they go straight to the cabin for reading on a rainy day—and I was happy to see the Thunder Bay camp (“A Square Deal”) grace the cover. Thunder Bay and the rest of northwestern Ontario have many lakes that are home to beautiful camps, cabins, and cottages. I’ve often said to my wife, “Why don’t we see more articles on camping in our neck of the woods?” Thank you for featuring the Leishman family and their innovative camp made of shipping containers. The future of cottaging in the northwest is as vibrant as ever, and forward-thinkers like the Leishmans are helping it grow even stronger.—Patrick and Cindy Miller, via email AED to the rescue I have been getting…

1 You eat ketchup chips on the regular. (See p. 22.) Or, you eat them, then say, “This is a weird flavour; why did we invent it?” ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 2 You love Canadian wildlife. (See. p. 55.) ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 3 But you also kinda hate Canadian wildlife. (See p. 20.) Of course, it’s a fond hatred. ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 4 You cook over the campfire. (Did someone say stick bread and foil packets? For recipes, see p. 84.) ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 5 You use a Robertson screwdriver, the most Canadian of all toolbox items. (See p. 33.) ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 6 You watch hockey, and shout at the TV as if it will actually affect the outcome of the game. (See p. 39.) ● Always ● Never ● Sometimes 7 You…

IF YOU’VE EVER FOUND YOURSELF in despair over a late ice-off delaying your boat launch, know that the cottage’s unofficial mascot, the common loon, feels the same way. A collaboration between Birds Canada and Acadia University researchers suggests that late ice-off dates are negatively associated with common loon reproduction. The research includes 16 years’ worth of loon surveys, conducted off and on between 1982 and 2019; it shows that years with later ice-off dates are associated with fewer loon pairs, fewer breeding attempts per pair, and fewer young per pair. Common loons are particular about their lakes, and usually return to the same lake year after year, typically just after ice-off, says Kristin Bianchini, a waterbirds and wetland scientist with Birds Canada who worked on the study with long-time Ottawa…

1 Install skid plates A canoe’s stems, the curved ends, see more rough treatment than any other part of the hull, especially if your paddling style involves scraping over rocky river beds or running ashore. When the gelcoat wears thin at the bow and stern, or if you’re planning some abrasive whitewater paddling, it’s time to install skid plates—strips of Kevlar felt, applied with a two-part resin to reinforce and protect these vulnerable areas. It’s a job that you can do yourself with kits available from your canoe’s manufacturer. The plates prolong the life of the canoe while minimally impacting weight and performance. 2 Apply a protectant As with human skin, UV damage will age a canoe’s gelcoat. Canoe manufacturers suggest applying a protectant to the exterior of your hull to reduce…

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED in keeping an eye on your cottage when you aren’t around, Quebec-based Vosker’s V150 solar-powered LTE cellular outdoor security camera is a great option—especially if you want a camera that you can set up quickly and easily. The weather-resistant, heavy-duty security camera features an easy-to-install articulating mounting arm and a built-in solar panel that powers its sizeable battery, making it perfect for remote spots where power isn’t available. Unlike many security cameras, the V150 doesn’t require Wi-Fi. Instead, if there’s a cell phone signal available at your cottage, the camera transmits photos directly to Vosker’s smartphone app. Images are also backed up on a microSD card that comes with the camera. The V150 only snaps photos—still photos—when it detects movement, within a 90-foot range. The camera’s motion…

Q: “We have owned our family cottage for a long time, and I am the fourth generation to enjoy it. My father says the phenomenon of cottage ownership is a uniquely Canadian experience, right up there with hockey and Tim Hortons. This sounds impossible to me, but there is no arguing with Dad. What say you?” A: The first thing I say is that you are correct: there is no arguing with a dad at a cottage. The subject matter is irrelevant, because a cottage dad is in his true element, sometimes one he has been perfecting since childhood. He knows the secret trick to prime the stupid piston pump and can identify many birds simply by listening to their voices. One in 10 can even rotisserie a leg of…

The prophecy: Joe Wong recalls a promise that his friend Mark Luz made when Joe was the best man at Mark’s wedding in Southampton, Ont., in 2000. “He told me, ‘One day we’re all going to own cottages here,’” says Joe, a 47-year-old University of Toronto professor. Over the next decade, Joe made the drive from Toronto to several Southampton cottage rentals with his wife, Jennifer, and son, Oliver. Eventually, Mark bought a cottage in the area, and they’d often be joined by another old friend, Bryce McCandless, his wife, Liz, and their three kids. They would spend summers biking, playing tennis, and enjoying the sandy beaches of Lake Huron. Over beers at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto, Joe and Bryce decided to make Mark’s prophecy a reality. “Instead of…

DOES YOUR FLOATING dock pivot like a teeter-totter when folks step off the boat? For maximum stability, a floating dock should be long, wide, and heavy, with a low centre of gravity and its flotation near the edges. If your dock is at least 8' wide—the minimum builders recommend—check the location of the floats. Can they be moved closer to the edges? If your design is essentially a deck perched on top of floats, it will have a high centre of gravity. Build a wood subframe below to house the floats and add weight. Now your dock has a lower centre of gravity—and more stability. Sometimes, you can improve performance by connecting dock sections in a T- or an L-shape. Sometimes that just creates a wobbly letter-shaped dock. Bottom line?…

Q: We have a strand of 25 patio lights strung between two trees. The other day, we noticed that 20 of the bulbs and sockets had been removed. We thought someone had snipped them off with pruning shears. But now we’re not so sure. Could a raccoon or a squirrel hang off the cable, bite through the wire, and carry the socket and bulb away? —John Habart, via Facebook A: Yes. Our money’s on squirrels. Turns out, they have a reputation for snatching up decorative lights, especially around the holidays. Squirrels steal more Christmas bulbs than the Grinch. They like chewing on the wires, says Mike Webb, a wildlife expert and the owner of West Coast Problem Wildlife Management on Vancouver Island. A lot of new wiring has soy-based insulation.…

SOME OF MY BEST and earliest memories are of the lake. Starting when I was a baby, I went with my family to Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba every summer and stayed at a little resort with housekeeping cottages. When my wife and I had kids of our own, we continued the tradition, bringing our kids to the lake in August and staying at the same place. The cabins encircle a communal area where there are picnic benches, firepits, and a lamp post that I broke one year with an errant Frisbee. There’s a play structure for kids with a few slides and a sandbox. The swimming pool is always warm—it’s never the wrong time for a swim, whatever the weather. At the front of it all, a totem…

“WHEN WE BOUGHT THE PLACE, there was more than a foot of water in the basement. The property had just been neglected,” Pauline Landriault tells me, of how she and her husband, Robbie Cohen, turned an unlivable cottage in southwestern Nova Scotia into their beloved summer home. Now the place is anything but. It blends modern and traditional design for an effect that feels relaxed and stylish—a bit like you’ve walked into a Roots catalogue. And since Pauline has been working with Roots Canada for 30 years, now as the senior director of store design and development—and she is one of the company’s trailblazers—that should come as no surprise. The couple’s love of the East Coast hasn’t been a lifelong affliction. Robbie had never even been to Nova Scotia until…

COOKING OVER AN OPEN FIRE requires a little patience, but it’s worth it; cooking with family is a social event—everyone always gathers around and is willing to help, something that never happens at the stove! First step: light fire. When the flames die down and the embers start to ash, separate into two cooking zones, a hot side and a medium side, under your grill grate. Now you’re ready to get cooking. FIRE-COOKED MUSSELS Mussels are inexpensive to buy but have that wow factor. Plus, they’re quick and easy to make. If you don’t have wine (or you don’t want to share it with your mussels), substitute a light- to medium-flavoured beer, or even a hard cider—mussels are not picky drinkers. Serves 4 2 kg mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (4…

CHECKLIST? CHECK The recreational boating industry breathed a collective sigh of relief in late spring when Transport Canada announced that it was not going to scrap the Rental Boat Safety Checklist. In the fall, TC had proposed removing the checklist as “acceptable proof of competency” for boat renters who had not taken a boating course, citing safety concerns. Keeping the checklist is the right decision, says Sara Anghel, the president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association Canada. “Removing it wouldn’t make our waters safer, and it would punish boat rental companies already struggling under pandemic-related restrictions.” A HUNK ’A BURNING-HOT REAL ESTATE Flashback alert: the Conestogo Lake, Ont., theme-room cottage we profiled a decade ago (“The Rooms With the Views,” Spring ’11) went up for sale earlier this year. For…

WHAT COULD BE MORE comfortable than lounging in a Muskoka chair? Answer: an upgraded Muskoka chair. The lumbar spine—your lower back—is often tested by the cottage lounger. By adding lumbar support to the flat backrest, you can bring your spine into its proper alignment. Better ergonomics can improve your breathing and circulation, as well as reduce spinal pressure and muscle stress. This all adds up to greater relaxation! Curved strips fastened on top of the existing back slats will provide support for the spine. Any dry 2x lumber will work to create the supports—one support per slat. Make a pattern by drawing an arc on cardboard, using a compass set to a radius of 10". Cut off a slice (a chord, technically) with an 8" base. Trim ⅛" from each…

If you are a true Canadian, the only screwdrivers you enjoy using are Robertson (black, red, green, or yellow handles denote the size of screw). Oddly, the square-hole fastener, patented in 1909 by Ontarian P.L. Robertson, never caught on in the U.S. Blame, according to lore, falls to a failed agreement between the inventor and Henry Ford. Consequently, our American neighbours still cling to the Phillips screw, a far inferior choice.…

Q: We have a large vinyl inflatable with a tear about 1-2 inches long, in a seam. I would love ideas for patching this. I have researched quite a bit, but I still don’t know the best solution.—Barbara Peel, via email A: That’s because there really isn’t one. A tear along a seam is not the same as a hole or tear elsewhere on the inflatable; we’re talking a wound that needs surgical sutures vs. a cut on your finger. “And two inches is a pretty significant tear,” says Donna Rork, the owner of Cottage Toys. As you may have already discovered, “a regular patch kit, like the one that usually comes with a new inflatable, doesn’t work on seams. It won’t reliably hold the two edges together.” The seams…

1 We built a cottage and now there’s an ugly scar around it. What can we do? A CONSTRUCTION SITE affects the ground around it in two ways, says Kelly Leask, the owner of Prairie Originals, a native-plant nursery in Selkirk, Man. Digging “can rearrange the soil layers,” she explains, and the use of heavy machinery compacts the soil. The subsoil now at the surface doesn’t have a lot of nutrients, and compaction reduces soil capacity for water and air and hinders tiny plant roots. One short-term solution to bare construction ground is a cover, or nurse, crop: an annual plant (one that lives for a single season) that grows quickly and shades other sprouting seeds you’ve sown. When the cover crop is gone, the desirable plants have a head start…

BOUNCING THROUGH THE AIR, blithely carolling “per-chick-or-eee,” bands of lemon-yellow “wild canaries” are perennial favourites around cottage decks and shrubby fields across the country. American goldfinches are, in fact, close cousins of true canaries and stand apart from most other native songbirds. They rhapsodize incessantly through spring, but wait until summer to start nesting. WHAT SETS GOLDFINCHES APART is an almost-exclusive diet of tiny seeds, which the sparrow-sized birds nimbly tease from the stem tips of thistles and grass, or willow, alder, and birch catkins. They time chick-rearing to the summer ripening of fresh, pulpy seeds, mashed up and partially digested into a rich gruel for their charges. SEEDS TOO, along with a few tasty yellow flowers and buds, supply the carotene pigments of yellow goldfinch breeding plumage. (The birds…