2021
Vaccine Rollout
With no traveling this winter due to Covid I was hunkered down in my studio dreaming up internet memes among other things. It is going to be another season at the cottage with no visitors and reduced social outings. Here is to hoping our Canadian Government can get enough vaccines in peoples arms more timely. A little bit of a slow start compared to our American friends. I hope you got yours. 🙂
2020
A Ride in the CLARIE II a 100 Year Old Vintage Racing Boat
If you spend time on the Muskoka lakes you will witness the glory of vintage boats slicing through the water. They are beautiful, iconic, masterful works of art. Cherished and sought after builders such as Ditchburn, Greavette, Duke and Minett-Shields operated right here in Muskoka.
It was a thrill to experience a recent ride in the Clarie II a 100 year old masterpiece. The 35ft Hutchinson racing boat was built in 1920 for the Rogers family of St Mary’s Cement to compete in the Great Lakes Gold Cup. It features a 500HP Liberty aircraft engine. Hats off to Murray and Emila for providing us with this great experience.
2020
Missing Muskoka
Along with COVID19 guidelines the Ontario Government has recommended that people do not travel for non-essential purposes. Many families that own cottages as secondary residences have been asked to stay away until the curve of COVID19 cases flattens out. Although there is no actual law forbidding people to check on their properties people are asked to cooperate. I am aware of quite a few cottage owners that are staying in their cottages, minding their own business and self isolating. Some live in large cities where there is a high density of people and feel much safer being in their cottage residences. I can’t say I blame them. Many of the local people are very upset with the influx of visitors to the area because there is simply not enough resources to support everyone. Especially if there were large medical emergencies to break out. I get that too. Personally I have not visited Muskoka in 2020 and I look forward to getting back when there are positive signs of this pandemic flattening out. Let us hope that we see some sort of normalcy and we get to enjoy our beloved place among the tall pines, beautiful granite and sparking waters in the near future.
2020
My Top 9 Instagram Photos
Interesting enough my Top 9 Instagram photos for 2019 are all Muskoka related. If you want to connect on Instagram where I post one photo per day you can follow me at: instagram.com/edboutilier
2020
2020 – The Year of Perfect Vision
Really, 2020? – Weren’t we just partying like it was 1999? – Wishing you Love, Health and Happiness.
p.s. – I made this with an iPhone
2019
Transitioning into a New Decade
I’m taking a little break on the beach as we transition into a new decade. I’ve just come to realized that this Blog will be 12 years old. I certainly have not posted as much in the past few years as social media has been more available to share photographs on. Especially Instagram where I post one photo per day. Many people arrive here as a result of a search of a childhood memory or a particular place they have visited. I will endeavor to carry on the tradition of adding Muskoka content. Best in the New Year to all. 🙂
2019
Ice Forming
The ice has started to form on the Muskoka lakes now. It is usually the barge and work boats that are the last off the lakes and I believe that has happened now. Things are growing even more quieter until the sleds get out on the trails. Muskoka just had a 50cm dump of snow 2 days ago. Winter has indeed set in.
In: boathouses of muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, uncategorized
2019
Drifting Amongst the October Sky
It has been a little chilly on the lake especially traveling around by Seadoo. If you layer up it is not too bad and the trade-off of being the only one on the lake is so worth it. I’ve visited this little outcropping on Lake Joseph a few times in the past. It is near the old abandoned Fairy Island cottage. I get close and just shut off the machine and drift into the rocks. There wasn’t a soul around except for me and a few seagulls. It is so peaceful in a therapeutic sort of way to just sit and take it all in. I included a cropped version and the original full framed photo taken with a Nikon D700 and the 10-24mm wide-angled lens.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2019
A sure Sign of Cottage Life
S I G N S – A typical navigational aid in cottage country. Sorry GPS or an App won’t help you on this one. Strictly analog living 🙂
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, uncategorized
2019
Rest Harbour Barn
This is the inside of an old barn that was on a property dating back to about 140 years. It was once owned by the Judd family who were well known in the Minett area of Muskoka. The barn and an old boathouse were for sale back when I photographed them in 2010. I was a little careful not to go prowling inside the barn as it didn’t look very safe. A year or so after my visit I heard the barn had collapsed to the ground. I noticed this little detail of a cross or shamrock at the peak of the roof. It is my last memory of the barn and I had hoped that whomever the new owners would be that they would save this as a momento. I was recently invited back to this property where the owners have built a architecturally beautiful cottage and boathouse. Unfortunately they were not aware of the carved detail and it was lost in the ruble. I was able to provide them with my photos of the boathouse and beautiful acreage they now enjoy.
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, uncategorized
2019
FlyBoarding
Summer Water Sports or SWS puts on some great ski shows around the Muskoka area. If you have not caught one I highly recommend it. I was over at Clevelands House on Canada Day when I took a few snaps of these Flyboarders. Team SWS has some of the best water skiers and flyboarders in the world. They can even teach you these skills.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2019
Bruce the Moose is Loose
Meet Bruce the Moose. He’s been hanging out at a friends cottage for a couple of days. He is uncharacteristically friendly for some reason. A few people have chimed in on my Instagram page thinking that poor Bruce may be suffering from a deadly brain worm called Parelaphostrongylus Tenuis. I was out taking photos a few years back when a White-Tailed Deer walked right by maybe about 3 feet away. It was very strange at the time experiencing this. I now wonder if maybe he was suffering from the same affliction as Bruce.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns, uncategorized
2019
Catastrophic Flooding Hits Muskoka
As you are probably aware by now Muskoka and other parts of Ontario are experiencing catastrophic flooding. It is not unusual to experience high water in Muskoka during the spring freshet however it is not normal to experience such serious flooding as we are getting now. The first large flood was in 2013 and I documented it on this Blog. There was another in 2017 and now an even bigger and likely more damaging flood happening right now.
Below are some of the photos of this disastrous 2019 flood mostly taken on Lake Muskoka. The brunt of the damage is on Lake Muskoka as both branches of the Muskoka River flow into it as well as water from Lakes Joseph and Rosseau. The Ministry follows a guideline set out by the Muskoka River Water Management Plan and draws down the lakes through the dam located in Bala, Ontario which exits into the Moon River and down to Georgian Bay. The draw down is supposed to prevent this kind of flooding. It appears everything was done according to plan however we still received disastrous results. There was a record amount of snow this winter combined with lots of rain during the run-off. It is difficult to say whether anything else could have been done to mitigate the damage resulting from these floods.
Photo disclaimer:
Please note that none of these photos belong to me. They have been gathered from various social media posts mainly Muskoka 411 News and RS Muskoka. I always like to acknowledge the original source of photos however it has been difficult to track everyone down due to the influx of photos posted. If I have posted your photo please let me know and I will gladly credit you and thank you for sharing.
In: boathouses of muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
The Last Breath of a Muskoka Autumn
The last days of fall were upon us when this shot was taken. And now the winter has approached just like that.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
Thinking About Spiders on my Dock
I’m fascinated by the design of spider webs. The strength of the silk and the overall design of the web itself are key factors in its resiliency. They are designed to sacrifice some failure points in order to preserve the overall integrity of the web. Even after facing extreme winds and torrential downpours they still survive.  How spider webs achieve their strength.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
The Protest to Stop Waterfront Subdivisions in Muskoka
Here is a short video I made while participating in the Sound the Alarm Boat Rally in Muskoka August 25th, 2018. This is in protest of developers turning existing waterfront resorts into subdivisions. The environmental impact of high density housing on shorelines is the main driver. The protest was held in front of the old Lakeside Lodge which was torn down and will have 43 new cottages built on 470 ft of shoreline. Normally 1 or 2 cottages would be built on a lot this size not 43. This all has to do with the new official plan and a developer friendly Mayor and a few Councilors. I assure you this is more than a NIMBY situation. I copied from the Save Muskoka website below.
Official plans set the rules of land use and development for a municipality. This new plan would allow any of Muskoka’s 80-plus waterfront resorts to be redeveloped into high-density residential enclaves – thanks to a developer-friendly redefinition of what constitutes a “Resort”. The District of Muskoka’s planners, in a misguided attempt to prop up the ailing resort industry, are proposing that 50% of all new units may be sold and operated as fully residential units, without the requirement to rent. The other 50% can be sold with minimal (and unenforceable) rental obligations. It is, simply, residential densification under the guise of being a “Resort”. Ironically the real effect maybe doing away with resorts entirely.
http://savemuskoka.ca
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
Feet In Cold Water
There was this awesome Canadian band from the 1970’s called A Foot in Cold Water. Maybe you’ve heard of them? They had a hit song called; Make Me Do Anything You Want. I seem to recall they had an album cover with some dangling feet in cold water. I took this photo with my trusty iPhone off my dock thinking about them. There’s nothing like dangling your feet off the dock on a warm day.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
onecallaway
ONECALLAWAY – is the name of the cottage. Years ago when we were thinking of purchasing this cottage we weren’t sure what to do. Should we or shouldn’t we? Our friend Rob was visiting the office and gave us a little push. He said “do it, it will be a great lifestyle choice” Rob continued “You never know about life, it could be over tomorrow. We could be One Call Away from the Doctor telling us so”. Over the years Rob has visited and also referred to our cottage as onecallaway and it stuck.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2018
Happy 2018
May the New Year bring you cherished memories, good health and an abundance of love and laughter.
