Memories of Past Times

Getting There – The Road (Part Two) One of the fun (interesting ) things that took place on our way to the cottage was the addition of Webers  Burgers on Highway 11. This place was an instant success! Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who were driving north would stop there for a burger and fries. The owner, an American entrepreneur, setup the restaurant as a quick, and I mean quick, takeout stop. People would line-up, have their order taken and then would proceed inside. When they reached the counter, their order would be waiting for them. When the restaurant first opened, Highway 11 was just a two-lane road. As I mentioned, the government was widening the highway, with a barrier between the four lanes. This was a problem, not for the people traveling north, but for the people traveling south. South bound drivers wanting a quick meal would stop on the side of the highway, jump the medium, get their meal and then cross the road, re-jump the medium and run back to their car. Som...

  Getting There – The Road (Part One) Our cottage was located in Muskoka . We lived in Toronto . Getting to the cottage was always an adventure. The first part of the adventure was getting to the 400 highway. Back then they were working on the highway ( they always are! ) and the construction was “ interesting ”. Fortunately, I didn’t drive, but father did, and he bared all the frustration. Once on the highway, it was “ smooth sailing ”. It was 4 lanes all the way to Barrie, that’s when the “ real ” fun began. From Barrie on up to North Bay, it was a two-lane road. Because of the popularity of Muskoka cottage country, the Ontario Government decided to make the road a four-lane highway. Remember in Ontario ( Canada ), we have a “ thing ” called WINTER ! Highway construction doesn’t happen well in WINTER , but it does in SUMMER ! You’ve got it, travel north in the SUMMER was like “ hell on earth ”! Instead of taking a couple of hours, the trip could take between 3 – 6 hours. Wh...

The White Birch Cottages  As I mentioned, while visiting the Wilsons , my parents rented a cottage at the White Birch Cottage Resort . As I said, this was the start of our Muskoka adventure! The cottage was located on the South Branch of the Muskoka River . This river connected the Lake of Bays to the Village of Baysville . My most favourite ( ? ) memory, and likely my only memory, of our stay was that I learned ( ? ) how to waterski. Earlier, I had told you that I had a “ go ” at waterskiing when we vacationed at the Matabanick Inn . I had tried many times, but failed many times in my attempt to get up. Fortunately, my White Birch Cottage – Muskoka River experience was different ( sort of )! This time we were using an “ actual ” motorboat, with a motor that “ actually ” went over 10 mile per hour. Also, I was older and stronger, an important point in my favour! I was starting from the water, not on the front end of a “ tippy ” canoe. All was going well. I had my skis on straigh...

  The Wilsons (Part Two) The cottage was amazing! Here’s a brief description of the cottage and the location. First, the location. The cottage was located on one of Lake of Bays many small bays. It was known as Burnt Island Bay. There were approximately 10 cottages on the bay. Ours was the last one on the road and was beside a giant cliff. It was a very private location. The cottage itself faced the water a had 10 rooms – kitchen, dining room, 4 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and a huge living room with a massive fieldstone fireplace. The living room had a large picture window the over looked the bay. Running along the front of the living room was a long screened in porch. During summer thunderstorms I used to sit on the porch and watch the on coming storm cross the lake. The thunder and lightening that most storm contained were amazing! This was a cottage of my parent’s dreams. We spent about 20 wonderful summers there. This was the time when I grew up, got my drivers licence, got a summe...

The Wilsons (Part One) My parents search for a cottage began in Haliburton with the Archers , but ended in Muskoka with the Wilsons ! You may recall that the Haliburton search ended with a BEAR , while the Muskoka search began with a “ cold-water enema ”. That is for me, at least! The Wilsons were very good friends of my mom and dad. They lived in Toronto , but had a cottage on the outskirts of a little village called Baysville . The Wilsons invited my mom and dad ( and me ) to their cottage. They knew that my parents were interested in buying their own cottage and thought that they might like the Baysville area. With that in mind, they organized a tour of the area and introduced them to a Real Estate agent. They loved the area. My mother thought that the area was more to her ” liking ”. No BEARS in sight!   While they were looking over the area, they discovered the “ White Birch Cottages ”. I think that my mom convinced my dad to rent one of the cottages so that t...