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HELPFUL TIPS TO SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY Easy tinny makeover • HOW TO PICK THE BEST WINDOWS • Turn leftovers into pie PREDICT WEATHER BETTER • 2 ways to find affordable lumber

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tner My par he t HATESge!” cotta

ON IN S A E S E H T R U O V SA AND T S K C O M M A H OUR GENIUS(PDAIY SS THE CHIPS!)

PLUS: CRISIS ON THE WATER

How can we make our lakes safer for all?

IN CAN A

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THE COTTAGE LIFE SHOW IS BACK! Discount p. 26

Contents

October 2021 VOLUME 34 NUMBER 5

Features 50 A Deeper, Longer Breath Our cabin in the Laurentians offered a welcome escape from the early days of the pandemic—and then we never left.

BY M AT T H E W H AG U E

60 A Swing and Some Bliss Cool cottage project alert! This brilliant hammock stand will solve all of your swing time woes. All it takes is a single sheet of plywood. BY PAUL LEWIS

66 Up in Smoke Your chimney is one of the hardest working structures at your cottage. Are you maintaining it the way you need to?

BY R AY FO R D

72 Red Sky at Night?

Could be Right Cottagers love telling tales about everything from weather to food. Find out which of these “wives’ tales” have some merit and which are bunk. BY JAC KIE DAVI S AND BECKY DUMAIS

78 New Life for Leftovers

COV E R , E R IN L EY D O N ; T HI S PAGE , M ATT H E W H AGU E

You can save the environment and empty out your fridge by making these savoury pie recipes (complete with homemade flaky crust). BY ESHUN MOTT

A misty morning on Lac Manitou, Que.

On the cover:

35 Tinny 45 Windows 78 Pie 72 Weather 29 Lumber 41 Partner hates the cottage 60 Hammock stand 10 Safer lakes

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 3

Contents

Departments

45

Peekaboo!

Granite, we see you

10 Editor’s Note 13 Your Letters 19 Waterfront 20 Lake association combats dangerous boating; holiday food lake names 22 A decorative use for old CL issues; Reporter 23 Geese do what on one leg?; A lighter that won’t burn your fingers 24 Rondeau leases update; overheard at the cottage 25 Buy the Way: cottage vs. trailer

29 Workshop 30 The latest on lumber prices; how to salvage old wood 31 Get yourself a rotary tool; green wood 32 Mill your own trees 33 Protect your woodlot from LDD moths; deer effigy project

Cigarette butts and forest fire risk; a twomouthed bass mystery; LDD caterpillar allergy; how to rehab a tinny

BY J ACK IE DAVIS

41 Zim Weighs In You married a diehard cottager, but you can’t muster the same enthusiasm—what now?

78

BY DAV ID Z I MME R

45 Style Ideas Modern windows are more energy efficient and can save you money in the long run. Time to look at rather than through yours.

BY LE SLIE GA RRETT

35

83 Nature Scrapbook Lacquered polypore may break down heartwood of living trees, but this mighty fungus is a force of good that helps support all forest life.

BY TIM TINE R

84 Before You Leave This innovative guest book proves that you can never have too many mugs.

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19

WINDOW: COLIN FAULKNER; LIGHTER: COURTESY BIC; PIE: JODI PUDGE. ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ASHLEY

35 Cottage Q&A

You can build your own custom cottage Here’s How

When building a Beaver Homes & Cottages material package you have the option to modify our existing house plans, customizing your dream home. With over 119 standard material packages available that can all be customized to suit your needs.

Packages available exclusively at:

BeaverHomesandCottages.ca

S’more stuff How you can read, watch, stream, share, and visit— Cottage Life is everywhere!

We can’t wait to see you Let’s get together at the Fall Cottage Life Show, happening in person, November 12–14 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Turn to p. 26 for details, and meet some of our exhibitors in our special sneak peak section, starting on p. 86.

Follow us on:

Mic drop

Mark your calendars!

On Tuesday, October 12, a new series, Mountain Men, premieres on the Cottage Life channel at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Plus, don’t miss new seasons of Life Below Zero at 9 p.m. ET/PT and Ice Vikings at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Find your channel at tv.cottagelife.com.

Subscribe to our enewsletters It’s the best way to stay in touch with us between issues—delivered straight to your inbox every week, for free!

For more information and to sign up, visit cottagelife.com/newsletters.

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TO P, JO CREBBIN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Season two of The Cottage Life Podcast has wrapped, but all episodes are available on demand. You can hear about birds, weather lore, boating safety, shoreline management, and more. Listen on your favourite podcast platform or go to cottagelife.com/podcast.

The family room is where you capture life’s important moments in a whole new light.

Create a lifetime of memories in any space with a Napoleon Fireplace.

Contributors Editor Michelle Kelly Deputy Editor Liann Bobechko Managing Editor Megan McPhaden Senior Editor Jackie Davis Associate Editor Alysha Vandertogt Editorial Assistant Marie Waine Contributing Editor Martin Zibauer Editorial Intern Karin Salk Art Director Bradley Reinhardt Associate Art Director Taylor Kristan Production Artist Kathleen O’Hare Project Manager, Print Production Karen Evans

Ali Amad

Jodi Pudge

Ali’s passion for storytelling

Jodi loves to cook and bake at the

started at a young age—he grew

cottage, but when it comes to

up in the Middle East with a family

being on set as a food photogra-

of published writers. At the beginning of Ali’s journalism career,

pher, “I very much do not make the food.” Jodi collaborated with

he took a job as a writer and interpreter for an NGO helping

food and prop stylists to create the delicious-looking images in “New

with the Syrian refugee crisis in Greece. “I interviewed refugees

Life for Leftovers” (p. 78). Her love of all things food extends beyond

in camps, people who survived harrowing experiences,” he says. “I realized I have the ability to share stories you normally wouldn’t get to hear.” Ali brings this skill to “Buy the Way” (p. 25), a recurring real estate column about buying a cottage. “We all want spaces to spend quality time with our families,” he says.

“These stories connect us.” Ali also contributes to Toronto Life and The Walrus.

the studio—her Toronto condo boasts a flourishing balcony garden featuring salad greens, tomatoes, bok choy, and tons of herbs. “My partner and I didn’t get up to the cottage as much as we wanted to last year, so the garden gave me a piece of the outdoors while still being in the city,” says Jodi. “Plus, I don’t have to worry about deer.” Jodi has also worked with the LCBO and President's Choice.

Behind the scenes Awards alert!

Earlier this year, several of our staff and contributors were honoured at the annual National Magazine Awards, held virtually. Vancouverbased photographer Grant Harder won Silver in Lifestyle Photography for his striking work on “At the End of the Highway” (Mar/Apr ’20). Graham Roumieu won Silver in Illustration for his contribution to “We Swim” (Aug/Sept ’20), shown above. And a special shout-out to our editor, Michelle Kelly, for winning this year’s Editor Grand Prix. Congratulations to these contributors and all others who created such wonderful work for the magazine in 2020.

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Editor, Cottage Life Digital Roxy Kirshenbaum (on leave) Senior Videographer/Editor Adam Holman Subscription rates: Canada, $30.95 plus taxes for one year (6 issues), U.S., $45.00 for one year, and International, $75.00 for one year. Payable in Canadian dollars.

GST/HST Registration #819633876.

Published September 9, 2021, for Oct 2021. ISSN 0838-2395.

Mail Preference: On occasion, we share our subscriber and client list with carefully screened organizations whose products or services we feel might interest you. See our privacy policy at cottagelife.com/privacypolicy. If you prefer that we do not share your name and address, please contact us via the subscription inquiry information.

CANADIAN POSTMASTER: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Cottage Life, 8799 Highway 89, Alliston, ON L9R 1V1. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement number 40050643. Cottage Life, USPS 009615, is published six times a year (Mar/Apr, May, June/July, Aug/Sept, Oct, Nov) by Cottage Life Media, a division of Blue Ant Media Inc. U.S. office of publication: 2152 Ridge Rd, Lewiston NY 14092. Periodical Postage paid at Lewiston NY and additional offices.

U.S. POSTMASTER: Return undeliverable U.S. addresses to Cottage Life, Box 1068, Niagara Falls, NY 14304-0357.

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Cottage Life® is published by Cottage Life Media, a division of Blue Ant Media Inc. CEO, Cottage Life Media Al Zikovitz President, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media Jamie Schouela SVP & Group Publisher, Cottage Life Mitch Dent VP, Content, Cottage Life Michelle Kelly Director, Lifestyle & Content Sales Rosemary Munroe Account Executive Mylène Tomkin Western Sales Manager Wendy-Ann Derbyshire Director, Consumer Marketing Travis Lunau Campaign Strategist, Consumer Marketing Jennifer Williams Consumer Marketing Coordinator Raynika Awotwi Retail Marketing Consultant Craig Sweetman Director of Marketing Aubray Boyd Marketing Manager Cynthia Mutheardy VP, Digital Media Sue Haas VP, Programming Craig Junner Director, Consumer Shows Greg McLeod Cottage Life 99 Atlantic Ave, 4th Floor Toronto, ON M6K 3J8 Contact us Advertising inquiries: (416) 440-7062 adsales@cottagelife.com Subscription or customer service inquiries: Canada & U.S.: (800) 267-0393 Toronto: (416) 864-3741 service@cottagelife.com Website: my.cottagelife.com Consumer show inquiries: (416) 599-2000 ext. 6597 clshow@cottagelife.com Editorial inquiries: (416) 599-2000 ext. 275 edit@cottagelife.com Copyright ©2021 by Cottage Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph, or artwork without written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden. The publisher can assume no responsibility for unsolicited material.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

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LET YOUR PASSION DEFINE YOUR LEGACY Your passion for Canada’s natural spaces defines your life; now it can define your legacy. With a gift in your Will to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, no matter the size, you can help protect our most vulnerable habitats and the wildlife that live there. For today, for tomorrow and for generations to come.

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Editor’s Note

All in on PFDs I took a boating course as part of an assignment for this magazine. The idea was that I, a relatively inexperienced boat driver, would write about what it was like to learn. On the morning of the course, I was driving to the marina, counting my blessings that my job afforded me a day on the water, when my phone rang. It was theneditor of CL, Penny Caldwell, reminding me to wear a PFD in the photography that would accompany the story.

Really? I asked her. Do I have to? It just seemed so...dorky. And I knew that wearing a PFD wasn’t required by law, and, besides, no one really does that, and it’s uncomfortable, and I was in my twenties and therefore felt generally invincible.

Plus, I’m a strong swimmer! Penny insisted; it was important that the magazine model best practices. When we can show images featuring people wearing PFDs or life jackets, we always do.

Over a lifetime of cottaging, I have been in and out of hundreds of boats and spent countless hours on the water. In all that time, I’ve rarely worn a life jacket.

Not when my kids were small, not when it was late at night, not in bad weather.

I knew it was safer—I had seen the stats.

But I was following the norm for most cottagers, who more often than not (especially back then) forgo wearing a PFD. Recently, I’ve had a change of heart.

It feels like every summer there is at least one major boating accident that makes the news, and this summer one struck close to home—one of the families involved in a collision on Lake Rosseau, Ont., this past July are friends of friends.

The young mom sustained severe injuries; her teenage daughter was killed.

While the specifics of that horrific incident are still under investigation, one thing is clear to me: if it can happen to them, it can happen to me. Accidents do happen. Why not do everything we possibly can to mitigate their effects?

As of press time, there have been 23 boating fatalities on waterways patrolled by the OPP so far this year. Ninety-one per cent of the victims weren’t wearing WAY BACK IN 2007,

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that’s a good start, but there is nothing like an on-water lesson with an experienced instructor, as I learned first-hand when I took my course for the magazine all those years ago.

Experienced boaters also need to play a part in making our lakes safer. Organizations such as Safe Quiet Lakes (a group that aims to make boating safer for all watercraft users, from kayakers to wakeboarders) and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations are working to promote safe boating. I encourage you to contact these groups for ways to increase education on your lake (for an example of cottagers doing this successfully, turn to “This’ll Learn Them,” p. 20). Sometimes just communicating the problem is the biggest part of the solution.

At the cottage, we tend to do things the same way for generations. But a change, in this case, will do us good. I’ll be sporting a PFD when you next see me on the water—and I’ll be feeling safer for it.

@mkonthedock

E R IN L E Y DO N

PFDs. When we get into a car, we put on our seatbelt, but when we get into a boat, we feel safe knowing that there is a life jacket—the closest thing we have to a seatbelt on the water—stowed beneath a bench at the stern. Do we really think that the life jackets will just pop onto our bodies as we are suddenly thrown out of the boat? It’s pretty ridiculous to assume such a thing, but here we are, so many of us, assuming it all the time. This is a particularly treacherous assumption in the autumn, when the water grows colder and we’re often wearing layers of bulky clothing.

In the context of all that, PFDs are a no-brainer. But there is another part of the equation here. There’s a lot we can do to prevent accidents in the first place.

According to Joe Gatfield, the chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council, boating has blossomed during the pandemic as more people have turned to leisure activities close to home and within their bubble. Great news for our boating industry, and great that more people can access our waterways. The challenge is, with boating, “you don’t just get in the water and do it,” he says. You need a licence, and

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Your Letters Chock full of treasures I am devouring the Aug/Sept ’21 issue!

I grew up on Redman Island, Ont., in Lake Rosseau’s Venetia group. The retro cottage featured in “The Monk, the Recluse, and a Message in a Bottle” is indeed something special—such a refreshing contrast to all the new lake homes being built. “A Snake in the Grass” was chilling but informative.

We have several large fox snakes on our island. I’ve never seen a snake larger than a garter snake, so we are learning to live together. Thanks again for a wonderful issue.—Charlie Dalton, Lake Rosseau, Ont.

Download this now Thank you for sharing the story “New Canadian App Detects and Tracks Forest Fires in Real Time” (cottagelife.com). We are currently on an evacuation alert due to a major fire coming our way from Ontario.

I just advised our Facebook group located here in Nopiming Provincial Park, Man., about the Fire Fringe app.

It’s much better than the provincial maps—they only show up to the borders, and we sure as heck know that borders do not stop forest fires!

We are full-timers, so it is a bit concerning when you get the notice to pack your bags. You have to leave most of it and hope your little piece of heaven can be saved.—Leta Lee, via email

On our smaller lake, the wakes are very damaging, even more so with the huge rains this year. Also, many drivers don’t seem to care about other boats trying to get through the wakes. My pontoon boat has been flooded twice while carrying suitcases and food.

We may all own the waters, but we have to share them—boat politely and safely and wakeboard in large water.

—Chris Andrews, via email For more information on safe boating practices, check out episode six of the CL podcast and turn to Editor’s Note (p. 10).

A sign for the times Share the waters The column “A Bridge Over Troubled Waters” (May ’21) made many good points about wakeboats. Over the 50 years of going up to our cottage, boats have continued to grow, mostly in speed and noise. These wakeboats have both, plus the harmful wakes.

We asked on Facebook, “ D I D YO U K N OW T H E D O C K S P I D E R C A N RUN 75 CM P ER SECON D OVE R WATE R ?” and you were quick to react:

“That may be, but I can run much faster when one comes close to me!”

—Cathy Sheridan

“As long as it’s running away from me, it can run as fast as it likes.”

—Laurie Teather

“I feel like my life is full without this information.”

—Debbie Hurda

I finished reading “Navigation Tools” (June/July ’21) and it was incredibly well-written and timely given the reckoning this country is undergoing with our treatment of Indigenous peoples.

I’ve been taking the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course online, which I believe should be

472

The number of responses we received on Facebook when we asked where to find the best butter tarts.

(It’s safe to say cottagers love their sweet treats.)

Photo by @anniebur Want a chance to be featured here? Post your photo on Instagram using #CottageLifeSub.

OC TOBER 2021

cottagelife.com 13

The sign that now hangs on Willow Woods.

required for every non-Indigenous Canadian. And my wife has done great work as an elementary school teacher to ensure that future generations of Canadians are better educated about Indigenous cultures.

We even, unbeknownst to the other, planned to create a land acknowledgement sign for our cottage in Haliburton, Ont., which we call Willow Woods.

When I gave my wife a sign this past spring, her reaction wasn’t what I expected—she seemed a little disappointed. Turns out, she had planned to give me a similar sign for my birthday.

Producing the sign wasn’t easy, as I couldn’t find someone who specializes in them. And ensuring the words didn’t offend, when the intent of the sign is to acknowledge, was also difficult. Thankfully, I could lean on friends with expertise for help. It was a fascinating experience, and one that’s helped me and my wife start conversations with visitors who already appreciate the cottage to also appreciate the land, water, air, and people that made it possible.

—Jason Fiorotto, Glamor Lake, Ont.

COVID damage control We are American citizens who have owned a cottage for 20 years on Weslemkoon Lake, Ont. In February 2020, we were informed of major damage to our second home and were denied access to Canada to evaluate the extent.

We contacted the Canada Border Services Agency numerous times about our situation and provided supporting documentation. Our visit was deemed nonessential. We are looking at repairs of more than $200,000. It was hard for us to understand the CBSA’s denial for the past 18 months. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to express our frustration.—Joe and Nancy Lagnese, Weslemkoon Lake, Ont. 14 cottagelife.com

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Furniture swapping

A far inferior choice

I was inspired by “How the Tables Have Turned” (Workshop, June/July ’21) about a handy cottage couple who created a table from an old Muskoka chair.

At the time I was reading your article, we had four old Muskoka chairs destined for disposal.

We needed another table for use on our dock, so I took up the challenge.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I added the arms and foot rails for decoration and left some of the spars exposed so there would be no doubt about the origin of the wood. It took a bit of wood filler to hide all the screw holes, but in the end, I think it’s functional and quite a talking point. Thanks for the great idea.—Janice Paterson, Bay Lake, Ont.

I was glad to hear support for the upstanding Canadian’s screwdriver, the Robertson, in my favourite magazine of all time (Workshop, June/July ’21). I’m wondering, however, why do you use the imperial system? Just like the Phillips screw, our American neighbours still cling to imperial, a far inferior choice.

As a true Canadian, the only system you would employ is metric.—Jonathan Zinkie, Big Bald Lake, Ont.

This table is made from an old Muskoka chair.

Relationship advice I love your newsletter, but I had to comment on “7 Annoying Habits of Cottage Neighbours” (cottagelife.com). You missed one major annoyance: barking dogs. I know I’m probably in the minority—I have a cottage, two kids, and no dogs—but I am by no means a dog hater. I love when they are well-behaved and don’t bark incessantly.

I had a cottage neighbour for 20 years who had two big dogs, and they were well-trained. They only barked occasionally. I now find practically everyone on our lake has a dog, and there is constant barking. Why don’t people notice how annoying their dogs are and how they may be disturbing their neighbours? When my kids were young, I was cognizant of when they were whining and would make sure they quieted down so as not to bother everyone. Why can’t dog owners be the same?—Viive Sawler, via email

We use imperial measurements on our projects because that’s how materials are sold in stores. (You would have to convert everything from metric. What a pain!)

For the love of paddling After reading “A COVID Silver Lining” (Your Letters, Winter ’21) about a ladies kayaking group from Crane Lake, Ont., our own kayaking group from Dwight got in touch. On July 13, with kayaks in a trailer and on car roof racks, we arrived at Crane Lake and spent the morning paddling together. Rain set in, but it didn’t dampen our spirits.

The Crane Lake group then joined us on August 3 in Dwight, and we spent an amazing day paddling the Oxtongue River with a lunch stop at Marshs Falls.

It’s been amazing to make new friends who share a love of kayaking and to be able to get together in a safe way during an isolating time.—Pat Anselmi, via email

Jump on in What a happy surprise to see that another reader took note of a spirited painting of two people, baring all, jumping into a lake of colours in “Dear Editor” (Your Letters, Aug/Sept ’21). It is by the talented Kristyn Watterworth.

We are fortunate to have one of her works brightening our home.—Erin Pleet, Kinmount, Ont.a Correction In “The Cottage is for Every Body” (Aug/Sept ’21), we incorrectly stated that a standard toilet is 17 inches high. In fact, standard toilets are typically 15 inches.

We’d love to hear from you. Send an email to letters@cottagelife.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

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Waterfront

Items in this section are hotter, tastier, and more acrobatic than normal.

C A R O L D OW

Are loud, fast boats on the lake getting you down?

Take a cue from a cottager association that tackled the issue through a new summer initiative (p. 20).

21

Canada has five Turkey Lakes! Great, now we’re hungry.

22

How to makeover a bathroom with glue and CL mag covers.

23

Bic’s new EZ Reach lighter is a pyro-tastic cottage tool.

24

The latest news on the Rondeau Provincial Park leases.

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 19

Waterfront

C OT TA G E L O G I C

FEED THE NATION

Who knew you could compose a pretty delicious* holiday meal based only on Canada’s many lakes with food names?

GROUP EFFORTS

THIS’LL LEARN THEM is facing a familiar problem: increasing cottager complaints about boat speed, noise, and wake. “About 80 per cent of our members’ concerns are about boating safety,” says Michael McAdoo, who is part of the CLA’s environmental directors board. In response, the board formed a committee, chaired by board member John Webster, to address the issue. They launched the Boater Awareness and Safety System this past summer.

The association hopes that BASS will reduce boat speed and noise and promote safe boating through five key educational and awareness elements: traditional media such as newsletters; web-based media on the CLA website and social channels; increased and improved signage around the lake; youth programs, such as a new boating safety module included in the CLA’s day camps; and other materials, such as pamphlets.

“Our main goal is to see an increased awareness of boating safety,” says John. The CLA is also working closely with the community youth in an effort to encourage safe boating practices from an early age. This summer, students handed out the informational pamphlets along the boat launches and encouraged residents to complete a boater survey.

Although the summer has ended, BASS will remain a part of the CLA—at least for the foreseeable future. “People don’t always realize that if you drive your boat a certain way, it creates a larger wake,” says John. Disruptive noise, swamped boats, and displaced or washed-out loons’ nests are just some of the unfortunate consequences of increased boat traffic.

“The more people know about boating safety, the more they can shift their behaviour in and around the lake,” he says.

BASS is an example of what community organizations can accomplish, says John. “We’re just a group of people that have banded together, volunteered our time, and are trying to raise awareness around an important issue.”— K A R I N S A L K 20 cottagelife.com

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P H OTO : CO U R T E SY CH A R L E STON L AK E ASS O CI AT IO N . I L LUST R AT IO N : M E L ISS A A R CH E R

O N TA R I O ’ S C H A R L E S T O N L A K E A S S O C I AT I O N

HAPPY LAKESGIVING!

We went into a food coma after tallying up all these tasty lakes LAC CANAPÉ: 1

LAC PUMPKIN: 1

G R AV Y L A K E : 2

SHRIMP LAKE: 5

YA M L A K E : 3

HAM LAKE: 7

PUNCH BOWL LAKE: 1

PA R S N I P L A K E : 1

PIE LAKE: 4

SQUASH LAKE: 4

LAC ROLL: 2

CO F F E E L A K E : 4

P OTATO L A K E : 6

TURKEY LAKE: 5

25+ CRANBERRY LAKE W E S TO P P E D CO U N T I N G . . . S O R R Y.

*

OCTOBER 2 021

cottagelife.com 21

IN SHORT

Take covers and magazine covers are in. At least, they are for Sheila Guest. In 2018, the Port Severn, Ont., cottager had a bathroom wall that needed a makeover. “It was a mess,” says Sheila.

“It was a piece of panelling that had been covered in Mactac—white with gold flecks; insert grimacing face—and there were holes from water pipes where an old

W A L L P A P E R I S O U T,

REPORTER

TIME TO FLY, FISH FIND & SHOW STUFF T H E S K Y ’ S N OT T H E L I M I T

Recent research out of the University of Guelph shows that monarch butterflies raised in captivity could still be able to migrate south successfully. Previous evidence had suggested that captive-raised 22 cottagelife.com

O C TO B ER 2 0 2 1

sink had been installed.” Sheila also had many years’ worth of Cottage Life issues stacked in the cottage. “I dreamed up the idea to wallpaper the space with the magazine covers. I only wish I’d had enough to do the whole wall.”

After removing the covers and cleaning the wall, Sheila coated it with Mod Podge (a crafting product that works as a glue, sealer, and finish). She also gave the back of each cover a good coating before sticking them on the wall and smoothing them out, “just like you would with regular

wallpaper,” she says. Next came several sealing coats. She repeated the whole process for the backsplash over the sink.

Sheila didn’t place the covers in chronological order; “I lay them out on the kitchen table first to get the overall look of the grid.

Eight years of ad agency work paid off.”

Friends who see the bathroom, “think it’s pretty neat,” says Sheila. “I’m sure sometime in the future those who inherit the cottage will change it. But I won’t be offended.”

Whaaa? We will.— J A C K I E D A V I S

butterflies appear to “lose their capacity to orient southward during fall migration,” say the researchers. To disprove this theory, they tested one group of monarchs in a flight simulator and another group released into the wild and outfitted with radio trackers. Most of the butterflies in the flight simulator didn’t seem to know where they were supposed to go, but 97 per cent of the released insects flew towards monarch overwintering grounds in Mexico. This suggests that although the butterflies may be initially confused, they can reorient themselves IRL.

A WIN FOR TEAM OPTIMISM

This summer’s heat dome had a grim impact on Alberta’s fish populations.

Experts blame the record-breaking temperatures for the large numbers of fish washing up on the province’s shores. It’s not abnormal to have rising water temperatures in the summer; this ultimately reduces oxygen levels in lakes and, in turn, kills fish. But it is abnormal for the water to heat up so quickly, and kill so many fish early in the season. “Fish kill week” in Alberta is considered to be the last week of July.

THIS PAGE: COURTESY SHEIL A GUEST. OPPOSITE: GEESE, COURTESY JUDY TA RVES-ELLIOTT; LIGHTER, COURTESY BIC

Waterfront

B U YA B L E

WE LIKE IT HOT

T H AT ’ S W I L D !

A LEG UP makes goose a dull bird. Photo contest entrant Judy Tarves-Elliott sent us a shot of this small gaggle of Canada geese that stopped by her McGregor Bay, Ont., cottage for a break. “They were resting in a peculiar one-legged stance that I’d never seen before,” she says. Neither had we. Quick, to the Cottage Life experts database! Turns out, this is common in ducks, geese, and other water birds.

“There are two reasons that waterfowl and some other birds stand on one leg,” says Scott Petrie of Delta Waterfowl in Bismark, N.D. “One of them is to thermoregulate— to help adjust their temperature.” Birds usually do this in the colder months; they lose body heat through their feet. “The other reason that birds stand on one leg is simply to rest a leg,” says Petrie. And it’s not unusual to catch a group of geese in this pose: “They spend a lot of time standing on one leg while sleeping.” Sleeping on one leg?

In perfect unison and without falling over? Canada’s got talent.— J . D .

ALL WORK AND NO REST

At the cottage, you light stuff on fire: candles, when the power’s out; the woodstove, when it’s cold; the firepit, every night that it’s not raining. So, we tried Bic’s new EZ Reach lighter—a pocket lighter with a 4-cm-long wand to keep the flame away from your fingers—in a variety of cottage applications (see below). Results? Our testers found the lighter easy to use; great for hard-to-reach, finicky wicks, like the ones in a kerosene lamp; and way more portable than a barbecue lighter. But, we wondered, couldn’t the wand break off, say, rattling around in a bag, or if accidentally dropped onto a hard surface? Not likely. We smashed the EZ Reach’s wand with a rock; with a larger, heavier rock; with a hammer; and with a 10-lb barbell.

The wand came out hideously mangled, but firmly attached. Oh, and the lighter still worked. Straight fire! ($2.99 each; canadiantire.ca or amazon.ca)

Usefulness score out of 10

10

10

Woodstove

10

Kerosene or propane lamp

But this year, the annual event happened a month early, and it killed more fish than in previous years, according to Alberta Environment and Parks. But silver lining? A lake full of fish implies that it’s clean. “Hey, you saw lots of dead fish,” Michael Sullivan, a Parks fisheries scientist, told the Edmonton Journal in July. “That means there are lots there.”

SHOWS AND TELL

Streaming soon on a small screen near you: another Canadian cottage-set

show shot in actual cottage country.

(Remember Mosquito Lake and Falcon Beach? That’s okay. Nobody does.)

The Lake, produced by Amaze, centres around a man (Jordan Gavaris) reuniting with a child that he’d given up for adoption in his teens. Daughter loves the city; Dad loves the lake from his youth and hopes that they can reconnect if he recreates for her the same cottage experiences that he had growing up. Gee, nothing can go wrong with that plan!

The Lake will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.

9

Candle

8

Fireplace

0

6

Barbecue*

*Barbecue lighters out-performed the EZ Reach for some testers.

Of course, lighting a barbecue is a barbecue lighter’s dedicated job.

OVERHEARD

A new lease on lake life Rondeau Provincial Park, along with Chatham-Kent City Council, have proposed a plan to buy 40 acres of park land from the Ontario government.

The cottagers, who occupy 279 privatelyowned cottages on less than one per cent of the park’s 8,000 acres, own their cottage structures but lease the land from the province. While this tenancy agreement has been in place in Rondeau since 1894, the land leases are set to expire at the end of 2022.

The park was initially designed with cottagers in mind, says Keith Graham, a director of the Rondeau Cottagers Association (RCA).

“The government went out and advertised and went to trade shows, and even went to the U.S. to try and solicit people to come and build cottages in the park,” he says. The goal was to promote the area and make some revenue.

Then, in the late 1950s and the early ’60s, the government began mandating that cottages didn’t belong in parks. Graham says the shift happened because Ontario parks were experiencing overcrowding and the government wanted to expand the amount of available public land.

Now, to avoid having to move or demolish their cottages in the next year, the association is working with the city council to buy the land that Rondeau cottagers occupy. The total value of all the lots is estimated at $29.2 million.

The municipality of Chatham-Kent would pay the provincial government a lump sum, and would then resell the lots to the cottagers (but at no profit). “It makes it easier for the province, so that they don’t have to deal with 279 transactions,” says Graham. The city

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won’t incur any out-of-pocket expenses during these transactions. Whatever costs the city incurs will be added to the cottagers’ bill.

In addition to paying the provincial government $29.2 million for the land, Chatham-Kent has offered to transfer a city-owned woodlot to the province with the intention that it be added to Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park (owned and protected by the government).

Combining the woodlot with Clear Creek Forest would create more park land than the total of the cottage lots, says Graham. “So, at the end of the day, more land would be protected.”

But not everyone is supportive of the sale.

Ken Bell, an environmental activist who lives in the Chatham-Kent area, started an online petition lobbying to keep the land public. Bell claims that the cottagers have introduced invasive species and disturbed sensitive habitats. (At press time, Graham, who says that these statements are factually incorrect, was working to have the petition taken down.)

Graham argues that having to demolish the cottages or remove them would cause even more environmental destruction. He also says that the cottagers frequently take part in initiatives to protect the park. “Rondeau is continually held up as an ecological jewel in Ontario,” he says. “We’ve been there for 125 years. How can you say we’re hurting it?”

If the transaction were to go through, the cottagers will have to abide by both park regulations and local bylaws. “It’s not envisioned that you can go and tear down your cottage and build a palace,” says Graham. “That’s not what the community wants.”— A N D R E W C R U I C K S H A N K

The swim of things One October, while he was preparing Thanksgiving dinner at the cottage, my neighbour watched a moose begin to swim across our lake.

It appeared that the moose was having difficulty about 15 minutes into the swim. Concerned, this neighbour phoned the Canadian Wildlife Service and explained that he thought a moose was “labouring” while trying to cross the lake.

Complete silence.

Then the voice on the phone said, “Sir, how do you know that she’s in labour?”

—KARLA N. SMITH

P H OTO : PAU L O R E N STE IN .

ILLUSTRATION: UNSPL ASH.COM

GOVERNMENT

Waterfront

B U Y T H E WAY

Trailer park joys The backstory: Growing up in a

with the rundown yards and doors hanging off hinges that you’d see in TV shows like Trailer Park Boys.”

The compromise: Susana soon discovered that her preconceptions about trailer parks were ill-founded. In July 2012, she and Ben came across a Kijiji listing for a trailer in Port Severn’s Hidden Glen on Georgian Bay—what is now a gated community less than two hours from Toronto. Sited on the water, the trailer was in excellent condition and came with a new front deck, as well as a dock. It had 600 sq. ft. of living space, with a double bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, as well as an extension with enough room for the kids to sleep. The trailer was listed just under $60,000, but after a quick negotiation, Susana and Ben bought it within their budget for $50,000. They also had to pay approximately $4,500 (it has since increased to $6,000) in annual dues to lease their lot

from Hidden Glen, which also covers park maintenance and septic pump-out.

They spent about $6,000 on upgrades including a back deck and new bedroom floors. Dubbing their new retreat the “Trottage,” the family visited most weekends and for the holidays. Susana and Ben, who don’t own a car, spend $140 on a rental per weekend.

The silver lining: With their children now grown up (their youngest is 18), Susana and Ben realized they wouldn’t be using their trailer as much. So last September, they sold a third share of their lease to a friend, who will spend time there when the couple isn’t using it and pay a portion of the annual dues. They plan on keeping their trailer as a possible retirement getaway. “Having a place to escape to has been so important,” says Susana. “This has been the spot where we can all relax and share time together, no matter what else is going on.”— A L I A M A D

OWNER ADVICE

THREE REASONS TO EMBRACE TROTTAGE LIFE 1

A million-dollar cottage view— for a fraction of the price

Susana knows that she won’t be getting the same return on her investment that a cottage would offer since Hidden Glen owns the land that her trailer sits on. “But it’s still an investment in my quality of life,” she says. “Plus, I wouldn’t be able to afford this little slice of Muskoka waterfront otherwise.”

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2

Built-in communities

Trailer parks offer lots of opportunities to socialize and take part in events such as horseshoe tournaments and disco nights. “It’s been great for our kids to share this park with so many other families,” says Susana. “We’ve also built close friendships with neighbours who we even vacation with outside the park.”

3

Less upkeep

“In the spring, all I have to do is put out the outdoor furniture and do a little cleaning,” says Susana. “With a cottage, it can take days to get things in order.” Another trailer perk: for a $100 annual fee, Hidden Glen takes care of winterizing her trailer in the fall. “For that price, somebody else does it for us, and we don’t have to worry about the pipes bursting—it’s great.”

COURTESY SUSANA MARTINEZ

working-class Toronto family in the 1970s, Susana Martinez didn’t have many opportunities to vacation in rural Ontario. “We couldn’t afford to rent a cottage, let alone buy one,” she says. But when she was 10, her parents splurged on an all-inclusive stay at Elgin House, a lakeside resort on Lake Joseph, Ont. Susana, now a 53-year-old client service administrator for a Toronto wealth management company, has fond memories of waterskiing and long nature hikes from that rare childhood trip. “I fell in love with the calming effect of being near the water,” she says.

Years later, she was keen to share those same experiences with her husband, Ben Bull, a 53-year-old IT security consultant, and her four kids. In 2008, they began renting cottages in Muskoka and the Kawarthas every summer. After three years, they noticed rentals were getting pricier: a two-week stay in a cottage to accommodate their family of six could cost as much as $4,000. When her mother passed away in 2011, Susana received a small inheritance that got her and Ben thinking. They wanted a place in Muskoka, which was a convenient two-hour drive from Toronto. A cottage was out of their price range, but what if they got a trailer in the same area?

“It took some convincing for me,” says Susana. “I wrongly associated trailers

The content of this promotion campaign represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency (REA) do not accept any responsibility for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

It was from the fertile valley of River Haliacmon that Alexander the Great began his expeditions to the East in the 4th century BC. Crossing the lands, he spread the Greek culture and simultaneously studied the customs, traditions and local diets of the people he encountered. Among other things, Alexander discovered the cultivation of peaches which he brought back with him, when he returned from his expeditions.

The first cultivations found fertile soil in the valley of the flatlands of Imathia in Greece, due to the superlative climate of the area, where their cultivation is continued until today.

European peaches are grown in other Mediterranean countries as well, on lands exceeding 190,000 hectares, making Europe the leader in global peach production.

Canned peaches do not appear to fall short in terms of nutrients compared to fresh ones.

They contain vitamins, minerals and micronutrients on equal levels to fresh peaches, since canning causes minimal losses to nutrients in peaches, comparable to those caused by cooking.

Spanning the entire process, from the cultivation of the fruit until its canning, European canned peaches adhere to rules for proper farming practices, GLOBAL GAP, and observe the internationally recognized standards BRC, IFS, HACCP & ISO, as such have been established and adopted by the European Union.

This ensures the proper cultivation, processing and standardization of canned peaches across all stages, offering high quality and nutritional value products to consumers.

www.cannedpeaches.eu

Peach is the summer fruit par excellence, fresh, juicy and with a splendid aroma and high nutritional value, even after it is canned.

Workshop

Because where else would you find 2,000 words about wood?

We’re still madly in love with wood...

INGO BARTUSSEK/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

While lumber prices aren’t as high as they were, they aren’t back to pre-pandemic levels either.

And if there’s one thing that we’ve learned during COVID, it’s that things are unpredictable.

Here are some ways to sort out your lumber needs that will remain stable.

30

Have lumber prices peaked? This is what our experts say.

30

If you can’t afford the new stuff, here’s how to salvage old boards.

32

This is what it costs to mill your trees into usable wood.

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OCTOBER 202 1

Now is the time— help your trees battle LDD moths.

cottagelife.com 29

Workshop

SKILL SET

All for the greater wood mill the trees on your property (p. 32)? Why not reclaim 2x4s from the shed you’ve been meaning to tear down, or salvage boards from your neighbour’s old barn? Here’s how to give old lumber a second life.

D O N ’ T WA N T TO

Is it salvageable?

LUMBER RATES UPDATE a roller coaster ride out of lumber prices, but it looks like the all-time highs are coming to a decrescendo. Expert analysts project that from here on, lumber prices should be on a gradual decline. Still, don’t expect the same prices as before the pandemic.

“We forecast that the price of U.S. lumber will plummet to $600 and $550 per 1,000 board feet by the end of 2021 and the end of 2022, respectively,” says Samuel Burman, a commodities analyst at Capital Economics in London, U.K. Lumber prices reached an all-time high in May, with a 1,000 board feet costing a whopping $1,680 U.S.—more than four times higher than the pre-pandemic average.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, lumber mills shutting down coincided with people in lockdown investing significantly more in home construction or DIY projects. This mismatch in supply and demand shot lumber prices through the roof, but in June 2021, many of those market forces attenuated as lockdown restrictions eased and the supply of lumber improved.

Still, “It’s important to stress that prices are still relatively high,” says Burman. Demand is expected to stay strong while the industry is challenged by forest fires, pests, and disease. In retail, a plank of 2x4 that would have cost under $5 before the pandemic jumped to nearly $13 this May. Prices will still vary; some stores haven’t sold off the lumber they bought at high rates, but the cost is expected to drop to reflect current lumber prices.— M A R I N A W A N G COVID-19 HAS MADE

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Clean it 100 years of accumulated dirt will mask even the most beautiful plank. Give it a brisk dry scrub with a stiff brush and a blast with compressed air. Any piece of wood destined for indoors should also be treated for bugs, ideally by kiln drying.

You can find local custom kiln drying services online. Ontario Sawmill Services, based in Orillia, Ont., can dry live edge slabs as well as boards of up to 13 feet long. Another option is to apply a borate-based wood preservative, which will act as an insecticide and fungicide.

2

Remove any metal

3

Fasteners, such as screws, nails, and staples, will dull a saw blade. Use a pry bar and a hammer to remove the offending hardware from the board.

THIS PAGE, PHOTO: FELIPE SANCHEZ/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM. ILLUSTRATION: JACQUES PERRAU LT. OPPOSITE, PHOTO COURTESY AMAZON

1

P R I C E W ATC H

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Wood that is rotten, bug-infested, or has otherwise lost its structural integrity belongs on the burn pile. Look for soft, spongy areas.

If you can poke a screwdriver into the board, it’s no good.

Workshop

4

Dry and store While you might assume that 30-year-old lumber would be sufficiently seasoned, it may, in fact, be wet, having absorbed moisture over a lifetime outdoors.

To avoid cracking or twisting, store the lumber in its ultimate location (i.e. indoors or outdoors), such that it reaches the desired moisture content before you build with it. Check the moisture level with a wood moisture meter. You’ll want to target a reading of 6–11 per cent moisture content (MC) for indoors and 12–18 per cent MC for outdoors.

For storing construction-grade materials, choose a dry area, and elevate the lumber off the ground with stringers. A ventilated shed is ideal and will keep wood dry and mould-free.

Air flow is key to protecting wood from warp, decay, and infestation. Stack horizontally and place 1x1-inch pieces of dry wood (called “stickers”) between each layer of lumber. Space the stickers evenly every 12–16 inches, and line them up vertically to prevent the boards from sagging.

REAL TOOL

The rotary club generically by the brand name Dremel, are common in the craft world, but they are a great addition to your cottage tool box.

When tackling a project that requires the finesse of small hand tools but the oomph of a power tool, a rotary tool is the perfect fit. Here are a few jobs that will be a breeze with one: 1 Refinish a peeling railing instead of replacing it. Regular sanders can deal with large, flat areas but are a pain in tight spots. Fit a rotary tool with an abrasive disc or bit to make detail sanding less painful.

2 Replacing a broken tile? Try spinning a carbide bit to make quick work of removing hard-to-reach grout.

3 Snapped the head off a screw? Use a small cut-off wheel to grind a slot in the remaining shaft and remove the screw with a flathead screwdriver.

An entry level Dremel tool will run about $50, and the price goes up for additional features such as variable speed or more power for heavier work.

There are also cordless models available for increased convenience and mobility. If you’re only going to use your tool occasionally, there are a ton of inexpensive, lesser-known brands, just make sure the one that you choose has a universal chuck that will accept bits from different manufacturers. That way, you can pick up new attachments from a variety of sources.— P A U L L E W I S R O TA R Y T O O L S , K N O W N

WAY N E ’ S D I C T I O N A R Y

5

Buying tips If your cottage guests don’t share your enthusiasm for cleaning dirty boards on the weekend, you can easily shop for beams, flooring, and siding at a reclaimed lumber yard. Or, if you have a special project in mind, work with a local builder or artisan that specializes in sourcing, designing, and building with reclaimed lumber.— F I O N A M C G L Y N N

Green colour people use to refer to wood.

Unseasoned firewood or fresh cut lumber is usually termed “green.”

Harvesting timber according to strict environmental standards yields products that get a green stamp of approval. Finally, most of us remember using green pressure-treated wood for some outdoor projects. Glad to see the end of that—it was an unnatural colour and less than great for the environment.— W A Y N E L E N N O X GREEN IS A COMMON

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 31

SOLUTIONS

WHERE THERE’S A MILL, THERE’S A WAY remain quite high, cottage builders and DIYers are turning to felling and custom-milling lumber from their own properties. “It’s quite beneficial for a lot of property owners who have trees to turn into lumber that they can then use for a project,” says Chad Higgins, the owner of West Coast Custom Timber in Victoria, B.C. Prices for custom felling and milling timber vary widely depending on the project, but Higgins says it usually costs a third to half of the price that you’d pay to buy the lumber from a retailer.

For West Coast Timber, for example, a tree that has already fallen might cost as little as $150 to remove and mill; prices could shoot upward to $1,500 if Higgins has to bring in extra equipment and take additional safety precautions to take the tree down. But in general, his clients usually pay between 75 cents a board foot up to $1.05—still considerably cheaper than big box store prices, which were upwards of $1.50 even before the pandemic.

SINCE LUMBER PRICES

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Higgins also notes that in order to use the lumber for home construction, a lumber grader or engineer must certify the wood to ensure it’s safe to build with. Ungraded lumber can be used for any building project not intended for habitation, such as a shed, dock, or deck. Getting the grading could cost between $250 and $1,000 for common projects, but it depends on the size. Custom milling services can also be found on sites such as Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace.— M .W .

THIS PAGE:COURTESY CHAD HIGGINS. OPPOSITE: LEFT, BR ADLEY REINHARDT; RIGHT, COURTESY BOB HAYWARD

Workshop

Workshop READER PROJECT

DEER TO BE DIFFERENT

MALE LDD MOTH

to see wildlife such as foxes, bears, and even moose near the cottage,” says Bob Hayward, who has cottaged on Salerno Lake, Ont., since 2012. So when he set out to build a shed for his ATVs last winter, he looked to his surroundings for inspiration. “This was my tribute to the natural environment,” he says.

Needing a large, level surface to work from, and to protect his project while it was in progress, Bob built the doors out of 5⁄4-inch pressure-treated pine at home on his basement pool table. After sketching the deer onto graph paper, he transposed it onto the shed doors using chalk and string. He then used a Dremel tool (see p. 31) to carve the image and a chipping tool to deepen the grooves. He finished it off with an Epifanes marine varnish to protect it from the elements and then transported the shed outside—which was no easy feat. Negotiating his basement’s curved landing, Bob carefully manoeuvred the doors up and down until he could squeeze them out through the tight space. “We only had one inch to spare,” he says.

The weight of the doors also added to the challenge—Bob used three sets of iron hinges to securely attach the door to the 12-by-7 foot shed. “Next time, I would probably use a fence board, which is thinner,” he says.

While the project took longer than Bob had originally anticipated—60 hours spread out over three weeks—he’s happy with the outcome. “I got a lot of enjoyment from carving the design and playing around with the depth and shadows of the image,” he says. As for his next project?

He plans to carve bears and moose into a pair of deer antlers that he picked up at a garage sale.— K A R I N S A L K “ I T ’ S N OT U N CO M M O N

FEMALE LDD MOTH

EGG MASS

KNOW-HOW

Your trees vs.

LDD moths the invasive LDD moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) should use the fall and winter months to go on the offensive against this voracious leaf-eater.

From August to mid-April, the next generation of LDD moths are in the egg stage. The egg masses stand out as fuzzy, tan lumps that are in 2-by-4-cm clusters found on the base of trees and the underside of branches. They can appear on any tree, though the moths like oaks, maples, and birches best. Also be sure to check eavestroughs, sheds, windows, doors, and trailers.

“Take a butter knife or a paint scraper, and scrape the egg mass into a container of soapy water,” says David Dutkiewicz, an entomology technician with the Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Any dish detergent will do the job—the water doesn’t have to be warm to kill LDD moth eggs, just sudsy.

Dealing with LDD infestations in large woodlots can actually be easier than smaller lots, says Dutkiewicz. If the woodlot spans over 50 acres, he recommends that owners arrange for an aerial applicator company to spray Btk, a bio-pesticide that sickens and kills the caterpillar stage of the LDD moth. Spraying must be done in May when young LDD moth caterpillars are out and about feeding, so property owners should plan ahead during the winter months and have their contracts and permits for aerial sprays in place by March. Dutkiewicz says the MNRF posts a prediction for the next year’s moth population on their website in December.

For woodlot owners struggling with an LDD moth infestation, it’s important to remember that tackling an invasive species requires patience and perseverance. Trees can rebound from the defoliating effects of the LDD moth, says Dutkiewicz, but it will take longer for a stand of conifers to bounce back than deciduous trees.— G R A C E H U N T E R

W O O D L OT O W N E R S B AT T L I N G

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 33

SPO NS ORE D BY T D

Have you had the talk?

Cottage succession is a sensitive topic for families. But putting off the conversation only makes a potentially uncomfortable situation worse. Here ’s how to get things started Starting the conversation.

Creating a succession plan can seem daunting, but there are ways to relieve some of the stress and help ensure you’re starting the conversation on the right foot, says Nicole Ewing, Director, Tax and Estate Planning at TD Wealth.

“Succession planning can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. For many people I’ve worked with, the idea of planning is more challenging than the actual process itself,” says Ewing.

Easing the tension.

“When it comes to cottage succession, there are emotional and financial considerations at play. There are the family dynamics to consider, which can cause friction at times, and then there are tax implications, such as tax on capital gains your estate may have to pay if you leave your children the cottage in your will,” Ewing says.

Understanding how the taxes on the property will be determined can play a factor in your family’s decision. On death we are deemed to have disposed of our

“It might become clear that what they enjoyed the most about it was spending time with their parents and the memories made together,” she adds. Asking these questions can quell potential friction between inheritors too. For example, discussing how maintenance fees will be split between family members can prevent potential issues in the future.

“We need to dive deeper to really understand what everybody’s interests are,” Ewing says. “An advisor can help facilitate a productive conversation. They can provide the background information and perspective to give you advice that’s right for your particular circumstances.”

Of course, handing down the cottage is only one aspect of succession planning.

Working with an advisor will help safeguard your assets and financial wellbeing through every part of the process.

"At TD, we take a holistic approach to planning," says Ewing. "We really pride ourselves on knowing our clients well.

Not only knowing their finances, but what's truly important to them."

property for fair market value, and to the extent the cottage has increased in value over the years, there will be a tax liability on the gain. If the estate doesn't have the means to pay the taxes, the cottage may need be sold to cover the tax bill, thereby leaving no cottage to inherit.

Unlike most of the assets we receive as part of an inheritance, a cottage comes with ongoing obligations, such as maintenance and property taxes.

Succession planning with an advisor helps all parties involved weigh their options to determine the best solution.

Wanting the cottage isn’t enough.

“Knowing what your family really wants is the key to a successful succession plan,” says Ewing. “Do your children want the cottage? And if they say yes, do they understand what’s involved in owning it?”

Even if your family members want the cottage, it’s important to understand why they want it and confirm they’re aware of the upkeep that’s required to maintain the cottage, says Ewing.

D O N ’ T K N O W W H AT I S B E S T F OR YO U ?

TD WEALTH CAN HELP

Get advice about your options. Go to TD.com/ wealth for more information or to get started with a TD Wealth advisor.

Cottage Q&A

Butting out at the lake?

Read this

S PE N C E R AS HL E Y

BY JACK I E DAVIS

Q: This summer, near our cottage, there were a few fires where cigarette butts were deemed to be the cause. I’m concerned that some people on our lake don’t understand the dangers of improper cigarette butt disposal. How should people be disposing of used cigarettes at the lake, where the vegetation can get tinder-dry in the summer?

—Jolene Macfarlane, via email A: You have a valid concern. Cigarettes don’t account for the majority of fires, but they certainly account for some of them.

In the summer of 2019, for example, seven Vancouver Island fires over the course of seven days were attributed to discarded cigarette butts.

Part of the problem is that a butt can appear as if it’s extinguished, but if it lands on burnable material, it can still ignite. A stubbed-out cigarette that someone tosses from a car window, assuming it’ll land harmlessly on the pavement, could bounce, roll, and end up in vegetation growing on the side of the road. For obvious reasons, “the risk for a discarded cigarette to start a forest fire or a grass fire goes up when we haven’t had much precipitation, and the ground layer is more dry than normal,” says Michael Peake, the fire prevention officer for the town of Bracebridge, Ont. Certain plant material—such as dry peat moss—is particularly good at “insulating” the cigarette. “We’ve been to numerous fires caused by smokers’ materials extinguished in a planter containing dry peat moss,” says Peake. “We’ve seen peat moss insulate for seven hours before the cigarette started a fire.”

If you’re worried about forest fires in particular, the good (er, sort of) news is that stats show that cigarettes are not anywhere near the most common source of wildfires. In Canada, about 50 per cent of wildfires are caused by lightning strikes, says Mike Flannigan, the director of the Western Partnership for Wildland

Fire Science at the University of Alberta.

The other 50 per cent are “humancaused”—for instance, campfires, ATV activity, burning debris, and in some cases, arson.

Smokers have no control over lightning, or hot ATV tailpipes, or arsonists.

They do have control over their butts. If you have cottage guests who smoke, discard their ashes and used cigarettes into a jar or a metal bucket with a lid, and keep it outside, says Peake. “The lid takes away the oxygen to the cigarette, putting it out almost instantly.”

When it’s time to empty the bucket, wet the contents to make certain that everything is extinguished. “Then it should be safe for disposal in the garbage,” says Peake.

Time for a public service announcement! If a smoker is outside somewhere in the woods, with no ashtray, bucket, or jar, “I would suggest finding a puddle or a hard surface, like a rock, to extinguish the cigarette,” says Peake. “Ideally, detaching the filter and taking it back to a place where you can properly dispose of it is the best idea. Filters aren’t compostable and have plastics that will not degrade.” Never butt a cigarette on the forest floor, he says.

“Dry needles, grass, and leaves may combust after you’ve left the area.”

A two-mouthed mystery Q: This bass jumped on a swimbait on opening day for walleye on Sturgeon Lake (in the Kawarthas). What do you make of the second mouth? I’ve seen fish with scars and deformities from being caught before, but this was actually shaped like a mouth and had a cartilaginous ring lining it. Thoughts? He was able to suck in the swimbait and swam away without an issue.—Ray Este, via email A: Whoa! As soon as we saw this photo, we knew that we had to look into it. (This is the stuff that we live for. Keep it coming.)

The consensus from experts at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, is that this extra mouth is probably a healed injury. Rats. A second, functioning mouth would be way cooler.

Still, “this is an unusual case,” says Debbie Thibault, a specialist with the MNRF’s Southern Region Outreach branch. “The fish appears to have a healed wound stemming from a tissue tear of the lower jaw. The tongue looks like it dropped down from lack of support from when the tissue was intact.”

Fish can be born with or develop all kinds of mouth deformities. These are often skeletal anomalies that affect their upper or lower jaws. A “double mouth” isn’t impossible. It’s just a lot less likely OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 35

Cottage Q&A

hive-like reaction that looks like insect bites.” This is more common on the arms, but the rash can appear on the legs, neck, or any other exposed area. You may not even know that you came in contact with the caterpillars. They’re very tiny in the early larval stage (2 mm), and they “balloon” on the wind, using cocoon silk like a parasail to float from one tree to another.

Caterpillars aiming for a new tree—where they can find fresh leaves to eat, and where they can eventually pupate—may have missed their mark, and landed on the back of your neck instead. (To be fair, some of these caterpillars have only been alive for a few days. They probably aren’t great at parasailing.)

But are you allergic to LDD moths, and not just experiencing a regular immune response? “Not much has been written about a ‘true’ LDD allergy,” says Asai. Still, there is some evidence that people can develop one. There are a handful of studies; one, using patch testing (to detect delayed allergic reactions, as opposed to immediate ones) showed that subjects exposed to moth, not caterpillar, hair experienced allergy-like symptoms.

We really hope that next year’s LDD moth invasion won’t be as severe—for the sake of all cottagers, and all trees. But if it is, at least you can prepare for the itching: take an antihistamine. As you probably discovered, the rash doesn’t usually last long. “The reaction is ‘self-limited’ and goes away in about a week,” says Asai. If it doesn’t, try a topical steroid. (And for more on ridding your cottage property of these caterpillars, see p. 33.)

Rehabbing a tinny Do I have an LDD allergy?

Q: We had an infestation of LDD moths at the lake this year, and I broke out in an itchy rash on the back of my neck. At first I thought that it was mosquito bites. Was it the caterpillars?

Am I allergic?—Dwayne Nickel, via email A: It’s certainly possible that the LDD moth caterpillars caused the itchiness.

“The reaction is not caused by a bite or sting from the caterpillar; the caterpillar hairs themselves carry histamine as a defense mechanism,” says Yuka Asai, an associate professor in the Division of Dermatology with the Queen’s University Department of Medicine. “So if you come in contact with the hair, it can provoke a 36 cottagelife.com

O C TO BE R 2 0 21

Q: I want to paint the bottom of my aluminum boat. The original paint is chipping off. I was going to use a spray-paint primer, but I’m concerned about the environment. Is there another approach? And after the colour, do I need a clear topcoat?—Mel David, via email A: While nobody’s going to argue that spray paint is good for the environment— it does release volatile organic compounds—it’s at least not as bad as it used to be. Today’s spray paints no longer contain chlorofluorocarbon propellants.

(Countries began banning those in 1978.)

A spray-paint primer is convenient, but if you don’t want to use one, don’t.

Brad Schmidt, a specialist with the Yacht

Division of AkzoNobel, suggests a thinned-down epoxy primer instead. You can apply it with a brush or a roller; a thinner formula “will allow the primer to get into all the nooks and crannies” of the boat. Follow with a multi-purpose epoxy primer before you put on your colour; use a marine-grade polyurethane paint.

None of our experts thought that you’ll need a clear coat overtop. But everyone emphasized—repeatedly—how important prep is going to be. “Painting aluminum is always tricky,” says Schmidt. “It’s a different beast.”

Sanding properly is key—you need to remove every bit of that old, chipping paint. “Everything needs to be sanded down,” says Ryan Mack, the owner of Northern Lakes Boat Works in Gravenhurst, Ont. “You can’t bond to bad paint.”

Shop around for the right products first. Plenty of companies have coatings for marine applications, says Gary Wedemeyer, a product specialist with the Automotive/Marine Aftermarket Division of 3M. It’s easy to find info on application procedures on their websites, so you can investigate before you buy.

“I have personally applied a high-quality marine-grade exterior enamel to the bottom of a 12-foot aluminum boat using a brush and roller,” says Wedemeyer.

“I cleaned and scuffed the surface according to the paint company’s recommendations, and I didn’t topcoat it.” A few years later? His tinny is still looking great.

Happy painting! Or, uh, cleaning, cleaning again; sanding, more sanding; priming a bunch...then painting. l For the Cottage Coach’s video on painting a tinny, visit cottagelife.com/cottagecoach.

STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS? Send your questions to answers@cottagelife.com.

S PE N C E R AS HL E Y

than an injury. “Digestive systems, from front to back end, are evolutionarily old in fish. Very old,” says Thibault. “So the likelihood of this being a true second mouth is very small, and would require some fundamental re-wiring of the genome to occur.”

On the other hand, the list of possible injuries a fish can sustain—to the mouth, or anywhere else—“is endless,” says Adam Weir, a fisheries biologist with OFAH. “Carrying out their life processes and daily activities, they’re bound to encounter things that can cause injuries.”

These include attacks from birds, mammals, or piscivorous (fish-eating) fish, and fish-on-fish smackdowns. Male bass, in particular, aggressively defend their nests, says Weir.

Poor, possibly long-suffering Mr. Bass.

But from your description, he sounds like he’s a tough customer. “We have seen many healed, injured mouths in fish,” says Thibault. “And in many cases, the condition of the fish is excellent despite a significant deformity.”

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Zim Weighs In

So I married a cabin fan What happens if you tie the knot with a wildly enthusiastic cottager and then just can’t develop that mindset yourself? B Y D A V I D Z I M M E R

JARRED BRIGGS

Q: “Help! I love my wife, but I hate the cottage (which she loves). I find it too rustic, and I always feel bored there.

I don’t enjoy watersports, swimming, or hiking. But I do want to spend time with her. What should I do? Can I train myself to enjoy the cottage more? Or is there another solution?”

A: Without resorting to advanced-level re-education techniques perfected in China during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, I can’t really think of any way that you can “train” yourself to enjoy a cottage more. You could certainly try to embrace activities such as swimming or fishing with a gruelling daily regimen of front-crawl sessions to the swim raft, multiple reps of cannonball sets, and endless hours bouncing crank-baits off the neighbour’s dock. But I think this approach would just make you hate cottaging even more. Imagine trying to make yourself enjoy s’mores by eating 10 of them a day for a month. First you would barf. Then you would never eat another s’more again. Ever.

I used to harbour deep suspicions about cottage-phobic people. I mean honestly, what major malfunction could make a person dislike the cottage experience? What’s not to like about rocks and trees? Or cheerful wild creatures? How could anyone not like the blessed silence or swimming in a lake or listening to the wind? What the hell is wrong with these people? I thought. But today, after decades of half-hearted selfimprovement, I’ve learned to walk a kilometre in another person’s Birkenstocks before OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 41

Zim Weighs In Cont’d from p. 41

my.cottagelife.com

“You are motivated to change your ways because you want to spend time with your wife, which is certainly admirable.”

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passing judgement. For example, just to turn things around, I don’t care for urban, city environments. Way too many people in a city and that means lining up for stuff which, outside of airport security, I refuse to do. Cities are also dirty and really loud. And people walk around staring at their phones like cross-eyed zombies. Nothing new here, I know. But it’s not for me, and I can’t train myself to like it. So if you don’t feel the love for life at the lake, who am I to judge?

While I don’t think you can make yourself love the cottage thing, you might be able to find ways to make it bearable, if only to spend time with your wife.

(More on this later.) It sounds like you might be happier if you had more things to do that did not include relaxing, reading, playing board games, swimming, etc.

Maybe you could line up fix-it jobs to occupy your time. Or, plan trips to town for activities that would break up the dreary monotony of being held hostage at a beautiful retreat on a pristine lake. This is exactly why small cottage-country towns exist: so bored cottage people can 42 cottagelife.com

OCTOB E R 202 1

get a break from lakeside living. The following routine will take up half a day, and you can do it three times a week, if you have the stamina. First, head to town and try to find parking within a 10 kilometre radius of the “downtown core.” Next, walk around while deciding which ice cream or frozen yogurt stand you like best. Eat your delicious treat at a crowded public space—don’t feed the gulls—then perform another lap around town, visiting each and every gift shop, outfitter’s store, soap outlet, and artisanal wind-chime pop-up without actually buying anything. Finish with one more circuit for some selfies with whatever strikes your fancy. Before heading back to the cottage, break down and buy that hideous animal-themed track pant and hoodie combo you coveted earlier. Wear this outfit the next time you come to town for ice cream and browsing.

It will let others know this is not your first rodeo.

Ironically, when you compile a list of things one might do to avoid participating in traditional cottage routines, it

FARMHOUSE l VICTORIAN l RUSTIC l ANTIQUE actually sounds a lot like the normal operating procedure for a great many cottagers today, who simply export their regular life routines to a different chunk of real estate, like high-income hermit crabs. The old rustic cottage is a thing of the past. Now we build year-round homes on the lake and bring our home lives with us. Golf memberships, gym memberships, yoga classes, local theatre, movie nights, and dining out are fun and engaging ways to avoid actually being at the cottage. Some cottagers even send their kids to canoe camp while they are already at the lake. It’s genius, if you really think about it.

So hold your head up. Instead of being a cottage-phobic misfit, it might just turn out that you are actually in a majority position, one more person underwhelmed by the lake lifestyle. Great news for you!

Except, unfortunately, it really doesn’t help solve your problem.

You are motivated to change your ways because you want to spend time with your wife, which is certainly admirable. But have you asked her what she thinks about the situation? I ask because my wife and I are pretty much inseparable. We live together, we work together, we travel together, and we enjoy our cottage together. I think it’s a beautiful arrangement. But whenever I have to go away for work or a fun trip with the guys, I have barely announced my plans before my shaving kit and clothes have been packed and loaded in the truck, which is already running. At our time of parting, she will usually stuff $500 in my shirt pocket for walk-around money and say something sweet like “Have fun.

But don’t bother calling. See you next week.” Is it possible that by not visiting the cottage you might actually be doing your wife a favour? Have you considered that catering to your cottage-phobic ways might cut into her enjoyment of the place she loves best? It can’t hurt to ask. You might not like the answer, but it might save you from a further lifetime of dreary cottage life.a

DO YOU HAVE PRESSING COTTAGE QUESTIONS? Do you want Zim’s feedback?

Email your queries to edit@cottagelife.com.

(Don’t include any incriminating details.)

OC TO BE R 2 0 2 1

cottagelife.com 43

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Style Ideas

Raise your glass Are your cottage windows from a bygone era? A modern upgrade can bring in light, increase ventilation, and save you money in the long run B Y L E S L I E G A R R E T T

WHY WE LOVE MODERN WINDOWS

Maximizes all cottage views (not just the lake); more energy efficient; long-term cost savings; little to no maintenance; noise reduction; better, natural ventilation

OCTOBER 202 1

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Style Ideas

exist to protect us from the elements. The windows, however, are the whole point—why spend time at the lake if you can’t spend your days staring at it?

But if it’s been a while, say 30 years or so, since you last looked at your windows rather than through them, it’s likely time to make a change. “Everything is improving,” says Alain Bourget, a cottager and the senior advisor of communications and marketing with Lepage Millwork in Rivièredu-Loup, Que. And though a lot of variables come into play when you’re considering replacing windows—including the amount of light you want, the humidity of your water body, the direction your windows face, and the condition of the windows that you’re replacing—today’s offerings can save you up to 30 per cent each year in energy costs.

With so many design options available, Scott Robinson, a principal and the director of design with Tillmann Ruth Robinson Architects in Toronto and a cottager on Lake Eugenia, Ont., urges us to look at windows a bit differently: “Think of them as an opportunity to create views and an interior environment,” he says.

HIGH-LIGHT Adding clerestory windows can free up wall space for storage or displaying artwork.

Throw some shade “I look at light as another building material,” says Robinson. “You can use light and shadow to give form to interior space. If you have one expansive glass window, the light just comes in.” More isn’t always better.

How we invite light into our cottages, and therefore, where we place windows can help blur the line between interior and exterior.

“It’s not just about the quantity of light,” says Robinson, “but the quality.” He suggests that we create a “rhythm,” with our windows. Instead of a large expanse of glass, add in a row of windows with columns separating them. “All of a sudden, you introduce shadows,” he says. “As the day progresses, the shadows expand or shrink and that animates the space a bit.”

Clerestory windows, those that run above eye level, offer a way to let in ambient light.

It creates an intimacy, Robinson says, noting that he added clerestory windows for a cottager’s reading nook to let in light while maintaining a private space. “It also created really nice shadows on the floor at certain times of the day.”

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IT’S JUST WATER Exterior condensation on your new windows?

Don’t panic!

It’s a sign that they’re better insulated than your old ones.

TOP, DE REK SHA PTON; BOT TOM , PAU L O REN ST EIN

F O R A L O T O F U S , a cottage’s roof and walls

Style Ideas

Air apparent While air conditioning has become a staple in some cottages, Robinson encourages his clients to forgo AC and use windows to maximize lake breezes. Consider how the cottage is oriented on its lot and which direction prevailing winds typically blow. One option is large sliding doors with screens and hinged “awning” windows over top. Install an operable window across the cottage, Robinson says, and you create a nice—and effective—cross breeze. Alain Bourget also says that even when cottagers add a large, non-opening “directset” window, they often want operable windows on one or both sides to allow for fresh air.

Sliding into home Even though sliding glass doors have always been a popular choice, Bourget says “lift and slide” doors are a newer innovation, which he describes as “a sliding door on a buggy with very small wheels.” This “buggy” allows you to slide aside a larger-than-average glass door quite effortlessly. Keep in mind, says Robinson, “the larger the opening, the greater the support required.” Though he notes that you’d need extra structure for any size of sliders, there are design strategies that can reduce the cost. ››

THE BREEZE KNEES This rolling window has an adjacent twin, which creates a complete breezeway when both sides are open.

Permit us to explain If you’re adding a window where one didn’t previously exist, you will require a building permit, says Stephen Watson, the director of building and by-law services for the Township of Lake of Bays.

Generally speaking, however, you do not require a building permit if you’re replacing a window or a door that’s the same size or smaller. Even if you’re expanding a window vertically, or turning a window into a door, but not increasing the width, you likely still don’t need a permit (unless stairs are involved). “It’s just widthwise that’s our main concern,” says Watson.

The best thing to do is call your local building department and describe your project.

He did note that Ontario amended the building code about a decade ago to tighten the requirements for energy efficiency, which means if it’s been at least that long since you’ve replaced your windows, you’ll want to ensure that any new choices meet the new standards.

Energy efficiency requirements vary depending on your location. While he’s confident that there aren’t too many people selling single-pane windows anymore, Watson nonetheless cautions, “Buy windows from a reputable company.”

Style Ideas

FRAME OF MIND

A naturally nicer look While vinyl windows dominated a decade or so ago, more recently, people are seeking out wood aluminum-clad windows. These more modern interior windows are virtually maintenance-free for 50 years or more, and the wood can be stained to suit. “You rarely have to paint them, and they’re very sturdy,” says Bourget. Plus, “They look fantastic,” says Robinson. “They have a warmth and reinforce that natural atmosphere that cottagers are looking for.”

As for the price? Bourget notes that wood aluminum-clad windows are roughly double the cost of vinyl-clad windows of the same size, though both Bourget and Robinson insist the aesthetics are worth it and, says Bourget, they add appeal if you sell your cottage.

These cottagers used a window to strategically frame the vertical granite face that rears up close to the building.

A clear win People are concerned with energy efficiency, says Bourget, making triple-glazed windows increasingly popular and 25–30 per cent more energy efficient than double-glazed.

Triple-glazed are also a good option in places with temperature extremes—a.k.a. if you visit your cottage in the winter—to keep your internal temperatures more consistent.

What’s more, says Bourget, triple-glazed also have the benefit of shutting out noise, which might mean a good night’s sleep even when the cottagers up the lake are whooping it up.

Canadian point of view Alain Bourget has noticed a distinct desire for Canadianmade windows. “There is a pride in Canadian-made,” agrees Robinson, noting that an increased focus on sustainability— on the part of both designers and cottagers—leads many to seek out more local manufacturers. They’re a practical choice too: Canadian-made can be a bit more attractive in price.

IT’S A COVER-UP These windows stay open for ventilation on hot days.

You can see through the operable exterior awnings, and they keep 90 per cent of the heat outside.

In keeping with his “big isn’t always better” mentality, Robinson also looks for places where smaller windows can frame the landscape. In one case, he used a smaller window at the end of a hall to showcase a beautiful tree outside. In another, he added narrow windows at the top of a set of stairs, which framed the forest behind the home. Walk through your space and consider where small windows might work or where the light hits. “It isn’t all about the money shot of the lake. If you can use windows this way, you’re constantly getting glimpses of the outdoors that will change with the time of day and also with the seasons. I think framing these smaller views makes the effect even more powerful,” he says. “You don’t need a glass house to get that.”a Leslie Garrett is building a cottage on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where she edits Bluedot Living, a sustainable living magazine.

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G E R BREATH WE PLANNED TO SPEND THE SUMMER AT OUR CABIN IN THE LAURENTIANS TO ESCAPE THE PANDEMIC, BUT THEN THE MONTHS ROLLED ON, AND SUDDENLY WE WERE YEAR-LONG COTTAGERS S TO R Y A N D P H OTO S BY M AT T H E W H AG U E

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 51

APRIL 15, 2020

I yelled at my husband on the street today. A stranger stopped and asked us for directions.

I kept walking. Matthew, my husband, paused to help, standing less than six feet from the man. “Oh my God, stand back!” I shouted. I grabbed Matthew by the arm, pulled him away, and suggested to the stranger that if he was lost, he could use his smartphone.

When I apologized to Matthew at home, I explained that everything is stressing me out about Toronto these days: opening the door to our condo lobby, touching the buttons on the elevator, passing people in the halls.

The virus could be anywhere. It’s a conversation we have had before, like after I called Matthew “reckless” for picking a stray nickel up off the sidewalk. “Try to relax,” he told me. I said, “It’s hard.” I feel nervous every time we go out, and the scores of shuttered storefronts depress me. “I want to leave,” I said, referring to our vague plans of escaping to our cabin in the Laurentians. “We can’t,” he replied.

A simple truth. Quebec has closed its border to Ontario. Fine. I will continue distracting myself the same way everyone is: eating too many carbs, watching too much Netflix.

MAY 17, 2020

I’m sitting in the car with countless cans of soup jangling in boxes on the backseat. The noise is only buffered slightly by the bags of powdered milk and sacks of flour packed on and around the cans.

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Quebec just reopened its border, clearing the police checkpoints that have been in place for weeks. We are moving to the cabin until at least September. Matthew doesn’t think his office will re-open before then, and I work remotely anyway. Our provisions are for us to self-isolate for the first 14 days—a rule for out-of-province transplants. The cabin only has a mini fridge, so almost everything has to be non-perishable. Yes, we have a lot of chili for our dinners. Yes, I think that will be smelly. But as we crossed from Hawkesbury, Ont., into Grenville, Que., Matthew asked me if I was excited. “Yes,” I said, exhaling a deeper, longer breath than I have in the last two months.

MAY 22, 2020

There are still patches of snow on the ground. I often see my breath billow out in clouds. The trees are bare. Spring is late to start in the Laurentians compared to Toronto, where cherry trees and magnolias bloomed before we left.

The prolonged cold could be why there are still mice living in our stove— critters that burrowed in over the long winter and never left. They somehow got into the cabin, then made their way through the back of the oven, tunnelling through the insulation. Matthew is worried that we need a new appliance. Every time we turn it on, the stench of cooking mouse urine tinges the air. While we figure out a fix, I’m using the barbecue for everything, including bread (like everyone else, I’m making my own these days). The first loaf was a brick. The second over-rose, touched the underside of the barbecue lid, then deflated like a punctured balloon. After I finished crying from frustration, I tore up the salvageable scraps and made bread pudding. ››

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I U S E D TO T H I N K T H AT C I T I E S W E R E E XC I T I N G A N D T H AT R U R A L L I F E WA S D U L L .

N O W, I F E E L E N D L E S S LY F A S C I N AT E D B Y T H E T H I N G S W E S E E I N N AT U R E

My husband, Matthew (opposite, and p. 59), and I revived an old boat of my grandfather’s. This is the day we finally got it going.

It’s a bit silly because we have nowhere to go…but it’s nice on the odd Sunday afternoon to take it for a spin.

Another pandemic hobby was hiking, sometimes to nearby Lac du Cordon (left), where my grandparents would take my cousins and I hiking as kids, or to Montage du Caribou, where one cold and cloudy fall day, the sun came out just as we arrived at the lookout (p. 50).

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JUNE 29, 2020

JUNE 15, 2020

Our cabin is wee. At 300 sq. ft., it’s less than half the size of our condo in Toronto, which itself feels compact.

The cabin’s kitchen, dining area, and bedroom are all one space—a bit like a studio apartment. The only room with a door is the bathroom, which has a bathtub, but we mainly use the outdoor shower. You might think I feel claustrophobic. Instead, I feel free.

We spend so little time inside I hardly notice the cramped quarters. We tend to wake up and go kayaking. At lunch we go for walks. After work we sometimes jog or go for hikes into the backwoods behind the cabin.

The cabin sits on four acres that adjoin conservation land with lots of trails to explore. When I was young, I used to think that cities were exciting and rural life was dull. Now, I feel endlessly fascinated by the things we see in nature. A trio of birds is always landing on our porch bird feeder, where I’ve put out peanuts. There’s a downy woodpecker and a black-capped chickadee and a red-breasted nuthatch. They travel as a team because they help each other find food. I can now name those birds. Can I even name my neighbours in the city?

Today as I walked up the path to the cabin, two bunnies hopped in front of me. The slow spring has turned into a vibrant summer. All around me, flowers are in bloom: lilies and asters and foxgloves.

I feel like we are living in a William Morris wallpaper—thick, lush, and colourful. Some of the plants only last an instant. Purple irises, which have petals as frilly as rococo filigree, came and went in a few days. I think I’m paying closer attention to nature as a way to distract myself. Every morning at around the same time, I check the numbers. Cases have been down lately, but already epidemiologists are predicting another wave in the fall. I don’t want to think about that now.

“Come outside,” Matthew said the other night. “You’ll want to see this.”

All around us, flecks of yellow lit up the black skies. Fireflies. Still, not everything natural delights me: we are in peak blackfly season, and my arms and legs itch all over. From time to time, I still hear mice scratching somewhere in the cabin. No, we still don’t have a working oven. ›› OCTOBER 202 1

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I REMIND MYSELF HOW LUCKY I’VE BE E N TO HAVE A SECOND H O M E TO E S C A PE T H E PA N D E M I C

JULY 19, 2020

As far as I can remember, there have always been raspberries around the cabin.

I’m red-green colour blind, so I have a hard time seeing the berries. When Matthew looks at our hill, he can basically see all the red dots against the green leaves. I just see green. If I’m up close to the berries, I can see the shape, but I’m not sure of the colour. When I come back from berry picking, Matthew always says a lot of them aren’t ripe yet. As a child, my Granny Hague would pick and drop them into my small, outstretched hands, and I would pop them into my mouth. Lately, Matthew has been fetching baskets full—more than I’ve ever seen before. “It’s because of your uncle,” says Matthew. After my grandparents owned the cabin but before Matthew and I bought it, it belonged to an uncle who had a vague plan to clear the property of its many trees. He thought that would make it more enticing for a developer who would then subdivide the land and put up a number of cottages. He didn’t succeed in getting rid of all the trees, but he felled quite a few.

Matthew and I both remember walking around in horror after we bought

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the cabin, taking in our semi-denuded lot. What we hadn’t noticed until this year was that dozens and dozens of wild raspberry bushes have sprouted where the trees used to be since there is now more sun hitting the ground. So far we’ve made a raspberry pie (the oven is fixed!) and six jars of jam. Matthew thinks we’ll get many more jars before the season is over—jars we plan to send to friends and family who are stuck in the city and need a care package. It’s just another reminder that sometimes good things can come from bad situations—even ones with a chainsaw-happy uncle.

AUGUST 20, 2020

Instead of turning red, the last of our raspberries are wilting on the vines. The ferns in front of the cabin are starting to go brown. It’s still August, but some days there is a crispness to the air that feels like autumn.

I wear sweaters. I don’t want to think about winter right now—it feels like last winter just ended. But I have to plan for it. The world is no closer to returning to normal than it was last spring, so my usual winter survival strategy will most likely not happen. We normally spend a few weeks visiting my Granny Grumps, my mother’s mother, in the Cayman Islands. I’ve come to rely on that mid-January vitamin D hit, without which I often catch myself wistful, staring out the window at slate skies and slushy sidewalks, finding it hard to think. I feel guilty every time I worry about the winter ahead. I remind myself how lucky I’ve been to have a second home to escape the pandemic. We’ve decided to stay in the Laurentians, where winter comes faster and harder than in Toronto.

Instead of complaining, I’ve been reading about how other cultures cope with cold. Apparently, Norway has darker winters than Canada, but low rates of seasonal affective disorder. They get outside no matter what.

As they say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

I’ve already ordered a rain coat for fall. In winter, I’ll have to find an ultra-warm pair of boots. I’ve learned how much being outside helps me cope with pandemic stresses, I hope I can continue that year round.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

I became a thief today. On our walks lately, we have noticed ripe apples on dozens of trees. They are lining the roadsides and some of our favourite walking trails. There are heaps along the P’tit Train du Nord, a long path on what used to be a train line. This morning, I collected three pounds of apples growing right beside our community post box.

I’m not sure who the trees belong to. Some apples I picked up off the ground, knowing they would rot otherwise. Still, I feel guilty, especially if someone was waiting to make jelly—which is our plan. It hits a nerve with me because, according to my dad, my great-grandmother was once the victim of a traumatic apple heist. One spring, before I was born, she went to check on her prized crabapple trees near where the cabin sits, only to find two giant pits in the ground. In comparison to two missing trees, three pounds of apples is hardly noticeable. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

It doesn’t take much to get me excited about a new project these days. Recently, Matthew noticed that we still have some big maples around that survived my uncle’s vision. “Maybe we should try tapping them in the spring,” said Matthew. “What a great idea,” I replied. To which he said: “It was just a thought.” But by then I was already walking

around the yard, tying strings around the maple trees so that when all their branches are bare, we will know which trees to tap. The fall reds, yellows, and oranges came in a blaze. With each strong breeze, more and more leaves are falling to the ground.

OCTOBER 1, 2020

No mice sightings lately.

I have spent the better part of two weekends under the cabin, not to mention over $200 in caulking, steel wool, and various wood fillers (one has to work!) trying to plug every entry point. It’s hubris to think they’ll never get back in, and one thing the pandemic taught me is to be humble. Case counts were low all summer but have been rising exponentially lately. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that things remain okay. On all fronts. ››

After five weeks of boiling sap, I got to enjoy some of our homemade maple syrup! Learning to make it was a good way spend time outside in winter. cottagelife.com 57

OCTOBER 20, 2020

We had our first snow the other day.

Several inches blanketed the ground, which is now all white except for a few dead plants poking through. I’m mourning the end of summer. All the things I enjoyed so much—the flowers and raspberries and apples—are gone. That said, we went on our first snow hike. I laced up my heavy boots and zipped up a coat as thick as a duvet. We weren’t smart enough to walk with ski poles for the icy bits.

Still, as we trudged up to the top of La Montagne Verte with its view over Lac Tremblant, I tried to note all of the things still alive. The moss was as green as ever. That familiar trio of downy woodpeckers and chickadees and nuthatches hopped between tree branches (like us now, they are birds that stay north in the winter). But the view—wow. The trees are silver, spindly boughs now. Oddly, the lack of leaves may have improved the vista: we could see much farther, not just to Tremblant but to many other smaller lakes in the area. So many are ringed by pretty, old summer houses, smoke puffing from their chimneys to keep their city-scared owners warm.

DECEMBER 25, 2020

Back in Toronto.

We spent Christmas alone in our condo. Save for Zoom celebrations with our families, we didn’t see anyone. In the city, I’m

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so much more aware of how isolated we are. In the country, I never think about loneliness, I only boggle at how many mountains there are to climb.

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 MARCH 18, 2021

Matthew’s birthday present from me: four buckets, four taps, a bunch of jars, and a how-to manual for making maple syrup.

We went skiing today at Mont Blanc, a hill near the cabin.

We both wore two surgical masks each as we waited for the chairlifts and sat in our car to eat a packed lunch—sourdough we baked ourselves (of course) and homemade raspberry jam. The sky was a brilliant blue at the top of the peaks, and the sun reflected on the snow, warming my skin. Not the same as lounging on a beach in Grand Cayman. It doesn’t have to be, it’s its own beauty.

MARCH 20, 2021

After sitting outside in the snow, watching pot after pot after pot after pot of maple sap boil down on our barbecue, I can officially say I no longer hate nor fear winter.

Without winter, there would be no maple syrup. And fresh, homemade maple syrup is freakin’ awesome. It’s a joyful thing when the late winter temperatures start to rise again, and the frozen sap in the maple trees begins to run. We’ve collected more than 40 litres of sap so far. Often I’ve had to remove my parka to stop myself from sweating. I don’t know if we’ll ever have the chance to make maple syrup again. I imagine that at some point, Matthew will have to go back to his office and that means returning full-time to Toronto. I don’t want to think about that. We have lived in the Laurentians so many months now, it feels like home. Still, Matthew tells me that when we send out our maple syrup to friends and family, we should ask them to keep their bottles so that we can re-fill them in the future, the next time we stand knee-high in snow waiting for the sap to boil. I’m already looking forward to that day.

MAY 22, 2021

I planted two crabapple trees by the cabin today.

I’m not sure if they are the same type my greatgrandmother had. I selected a kind that should be able to make it through a Laurentian winter. I planted them to stop me from stealing other people’s apples, and because the tag on the tree reminded me of the whole last year: tart, bitter but also a little sweet.a

Freelance writer Matthew Hague and his husband mailed out 12 bottles of maple syrup and 40 jars of jam to their family and friends while at the cottage last year. They continue to live full-time at the cabin.

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I love hammocks, but finding suitably distanced trees in the right location—facing the right direction—is tough. The solution is a hammock stand, and the choices you can buy are pretty straightforward: metal stands run about $150 and are consistently rated “flimsy.” More robust (and beautiful) laminated wood stands will set you back $400–$600 and beyond—not in my budget. So I set out to design a beautiful, strong, wooden hammock stand for the cost of a flimsy metal one. The design is surprisingly simple—it relies on 24 identical arcs, cut from a single sheet of plywood and laminated in groups of four to form six strong, curved beams. You make the super-handy drink/snack shelf with the leftover plywood—it’s something that you won’t find on any other stand.

I designed this to fit my 9' hammock and the standard plywood width of 48". You can adjust yours by moving the fastening points along the uprights (you’ll want your bottom to swing free of the stand when you’re laying in it).

draw your arcs

Laminating the beams

1 Lay out the individual arcs that make up the beams (see Fig. 1). Mark a point on the plywood 66.5" from one end, centered on the short edge (this will be your first layout mark). Mark the next point at 70", and continue marking every 3.5" along the centre line until you’ve laid out eight arcs.

2 Create a simple compass using two washers and Mason’s Line. (Mason’s Line is important here because it doesn’t stretch.)

Fasten the washers so that the distance between the outside edges of the washer holes is 66.5". Make the length slightly longer and tie knots to fine-tune the distance.

3 Mark the arcs with an upright pencil in one washer and the other end held at the first layout mark with an awl. Someone holding the awl here is a big help. Move the awl 3.5" to the next layout mark, and repeat until the first eight arcs are marked.

1 Each of the six beams is made up of four arcs glued together. Prepare a flat, stable area for the glue-up of your beams. Stack the arcs into six groups of four. If you’ve got some less-than-stellar cut pieces, reserve these for the leg beams as the underside won’t be visible on the final project.

2 Zigzag a bead of wood glue along the entire length of the first arc, and line up the second arc on top. If you have an 18-gauge air nailer, tacking the pieces together as you go with 1-¼" nails will help keep everything aligned. Continue this process until you have three beams ready to clamp.

3 You’ll need eight 12" or longer bar clamps to accomplish this. (No clamps? See “Alternative to Clamps,” p. 64.) Alternate the bar clamps between the top and bottom edges to apply pressure evenly across the entire beam. Repeat this process for a total of six beams. I like to leave my clamped assemblies overnight to fully cure, regardless of what the cure time on the glue bottle says.

Cut the arcs 1 Cut out the arcs using a jig saw fitted with a new, fine-tooth wood blade. Precision is important here because the curves need to match up fairly well in the next steps to avoid a ton of sanding. Be aware of the sawhorse (or picnic table), and adjust as you go to avoid hitting it with the blade.

2 Once the first eight arcs are cut, choose the best one to use as a template to trace the lines for the rest of the pieces. Cut the remaining arcs with the jig saw until you have 24 total.

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Assembling the stand 1 Once your six beams have cured, it’s time to start assembly. Before doing so, cut 5" off the ends of the two leg beams using a handheld saw or powered mitre saw. These cuts should be parallel to the end of the beam.

The resulting offcuts are excellent for holding everything level while you assemble.

Work on a large, flat surface, and position the four beams that make up the upper part

TIP No workshop required: a reasonably flat picnic table will work in the place of a couple of sawhorses.

of the structure to make sure that everything is lining up properly. Use the offcuts to support the ends of the uprights at the correct height. The uprights should overlap 8" on to the base beams. You’re looking for a smooth curve transition here.

2 Print out the full-size bolt template at cottagelife.com/hammockstand. Use heavy paper or cardstock. Carefully cut out the template and bore 1/8" dia. holes in the two bolt locations. Mark the holes at the end of each upright, flipping the template over for the left and right sides. Then repeat the process to locate and mark the corresponding holes on the ends of the base beams.

3 Bore the 9/16" dia. holes using a sharp spade bit. Keep the drill and bit perpendicular to the surface to ensure all the holes line up properly. Tip: bore one set of holes first, and insert a carriage bolt. This makes aligning the next hole much easier!

4 Insert the ½" x 10" carriage bolts through the holes, and add washers and nuts. For now, tighten these just enough to ensure everything aligns. ››

What you’ll need 1

8 4 4 2 3 8

¾" plywood sheet Mason’s Line and washers Type II outdoor-rated PVA wood glue 12" bar clamps ½" x 10" galvanized carriage bolts with washers and nuts ½" x 8" galvanized carriage bolts with washers and nuts 5 /16" x 6" eye bolts and washers Marine-grade spar varnish ½ x 1 x ¾" plywood cleats #8 x 1½" wood screws

Fig. 1: Plywood layout

9.5" x 18" ellipse for side shelf 24"

66.5" radius Optional second shelf

Centre points for first eight arcs spaced 3.5" apart

66.5"

Fig. 2: Contoured end

Compass with Mason’s Line and washers

Attach shelf with a small cleat on each side

Eye bolt fastening point

Plywood shim 1" block

Fig. 3: Upright bolts

Cut 10" off each leg piece and trim the ends so the stand sits level

Sand a flat surface on the top of each leg

Fig. 4: Leg bolts

9"

PAU L LE WI S

Fig. 5: Leg trim

5"

Cut 5" off ends of each leg

Fig. 6: Leg

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TIP Use a belt sander to smooth the beams and shape the contours. An orbital sander works in a pinch, but it will take longer.

Alternative to clamps A good set of lightweight bar clamps is an excellent addition to any DIYers’ toolbox. I have 12 36" clamps that are pushing 20 years old that I have used on countless projects. But if you aren’t ready to buy clamps, there are a few good alternatives. You can place dumbbells or weight plates on the glued-up beams to hold them in position. You can even use 20-litre pails filled with sand or stone. Another secret clamping tool is stretch wrap.

Look for those handheld rolls of polyethylene film in the moving and storage aisle at hardware stores. They are excellent for applying a good amount of pressure to glue-ups like these.

Prepare the legs 1 Before attaching the shorter leg beams to the base and upright assembly, flatten the tops of the legs by laying out the 9" area as shown in Fig. 6, then use a belt sander to remove enough material to make the flat section.

2 Place the base and upright assembly on top of the legs and manoeuvre them into position. Measure and mark for the bolt hole, then bore the 9/16" dia. hole through the base and into the leg. It’s likely that your bit will not be long enough to go through both pieces in one shot. As long as it marks the leg underneath, the leg can be moved to one side temporarily to finish boring the hole. Repeat this process for the other four bolt holes, then insert the ½" x 8" carriage bolts, and add the washers and nuts.

Level the legs 1 In order to create maximum ground contact and to ensure stability, the bottoms of the legs need to be trimmed parallel to the ground. To mark this cut, place a spirit level across the base beams and shim the legs with scraps of plywood until the level reads true (see Fig. 5). Then, mark a line around the perimeter of the leg with a pencil resting on a scrap 1" block of wood. Trim the leg to the line with a small handsaw.

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iThe design of this stand is specific ito a “gathered end” hammock. iMine is from MEC.

Contour the uprights 1 The design of this stand relies on the end of the hammock resting across the top of the uprights. Use a belt sander to round over the ends of the uprights so that nothing gets snagged, then create a concave depression in the centre of the upright (see Fig. 2). This will prevent the hammock from slipping off.

2 Finally, it’s time to get out your hammock and drape it over the uprights. First, determine the location of the eye bolts specific to your hammock. Bore ¼" dia. holes through the uprights and install the eye bolts, washers and nuts. The washers and nuts should

be set below the surface of the uprights so that the hammock can’t snag on them.

The shelf detail 1 A feature that sets this stand apart from all others I’ve seen is the elliptic shelf fitted on one of the uprights. The shelf holds a cool drink within arm’s reach. Download the pattern at cottagelife.com/hammockstand, and lay out the ellipse on the remaining piece of plywood—there’s room for two if you want to add another to the opposite end. Draw the ellipse by creating a loop of Mason’s Line around the three nails, then

N E E D A V I S UA L?

Watch the Cottage Coach build it at cottagelife.com.

Be precise when marking iyour bolt locations—they iwill be going through 9" iof material.

iYou can adjust the height of youri ihammock by moving the eyei ibolts up or down the uprights.

remove the top nail, and draw the loop tight with the tip of a pencil. Keep tension on the Mason’s Line as you make your way around the nails, and the result will be a perfect ellipse. Cut out the ellipse, mark and cut the notch, then set aside until the final assembly.

Finishing the stand 1 While you may be tempted to call it a day and spend the next few hours enjoying your new hammock stand, there’s more work to be done to make sure your efforts last a long time. Disassemble the stand by removing all the nuts, washers, and bolts to make sanding a whole lot easier. A belt sander is

iI used a long 33/16" drill bit to make pilot holes for the baseito-leg connection. Alternatively, lay the holes out carefully 9 16" dia. holes without pilots. iand bore the 9/

the best tool for this job, and a 4" belt is better than a 3" one. Secure one of the beam sections with the concave face pointing upwards. I used a couple of rubber wheel chocks under each end, but a wood wedge would work. The idea here is to stabilize the beam while you sand. Using a 150-grit belt, move the sander in long, smooth strokes across the concave face to knock down any high spots and level the four layers of plywood. Flip the beam over to do the same on the convex side.

2 Once all the pieces are sanded and the edges are smoothed out, apply the finish before re-assembling. Whatever colour you

choose, it’s important that this project gets multiple coats of a weatherproof finish such as a marine-grade spar varnish.

3 Finally, once all the pieces are dry, reassemble the stand and tighten the bolts for good. The final step is to add the small shelf at one end. Attach the plywood cleats to the uprights with the #8 x 1½" wood screws and wood glue, then slide the shelf into position, and secure with a couple more screws driven down into the cleats. Now you can kick back and enjoy!a Paul Lewis is a frequent Cottage Life contributor. He lives with his family in Calgary, Alta.

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at Tom Clark’s Bruce Beach, Ont., cottage has presided over four generations of family history—raucous card games, fishing tales, even the anxious war years before Tom’s time, when his father was overseas. “Those were the only summers at the cottage my father ever missed,” says Tom, a Texan whose own northern pilgrimage has also been disrupted, this time by COVID. But the sands of time—or to be more exact, the chimney’s shifting foundation— haven’t been kind to the structure that Tom’s great-grandfather built in 1922.

Now it’s Bruce Beach’s own Leaning Tower.

“It has moved seven inches in my lifetime,” Tom says. Not only that but the chimney is leaning on the cottage frame, so “the floor is stressed, the door is stressed, the ceiling, the roof, they’re all stressed.” Tom is stressed too. “We don’t want to reach the level of risk where it could fall on someone.”

That’s the thing about chimneys—they’re the quiet types that you never expect to act out. “People think of the chimney as a simple exhaust system, but it’s more than that,” says John Gulland, one of the originators of Canada’s Wood Energy Technical Training (WETT) certification program.

Chimneys are among the hardest-working structures in the cottage—“the engine that drives the wood-heating system,” as Gulland puts it.

Chimneys whisk smoke up and away, shield the cottage from toxic combustion gases and dangerous heat, and supply the all-important draft for efficient burning.

But they’re also exposed to extreme temperatures, corrosive condensation, stormy weather, and red squirrels. Before your chimney blows its top or keels over, plan an intervention. Show it some love.

H E S TO N E H E A R T H

A well-cared for chimney is a critical part of your cottage.

Are you doing the essentials to keep yours working right?

BY R AY F O R D

“ T H E F L O O R I S S T R E S S E D, T H E D O O R I S S T R E S S E D, T H E C E I L I N G , T H E R O O F, T H E Y ’ R E A L L S T R E S S E D.”

BURN N OT I C E

Masonry chimneys like this one are beautiful but lose marks for their lack of insulation, inefficiency, and the fact that they require more maintenance.

H E AT E XC H A N G E

THIS PAGE: ERIN LEYDON. OPPOSITE: EBERHARD GR OSSGASTEIGER

The best way forward may be replacing the whole structure.

Or to preserve it, install a cast-iron EPA-certified fireplace insert, and add a stainless-steel flue liner.

Get to know your inner chimney fire shooting out over the roof, and combustion so intense that stovepipes glow red and shake, the classic cottage chimney fire “is incredibly scary when it happens,” says Jon Pegg, the fire marshal for the province of Ontario. And it happens often enough: almost 19 per cent of Ontario cottage fires between 2015 and 2019 involved woodstoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and a statistical category including hot ashes, embers, and sparks.

WITH A ROAR LIKE A JET ENGINE,

While smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and a cottage fire escape plan are must-haves, so is checking your chimney for creosote, the tarry remnant of incomplete combustion that fuels chimney fires, and soot, the flammable residue of unburned carbon (see “Know Your Creosote,” p. 70). Because creosote bungs up a flue the way cholesterol clogs arteries, the fire code mandates an annual chimney checkup—“whoohoo,” you’re probably saying, “another seasonal rite of cottaging”—as well as after a chimney fire, and when a new woodstove, fireplace, or fireplace insert is installed. ›› OCTOBER 202 1

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1

36"

The chimney must project no less than 36" above the highest point at which it contacts the roof and no less than 24" higher than any roof line or obstacle within a horizontal distance of 10'.

2

4 3

5

A N ATO M Y O F A CHIMNEY

1

CHIMNEY CAP

Many chimneys include an offset, as shown here.

A straight run is superior to one with an offset as it means less turbulence, and therefore less creosote buildup.

2 6

HIGH TEMP CHIMNEY

7

3

ROOF FLASHING

2

CUT DOWN TO S I Z E

After a couple of floods over the years, one in August 2020 took out Tom Clark’s deck supports and sidewalk, and shifted the chimney.

He hired a crew to take the top half of the chimney down to reduce its weight for safety reasons.

A N D S TO R M CO L L A R

8

9

10 11

4

ROOF RAFTER

5

AT T I C

6

S U P P L E M E N TA R Y SUPPORTS

12

18" away from wall for single-wall pipe; as labelled for double-walled pipe

7

OFFSET

8

I N S U L AT I O N

9

AT T I C I N S U L AT I O N SHIELDING

10 C E I L I N G J O I S T 11 C E I L I N G S U P P O R T B OX

13

12 F L U E P I P E 13 E PA - C E R T I F I E D FIREPLACE OR W O O D S TO V E

14

14 M A I N F L O O R

Chimney 101 A chimney’s key attribute is “draft”—its ability to pull air from the stove or fireplace up and out of the cottage. This natural flow through a bed of coals, for example, makes it easier to kindle fires and helps the blaze reach efficient combustion temperature. As a bonus, draft increases as the fire grows. “The greater the temperature difference between the exhaust gases in the chimney and the outside air, the stronger the draft,”says John Gulland. Likewise, “the taller the chimney, the more draft it will produce.”

The most reliable draft comes from a straight, well-insulated interior chimney that emerges near the highest point of the roof. It’s an express lane for the fire’s heat and combustion gases: they stay hot and ascend quickly. This approach is most common with newer woodstoves and fireplace inserts.

Almost any departure from this straight-up layout will slow the gases and potentially cause headaches. Every 90-degree elbow in the system causes turbulent airflow, allowing flue gases to bog down in transit. Exterior chimneys are cold, whether they’re brick or metal, making gases less buoyant.

Chimneys that are too short or vent too close to a roof produce a draft that is weak or unreliable. The results include smoky downdrafts; smoke that spills from the stove when you open the door; and that dank, sooty odour when the fireplace isn’t in use. Worst of all, these layouts tend to accumulate more creosote, making maintenance a bigger concern.

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Dryden Fire Service fire prevention officer Jadie Scaman says the fire code doesn’t specify who must do the inspection. Some insurers require occasional WETT inspections, but in practice many “annual inspections” are probably conducted by cottagers when they clean their chimneys. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to have a WETT-trained inspector or chimney sweep in to check the system.

“These are technical issues, so hiring a WETT-certified technician is the best bet,” Scaman says.

To keep your insurer happy (and meet the fire code) you should also hold onto inspection reports for two years.

At the very least, if you’re checking your own chimney, snap a dated photo of the interior of the flue (the metal pipe or clay liner that conveys smoke up the chimney).

On top of all that, clean your flue whenever there’s more than three millimetres of soot or creosote—the thickness of just three or four stacked dimes. How are you going to know when you’ve got 40 cents of creosote? You’ve got to look.

If you can safely get on the roof, unscrew the chimney cap and peek Santa-style from the top with a flashlight, eyeing the edge of the flue pipe or liner to gauge the thickness of the creosote. Creosote deposits tend to be thicker near the top of the chimney, where suspended tar is more likely to

Chimney detox from a WETTcertified chimney sweep ranges from about $150 to $350, but the safety, maintenance, and operating insights that come along with an experienced sweep’s inspection could be priceless. Even cottagers who do their own sweeping should call a pro every few years “just to be sure that no flaws have been overlooked,” John Gulland says.

No surprise, then, that when fire marshal Pegg bought his Georgian Bay cottage, “one of my very first calls was to have the chimney inspected and cleaned…I want the peace of mind that my system is safe.”

Cottagers who do their own chimney cleaning (ideally as a supplement to professional cleanings and inspections) should use gloves, safety glasses or goggles, and a dust mask to reduce soot exposure, and use a chimney brush in an up-and-down scrubbing motion on straight sections. Carefully remove stovepipe elbows and carry them outside for cleaning, because standard fibreglass rods will not negotiate a 45 or 90-degree bend.

(Carry pipes out in a bucket to contain the mess.) Be sure to use polypropylene (plastic) bristles on stainless steel flues. “Metal never touches metal,” cautions Yvette Aube, the chief administrative officer or self-described “chimney chick” at AIM Chimney Sweep and Stove Shop in Midland, Ont. “All that does is score the interior and give the creosote a place to adhere to.” Check for buildup in the fall so you can address any repairs that need to be made before winter, and aim for annual cleaning in the spring, so creosote sitting in the system doesn’t cause corrosion during humid summers. And remember, use a brush that’s the same size and shape as your chimney—square brushes in square chimneys, round in round. Sweeps get hired to fix all kinds of DIY errors, including stuck brushes and rods.

Finally, chimney cleaning logs and sootremoving chemicals won’t do the job alone, and may cause flammable particles of creosote to fall off the liner and collect in the system’s horizontal surfaces. Only use chemicals “if you’re guided and schooled by a chimney professional,” says Aube, and as a stop-gap before a professional sweep. ››

PHOTOS: MIDDLE, ERIN LEYDON; RIGHT, DEREK SHAPTON. ILLUSTRATION: TAY LOR KRISTA N

A THOROUGH SCRUB

cool and condense, so the advantage of looking from the top is that you’re seeing what’s likely the worst part of the system.

If you’ve got a straight shot sightline in your chimney, from ground level you can look up through a conventional fireplace through the cleanout on a masonry chimney, or by removing stovepipes, or opening the inspection port on a metal chimney. You may also be able to look up through the appliance itself when the upper baffle is removed (check your manual or consult with your stove retailer—not all units permit this). Lower reaches tend to be hotter and cleaner, so if you have creosote plastered inside your stovepipe, you’ve probably got a bigger problem higher up.

Monitoring creosote is especially important for wood-burning newbies, or cottagers who’ve bought a new stove and are learning how to operate it. Creosote is your wood-burning “report card”: too much, and you’re doing something wrong with the stove, or burning wet wood. Once you get the hang of it, and if you’ve got a good installation and an efficient stove, an annual cleaning should be sufficient.

Use a flashlight and mirror to see around corners, or go high-tech: “I use my iPhone and take a shot right up the chimney for my customer,” says Sean Mason, a second-generation chimney sweep and the owner of Brent Mason Chimney Cleaning in Sudbury, Ont.

W H AT A B O U T T H AT O L D H A N D - M E - D OW N CHIMNEY ON THE SAUNA—DOES IT MEET CODE?

Maybe not, says Zigi Gadomski, the president of Wood Energy Technicians of British Columbia.

“If your metal chimney is painted, galvanized, aluminum, or square, you should not be using it,” he says.

“It’s probably at least 40 years old.”

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 69

Know your creosote Stage one Dry, brownish-black powder that’s a mix of soot and creosote. Brushes off. Sign of a clean burn.

Seek liner wholeness “the most vulnerable part of masonry chimneys,” John Gulland says. Whether the flue is metal or clay, eye it for gaps, cracks, or holes after cleaning.

(The classic hack is lowering an automotive trouble light—a bulb in a protective cage on a long cord—but a powerful batterypowered LED lantern would work too.) Cracks caused by high heat can allow a flammable mix of creosote and water to seep into the bricks and mortar, leaving telltale dark stains.

Replace liners that are broken, cracked or—eek—completely missing with rigid or flexible stainless steel. (Some people choose to add ceramic fibre insulation as well.) It’s a fiddly job, so budget roughly $2,000 or more for professional installation.

F R A G I L E C L AY L I N E R S A R E

Stage two Black, sticky flakes.

May require professional sweeping. A sign the fire is starved for oxygen, often because the air intake is set too low for good combustion.

Stage three Glossy black tar. Requires professional tools and chemicals.

Highly combustible result of wet wood, poor burning techniques, a cold chimney with poor draft, or all three.

Put a lid on it need regular maintenance, most frequently from the top,” Gulland says. Whether metal or masonry, well-dressed chimneys require a cap to prevent water from mixing with creosote to form a corrosive slurry.

Masonry units need an additional cap (also known as a crown), to seal moisture out of the top of the structure and deflect rain away from brick and stonework. A flexible bead of silicone in the “bond break” between the cap and clay liner allows the clay to expand and contract without letting rain in.

The only way to check the crown is to climb up there and have a close look. Because damage is invisible from the ground, “nobody notices the problem until there are bricks lying on the grass and the deck,” Sean Mason says. “We rebuild four or five chimneys a summer. For ninety bricks and a metal cap, you’re looking at around $2,000.” “ STO N E A N D B R I C K C H I M N E YS

T H E W O O D S TO V E

Creosote deposits

“DASHBOARD”

Everyday signs of clean burning

Bad sign When stage three creosote ignites, “it puffs up to 1,400 times its original volume. It looks like an Aero chocolate bar,” says Zigi Gadomski, president of WETBC. Traces of puffy, black creosote on the chimney cap, roof, or ground could mean you’ve already had a fire.

Other problems Nests, leafy debris, forgotten tools. “We got a call once: ‘Our chimney’s not working!’” says Yvette Aube, of AIM Chimney Sweep and Stove Shop. “Turned out there was a plastic chimney brush stuck in it.”

70 cottagelife.com

1 Glass on woodstove or fireplace insert is clear, or with only a slight haze after an overnight burn 2 Firebox deposits are tan or light grey

1 O U T S I D E I N S TA L L AT I O N O F A M E TA L C H I M N E Y

3 No visible smoke from the chimney when fire is hot 4 Chimney cap that’s relatively clean and shiny

1

CHIMNEY CAP

2

HIGH TEMP

2

CHIMNEY

3

FLEXIBLE SEALANT

4

ROOF FLASHING

3 A N D S TO R M CO L L A R

5

ROOF RAFTER

4 5

OUT OF THE S TO N E A G E

The Clarks plan to remove what remains of the 99-year-old chimney and rebuild the exterior wall, floor, ceiling, roof, and interior wall using materials that honour the spirit and history of the place.

Find balance widening gaps between chimney and flashing, roofing, and siding? That’s bad news: your hulking five or six-tonne fireplace could be shifting.

“It’s a warning sign,” says Kim Pressnail , a professor emeritus in civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto.

“You need to find the root cause and solve the problem. You’re dealing with a structure that could kill someone.”

For minor leans, one option is a partial demolition: hire a contractor to lop off the masonry above the roofline (as in photo above), reducing the chimney’s heft so it’s no longer teetering towards destruction.

With the base stabilized, a WETT pro can install a fireplace insert and factorybuilt metal chimney atop the remaining masonry. You’ll likely pay at least $6,000, not including the partial chimney demolition and any additional repairs that the cottage needs from the strain caused by the lean. Aube says a rebuilt or partially rebuilt chimney will run you into the thousands of dollars.

As for shoring up the chimney, options include jacking up and stabilizing the structure, excavating under it and pouring an expanded foundation, or underpinning it with helical piles—metal, augur-like sections that corkscrew into stable soil. These are complex approaches, likely to run well

PHOTOS: THIS PAGE, ERIN LEYDON; OPPOSITE, DEREK SHAPTON. ILLUSTRATION: TAYLOR KRISTA N

A R E YO U S E E I N G

Pressnail recommends burning seasoned wood, installing a thermometer on your chimney to help you burn at the proper temperature, and using hardwood rather than softwood.

into five figures. You’ll also need to find an experienced mason and an engineer with a good grasp of foundations, structures, and the load-bearing capacity of local soils.

In other words, it can be done. But should it be? Given the time, money, and construction safety challenges involved in righting a chimney with a bad lean, Pressnail says outright demolition and replacement is likely the simpler and cheaper option. “I feel for people who have chimneys with sentimental value,” he adds. “But if you can’t afford to fix the chimney properly I think the best practice is to take it down.”

Back at Bruce Beach, the Clark family is grieving their fireplace’s slow decline. “For 15 years, I think we’ve been thoroughly analyzing all the possible options. We’ve been trying to make a decision as a family,” Tom says. The verdict? Three or four years from now, the Clarks will likely gather around a natural gas fireplace. It’s safe, convenient, and much cheaper than restoring the old hearth as if it was a museum piece. But it’s still sad. “It hasn’t been an easy decision,” Tom says.

As for the rounded, glacial stones his great-grandfather assembled in 1922, Tom’s been joking for years that they want to return to the beach. Soon they will. “I want to use them in a decorative, memorial kind of way,” Tom says— maybe as a garden wall, or a bench with a good view of Lake Huron sunsets. Though their time near the fire is ending, the rounded granite, quartz, and gneiss of the old hearth will continue on as links to—and witnesses of—a new century of Clark cottage history.a Ray Ford is a long-time Cottage Life contributor and volunteer firefighter near North Bay, Ont. He heats his home with wood, and so far—fingers crossed—hasn’t had a chimney fire.

OCTOBER 202 1

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RED SKY AT NIGHT? COULD BE RIGHT Weather lore, folk wisdom, and downright wacky notions go hand-in-hand with cottage life. Turns out, some of it is worth a listen

BY JACKIE DAVIS AND BECKY DUMAIS I L L U S T R AT I O N S D R E W S H A N N O N

Either way, one thing is certain: “You would never coin such a term today,” says Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor and the director of the Office for Science and Society with McGill University. It’s a term with roots in early medicine—it goes back to a time when women were usually the ones concocting home remedies to treat ailments. “Most of the time, they didn’t work,” says Schwarcz. “But some had legitimacy.” The idea of using foxglove extract to treat heart conditions, for example, originally came from “a supposed ‘old wife,’ ” says Schwarcz.

An old wife who, in fact, was correct: digitalis compounds from foxglove have since been used in heart medications

O L D W I V E S ’ TA L E S . T R U E ? F A L S E ?

72 cottagelife.com

O C TO BE R 2 0 2 1

for hundreds of years. Other tales—medicine-related or not—persist because “there’s a kind of truth to them,” says Schwarcz. While nobody really believes that if you swallow an apple seed a tree will grow in your stomach, there is a reason to avoid eating them: the seeds release cyanide when they’re crushed (see “Food Facts and Fictions,” p. 76).

And when you hear the same stories often enough, even the strange ones, you begin to believe them, says Schwarcz. “A lot of these things become ‘true’ simply because of repetition.”

And a lot of these things are repeated more often at the cottage than anywhere else, we’ve discovered. Time to get to the bottom of some of these tall—or not-so-tall—tales.

behind common weather-related sayings, we went to Mr. Weather Lore himself: David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Even though we no longer need rhyming weather sayings to TO F I N D T H E FAC TS

plan our days (Look, it’s a red sky in the morning! Better take warning), “there’s still a place for weather lore,” says Phillips.

“Not only does it connect us to our ancestors, it makes us more observant of our surroundings.”

↓

HERE COMES THE RAIN

LEARN YOUR CLOUDS

is based on observations that precede a change in the weather in the next 24 to 48 hours, says Phillips. These include changes in humidity, barometric pressure, air temperature, wind direction and speed, and cloud cover (see “Learn Your Clouds”). Sure, some sayings simply persist because they rhyme and they’re easy to remember. But others persist because they “have stood the test of time,” says Phillips. “Which usually means that there’s at least some truth to them.”

A LOT O F LO R E

Why Those scary-looking formations—anvil-shaped at the top—are cumulonimbus, a.k.a. storm clouds. They appear stacked on top of each other and are associated with severe weather: lightning, thunder, tornadoes, and hail. Take cover.

I CO N S , V E C TO R STA L L

“When there’s enough blue sky to make a pair of Dutchman’s trousers it means fair weather is on the way” Why A broken sky will have more patches of blue (obviously), which could suggest the clouds are dissipating or moving out of the area.

Except...how big is this Dutchman? Normal-sized man pants could fit in a pretty small patch of blue sky—and that wouldn’t tell you much about the coming weather. (“I’m not very familiar with this one,” David Phillips admits.)

What’s happening up in the air?

“When clouds appear like rocks and towers, the earth’s refreshed with frequent showers”

What’s happening here on the ground?

“This is probably one that truly works.”—D.P.

“Don’t bet the family farm on it.”—D.P.

When dew is on the grass, rain won’t come to pass

When leaves turn on their back, ‘tis a sign it’s going to rain

When the chairs squeak, it’s of rain they speak

When boat horns sound hollow, rain will sure follow

Dew forms when there’s no cloud cover; no clouds = no rain.

Winds changing from westerly to easterly— which can bring rain— flip leaves over.

High humidity causes wood to swell, and furniture gets noisy.

The increased moisture in the air makes it denser, allowing sound to travel farther.

If cows are lying down, it’s going to rain

Aching pain, coming rain

Thunder curdles cream, lightning sours milk

A ring around the sun or moon means rain (or snow) is coming soon

Animals seem to sense weather changes that we can’t, but cows lie down for many reasons.

A change in barometric pressure can make joints ache, but stress or strain can also cause people to feel body pains.

Anecdotally, this used to happen, but now we have refrigeration, which negates changes in humidity or air temperature.

Cirrus clouds, which can come about 48 hours before a rain, pass in front of the sun or moon, bend its light, and create the illusion of a halo.

Cont’d on p. 75 OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 73

↓ ONLY IN COTTAGE LAND Over the years, we’ve busted many a longheld cottager myth in the pages of this magazine.

Myth

Adding raw hamburger (or a dead chicken) to the septic tank speeds up the waste breakdown.

(March 1997)

Myth

There’s no harm in peeing in the lake. (May 2007)

Myth

The crescent moon symbol on the door of the biffy dates back to early outhouse makers; they used Ancient Greek symbols to mark toilets as men’s or women’s.

(Spring 2018)

Myth

Putting red food colouring in your sugarwater solution will attract more hummingbirds to the feeder.

(Mar/Apr 2020) Mega Myth

You need to live at the cottage full-time in order to claim it as your principal residence for tax purposes.

(Multiple issues.

So many issues.)

LIES MY PARENTS TOLD ME and you hear stories, you have no frame of reference for them,” says the Office of Science and Society’s Joe Schwarcz.

“ W H E N YO U ’ R E YO U N G

Therefore, you take them as truth. Especially if the stories come from your parents, who are supposed to know everything.

Don’t leave that tissue box at the back of the car!

It could fly forward and kill one of us in a crash!

A tissue box? C’mon. But another “unsecured object” could, says Angelo DiCicco, the general manager for the Ontario Safety League.

Or, at least, it could injure someone in the car. (DiCicco knows of a driver who needed stitches near the eye because of a flying garage door opener.) The tissue-box story “is meant to be a warning. The idea behind it is true.” Even if you brake suddenly on the highway, going quickly from 100 km/h to 30 km/h, “the loose objects in the car—a cell phone, a child’s toy—are still moving at 100 km/h,” he says. Imagine getting smoked in the face by a handful of Lego travelling at 100 klicks.

Yeah. Ow.

If you stand near the window during a lightning storm, or shower during a lightning storm, you’ll get hit by lightning!

Fair enough, Mom. This is possible.

Possible, but not common. “The concern with taking a shower during a thunderstorm is the potential for lightning to strike the building and for some of that charge to travel through the plumbing,” says Geoff Coulson, a now-retired warning preparedness meteorologist. “Metalframed windows can also conduct an electrical charge if they’re struck.”

You’ll get sick if you go out in the cold with wet hair!

No. You’ll get sick if you catch a virus.

Your hair, even when it’s frozen and crunchy, won’t make this more likely.

It’s not safe to swim after eating! You need to wait at least 30 minutes!

You don’t need to wait any amount of time before swimming after eating. At least, there’s no medical evidence to back up the theory that digestion will sap the blood from your limbs, cause muscle cramps, and then increase your risk of drowning. But any vigorous exercise after eating a huge meal—and, be honest, you probably over-indulge at the cottage—could cause you to vomit. And choke. And in the lake, drown.

Eat your carrots—it will improve your eyesight!

Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A inside our bodies. And vitamin A is necessary for eyesight. But you probably weren’t deficient in vitamin A as a child—lots of foods contain it. And even if you were, increasing vitamin A levels to a normal range by diet alone would be a very slow process, says Robert Burke, an optometrist at the Calgary Vision Centre. Your parents really should have encouraged you to eat foods high in lutein, such as kale and spinach. Lutein helps ward off macular degeneration, says Burke.

↓

Cont’d from p. 73

THESE ARE WILD

“The higher the clouds, the better the weather”

We don’t know why ridiculous myths persist. But Joe Schwarcz does: “People tend to go for simple answers to complex questions.”

Why When you see thin, wispy clouds, you’re likely in store for clear weather for the next 48 hours.

Alternatively, “lower clouds are often associated with precipitation,” says Phillips; you could get rain in the next few hours. Quick, to the games cupboard!

“Cold is the night when the stars shine bright” Why Look up: if the stars are twinkling, it means the sky is clear. “When stars appear dull or dim, that means there’s mist or thin clouds between you and the stars,” says Phillips. And clouds trap warmth escaping from the surface of the earth, then reflect it back. Therefore, the night feels warmer. With no cloud cover, this heat can escape into space. Brrr.

1

5

1

2

You can tell a ladybug’s age from its spots

2 3 4

4

“No. An adult ladybug is an adult ladybug,” says Bob Anderson, an entomologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. “A ladybug doesn’t change once it reaches the adult stage.” Ladybugs are beetles; they hatch from an egg as weird, spiny larvae. That’s okay, baby bugs! You’re pretty on the inside. So why the myth? There are hundreds of species of ladybugs in North America, and “they vary in their number of spots,” says Anderson.

“Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry” Why A sky full of rows of rippling clouds that look like fish scales suggests that “there’s going to be a change in the weather,” says Phillips.

Thanks, clouds. That’s helpful. For this saying to be of any use, you need to look at where the clouds are sitting in the sky. “Altocumulous (midlevel) clouds usually mean the weather is improving,” says Phillips. “Cirrocumulus (high-level) clouds mean the weather is okay now, but inclement weather could be on the way.”

Porcupines shoot their quills A hundred times false. Of course, porkies do swing their tails in defense, and, as anyone with a dog knows, their detachable quills can become lodged in the snout of whichever predator is after them. And the idea of an animal with a sharp, shootable projectile isn’t completely bonkers.

The venomous cone snail, for example, deploys a harpoon-like spear from its body to snag then paralyze its prey.

(Don’t worry: unless your dog is diving deep in the waters where cone snails live—nowhere in Canada—they’re not going to get stuck by one.)

3

If you pick up a toad, it’ll give you warts Common warts are caused by a strain of the HPV virus. And no amphibian on the planet is giving somebody HPV. But toads have bumpy glands that look like warts, kids like to pick up toads, and kids are more prone to getting actual warts— usually on their hands. So, A + B + C = D. Touching a toad is more problematic for the toad. Amphibians absorb substances through their skin; at the cottage, our hands are often coated with sunscreen or bug spray. And, since about March 2020, massive amounts of hand sanitizer.

An earthworm cut in half becomes two worms A worm has a head and a tail. If it loses its tail, it is possible for the worm to regenerate a new one (just as some salamanders can regrow their tail if a predator rips it off).

But the tail-end of a worm can’t regrow a head or vital organs. This myth could be somewhat connected to the sometimestruth that earthworms can reproduce solo (parthogenesis). This is correct for certain worms, but they’re usually only species that live in places where it’s hard to find mates. Or, species that aren’t familiar with dating apps, we assume.

5

The thickness of a woolly bear caterpillar’s black and brown bands can predict the severity of the coming winter Unlike the weather lore that gets the David Phillips stamp of approval (see p. 73), this one has no merit. “Long-term weather predictions aren’t usually reliable,” he says.

But more importantly, this one is stupid.

The width of a caterpillar’s bands depends on how long it’s been feeding, its age, and its species.

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 75

↓

FOOD FACTS AND FICTIONS hearing tales about certain foods.

Some of them have merit. Others are less than accurate. And some are flat-out wrong.

WE’VE ALL GROWN UP

1

Don’t put hot food in the fridge; it’ll grow bacteria

● Yes

2

● Maybe

Unrefrigerated mayo will make you sick

No

4

Maybe ● No

SEE IF YOU CAN SPOT ALL OF THESE FACTS AND FICTIONS AT OUR PICNIC HANGOUT O C TO BE R 2 0 2 1

● No

● Yes

Answer It depends. Spores will grow quickly on soft foods with high moisture content. “If you see mould on your bread, you’re better to throw out the entire loaf,” says Lynch. Soft cheeses, fruits and vegetables: mind the mould. When you see those little medallions of grey fuzz, that means the spores are also growing inward. It’s time to toss. Hard and semi-hard cheese, however, is safe if you cut the mould off an inch away, says Lynch.

76 cottagelife.com

Maybe

Answer So many salads and sandwiches are made better with this egg-based spread, but is it ok to eat the hoagie you left out of the cooler? Most store-bought mayo has additives and preservatives.

“It can actually be left on the counter for up to eight hours,” says Lynch. “It’s usually the meat. If left at room temperature, after two hours the sandwich ingredients may develop Staphylococcus, which can cause food borne illness.”

Answer That’s not true. There’s a greater risk if you put something on the counter to cool; you might forget about it, says Sarah Lynch, a registered dietician at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. Two hours later, bacteria will start to grow. Package the food in a wide, shallow storage container and put that into the fridge. The greater surface area allows the contents to cool more quickly. The only danger of putting something too hot in the fridge is that it could lower the temperature inside, and that could affect the rest of the food. “That’s the theory in this myth,” says Lynch. “It’s not about bacteria growing on the hot food.”

Mouldy food is still safe to eat if you cut off the mouldy bits

● Yes

3

If you eat a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow in your stomach

● Yes ● Maybe

No

Answer “The reality is that the stomach acid would kill the seed and it would never have the chance to germinate, or, if it did pass to the gastrointestinal tract, the conditions inside would inhibit germination,” says Keith Warriner, a food microbiologist with the University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science. Either way, no watermelon. “I think this myth came about for the simple reason that some seeds do have poison in them.” Apricot, cherry, and apple seeds contain cyanide precursors.

5

● Yes

Eating burnt food increases your cancer risk

Maybe

6

● No

● Maybe

Answer Turkey does contain tryptophan, which is an amino acid that the body uses (indirectly) to make serotonin, and serotonin helps regulate sleep. But all meat contains tryptophan in similar levels (it’s also found in milk and cheese). What’s more, roasted soybeans and pumpkin seeds are higher in tryptophan than turkey. So, it’s more likely the carb-heavy side dishes along with tryptophan-containing holiday foods—not to mention overeating, alcohol, a cottage full of guests, and a hot oven that’s been cooking the bird all day—that’s making you drowsy.

7

Hangover cure = hair of the dog

● Yes ● Maybe

Answer There’s unfortunately no proof that chasing your hangover with a spicy Caesar is a cure-all.

The theory behind this myth is that the hangover symptoms are your body breaking down the alcohol, so drinking more would—temporarily—reverse your throbbing head and nausea. However, Finnish researchers may have found a worthwhile remedy.

In a study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism they found that a vitamin supplement of L-cysteine, an amino acid, prevented or alleviated symptoms such as nausea, headache, stress, and anxiety. Cheers to that! If you can stomach something on hangover day, eat foods that contain L-cysteine: meat, dairy products, eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes. ● Yes

Drinking alcohol warms you up

● Maybe

No Answer You might feel warm after taking a few shots—this could just be due to the burning sensation you get as it goes down. And you might sweat while drinking. (Even after a big meal, you start sweating because you’re burning calories, says Warriner.) But drinking alcohol actually lowers your body temperature. When you drink, the alcohol causes your blood vessels to widen and relax, increasing the blood flow to your skin. This is really what gives you the impression of feeling warm.

Hot dogs = mystery meat

Yes ● Maybe ● No

Answer Mmm, skeletal bits and tissue. If the label says “pork” or “beef”, the hot dogs have got to contain that very thing. (In Canada, labelling is governed

by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.) But “it could be parts that you wouldn’t necessarily eat if you knew about them,” says Lynch.

In 2007, the National Library of Medicine evaluated the ingredients in eight common hot dog brands.

The report found that the wieners contained a variety of tissues: skeletal muscle including bone, collagen, blood vessels, peripheral nerves, body fat, cartilage, and skin. In general, more expensive hot dogs had more meat, but all hot dogs contained other tissue types (bone and cartilage) “not related to skeletal muscle.” Brain tissue, meanwhile, “was not present.”

Well, at least we can say we’re not zombies.

No

9

● Yes

No

Answer When cooking or grilling food, chemicals form: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). And a National Cancer Institute study noted that these chemicals were found to cause changes in DNA that “may increase the risk of cancer.” Keith Warriner has a workaround: before grilling, marinate the meat in Guinness (or stout). “It reduces the accumulation of these harmful byproducts. The stout is full of antioxidants and they sequester the byproducts.”

8

Eating turkey at Thanksgiving makes you sleepy

● Yes

10

The five-second rule rules

Maybe ● No

Answer Do you want to play Russian roulette with your intestines? A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology delved scientifically into this one, using watermelon, bread and butter, and gummy candy. Co-author Donald W. Shaffner notes there was no amount of time (including a fraction of a second) that he and his colleagues didn’t see at least some bacteria transfer. “That said, the devil is in the details.” If you drop something on a completely sterile floor, you’re in the clear; there’s nothing to contaminate your food. Wet food is at higher risk than dry food because the moisture makes it easy for the bacteria to transfer. “I’m convinced that people eat food off the floor all the time,” says Shaffner. “I do every so often, and as far as I know I’ve never gotten sick from the practice.”

Still, do not eat food that’s fallen on the floor where someone has recently vomited, he says. We concur. And have just lost our appetites.a

OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 77

LO R E M U P S UI M

New life for leftovers

RECIPES

BY ESHUN MOTT PHOTOGR APHY JODI PUDGE

Don’t throw out those odds and ends in your fridge—make pie instead! Whether tucked into curry parcels or baked under a flaky crust, meet your new go-to comfort food COTTAGE CURRY POT PIE All hail the fancy-seeming dish that can use up many of the bits languishing in your kitchen at the end of the season. Here is a template for the British-style curry pot pie of your dreams, but riff as you need to and be sure you taste your mixture before you transfer it to the baking dish. If, say, you used cooked chicken, you may need a hint of brown richness in the form of soy sauce.

Or if your curry paste is mild you may want to add a bit of hot sauce for heat. You get the idea. Serves 6-8 1 lb

2 tbsp ¼ cup 2 cups 1 cup 1 cup 4 cups

2 tbsp

boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (or 2 cups diced, cooked chicken or turkey, or even 1 lb ground chicken or turkey) Salt and pepper canola oil unsalted butter diced carrot diced celery chopped onion mix of vegetables/legumes, such as cauliflower and Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces (other good contenders are peeled sweet potato or squash, mushrooms, or canned, rinsed chickpeas) chopped garlic

2 tbsp 2 tbsp ½ cup 4 cups 1 cup

Pinch 1

1

minced ginger Madras or mild curry paste or powder all-purpose flour chicken stock (homemade or low-sodium) green beans, cut into ½-inch pieces (or other green veg such sugar snap peas, frozen peas, or cooked greens) sugar, to taste recipe Rough Puff Pastry (or 1-1 ½ lb thawed frozen allbutter puff pastry) egg, beaten Cracked pepper and whole cumin seeds (optional)

1 Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a Dutch oven or wide saucepan over high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Working in batches, add chicken, turning heat down to medium-high and cook, turning, for 2 minutes or until lightly golden but not cooked through.

Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.

2 Add butter, carrots, celery, and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened.

Add mix of vegetables/legumes and cook for 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned (see “Just Saucy Enough,” p. 81).

Add garlic, ginger, and curry paste and

stir for 1 minute or until fragrant, scraping up any bits that stick to the bottom of the pan. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until vegetables are well coated. Add chicken stock while stirring and bring to a boil, turn heat down to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are all tender and liquid has thickened. Taste broth, add a pinch of sugar if needed, and adjust seasoning and flavour. Stir in reserved chicken and green vegetables. Let cool to room temperature then transfer to a 9"x13" baking dish.

3 Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 14 inches by 17 inches if using Rough Puff Pastry recipe (or just slightly larger than baking dish for 1 lb store-bought dough).

Gently drape pastry on top of filling, and then push the edges down to fit snugly.

Using your finger, brush a beaten egg along inside edge of dish. Roll excess pastry under itself to make a lip and press against the side to adhere. Brush the top with beaten egg and cut a few slits (2-3 inches long) to let steam escape.

Sprinkle the pie with a little coarse pepper and whole cumin seeds if desired.

4 Place the baking dish on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until pastry is deeply golden and filling is bubbling. ›› OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 79

TIP: Use half the pot pie filling for the hand pies, and freeze the rest for another day.

Eat leftovers, save the planet! Did you know that organic waste that ends up in a landfill produces methane gas, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide?

HAND PIE VERSION Surprise the closing-up crew with a handheld snack that’s hearty and delicious—and helps clean out the kitchen too. Makes 12

O N S E T A R T D I R E C T I O N : J AC K I E S H I P L E Y; FO O D ST Y L I N G : C A R O L D U DA R

Rough puff pastry really isn’t any harder to make than regular pastry, and the flaky results are worth the effort. And if you get busy and leave it in the fridge for a day between steps, that’s just fine. This recipe makes almost 1½ lbs of puff pastry, which makes a crust for a 9"x13" pot pie that’s completely decadent. But trust me, no one will complain.

5 tbsp 1 tbsp

cold water apple cider vinegar Ice cubes 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt ½ tsp sugar 1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1 recipe Rough Puff Pastry, or 1 ½ lbs thawed all-butter puff pastry ½ recipe of filling for Cottage Curry Pot Pie, well chilled (see Tip, opposite) 1 egg, beaten 1 Roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch by 4-inch rectangle, cut into 3 equal pieces, then roll each into about a 10-inch square (chill each piece in fridge after rolling so it doesn’t get soft and sticky). Cut each square into 4 squares. Fill each with ¼ cup of filling using egg to seal the edge as you fold it in half to make triangular or rectangular pies. Place on 2 parchment-lined rimmed cookie sheets. Brush tops with egg and use a fork to seal edges well. Cut two slits about an inch long in the top of each.

2 Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through, swapping sheets from upper and lower racks halfway through baking time.

ROUGH PUFF PASTRY

In praise of curry paste Patak’s Madras curry paste is something I always have on hand. It has a bolder, fresher flavour than most commercial curry powders and lasts indefinitely in the refrigerator, making it a good choice for the cottage.

And it’s not just for making curry! Try using it in marinades, toss it with potatoes before roasting, or stir a little into mayonnaise to garnish a burger.

Just saucy enough Maybe you have a leftover red pepper or zucchini, or a bit of cabbage that needs using up—just make sure you sauté it long enough for the juices to cook out and evaporate or your sauce will get watery. When in doubt, you can just cook it separately and add it in before you add the flour. This will help the flavours meld together. Conversely, if you use a lot of potatoes, you may need to add a little extra liquid. (Remember that it will get slightly thicker due to evaporation when baking.) The only rule here is to use a good mix: avoid using all bland starchy soft vegetables, or all cabbagey tasting ones, or all sweet ones.

1 Combine water and cider vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Add a few ice cubes and keep in the fridge to chill until needed.

2 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.

Add butter and toss to coat. Press the butter pieces between your thumb and forefingers to flatten into big flakes.

Drizzle the cold water mixture (leaving ice behind) into the flour while gently mixing with your fingers until you have added just enough liquid to bring the dough together. You may need to knead the dough gently to get it to form into a ball. Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gently form into a rectangle about ¾-inch thick. Wrap it and put it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

3 Remove dough from fridge, transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Fold dough into thirds like a letter. Then rotate 90° and roll into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Fold into thirds again, wrap in plastic, and let rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

4 After dough has rested, roll out, refold, and then roll out and fold one last time (All this folding creates layers of fat and flour which make the pastry super flaky).

Wrap in plastic and return to the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 3 days (or wrap tightly and freeze up to 1 month).a OCTOBER 202 1

cottagelife.com 81

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Nature Scrapbook

Dirty rotten scoundrel?

Sure, lacquered polypore breaks down the heartwood of cottage-country trees—but this fungus is a force of good, not evil B Y T I M T I N E R and plants and mushrooms shrivel with autumn’s frosts, hardy, tree trunkhugging bracket fungi stand out as remnant forest curios. Among the largest and most alluring, the smooth, mahogany-hued lacquered polypore— which festoons maples, oaks, and other hardwoods east of the Rockies—is an important pioneer in the process of decay that supports all life.

AS L E AV E S FA L L

is a white-rot fungus which releases enzymes from its tiny, spreading fibres to gradually break down heartwood near the base of living trees. Since outer sapwood forms the living portion of a trunk, trees hollowed by heart rot can still grow and prosper for decades before toppling in a random wind storm.

L A C Q U E R E D P O LY P O R E

fruit. To do so, two separate fungal networks must “mate.” They fuse to sprout large, varnished, leathery brackets from lower trunks in early summer.

These fungal fruits produce spores for just a single growing season, but may persist on trees into the following year. of damp, late summer and autumn mornings, clouds of brown spores emanate from the white undersides of lacquered polypore conchs. Spread by air currents, the durable, thickwalled spores last much longer and travel farther than those of many other mushrooms. They gain access to heartwood through deep wounds left by snapped branches or root injuries.

the cavities shelter birds, bats, flying squirrels, beetles, and a vast array of other creatures, while nutrients released by decayed heartwood are eventually recycled by the tree’s roots.

BILL GOZANSKY

of consuming a good portion of a tree’s heartwood is the fungus ready to O N LY A F T E R M A N Y Y E A R S

Mighty slow is still mighty* 7-8 mm per day Growth rate of polypore fibres in heartwood

I N T H E E A R LY L I G H T

mycologists believed that lacquered polypore was the same species as the nearly identical reishi, or lingzhi fungus, the Asian “mushroom of immortality.” (It’s been a reputed elixir of health for more than 2,000 years.) Though the two fungi are related, it’s unclear how closely their complex chemical compounds are aligned.a

U N T I L R E C E N T LY, UNTIL THEN,

Not so fast, folks

OCTOBER 202 1

15 cm per year Growth rate of human hair

3 metres per minute Walking speed of three-toed sloth

4 to 8 beats per minute Heart rate of blue whale *Average rates and speeds cottagelife.com 83

Before You Leave

Morning brew

Share your guest “book” photos on Instagram with #CottageLifeSub or email us at edit@cottagelife.com.

84 cottagelife.com

O C TO B ER 2 0 2 1

C A R A ST R O N G

Cara and Josh Strong started collecting mugs as an alternative to a traditional guest book two years ago at their cottage on Grand lac Rond, Que. The result is a colourful coffee station and “whenever friends and family come to the cottage, they have something of their own,” says Cara. Her brother-in-law inspired the housewares collection—at his own cottage, he asks guests to bring plates and cutlery. Cara’s favourite additions are the ones with stories. “One of my friends handed us a mug, and I thought, Great, another one for the wall. But then I looked in the bottom, and it was a pregnancy announcement!”

C OT TA G E L I F E P R O M OT I O N

We’re back!

Your 2021 Fall Cottage Life Show Preview We can’t wait to see you again!

Plan your visit to the show using this special promotional section, featuring useful cottage products and services from our exhibitors.

November 12–14, 2021 INT ERNATI O NAL CENTR E, M I SSISSAU GA

Smith Timber Works Structural framing members that are a cut above As a kid, growing up in rural Listowel, Ont., Brock Smith admits he spent a lot of time hanging out and playing in old barns. “That’s when I first became enamoured with timber framing,” he says.

But it wasn’t until he moved to British Columbia and decided on a career change that he started building the lofty structures himself.

After working with a couple of other builders to earn his chops, Smith launched his own company in 2004. Today, Smith Timber Works Ltd. consists of a team of master timber framers, master joiners, and journeyman carpenters, versed in Canadian and Swiss timber framing styles, ready to design residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings they can ship anywhere in the world.

Situated on a five-acre commercial property in 150 Mile House in the heart of the B.C. interior, the bulk of the work is done in their enclosed 18,000-sq.ft. shop, protecting materials from the elements.

“We’re set up here to cut, fabricate, stain, package, and ship timber frame structures and complete ‘lock up’ packages including windows, doors, and prefab panelized walls, floors and roofs,” says Smith.

“Douglas fir is the product of choice for timber framing,” says Smith. “And we have access to some of the finest Douglas fir there is, right at our doorstep.” If you prefer, Smith Timber Works can source Western red cedar from the B.C. coast; they also work with Alaskan yellow cedar, reclaimed lumber, and engineered Glulam timber.

Smith Timber Works can manufacture from your existing plans or create a custom cottage with their in-house designers.

Additionally, they can incorporate curved timber into a project as a marquee feature.

Smith Timber Works is a member of the Timber Framers Guild of North America, BC Log & Timber Building Industry Association, the Industry Training Authority, and the local Chamber of Commerce.

One advantage of working with Smith Timber Works is that they can work in parallel with your general contractor.

“We can start building the framing for your house the day you get your permit,” says Smith. Before your GC is

Smith Timber Works Ltd. consists of a team of master timber framers, master joiners and journeyman carpenters finished with the foundation, the team at Smith Timber Works will have your framing and other materials packaged up and headed your way. smithtimberworks.com | info@smithtimberworks.com

NOVEMBER 1 2–14, 2021 | THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE , MISSISSAUG A

Vintage woodcrafters

Vintage

Authentically old-school beams, mantles, and more In a world of mass-market fast-fashion, “Hand-hewing is the only way to provide a truly faux-finishes, and planned obsolescence, original piece, made to order to your unique it can be refreshing to find a craftsman practicing traditional techniques to create desires and specifications” timeless showpieces. species is one of the most sustainable options. From those materials Take Michael Bobula of Vintage Woodcrafters. After working as he creates distinctive, one-of-a-kind beams, posts, mantles, shelves, a modern-day renovator and woodworker for many years, in 2014, and more for interior or exterior projects. he was introduced to the practice of hand-hewing. “I fell in love Every custom piece is crafted to the client’s specific dimensions, with it right away,” he says. shape, finish, and colour. Common finishes include hand hewn, As the name suggests, hand-hewing involves using a broad axe adze, distressed, rough cut, and smooth. Vintage Woodcrafters’ or adze to shape wood by hand. But not just any broad axe. Bobula’s work can provide a warm contrast to modern design or elevate tool of choice weighs 15 pounds. “It’s huge and heavy!” the rustic charm of a more traditional build. They can even create “Hand-hewing is the only way to provide a truly original piece, wraps to hide existing beams or bulkheads. made to order to your unique desires and specifications,” he says.

The quote process starts by sending photos and measurements As far as he knows, he’s the only person in Ontario creating handof your desired project, followed by a site visit. hewn beams. Every piece is crafted in the company’s TorontoVintage Woodcrafters is a member of Ontario Wood, and will based workshop. have a booth at the Fall Cottage Life Show where you can see the Bobula uses only Canadian-grown wood, primarily white difference traditional craftsmanship makes. pine, but he also works with hemlock, Douglas fir, cedar and vintagewoodcrafters.ca | (416) 822-4523 other woods. White pine is his tree of choice as the fast-growing

FA L L C O T TAG E L I F E S H OW

Durable docks for all terrains Turn to Peterborough-based Interco Docks for all your docking needs At home, the kitchen is usually the hub. At the cottage, everyone tends to congregate at the dock. Which is why you’ll want to invest in a beautiful, durable dock that will last for years.

Look no further than Interco Docks. For more than 30 years, this family-owned, second-generation business has manufactured customizable docks for all types of shorelines from marine-grade aluminum. Options include pipe, floating, and lifting docks. For more complicated shorelines, they can fabricate boatlifts, marine

railways, and roller ramps. Galvanized and stainless-steel hardware and Western red cedar, PVC, or Sienna decking ensure durability.

They also make hydraulic lifts that can hoist a 15,000-lb boat or float plane out of the water, overhead lifts, and pile-driven permanent docks.

All Interco products are manufactured in Peterborough, Ont., and come with a comprehensive five-year warranty. intercodocks.ca | (705) 295-4555

The HitcHinge simplifes closing-up the cottage Ditch the pin and Hitch it in!

Do you dread the thought of fighting to unhook your dock for the season, with the constant fear of dropping a pin—or yourself—into the chilly lake? HitcHinge, invented and made in Canada, helps eliminate those fears.

Hinge

A one-person job Unlike most dock couplers, the HitcHinge lets you align the parts to insert the pins without having to struggle with heavy loads.

HitcHinge is a self-supporting and self-contained coupler. “You simply place the hitch over the hinge and spin it in with a single tool,” says CEO and founder Andy Assinck.

Peace and quiet Made of durable aluminum, HitcHinges have a wide range of motion and a permanent bushing. “That means the couplers are virtually silent, with no metal grinding on metal,” says Assinck.

Pet-, kid-, and senior-friendly docks By functioning from above (instead of between dock sections), your decking can be installed right over the joint (leaving a small access hole), eliminating the tripping hazard from the open gap.

Hitch

New this year, HitcHinge products are available for shipping to the U.S. via hitchinge.com. Visit the HitcHinge booth at the Fall Cottage Life Show for a special discount. hitchinge.ca | (705) 933-8439

You simply place the Hitch over the Hinge and spin it in NOVEMBER 1 2–14, 2021 | THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE , MISSISSAUG A

Planning for the future Beaver Homes & Cottages is your local partner for cottage packages, wherever local is If you’ve been thinking about building the cottage of your dreams, the time to act is now.

“The demand for cottages has gone bonkers,” says Kyle Duguay, Marketing Manager, Package Sales for Beaver Homes & Cottages at Home Hardware. After a brief lull in the earliest days of the pandemic, “It’s been full-steam ahead ever since.”

If you’ve been following the cottage real estate market, you know that the limited supply of cottages available for sale is at an all-time low.

Rather than trying to find the cottage of their dreams, many are opting to build their own.

Still looking for that perfect lot for your dream cottage? Duguay suggests you should start planning for the build at the same time.

Finding a general contractor that you trust and feel comfortable working with takes time. The best ones are already fully booked through the end of this year and, in some cases, all of 2022!

Plus, all the paperwork, from preliminary to final designs, permit and zoning applications, and ordering materials takes time.

Production shutdowns and social distancing restrictions have only exacerbated the problem.

“Start having those conversation now to get the ball rolling,” says Duguay. “Book a no-obligation consultation with Beaver Homes & Cottages Design Consultant now. They’re happy to give you some insight on some of the important things you should be thinking about and the questions you need to ask.”

Not sure what your dream actually entails? Every year Beaver Homes & Cottages publishes a Design Book with more than 100 inspirational plans, each of which can be modified to suit your

needs. Or the company’s in-house designers can create a completely custom design to fit your vision.

“The further ahead you plan, the better of you’ll be,” says Duguay.

With more than 500 independently owned locations across the country, Home Hardware is your local choice for all your building needs—including a brand-new building.

Every Beaver Homes & Cottages Material Package is guaranteed to meet or exceed local building code requirements. And everything you need to complete the project, from construction blueprints to all the materials-is included. All you need to do is find a contractor to put it all together. Beaver Homes & Cottages Material Packages also include Builders’ Risk insurance which protects owners from job-site liability, and optional financing through a major lender.

Visit the Beaver Homes & Cottages booth at the Fall Cottage Life Show to get the conversation started. beaverhomesandcottages.ca

FA L L C O T TAG E L I F E S H OW

Custom fine furniture Weezel’s Wood Working crafts legacy pieces for your cottage Mark MacDonald has one of those rare COVID-19 success stories.

After nearly 20 years at his former employer, work slowdowns meant he was offered a package and took it as an opening to kickstart a “side business” he’d been running out of his garage for the previous couple of years. He found an opportunity to work out of a shared space with Northdog Wood Co. in Oshawa, Ont. in November 2020 and, since then, he says, “My business has exponentially blown up.”

Once you see his work, it’s no wonder. Each piece is constructed using locally sourced, urban-salvaged, and sustainable materials, including the custom metal fabrication for all table bases and legs.

While he does have some pre-made products in stock, most of his work is custom orders.

His lineup of fully handmade pieces includes dining, coffee, and console tables, benches, laser engraved charcuterie boards, cottage signs, lake maps, and more, all crafted from black walnut, maple, ash, or your choice of hard wood. He’s even worked with reclaimed barn board or with wood from “special trees” that come from his

Black walnut coffee table

Epoxy resin inlay

clients’ own property for an extra personal touch.

Many pieces feature “live edge” woodworking which incorporates the tree’s natural beauty into the design. “The tree was once a living thing. I’m trying to bring it back to life forever,” he says. He uses chemical-free finishes and food-safe oils on all his projects. “I like to highlight the natural tones of the wood while being environmentally responsible.”

He feels that woodworking is in his blood. He recalls watching his grandfather doing various projects at his cottage and says his father “could tear down and rebuild an entire house. It’s innately natural. It was just somewhere in me that I just knew how to do this.”

Want to take your furniture to the next level? MacDonald is also an Epoxy resin artist and specializes in incorporating this artwork in his projects. “It’s very on trend,” he says.

See his handiwork for yourself by visiting the Weezel’s Wood Working booth at the Fall Cottage Life Show. weezelswood.ca | weezelswoodworking@gmail.com

Black walnut dining table

Hard maple epoxy coffee table

Introducing the Maestro A self-contained heating and cooling unit all in one stylish package

Italians are known for their stylish design, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the sleek Maestro heating and air conditioning unit is made in Italy.

But what really sets the Maestro apart from other wall-mounted air-conditioners is that it does not have an outdoor unit. All you see outside are two small holes covered in louvred vents.

Manufacturer Olimpia Splendid is a family-owned company founded in 1956, who introduced the revolutionary Maestro in 1999, and have sold more than 500,000 units worldwide. Roy Panelli of Cool Estate was so impressed after seeing the Maestro at a trade show last year that he signed up on the spot to become the company’s Canadian distributor. “It has Italian style and robust engineering,” he says.

“It very easy to install, has whisper-quiet operation, requires almost no maintenance, and the sleek design almost disappears in the room,” says Diego Stefani, Olimpia Splendid’s Director of Sales and Business Development for North America.

The Maestro comes in two models. The Smart 9 HP with singlestage compressor and multi-speed fan motor, while the Pro 12 HP comes with inverter compressor technology and a variable-speed fan motor for optimal comfort.

Both models feature a dual filtration system with an active carbon filter to eliminate odors and an electrostatic filter that removes smoke, dust, pollen, and pet dander.

The Maestro plugs into a standard wall outlet, so there’s no need to bring in an electrician to run a separate circuit, helping with installation costs. In fact, any experienced AC technician can complete the installation in just a couple of hours.

Each comes with a one-year no-hassle replacement warranty, two-years on all parts, and seven years on the compressor.

For more information: olimpiasplendidusa.com sales@olimpiasplendidusa.com

NOVEMBER 1 2–14, 2021 | THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE , MISSISSAUG A

Turnkey cottage building Huntsville’s Peter Smith Construction takes care of everything from start to finish For nearly 20 years, Huntsville, Ont.-based Peter After two decades working in the Huntsville Smith Construction has been building the custom homes and cottages of their clients’ dreams area, Smith has built up solid relationships throughout Muskoka and the surrounding region. with the best tradespeople in town.

In that time the company has built everything from modest cottages to lakeside palaces.

Throughout the pandemic, communication moved remotely Regardless of the scope of the project, founder Peter Smith says, where required but, barring further shutdowns, Smith does encour“We guarantee that the quality and workmanship are the same.” age at least some face-to-face meetings. “You can’t beat meeting in One of the things clients really appreciate about working with person. You can cover a lot of ground,” he says. Phone calls and frePeter Smith Construction is how streamlined the process is. Anyquent emails keep everyone on the same page for day-to-day matters. one who’s ever tried to manage a large construction project on their On top of all that, Smith boasts several respected credentials own knows the hassle of trying to coordinate all the tradespeople, under his toolbelt including being a BCIN-qualified architectural order and have materials delivered in a timely fashion, and deal technician, a Red Seal-certified carpenter, an Energy Star-certified with all the red tape at city hall. “We do all that for you, and you contractor, and a Tarion-registered builder. just have one point of contact,” says Smith.

For more information about working with Peter Smith Plus, with in-house design capabilities, Peter Smith Construction Construction, visit their booth at the Fall Cottage Life Show, or offers complete turnkey projects, from preliminary design ideas and contact them directly. architectural drawings to construction and all the finishing details, petersmithconstruction.ca | (705) 787-7770 right down to the landscaping. After two decades working in the Huntsville area, Smith has built up solid relationships with the best tradespeople in town.

They’re also happy to work with any existing plans you already have. Case in point: the cottage shown here was designed by the owners’ son, architect Eric Schlange.

As the first step in any project, whenever possible, Smith likes to visit the site. “You want to see if there are any particular views that we should be focussing on when designing the layout and locating the building within the lot,” he says.

Peter Smith Construction can tear down an existing structure to make way for new or clear the land and put in the road and other services for a vacant lot.

FA L L C O T TAG E L I F E S H OW

The original Pan-Abode Providing the classy, classic Canadian-made option for your dream home or cottage For many people, when they think of a classic Canadian cottage, a Pan-Abode structure is the image that comes to mind. Made from sustainably sourced British Columbian Western red cedar, every Pan-Abode building is designed and manufactured in Canada.

This proudly Canadian company also takes sustainability very seriously. Western red cedar is naturally rot- and insect-resistant, so there’s no need for harsh chemical treatments. Instead, owners enjoy the soothing scent of natural cedar. The wood is air-dried and the manufacturing process is done with minimal carbon consumption.

Each Pan-Abode home or cottage is energy-modelled for the region it will be erected in, and owners are given guidance on options to help reduce energy consumption, including the installation of high-efficiency roof insulation, heat pumps, and triple-glazed windows.

Options range from small 9-by-12-foot bunkies—that in most cases do not require a building permit to construct—saunas, boathouses, and stand-alone garages, all the way up to 3,000-sq.ft.

Find a Pan-Abode dealer near you Cedarbuilt Homes Gravenhurst, Ontario (800) 563-5647 cedarbuilthomes.com

Dave Baker Construction Orangeville, Ontario (519) 941-3972 davebakerconstruction.com

and larger buildings, with a variety of classic or contemporary home, cottage, and cabin designs to choose from.

Every one of Pan-Abode’s plans can be modified to suit your needs, or the in-house design team can create the custom home or cottage of your dreams.

A Pan-Abode package includes everything your builder needs to complete the project to the lock-up stage, including subfloor, doors, windows, roofing materials, and the stunning copper-hued Western red cedar exterior and interior walls. In many cases, the owners have assembled their Pan-Abode building themselves.

Try before you buy Last year, Pan-Abode added the “Stay in a Pan-Abode Resort or Rental” section on their website. This tool helps would-be buyers find a nearby Pan-Abode they can stay in to get a first-hand feel for the quality and craftsmanship that goes into every Pan-Abode building.

Online shop For existing Pan-Abode owners, the company recently launched an Online Shop where you can order replacement siding or the team at Pan-Abode can search through their 70-plus-year archive for the original plans to your home if they’ve been lost to the sands of time. panabode.com | (800) 665-0660

NOVEMBER 1 2–14, 2021 | THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE , MISSISSAUG A

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Families love our homes.

We plan them that way!

Traditional? Contemporary?

Or completely unique, built to your sense of taste and design?

First, CedarCoast asks families to envision their perfect day together. Then, we all plan to make that perfect day come true.

Every spectacular result is as different in spirit as the families who create them with the help of CedarCoast of course!

Visit cedarcoasthomes.com or call 1-800-563-5647

The difference is you.

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9 No water supply required 9 No sewage system required 9 No waste handling 9 Only ash remains

www.cinderellaeco.com

ALL WELDED ALUMINUM BOATS FROM 14' - 36' Duncan, BC Tel: 250-748-2187 Fax: 250-748-7131 Email: info@lifetimer.bc.ca

3450 Discovery Pleasure with custom aluminum enclosed Bimini

www.lifetimerboats.com Marketplace

PREMIUM WATERFRONT ON MANITOULIN ISLAND - $549,000 MLS#2097109

Specializing in Lake Simcoe Waterfront Properties

Ellie Haringa

Rick Laferriere

Sales Representative Direct: 705-791-4054 ellie@citytoshores.ca

Sales Representative Direct: 705-796-4007 rick@citytoshores.ca

Go to: www.CityToShores.ca 70 acres of forested land near the sandy shores of Georgian Bay in beautiful Tiny Township, ON. A private and peaceful setting to build your dream home or getaway retreat.

Beautiful estate waterfront lot on Lake Manitou in one of the most sought after locations. Often described as the next Muskokas. 627 feet of shoreline on 33 acres. Clear waters, hard bottom, a mixed forest of mature softwood and hardwood. Laneway in place with a gentle slope as you drive into the multiple sites to build your dream getaway.

Call J.A. Rolston Ltd., Brokerage 1-800-461-0123 www.rolstons.com

FOR SALE Luxury Fly-in Wilderness Resort

YUKON TERRITORY Property is Lot 17 Conc 12 W, MLS number 40117328

Aaron Pauzé Royal LePage In Touch Realty Inc. 705-527-5287 www.aaronpauze.ca aaronpauze@rogers.com

JOHN CROSBY MAR KETING

Business or private use, lots of privacy. Unique secluded area on a beautiful lake. contact owner: mhpmail2@gmail.com

JOHN CROSBY EXCLUSIVE LISTING

UNIQUE PROPERTIES

ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO.

Por t F ranks Vacation Getaway WE LLN ESS, COM FORT AN D SE R E N ITY – R ESI DE NCE PLUS I NCOM E

VI EW TH IS PROPE RTY AT JOH NCROSBYPROPE RTI ES.COM CALL JOH N DI R ECTLY AT 519-777-2659

johncrosby@royallepage.ca Sales Representative Royal LePage Triland Realty, Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated

Real Estate

You’re not buying a property, you’re investing in a lifestyle. Whether it’s yours or that of a hundred annual guests is up to you. 5 private-access rentals, 7 bedrooms, 8 fireplaces, 4 kitchens and 4 bathrooms including an owner’s residence. Decks, hot tub, sauna, private gym...a year-round, idyllic location with access to everything and comfort to do nothing at all. Endless options and opportunities, one inspirational destination. $1,399,000. Call John today.

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