2015
New Construction on the Lakes
Touring around the Big 3 lakes this season I see plenty of new cottage, boathouse and dock construction going on. This photo is of a cottage and boathouse on Lake Rosseau. The previous cottage and boathouse use to look just fine. You can see them in the background of this old photo. By the way that 6 slip boathouse in the old photo has been removed as well.
In: boathouses of muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water
2015
Lake Rosseau from the Side of the Road
The sun was dropping below the horizon and I jumped out of the truck on my way back from Rosseau to grab one last shot. I like to take photos from the side of the road to give those that are passing through a perspective of Muskoka.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2015
Lake Rosseau Sunrise
A Lake Rosseau sunrise from Clevelands House. Thanks for checking in, I should be back to regularly posting photos now.
2015
The Thaw
Thank you Savannah for allowing me to share your beautiful story. The original published in the Elephant Journal on April 7, 2015.
Six years ago on March 14th, 2015, my mother and sister traveled through the ice to their frozen death on Lake Rosseau.
Six years ago you may have read about this tragedy on the front page of The Globe and Mail. Six years ago I was in Myrtle Beach on my friend’s family vacation thousands of kilometers away from home. Six years ago at home it was a perfect blue bird winter day—the frozen snow-packed lake calling all ice fishers, snowmobilers and March Break families out to play.
For six years I have been frozen with my mom and my sister at the bottom of the Lake, unable to let them go and unable to take them with me.
For six years I’ve been sitting at the bottom of the lake submerged by the weight of the water and all its sadness. Today marks the end of the six-year-long deep freeze: the thaw has begun.
I will begin my swim to the horizon where the water meets the air and I will take a deep breath.
When I try and picture that day out on the ice I can feel the natural beauty resonating in the refracting snowy lake light. There is purity in that frozen air that shimmers in such a magical way that you can literally feel your soul swell in your body. If you’ve experienced this, you know there’s a universal truth in this feeling.
When you’ve experienced still beauty like this it becomes engraved in your memory and when you access it, it fills you with blissful clarity. My mother once said that the best gifts in life are free. She was right; the best gifts in this life are from Mother Nature—they’re honest and unconditional.
There is truth in both light and dark places.
The truth in the light place that I just described is in the crisp, still air and the glistening snow crust and the peace that exists where they meet at the horizon.
The truth in the dark place is under 18 inches of ice and several feet of cold black water. In this truth their bodies were perfectly preserved while Mother Nature absorbed their souls into the Earth’s crust.
This is also an honest and unconditional act of Mother Nature; She took them and She’s not giving them back.
It has taken me until now to be able to hold this dark truth; they were taken and I was not.
They are dead and I am alive.
They are not supposed to be here and I am.
I was left here for a reason.
We cannot do it alone, and yet, we are all we have. How can we both be alone and together simultaneously in a truthful way? I am just beginning to understand the depths of this question.
And I know that the fact that there is truth in both light and dark places is a critical part of this balancing act. We must grow comfortable in our own skin to express ourselves and experience beauty authentically. Often that beauty is reflected in sharing experiences with others, but for it to be real, for it to resonate, we must feel the light in our own bodies alone in the dark.
We must know our contribution and our worth in just being.
Each person’s presence is undoubtedly part of the molecular makeup of this life—we are all connected in one way or another. We are all organic organisms of this earth and therefore, all part of the honest and unconditional gifts of Mother Nature.
So it is hard for me to admit, but the truth is this: my mother and sister’s death was a gift.
Losing them has given me the gift of courage, the gift of independence, the gift of empathy, the gift of true peripheral vision and the greatest gift of all—the gift of self love. I cry for them often and their tragic death has left scar tissue in my heart, but I hold these gifts in my heart too, and I am only 23.
Many people would say that what I’ve experienced is too much for a young woman. I have felt this “ too much” for six years. But, as Mother Nature’s gifts to me have become visible and tangible I am aware of a kind of spiritual wealth that I never would have imagined.
This spiritual wealth translates into person power—big energy. In this energy my frequency pulls me out of that water and I get to swim in my soul at that peaceful horizon where the water meets the air.
It is time to celebrate. I am not frozen any more. I had to pull myself out of school to begin this thaw and I don’t think I will finish any degree in the immediate future. I will continue to grow in different, maybe unconventional, learning environments.
I will continue to study yoga and deepen my own delicious practice.
I will travel and sit with Mother Nature in other parts of the world.
And, when I get out of the water completely, I will climb to my favourite horizon where the crisp, still air caresses the glistening snow crust on the peak of a mountain. When I close my eyes this is where I want to be—on the peak of a mountain with my feet grounded in Mother Nature and Heaven all around me.
Author: Savannah Robinson
About Savannah Robinson
Savannah Robinson is a survivor. But, she is not particularly fond of that word. To her, the word survivor is finite – it comes with a period at the end. She has survived the tragic loss of her mother and sister. She has survived a brutal eating disorder.She has survived emptiness and self-
loathing. Savannah is done surviving. She ismoving towards thriving. Today Savannah Robinson is a 23-year-old, vibrant young woman. She’s on a mission to find happiness and abundance in everything she does. She loves to do a lot—cook, travel, eat, play guitar, sing, talk politics, art and social justice, back country, deep-powder skiing, yoga, serving tables, bartending—you name it! Of all the things she loves to do though, writing is at the top of the list. Writing is Savannah’s vehicle to share her story with you—the story of her journey out of survival mode.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2015
Peaceful Church in Bala
This is a church in Bala near the Bala Falls. It was very quiet on a cold winters day when I passed by recently. Only a few people around on snowmobiles. I believe they use this church to sell arts and crafts now.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2015
You’ve Got Mail
I finally made it up to Muskoka and was able to spend some time taking a few photos. I visited Foots Bay where there is good access to Lake Joe and noticed this mail box on the side of the road.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2014
Last Ride
I usually keep the machines in as long as I can and that’s usually up to when we start seeing snow. My last ride of the season was on Lake Rosseau around the Venetian group of Islands. The colors have disappeared and so have most of the seasonal residents. There has been a few small snow flurries and it won’t be long until Muskoka gets blasted with old man winter. The season has switched.
2014
Video – Flying Above the Bala Falls
Someone shared this beautiful video of Bala Falls with me. It was taken from a drone in and around the Bala Falls. You can see the Muskoka fall colors and the beautiful cascading waterfalls. I recommend you play it in full screen with the highest resolution you can.
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2014
A View from the Top
The view from the top of the Dorset Lookout Tower. It can be a bit of a shaky walk up the stairs especially when the winds are blowing. The tower is about 100 feet high and the overall elevation is about 500 feet over the Lake of Bays.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2014
Cavalcade of Color
The fall colors are extra brilliant this year in Muskoka. I was out for a ride on Lake Rosseau recently and noticed this small aircraft anchored in a quiet bay with a pretty color backdrop. I hope you get out and take some of this beauty in.
2014
All Alone
I started out early as the sun was beginning to peek above the horizon. I was concerned about the sound of my engine awakening people as they lie nestled between their sheets. The air was cool and crisp and the lake was as still as it ever gets. I was all alone and it was good.
2014
As long as we can sail away
While traveling on Lake Joseph recently I noticed this property with a tepee on it. You really don’t see tepee’s very often and this is the second one I’ve spotted this season. The other is located on Tobins Island, Lake Rosseau. I wonder if there is any real cultural or historical significance at these locations?
I could live inside a tepee
I could die in Penthouse thirty-five
You could lose me on the freeway
But I would still make it back alive.
~ Neil Young, Sail Away
2014
Diplomatic Scavengers
While traveling around the lakes I notice that the only birds that hang out with the cormorants are the seagulls. I suspect the opportunistic gulls hang around picking up the fish scraps that the cormorants drop. A diplomatic scavenger of sorts. Ahhh excuse me sir, don’t mind me while I borrow these french fries.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2014
Eye Candy on the Lakes
There is without question some beautifully designed cottages and boathouses on the Muskoka Lakes. Here is a photo of a newly built boathouse on Lake Joseph across from the Lake Joe Club in Port Sandfield. It is built on one of the lots that were created from the tear down of the historic Marygrove or Glen Home Hotel.
In: boathouses of muskoka, historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water
2014
Where Gnomes Live?
I don’t recall the exact location of this little cabin I found. I think its near Home Island on Lake Joe, I need to circle back. Its refreshing to see these places carved out of the woods instead of the obligatory McMansions on the Big 3 lakes in Muskoka. I’m pretty sure I saw some gnomes scurry about in the background when I showed up.
2014
Nooks and Crannies
One of the cool things I love about exploring the Muskoka lakes are the abundance of hidden channels, islands and private bays, the nooks and crannies so to speak. Year after year I try to archive these places in my head, kind of like learning the streets around a neighborhood. For some reason it is very difficult for my brain to process these places in any uniform manner. Trying to recall exactly where I am, whats up ahead or even remembering if I have been here before proves to be difficult. (and I’m sure I have been everywhere at least once) Of course there are significant markers like that island of weird birds, the 7-slip boathouse or that shallow bay where I sucked up a rock on my Seadoo.
to be2014
Celebrating 10 Summers!
We are celebrating 10 summers at our Muskoka sanctuary. It seems like we just arrived. A team effort created these sweet raspberry Martinis as a pre-dinner cocktail on the dock. The photo was processed using an iPad and run through the Camera+ app. Cheers Y’all
!
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, uncategorized
2014
Rejuvination
Ahhh … Jumping off a dock into a cool Canadian lake. Is there anything as refreshing?
2014
Fairy Island
I have been cruising around Lake Joseph for the past decade or so always discovering interesting places. I find Lake Joe to have a lot of hidden areas especially the islands once you get towards the north end of the lake. I believe if my coordinates are right this place is Fairy Island. Waterfront property is very expensive in Muskoka and you don’t often find places that are boarded up like this one. I suspect some time in the future we will see this place refreshed to something more beautiful.
In: boathouses of muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water
2014
Shelter from the Storm
I would like to thank the owners of this boathouse, whomever you are. While traveling down the Joe River recently with a group including kids we got caught in a wicked thunder, lightning and torrential rain storm. It came upon us so quickly with the lightning blasting around us! The wind and rain blew so hard I couldn’t dock the boat so I ended up jumping in the lake and pulling the boat in. Just as we landed another boat arrived with 4 teenagers that were visibly shaken. Fortunately the boathouse was open as we waited for the storm to clear. Someone from the cottage came down later to see if we were OK. Our apologies for the intrusion and thank you for the shelter!
In: boathouses of muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, on the water
