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It's back to the elements at cottages

PATRICK WHITE

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 5:03 PM EDT 26/05/08

Even property owners with access to hydro are going off the grid with solar panels and wind turbines, Patrick White reports ...Read the full article

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  1. can I vote again from around-Kingston, Canada writes: uh-huh

    still way too expensive, nice if you've got lots of money to "play" around with.

    As for "getting away from it all" .. that's called tenting or vacation is for (max 1-2 weeks at best)
  2. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Now show us a nice picture of a massive cottage with a solar panel on top, and two SUVs parked out front that make the 400 km round trip to the lake every weekend. Champagne liberals can assauge their guilt AND keep their big trucks. Everyone wins.
  3. Hap Stokes from Port Alberni BC, Canada writes: You can't fool me with the word 'COTTAGE' anymore.
    For 70 years I have been puzzled by what a cottage was.
    Then Rollo from Brussels explained it to me. (Thanks Rollo)

    Seems lots of Canadians own 'Cottages' only we call them CABINS.
    The word 'Cottage' apparently might be used around Winnipeg too.
    But primarily it is a Toronto or southern Ontario term.
    Even in northern Ontario understand the people say 'cabin' also.

    If you say 'Cottage' we can guess where you are from kiddo.
    For example: on this page there is a Google Ad to sell cottages.
    Bet that Real Estate person lives in S. Ont --Haaay?
    But only a few outside Toronto will know what he is selling--Heey!
  4. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Winnipeggers use the term 'cottage' almost exclusively. If you were to say 'cabin' to a Pegger, they'd get confused, thinking you meant an actual log building way the hell up north in the muskeg someplace. And really, the way people are building these cottages nowadays, they aren't cabins in any sense of the word. They are second homes, and big ones at that. I'm not sure cottage or cabin should be used anymore. Maybe "summer estate" would be a better term. I can just imagine upper crust Peggers saying, "I'm going out to the summer estate this weekend." Gawd, I want to puke.
  5. Hap Stokes from Canada writes: Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Winnipeggers use the term 'cottage' almost exclusively. Got'cha AM--All my life never understood what a 'Cottage' was. And today have overcome my former ignorance (finally).
  6. Hap Stokes from Canada writes: Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Winnipeggers use the term 'cottage' almost exclusively. Got'cha AM--All my life never understood what a 'Cottage' was. And today have overcome my former ignorance (finally).
  7. Hap Stokes from Canada writes: Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Winnipeggers use the term 'cottage' almost exclusively. Got'cha AM--All my life never understood what a 'Cottage' was. And today have overcome my former ignorance (finally).
  8. Terry Terry from brantford, Canada writes: I sure lose a lot of sleep worrying about the hardships that cottagers (or cabiners) face.
  9. Brent St. Pierre from Toronto, Canada writes: 10 year payback on the example provided... Really? Here's another payback calculation: $300 in annual savings ($400 for existing utilities - $100 in propane post conversion). Investment: $11,500 ($10,000 for panels plus $1,500 for gas fridge). Payback: $11,500 / $300 = 38 1/3 years. Patrick White; this is poor journalism. Let's encourage everyone to save the environment and take action through intelligent information (say, from the media). These people have made a terrible decision in buying these panels. Don't encourage others to do the same with shoddy journalism.
  10. 1938371 1938371 from vancouver, Canada writes: Who needs to spend lots of money travelling to a cottage/cabin to get away from it all ony to try and find things to do during the day and after dark. Easy. Live in a small shack in the city with only those amendities, food, clothing, computer, stove and lights - no heat 10 months of the year - and you have the best of both worlds,
  11. Don Quixote from The rainy cool Pollution Belt, Ont., Canada writes: The envy experts hammering down on cottagers forget that cottages were even a decade ago far less expensive, and less luxurious, mostly self maintained and paid for from hard earned money, than in the period after when 'investors', people living 'large' and the city party crowds discovered all the small quiet lakes.
    With the smashing of little old cottages and re-building them with two-storey monster homes, bringing dishwashers, washer & dryers and groomed lawns where there was abundant natural brush and tree growth to even tieniest lakes, not to forget 150 hp plus motor boats to bomb about swilling beer and who knows what other stuff - who of them really cares of either the environment, electricity bills or whatever.
    Like in the suburb the sound of construction crews building is everywhere, taxes follow the pumped pricing up, and of course hydro is charging whatever they can.
    Cabin and Cottage lovers can't but sell out and move further North, start over new, get rid of hydro and invest into propane powered appliances or wind and solar power as in the aticle to maintain a bit of independence.

  12. M. Mark from Victoria, Canada writes: And what are these people doing for the environment by running propane fridges, gas powered generators. When the solar panels wear out after twenty years, are they landfilled? Are they made of potential hazardous materials?
  13. Hap Stokes from Port Alberni BC, Canada writes: 1938371 1938371 from vancouver,
    Don Quixote from The rainy cool Pollution Belt,

    You guys are both 'right on'
    Hey 193, used to know the feeling
    One room shack on 10 acres of Bottomland Farm.
    Always hungry and carrying water to wash/drink. Wood for heat
    Swore I would become a millionaire--and I did.
    Then learned to hate money so much- Chose (some) poverty again

    Now Donnie Q you hit the nail too.
    More n more; bigger and better, always 'moving on' non stop.
    Wonder what Victor Hugo would say about those 'Groomed Lawns'?
    Remember Hugo always poked fun at the clipped English lawns.
    He thought the silly English took Paradise and chopped it UGLY.
    My English wife doesn't agree.
    So that's why I am mowing our lawn in 87 degree heat today.
    All flipping 3 acres of RED n GREEN. Grass green, me sunburned RED.
    Totally convinced we humans are stupider than anybody.

    Think cold BEER was a greater human invention than the Wheel today

    Now Don Q--Obviously those 'Cottage' owners had a DREAM and worked hard to fulfill it. Let them enjoy their dream. Let them live their dream and enjoy it without our envy. A few will outgrow their money madness in time. Unfortunately most will never learn (or fear) to really enjoy life. Who was it said "Money is the root of all evil"?

    You know 193 and Don Q racking my brain to think of all the rich men I have known. Naturally everybody gets wildly happy when they first acquire wealth, but only a few seem to be happy permanently. But those few always seem to be The Good Givers back to society.

    Cheers Guys go swimming at Wreck that will make you happy!
  14. William J Gillies from Canada writes: Brent St. Pierre from Toronto, Canada writes: "Payback: $11,500 / $300 = 38 1/3 years."

    You are assuming costs for standard energy sources stay constant. It ain't gonna happen.
  15. Gerry Pankhurst from westport ontario, Canada writes: Attention cottagers: When you make the trip to the luxury of being a Canadian and therefore being able to own a cottage, think about the cost of the gasoline you will burn to get there and back and cry a little. Many of you will, no doubt, stock up on bottled water to sustain your other life. Now compare the cost per liter between the two commodities and find out the real rip off is the water. Enjoy your summer, but count your blessings.
  16. Steve Church from Canada writes: Brent:- The payback calculation is for the replacement cottage they built that they're now using 12 months a year. The $400 you got was based on the old tar-paper jobby they juiced @ $4.00/month. After reading the article a few more times, and then a few more times, the payback calc worked. hth.
  17. dave houston from toronto, writes: I am tired off hearing about these cottagers. And tired of them clogging the highways to race up to their now "environmentally" Cottages. I wish they would all stay at home
  18. Gordon Murray from Canada writes: There are wind up flashlights now that suggest maybe tasers will some day head in that direction.

    Some of the wind up flashlights are battery powering, for cellphones.
    http://www.eastontario.com/e/#wind up cell charger

    Enough purposes for those and a solar panel and a propane this or that will get one through.
  19. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: A few months ago I saw a CBC documentary about Mozambique and a farm approx. 200 km from civilization where there were two solar panels installed which provided all the comforts of western civilization. I just could not imagine the people owning the 'very ordinary' farm had thousands of dollars to spend on these solar panels. So I researched what I could get in Ontario and emailed a company in my area for an estimate. Imagine my horror when the reply came in at approximately $250,000 ??? Somehow, I just couldn't believe it because in Vermont, according to websites, there are a lot solar companies doing big business even with some government grants. I then emailed Vermont but the only reply I received was that they did not do business in Ontario.
  20. Me in Ontario from Canada writes: Any "Cottagers" hear of candles? I thought the whole idea was to get away from all the regular things of city life like cell phones, tv, radio, computers---emails, etc. Read a book during the day while relaxing by the lake then go have dinner with the family by candle light as you get to know them and catch up from last year.

    Rest, relax and sleep...no tv, phone, computer, radio to disturb you or anyone else. You'll come out of the "Cottage" feeling renergerized at the end of the weekend and summer.

    If solar and hydro are expensive, sell the "Cottage" and stay home, that's a good way of saving money. Get a blow up swimming pool to sit by with your cell phone, laptop, blackberry, tv, radio, microwave and lights all within reach.

    Otherwise, at least get some cheese to go with that whine.
  21. H M from Canada writes: Pshh.....cabins are for the pansies. Tenting is how ya do it! It's called 'devoutly appreciating indoor plumbing' after 5 days without it.

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