Japanese Toad Lily
Waterfront homes and cottages all over Muskoka are being readied for the coming winter season and it’s no different here at Tuktawayin. The gardens we enjoyed all summer are nearing the end of their cycle. Only the Mums, Asters and Japanese Toad Lilies are still in bloom. In fact this is the season for the Toad Lilies. When everything else is ready to be cut down and raked off it’s just coming into bloom.
I love all 4 seasons here in Muskoka, so as much as I don’t like seeing the colourful summer garden come to an end, I do enjoy the leaf litter covering the ground and the leaves that are still left carefully clinging to branches. Most of the vibrant red maple leaves have floated to earth but we still have quite a bit of orange and yellow painting our landscape and mirrored in the lakes and ponds.
Maple Reflections at Hardy Lake
A recent hike in Hardy Lake Provincial Park, about 15 minutes outside of Gravenhurst toward Bala, showed a stunning display of colour in one of my favourite places, a spot I affectionately call “Sarah’s Pond”, named after a young friend of mine who made it just this far the first time she was on the Hardy Lake Trail.
Throughout cottage country docks are being pulled up, set free of ramps, anchored to the bottom or pulled to shore. For others, bubbler systems to keep docks surrounded by water instead of ice, are being prepared for the winter season. At the same time cottages that don’t get used during the winter are being winterized. Water lines are getting drained, fixtures and appliances inside are prepared with anti-freeze and water pumps are being pulled out of the water. This whole procedure gets reversed in about 6 months. For those waterfront dwellers who use their cottages and homes throughout the winter, snowmobiles and snow blowers are readied for the cold weather.
Even though this “changing of the guard” is taking place right now there is still plenty to enjoy here in Muskoka. Shops and restaurants remain open as do our concert halls. Urban hiking trails give you a safe taste of the backcountry during hunting season. Provincial and National Parks like Hardy Lake, Arrowhead and Algonquin provide longer distance hiking opportunities in a “no hunting” zone.
So if a weekend away before the busy Christmas season is on your “to do” list give us a call or send us an email. Find another couple or some friends and bring your own party to Tuktawayin. Let us know what you want to do while you’re here and we will do our very best to make your wishes come true.