summer

Swimming the alphabet

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It’s summer and we have been swimming in lakes and ponds since mid -May. I wore a shortie wet suit (an old scuba diving suit I cut the legs and sleeves from) for the first two weeks until Memorial Day.

Tim is on a quest to swim the largest lakes in the Adirondacks and I come along for the fun.

I’ve decided to draw with the gps map of my swim track. Today I made an “x” or even better, a bow tie.

I had a little trouble retracing my lines to extend my swim.

This adds a whole new challenge to swimming. I have to plot my course and pivot points in the water. I think “Y” or “L” is in my future.

Camp is not only for the young

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We just spent a remarkable, relaxing respite at White Pine Camp in the Adirondacks.

Tea house on Osgood Pond

Tim has undertaken a quest to swim 3/4 mile in 47 lakes in the Adirondacks and we took dips in Lake Colby, Lower St. Regis Lake and Osgood Pond. I finally shed my wetsuit and breathed deeply.

We kayaked the Osgood River one day with friends,

and through a canal system to get to Church Pond and a short walk to Paul Smiths college.

Canal and footbridge

We had to shimmy ourselves off some shallow spots in the canals.

We hiked to the St. Regis Mountain fire tower, where the views of the Adirondacks were stunning. A young boy told us he could see Canada, but I think he was dreaming.

Not Canada
Tim’s rock

Tim recalled taking cover under this ledge 30 years ago when he was caught in lightning near the summit. We dodged a few ourselves this trip.

We took time to smell the roses.

We never had to pick up a kayak, they slid into the water from the boathouse.

We went bowling, on an ancient alley, reset the pins by hand, played pool, ping-pong, and took lots of naps.

Camp is good for all ages.

Scene outdoors

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Glorious weather has arrived in the Adirondacks. It’s time to play outdoors. We took two ferries to ride our bikes on the causeway in Lake Champlain. It’s a great ride spanning several miles on a narrow strip of roadway that was an old railroad line. A bike ferry takes you across a small gap in the path. We made it a 30 mile round trip ride by starting at the Plattsburgh ferry.

Tim is on a “Swim 47 Adk Lakes” quest and we headed down to Blue Mountain Lake, where we also visited the oddly named, Adirondack Experience. They have a great boat exhibit with a fully restored Idem class boat.

One of my favorite exhibits was found in an outdoor gazebo. It was an empty picture frame with a view of the lush scenery.

After the museum we swam in Blue Mountain Lake, where the water temp was 70 degrees. I’m still wearing a wetsuit and the swim was lovely. We had dinner in reverse. First, ice cream at Hosses in Long Lake, then pizza and a beer at Paradox brewery. So much for burning off calories!

During a fairly big rainstorm, the beaver dam on the mountain next to our house failed. Tim thought he heard an engine running and went to check it out. This is usually a small stream. It became a raging river. We did not swim in it.

I keep trying to grow peonies to no avail.

I did not grow this one. My sister in law gave me a cutting. I forgot I had left it in my 88 degrees car, while I worked all day. I put it in a little water and it has been in full bloom for over a week. I transplanted my patch of peonies because Tim always threatened to mow them down. Time will tell if they like their new spot.

I like my spot.

and the living is easy

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Summertime in the Adirondacks is stunning but brief. The growing season is only four months but is packed with beauty.

An evening boat ride with friends on Lake Champlain

Tim is already swimming in the ponds. I hesitate, to his dismay: too cold, too windy, too many weeds reaching for my legs and arms. And now I have heard snapping turtles ply these waters. I’ll wade in soon when the deeper lakes warm up.

My local beekeepers’ group met at my hives last week and declared they are doing fine. All three have queens, are laying eggs and gathering honey. That means one hive raised a queen all by itself.

They selected an egg, plumped it up with royal jelly, she hatched, took her maiden flight, mated with a few drones, and made it back to the hive without getting picked off by a bird or dragonfly. And there she will remain for the rest of her days.

Honeybee on milkweed

Perhaps I will get at least one jar of honey in July. This nectar bloom is short and sweet.

Purple clover down the road

We moved to the Adirondacks in the winter of 2009 after only coming up in the snow. How lucky to find summer is even better.

Field down the road
Common merganser (?) under the bridge

French lessons

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I had just started studying French before the pandemic shut everything down. Luckily my teachers transitioned to Zoom with mastery. I live in a rural setting and the classes were 1.5 hours away. Now I take my class in the guest bedroom cum office (one of only two rooms in the house with a door).

I recent discovered this. You may already know it but somehow I missed most of English grammar. Tout le monde (all the world, everyone) is singular. We are all in this together and everyone is united. Just think about that. People are individuals but noone is an island.

Summer weather is here. I took my gear and scoped out a new fishing spot.

And got the boat set for this year’s maiden voyage.

Bonne journée tout le monde.

The big and little things

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As always, summer in the Adirondacks flies by. The days are getting shorter and the nights colder. Work and visiting with friends and family has kept us busy. The new boat and truck are working out. We took a fabulous camping trip with the next two generations and Oma’s red boat was a big hit. And as hoped, I am having fun doing the repairs as I am able.

I have sewn and repaired the boat canvas, installed a couple of cleats, gathered a tool kit, greased (or in this case floated oil) for the trailer’s wheel bearing and, oh yes, dropped some money. Spare tires, jack kit, radio, new horn and a couple of minor repairs. It begins.

This guy was in the road when I drove to work last week.

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So handsome. I kept my distance and he lumbered off in to the field.

Yesterday, I spotted this salamander during my walk.

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On a mission.

We seem to be spending a lot of time in Saranac Lake recently. This week for dinner and a play. This show was on display after a rainstorm.

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Remarkable!