That’s the song refrain running through my head this weekend.  The leaves are raked, sticks are picked up, the cabins are spotless and beds are made.  I even put fresh flowers in the Main Lodge

Opening Day

Hay Lake Lodge and Cottages is open for another season of guests, friends and visitors. There have been the usual challenges for starting up of course.  Last fall we replaced a septic bed.  This spring we had a new well drilled, so now all the cabins are on well water and you don’t have to worry about opening your mouth in the shower (the reason given us by public health why just posting “Water not for drinking”  wasn’t good enough – someone could get water in their mouth in the shower…)

The well was actually quite an interesting project.  We had a water dowser come out and find water for us.

The dowser – some people call them a water witch- held the coat hanger between his hands and walked back and forth in the area we hoped to drill. When he crossed a vein of water,  the hanger would tip up – and he could even tell us how deep the water vein was and how much flow-

So the good news is – he was right and we have a well only 55 feet deep!  No more hauling bottles of water, or keeping the lake water pump from cutting in and out.

And, just one more touch – we have a robin’s nest right outside the main kitchen window. Another show starting at Hay Lake!

Do you know the sound of the woodcock?   Maybe you know it as a

timberdoodle.  I was out raking the yard where we had a new well line dug  this evening, noting – again – that we really live on a hill of sand and it is a miracle that anything grows here, when the evening chorus began.

It started quietly enough – a robin chirping good night.  Then it dawned on me I was hearing a loon yodeling far out on the lake.

I tried to remain diligent in my raking, but then – “peent”  and again – “peent”.  Off to my right, against the woods; I couldn’t see it but I couldn’t miss the call.  A woodcock has such a funny sound.  It’s the male I hear – the female is silent.  They poke the ground with their long bill, which is flexible on the end, digging for worms.  And their flight is an explosion into the sky, just  on the edge of night so it’s something you sense as much as see.

If you click on this link you can listen to  that happy sound:  http://youtu.be/bvAjJ0B7ReQ

To make the evening chorus complete, the spring peepers were calling tonight.  It was a little cool this evening, so the little frogs were not in full “peep”  but it was still enough to fill the swamp behind me with their song. When they really get going it is a case of Sound Surround down at Cabin 6.

I stopped raking.  I stood and listened as the first evening star appeared.  Somehow all the peents,peeps,yodels and chirps brought a sense of quiet and  peace.  I’m glad spring is here.

A long time ago there was an old snowmobile trail up the hill from us.  We set it up as a trail for our guests, but it was just too hard to keep it brushed, so we  don’t recommend it anymore in the summer. BUT – it makes a great snowshoeing trail.  I headed out this afternoon in a shirt and sunglasses.  Mind you, the downed trees are still there, so sometimes you have to make a detour - – but it’s a wonderful way to see the woods – so much more open than in the summer:

The snow is melting into patterns like a crocodile’s hide:

The weatherman says it will be an early spring.   That’s fine – but in the meantime, you can’t beat March Break at Hay Lake!

Our winter has had so many ups and downs in temperature, the lake hasn’t been much good for skiing, so I’ve been out snowshoeing.  It is always such a thrill to come back to your trail and find a moose has been following it.  The holes he punches in with his legs and hooves go so deep you have to be careful how you step, but it is exciting to think you might catch up – I keep hoping I will see this – just ahead…

And as I said, we are turning towards spring.  New rate sheets are ready, people are calling to book, JoAnne, Chantelle, Colleen and Della are all coming back for another season – Opening Day is only 12 weeks away!

Now it’s time to enjoy the transition from fall to winter.  The process is slower this year – the lake is still open.  In fact, I was in the kayak yesterday and hope to make it today or tomorrow.

The chair that I left out for one more sunset is not so comfortable now – I think I’ll have to give up and bring it in for the season.

The snowy days are a study in gray and dull, but when the sun comes out-

It is such a lift – and I keep running out for one more picture, trying to capture the intensity of white and blue, until the day has moved from steel gray through sparkling snow and on to rose and mauve….

and I know again why I love living here year round.   I hope your December brings you some of the serenity so easily found at Hay Lake….

May this season of dark and lights fill you with comfort and joy.

And may we all find a way to work towards the Peace we each desire

It’s all well and good to admire their handiwork, but it can get out of hand.

We sent a note to the township this month, letting them know beavers had been working near the road and had plugged a culvert.  Last Tuesday the road crew came out and spent some time trying to clear the  pipe.  They pushed 25 feet of pipe up the culvert, and working diligently, managed to get a trickle of water draining.

Just as they were about to drive away, the water gained force.  Trees started to move towards the road, the ground started to slide, and here is what happened:

The workers ran, and both township trucks were washed over the side.

It took 5 seconds.  We think there was another beaver dam upstream, and when the pressure of the water holding it in place lessened, it let go too.

Five seconds to wash out, and two days to fill the hole back in. No one was hurt, and I was only stranded for a day and a half.  But I hope you’ll understand if I am not over fond of beavers!

When the brilliant leaves of autumn fall on the hills around Hay Lake most anglers are winterizing their boats and getting ready for  hunting seasons.  But  anglers who don’t put their tackle and boats away at the end of summer can be rewarded with some of the best walleye and smallmouth bass fishing of the year from mid- September to mid- October.  As the day length shortens and the water cools, these fish start feeding actively in advance of the coming winter and they can be found at multiple depths and in a variety of underwater habitat regions.

Last weekend a friend spent two days on Hay Lake catching walleye from 3 to 7 lbs. and smallies up to 4 lbs. Although he caught several dozen fish he only kept a few smaller fish for the frying pan and  released alive and unharmed all the larger fish.  The largest fish are the most successful spawners and they make the most significant contribution to the future of a healthy and vibrant fish population in the lake. Because fish grow more slowly in northern latitudes, it is important to carefully release larger fish in order that they can also provide multiple great angling experiences when they are someday caught – and live released – again.   Smaller fish are better eating, more numerous and Hay Lake has plenty of ‘pan sized’ walleye and smallmouth bass.

In addition to being able to catch  good numbers of larger fish in the fall, there are a variety of presentations that work in different depths including crankbaits, stickbaits, drop shot rigs with plastics and trolling. Autumn weather at Hay Lake can vary widely from days that are downright hot with some of the most beautiful weather of the year  to days with cold wind and rain – which for those anglers who dress for it find that this weather also causes the walleye to really ‘turn on’ !  I like to think of it this way – the weather in the opening days of fishing season in April and early May is normally a fair bit cooler than what we experience here in the fall. After a long winter most of us can’t wait to get out on the water in the spring so we dress for it and go – and in the autumn  the water and weather  is warmer and the fishing for walleye and smallmouth can be really hot .

If you are someone who normally puts the boat away after Labor Day, I suggest you may be missing the best fishing of the year. Give Erin a call and book a fall fishing reservation at Hay Lake. When you get here we can give you the latest information on what the fish are doing. Bring a decent cooler – but remember to put the larger fish back alive and unharmed. The reason Hay Lake has some of the best walleye and smallmouth bass fishing in the region is because most anglers here practice good conservation. If we all do so, we can have great fishing for generations to come.

After the week of sunshine and warmth we’ve just had, what else can I say?  I am so grateful for the Thanksgiving weekend we just had – cooking turkey in shorts!  Amazing!  Sitting on the deck with pumpkin pie watching the golden light of a warm (26 degrees!) autumn evening. Brilliant!   Victoria even went swimming! well, yeah, that was breath-taking.

While I was making the stuffing the radio was playing an interview with the author of the blog and book “1000 Awesome Things” His point of course is the joy and delight of life’s small details. It would be fun to see what list I could come up with, living here at Hay Lake. It really doesn’t have to be major achievements or life-changing events.  The red that fires the maple leaves.  Coming around the point this evening and being surprised by the moon rising over the lake. Marking a 20th anniversary with long-time guests. And of course, the happiness of all the family home at the same time.

We’re almost done for another season – we close on Sunday.  I’m grateful for this business, which brings rich conversations with people from everywhere, and ever-renewing natural encounters.   I wish you all your own 1000 Awesome Things.

Of course the fall has a special reason for bog-walking:  cranberries.  We are lucky to live in a place where we can pick our own cranberries for sauce.  Last week I took my friend Joyce to show her where cranberries grow.

Now don’t expect this:

Here is Joyce standing on the spongy marsh. You have to look close for wild cranberries-

their leaves are much like rosemary and about the same size.

You can see it was a beautiful day to be out picking – so we brought home a small bag and added cranberry sauce to the dinner menu.  (I’ll even tell you my secret ingredient in my cranberries – mango chutney- try it!)

I’m sorry I haven’t posted this last month – hosting family and running a lodge means some things get overlooked – but it’s time to think about fall – when you can see the Park at its best.

There are so many pluses about visiting now:

1.  The colour show.   The leaves are starting to change.  The view out my Lodge window becomes a six-week show, each day marking the spread of the brilliant reds and oranges, and the golds of the birches and poplars following.

2.  The water.   Yes, the lakes are cooler now, and will keep getting colder, from refreshing to brisk to bracing to numbing to frigid, but  how can you not love the way the sun sparkles and the water looks so blue ?

3.  Fires.  All of our cabins have fireplaces, and there are two firepits for campfires.  This is the time of year when a burning fire spells cozy.

4.  My mother calls it  ”good sleeping weather” – nights are cool, days are pleasant, hikes are fun – you should come!