Ripplecove

Auberge Ripplecove was founded in 1945. At that time there were no roads, no hydro electricity, no sewer facilities. All services over time had to be brought in by the owner. I thought of Keystone in its early days. Looking at old photos in the Library brought me right back to the River. Two stories, white clapboard, camp kitchen, dining room, gathering area and a huge front porch on the main level and lodging upstairs. Ripplecove like Keystone in its early years operated as a summer resort and became famous for its fishing. It was not uncommon at that time for guests to catch their limit of Lake Trout on a daily basis, some weighing in excess of 30 pounds. We “Rats” know about pickerel, pike and Muskie! Photos of guests holding their catch, fish lined up next to the boats, old boats with Johnson motors, familiar black and whites!

As fishing declined in the late 60’s, Ripplecove had to shift gears. They focussed year round on fine dining and comfortable lodging. As the Eastern Townships continued to develop the list of activities in the area grew therefore benefiting Ripplecove.

In 1985 with new purchasers an extensive renovation plan began. Every room in the existing “hotel” was renovated and upgraded with period antiques or reproduction furnishings. The telephone system, plumbing, kitchen, diningroom and all public rooms were also completely redone.
It continued with the building of additional suites, a pub, full service Spa, and relocation of the lobby. In 2015 the 70th anniversary of Ripplecove occurred celebrating the fact that it is Quebec’s longest running family owned resort and one of Canada’s finest and most sought after luxury resorts. It truly is lovely. Too bad about Keystone, it could have been so much more but I hold on to those memories of better years.

The fireplace also reminds me of Keystone, not the same design but the meaning of it. People gathering around telling tall tails, talking about personal experiences on the River, fish tales, competition...how long have you been coming here? , what was your biggest catch?...my son married a girl from the river, how about that?...There was magic in what I called French River madness, romance, intrigue and the end result, life long friendships, forever! I pierced a coworkers ears while working at Keystone, WHAT, yep an ice cube and a hot needle. Thank you for your faith René de Billy ( Billé).

I also learned so much about the hospitality industry which today continues to rest in my soul. I know how hard everyone works, long hours at a time, and trust me, not everyone is the best guest. You had favourites and looked forward to their arrival but not their

departure.

Our time at Ripplecove was spent walking, we found the pool, tennis courts, docks, and saw a couple of older cottages on the property that are rented for larger groups. We spent time quietly in our room reading, writing and we spent a lot of time dining.

Dinner was divine, everything was locally provided, and all House made including the butter which was made with cream and Marguerite daisies. Yummy. We had Fois Gras, lacquered pork belly, in appetizers that melted in our mouth. Dinner for Tony was Sweetbreads and I had a pork rib. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Taking our time we even managed to have dessert. Tony loves his carrot cake and this was his best to date. Presented in small bites on the plate with candied hazelnuts, petals and homemade vanilla ice cream it looked like a painting. My dessert was profiteroles, three ways...lemon, vanilla and caramel. Tiny bites of goodness enjoyed with a quenelle of “bread” ice cream “, incredible.

Our dinner view over the lake was splendid. The sun set behind the puffy cloud filled sky and reflected on the lake causing streaks of light like lazer beams. As the night grew darker we knew rain would arrive overnight. We watched as two guests took a late swim. Sleep came easy. The sound of rain on the roof was comforting.

Morning came early, we read then headed down to breakfast. Familiar faces from the previous evening pleasantly welcomed our arrival. Remembering we were not French, “ Good Morning” greeted us, but we were comfortable with “Bonjour”. We enjoyed a healthy start to our day, you can’t beat a French croissant, pain au chocolat, freshly squeezed juices and I should mention that butter again, oh and my poached egg and bacon and Tony’s eggs Benedict with rabbit and hollandaise sauce. Healthy became hearty, we knew we were good until dinner.

Time to head out and check the sights....

We are happy the rain has stopped and with no particular destination in mind we take off knowing we will enjoy another new experience tonight at our B&B. It is very hot and the air conditioning is welcomed in the car.

We just drove and took in many sights, Lavender farms, beautiful gardens, I have included a photo from Ripplecove that reminded me of Howie Eckler, one of his elder relatives must have come to

Ripplecove! The scenery photo does not do this area justice. The drive is very pleasant and over each hill the land spills out with farmland, sugar maples, sumacs. The colours will be on fire in the fall.

The lavender farm was a bit commercial, sitting on 250 acres, 42 of them all lavender. Needless to say the scent in the air was heavy, but if you like lavender you would have been in heaven. From ice cream, to soap to porcelain, it was there. We did not take the tour, only place we saw a tour bus arrive.

People take pride in their homes, hydrangea is a very popular flower here and back eyed susan’s. The lawns are manicured and porches are filled with comfortable seating to enjoy the view of the distant mountains. The homes are perched on the highest peaks of their properties.

Every little village has quaint little restaurants, pubs and a local grocery store that also sells wine, beer and liquor. There are a lot of cyclists and in the winter snowmobiles are welcomed everywhere. There is a snowmobile lane in most villages. It is my understanding that in Quebec the trails are magnificent and very popular.

Wildflowers are everywhere from thistles to wild violets and daisies and corn flowers, those I

recognized, there are more.

The photos are random and do not allow for captioning but most are self explanatory.

The photo of the gentleman reminded me of Howie, but also of the dressing style reminiscent of Keystone in the old days, any lodge I guess. This photo sat on the buffet along with many others. On the previous page you can see how well farms are kept and the covered bridge is called Bridge at the Narrows, near Fitch Bay. In Coaticook, Tony walked the largest Suspension Bridge in North America over the gorge. Too high for me, my knees collapsed just thinking about it!