Our life is basically a big vacation but we occasionally still need a vacation from our vacation. So we go sailing. This trip, we sailed five hours north on the NY side of Lake Champlain and today crossed the lake to Burlington, VT. We are in a minority at anchorages since the vast majority of boats are from Montreal and a wee bit bigger than ours.
My new towels are coming in handy on the boat.
Not only is summer short, in the Adirondacks, it’s the busiest time of year. Seasonal residents are here and events abound. The Essex County Fair took place last week, and to my amazement, the car rollover contest was still on the program.
A new event was introduced – crush the camper.
Yup.
We finally had some rain and tomatoes are plump and ripe. I picked up extra from the CSA to preserve. You would think I don’t have refrigeration. So far I put up dill pickles, watermelon rind pickles, tomato marmalade, tomato sauce, pickled beets, strawberry jam and India relish.
My sewing machine has been languishing because I have been making friends with my loom.
It was a perfect day for a canoe trip. We loaded the canoe with our favorite gobbler sandwich from Saranac Lake, safety gear and yarn. Right after this picture, I fell in the water while getting into the canoe. Good one.
We traveled for about an hour when we found a mossy covered ledge for lunch, a nap, a little blueberry picking and knitting.
Perfect day topped off with an ice cream soda at lakeside.
Or knookie in my knickers? I try to hang dry all my laundry. The other day, I went out and found clusters of June bugs, clustering, or whatever June bugs do, on my clean laundry!
Two singles
One double
I shook them loose and carried on with yard work when I stumbled upon our diminutive fruit tree crop. Probably crabapples but perfectly formed.
Speaking of small, I live in a community so small that a piece of mail addressed to me, with only my name and town on it, found its way into my post office box. Small fish in a small pond.
It all began when Tim took me out to the ball game. We went to a minor league game in Burlington and watched the Lake Monsters, the minor league team for the Oakland A’s, play. They played the Lowell Spinners! I looked hard for Spinner souvenirs but couldn’t find any.
I love minor league baseball. The game is fast and there are lots of diversions…and hot dogs. I haven’t had a hot dog since we joined the CSA and craved one. Their mascot is the Lake Champlain monster, Champy, who kept the kids entertained. I wasn’t scared one bit.
I pulled my knitting out of the bag and set myself up to start knitting when a young boy behind me tapped me on the shoulder. I thought, oh my he’s a sweet Vermonter about to ask me about knitting. Instead he told me there was a grasshopper sitting on my head!
Later In the week, I took a trip to Albany. With a stowaway. A baby mouse had somehow gotten into my car and came along for the ride. It took me a full 12 hours, during which I slept eight of them, to find and remove it from my car. Then I had second thoughts because I had placed it on the asphalt parking lot and thought he’d never survive. So I caught it a second time and released it on a patch of grass. I was wary the whole way home because I kept expecting the rest of its family to show up. I scoured the engine and trunk but couldn’t find any others.
This spider was hanging around the house yesterday but I’m not sure where he is today.
Not yet but I am ready. I found this vial of Muddler Minnows at a yard sale today.
They are nice flies and look good enough to eat. I hope my local fish thinks so too. I am not sure Muddler Minnows attract trout but time will tell. I’m sure it has nothing to do with my fly casting.
I came home and made a batch of watermelon pickles. These are one of my favorites and not available In stores here.
These really look good enough to eat. Tomorrow I will can them and make a batch of dill pickles. We already tried a jar of strawberry jam and it was pretty tasty. I hope we can save some until the middle of winter.
Today I won a book from a knitting magazine, Knitcircus; saw a pink sunset
And am heading out now to see fireworks. It’s an auspicious day. I missed all the other firework displays because the Fourth of July can no longer be celebrated on the 4th because overtime wages for support staff is too high. Instead it’s celebrated on the 3rd, 7th and 21st.
The critters and I spent the day close to home. We had much needed rain and thunderstorms so I headed to the cave and finished weaving my placemats. They are off the loom and drying now.
During the height of the storm, the hummingbird feeder was the place to be.
And even the grasshoppers sought cover.
The weather has been fabulous. Warm during the day and 40’s at night. It was so cool the other night, Shirley the cat was sitting in front of the fireplace longingly.
We’ve been sailing, entertaining and I have been sewing and knitting and working. Today I got to enjoy lunch with the ladies – in the mountains. Tim was hiking a few High Peaks on his own. See him on the far hill in the distance?
During my walk yesterday, I was amazed to spot brown trout in the river down the road from our house. I saw one large one followed by two smaller ones. That was it. I went into town and bought my annual fishing license.
I bought a license last year but never went fishing. Not once. But now I know where they live … And eat. I am motivated.
I dug up the old fishing rods, bought a few trout lures and headed down the road.
Doesn’t this look enticing. Well it was but, apparently, only enough to amuse. Three, I say 3, trout followed it briefly but then swam away. I used the time to improve my casting and clamor around the rocks and river retrieving my hook from various snags. It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all – me and the fish.
I am prepared now. I put together a lure box, pliers, (probably should include a first aid kit), improvised creel, filet knife and gloves for the big catch. We returned in the evening and I had a chance to fly cast. Nice day, no fish.
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Our farm CSA was at the end of strawberry season and offered each family the opportunity to pick your own 10 qts.
I went on one of the warmer days of the year and had the whole field to myself.
I put 10 qts in the bags but probably ate a pint while working.
Then what to do with the rest of them?
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I canned a batch of strawberry jam and froze the rest. I look forward to them this winter.
Island and North Country Life 