#36 - Review 2020
The
year without a summer
Dear Friends and Guests
It all started nice and peacefully. At the beginning of the year a cold
and snowy winter reigned at Frances Lake. Yet before snow and
ice melt
set in, dark clouds moved up on the global skies. A tiny little virus
put mankind to the test. But here at Frances Lake – far away from it
all – the idyll seemed untroubled. And it was indeed, except for no one
could come out here…
 
Due to the ubiquitous Covid-19 measures and border
restrictions we
couldn’t receive any guests at our lodge this
summer. At least no human
guests. But all the more animal visitors stopped by. Not only
mosquitoes, but various different kinds which we normally don’t see
very often. Lynx regularly lingered around the
lodge property without
fear. Beaver patrolled the bay unabashedly cutting
down shrubs and
trees. By now, we know at least four active beaver territories within
1-2 km of our lodge.
 
And the best: within close proximity to the lodge three pairs
of birds
built their nest and it was lovely watching them for weeks raising
their young until they were fully fledged. Spotted Sandpipers
were breeding
directly in front of the lodge stairs, Lincoln’s Sparrows
had their
tiny little grass nest in a nearby scrub and Barn Swallows
were
breeding for the first time out here under the awning of the workshop
building. We really hope the swallows will return year after year, as
they devour enormous amounts of mosquitoes directly in front of our
doors…
 
Speaking of mosquitoes: the past summer made other headlines too. It
was by far the rainiest, coldest and also buggiest
summer we ever had
out here, which is cold comfort for all those that couldn’t travel to
the
Yukon this year. Nevertheless, we could carry out many chores which
were postponed during the last few busy guest seasons. And of course,
for once we could lay back and enjoy the great outdoors at Frances Lake
for ourselves. The following images shall visualize
the pristine beauty
of summer and fall at Frances Lake.
       
And now what? Due to the current situation everything is very uncertain
and we cannot make any predictions at all. Thus, our lodge remains
closed until further notice and we won’t take any reservations at this
time. As everyone else, we hope for better times.
We wish you – dear friends and guests – all the best and stay healthy!
Kind regards,
Andrea & Martin Laternser
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