Greetings from Big Hawk Lake - Week 2. Wonderful to have you join me for last week's lake adventures.
We've had warm weather, highs around 20C (68F)/lows around 14C (57F), throughout the week. Very comfortable for this time of year. As my sunrise photos below indicate, we've also had overcast skies for multiple days with a touch of rain.
The absolute silence was occasionally punctuated with the sounds of ducks, geese, owls, blue jays and squirrels rustling in the leaves. Periodically a motorboat would cross the lake on its way to the harbour. Great surroundings to read, write my blog and simply sit on the deck watching the world go by.
My proposed trip to The Screaming Heads I mentioned in last week's post failed to materialize. The unsettled weather, in combination with my diminishing appetite to leave my lakeside 'cocoon', were determining factors in the scrubbed trip.
My two interviews did proceed on Wednesday as planned. What an incredible blessing each conversation turned out to be. One story leads to another story until an intricate web of stories unfolds. The greatest challenge is determining which part of the web to explore and assessing the exploration's depth and breadth.
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| Aspiring boat operator! |
I continue to be so grateful for my friend Dave's generosity with his cottage. I now have some experience operating a small motorboat, courtesy of Dave's confidence in my ability to left on my own. So much more to learn about boat operation, especially if the boat motor were to fail. Yikes!
I'm sharing a Highlands tourism link that provides a broader perspective on what you are missing in your life unless you add a trip to this part of the world. Dave was sharing fascinating information about how the glaciers have shaped the landscape.
May the universe bring endless blessings (blessings in disguise) and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Maps
Welcome to my cottage life. The periodic trip into Carnarvon and Minden for supplies or visit the farmer's market.
Canada (Ontario): September 7 to September 20, 2025
Big Hawk Lake
I overlooked sharing detailed information about the shingling project my friend Dave had orchestrated over our first weekend at the cottage. He enlisted Charles, a neighbour on the lake known for his broad skillset; Andrew, a younger brother and myself. Dave, Charles and Andrew focused their efforts on removing the old shingles and installing the new shingles. While my primary responsibility was cleaning up the old shingles, I morphed my job by day 2 to include baking cookies and helping prepare lunches and evening meals.
Shingling Adventure
The task was to reshingle the roof on Dave's second cottage which has been in the midst of renovations. The project took a total of three days - Thursday through Saturday with the weather most behaving. There was a need one evening to put tarps on the exposed parts of the roof to protect the roof from the impending rain. It was fascinating to watch our team go through the four stages associated with a high performing team - forming, storming, norming and performing.
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| Roof being prepped for shingles |
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| Shingling completed |
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Lots of detailed work around vents and
uneven areas on the roof. Time consuming! |
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| Andrew - King of the Roof |
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| Yours truly, in my support role |
Sunrise
The week started with clear skies in the east to showcase the sunrise. Then the clouds moved in over the next several days.
Sunrise
While overcast skies prevent the glamour and colour associated with a clear sky, one has to appreciate the blessing that the universe continues to operate, without any human intervention. The gift is shifting your attention to the sounds of nature as the daylight slowly overcomes the dark.
Autumn Colours
The range of colours expressed by the leaves this year was breathtaking. I continue to have my fascination with capturing reflections of trees on the lake surface. I was amply rewarded with the trees just across the water from the cottage.
Sunrise
Another overcast day.
Sunrise
Yet another overcast morning. The coffee still tasted as great as ever!
Bridge Walk
Snowmobiling is a major winter time activity in this part of the world. There are hundreds of kilometres of groomed trails maintained by volunteers. Dave wanted to check on the status of bridge used by snowmobilers to ensure the bridge's safety for the upcoming winter season. OMG, we've just entered the fall season and are already thinking about the first snowfall.
The bridge was about a kilometre walk from Dave's cottage. Our blessing was there was road that Dave's neighbour had built over the years so our walk to the snowmobile trail where the bridge is located was relatively easy. through the bush. We left the road to continue our trek on an old logging road that now served as a snowmobile trail in the winter time.
A beautiful walk in the silent woods with the gift of more beauty offered by the river where the bridge spans the river banks.
BTW - Charles had mentioned that he had sighted a mother bear and her cub by his cottage prior to our arrival Dave prudently carried bear bells with him on our walk to prevent any unexpected bear encounters. Getting between a mother and her cub is a very dangerous, potentially lethal, situation!
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| A walk in the woods |
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| Looking downstream |
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| Looking upstream |
Sunrise
We had a morning where the clouds did break prior to sunrise producing the colours you see in the photos below. Unfortunately the 'curtains' closed on the show as the cloud cover became complete in the minutes following this amazing colour show.
Night Sky
If you look really close at the photos below, and I mean real close, you may see the plethora of stars that we witnessed in the sky above where we were sitting on the deck. Dave was also busy scanning the sky for the northern lights (aurora borealis). I discovered this
website which provides a forecast where the lights might best be seen. Additionally, I also learned that the
spring and fall equinoxes happen to be the best time to witness the Northern lights.
Action Shots
Dave suggested taking a few action shots of me in the boat. Do take special note of the flannel jacket I'm wearing. This red and black checkered apparel is known locally as a Haliburton Dinner Jacket.
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| All aboard! |
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| Ready for the big trip to the harbour! |
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| Different view of shoreline |
Carnarvon - The Interviews
Wednesday was the red letter day for my two interviews that were intended to launch my new freelance writing career. Mike, assistant editor/reporter, at the Highlander confirmed the paper's interest in publishing my articles when the space was available in future editions.
Haliburton Highlands Quilt Guild
I spent about two hours speaking with various Guild members. Leona, who joined the Guild in May after relocating to the area, was quick to greet meet me and ensure I felt immediately welcome. Leona is your poster child for advocating the quild membership benefits. I spend time speaking with Carolyn who shared background on the guild as well as a number of projects she was involved with including sourcing quilts for victims of fires in Nova Scotia and supporting
Quilts for Survivors - a project spearheaded by Vanessa Grenier in Timmins, Ontario to provide quilts for residential school survivors. Carolyn had previously attended a three day retreat in Timmins which she found both emotional and energizing. Leona's favourable new member experience led me to speaking with Sue who had responsibility for new member onboarding. It was interesting to discover that Leona's onboarding experience was the result of Sue's efforts to address a serious gap in the new member experience at her first meeting. Sue's initial experience was bad enough to sway her from attending future meetings. The only reason she eventually returned was receiving reassurances from the woman running the local quilting store that the guild was well worth being a member of.
The above is but a hint of my experience. Lots more to share, including the Guild history, when I write the article. I'll share the link to the publication when it is available.
I brought two dozen peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and two dozen oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to the meeting. I had read on their website about how members brought sweets to share at their sewing days.
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Sharon, Guild Program Coordinator showing
the 'quilt as you go' quilting technique |
Country Bakery
I learned an invaluable lesson through my experience interviewing Sue. It's the lesson I need a periodic reminder about - 'keep it simple'. I had drafted an extensive list of questions to analyze various aspects of her bakery business. Sue had invited Helen Litt, the building owner, to participate in the interview. The curve I tried to connect with was that Sue and Helen had been partners in the bakery's original location. After about 15 minutes of a history lesson on Sue and Helen's business partnership, I suspended the interview as the whole interview experience felt uncomfortable. The missing 'ingredient' in my first attempt at interviewing Sue was the interview entry point. Sue is a 'common sense' business owner who spends every minute in her store either baking, canning preserves and/or talking with customers. Every aspect of her bakery reflects her personality and deliberate choices she made. The bakery and Sue are one. I had a second conversation with Sue where I shared my revelation about how I thought about her common sense approach. The flood gates of information about her business suddenly opened up. More details to come from the article I'm about to write and submit to the Highlander for publication.
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Minden
Saturday Farmers Market
I made a return visit to the Farmers Market to enjoy a serving of tacos one last time courtesy of Dulce and Anabel. I also ordered a cup of Mexican hot chocolate which was simply divine! I brought two dozen home baked cookies for the chefs - a dozen peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and a dozen oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
I got an extra order of tacos to bring back to the cottage for Dave. I stopped by the Highland Brewing Company to get a beer for Dave to accompany his tacos. I had driven repeatedly by the brewery in my two weeks so I thought I should make a stop to investigate.
I met Sarah and her sister Marta the Fart while I was eating my tacos at a nearby picnic table. Sarah shared she was almost 70 years old and has been visiting the area for many years. We shook hands as to cement our introductions. I guess I was somehow special as Marta mentioned Sarah rarely, if ever, shared Marta's nickname to strangers. Yes, it was an interesting convo.
Next Week
Plans remain on track to travel to Port Credit on Sunday, September 28. I have the blessing to meet with several friends while in Port Credit. I also have an apple picking excursion on my itinerary. On Friday, October 3; I travel to Eau Claire, Wisconsin via Minneapolis. I'm attending a Scottish Rite Fall Reunion on Saturday in Eau Claire.
Stay happy and healthy!
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