Thursday, August 30, 2012

Paddle to The International Rift and Honey Bee Island

Quiet now, I see a Great Blue heron at the grassy shallow spot along the river's edge just beyond the fast water of the narrow rock gorge choke point of the International Rift.  The large, yet graceful blue grey bird with long slender legs and a delicate swooping crown piece feather trailing off her snake-like head is carefully stalking her breakfast.  Her leg lifts, arcs forward, and carefully dips back into the water without making a noise or a riffle and then her body weight shifts and she moves a step forward, her eyes locked on some prize just beneath the surface that we cannot see. We hand signal to each other, Diane and I, and carefully stow our paddles crosswise on the deck to keep from making a sound in the water.  We let the river's current draw us closer as we observe the breakfast dance.  Her bright yellow eye is peircing as it sweeps left and right following some prey. A quick glance at us, and we are as if invisible, just as irrelevant as the reflection of the early morning sun off the shimmering water.  Then, an eddy begins to slew my bow around, and the breeze catches my boat's slender stern, and I am  spinning away from the scene. By the time my paddle is in the water for a correction, the bird makes three great flaps of its 7 foot wingspan, releases a spasm of white guano, squaks loudly and is swooping off around a bend in the narrow stream.

 A Turkey Vulture sits patiently on a picnic table on Bingham Island, overlooking the river's eddy in which I am resting, looking for what might wash in.
From 2012 Fall travels
One of a pair of Osprey's in a tall tree overlooking the International Rift calls out and asks us to leave his fishing area.
From 2012 Fall travels
Diane floating in the pond beyond the fast moving water of the rift:
From 2012 Fall travels
Free dockside lending library on Honey Bee Island, Ontario. The colorful flowers and California State flag call our attention to this pocket sized island in the middle of the Internaitonal Rift. On a pole by the edge of the dock hangs a fairy tale glass fronted mailbox clearly labeled as a free lending library. The only way to "check out" a book was by reaching over to the box from a boat, but with the low water right now, and our perch in kayaks, the best I could borrow was this photograph.
From 2012 Fall travels
Another side of Honey Bee Island, this dock garden sits below the bench made from a surf board.
From 2012 Fall travels
The night temperatures are beginning to drop, and the Geese have begun the process of forming up into large flocks for thier pending migration. The family groups are coalessing, sorting each other out, and a pecking order is getting established. Here a newly forming flock of Canadian Geese is taking flight.
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Day Sail to Heart Island and Boldt Castle

Dad and I take the sailboat eastward from Pumpkin Island and downriver across the US Border towards the town of Alexandria Bay and Heart Island, the home of Boldt Castle. Today the wind is blowing out of the northeast, an unusual situation, and conditions are great for our adventure.
From 2012 Fall travels
We approach Heart Island from the east and pass by the restored power plant structure. There is great visiting vessle docks protected from the blow and we arrive right around lunchtime amidst a steady stream of tour boats disgorging tourists from an adjacent dock.
From 2012 Fall travels
After checking in at customs, we explore the manicured and blossoming grounds by foot. The first thing we see upon entering the magnificantly restored castle is the skylight overhead.
From 2012 Fall travels
One room after another has been lovingly restored over time since the Thousand Island Bridge Association has taken over management of the property. There are still entire wings and floors unfinsihed, but the few rooms we were able to walk through were stunning and inviting.
From 2012 Fall travels
After getting our fill of the main castle and castle grounds, we untied the boat and motored across the channel to Wellsley Island and the Castle's "boathouse" - another fantastical structure full of antique boats. This structure was built to allow three tall masted sailing vessels to park inside - a very unusual structure indeed. The scale is totly misleading. Look for a person in the left side dock.
From 2012 Fall travels
We tie up at the visitors dock, across the channel from Heart Island - with the castle visible above the trees beyond.
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
Inside the boathouse:
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
Heading for home after our tour is complete.
From 2012 Fall travels
Back on Pumpkin Island - our journey's end.
From 2012 Fall travels
More information about Bolt Castle

Monday, August 27, 2012

Pumpkin Island - morning paddle and sunset


We head out just before sunrise to look for birds and still water. A pair of loons greet us at the point, follwed by Ospreys with fresh catch in talons at the main channel light bouy.
From 2012 Fall travels
The still sunrise water reflects off an antique boat out for a morning cruise.
From 2012 Fall travels
We return to find Susan exercizing with weights on the back dock while chanting softly under her breath. We floated just off shore and enjoyed the serenity too.
From 2012 Fall travels
The boys go out for an afternoon sail and get all nautical while avoiding shoals, and bouys during our debates of windspped, angle of attack, sail shape, weather helmn, and the proper way to tie a knot. It was a big day on the water, so there was plnty of boat watching as well as we dodged traffic in the main channel.
From 2012 Fall travels
A 15 second exposure transforms the dancing golden sunset reflections from a set of broken shards to a blurred mist on the water.
From 2012 Fall travels
With the last vestiges of sun still in the sky, I turn and see this orange reflection on the water by the front dock. Birds are beginning to settle onto barrier island for their nightime roost, and the adults up in the house have all retreated indoors for quiet reading.
From 2012 Fall travels

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Chanting on the back dock


My sister Wendy and her partner Susan share a musical interlude with me on the back dock after dinner. In the Jewish calendar this is the month of Elul, the month of preparation leading up to the High Holidays. In Hebrew, Elul is an acronym for "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," from The Song of Songs.
We would have kept recording other chants, but the mosquitos attacked and we retreated indoors behind the screens.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Settling in to Pumpkin Island Time

The sun awakens us as it swells just beneath the eastern canopy of white pine hemlock and birch.  The orange glow from the rising sun resonates with the soft reflections off the knotty pine ceiling boards.  A crow, disturbed from his roosting slumber caws to greet the day and the chickadees begin their gleeful chirps. The river's current sends gently lapping waves onto the broken rock edge of the barrier island just beyond our open window and the crickets rhythmic symphony begins to fade. A train whistle forlornly sounds far off in the vast woodlands beyond the northern shore of this pulsing threaded waterway, reminding us that there is commerce and industry, and productivity, and markets seeking goods, but just not here on our island retreat.  The soft colored pink granite outcroppings around the island's edge and the lush forest floor full of ferns and moss, and decaying organic matter, all swirling in the almost tactile eastern humidity are all so different from our usual domicile that the transition from sleeping to waking is suffused with uncertainty and mystery.  Am I awake yet, or still dozing?  But then, the low throbbing of a small boat motor drifts over the water as the last wispy fog of morning evaporates and I know a new day has begun.
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels
From 2012 Fall travels

Saturday, August 11, 2012

August Explorations

Ozzie , Maya and Mike come for a visit.. Ozzie came with his own bag of toys - This tire seemed to be a favorite:
From Summer 2012

There are a pair of evening grosbeaks visiting the feeder regularly, and then a fledgling landed on the driveway - I guess the nest was pretty close.
From Summer 2012
Fledgling bird landed on the driveway and hopped around a bit. Momma came down to watch over it, and then the pair disappeared.
From Summer 2012
Relaxing at Lake Valley Reservoir, near Yuba Gap
From Summer 2012
Lake Valley Reservoir
From Summer 2012
Quiet cove on Lake Valley Reservoir - great swimming temperature - hot rocks for napping too
From Summer 2012
Long Lake with Devil's Peak in the background - great swimming temperature
From Summer 2012
Long Lake
From Summer 2012
Our swimming spot on Long Lake.  Note how the rock shelve juts out and then drops off into deep water.  Great way to get in, with the warmer surface water near the edge. Don't attempt this on a summer weekend however, because the lake gets crowded = even though its at the end of a 30 minute rough forest service road, and then a 20 minute hike.
From Summer 2012