©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com
The Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands
Doesn't this just make your heart go pitter patter?
4 rnt: 2 br lg cbn on pv Is
As we have come closer to wrapping things up (construction wise) we have wanted to give ourselves a few weeks each summer to travel somewhere on the East coast. So, Janice and I had been considering the possibility of making the Island available for rent the weeks we are away, maybe starting next year. Following the success we have had in renting out our house in France during our absence, we thought it might be nice to kill two birds with one stone so to speak, by having someone here pay a hefty share of the overhead (taxes, insurance and marina fees) while we are gone anyway. We decided to limit it to two weeks per summer maximum, as we want to spend the rest of the time here ourselves.
Of course we initially thought this would only happen when we were ‘finished’ with everything so it would be next year at the earliest. Then, Janice thought “what the heck, let’s advertise it this year and see if there is any interest at all. We could rent it cheaply to start as we still have bits and bobs that are not finished in the cabin and we can increase the price next year if we see that there is any demand. After all, we only want to rent it for two weeks…”
So, on a lark and without even a web site, we put a little posting on line just to see what would happen and to get a sense of the level of interest, if any. Within hours of our posting, ‘WHAM!’ we had someone who wanted to rent it for a week for their honeymoon. Shortly thereafter we booked the second week and continued to receive inquiry after inquiry—more than we had for the house in France.
We have stuck to our two-week limit but it would appear that we will have little difficulty in booking two weeks every summer while we will be off traveling. The island thing is clearly our gig but it was heartwarming that our first renters have described the property as “absolutely magical”. To take a peek at our little posting and see many updated photos of our little cabin in the woods, click on the link below:
http://www.ontarioclassified.com/webpages/cottages/383.htm
On the road, again…
We have been away a few weeks in the past month. We spent one week with family North of Ottawa, beside our current rental week. Predictably, we lined up home exchanges (the only place we exchange is our home in France) during our rental periods. So far, this summer’s travels have taken us to Stowe Vermont where we stayed at a terrific cottage (Click on the link below)
http://www.beckwithrentals.com/html/properties/Stowe/1Guest/SteepleCottage.htm
We also stayed at a breathtaking penthouse loft in historic old town Montreal, overlooking the St Lawrence River. To see it, click the link below....
Old Montreal in front of our penthouse loft
Last winter I wrote about visiting a few villages in France where my ancestors had come from in the 1600’s. At the time I had also mentioned that I had read in the family genealogy that there was a creek named after my g-g-g-g-g-g-g-grandfather, the first Laprade to come to Canada from France, just outside of Montreal. I had looked it up on the Google map and sure enough, it’s there. So, while in Montreal we took a little drive and found it.
Safe to say it is out in the boondocks, beyond the dark side of the moon, but it is there. “Rang Ruisseau Laprade” is not only a creek but also a 1 mile long (2 Km) rural road. I now feel that I have gone full circle on the genealogy gig and will now give it a rest.
Every year Montreal hosts the international fireworks competition. While there we were fortunate to be able to have a front row seat (from our rooftop patio) to Australia’s display. The competing countries go at it until there are 10 finalists. Then over several weeks during the summer they each give it their best shot to determine the winner.
After rounding up our two nieces Jessica and Emily (my sister’s kids) we drove to Pennsylvania where we currently are, for a week long home exchange there. Staying at a stunning home in an upscale residential area of New Hope, the girls had a 2nd floor suite with bedroom, bathroom and private lounge with TV, sofa and reading area.
The girls at you know where
Using it as our ‘pied-a-terre’ we visited everything from covered bridges to steam powered grist and saw mills. We walked the tow paths along the Delaware river's adjacent barge canals and where George Washington crossed with his troops in 1776. We walked through a Revolutionary war battle site. We toured Philadelphia where we saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall where the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights were signed as well as visiting Benjamin Franklin's digs.
In New York City we took the ferry ride to Ellis Island to visit the Statue of Liberty. We then drove to Manhattan to stroll 5th Ave, Broadway, Central Park, Times Square and ground zero. Being paid to be on vacation is hard to beat. Is this a great country, or what?
Timberrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
Last summer I had wanted to do some serious pruning to our 80 some odd trees on the island but like my appetite, sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I didn’t get around to it. I don’t think the trees have ever been pruned and many still have visible damage from the big ice storm of 1998, which snapped the tops off of many trees and broke limbs off others. There are a number of ‘widow makers’ hanging by a thread.
After getting an estimate on the cost of having them all pruned (several are in the 30 to 40 foot range [10-13 meters]) Janice decided it would be much better for me to risk life and limb and do it myself. So, I bid for and ‘won’ a complete set of professional tree climbing gear including climbing Gaffs (the spikes that strap onto your boots and allow you to climb a tree ) on E-Bay and instantly became a self appointed lumber jack.
Now armed with everything but rippling muscles, experience and common sense, I am ready to trim the big fella’s down to size. Like all boys, I have climbed my share of trees but I must admit that it has not been with 25 lbs (12 kilos) of gear and seeing just how high I can get before I hear the last “crack!!!” ……. I will ever hear. It reminded me of my sky diving days in college. I loved every jump but as I would prepare to take the big plunge I would quietly ask myself “remind me again, why are you jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?”
While visiting my aunt and uncle’s cottage last month I decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to practice with a little adult supervision. They had a number of trees that were dead that needed to come down and there were enough of us around to get the job done. I spent a lot of time yelling “TIMMMMMMMMMBERRRR!!!!” ---- sometimes because a limb I had cut was about to fall but most often just so that anyone in the area would know that a real lumberjack was at work. After all was said and done I believe I have found yet another occupation that I have no intention to pursue.
