Summer's End?

copyright Gabriele Wills

Labour Day has always seemed to signify the end of summer,  but the traditional closing of the cottage – for those that are seasonal – is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in October. So there are still plenty of colourful autumn days to enjoy by the lake.

My privileged characters often lingered at their Muskoka cottages into late September, until The Great War intervened in The Summer Before the Storm.  The locals were happy to reclaim their lakes when the summer people had gone, as you'll discover in Book 3, Under the Moon.

Fictional Moonglow Island

copyright Gabriele Wills

There’s something about this rocky island that speaks to me. So I based my fictional Moonglow Island on it – one of the 4 owned by the Thorntons. The real island, Wistowe on Lake Rosseau, is part of a similar group. And as in the novels, they’re close to “Wyndwood”,  inspired by Mazengah Island. There is a spacious century cottage on Wistowe; the only one on the entire island. You can catch a glimpse of it in the photo below. Wistowe was profiled in the excellent book Old Muskoka: Century Cottages & Summer Estates, by Liz Lundell.

copyright Gabriele Wills

Find out more about Moonglow Island in Under the Moon.

Ladies of the Lakes

Muskoka Steamships docked in Gravenhurst - copyright Gabriele Wills

These majestic ships are once again sailing the lakes. Now 128 years old, the R.M.S. Segwun, on the left, is the oldest operating steamship in North America. The Wenonah II is a modern replica that exudes the essence of Edwardian Muskoka.

A century ago, the steamships met trains from Toronto at Gravenhurst, and provided the only way for people and their paraphernalia to travel to resorts and summer homes. For more historical info about the Muskoka steamships, see this Age of Elegance post.

There’s no better way to experience Muskoka than aboard one of these ships – perhaps on a romantic sunset dinner cruise. Check out the Muskoka Steamships website for details.

Millionaires' Row

Crusoe Island cottage, Lake Muskoka - copyright Melanie Wills

Nope, that’s not our cottage! But it is the sort of place my characters would have owned. This century summer home dominates an island in the “Millionaires’ Row” area of Lake Muskoka, around Beaumaris.  For more photos and info, see this post on my Age of Elegance blog.

Cottage-Opening Weekend

The May Victoria Day holiday – in celebration of the Queen’s birthday – is also the traditional inaugural weekend of summer, at least for those with lakeside dwellings known as “cottages” in our part of Canada. They can range from rustic cabins with no running water or electricity to sprawling mansions with all the mod-cons. Since many of these are seasonal, there is the yearly ritual of “opening” the cottage.

Early morning on Balsam Lake - copyright Melanie Wills

With views like this, we don’t spend much time indoors at my family’s island cottage.

My Muskoka Novels are set in that legendary land of lakes, beginning in the Age of Elegance.