This freeze/thaw cycle has continued in January, and we were definitely on the freeze end this weekend.

Catharine on snowshoe inspection

It was -26 C, crisp and sunny. We went out to take a look at a cottage by snowshoes – often a mush quicker way to get directly to a cottage. Although there was little wind to speak of inland, out on the lake there was a steady movement of wind from the NW. It was enough to push the perceived temperature well into the -30 – 40 range.

All in all a beautiful way to spend a day.

We are very privileged to live in Muskoka where we enjoy healthy forests, with much natural cover.
Although I am a volunteer with the Muskoka Watershed Council, I recognize the current and past work done by all the volunteers and staff of the MWC for 10 years now. With the release of the 2010 Report Card, benchmarks for future Report Cards have been established; best ensuring that we do not lose our incredible resource.

Please watch this great, great video. Thank you!

Then, it was truly a wonderful feeling when Catharine got a message that said: “CONGRATULATIONS on being recognized as a Top 10% Donor!”

“2010 was the Shelter Foundation’s most successful year ever, thanks to you and your colleagues across the country. Through your generosity, we raised $1.8 million, increased the number of commission donors, set new records for our fundraising events, like the National Garage Sale for Shelter, and helped more women and children than ever before!

We are extremely grateful that you are such an important part of the Shelter Foundation family. You have helped us restore hope and provide a safe haven for more than 30,000 women and children each year. In addition, Shelter Foundation supporters like you are working to ensure the next generation won’t experience the devastation of family violence.”

This is a wonderful cottage property for an active family.

It’s a fully renovated, four season, open concept cottage with 2 bedrooms in main cottage and two bunkies, all with beautiful views. Hardwood floors, tumbled marble in bathroom, expansive decks – wonderful outdoor living lakeside. There’s a great area for evening bonfires and a hot tub overlooks the lake.  The owners have put substantial renovations in and simply won’t be getting their money back.

Also, here’s the link to the Lake Data Sheet for Morrison Lake, and the Interpretation of Water Quality Data sheet.

This 3 bedroom home on a large stately lot has just been reduced to $189,900.00!

Steve introducing the panel of Muskoka entrepreneurs

It was a pleasure to be the Master of Ceremonies for the day for Innovation Muskoka at the University of Waterloo in Huntsville. Innovation Muskoka was created and hosted by Muskoka Community Futures and Muskoka Community Network.

We had 5 successful Muskoka entrepreneurs present a history of their businesses, the successes and challenges, to the crowd.
They were:
Jan Nyquist of Pipefusion - stable floating docks that last, and anything else you can imagine made from polyethelyne pipe.
Amie Colquhoun of Axiom Audio -Loudspeakers; the most exciting, realistic sound experience on the market, designed and built in Muskoka.
James Solecki of Integra Lighting – the finest level of lighting design, custom installation and service to the Muskoka marketplace.
Don Waddington of Cottage Spot -Canadian source for the cottage products that you are looking for; with delivery right to your door.
Wendy Hogarth of Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh – Fabulous cranberries, fun destination, fantastic wine.
These presentations were informative and inspirational to say the least. Would-be entrepreneurs in the crowd soaked up many tips and advice offered by these generous people.

In the afternoon everyone thoroughly enjoyed something called the Innovation Sandbox. As it turned out, 13 people qualified for this event. Each had 5 minutes to “pitch” their business ideas and then were questioned and offered advice to a maximum of 10 minutes. Great fun, and some terrific people, ideas, and pitches.
The three with the combination of the best pitch and most viable businesses were awarded prizes ( an IPad, BlackBerry Playbook and a $250.00 Staples gift certificate).

Check out these Muskoka businesses, now or soon available to you:
Shelley Raymond of Solterra Co-housing
Scott Young of inventory-excess.com
Jenn and Emma of The Grumpy Hedgehog

Bentley, our Boston Terrier dressed up as his favourite reindeer, enjoyed the Gravenhurst Santa Claus parade today. While he was fascinated by all the candy canes that were being tossed out, he was really happy with local Muskoka petshops handing out dogtreats.

I was invited by John McCaig Vice President of Probus Huntsville to talk about the work of the Muskoka Watershed Council and detail the 2010 Report Card. We had a good session with many, many questions.

According to the surveys, prior to the presentation,  there was very little prior knowledge about the Report Card or even the Muskoka Watershed Council itself. Afterward, I was very pleased to see many positive comments about the presentation with most people commenting that their knowledge of the watershed and good stewardship practices was increased substantially. It certainly makes it worthwhile.

Thank you to everyone in attendance, I enjoyed it immensely. -Steve

Trailer load of bikes, some with locks still on them.

We were able to support a Toronto charity: Community Bicycle Network (CBN). CBN is a non-profit that repairs bikes, refurbishes and sells donated bicycles, sells new and used parts, rents trailers and bikes at affordable rates, and offer space to practice and learn bike mechanics and cycling skills. CBN has been dedicated to promoting community-based sustainable transportation initiatives since 1993.

Steve with John at Community Bike Network

With just a little bit of time and effort, the donated bicycles will be sold at a very low cost to people that couldn’t otherwise afford them; instead of heading for a landfill.

So here for a listed price of only $209,000.00 is an opportunity to create a large home on a big, beautiful lot in a great location in downtown Port Carling.  It’s just steps to the Indian River, or the locks, shopping and dining. If you have construction/renovation/restoration skills, this is an opportunity to build equity quickly.