<<< Summer 2009 >>>
	The Smilin' Moose - by Rebecca The car is packed suitcases are stacked We are ready to go We pile in My mom wears a grin Where we are headed, I don't know We drive for some time I am losing my mind I finally ask, "are we there yet?" My mom says"soon, We should be there before noon this is a trip, that you won't forget" We leave the road onto dirt and stone And all I see are trees I close my eyes, And hope that the surprise, Is what I want it to be. I open my eyes And there is a surprise when I see some deer running loose My mom gives in She turns with a grin And says "Welcome, to the Smilin' Moose" We stepped out of the car And I knew that we were far from our home in the city We opened the door and stepped onto the floor and then, I felt silly The place was grand bigger than I could understand This wasn't a cottage, this was a house My family came and then it changed it was no longer as quiet as a mouse Kids were bouncing with glee and pranced merrily As they explored their new place There was fun and laughter and a happily ever after You could tell by the looks on their faces It was time to say goodbye to the cottage in the woods The wind was strong but we moved along and we put on our hoods As we drove away I forgot to say I saw more deer running loose So when I'm alone I'll come on home to my friend, the Smilin' Moose. Despite some very wet and cloudy weather we had a blast this week, even managing to take a paddle around the lake! The bear cub caused some excitement, as did the bird by the rainspout :) We had a great time for this, our sixth trip, to the Smilin' Moose. Can't wait to be back!!! Thank you so much for your generous hospitality (Tunney, Braeken, & Swiddle Families July/09) Hilo Piccolo! That's my greeting! Another week has come and gone at the speed of light. I am now 13 years old and I STILL write like a boy! Anyhoo, our week here has been as great as the past years. The only flaws were the rainy weather, and my cold/fever, oh yeah, and my weepy eye. We coped with the rain by doing arts'n'crafts and playing our wii. When it was nice outside, the kids went to the beach, we played badminton and croquet. All in all, a good week. I'm going to miss this place again:) (Rebecca, 13 yrs July/09) (Kapur Family July/09) Our 2nd annual week at the Smilin' Moose, and once again, we have had a wonderful time -great games of badminton, everyone enjoyed fishing, some bites but no fish this year, although Chris had a good sized one on his line but it got away! Of course, the beach was a huge hit - the kids were digging in the sand to "get to China". The swim to the raft was exciting for the kids and Dads too. Some continued on to the island. Those swimming lessons are paying off! We all enjoyed seeing the new baby birds in their nest. I'm sure the mother bird didn't like the intruders. Our weather was quite good until today - our last full day - but that gave us all a chance to wind down and enjoy reading and 'rainy day activities' We pack up tomorrow sad that the week has ended, but certainly happy that we came. Thank you for our stay at your beautiful and well equipped cottage. (Dunn & Stuart Families July/09) All was well at the Smilin' Moose! Only one complaint - the mosquito's are too many and too hungry! We enjoyed the swimming, fishing and boating. The dogs are happy they could be here with us. Sorry that we will not be here to see the wee birds under the eave make their first flight. Their parents are still busy keeping them fed - many dragon flies. A Great week in all!! (Gould, July/09) Arrived with rain, rain, rain!! It stayed like that for 4 days. Well and best equipped cottage we have ever rented (and there have been a few!!) last 23 years. The birds started flying out on the 27th and last one to leave the nest on the 28th. Thank God on the 29th finally the sun came out to help us celebrate mother's 87th birthday and James' brother 61st birthday. The guests were most impressed with the cottage. Sadly enough, fishing did not turn out as hoped for, not even the new fishing rod would help. (in 2 weeks, 2 keepers) pfffff! We did a lot of reading, crosswords, and playing cards - rummoli and 31. The abundance of mosquito's from the rain mad us all change our french perfumes for OFF and Deet! At least no competition for who smelled better. The dutch girls here tried to look after the beautiful flower baskets on the deck like they do at home! We do hope the next visitors will enjoy the nice weather we have now! Warmest regards (The Rose Family, the Netherlands, July-Aug/09 2 weeks) The Smilin' Moose was great! We did tons of cool stuff. We went tubing, fishing, swimming, and lots of other stuff. I love the Smilin' Moose! (Abbey, Aug/09) This weekend we came upon a Cow and Calf (Moose) on a very small island. As we were taking pictures, the Cow took off in the water towards shore and the calf followed. As we turned the corner of the island, we saw the Cow almost on shore, but the calf wasn't even half way to shore yet. All of a sudden, I noticed that the calf wasn't going to make it. As we were heading towards the Calf, it went under a few times. At one point it stopped moving. As we got about 10ft away, it started moving and coming up to the surface again. When we got beside it, all I could see was his ears. I grabbed the Calf by the ears to pull it up a bit and then I lifted the Calf right into the boat. The Calf coughed a few times and started breathing. We rushed to shore to drop it off to Mommy. (McDonald Popkey Fascinato Family, Aug/09)