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Rhonda's Report, 8364 Mule Team Trail, Atlanta, FL (2025)

06/26/2025

Beach Bash is coming and now that the extreme heat is over, we are hoping for a great weekend July 4 through 6. Kicking it off on Friday is the Pickleball Tournament at 9 a.m. at the campground courts. If fishing is more your game, you and the kids can register for the Bluegill Derby at 9:30 a.m. at the beach. Or for the little ones, a “Duck, Duck, Loon” game will entertain on the Ranch House lawn at noon.

Later, older kids and adults will vie to win at the volleyball tournament at 5 p.m. The Strawberry Shortcake Festival also runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the beach pavilion. This deliciousness is run by the Recreation Committee, for just $5. To work it off, come over afterward to the ballfield for Corn Hole at 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 5, we start at 7:45 a.m. with a 5k fun run/walk at the rifle range. At 8 a.m., kids 9-17 meet at the Ranch House for their “Duck, Duck, Loon” game, ending on Sunday. Also from 8 a.m. to noon, the Ladies Auxiliary hosts a delicious bake sale and library book sale. Come out to munch on sweets while browsing hundreds of books for $1 per bag. Mysteries, fiction, non-fiction, and more will add to your holiday reading. Also, the shooting range hosts s***t and trap shoots from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

While this is going on, kids can build sand sculptures at the beach from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Because only member-stickered vehicles will be allowed to park at the beach, volunteers are running a taxi from the Ranch House. Tie-dyed beach bash t-shirts will be available at $25, and food trucks will tempt your taste buds starting at 10 a.m. through 8 p.m.

The noon bike parade is something all the kids can’t wait to ride in, decorating with streamers, patriotic themes, and costumes. Arrive at the beach basketball courts to register no later than 11:45. We will also have an axe-throwing event hosted by Northern Michigan Axe Throwing, a premier DJ, and a photo booth available.

Exciting games at the ballfield will happen all day: potato sack and wheelbarrow races, egg toss, tug-of-war, water balloons, super soaker shooting, rubber chicken and bean bag tosses. Face painting also will make everyone look festive under the pavilion.

In addition, there will be canoe, kayak, paddle boat, and tube races at the beach. Sign up under the blue canopy by 3 p.m. To end the day, raffle winners will be announced and veterans will march down as we lower the flag in the evening.

Sunday features the Bob Ross painting classes in the Bickley room at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. There is a 3-D shoot at the archery range at 9 a.m., while the shooting range will have a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. s***t shoot. We will announce the older kids’ “Duck, Duck, Loon” winner.

In all, Beach Bash is the exciting event of the year. Sea all members and guests at the beach, where we will all be beachy keen! Don’t worry, beach happy!

06/19/2025

Pollination is in full force as hummingbirds and bees are finding flowers all over the ranch, whether in pots or in fenced in-plots. Our resident beekeepers, Paula Rivard and Cathy Voorheis, report that they have enlarged the hives to make room for honeycomb. They are also using organic products to contain mite parasites. Hummingbirds are landing on the purple and red flora and carrying pollen with them after they have drunk the flowers’ nectar. Looks like we will have a sweet summer!

Indeed, members and guests are invited to head over to the campground on Saturday, June 28 for the sweet “Pork Bash & Pie Auction” from noon to 2 p.m. Pies are still being accepted for the fundraising auction, and bids are expected to be extremely fruitful. Delicious roasting pork can be smelled for a mile, so save your appetite!

More sweet stuff is anticipated at the Recreation Committee’s Strawberry Shortcake Festival on Friday, July 4, 5 to 7 p.m. at the beach pavilion. Saturday, July 5, the Ladies Auxiliary is having a bake sale starting at 8 a.m. Pick up some sweet cakes, donuts, brownies, cookies, pies, and more for your morning breakfast or weekend dessert.

The Ladies Auxiliary library book sale during the bake sale will enhance your beach and cabin reading pleasure! There are a variety of subjects to pick from, both fiction and non-fiction, including new releases. So bring some dollars and pick up something interesting!

Beach bash kids’ fun starts Saturday, too, with Sand Sculpture Building, Super Soaker Shooting, Chicken, Bean Bag, and Egg Tossing, Potato Sack and Wheelbarrow Racing, and the Tug of War. Face Painting is also planned. Veterans will march down the hill when the flag is lowered in the evening and taps will be played. On Sunday, there will be Bob Ross Painting Classes.

Canada Creek Ranch shotgun ranges – Trap, S***t, and Five-stand – are open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2 p.m., staffed with pullers, targets, and scorekeepers at a cost of $7 per 25 clay targets. If members have their own clay pigeons and throwers, they can use the range anytime. Other rifle and archery ranges can be used anytime also, unless there is a special shoot. We know we have great shooters on the ranch, including some Annie Oakleys, so join in!

The Wine Tastings, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary and hosted by sommelier Lindsay Miller, have been well-attended. Participants brought charcuterie to the June meeting, and Lindsay supplied interesting white wine from different locations around the world. Next month’s is planned for July 15 as “Christmas in July.”

Yoga is in swing in the Bickley room on Wednesday evenings at 7 and chair yoga on Thursday mornings at 9 a.m. Though the last time many of us stretched like that was at Twister, we are all enjoying strengthening our flexibility. Then instead of being a round old bagel, we can be flexy pretzels. Peace and happiness to you this week.

06/12/2025

Yellow waterlily buds can be spotted near Ruppel Dam. Turtles are crawling across the roads, so watch for them while driving. Fawns are chasing their mamas, and flowers are swinging high to discourage deer interlopers. Bear sightings have increased in the residential area. Life is picking up here at the ranch.

When’s the last time you’ve been out back? Life is popping out there, too, with porcupines, badgers, and elk. Ferns carpet the forest floor, and trees are trying to cover up their broken bits. A ride around sunset by rye field three and four will offer dozens of deer and great colors as dusk settles in. If you need a map to prevent getting lost, the ranch house can provide.

The conservation committee is working hard to replant and analyze tree life and damage. Using drone footage, they will compare the before and after. They are still calling for volunteers to clear trails, and Jeff Miller can be contacted for details.

The CCR Book Club met to talk about the Grand Canyon, discussing “A Walk in the Park” by Kevin Fedarko. Special guest and CCR member, Beverly Braye, presented her photos and article about her walk in the canyon, and member Misty Kemp, related her camping and hiking there.

Misty is also beginning yoga sessions at the ranch. She is offering a beginning restorative class in the morning, and another session in the evening for those who can do the floor yoga and may be working during the day. Contact the office for the days and times, as they are still being worked out.

Long time member Peggy Bollaert, wife of Ray Bollaert and sister of CCR members Tammy McVeigh and Deidre (Dee) Fischer, recently passed away after a long illness. She is also survived by daughters and CCR members Jodi, Lisa, and Jamie. She was a well-known quilter with the Thunder Bay Quilt Club, and often taught others to sew, quilt, knit, and crochet. A memorial will celebrate her life at a later date.

The beach bash weekend is coming! On Friday, the fourth of July, a pickleball tournament will be held. Contact Don Herzog for details. Later, the Recreation Committee will serve up a strawberry shortcake festival at the beach pavilion from 5 to 7 p.m. The Ranch House Grille will have its famous fish fry that night also. Corn hole will be played at its usual time, 7:00 pm.

Then on Saturday, July 5, the bake and book sale will start at 8 a.m. Fun and games will also begin with sand sculpting, kids’ games, food, and music. Volunteers are still needed to help with the games, so contact Kathy Geister at the Ranch House.

One last thing: Montmorency Township has changed the hours for the “Green Box” (trash receptacles near the South Entrance) to just two days: Wednesdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Russ is at your disposal for any trash talking there. Peace and happiness to you!

06/05/2025

Unfurling ferns, robin nests in rafters, and squirrels chewing on maple helicopters are all signs that spring is firmly established and moving into summer. Geneva’s water is warming and speckled with floating lily pads. Members are picking up the last of broken limbs on their lots, but there is still much to be done.

However, fun is to be had. Golf courses around here are lush, and the Baggy Pants golf outing is gearing up for June 15 on Father’s Day. This is a 4-person scramble event at Thunder Bay Golf Resort, and includes 18 holes, cart, meal, and games on the course for $100. Also there will be a 50/50 drawing, a mulligan pot, and skins games. To join this Historical Committee fundraiser, call Earl Sowers at 517-614-2066.

The Ladies Auxiliary is sponsoring the Wine Tasting on June 17 at 7 p.m. in the Bickley room. Participants are to bring a charcuterie item this time, and the wine will be supplied, for $10. The Ladies also are spreading the goodwill of CCR by making more t-shirt bags on June 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ranch for the Saturday Atlanta Farmers’ Market

We’re looking forward to one of the biggest events of the year, the Beach Bash, which is July 5. First off is the library’s book sale and the bake sale, which begin at 8 a.m. Buy books for next to nothing while breakfasting on brownies, cookies, breads and more. Then there will be kids’ games, music, volleyball, and fun in the sun on the beach.

The Auxiliary is continuing the food donations for the Caring Place in Atlanta, with a tub at the Ranch House entrance. In addition, we will be donating hygiene products for the “Just in Case” packets, distributed at the high school. “File of Life” packets and forms were distributed at the last meeting, and anyone can get one by contacting Janet Edwards. These list medications, contacts, and more to be kept on hand for emergency purposes.

We are sad to report that member Joan Ames recently passed away. Her funeral will be at St. Augustine’s in Hillman, Monday, June 9, at 11 a.m. with visitation beforehand and on Sunday the 8th from 4-6 p.m. Joan was married to Tom Ames for 59 years, and is survived by him, her son Matt, and her daughter Katie Sypek. Another daughter, Jennifer, passed away before Joan. Joan is fondly remembered for her card-playing skills in bridge and euchre for many years. She loved the Ranch and the people in it, and we will miss her.

Some people hold their cards close to their chest, and spring on you at the last minute. Joan was one such player in euchre, and you could never know how she would play. But in life and in euchre, it’s not about the hand you’re dealt, it’s how you play it. Peace and happiness in all of your work and play.

05/30/2025

Dragonflies are flitting about, promising more summer-like temperatures and taking care of the remnants of unwanted gnats and midges. Members are enjoying activities and events around the ranch: pickleball is in full swing, and the Memorial weekend events were fun, with around 70 kids participating in the Beach Treasure Hunt. People also learned fly-fishing skills, and the dining room was full each night.

Initially the first co****le was cancelled due to a rainy day on Friday, but then rescheduled for Sunday evening. Sixteen teams showed up, with the Joe Squared team winning first in the recreational division, and Creek Siders winning first in the competitive division.

Paula Rivard reports that the new bee hives are thriving and growing larger, in spite of cooler temperatures at night. We hope to grow these colonies to help pollinate trees and wildflowers on the ranch. In other areas on the ranch, members might see webbing on trees. These are not gypsy moth webs, as they do not make silken sacks. They are probably Eastern tent caterpillars, which may defoliate some trees, but damage is usually temporary.

On June 11, Women of the Wild (sponsored by Ladies Auxiliary) invite all to join them hunting rocks and fossils at Rockport Quarry. Participants will meet at the Ranch House at 9 a.m. and should wear sturdy shoes (which may become wet) and sunscreen. Also good provisions are hats, rock bags, any drinks or snacks, and walking sticks. The group will stop for lunch in Rogers City afterward.

Speaking of wild things, we strongly advise all who use the lake to avoid the loon nest on Lake Geneva. Disturbing it by rowing too close will scare loons away, and they may not return. Please educate all of your children and guests of this – there is plenty of lake for all to enjoy without making the loons vacate their nest.

Also in the wild are bear sightings in the residential area, searching for the occasional bird feeder. These bears will tear down decks, gates, fences, and more trying to reach anything that resembles food to them. Lock down any trash cans, and watch your puppies when you let them out at night.

On Thursday, June 12, at 9 a.m., a new weekly class of restorative yoga begins. As it is a beginner level, all are invited to the Bickley room with yoga mats. Focus will be to practice easy positions and prioritize relaxation and breathing techniques.

We’re looking forward to July events also on Beach Bash weekend. So far the Recreation Committee’s Strawberry Shortcake Festival and a Pickleball Tournament are being planned for July 4. Bring $5 to the beach pavilion and enjoy strawberries and cakes from 5-7 pm after working up your appetite on the courts. Contact Don Herzog to join in the tournament at 248-207-3894.

So get berry excited about up north CCR fun, and have fun camping, hiking, or whatever rows your boat. We’re here for the s’mores and more! Peace and happiness!

05/23/2025

Baby animals are appearing this spring – fawns, turtle hatchlings, badger cubs, fox pups (or kits), and soon goslings and loonlets. Spring is opening tree leaves as they cover all the ice storm breakage, helping us forget about harsh April.

Nearly all members are connected to utilities that took a massive lineman effort. Those who went without internet for a while should be seeing credits, and electric bills are smaller for this month. We continue to have furnaces running, though, as temperatures are in the forties at night. Because of that, those who are planting or putting out flowers should cover them to prevent damage.

Members are encouraged to move debris on any trails to the side if they can, whether out back or in the residential area. Though much has been taken care of, a few days of high winds have shaken down hanging limbs. Salvage areas may look devastating to some, but necessary cuts are taking care of downed trees and jack pine overgrowth, mostly at the south gate and Pete Trail areas.

So far, tree brush has not deterred turkey hunters as they continue to bag some very nice gobblers. In addition, hunters can practice archery skills, as the archery committee has targets in place. Also the rifle range is open.

Tree brush may deter the winter Trek and Trail, however, and the recreation committee is asking members to help. On Friday, June 6, they will meet at the campground pavilion at 11 a.m. to be assigned a section to clean up. In addition, several areas of the Creek are impassable, so those who are able and have waders and saws, please consider helping where possible.

Other summer recreation is happening around the ranch: Corn hole is every Friday at 7 p.m. on the Ranch House lawn. The cost is $5 and prizes are awarded, along with this being a fundraiser for the Recreation Committee. Pickleball players are now meeting at the campground courts on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 9 a.m. Tai Chi and exercise groups meet in the Bickley room every week. Bridge and poker players are always looking for more participants on Tuesdays.

Campground events include the annual Pork Bash and Pie Auction on June 28. The Ladies Auxiliary meet the first Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. Projects they coordinate include the library, wine tastings, Women of the Wild events, the gift shop, food bank, and t-shirt farmers’ market bags. The Conservation committee meets the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m.

The historical committee is looking forward to the Baggy Pants golf outing on Father’s Day, June 15, so if you’re looking for a gift, buy dad a ticket! Contact Earl Sowers (517) 614-2066, or Rick Otto (989) 237-8091.

Remember, the best thing about us here is member participation. Once when I stopped going to a Scrabble group, they started sending me threatening letters. So keep playing and enjoying the Ranch events and happenings! Peace and happiness!

05/15/2025

It’s beginning to seem like we live in the land of the midnight sun at the Ranch. The light of the sunset can still be seen at 10 p.m., and 6 a.m. is the new sunrise, though we are not even at summer solstice yet. It also appears that we just lost April to the Ice-mageddon of 2025. Daffodils have popped their heads all over, though, as a reminder of the planting done decades ago by the Ladies Auxiliary. In case you thought those were all wild, now you know they are happy blossoms from ranch volunteers.

The lakes are also happy, glistening with the sunlight and reflecting trees that are now leafing out. Kayaks float around Lake Geneva’s Deer Island in a peaceful Zen, and trout of all colors are still caught in Little Joe. Loons are calling all vacationers to come up north!

May begins many happenings here at the Ranch. Recently, we had the Adopt-A-Highway pickup, and the Wine Tastings are underway on May 20. Ranch House Grille is open for business. The Mother’s Day Brunch was a big hit, and we look forward to more enticing offerings. The Memorial Tree Planting is Saturday, May 17.

The CCR Book Club met with a strong attendance, as members were eager to finally talk about James by Percival Everett. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a parallel to Mark Twain’s Huck Finn, told from Jim’s perspective. The group gave it a resounding approval rate – a near-perfect score.

So many activities are upcoming on Memorial Day weekend, first of which is the beginning of summer co****le on the Ranch House lawn on Friday, May 23. Anyone can join in the fun, and if you don’t have a partner, they will team you with someone. The cost is $5, and it begins at 7 p.m., though you should get there 15 minutes early.

Then on Saturday, May 24, the campground committee is hosting a pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the campground pavilion. For $10, you will get a stack of hotcakes and contribute to their efforts. Children are $5.

Get on the list, or pick it up, at the Ranch House for the Memorial Day weekend garage sales and pick up a treasure. On Sunday, May 25, kids can go to the beach for the Beach Sand Treasure Hunt by arriving at 11:45 a.m.

Looking ahead in June, the Ladies Auxiliary will carpool on June 11 at 9 a.m. to the Rockport Quarry south of Rogers City, hunt for rocks and fossils, and then lunch in Rogers City. Also, the monthly wine tasting will take place June 17 in the Bickley Room.

On Father’s Day, June 15, the Historical Committee sponsors the annual Baggy Pants Golf Outing at Thunder Bay Golf Resort. Entry is $100 per golfer and includes 18 holes, cart, meal, and prizes. Sign up with the Thunder Bay ProShop or Earl Sowers at 517-614-2066.

And unlike someone who went fishing, a golfer can lie without having to bring anything home for proof. Peace and happiness!

05/08/2025

Canada Creek Ranch is built on the volunteerism of its members, and it was extremely evident from the work it took to clean up the ranch and plant new trees.

This month many gathered at the chestnut grove by rye field four to plant a multitude of trees - the first ever CCR nursery. Atlanta school students showed up and helped with this effort. CCR volunteers blessed the grove, put trees and fertilizer and dirt in bucket holes, and gathered for a lunch.

Even more volunteers quietly picked up branches and sawed trunks that lay in the trails or on their neighbor’s property. So many vehicles carried chainsaws or were hitched to a trailer.

Volunteers also began meetings in their committees this month after being suspended in April. The Ladies Auxiliary, of which each female member of the ranch is included, met to plan upcoming events, one of which is a field trip on June 11 to Rockport Park, south of Rogers City, to go looking for rocks and fossils. This is open to all members of CCR.

The recreation committee also is planning the beach sand treasure hunt on Sunday, May 25. Kids can dig in the sand mounds at noon for coins to keep!

Joe Moleski, another great volunteer, invites all to a fly fishing clinic on Saturday, May 24 at 10 am also at the beach. In addition, volunteers also can gather May 14 at 9 am at the Ranch House for the Adopt-A-Highway cleanup.

Paula Rivard is heading up a bee pollinator project for our new hives. She is asking members to use plants that promote pollinators and to avoid bee-harmful herbicides. Plants can be researched on the MSU extension website.

The archery committee recently cleaned up and prepared the range, and targets are now in place. For more recreation, pickleball begins soon on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 9 am.

The book club was postponed in April, but on May 13 meets to discuss “James” by Percival Everett, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel.

Several theater workshops will be presented by Viva Anderson in July, for ages Kindergarten through adult. Call the Ranch house to sign up and get the cost.

The Ranch House Grille is open and on Fridays will again feature the fish fry. After you eat, come out to outdoor co****le, which is starting again on Friday, May 23 at 7 pm.

Speaking of holes, we have new fox pups in their “hole” of a den located in the “bowl.”Hummingbirds are back, several members have reported. And so are bears! Remember to take your bird feeders in, at least during the night, to prevent damage.

Even Goldilocks has had it with the Bears and has switched to the Tigers. Can’t blame a girl for rooting for “just-right” winners. Peace and happiness.

05/02/2025

Loons and turtles and peepers, oh my! May creatures act as if nothing ever happened to their drastic surroundings. No, Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas, but in Great Northern Michigan, trees are budding, daffodils are out en force, and loon pairs are calling on at least three of our lakes. Fat turtles and squirrels are crossing the roads, so let them reach the other side. Peepers (frogs) begin their musical night creaking around 4 p.m.

Rains are quieting the fire warnings a little, but no burning is still a good idea as we continue the cleanup of so much timber. Those just arriving north will note it doesn’t look so bad, but hours, days, and weeks have gone into clearing trails and roadsides. The brush pile is pushed back nightly, and each time reaches over twelve feet in height, with more areas opened up also.

Canada Creek Regional Foundation has a storm recovery fund, which matches your donation, doubling the amount to help us recover from the ice storm. Donors can go to ccrf501.com or contact one of the directors here at the ranch.

Looking past the cleared trails out back, one can see the damage lying in the woods. Deer are searching for food in cleared areas, so watch for their crossing. Where one has jumped in front of you, look for another from the same direction.

If you are walking in the woods or around the lake, it’s time for tick prevention. Check your pups before they come into the house. Washing clothes in permethrin, tucking your pant legs into your socks, and spraying with DEET will help keep them off of you. Avoid high grasses, and in your yard use pet-friendly sprays. Also clean up wood piles and dead leaves. Eliminate wet areas on your lots.

After all this work, don’t forget to have some recreational fun! Turkey hunters have brought in prize gobblers. Joe and Ben Moleski are offering a fly fishing clinic on May 24 at 10 a.m. at the beach pavilion, including a hands-on casting session. Also at the beach on May 25, the Recreational Committee will host the Beach Sand Treasure Hunt for kids at noon.

Our Ranch House Grille is now open Thursday 4-8 pm, Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday for brunch buffet until noon, AND Monday evenings 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. New menus include breakfast wraps, quesadillas, and grinders, avocado and eggs, scrambles and more. Lunch will tempt you with appetizers, great salads, burgers, soups, and wraps. Entrees for dinner include chicken, fish, and steak – you choose! And the famous pizza will be available starting May 11, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Don’t forget Mom on her day! Maybe she’s the one who introduced you to CCR, so let’s be thankful. And though she thought about losing you in the woods a few times or leaving you in a dark outhouse to fend for yourself, mom always came to the rescue. Peace and happiness!

Rhonda's Report

06/26/2025

06/19/2025

06/12/2025

06/05/2025

05/30/2025

05/23/2025

05/15/2025

05/08/2025

05/02/2025

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