Autumn Anecdotes and Mahogany Memories

There has not been much to report this week as the days are getting too short and migrants are thinning out.  For me, this is the time I like to look for things on the lake or late migrants.

Blue-headed Vireo

The leaves are falling and summer plants are disappearing.

Prairie Dock

I find Thanksgiving weekend always interesting, so we will see what comes along.  We get too many southerly winds in the fall anymore, so I spend more time along Lake Erie!


On Tuesday of this week, something of historical interest (at least to me) occurred.  During the lunch hour, I was asked to come outside to look at a mahogany boat that just arrived.  It was somewhat of an emotional moment as I saw a familiar boat from Muskoka.

It was Shirley McIntyre's 18' Mac-Craft of which I was very familiar.  Faithful blog readers will recall that every couple of summers I would visit our friend Shirley on Browning Island on Lake Muskoka.  Sadly, she passed away last December.
The name, Aiverley 1, as you see on the transom, was a combination of three names: AIleen (Shirley's mother), VERnard (her father) and ShirLEY.  I hope the name is retained!

McIntyre boathouse and cottage

I thought I would never see that boat again, but there it was.  Actually I knew it was coming at some point, as I had informed a local fellow that it was for sale.  He went ahead and bought the boat!

Aiverley 1 at Leslie Rue's place on Browning Island

The significance of this day was that this boat (built in Wallaceburg in 1941 and sold to the McIntyre family of Toronto) had come home after 78 years!  It was purchased through the well-known Toronto boat broker, William Olglevie.
Interestingly, it was not transported directly to Muskoka, but was somehow run up through the Trent-Severn during delivery.
It always had good care under the ownership of Shirley McIntyre.

The homecoming certainly brought back some fond memories of my visits in Muskoka and with Shirley.