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| Circa. 1970 Photograph at Windermere Marina and The Skipper Snack Bar |
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| Rob Currie Photo |
ECONOMIC SURVIVAL DEPENDED ON THE APPRECIATION SUMMER WAS SHORT, AND THE REST OF THE YEAR WAS LONG, LONG, LONG
I REMEMBER SO CLEARLY, THE DAY I MOVED INTO MY NEWLY RENTED COTTAGE ON THE SHORE OF LAKE JOSEPH. AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IN PREVIOUS BLOGS, IT WAS KNOWN AS "SEVEN PERSONS COTTAGE," AND WAS BUILT TO SCALE, OF A MUCH LARGER ENGLISH COTTAGE, BY A MASTER BUILDER WHO LIVED IN THE COTTAGE NEXT DOOR. WHEN I WALKED THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, WHICH I HAD TO DUCK, IN ORDER NOT TO BANG MY HEAD, I SPOTTED A BRAND NEW COPY OF THE BOOK, "GNOMES," SITTING ON THE FOLD-OUT DESK. THAT SUMMER, I LIVED THE LIFE OF A WRITER-GNOME, AND LOVED IT. THIS LITTLE COTTAGE, OWNED THEN BY EARL AND JESSIE MACDONALD, TWO OF THE NICEST LANDLORDS A SINGLE, POOR GUY COULD ASK FOR, WAS MY MAY TO THE END OF OCTOBER RESIDENCE, WHEN I WORKED FOR THE MUSKOKA LAKES-GEORGIAN BAY BEACON. IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT LITTLE PLACE, WITH EVERY FEATURE RECREATED IN MINIATURE, YET WITH LOTS OF ROOM FOR A BIG GUY LIKE ME TO NAVIGATE AND HAVE A STORIED SUMMER. I WROTE LIKE A MADMAN, THAT SUMMER SEASON, FROM A WINDOW SEAT, THAT AFFORDED A GREAT VIEW OVER A SPARKLING LAKE. I HAD ARRIVED AT THE COTTAGE, HAVING JUST BEEN DUMPED BY A GIRL FRIEND, HAD GIVEN UP BOOZE IN FAVOR OF TEA EIGHT TIMES A DAY, I WAS LIVING PAY CHEQUE TO PAY CHEQUE, AND WORKING FOR A TINY NEWSPAPER WITH VERY LITTLE CHANCE TO ADVANCE OTHER THAN TO EDITOR, WHICH I ACHIEVED BEFORE THE YEAR WAS OVER. I BOUGHT A STEREO AND IT BROKE THE FIRST NIGHT. I HAD ONE RECORD, AND IT WAS BY "ABBA." ONE SPEAKER WORKED. THE OTHER BUZZED. BUT YOU KNOW, I FOUND A WAY TO ENJOY EVERYTHING THAT WAS AROUND ME, AND WITH THE HELP OF WAVES LAPPING UP THE SHORE, MOTOR BOATS OUT ON THE LAKE, AND ABBA, I SOON FORGOT MY TROUBLES. EARL AND JESSIE USED TO INVITE ME UP TO THE HOUSE FOR A HAMBURGER, NOW AND AGAIN, WHICH WAS GOOD, BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD ONE OTHERWISE.
I HAVE COME TO A POINT IN LIFE, NOW ON THE CUSP OF FIFTY-NINE, WHEN A LIFE LIKE THAT AGAIN, IS VERY APPEALING. ESPECIALLY WHEN I HEAR ABOUT HEALTH PROBLEMS AND THE SUDDEN DEATH, OF SOME OF MY CONTEMPORARIES. ALMOST ONCE A MONTH NOW, SOMEONE I HAVE KNOWN WELL, FROM MY NEWSPAPER DAYS, OR FROM GROWING UP IN BRACEBRIDGE, HAVING PLAYED HOCKEY, GOLF, BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL WITH, HAVE EITHER BEEN RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH A SERIOUS AND LIFE THREATENING AILMENT, OR HAVE DIED SUDDENLY OF A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE. SUZANNE AND I JUST SIT HERE AND PONDER ABOUT OUR OWN BUCKET LIST. SHE HAS BEEN RETIRED ALMOST A YEAR NOW, AND BOTH OF US HAVE HAD A BLAST RUNNING OUR LITTLE ANTIQUE ENTERPRISE HERE IN GRAVENHURST. THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF INTERESTING WRITING PROJECTS COME UP, THAT I'M INTERESTED IN, BUT I'M ONLY GOING TO TAKE THE ONES, OF WHICH I AM MOST ENTHUSED. I WANT TO GO BACK TO A TIME, LIKE THOSE DAYS LIVING AT SEVEN PERSONS COTTAGE, WHEN ALL WRITING IN THE OFF-HOURS WAS RECREATIONAL. THIS COMES UP, FOR ME, BECAUSE I WAS ASKED WHETHER I WOULD RE-CONSIDER RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, AS I HAD ENTERTAINED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WITH WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN, IN LOCAL POLITICS IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND WHAT COULD COME IN THE FUTURE, IF ELECTED, BY GOLLY, I'D SUFFER A HEART ATTACK AT MY FIRST COUNCIL MEETING. I AM SO MAD ABOUT WHAT HAS GONE ON IN THIS TOWN, IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THAT I COULD NEVER CALM DOWN ENOUGH TO MAKE THE KIND OF CONTRIBUTION THAT IS MOST NEEDED TO REPAIR WHAT I KNOW IS BROKEN. THERE ARE TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN IN THIS BURG, AND I DON'T GET ALONG WITH ANY OF THEM. RUNNING A BUSINESS, WITH GOOD COLLEAGUES WE HAVE COME TO KNOW, IS ALL THAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME NOW. SO MY ANSWER, WITH OUT FURTHER ADIEU, IS THAT I VALUE MY HEALTH AND FAMILY MORE THAN I WANT TO BECOME A TOWN REPRESENTATIVE. I HAVE EMBARKED ON SOME NEAT HISTORICAL PROJECTS, AND THEY KEEP ME ENTERTAINED WITHOUT ADDED STRESSES THAT MUNICIPAL POLITICS INSPIRES BY ITS VERY NATURE. I HOPE SOME NEW CANDIDATES WILL SURFACE IN THE COMING MONTHS TO KNOCK DOWN THIS PRESENT STATUS QUO. AS FOR ME? I'M HAVING TOO MUCH FUN TO START WORKING NOW!
OUR CO-AUTHORSHIP OF "A WINDERMERE SKETCH," REACHES BACK INTO THE MID 1990'S, AND BEGAN WITH THIS SIMPLE OVERVIEW: "WE WOULD LIKE THESE REMINISCENCES TO BRING BACK SOME CHERISHED MEMORIES, EVEN IF JUST FOR US, AS A FAMILY; OF LET'S SAY, THE EXCITEMENT OF ARRIVING IN WINDERMERE, AND SOON OUT OF THE CAR, HEARING THE JUKEBOX, AND THE PINBALL GAMES, SMELLING PIECES OF FRESHLY BAKED PIES, AND SEEING A PARADE OF KIDS WITH ICE CREAM CONES, WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS OF THE SKIPPER. MORE THAN THIS, IT'S A VACATION TESTIMONIAL, TO THE LASTING FRIENDSHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE FOR LONG AND LONG, BETWEEN PERMANENT AND SEASONAL RESIDENTS; THE FRONT LINE ATTENDANTS AND GUESTS. IN THE CASE OF OUR FAMILY BUSINESS, IM WINDERMERE, IT'S A REMINDER OF THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIPS THAT WERE SEEDED IN THE 1960'S AND 70'S, WITH A HOLE-IN-THE-WALL SNACKBAR, AND STAFF, THAT HAVE CARRIED ON INTO THIS NEW CENTURY. WHEN WE SEE SOME OF THESE OLD FRIENDS, POP-UP IN FRONT OF OUR SHOP COUNTER, NOW IN GRAVENHURST, SUZANNE CAN'T OFFER THEM ICE CREAM CONES, BUT WE CAN SELL THEM SOME OF THOSE COLLECTABLE SCOOPS, LIKE THE ONES SHE USED TO EMPLOY, WAY BACK WHEN. BEST OF ALL, OVER OUR PRESENT COUNTER, SUZANNE CAN SHARE SOME GREAT STORIES ABOUT THE SKIPPER, AND ITS INNER SOCIAL-CULTURAL CHARACTER; WITH PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER IT FIRST HAND, SOME HAVING BEEN THE YOUNGSTERS, WITH THOSE OUTSTRETCHED HANDS, REACHING UP TO SUZANNE FOR ICE CREAM CONES AND SUNDAES. ONE ERA TO THE OTHER, A GENERATION A PART, YET STILL FAMILIAR WITH THE STORIES THEIR MOTHERS AND FATHERS SHARED WITH THEM, ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO RAN THE WINDERMERE MARINA BACK THEN.
"OUR MENU CONSISTED OF SANDWICHES, SOUPS, HOT DOGS AND OUR 'WHAMBURGER.' IT WAS, AT THE TIME, AN UNUSUAL BURGER BECAUSE IT WAS A FOUR OUNCE PATTY (THE WINDERMERE VERSION OF THE QUARTER POUNDER). MOTHER WAS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF THIS BURGER. CHEF'S INGREDIENTS OF COURSE. A SECRET. WE SOLD QUITE A FEW. BUT THERE WERE NO FRIES. WE NEVER COOKED ONE; NOT A SINGLE FRENCH FRIED POTATO," WROTE MY CHARMING BRIDE, IN OUR 1990'S BOOK OF WINDERMERE SKETCHES, AND THE PREVIOUSLY UNTOLD STORY OF "THE SKIPPER," THE STRIPP FAMILY'S SNACKBAR ABOVE THE LAKE ROSSEAU MARINA. IT'S A FUNNY AND NOSTALGIC UNTOLD STORY. NOT TOO SERIOUS. BUT A NEAT REFLECTION ABOUT HOW, IN THE MID 1960'S, MUSKOKANS TENDED THE NEEDS OF THE TOURIST AND COTTAGER CLIENTELE. NOW, BACK TO THE FRENCH FRIES. IT'S NOT THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO COOK FRIES, OR THAT THEY COULD HAVE SOLD THEM BY THE BUSHEL FULL. IT 'WAS THE CASE OF INSURANCE ISSUES. BOILING OIL ABOVE A MARINA WITH PLENTY OF FLAMMABLES WOULD HAVE SENT THE ANNUAL INSURANCE BILL THROUGH THE PROVERBIAL ROOF. IT WAS JUST EASIER AND CHEAPER TO GO WITHOUT.
"MOTHER (HARRIET), DID ALL THE COOKING FROM BREAKFAST UNTIL DINNER. WHEN I THINK BACK, THIS WAS A PRETTY RIGOROUS SITUATION FOR HER. BUT THAT'S THE WAY SHE WANTED IT DONE. SHE HAD COMPLETE CONTROL OF QUALITY AND FUSSED ABOUT EVEN THE MOST MINUTE DETAILS OF FOOD PREPARATION. WE FINISHED UP AT ABOUT 7 P.M. THERE WERE TIMES AT MID-MORNING, SHE WAS BAKING NUMEROUS PIES, DEALING WITH LATE BREAKFAST AND WHAMBURGER ORDERS ON TOP OF THAT, WHILE JUGGLING PIES AND COOKING TIMES. THE PIES NEVER BURNED. AND THEY NEVER LASTED LONG EITHER. OUR CUSTOMERS KNEW WHEN THE PIES WERE COMING OUT OF THE OVEN; PRETTY MUCH BY WAFTING AROMA OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING. THEY SURE LOVED MOTHER'S PIES. WARM BLUEBERRY AND APPLE PIES WITH ICE CREAM. IT WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU CRAZY WAITING FOR YOUR PLATE. IT REALLY WAS HOME-COOKING AT THE SKIPPER. OF COURSE, SHE HAD A GREAT PRIDE IN HER CULINARY WORK AND IT SHOWED. SHE LIKED THE COMMENTS OF APPROVAL."
HARRIET'S FAMILY ROOTS, HAD BEEN SUNK INTO THE MUSKOKA SOIL, IN THE YEAR 1862, WHEN THE SHEAS MOVED INTO THE LARGELY UNSETTLED FREE GRANT LANDS OF WATT TOWNSHIP, IN THE PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES. SO AS FAR AS BEING MUSKOKAN, THE SKIPPER WAS, AT THAT TIME, A TRULY MUSKOKA GROWN BUSINESS, WITH LINKS BACK TO THE ORIGINAL FARMSTEADS OF UFFORD. SO HARRIET, AND HER HUSBAND NORMAN, ALSO A LIFETIME MUSKOKAN, (BORN IN MILFORD BAY ON ONE OF THE COLDEST DAYS OF THAT WINTER), KNEW THE RIGORS OF THE SEASONAL ECONOMY. WHEN NORM WASN'T WORKING AT THE FAMILY MARINA, HE WAS LOOKING AFTER COTTAGE PROPERTIES FOR CUSTOMERS, AND PAINTING WHEREVER WAS NEEDED. THERE WERE IN-SEASON TASKS, AND OFF-SEASON JOBS, ALL TO BALANCE THE BOOKS, AND KEEP THEMSELVES IN PROVISIONS. SOME YEARS WERE PRETTY LEAN. OTHERS, LESS SO. THE FEAST AND FAMINE SCENARIO, IS WHAT THEY GREW UP IN, AND LEARNED HOW TO SURVIVE AS A WILLING PARTNER IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY.
SUZANNE NOTES THAT, "SOUNDS WERE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE DAY SPENT IN AND AROUND THE SKIPPER. THE JUKE BOX PLAYED RIGHT THROUGH THEY DAY. IF IT STOPPED AND NOBODY HAD CHANGE FOR MORE TUNES, MOTHER OR I WOULD TAKE MONEY FROM THE TILL AND CRANK IT UP AGAIN. WE DID THAT A LOT BECAUSE IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT NOT TO HAVE MUSIC FILLING THE PLACE. MOTHER PUT MONEY IN THE JUKE BOX EVERY MORNING, FIRST THING, TO GET US IN THE MOOD FOR WHAT WAS ALWAYS A LONG DAY. THE MUSIC MADE IT A LITTLE MORE ENJOYABLE AND FRIENDLY. WHEN THAT FRONT DOOR WAS OPEN, THE MUSIC WAS TURNED ON. IT WAS THE SIGNAL THAT THE BUSINESS DAY HAD BEGUN, TO THE PASSERSBY AND TO STAFF OF THE MARINA DOWNSTAIRS. THERE ARE SEVERAL SONGS I REMEMBER CLEARLY; SO CLEARLY THAT I CAN VISUALIZE THE JUKE BOX LIGHTS AND SMELL THE BURGERS ON THE STOVE. 'BLUE SPANISH EYES,' 'BLUEBERRY HILL,' 'IT'S NICE TO BE WITH YOU,' LOOKIN' OUT MY BACK DOOR,' 'I SHOT THE SHERIFF,' 'YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY,' AND A HUNDRED MORE. MANY OF THESE AND OTHERS HAVE CERTAIN NAMES ATTACHED. THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PLAYED THEM THE MOST. TO THIS DAY WHENEVER I HEAR A SKIPPER SONG, I CAN IDENTIFY THE PLAYER; THE ONE WHO DIRECTED MOST COINS INTO THE JUKE BOX FOR THAT PARTICULAR SELECTION. THIS IS WHAT I FEEL IS THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE TIMES AT THE SKIPPER; WHY THE PLACE IS IMPORTANT TO ME ALL THESE YEARS REMOVED. IF THE SKIPPER IS TRULY SPECIAL, IT IS BECAUSE OF THSE IDENTIFIABLE FOLKS, WHO WERE, AND WHO CAME TO BE CONSIDERED OUR EXTENDED FAMILY IN WINDERMERE. COTTAGERS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS ALIKE.
"EXTERNAL SOUNDS ALSO SEEPED INTO THE SKIPPER, OF COURSE, AND MIXED WITH ALL THE OTHER SOUNDS OF SUMMER PLEASURE; IT GAVE THE SNACKBAR A GENUINE MUSKOKA VACATION-LAND AMBIENCE, THAT MADE IT QUITE UNIQUE AND MEMORABLE. THE BOAT ENGINES. AH, THE DRONE AND SPUTTER OF A THOUSAND ENGINES, LARGE AND SMALL, INBOARD AND OUTBOARD. ONES BEING REPAIRED, OTHERS ON INCOMING BOATS HEADING TOWARD THE GAS PUMPS, WHICH OF COURSE HAD THEIR OWN DISTINCTIVE CLATTER TO ADD TO ALL THE ABOVE. AND THE AROMA. THE SMELL OF ENGINE EXHAUST, THE COMBINATION WITH THE FOOD PREPARATION UPSTAIRS, SOMEHOW IT WASN'T OFFENSIVE, BELOW, RATHER PART OF THE SKIPPER'S PHYSICAL AND INVISIBLE PATINA. A MARINA WITH A SNACKBAR ABOVE. IT WAS A GENUINE AQUATIC THEME FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, AND TO THE PATRONS, IT ALL MADE A WORKABLE, ENJOYABLE CIRCUMSTANCE. WHILE THE TANKS WERE BEING FILLED WITH GASOLINE ON THE DOCK, THE YOUNGSTERS AND OTHER PASSENGERS, FROM THE SUBJECT VESSEL, WERE UP AT THE SKIPPER GETTING THEIR TREATS. SOMETIMES YOU WOULD SWEAR THEY'D LEPT FROM THE BOAT EVEN BEFORE IT WAS SECURED. YOU COULD HEAR THE KIDS TROMPING ALONG THE DECKING AND UP THE OUTSIDE STAIRS. THE ICE CREAM SCOOP WAS SECURED AND THE CONES READIED. YOU COULD PREDICT THE ORDERS. IT GOT SO FAMILIAR, EACH SUMMER SEASON, THAT YOU COULD TELL THE BOAT OWNER AND FAMILY BY THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE, IF NOT BY THE TIME OF DAY. SOME PEOPLE CAME IN AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY, AND WOULD ORDER THE SAME ITEMS FROM THE MENU, OR FROM THE COOLER. THE SNACKBAR BUSINESS HAD ITS PREDICTABLE ASPECT, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE EXAMPLES."
IN THE EARLY 1970'S, WHILE SUZANNE WAS WORKING AT THE SKIPPER, I WAS DELIVERING LOADS OF LUMBER, FOR COTTAGE CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATIONS, TO THE WINDERMERE WHARF, FOR BUILDING TRADES CENTRE IN BRACEBRIDGE. WHILE I KNEW SUZANNE FROM SCHOOL, WE NEVER WENT BEYOND A CUSTOMER GREETING. BUT I WAS ONE OF THE FOLKS, WHO SHARED THOSE SAME PERMEATING AROMAS, OF GAS AND FOOD, AND IT WAS, AT THE TIME, PART OF THE MUSKOKA TOURIST SEASON CHARACTER. I ALWAYS FOUND MYSELF, ON THOSE OCCASIONS, FINANCIALLY EMBARASSED, NOT EVEN HAVING ENOUGH CHANGE TO BUY A COLD POP. I KNEW SUZANNE WAS IN THE SKIPPER, BUT I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT AN ENCOUNTER OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL, WHERE IT WAS SITUATION NORMAL. IT WOULD HAVE CHANGED HISTORY IF I'D STEPPED THROUGH THAT DOORWAY. IT WOULDN'T BE UNTIL THE EARLY 1980'S, WHEN WE MET UP AGAIN, AND AFTER ONLY A FEW MONTHS DATING, BECAME ENGAGED. AT THAT TIME, SADLY, HARRIET WAS SUFFERING FROM CANCER, AND WOULD PASS AWAY SHORTLY AFTER WE WERE MARRIED. SHE DID SHARE A LOT OF STORIES WITH ME, AND IN FACT, WE WROTE A BOOK TOGETHER, ENTITLED "THE LEGEND OF TALL PINES," AND IT SOLD OUT IN TWO WEEKS.
AGAIN, IN THE WORDS OF SUZANNE, "AN EARLY SUMMER SEASON SOUND, WAS THE DELIBERATE SQUEAK OF THE WIRE RACK THAT WAS DESTINED TO DISPLAY THE SEASON'S SELECTION OF POCKET BOOKS. THE PULP FICTION! THIS RACK WAS SITUATED OVER TOP OF THE MARINA OFFICE. THE INDISCRIMINATE PLAY WITH THIS RACK WOULD IRRITATE WHOEVER WAS WORKING BELOW. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF RACK-SPINNING FOR THE HECK OF IT, THE OFFICE STAFFER WOULD BE SEEKING REVENGE. WE WERE KNOWN TO RESORT TO WATER-GUNS TO DEFEND RESPECTIVE HONOR. THE GREEN AVENGER MODEL WAS THE MOST ACTIVE OF THE WATER GUN BRANDS, OF THE TIME. YOU COULD SLIDE THIS WATER WEAPON IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THE AVENGING COUNTERPART, TO PREPARE FOR THE WATERY SHOT. I USED TO FIRE LINES OF WATER DOWNSTAIRS THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW AT THE ATTENDANT PUMPING GAS, OR BETTER STILL, I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED LETTING LOOSE AN AVENGER STREAM THROUGH A SMALL HOLE IN THE FLOOR BY THE POP MACHINE. THERE WAS NOTHING AS SATISFYING, ON THOSE HOT SUMMER DAYS, THAN CONNECTING WITH PERSONNEL BELOW, DRAINING ITS RESERVOIR DOWN SOMEONE'S BACK. EXCEPT OF COURSE, IF THAT SOMEONE HAPPENED TO BE MY FATHER, NORMAN. THAT WOULDN'T GO OVER WELL AT ALL. OF COURSE, ONE SHOT INSPIRED ANOTHER, AND RETALIATION WAS USUALLY SWIFT. YOU HAD TO WATCH CAREFULLY BECAUSE ONE OF THE GENTLEMAN DOWNSTAIRS, WOULD RUN SOME OBJECT UP, THROUGH THE SAME HOLE IN THE FLOOR, BY THE POP MACHINE. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE A HOSE OR A STICK, I SUPPOSE, TO TRIP US UP. AND IT WOULD ALWAYS HAPPEN AT THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE DAY. IT COULD TRIP YOU BADLY, AND AT VERY LEAST, GIVE YOU QUITE A SHOCK. I WOULD PUT MY FOOT OVER THE HOLD AND IN RETURN THE PERPETRATOR WOULD JAM IT BACK UP, NEARLY PUTTING THE PIECE THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF MY SHOE. WE KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON THAT HOLE, AND WE MAY HAVE EVEN, BY ACCIDENT OF COURSE, POURED SOMETHING DOWN THERE. IT ALL HAPPENED SPONTANEOUSLY EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS, IN RETROSPECT, AS BEING VERY PREDICTABLE. SOMETIMES WE WERE JUST TIRED AND MAYBE A LITTLE ANXIOUS ABOUT REACHING QUITTING TIME, THAT WE GOT A LITTLE SILLY. IT MADE THE TIME PASS BY A LITTLE FASTER. BY THE END OF THE SILLINESS, YOU'RE BLOWING POP OUT OF YOUR NOSE AND TRIPPING ALL-OVER YOURSELF TRYING TO GET OUT OF HARM'S WAY. IT MADE THE WORKDAY A LITTLE MORE AGREEABLE. I REALLY WHICH I HAD SOME OF THAT 'QUICKLY' SPENT TIME BACK AGAIN, BECAUSE I HAVE A FEW MORE PRANKS LEFT, THAT I NEVER GOT TO PLAY. WE SOLD THE MARINA BEFORE I COULD GET ALL THE WHACKY STUFF OUT OF MY SYSTEM."
"WE DID HAVE A UNIQUE SIGNALLING SYSTEM BETWEEN THE MARINA AND THE SKIPPER, TO ANNOUNCE LUNCH-TIME, OR AFTERNOON TEA, TO THE MARINA STAFF. THE GENTLEMEN WOULD PLACE THEIR ORDER AND THEN RETURN TO THE MARINA AND AWAIT OUR SIGNAL THAT THEIR DINNER WAS READY. THIS WAS A WELL-PLANNED STOMP ON THE FLOOR, MAYBE SEVERAL IF WE FELT LIKE IT, ON THE FLOOR DIRECTLY ABOVE THE MARINA OFFICE. THE STAFF MEMBER WOULD WOULD QUICKLY APPEAR. PEOPLE BECAME USED TO IT. SOME NEWCOMERS TOOK TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHY EVERY TIME ONE OF THE ATTENDANTS UPSTAIRS STOMPED ON THE FLOOR, A MARINA STAFFER TURNED UP AT THE SKIPPER SNACKBAR, AND HOW, WITHOUT WORDS, FOOD WAS EXCHANGED; AND ALL THEN RESUMED TO NORMAL, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, STAFF FED. OF COURSE I MAY HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SEVERAL, OKAY, MANY IMPROMTU STOMPS ON THE FLOOR TO SEE HOW FAST THOSE LADS COULD MAKE IT UP THE FLIGHT OF STAIRS, NOT HAVING ANYTHING FOR THEM TO EAT. LET ME TELL YOU, THEY ALWAYS GOT EVEN."
SHE RECALLS, "THE HOURSE WERE PAINFULLY LONG AT TIMES. THE FEET. THEY LET YOU KNOW HOW TIRED THEY WERE, USUALLY BEFORE MID-AFTERNOON. THERE WASN'T MUCH TIME TO SIT. IN THE MORNING WE WOULD HAVE THE SKIPPER OPEN BY EIGHT, AT THE LATEST, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE TIMES OF EXCEPTION WHEN WE SIMPLY COULDN'T GET OPEN BEFORE NINE. CLOSING TIME WAS AROUND 10 P.M. BUT THAT DEPENDED ON THE CHORES, LATE CUSTOMERS AND ANY SPECIAL PROJECTS AND PREPARATIONS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY. ALWAYS LITTLE DETAILS TO TEND TO, AND IF YOU DIDN'T, THEY COULD REPRESENT A REAL PROBLEM THE NEXT DAY. IT WAS A MATTER OF ORGANIZATION. WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE. HAD TO BE DONE. THERE WERE SOME LATE NIGHTS AT THE SKIPPER. THAT MADE IT TOUGH IF OU WERE ON THE OPENING SHIFT THE NEXT MORNING. YOU SMELLED LIKE FOOD AND ICE CREAM FROM MORNING UNTIL NIGHT. IT ALL RAN TOGETHER FOR THOSE TWO SUMMER MONTHS. IT FELT AS IF ALL YOU DID WAS SCOOP ICE CREAM AND MAKE MILKSHAKES. I COULD HAVE MADE THEM IN MY SLEEP, AND I'M SURE OTHER STAFF MEMBERS TENDING THE COUNTER FELT THE SAME. IT'S POSSIBLE SOME OF US WERE ASLEEP AT THE COUNTER BUT STILL GOT THE ORDERS FILLED AND DELIVERED. IF ANYONE SHOULD HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP AT HER POST, IT WAS MOTHER, COOKING ALL DAY.
"ONCE WE WERE READY TO OPEN-UP THE SKIPPER, OUR FIRST JOB WAS TO RETRIEVE THE GLOBE & MAIL BUNDLE OF NEWSPAPERS, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. THEN WE HAD TO SWEEP THE DECK; THE LANDING AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, THEN THE STAIRS AND EVEN THE PAYMENT AT THE BOTTOM WAS SWEPT TO A VIRTUAL SHINE. MANAGEMENT INSISTED ON CLEANLINESS INSIDE AND OUT. THIS WASN'T A FAVORITE TASK AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH MUSIC FROM THE JUKE BOX, IT WAS TOLERABLE. THE SCENERY WAS WONDERFUL, LAKE ROSSEAU SPARKLING IN THE MORNING SUN, THE COOL BREEZE AND AROMA OF SUMMER. WE WERE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF VACATIONLAND, AND THE EXCITEMENT WAS THE OVER-RIDING SITUATION, THAT MADE EVEN THE MOST TEDIOUS JOB ALMOST RECREATIONAL. IF YOU'VE EVER WORKED IN THIS CAPACITY, AT A HOTEL OR SUMMER CAMP, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. A LITTLE MAGIC TRICKLING DOWN. THE TRADEMARK, BIG WHITE DOOR OF THE SKIPPER, WAS OPENED AND THEN TIED BACK, AND WITHOUT MUCH POMP AND PAGEANTRY AT ALL, THE BUSINESS, AND SOCIAL-CULTURAL DAY HAD BEGUN. BELIEVE ME, IT WAS ALWAYS SOCIAL-CULTURAL. I HAVE TO ADMIT TO YOU THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HALF THE BUSINESS IT WAS, AND HALF THE EXPERIENCE, IF IT HADN'T BEEN SO AMAZINGLY SOCIAL. THAT WAS THE ESSENCE OF THE SKIPPER, AND WHY WE WANTED TO PUBLISH THIS BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE."
AFTER RE-READING OUR LITTLE BOOKLET OVER AGAIN, LAST EVENING, I COULDN'T HELP STOPPING THIS MORNING, TO WATCH ANDREW SWEEPING OUT THE DOORWAY OF THE SHOP, AND THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT. I COULDN'T AVOID COMMENTING TO HIM, THAT THIS SCENE WAS RIGHT OUT OF THE PAGES OF OUR BOOK ABOUT THE SKIPPER. ACTUALLY, IN THE SHOP, ON DISPLAY ONLY, IS THE COCA COLA SIGN FROM THE SKIPPER, AND IN OUR FAMILY ROOM, ANDREW HAS A COLLECTION OF HIS MODEL SHIPS AND CARS IN THE FORMER SKIPPER SHOWCASE. IT WAS HIS SWEEPING-UP THAT REMINDED ME OF WHAT HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER USED TO DO, ALSO IN ORDER TO GET THE BUSINESS READY TO OPEN EACH DAY. INSIDE, ROBERT WAS DOING HIS PRE-OPENING CHORES AS WELL, AND SUZANNE, WELL, UNDERTAKING HER MORNING PREPARATIONS. ALTHOUGH NOT STILL IN THE FOOD SERVICES INDUSTRY, MANY OF THE OPENING EXERCISES ARE INDEED, THE SAME AS THEY WERE IN THE VILLAGE IN WINDERMERE, BACK WHEN THEY ALSO SWEPT-UP BEFORE INVITING CUSTOMERS INSIDE. IT'S NOT SO MUCH IRONY, AS IT IS, THE TRADITIONS OF RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR DISCIPLINE, OR SPECIALTY. SO WE CAN SAY, THAT BEING INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, HAS NOT ONLY BEEN A FAMILY TRADITION, DATING BACK TO THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE, BUT AN OCCUPATION FOR MOST OF OUR RESPECTIVE LIVES. IF I, AT TIMES, SEEM A LITTLE ARROGANT AND BRIMMING OVER WITH NEPOTISM, THERE'S NOT MUCH I CAN DO ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THE CHARACTER OF THE BLOG DEPENDS ON SELF REFLECTION AND FAMILY EVENTS, AND OUR PROFESSIONS. BUT OUR SINCERE RESPECT FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY HERE IN MUSKOKA, HOPEFULLY SHINES THROUGH; BECAUSE WE HAVE LEARNED OVER THE DECADES, AND THROUGH MANY OCCASIONS, WHEN WE THOUGHT IT BEST TO CLOSE UP SHOP, THAT OUR DISTRICT IS. ABOVE ALL ELSE, A PLEASURE TO LIVE AND WORK IN. AND MUCH IS TO BE HARVESTED FROM UNDERSTANDING ITS SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS.
SUZANNE AND I WERE TALKING AT LUNCH, ABOUT NEW BUSINESSES TO THE AREA, PONDERING HOW THEY WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC, IN SEASON AND OUT. I SAID TO HER, THAT OVER MY YEARS WORKING IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, JOURNALISM, AND REGIONAL HISTORY, I HAVE NEVER ONCE TURNED ANYONE AWAY WHO HAD A QUESTION PERTAINING TO ANY OF THESE AREAS. I DIDN'T LIKE THAT OTHER HISTORIANS I KNEW, WOULD BLOW THESE PEOPLE OFF, TO LOCAL LIBRARIES, TO READ THEIR BOOKS INSTEAD OF WASTING THEIR TIME. I'VE NEVER FELT THAT DISCUSSING HISTORY WAS A WASTE OF TIME. BUT CONSIDERING SUZANNE'S FAMILY BACKGROUND IN THE OPERATION OF SEASONAL BUSINESS, AND OUR YEARS COMBINED, WORKING IN RETAIL, WE'D LOVE TO SHARE SOME OF OUR EXPERIENCES WITH THOSE CONSIDERING A SIMILAR PATH. SEEING AS WE DON'T BELONG TO ANY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, AND WE HAVE NO TITHE TO THE TOWN, OTHER THAN THE TAX BILL THEY KEEP SENDING US, WE HAVE NO REASON TO MINCE WORDS, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ADVISORIES. WE'VE WATCHED A LOT OF BUSINESS ENTERPRISES FAIL, THAT WE KNEW WERE HEADED THAT WAY, FROM THE MOMENT THEY OPENED THE DOOR FOR THAT FIRST WEEK OF RETAIL ENTERPRISE. IF THEY HAD ASKED, WE WOULD HAVE PUT THE FACTS BEFORE THEY, NEEDED TO MAKE A WISE INVESTMENT DECISION. YOU WILL HAVE A HARD TIME RUNNING A TORONTO (CITY-STYLE) BUSINESS IN MUSKOKA, WITHOUT A WILLINGNESS TO SURRENDER TO SOME OF THE LOCAL WAYS AND MEANS. I'VE RUN INTO DOZENS OF BUSINESS INVESTORS, WHO WERE SO NARROW-FOCUSED, AND GUNG-HO, THAT THEIR POSITIVISM COMPLETELY BLOCKED OUT ALL NEGATIVE REALITIES. THAT'S THE THINK ABOUT REALITIES. THEY DON'T DISAPPEAR BECAUSE YOU FINISHED IN THE UPPER TEN PERCENT OF A "YOU CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT IN BUSINESS,' SEMINAR. SOMETIMES, YOU JUST DON'T MAKE THE GRADE. WE ALL HAVE OUR FAILINGS, SOME MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OTHERS.
YES, WE HAVE DISCOURAGED SOME INVESTORS, FROM LOCATING A PARTICULAR TYPE OF BUSINESS IN OUR REGION. THEY ASKED OUR OPINION, AND WE GAVE THEM THE INFORMATION, TO INCLUDE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE, THEY HAD GATHERED INDEPENDENTLY. WHILE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES AND LOCAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, MIGHT WINCE AT NEWS LIKE THIS, SUZANNE AND I FEEL PRETTY GOOD, THAT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP FOLKS REVISE THEIR PLANS, TO MAKE MORE APPROPRIATE AND SUCCESSFUL FORAYS, SOMEWHERE AND SOME OTHER TIME, DOWN THE LINE.
THE FIRST REALITY, IS THAT MUSKOKA IS NOT LIKE THE CITY. BY THIS, I'M NOT REFERRING TO THE OBVIOUS SIZE DIFFERENCE, AND LACK OF RUSH HOUR GRID-LOCK. ATTITUDE-WISE, THERE IS A HUGE AND DEEP CHASM, THAT WHILE ADJUSTED SEASONALLY, HAS ON ITS OWN, KILLED MANY OTHERWISE WELL PLANNED BUSINESSES. IF A RETAILER, FOR EXAMPLE, NEEDING A YEAR ROUND INCOME, CREATES A BUSINESS THAT APPEARS, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, TO BE HONED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TOURISM SECTOR, IT WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE OLD TERM, "TOURIST TRAP," BY THE LOCALS; MEANING, THE PRICES WILL BE SET FOR SUMMER SEASON PATRONS. WHEN YOU GROW UP IN A TOURISM ECONOMY, AS SUZANNE AND I DID, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT "TOURIST TRAP," MEANS. PRICES GO UP FROM MAY 24TH TO LABOUR DAY. NOW, IN THE MODERN ERA, WE EXTEND THAT TO THANKSGIVING. SO FOR THE VACATIONING SEASON, LOCALS ADJUSTED THEIR SHOPPING VISITATIONS, TO PLACES THAT WERE GEARED FOR ALL SEASONS OF THE YEAR, AND SHOWED NO SPECIAL TREATMENT OF SUMMER VISITORS. I STILL KNOW A TOURIST TRAP WHEN I SEE ONE; AND WHAT MAKES THIS NEAT, IS THAT WE OPERATE FOUR BUSINESSES AS A FAMILY, TWO OF THEM BEING TOURIST TRAPS BY TRADITIONAL DEFINITION. THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS IN THIS AREA, HAS ALWAYS BEEN CONSIDERED TOURIST SUPPORTED, THAT COULD NOT OPERATE WITHOUT THE SUMMER INFLUX AND CITY DOLLARS. EVEN AS HARD AS WE HAVE WORKED TO BE CONSIDERED A LOCAL BUSINESS, OPERATED BY BORN IN MUSKOKA FOLKS, WITH PIONEER ROOTS, OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS HAS HAD LESS THAN TEN PERCENT OF SALES, TO THOSE PATRONS RESIDING IN OUR HOME TOWN OF GRAVENHURST. IN PLAIN TERMS, IF IT WASN'T FOR TRAVELLING ANTIQUE ENTHUSIASTS, WE WOULD HAVE TO CLOSE. IN THE SUMMER SEASON, WE WILL GO AS HIGH AS NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF SALES, BEING NON-LOCAL, AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE COTTAGERS, BECAUSE WE CONSIDER THEM PART OF THE LOCAL MIX. SO WHEN WE SUGGEST THAT OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, CAN BE VERY INSIGHTFUL, TO THOSE WISHING TO START NEW AND EXCITING VENTURES, WELL, WE'RE NOT BLOWING SMOKE HERE. IT'S ALWAYS SAD TO SEE DREAMS DASHED, WHEN SHORTFALLS OF INSIGHT, ALWAYS EASY TO RESOLVE, PROVE AGAIN, THE DECIDING FACTOR, ON A COMMERCIAL VENTURE'S SURVIVAL, OR MORE LIKELY, THEIR FAILURE.
THANKS FOR JOINING MY BLOG TODAY. A BIT MORE ON SUZANNE'S ADVENTURES AT "THE SKIPPER," IN TOMORROW'S COLUMN.
THE BIG WEEKEND IN MUSKOKA - OUR LASTING TRIBUTE TO GOOD OLD QUEEN VICTORIA
WE SHOULD WELCOME OUR VISITORS HEARTILY -
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY KIDS YOU COULD FIND TODAY, WHO WOULD THINK THAT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRADITIONAL TOURIST SEASON, IN MUSKOKA, IS A BIG DEAL. IT IS WHAT IT IS. A TIME OF YEAR WHEN CITY FOLKS WANT SOME REST AND RELAXATION. WHEN I WAS A YOUNG MUSKOKAN, MYSELF, MOST OF US LOCAL KIDS, DID GET EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANGE, HEADING OUR WAY……VACATIONERS MOTORING UP THAT BUSY HIGHWAY WITH CAMPERS, TRAILERS, BOATS AND RECREATIONAL GEAR HANGING OUT OF TRUNKS AND HATCHES.
AS AN IMPATIENT, ALWAYS LOOKING-FORWARD KID, I TRULY LOOKED FORWARD TO THE VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND. THE FIREWORKS WERE NEAT, OF COURSE, AND I ALWAYS HAD A FEW DOLLARS' ALLOWANCE TO BUY A SMALL PACKAGE OF THIS AND THAT, (EXPLOSIVES WITH WICKS) BUT THE REAL EXCITEMENT, WAS TO SEE THE STORE-FRONTS OF SHOPS, LIKE ELLIOT'S IN BRACEBRIDGE, WITH ALL THEIR MUSKOKA WARES ON DISPLAY. MAYBE IT'S TACKY TODAY, THOSE SOUVENIRS OF CANADA, MADE ELSEWHERE, BUT IT WAS THE FIRST CLEAR SIGN OF THE BEGINNING OF VACATION SEASON. EVEN THOUGH WE WEREN'T ON VACATION, IT WAS EXCITING TO SEE THE OLD TOWN THRIVING AGAIN…..BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC LIKE THE CITY. HEY, WE WERE KIDS LOOKING FOR EXCITEMENT AFTER THE WINTER HIATUS.
IT WAS NEAT TO SEE A HUB-BUB OF INTEREST IN OUR MUSKOKA TOWNS. AND WHILE THE LOCALS LIKED TO COMPLAIN AND OBJECT TO THE LONG LINE-UPS AT THE GROCERY AND HARDWARE STORES, NO ONE FROM THAT VINTAGE, OF THE 1960'S, DISMISSED THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE TOURISTS FLOODING OUR AREA. EVEN TODAY, YOU CAN HEAR THE COMPLAINING IN THE SAME BUSINESSES, AND YET A LARGE PORTION OF THAT NUMBER, ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE INFLUX OF VISITORS. THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT. IT WOULDN'T SOUND RIGHT. BLURTING OUT SOMETHING LIKE, "I WISH THESE TOURISTS WOULD GO BACK TO THE CITY," AND THEN BEING FORCED TO ADMIT THEY WORK FOR A LOCAL MARINA OR HOTEL. ALTHOUGH SOME OF US MIGHT LIKE TO HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE ON MUSKOKA, THE REALISTS AMONGST US, KNOW OUR PERSONAL ENJOYMENT OF GOD'S COUNTRY DEPENDS ON BEING ABLE TO AFFORD LIVING HERE YEAR-ROUND. OUR SEASONAL VISITORS KEEP US HERE. YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE PEOPLE I'VE TALKED WITH OVER THE YEARS, ABOUT TOURISM, AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL ROLES IN THE INDUSTRY, ARE QUITE HAPPY THAT MUSKOKA CONTINUES TO BE SUCH A RESPECTED AND CELEBRATED DESTINATION FOR THE VACATIONING PUBLIC. THEY'RE PROUD TO SHOW OFF THEIR HOME REGION. IT'S ALSO TRUE, THEY ARE VERY PROTECTIVE, AND WILL DEFEND HER HONOR IF NEED ARISES. FOR SOME FAMILIES, WHO HAVE BEEN PART OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRIES FOR GENERATIONS, THESE TRAVELLING FOLKS ARE NOT AS MUCH VISITORS, AS OUR PARTNERS. IN MANY CASES, THEY ARE CLOSE FRIENDS, WHO HAVE BEEN VACATIONING HERE FOR DECADES…..POSSIBLY GENERATIONS. AS FOR SECOND HOME OWNERS, THEY'RE JUST AS PROUD OF THEIR MUSKOKA CONNECTION, AS THOSE OF US WHO RESIDE HERE YEAR ROUND…..POPULATING OUR HAMLETS, VILLAGES AND TOWNS. SO WHEN, AT THIS TRADITIONAL TIME OF YEAR, WE MEET UP AGAIN IN THE GROCERY STORE AISLES, AH, SURE, THERE ARE THE CUSTOMARY COMPLAINTS, BUT NOTHING SERIOUS. TODAY WE'RE ALL IN SUCH A HURRY. IT'S MORE ABOUT LINE-UPS IN GENERAL, VERSUS BEING INCONVENIENCED BY THE TOURIST INFLUX.
When my family moved to Muskoka circa 1965, everyone my dad talked to, attached to the lumber trade, in Southern Ontario, told him roughly the same thing. "You know it's a seasonal economy, don't you?" And "What are you going to do for the rest of the year, up there in the north country?" Of course, to them, the North Country began at King City. There are a lot of people who think Muskoka is rolled-up, and stored some place, after Thanksgiving, and ponder the same questions. "How do you people survive without us?" We Muskokans, have had since the 1870's, to work these details out. From the commencement of the tourist industry, we've had to figure out how to balance work over the course of twelve months. When agricultural enterprise and the logging industry started to sputter and fail, the tourism industry kept on flourishing. It went through rough patches, and paralleled, as it does today, the fluctuations of the world economy. We had downturns at the times when it was anticipated and expected. There were, understandably, a lot fewer vacations, being taken by families during both World Wars, and through economic calamities, such as the 1929, multi-year grind of the Great Depression. Trends and economic variables still impact us today. We're a lot better off today than we were in the 1960's, and we can function on a wider economic base these days, than we could have fifty years ago. We've still got a long way to go, in order to diversify the economy, but for those old-timers who remember the way it was, rest assured, much has been done in recent years to broaden our economic resilience. Recessions and Depressions? That's a different story. Austerity? Now that's precarious. Should we ever have massive layoff of public service employees, we may be in trouble. So far so good.
So as newcomers to Muskoka, back then, we had to do as the locals did, and adjust immediately to the tourism realities. Except for a short period at the Bank of Nova Scotia, in Bracebridge, my mother Merle worked at a tiny corner store known as Bamfords…..which I have written about frequently on my Bracebridge blog. Bamfords was a store that had originally been opened, to serve the tiny cottage resort on the same property, on Toronto Street. There were probably 10 cottages, and most were rented to regular clientele, who had been coming to Woodley Park (which it was called) for many years. The corner store run by Mary and Fred Bamford, sold Muskoka and Canadian souvenir items, and the kinds of basic food requirements (and charcoal), a seasonal cottager would need. What happened was kind of neat. What had been created for the guests of Woodley Park, became an actual neighborhood store, on the opposite corner of the same block, from where Black's Variety had operated successfully for many years…..also serving the neighborhood needs. I don't know whether there was a feud between proprietors over the years, but I know we, as nearby residents, visited both shops on an almost daily basis. The odd thing about this cottage park, was that it was sitting in a residential area. We lived in the Alice Street apartments, situated directly behind the Bamford's forest, and so did a very old residential street. Woodley Park was a leftover from another era in the tourism industry. The fact there was no waterfront associated with the property, just trees and Muskoka atmosphere, always seemed strange to those who thought the hinterland experience had to involve a beach, or some type of shoreline for boating and swimming. My mother looked after the needs of the cottagers who came back every summer to the little cabins, as well as the small grocery and treat needs of the nearby residents. The local scalawags used to show up at the cabins for evening open-fire marshmallow roasts, and we made good friends in those modest, affordable cottages. So within a year of arriving in Muskoka, as transplants from a city way of life, my mother was gainfully employed in the tourism business.
My father Ed, began working in Bracebridge, at the lumber company founded by J.D. Shier, one of the legends of the logging industry in this region. Most of his customers in those days, were cottagers, and soon-to-be cottagers, and even in the shoulder seasons, he was shipping building supplies to contractors, constructing cottages for the next vacation season. During his early years here, there was a lot more work, selling to cottage owners, and to lodges being built and remodeled, than to local building projects for the permanent population. This would increase substantially in the future. When he went to work as a salesman for Building Trades Centre, a few years later, the local scene was becoming quite a hustle and bustle, with lots of building going on. By time he became general manager of the company, under new ownership, in the 1990's, it was a pretty good mix between local projects and lakeside and cottage developments. Truth is, Ed was working through the four seasons, at the same wage. It pay didn't drop in the traditional off-season. That's when he got to take a vacation.
I worked at Clark's Produce in Bracebridge for several years, delivering fruit and vegetables to many of the resorts and summer camps around the district. It was a beast, for a first-ever job, because I wasn't all that much bigger than the bag of potatoes I was expected to load on and off the trucks. I got a chance, at a young age, to see how the resorts and summer camps operated, and how Jimmy Clark treated his customers. He was big on service with a smile……when he wasn't chewing on that old cigar he used to clench in his jaw. I saw first hand, how responsive he was to his customers' needs. If we screwed up on a delivery, he'd break his back to get the missing veggies to the customer, or anything that was damaged or rotten, replaced immediately. He'd drive them out himself, and that might have been all the way to Kawagama, to Mountain Trout House. He worked us kids very hard. But when I think about it now, I'm really rather thankful I had Jimmy as an early boss, because he gave me an experience in the tourist trade, very few would have known or thought about, let alone sign-up for because it was so darn much fun. From an historical perspective, which I write from quite often, I saw the insides of quite a few summer places that are now no longer in existence. When I later became a feature editor with The Muskoka Sun, the summer paper published by Muskoka Publications, under direction of Robert Boyer, I was thankful to have had the experience garnered, from those days on the fruit and vegetable circuit with Jimmy Clark. Those early adventures, in my teens, helped me write about the resorts being profiled by our paper in later years. I had been in the inner sanctum of some great old Muskoka resorts……in time for breakfast. What heaven on earth, to smell those glorious breakfasts being served up to guests and campers. Of course all I got, when we arrived (vegetable stained) back to the truck, was another round of cigar eating…..with smoke. It would have been okay, if he hadn't been so damned persnickety about letting me have the window open. He would allow me have the window down, if he could turn the heater on…..which blew the smoke in my face twice as much.
As I've also noted in previous blogs, my wife Suzanne, and her mother Harriet, and father Norman, had been involved in the tourist business as operators of the Windermere Marina, and "The Skipper," upstairs, which was a small summer-time cafe, largely utilized for light lunches and ice cream treats, by cottagers and guests of Windermere House. On the Friday evening of the Victoria Day weekend, the kids with parents coming from the city, tumbled out of the cars to run enthusiastically onto the dock to board the Shirl-Evon the marina's Ditchburn for the trip to the cottage. Norm was always at the helm. Norm's father, Sam, was a painter, who was often employed by the cottage community, and he and Norman, once painted the hull of the steam yacht, "Wanda," when it belonged to the Eaton family of Windermere. To the end of his life, Norm Stripp restored dozens of antique wooden motor launches, mostly for those with cottages. Suzanne worked in The Skipper with her mother, putting in some very long days, and went on to work at a gift shop at Windermere House, and then as a manager of the Pro Shop, at the Windermere Golf and Country Club. As a married couple, we ran a main street shop in Bracebridge, known as Birch Hollow Antiques. We still operate it today, but now in conjunction with our boys vintage music shop, on Muskoka Road, here in Gravenhurst. Yes, our business is local, the way it should be, and we couldn't survive without the support and patronage of the permanent population in our district. We won't lie. Without the six month boost from the vacation season crowd, we'd be a much less significant business. We need the tourist season to pump-up our business figures from year to year. This is a Muskoka tradition. We don't have a problem with it, or having developed a strategy to capitalize on its good graces. But we don't take any commerce, from any source, as being low swinging fruit to harvest at will. We have to work hard to build confidence in our product and service. I really don't think there is any difference, overall, between the demands of the permanent and seasonal population, as far as our business goes. They insist on the best service for the best price. Nothing wrong with that!
My point is, after all this verbiage, our family became immersed in a seasonal economy from the first days of living here. We found out how to survive the off-season, and make the most out of the summer months. We followed the traditions set down by thousands of others in the local labour force, and the business community, permanent and seasonal. It can be a hard summer for a lot of folks, but the argument is….., and has been, "Well, we can relax a bit over the winter months." This isn't as prevalent any more, because the business dynamic has changed, from the 1960's and 70's, and for many business owners, the winters can be quite demanding. Even preparing for the summer blitz requires a lot of off-season dedication and upgrading. Maybe those who look at our lifestyle from afar, would still ask questions like, "So, you'll be hibernating again this winter," or "How do you avoid going stir-crazy without us?" We've heard so many questions and comments like this, since the homesteading years of our region, to just nod, chuckle, and say positive things like, "Hope to see you again next year."
I'm really looking forward to this weekend, and I hope local businesses will be able to report a good and profitable start to the vacation season of 2012. With the lingering recessionary burdens, still limiting the growth of some industries, and business ventures, it would be great to see a return to sustained prosperity, which will translate into more jobs and better income for permanent residents. There's no doubt that ongoing debt problems in Europe, specifically Greece, will have an impact on the economic climate in Canada, and even in Muskoka. Being resourceful and adapting to change is what successful business folk have learned to do, knowing that there is always collateral damage from downturns and, as in the past, world conflict. When you look around at the nicely spruced up businesses, and new installations, store openings, and festivals planned for this spring, summer and fall, you have to feel a little chipper, after all the hard work, that the efforts will be worth it, in the long run.
It pleases a Muskoka historian, and businessman, when folks visit our home district, and feel it was well worth the time and money invested. We're all proud of Muskoka, and we know that it's true what the say. It is "God's Country," and that makes it all the more significant, to share with those who are in need of restoration of body and soul.
Gravenhurst is looking good, and is generally road-construction-free (with minor exceptions). We've had some tough years, with construction, destruction, main street fires, and business woes. So we kind of deserve to feel good about this re-emergence, and everyone looks to be quite eager and prepared for a demanding tourist season. I sense a much more positive outlook, than we've had, at least internally, during the past five years. We've got some bright new investors, who are willing to take a chance on a fine town in South Muskoka. There's an unmistakable vigor and anticipation here, like the artist moving from the easel, to offer the public a wee peak. Will you like what you see?
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