Perfect Summer Day

I walked the park with camera in hand one day this past July (2011) and found a peaceful view. There was someone just out of view with legs up reading a book by a small smoking campfire. It seemed as though I needed to hold onto that perfect summer day so I snapped a shot to remind me how nice the summers are...while we sit in the deep of winter. I found it today (Dec 19, 2011) and it's good to see what I have to look forward to next season.

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

I thought 150 hidden eggs would take at least 15 minutes for this troop to find...but No, it took all of 2 minutes! We had a lot of fun with our other activities too, and everyone left with a Happy Easter wish from Mary and Simon. Thanks for coming guys, it was a blast.

Not Such a Happy Beaver

Every year brings new adventures and sometimes the camera is handy. I am sure I shocked this beaver; he was quite cranky with me standing so close. The hissing was sending a clear message, but I found it very entertaining. I did not capture the ground slapping but if he were near the water's edge his slap would have made massive waves! We are almost 1 kilometer from open water. I think his GPS was off a little. Very cool visit.

Uncommon and So Very Awesome

I have gone back to the birds on my blog this week. This year has been remarkable for uncommon visitors. For the past week we have been watching this little fellow. They came in a small gathering of 4-6 and worked along side the black eyed junkos. These fox sparrows are currently in migration and will likely fly to the most North regions of Ontario soon. But for now, we are loving their visit. They quickly hop backward and forward to gleam the ground to find seeds and teeny tiny invertebrates. They are swift like a fox and are easily frightened with the smallest of foreign sounds, and when they take to the trees they are invisible. As campers provide me with most all my wildlife photos I did not have ability to capture this little fellow. The following photo comes from Dr. Faintich in the United States. Take a look at his links, the photos are brilliant.

Fox Sparrow jpg. © 2009 Marshall Faintich, author of A Photographic Guide to The Birds of Wintergreen.

http://www.symbolicmessengers.com/

Evening Grosbeak

Its been a good year for new species at the feeders. Last week a flock of more than 60 Common Red Polls descended and stayed for three days. Yesterday, more than 30 Evening Grosbeaks landed and stayed and shelled close to 10 pounds of sunflower seeds. It was impressive. Mary and Simon go owling every day and have success talking to what we think may be the Northern Saw-Whet Owl. Very cool adventures in the bush. The rains are coming heavy and the snow is finally leaving. I hope the Canal Operators are ready and waiting to run their systems this week! The waters will surely rise to the south of us.

The Melt is Coming...I Think

Hello Everyone,

By now I am convinced that almost all our friends have better weather than we here in the bush of Algonquin. The scenery is...however, stunning. A compelling mix of chatty birds and 'Matrix" fast red squirrels. An hourly visit from newly exiled deer and owls makes for interesting conversations by the fire side. Yes, Dan is chopping fire wood for me. We had a 5 hour fire today, the kids frollicked in the icy snow and Minta the Old English Sheep Dog followed every move. The 4X4 Kubota made waves in the transient oceans between the driving range and mini golf. The kids screamed in glee as Mom waved from the fire side. The reservations are flooding in for the big five holiday weekends of 2011. Have a wonderful pre-spring season and we look forward to hosting your summer stay this season.

Merry Christmas!

If I could sing, you would hear...We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Take care everyone, we hope to see you when the snow clears!

Communication Via The Blog

Hello Readership, I love all the emails we get; giving feedback, sharing memories and questions asked....but I can not respond to you personally through the blog, it does not allow me to see where the emails originate. Please if you have any questions or thoughts forward them directly to atrailsresort@sympatico.ca

Thank You and Have a Great Back Half of The Season.

Gray Jay

Here is a beautiful bird local to the boreal forest areas of North America. This fine little guy was photoshot by one of our Seasonal Campers from Keswick on one of his recent trips north to us.

Leaf Dipping is Fun

First we hunt for cool coloured leaves and then we dip em in parrafin wax. This is new to a few but I love the glossy look it gives my fav autumn leaves.

Famous-ness arrived!

He is so sweet, and takes his job so seriously! This young man was never out of character on the day of our early Halloween.

Mom vs. Kids

Not sure why the parents always get the dirty work?! Oh well, it was fun.

Hay Dive

All the little people jumped into the hay pile to find the one and only American Quater to collect a whole $5 CDN....it happened, but only after an hour of straight searching!!

Cool Pumpkin

Very creative little face with wax dipped ears!!

A Special Halloween Weekend 2010

Where do I begin? We had a fabulous time. Our 'Halloween' weekend every Canadian Thanksgiving is a blast. This year was special. The costumes, the decorated trailers, decorated campsites, the leaf dipping, the hay dive, the pumpkin carving and the wagon ride were all in line for a wonderful warm up to the real Halloween! The Trick or Treating was the best block party these goblins will see this year. Everyone participated and had spent time and I think a little extra money to make it all so special! Thanks for all the fun Everyone!! Have a wonderful winter and hopefully you'll be back to out do yourselves in 2011! Keep in touch. Laura and Dan

Thanks for a Great Season!

To all of our clients, thank you. 2010 was a continuous celebration of good weather, good friends and from that we have great memories. Our closing weekend was fabulous. The park had super kids and they all enjoyed the early Hallowe'en in the bush. The costumes were great and the trick or treating was the best yet. The sites, although haunted, were welcoming and kept us laughing and visiting. I will post pictures on the 23rd of this month...our resident photographer had technical issues but is hot on the fix. Keep in touch, 2011 will be just as great.

October 8-11, 2010

Come camp with us, this our closing weekend. It's an Autumn Celebration like no other. Thanksgiving is transformed to Hallowe'en!

Decorate your site, your trailer, your dog. Put costumes on your kids and yourselves. We will have awards for the best of everything!

On Saturday October 9th...

2pm ~ Carve a pumpkin and Dip Leaves... bring your tools and some favorite leaves, we bring the pumpkins and the parrafin wax.

3pm ~ The kids (4 to 14) will hay dive for cash

430pm ~ Costume judging and photos

5pm ~ all are welcome to wagon ride in costume

6pm ~Trick or Treating in the park as the night sets in.

Also on Saturday October 9th is a Craft and Bake sale at the Dwight Community Centre between 9am and 4pm. We are supporting Huntsville high school students traveling to Kenya to build a school and assist a community. If you want a sale table, the cost is $25.00 and questions can be forwarded to Marcy Hill at 705 788 4034

Slip and Slide

This is amazing outdoor fun for the family. Not too far away from the park, about a 5 minute drive. Completely carved out by nature, so cool.

My Dad's Deck....

My Dad is a great supporter of anything I do...but when he spent this much money, I had to share with you the view of his new purchase. My Dad is a seasonal camper at Colassantes in Carrying Place ON, and he visits us here in Dwight frequently throughout the year. On his last visit he bought a Bistro Patio Set, hand crafted out of west coast cedar. He loves it cause its railing height, and its unique....ha ha, combined with his crazy golf cart...he is the unofficial ambassador to his park.

Gone to the Dogs...

Fresh air can be too much some days...this four legged camper knows how to relax!