At Shamrock Lodge, we are about family.  That is a simple statement that means so much and it holds true every day.  The Bryant family took over a business over thirty years ago that is all about providing a place that families can come together and make memories, summer after summer, year after year.

We have met some amazing people along our journey and this year we wanted to do something to give back so we are starting the first of what we hope to be an annual Shamrock Lodge Toy Drive.

We are reaching out to local residents of Muskoka as well as our treasured visitors and future guests from all across the map to help in our crusade to give families in Muskoka who struggle through the holidays a helping hand and make their season a little brighter. We are asking all of you to donate a new, unwrapped toy or…

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see – Thoreau

(image courtesy of dreamstime.com)

The panorama of our lives is directly proportionate to the depth of beauty we allow ourselves to ingest.  Our lives are like a Kaleidoscope pattern and the aesthetics of that pattern, although they evolve constantly, still enchant us and give us new perspective in each shape that is created.  The colors become richer, deeper in hue, and the beauty is carried over from one frame to the next.

The true beauty that we see does not come from looking at the picture as a whole, but by dissecting the pieces and finding the unique qualities that combine in those fragments to create that spectral portrait.   The attraction to the harmonious blend of colors cannot be appreciated without recognizing the million tiny little shards of color that make up the sum of…

Dearest Ellen,

Hello. How are you? That’s great to hear, seriously. Listen, I know you’ve got a full plate in front of you right now (Okay, maybe not literally; you don’t look like you eat that much, to be honest. However, I stand by the statement.), especially considering how many challenges you have to deal with right now.

• Voicing animated fish is no mean feat. (How do they record your voice underwater anyway?)
• Arranging for Sofía Vergara to be “accidentally” deported so you can be the reigning CoverGirl has to be a lot of work.
• Teaching millions of people to dance like no one is watching while hosting a kick-butt talk show must be exhausting. And sweaty, no doubt.

Normally I use this forum to write about my life as a bellman in Niagara Falls, but today I want to write to you from my heart.

I’ve been married to…