Here it is, the end of another busy year. We are just back from a nice warm getaway to Cuba, very glad to be able to support them in any way we can. They are such wonderful kind people, living in paradise but also extremely trying conditions. A three hour flight from Toronto to the most beautiful beach! We also enjoyed a road trip to Stratford for a stage show- Jamie saw Twelfth Night while Jim and I had a great time seeing Something Rotten- very fun!! A weekend in Guelph with Sean and Isabella plus a few nights with Jim and Linda in Royal Oak capped off a fun trip.
It was a long, beautiful autumn season here- nice weather and cooperative fish. Phil, Angie, Dan and Sondra had great days on Tunnel with some huge bass. Kathleen caught a 39” Jobam pike. Mr Barred Owl serenaded us on many evenings while Slick the bear checked things out. Duke had a fun summer on the beach but is still having issues with squirrels and chipmunks- how dare they run in front of him? Mrs ruffed grouse has taunted him on a daily basis, often following us up to the Lodge and approaching him, looking for a fight! The last official swim was posted by Jamie on September 12. Wayne and Linda had some great Jobam smallmouth days in September too. The northern lights gave us an amazing show the first week of October.
Highway 129 got a huge facelift this summer! What a great job- very smooth drive now from Thessalon to the Outpost!! We had many nice beach days with temperatures around the 30C mark on many days, in fact it reached 35C (95F) on August 1!! The rain kept things barely moist but enough to have no fire restrictions. Summer was hot and windy!! Jobam produced some nice fish!! The Outpost dining room was busy with both vacationers and area folk.
The spring arrived early with ice out April 11- Jamies birthday! It is always nice to get a few extra weeks to prepare. Actually the whole winter was crazy starting with the first green Christmas 2023. Snow was hit and miss making for a difficult winter for the Bon Soo carnival, ski hills and anyone wanting to participate in outdoor activities. Jim bought a wood splitter and a pole chainsaw and both had a good workout. We also hired a company from Thessalon to take down one of our old black spruce trees which survived the tornado but was located in a tight spot between cottage #4 and the Lodge. Just amazing to watch- down and chipped in less then an hour. Jenna and Colin from The New Fly Fisher spent a great week with us- keep an eye on their site for Outpost footage! We will miss you, Colin.
With Christmas just around the corner, we would like to send our best wishes to all for a safe and happy time with family and friends. We will be in the Soo with Jamie for a few days then back to the Lodge. Thank you everyone for making the Outpost your choice for a relaxing fun, fishing vacation. Hope to see you in 2025!!
Love to all, Jim, Ann, Jamie, Sean, Isabella and DUKE!
