Thank you to everyone who has been thinking about us, and staying positive during this Covid-19 madness. What a trying time for all. We are uplifted that our guests are staying hopeful and committed while we wait. We understand that This too Shall Pass, but are getting antsy, probably like you.
First, to update our guests on where things are at right now in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The border is closed at this time, and unfortunately we do not have a date that it will re-open. Canada, while they understand the importance of tourism/fishing industry to their economy, is taking pro-active measures right now to contain the spread within their own communities. Bridget's school is closed through the end of April and hopes to re-open May 1st. We are hoping everyone can do his/her part in staying home now so that we can resume our lives that much sooner. We continue to take part in Zoom conferences with Ontario Tourism organizations who will give us updates as they become available.
We are so grateful that to date, we've only had one guest re-schedule. However, we understand that the future is shaky and we will do everything we can to work with you. At this point, if you can remain patient and wait another couple weeks to see where this thing goes, we sure would appreciate it. While mid to late summer bookings aren't as much of an issue right now, we get that our May/early June guests are probably anxious right now. We still hope to be able to provide your planned fishing vacation, and will contact you individually if that no longer becomes possible.
While passing the time, we are trying to stay busy accomplishing Tall Pines tasks. We're working with our design expert in coming up with a few new items for the gift shop. Ryan's been hand-crafting a ton of new jig-heads. Also, here are some pillows that will go in the "new" cabin 2 to match the curtains:
And here are some wooden fish that will eventually serve as towel racks in some of the bathrooms:
Today we've been experimenting with an idea I've had for over a year, but needed Ryan's help to make some custom signs for the cabins:
Here are some pics people took from the sports shows over the last couple months:
Paul Evers and wife Tina joined us and Paul poses for a pic as the winner of the Best Pic of 2019!
Colton and Andrea joined us at Madison and surprised us with their exciting news that they're expecting, while the Carlsons didn't disappoint in showing their enthusiasm for this season!
Had some fun with nephews visiting at Schaumburg and Tinley shows above, and Ryan's proud mom Joyce below
What was great about this year's sports shows was that we knew so many faces this time around, whereas last year almost everyone we met had started out as a stranger. We loved how so many returning guests stopped by the booth to visit and show support- and almost everyone wore something Tall Pines!
And if you didn't know, I put some fish themed activities for kids to do on our website. Please share with your kids, grandkids, nephews, or even do some yourself. I get that we're all feeling cooped up at this point, and hope this can help pass the time. Go to the amenities tab from the website for 10 different ideas!
We've already gotten feedback that many Tall Pines kids have been having fun with the coloring pages- here's Declan's moose:
I also have a weekly Tall Pines Challenge going on the Facebook Page. This week's challenge is to post one of your favorite pics from Tall Pines/Wabaskang that does NOT have people or fish in it! Thanks to so many that have posted- these are great to look at as we dream of getting back up there. I will try and come up with new challenges each week. Next week, we'll have a challenge on posting a pic of someone wearing Tall Pines apparel. Thanks to Brad Harris on that inspiration.
Here's a great new measure of "social distancing": stand 10 cohos apart for safety! (Yes, Ryan found a launch in Indiana that was open for some amazing Lake Michigan fishing)
And saving my favorite for last...The last day before we self-isolated, Ryan and his buddy did some Lake Michigan fishing- they got into some monster size lake trout as you can see from this short, but fun video:
Here's to hoping for a great Tall Pines season filled with fun, fishing, and creating new memories. Stay healthy and hopeful.
-Bridget (and Ryan)