Cozy Cottage - Activities
Indoor Entertainment
- beautifully equipped kitchen for culinary
adventures. (Sahara-Sahel & African Dream Catcher –
Cozy Cottage kitchen is more “cottagey” but very
adequate).
- Premium package satellite TV with 5 movie,
and numerous music, channels for all tastes.
- Small AM/FM/cassette/CD player, no VCR.
- Small library, playing cards and a variety
of board games.
- Very nice fireplace(s) ambiance, and very
large windows & patio door(s) overlooking lake for “cottagey”
atmosphere.
- Unforgettably interesting and beautiful,
African atmosphere (Sahara Sahel & African Dream Catcher. Cozy
Cottage’s ambiance is “cozy cottagey”©.
Outdoor Entertainment
- Excellent swimming:Excellent
8’ X 16’ dock with heavy duty 5-step dock ladder.
- Watercraft: Canoe, paddle
boat, 3 recreational kayaks, and life jackets provided.
- Water games:noodles, tubes,
fins, masks, snorkels, also provided in a few sizes.
- On-shore games: Badminton
with good quality rackets, crocket, bocce, horse shoes, ball
gloves, etc.
- Sunken bonfire pit:for your
safety and evening entertainment under the stars. Wood provided
Flora / Fauna
Bird watching:
many, many hummingbirds (we’ve seen an albino!) - feeders and
food provided; finches, including beautiful black&yellow american
goldfinch & purple finches, blue jays, chick-a-dees, woodpeckers,
flicker, eastern phoebe, nut hatches, warblers, ducks, loons,
etc. Even a stately heron that sometimes visits our dock. A printed
copy is in the cottage information booklet.
Animals:
There is an abundance of friendly chipmunks and little red squirrels
that busily scurry about but always have time to be hand-fed unshelled
peanuts! Our larger pets are the raccoon families that come around
just as the smaller creatures go to bed. For the more adventurous,
our country raccoons will, ever-so-gently, take pieces of peanut
butter sandwiches, or a peanut, from your fingers! We have also
had deer on the property. Will you be lucky enough to see one
swimming across the lake? In the spring, winter & fall, especially
winter, their numbers increase dramatically. They too love our
bird’s sunflower seeds, and come within a few meters of the cottage
to get it! Eventually, deer no longer run away when they see us!
You simply cannot buy these kinds of therapeutic entertainment!!
Autumn Colours:
The LakeSide properties and the closest
mountain are primarily treed with sugar maples (and some oak)
which transform into a spectacular display of fiery autumn colours
in Sept/Oct. This is one of Canada’s famed attractions at
a beautiful time of year!
Spring Flower Gardens:
Tthe extensive, and expensive, LakeSide
perennial rock gardens, are in best bloom from about mid-May until
mid-June or beginning July. Imagine winding stone pathways set
in 1m wide rivers of beautiful purple and pink thyme! Seriously,
for those who really enjoy gardens, our landscaping has a huge
“WOW” factor.
Star gazing:
There is an ever increasing interest in the planets, moons, clusters,
nebulas & constellations. The annual recurring "Perseus"
meteor showers are around mid August? no equipment needed - you
only need to sit outside or lay on the dock to witness this grand
spectacle of shooting stars!
Beautiful Winter Paradise:
LakeSide is a very different but equally beautiful paradise in
winter. After the lake is completely and “solidly” frozen (usually
by Christmas), it remains safe to be upon all winter (about 4
months). It is great for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
– 2 pr snowshoes provided. Note: Christmas and New Years are great
winter escapes and we equally separate them into two 1-week rentals.
We even provide a “u-decorate” tree and decorations
to get you in the spirit of the season©.
Off-Premise Activities
Touring Ottawa:
Being the National Capital, there is of
course, a treasure trove of things to see and do. including the
world-class Museum of Civilization, National Art Gallery, Science
Museum, Canadian Mint, the very new War Museum, etc. Also, many
festivals i.e. jazz, blues, folk, etc. And, the Rideau Canal World
Heritage Site, Parliament Buildings, Ottawa Senators hockey, Governor
General’s estate, 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa River & Rideau
Canal tour-boat cruises, Chelsea Stream Train excursion, Gatineau
Park, Longest Skating Rink in the world (seasonal of course -
including skiing too). Detailed information is available at www.ottawatourism.ca.
Nature Park:
“Papineau-Labelle”(provincial)
Game Reserve is uninhabited and situated on the opposite side
of the lake. Look across the lake with binoculars and you won't
catch anyone with binoculars looking back at you! There is a
"SEPAQ" park office in Val-des-Bois village (443 Hwy 309) where
hiking/fishing and other related info/maps are available.
SEPAQ website (819)454-2011
Fishing:
Lake Trout, Bass, & Pike are the predominant game fish. Licenses
are available in the village.
Horse Back Riding:
Locations are within a 20 minute
drive.
Golf:
Royal
Papineau (819)766-2626: very nice 18 hole public golf course
set in a scenic mountain valley just at the end of our lake. Reasonable
green-fee rates, club rentals, electric carts, driving range.
Fruits and Veggies grown locally:
In season "UPick" or buy, strawberries, raspberries, and sweet
corn from the local farms.
Alpine skiing:
Christmas Week & New Years Week rentals can include all sorts
of activities. The closest “down-hill” ski resorts are “Mont
Cascades” and
“Edelweiss” which are about 45 minutes away in average winter
driving time.
"Mont Saint Marie", the largest Ottawa region resort is about
1.5 hrs away.
"Mont Tremblant", an International resort, is approximately
2.5 hours drive. Depending on what days these holidays fall on,
we divide this time into 2 one-week rental periods. We even provide
a U-Decorate boxed tree and decorations for you to put up on arrival
to “ratchet up the spirit” and a bottle of wine to “spirit up
the ratchet”!
Enjoy your morning coffee on the
dock
and the warm afternoons under the covered decks.
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