These days, it’s more important than ever to support local businesses – so we thought we would share one of our Muskoka favourites with you! Crossroads restaurant, located in Rosseau, has been serving up casual yet upscale meals for more than a decade now. Their dishes (and atmosphere) are sophisticated but still manage to maintain a cottage vibe. We have been there a number of times, in fact it is our “special holidays” spot – birthdays, anniversaries, father’s day… they provide a cozy atmosphere with cheerful, friendly staff and incredible food.
While it may be impossible to experience the atmosphere right now with the pandemic, Crossroads has been a leader in Muskoka in terms of COVID-safe takeout. Not only do they offer online ordering (a rarity around here), they also have contactless pickup brought right out to your car!
They are open for takeout Wednesday – Saturday from 3:00pm – 8:30pm. They also currently offer a curated “chef’s box” for $100 per person that includes hors d’oeuvres, an appetizer, entree & dessert, fresh flowers, and a bottle of red or white wine. Sounds perfect for a date night or Valentine’s Day, doesn’t it? In fact I may just send Steve the link to this blog post…
Give them a chance – you won’t be disappointed. The passion that chefs Julie and Richard Lalonde have for the business is apparent from the very first bite.
We hope to run into you there once it’s safe to gather again!
Cottage in Muskoka for sale, Lake Muskoka (Muskoka Beach) – Beautifully kept, super-clean, three bedroom, one bath cottage for sale on level lot in Muskoka Beach area.
Muskoka Beach cottage for sale
The Muskoka Beach community on Lake Muskoka is known for its shallow, perfect hard-sand bottom, beautiful views and gorgeous sunsets. This four season cottage has municipal water and has been meticulously maintained. There is super-easy access by road to this very level lot; just 5 minutes to Gravenhurst.
Due in no small part to the wonderful sand bottom and the gorgeous views, cottages on Muskoka Beach sell very quickly and this one is very affordable at $749,900.
A wonderful, upscale Muskoka Home for sale for empty nesters, or young families alike, this property is recently listed in a wonderful neighbourhood in Gravenhurst. Close to Lake Muskoka in the Palmer Estates subdivision, with walking trails and beaches, this is the perfect place to call both home and getaway. Oversized lot with large back yard overlooks an environmentally protected greenbelt…
Here’s an opportunity to have your own Muskoka cottage on such a large level, Lake Muskoka waterfront property, and for much less than you would expect.
Sought after Walker’s Point locale with over 600 feet of frontage, ready for your designer’s dream. Over 2 acres of level land with a south exposure and views straight out on quiet Shanty Bay. A Muskoka cottage with a property this large and level can take on many appearances, subject only to your imagination; from a quiet private sanctuary to a sprawling family compound with lots of activities and guests.
Existing 2 bedroom year round cottage to enjoy, update or expand while you envision your dream build. Build onto the existing structure or start from scratch using this large footprint. Possible 2 storey boathouse subject to development approval. This property has excellent potential, with easy year round access, to be a great 4 season home or cottage.
Beautiful woodburning fireplace
Cottage
Cottage driveway
Cottage lakeside
View of cottage from Lake Muskoka
View past dock out to lake
Long views out to Lake Muskoka
Cottage Deck
Cottage side entrance
Large, level 2 acre property
30 ft. living room
Kitchen
Dining Room
Bathroom
2nd Bedroom
Huge Family room
For more information follow this link. For a private tour, please use the contact form to the left. We would be delighted to show you this really nice Lake Muskoka property.
For those who have more critical things to do than refresh our Blog Page just to see different header images, I have had a request to add a gallery page. After all time is better spent looking at Muskoka cottages for sale.
Hey, thanks for the request, we like them too … and, here it is:
Muskoka from the air
Cottage bubbles
Muskoka lake fog morning
Dogs: stick for a pillow?!
Enjoying lake effect snow
Lake Muskoka sailing burgees
Frozen sunset
Reading on a snowbank
Mydnight on deck
Cottage treats
Phoebe
Landed on Skeleton Lake
Segwun taking out triathlon swimmers
Muskoka daysailing
60’s kids fishing
Kids & Jamie in boat
Stacey, Steve & Grandad at Chinook
Steve & Chris
Illusion 12 cockpit
Cath rowing home
Steve at the helm of Blue Light
Steve at the beach
Old Muskoka photo event
Muskoka snowshoeing
Muskoka lake morning
Illusion sailing
Pine tree painting
Fish weather vane
Mahogany boat at home
Winter guest cottage
Lake Muskoka sailing
Great Muskoka Paddling Event
Cath & Len
Walk on Joy Road
Skating on the Lake
Len with frog
Misty morning
Branches through the ice
Early morning
Muskoka sunset
Kiss each fish for luck
Len at the cottage
Mydnight and the tree harvest
Still, early morning
Neysa wakeboarding
Evening boating
Restored boat, Swell
Sailing on Lake Rosseau
July 1, Walker’s Point fireworks
Misty Muskoka morning
Towel dry Bentley
Chris & Jamie on cottage road
As we go about looking at Muskoka cottages for sale for our buyers, and listing cottages for sellers, we get some great comments about our images, design and videos. They are fun to share and with Muskoka as our backdrop, it’s pretty easy to look good.
Some are images taken throughout a lifetime of cottaging here in Muskoka. I am told I started at two weeks old, and at some point later the first sentence I put together was an excited and agitated “boy go boat!!!” when others were headed out while I was to be left in the care of my Grandmother.
Other pictures are taken of friends and clients’ cottage activities and, as mentioned above, as we go about searching for Muskoka cottages for sale (actually and potentially for sale), that fit both our ideals for value and the various specifics of our current group of buyers.
There are quite a few images, more or less suitable to headline the blog, and we have lots more in the archive. One that I had mostly forgotten was a photo of the ritual where I had convinced tried to convince our kids, that kissing fish you caught and were releasing was good luck. Somehow it would encourage the released fish to spread fairly positive communication about the entire event. I took the picture when I noticed with delight, that our daughter Lenore carried on the same tradition with her cousin Jordan. This turns out perhaps, to be something of an accepted practice of anglers around the globe. However, a Wikipedia search for kissing a fish, only brings up Kissing Gouramis .
Here’s a list of commercial fishing superstitions:
• Don’t leave a hatch cover upside down.
• Don’t whistle on board.
• Don’t bring a suitcase or a black bag on board.
• Don’t bring a banana on board.
• Don’t even wear yellow.
• Don’t allow women on board.
• Don’t leave port on a Friday.
• Don’t mention four-hooved animals (pigs, horses, etc.).
• Hang coffee mugs with the opening facing inboard.
• Don’t comment on good luck, or the possibility of bad luck.
• Dolphins are a good omen. Sharks are a bad omen.
• Don’t kill an albatross or a gull.
• Don’t change the name of a vessel.
• Leaving on Sunday is good luck.
• Don’t wear green. (It makes the boat seek land.)
• Don’t say “rabbit.” (No clue.)
• If you meet a minister before sailing, turn around and go home.
• Hang garlic over the galley port hole.
• Don’t use blue paint (particularly on a lobster boat).
• Don’t wear a hat in the galley.
• Don’t step onto a boat with your left foot.
• Don’t coil a rope or stir a pot counter-clockwise.
• Don’t bring an umbrella on board.
• Don’t make pea soup.
• Toss the first fish back. (Or kiss it.)
• Don’t use the number 13.
• Turn starboard first after backing away from the dock.
• Don’t bring honeybears on board.
• Having a virgin pee on a new net is good luck.
Dr. Watmough explains implications of calcium losses on lake ecosystems.
As mentioned last month in this cottageinmuskoka blog entry and this news story from the Huntsville Forester (Cottage Country Now), the decline of calcium in our lakes can affect our lakes recovery from acid rain as well as zooplankton in our lakes, which are are very sensitive to declining calcium levels.
This is interesting information of value not only for those who own a cottage in Muskoka, but all of us who live in or visit Muskoka. In the presentation Dr. Shaun Watmough of Trent University helps us understand:
Why should we care about calcium in the environment?
How are calcium levels in lakes, vegetation and soils changing?
What is causing these changes?
What will be the impact of timber harvesting on lake calcium levels?
What are the critical uncertainties?
Declining calcium slows the recovery of acidic lakes.
Even if you aren’t paddling in the event, it’s an … ahem… Great Experience to watch.
This Saturday, at Annie Williams Park in Bracebridge, come out and see why The Great Muskoka Paddling Experience has become an epic one in Ontario paddling and beyond.
– Muskoka Watershed Council media release: story
– Town of Bracebridge media release: story
– What’s Up Muskoka : story
– Muskoka Magazine: story (scroll down a page).
– Bracebridge Weekender: story
Mentioned in a number of Muskoka Watershed Council lectures over the past few years, calcium decline in Muskoka Lakes and in particular, the consequences of timber harvesting on lake calcium levels have been hinted at as a potential direct cause of declining health of our lakes in Muskoka. Here’s a past primer news story from the Huntsville Forester (Cottage Country News).
This week, we have an opportunity to discover more.
Dr. Shaun Watmough, an Associate Professor in the Environmental Resource Science Program at Trent University in Peterborough will present.
Here is a synopsis of the lecture:
Decades of acid deposition have depleted soil calcium reserves and, when combined with timber harvesting, predicted losses of calcium from soil are considerable and may ultimately threaten long-term forest health and productivity and lead to negative impacts on lakes.
In this talk, Dr. Watmough will provide an overview of our current understanding of calcium biogeochemistry and describe the reasons for the widespread decline in calcium levels in lakes and the implications of calcium losses on soil fertility and forest health in addition to impacts on lake ecosystems.
With an emphasis on south central Ontario, Dr. Watmough will document a nutrient budget for a selection harvesting regime in central Ontario hardwood forests. This work is then extrapolated to regional harvesting activities and management issues are discussed.
The lecture is this Thursday, October 10, 2013 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at Nipissing University – Muskoka Campus, 125 Wellington Street, Bracebridge, P1L 1E2. As always, admission is by donation
I’ve just finished post-processing and editing this video for the Great Muskoka Paddling Experience. This event, held annually on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend is a great opportunity for anyone – even if you don’t have a canoe or kayak, you can rent one there – to get out on the water for perhaps the last time of the year. It was a fun video to shoot and create and I hope it captures just how much fun the event can be.
The Great Muskoka Paddling Event benefits the Muskoka Watershed Council and helps give them a bit more of a budget to do important work. It’s a really well organized event and fun for all ages, and all levels of paddling experience.
Did you know that Gravenhurst Bay in Lake Muskoka is 4 to 5 times cleaner than it was 1970?
Did you know that everyone alive in the 70’s had toxic levels of lead in their blood?
Did you know that Muskoka has only half as many acid lakes as it once did?
Well, how about this then: if it wasn’t for the life in lakes, we would all be blind, deaf , stupid and dead.
To be blunt; we would all be blind, deaf , stupid and dead if it wasn’t for the life in lakes.
From the Muskoka Watershed Council Lecture Series I have just finished editing and have just posted this video on the Muskoka Watershed Council’s YouTube page.
Dr. Norman Yan, an extremely engaging speaker, revisits some past environmental successes, what we have learned and the steps we need to take to solve today’s environmental problems.
Learn how the reduction of phosphorus resulted in a clean up in Gravenhurst Bay while the International Joint Commission was still debating whether its carbon or phosphorus that spikes algal growth? This local Muskoka cleanup helped convince the world that phosphorus is the cause of cultural eutrophication. This phenomena is of increasing concern as population grows and the climate heats up; after all, we learned from this lecture, that algae really love heat.
Current photo of lake in China where people swim in an algal bloom.
Revisit the change to unleaded gas which got the toxic levels of lead out of our blood. Dr. Yan also discusses the many benefits of the ban on DDT, as well as the immediate benefits of the recent Ontario ban of cosmetic pesticides and herbicides. Also be sure not to miss houses disappearing from view as the Sudbury environment improves over 40 years!
