About Grey County, ON

A little update....

Here in Markdale, we have seen two devestating events late this summer that will have long lasting effects on our community. First was the Tornado then the Chapman's fire.

The Tornado was expensive, both to our friends and families and to the Municipality. Those involved will not soon forget the personal and financial toll any time soon.

George St Markdale Cemetary

The fire at Chapman's carried a hefty community toll. With so many in the area directly or indirectly employed here, the ripple effect will be astounding. With the Chapman family's quick response to rebuilding, many breathed a sigh of relief, however, nothing happens overnight.

Things are bound to change. Our daily lives are proof of that. We are resilient and will pull through with flying colours, especially with the help of our friends, family and community.

Local Picture.... Hoggs Falls

Sheri Hill,
Sales Representative
Royal LePage RCR Realty, Brokerage

800-370-2644 www.sherihill.com

If your ever up in the Bruce peninsula area there is a wonderful old mill dam and waterfalls in the little Hamlet of Walters Falls that make a side trip well worth while. Walters Falls is one of seven waterfalls on the 150 kms Grey County's Waterfall Tour.

You just never know who you will run into on a road trip.

After talking pictures of the Falls we drove around town a little and stopped at the corner gas station / general store / restaurant for a soda

The sign caught my eye so I started taking pictures.

This caught the attention of the proprietors Carl and Cathie Eno.

Their web site claims they are not easy to find as ...

"... our roads tend to turn you around a bit. the locals love to watch lost tourists drive by slowly. the favourite sport is predicting how long it will be before there're back again, and which way they will be heading. Instead of driving around town just stop in. We'll make sure you get where your going"

True to form Carl came over and we started to chat about the area one thing led to another and we ended up talking about where they were from. You Guessed it they used to live in Leaskdale, one of the hamlets in the north end of Uxbridge. After spending some time getting Carl up to speed on local Uxbridge folks he knew when he lived here we headed out to check out some of the high points he told us about in our conversation.

Thanks Carl the views were Fantastic.

Hamlet living To learn more about Hamlet Homes for sale in the Durham Region Communities of Uxbridge, Scugog, or Brock and The York Region Communities of Markham, Whitchurch Stouffville and Georgina Check Out My Listing Web Site Or Let Me Find You A Home To learn more about what housing options Uxbridge has to offer; be it condominium or detached homes, in town or rural communities, country homes, estates or farms Just give me a call or Text Me I will respond ASAP However I do not answer when driving or when with Clients

One of the things I've enjoyed most about being part of the Active Rain family is connecting with REALTORS® from all over the continent. There's a dynamic, intelligent and caring community of people in our business and, I've always learned or been inspired by the posts I've read.

Two of the people I've had a chance to meet on a couple of occasions now are Kathy Clulow and her hubby Barrie from Uxbridge, Ontario. Last week they made the very good decision (shameless plug alert) to have a mini-vacation in the Collingwood - Blue Mountain area and we were able to get together for lunch. I always learn something from our conversations and very much enjoy the time spent together.

Kathy shared a few photo's with me from their recent trip. The first was taken at Northwinds Beach in Craigleith which is known as the home of board sailing. Timing is everything and here she captured a kite boarder in mid-flight:

The second shot here is a remarkable capture of the Inukshuk at Sunset Point Park in Collingwood at sunset.

Isn't it awesome? As the Collingwood, Blue Mountain and Wasaga Beach areas are vacation paradises, I'm guessing some of you reading this may also visit our area this summer. Consider this your invitation to lunch!

One of my clients sent me the most beautiful picture a few weeks ago and I'd like to share it with you.

These folks immigrated to Canada from the U.K. in order to improve their quality of life. They bought a lovely rural property on the Niagara Escarpment just south of Collingwood in the stunning, Pretty River Valley. Now, they take the time to smell the roses so to speak and, they notice things others may take for granted.

Case in point: on a walk down their country road one night a few weeks ago, they took this picture which looks north from their home toward Georgian Bay. You can clearly see the yellow glow of lights over Collingwood and the white hues over the night ski runs at Blue Mountain.

Of course, you can't help but notice the stars.

My client wanted to take the same picture last night during Earth Hour but alas, it was too cloudy and he couldn't get a shot. I wonder what it may have looked like. I know that our neighbourhood was 70% dark. How about yours?

A few weeks ago, I learned a lesson in the obvious. It was a lesson about how easily we can sometimes take things forgranted.

While showing properties in Blue Mountain to some buyers who were here from Asia, one of them asked me what the difference was between a cottage and a chalet. It seems that in our discussions and in her research about Ontario real estate, the two terms came up at different times and she was curious.

It got me thinking about how I intrinsically just know the difference but it was challenging to explain in a way that made sense when I said it out loud. So, since then I did a little homework on Google and interestingly, the terms have different usages in different parts of the world.

Generally speaking, Webster's Dictionary defines a chalet as "A wooden dwelling with a sloping roof and widely overhanging eaves, common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions." In our part of Ontario, we typically refer to any mountain-oriented, recreational homes as chalets. For example, a stucco dwelling used for vacations and week-ends would typically be called a chalet around here. I've even heard many people refer to their condominium as their chalet.

In Canada, the term "cottage" usually refers to a vacation or summer home, often located near a body of water. However, according to a reference on Wiki, this type of property is more commonly called a "cabin" in Western Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, a "chalet" in Quebec, and a camp in Northern Ontario, New Brunswick and in some northern US states. Here in the Collingwood area, people tend to call a waterfront, vacation home a cottage. A small and humble rural property might be referred to as a cabin.

"I'm going to the chalet this week-end to do some skiing" or, "We're going to the cottage this summer" are phrases you'll hear often. Very generally, the location and seasonal use will dictate the default term used.

When you think about it, it's not a wonder that someone who grew up outside of Ontario may become confused about these terms. Either way, they are very nice to have!