adirondacks

There and back again

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It’s almost summer in the Adirondacks and my calendar is full. I’ve been here, there and will be everywhere.

This wool rug came off the loom just in time for warm weather. It was woven in double width and then unfolded.  It’s sort of mind blowing. You weave part of the top later, the bottom, then the top again and it’s connected on one side. I hope the obvious middle becomes less so over time.

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I sewed this baby quilt for a dear friend’s new grand daughter.

2E0D0B60-78F5-4D50-88B2-93B6A416877CAll while finally getting to spend time outdoors. I’ve been walking to work, in the woods, and hiking with friends and family. Summer is a glorious time at home.

F9F14C3D-6896-40D1-A69C-03E551FC03A5 But I won’t be here much.

I traveled to NYC to see Bruce Springsteen in his Broadway show. I think he was singing and talking directly to me. Wonderful!

A88C78BF-91B1-44D0-816D-9FD5EC256CAD16A8DBCF-C88C-4370-AB85-F8579F7D0F8BWe came across these Lady’s Slippers in the woods and hiked around and to the top of this waterfall.

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557F06EE-E55F-491D-8ECB-A46B5545A6A4And enjoyed ice cream from one of the many stands that open for summer.

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Next I’m headed downstate to babysit grand children for a bit, then off to North Carolina to visit that dear friend, then canoe camping with more grandchildren, traveling to Guatemala, weaving camp in New Hampshire and back to Seguin Lighthouse in the fall. What have I done?? My head is spinning.

Like the good old days

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A late winter Nor’easter dumped about 2 feet of snow on us during what the National Weather Service is referring to as the Pi day blizzard.  What fun.  I was supposed to attend a 4 day weaving workshop but had to cancel and found myself at home with no obligations.  Yay.

I pieced and quilted the king sized quilt.  More about that another day. I’m currently sewing the binding on by hand.  I started a baby sweater and dressed the loom for two baby blankets.  Just like the good old days when I was really retired.  Now I’m just so busy!

We took turns using the snow blower to clear our driveway and walks.  It took 4 complete sweeps.  I woke up to this.

Pretty impressive even if it is from the basement window.

Today I got to do one of my favorite things.  I cut a cross country ski trail in the woods next to my house.  It took 35 minutes to do the first loop, which was pretty hard, but then I could ski it.

I found a new way to take selfies.  I was never much of a fan but this is the way to go.  I even found a buddy out in the woods.

After an hour of skiing, I made my way home.

I’ll hop in the hot tub a little later.  That and the cabin are two of the most important things we dig out.

Flooded rivers

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A microburst of rain in the mountains flooded our river and caused it to jump the bank and flood our road. We live on a hill and were never in danger.

My biggest adjustment to living in the mountains (besides sluggishly slow internet) is to understand and respect the dynamic nature of the rivers. They trickle, flow and rage, even when it’s pleasant in the valley. This is very different from coastal living where what you see is what you get.

When I went out to run errands, I noticed the river was high and decided to curtail my activities and head back home.

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Houseguests were headed this way when I heard the road was impassable. I went down to have a look and saw rushing water flowing over the road and filling the field. I started making phone calls: an initial heads up, then hourly updates. I made good use of the extra alone time and kept working on my quilt.

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When the water receded, we waited to see the damage to the road. We got out some shovels and leveled a passable path. Our neighbors improved the job with a tractor and the town finished it off the next day.

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I stand corrected

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The other day, I waxed on about Spring’s arrival to the North Country. Not so fast.

Mountain Man proposed a hike to Scarface, a relatively diminutive peak by Adirondack standards, so I said yes. A nice Spring walk. NOT!

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There was an icy “spine” most of the way and I clumped along in snowshoes. It was Spring after-all and i left my micro spikes home. I can only speak of most of the way, because when it became too gnarly by my standards, I turned back and headed away from the hills.
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That’s Spring in the Adirondacks.

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My walk out provided plenty of time to collect a pocketful of lichen, which had fallen off the trees, and to contemplate rocks.

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I may not see dead people but I do see things in rocks.

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Who turned off the color?

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There was a definite chill in the air this morning with ice on the windows. Although it was clear, it was as if someone had sucked all the color out of the landscape and replaced it with grey scale.

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I put my snow tires on just in time. I guess we won’t see any more Monarch butterflies on the milkweed.

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Hopefully the cluster flies will go to sleep for the season-or better yet migrate south where it is always warm. Cluster flies are new to me since I moved north. I should have been wary when the person who built and sold us our house had a handout. The good news is they don’t spread disease. The bad news is they swarm inside the house on sunny, cool days. They play dead, or are just sleeping, when you scoop them into a dustpan and then miraculously reawaken and fly away just when you thought you had them. Now I only use a DustBuster and put a sock in it.

To the Lighthouse

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Crown Point Bridge
We are bound for Maine to finish the season at Seguin Island Lighthouse and close up the island and buildings for the winter.  We will take 2 ferries and a dinghy and hope to keep our stuff (and cats) dry.  

The bridge above is the new Champlain Bridge built with a design voted on by it’s users. Isn’t it pretty?  It’s not done yet but will be soon.

Our abridged bridge

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The Mabey bridge is here. Or, Mabey, the bridge, is here but it’s the abridged version.  We can walk across the span but there are still some pieces missing and it sits a little funny. Right now it’s steep and a car would probably be airborn heading outbound.

On the other hand, the local kids will enjoy the higher rails next summer, when they attempt to break limbs by jumping off it into the river.  Bridge homeBridge
I look forward to the ribbon cutting ceremony. Perhaps Governor Cuomo will officiate.

After Irene – We’re the lucky ones

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We sat comfortably in our dry house during the storm and listened to the wind whistling through the trees.  I thought we might lose power and made dinner early, since we only have a small generator, which couldn’t power the well pump or stove.  The power flickered on and off and was out for about a half hour. To prevent a mess in the freezer, I finished what was left of the half gallon of ice cream stored there. Then the power returned.  We got a call from neighbors to let us know our dead end street was under water from the river a half mile away.  We donned our foulies and headed out.  We didn’t get far.  We live atop a hill but when we got down to river level, we were walking through a three foot deep, rushing stream.  The road was flooded, with more water streaming onto it, for a half mile and I was unwilling (perhaps unable) to forge against the current to check out the bridge over the actual river, which is our only way to and from our house.

Our road becomes river road

Thigh high

By morning, the water had receded but washed out the road.  No problem.  I had my bike and walked/rode it down the street, over the bridge and merrily made my way to work.  I passed major road erosion, downed trees and detours and closed roads.  I stopped at the food store on my way home and by the time I got back to my road, it was already repaired – filled and graded with sand and stone.

We are amazed to see the amount of damage Irene caused in the North Country.  Neighboring towns have extensive flooding, small brooks flooded with the 11 inches of rain and became locomotives tearing things down along the way — roads, bridges and houses.  The entire Eastern High Peaks, where we camped last week, are closed because of washouts, flooding and limited access.

Yesterday a NY State Trooper pulled into the driveway to tell me the State DOT had inspected our bridge and found damage and was closing it until it’s repaired.   How long? Can’t say.  So for now, we’ve left our cars on the other side of the bridge and will ride our bikes or walk to them.   We are used to this after spending a winter on Fire Island where we had to ride two miles to our cars.  But we had garbage pickup.   I haven’t figured out how we’ll haul our trash out.

The bad news

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