Hawks and Fleas...

The last week has been busy for me, but now school is out, graduation is behind us and the last graduation party attended. Whew! Time to relax and see what's growing along my driveway through the woods...

I have always called this Paintbrush,... but the book calls it Orange Hawkweed. It's on the sides of my driveway as well as at edges of my back yard.

This is Daisy Fleabane. It's so delicate in both flower and color.


So there you have it,...Not flying hawks or crawling fleas,... just wildflowers! One of the nicest things about living in the woods.

June Camping,...

There are times when a "spur of the moment" idea is the right thing to do. Such was the case this past weekend. I think it was Wednesday when I said to a friend, "want to go camping this weekend?" Reservations were made at a favorite site. Our camping chairs had a nice view of the wetland right behind our site.


A frequent visitor was a great blue heron...


I think he got sick of that woman with a camera sneaking around the edge of the marsh!


The other side of the campground faces Lake Champlain. Those sites are always booked early and crowded with campers who launch boats and like to fish from their site.

The weather was overcast much of the time giving a foggy look to everything. But it didn't rain until I was home again Sunday afternoon.

Here's a view of the lake,... looking east toward the Vermont shore.

The campsite was lined with wildflowers. This is vetch.

I believe this is yarrow.

A perfect camping weekend with no others on our loop. Quiet, with just the constant croaking of frogs. What a lullaby to listen to as I fell asleep!

Miss Thousand Islands II

The Miss Thousand Islands II is a triple-cockpit mahongany runabout. When visiting the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY going for a ride on the St.Lawrence River is a "must do!" This is the view as we left the dock at the museum.


A view of her dashboard...


One of the many smaller islands in the 1000 Islands...


This little camp sits on a rocky mini-island!


Another small island was home to an interesting house. The tour guide told us it was designed by a protegee of Frank Lloyd Wright.


The prevailing winds on the St.Lawerence River have caused many of the trees to have a permenent lean...
A typical scene as we passed between two islands,...


There were many summer homes, both large and small...


And this is only the boathouse!


Rock Island Lighthouse is about four miles downriver from Clayton.

The boat ride ended my visit to the Antique Boat Museum. It was a perfect day, clear blue sky, and barely a ripple on the river. I left with a promise to myself to return again sometime.

LaDuchesse...

The LaDuchesse is the 1903 Gilded-Age houseboat moored at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY.
As you enter the museum building you register at the admissions desk for the tour of the antique houseboat. As I walked out toward the dock it looked like a big houseboat,... but,...


As I walked farther down the dock that houseboat seemed to grow! It is extremely large!


There are many guest bedrooms on board.


The dining room is on the lower level. Can you imagine the elegant meals served here just after the turn of the century,... the last century!


The master suite is much larger than the other bedrooms. This is the sitting area...


On the other side of the room is a lovely bed, perhaps a queen size. Imagine being anchored in the 1000 Islands with the windows open and hearing the waves rock you to sleep!


Evenings aboard were spent entertaining guests with a piano player. The windows you see behind the piano raised outward and were fastened above by slender chains and hooks. That way the music could be heard out on the dancing deck...

A lounge deck by day while cruising,... a dancing deck by evening while anchored!

I could almost hear the voices and the music and the clink of glasses as people enjoyed a party over a century ago!

Antique Boat Museum...

Last weekend on Friday morning a friend and I drove a short distance from the bluegrass festival to Clayton, NY. There we visited the Antique Boat Museum. It is a complex of several buildings, this is the main entrance building.

In 1986 I was fishing on Lake Placid here in the Adirondacks and there was an antique boat regatta that same day. This boat, the "Snail" , went by where we were fishing and I took a photo. I remember it well.
The front of the museum facing the river has benches and chairs as a place to sit and enjoy the cool breeze and the view. Although not in the Adirondack Park itself, these Adirondack Chairs were strategically placed so we could enjoy shade from the sun.

Many rivers criss-cross the north country of NY, however when I refer to "the river" I mean the St.Lawrence...

Here is one of the displays featuring racing boats...

When i look at a boat such as the Dixie II I wonder about all the people and the good times it has seen. It looks like the Dixie II was a champion!

For more fun on the river, stay tuned!

MoonSet...

On weekdays I get up early for work,... I'm not sure what time it was yesterday, but it was just coming daylight and the moon was setting in the west. I stood out on my deck and just enjoyed the moment.

A Pickin' Good Time,...

Thursday morning I left the Adirondacks and traveled west to Stone Mills, NY. The 1,000 Islands Bluegrass Association held its spring festival on the grounds of the Agricultural Museum.


We settled our chairs into a nice spot in the 8th row,... Here "Lost Time" entertains.


Many great groups performed on the stage and there was plenty of good music happening all over the parking lot.

The gentleman in the red cap will soon celebrate his 92nd birthday. Let me tell you,.. his fingers just flew on that mandolin and his singing voice was strong.

I enjoyed the camping weekend and even had time for a side trip on Friday morning. Stay tuned for that later this week. For now,... it's out the door to work!

35 Years and Counting,...

The word is out, Ethel's is open! Ethel's Dew Drop Inn, which opened in 1974 is celebrating 35 years of serving hungry people! Ethel's is a summer eatery in Willsboro, NY. Until early fall people will be flocking to Ethel's for some of the best food in the North Country. These people are ordering both food and ice cream.

That's Ethel herself behind that screened window taking an order.



What is my favorite on the menu? A "Michigan" of course! There are many recipes for the sauce. Since I was a teenager, my order is always "michigan, onions buried, fries and orange soda"... Here I am about to enjoy my first Michigan of the season... Mmmmmm, good!


A nice evening is taking your food "to go" and driving a short distance to the boat launch on Willsboro Bay. It's early for a lot of boats but there were already a few moored. One person was just bringing his in from a day on Lake Champlain.

Looking in the opposite direction from the launch ramp the sun sparkles on the water. In mid-summer this area will be full of boats anchored for overnight as people vacation up and down the lake.
Back home again... my wild daisies are blooming right outside my carport...


And a lone buttercup keeps watch...

What a perfect evening, good food, beautiful lake, and wild flowers!
P.S.... I may not be online for a few days as I hope to be leaving for a camping weekend today or tomorrow. See you soon!