Meet The Team

One of the two Brits on the team, I get continually teased for using weird language like saying ‘lorry’ instead of ‘truck’, and going to get ‘petrol’ instead of ‘gas’…and don’t get me started on the difference between trousers and pants! I’ve owned and managed six rental cottages so know what its like to be on the owner side of the business, and also stay in as many vacation rentals as I can to experience being a guest. A proud grandma, pet lover, paddleboarder and wannabee triathlete, I love living in Muskoka in the beautiful town of Huntsville.

While I love Muskoka, my favourite part of Cottage Country is Eastern Ontario because parts of it remind me of England with rolling hills and farmland, but it still has areas of Canadian Shield, forests and remote lakes.

Introduced to the the world of cottage life as a child on the shores of Lake Huron near Kintail, I will always have a yearning for the peace and serenity that comes with seeing the blues of the sky and the water laid out before me. and for the reconnection with family that a getaway allows.

On any given weekend from April through early July, you are likely to find me somewhere on what I call my “great circle” route – bounded by Highways 11, 400 and 124 (yes, I KNOW it is more triangle shaped, but…) – meeting with owners and collecting information and photos for marketing their cottages. I have to say that it is a wonderful way to spend a day in the office.

Pretty well smack in the middle of that “great circle” route, off Hwy 518 between Huntsville and Parry Sound, is where you’ll find Bear Lake, and with it my own personal little bit of cottage Heaven. While it is a wonderful place to experience cottage life, it also provides a great base from which to serve our clients in the area.

The people here at CLRM have this idea that I am fully conversant with technology so I spend some time working on the website and back office technical things as well.

When not playing matchmaker for cottage owners and cottage guests, I love getting out on my bike and pedaling in the countryside. I’ve circled both Lakes Erie and Ontario this way, and have pedaled along the St. Lawrence all the way to Quebec City, and I can tell you that it is a unique and magical way to explore the waterfront.

I’m the other ex-Brit and now a proud Canadian. We bought our first cottage while we were still living in England and fell in love with Canada and Cottage Country. Therefore the decision to move to Canada permanently was an easy one to make. After 35 years of military service in the Royal Air Force, with the last 10 years spent in an underground headquarters bunker, having an office overlooking peaceful waterfront in deepest Cottage Country took some getting used to. That said, the change of scenery and pace of life has worked wonders and the fact that the LCBO sold my favourite UK beer at 50c cheaper than I could buy it in England (just 5 miles from the brewery) was icing on the cake! Now, after 19 years in Canada, my acclimatisation is more or less complete and I can now type “inquiry” and “tire” without wincing and only rarely lapse into saying “lorry” (truck) and “shopping trolley” (cart)!

I grew up in Toronto, moving to the country when I was an adolescent, so fully appreciate the “draw” to cottage country our rental guests have. I work from my home office on our family dairy farm in Northumberland County where our children are the 5th generation to proudly farm our homestead.

There is nothing like the great outdoors of rural Ontario! Such a variety of beautiful landscapes from plains to hills to breath-taking rock cuts; all dotted with an abundance of lakes and rivers. Not to mention the multitude of unique small towns inhabited with delightful, friendly locals.

My favourite pastime is going for a drive with my husband where we’ll have no destination – we just drive – and are never disappointed with each new area, or town we come across!

Going up to the cottage was a huge part of my childhood and has continued to be a major influence in my life. So much so, that my husband and I got married at a cottage resort on Rice Lake in 2015 and moved to the border of the Kawartha’s a few years ago.

Travelling has always been important to me; being able to experience vacation rentals throughout our province and taking in all that Ontario has to offer is something so near and dear to my heart.

As a mother to my young son & dog owner/lover, being able to bring my family with us to experience new adventures and create memories is one of my favourite things about vacation rentals.

If I had to pick one region of cottage country as my favourite, I honestly don’t think I could. Each area is so beautiful and different from the one another…but that’s the beauty of cottaging, it’s easy to experience it all!

Growing up with Lake Ontario at my doorstep, I’ve always been drawn to the calm of a waterfront. Some of my earliest memories are of spending time on the rocky beach and summers on Balsam Lake and in Haliburton. I have always loved traveling and have had the opportunity to visit beaches from coast to coast, as well as through the US, Central America, the Caribbean Islands and Ireland. I got engaged at a family friend’s cottage and my girls have spent all of our holidays in rentals throughout cottage country and all along the Eastern Seaboard.

I’m thrilled to be a part of the CLRM team and bring with me a background in Advertising, Customer Service and Event Management. Outside of work and travel, I love photography, crafts, gardening and the opportunity to use all of my event ideas each year with my daughters’ birthday parties! I can also be found volunteering at their school and with our figure skating club.

Having lived (and also vacationed) in the Haliburton Highlands for over 20 years, I am practically an expert on all things Haliburton. My husband and I recently made the big move to Waterloo, so that he could accept a new position nearby, and we are enjoying getting acquainted with Southwestern Ontario. We’re originally from Hamilton, and it is nice to be closer to family and friends, and two of our adult “kids”.

While living in Haliburton, I worked for another cottage rental agency for a number of years, so I’m very experienced with cottage vacations. I really enjoyed helping guests find cottages that they would love, and also answering any questions to help make their cottage experience great! When the opportunity came up to work for CLRM I was happy to accept, and I look forward to getting to know a whole new set of destinations and cottages.

Although we are now city dwellers, our hearts belong in cottage country, so we’ll definitely be planning many cottage vacations in the future.

Growing up, my parents instilled in me the joy of travel.  My father’s work gave my family the opportunity visit various countries.  I have been all over Asia including Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong.

I hope to travel more.  I love visiting beaches where my husband, kids and I can play in the sand and water.

I am a mother of three, the youngest being twins.  Suffice to say that life can get pretty busy and I am happy to have the opportunity to work from home.

I recently just received my yellow belt in Taekwondo, an activity that I do with my eldest daughter