October 2026

                             MANATOANA

(Garden of the great spirit) Its what the Indians called the Thousand Islands.

As we pulled the plug after another spectacular season, we look back with jaw dropping admiration for the area we have summered in for the past 22 years. We never tire of it, and each year we find more and new to be in awe of.

First, a few facts that just blow us away:

• It has been estimated that 1/3 of the worlds fresh water flows by our Thousand Island front door. The great lakes occupy a 95,000 square miles (250,000 S Km) surface and every drop of it flows past us on the way to the Atlantic.
• The River is a 750 mile long highway of commerce.
• It is the scene of a war that was fought with England in 1812.
• The Thousand Islands was once a station of the underground railroad.
• Locals have a few expressions like : 'The River Choses Some'. If you are a true River Rat, you get it. If not, its a pointless expression. 
• Another is 'Another day in paradise.' We spend all summer every year where people kill themselves to be here for short vacations. The tour boats on the River take thousands of people each day for short visits. As we boat by, we can see them drooling with envy seeing the area.
• It has Islands with names like: Axeman, Deathdealer, Dumbfounder, Bloodletter, Psyche, Tom Thumb. They all have colorful histories.
• Then again, we have river locations like Fiddler's Elbow, Smugglers Cove, Blacksnake passage, Lost Chanel, Lovers Lane, and Devils Oven with endless stories behind them.

Now a few pictures.

                Just Room Enough Island

So named for obvious reasons. Wikipedia says that it is the smallest inhabited island in the world. Ironically, it is located right next to Bolt Castle about 15 minutes from us by boat. The local joke is that it's the mother in laws guest house.

Boldt Castle

Among many other amenities, Boldt Castle has 88 bedrooms, 55 bathrooms, a bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool. The building at the left of the island is the children's play house, the building at the right is the power house. They had power before the town did.

Devils Oven

So named because the current comes from different directions and 

converges here, sending your boat in all directions.

Tom Thumb Island

Said to be the smallest island in the Thousand Islands. Why? Because it meets the criteria of being at least 1 square foot, has one living tree and is above the water 365 days out of the year. Anything else is just a shoal.

 

Deer Island

This 40 acre island just 15 minutes by boat from our island has been a rustic retreat for Yale University's secretive Skull and Bones society since 1856. Its members include US Secretary of State John Kerry as well as former US Presidents Howard Taft, George Bush Sr., and George W. Bush.

Honey Bee. Home Sweet Home

     If you're lucky enough to be on the River, you're lucky enough.

Published stories 

in the Thousand Island Life magazine.

This month saw three more stories that I had written before I left the island. The first was on a SAR team  (Search And Rescue). While I may well be known as not being a dog person, these dogs are worth their weight in gold. It is HERE.

The second is about a family that lost a daughter that was getting married and died. The story is about her becoming an organ donor. I meet and interviewed the mother, then wrote the story. After reading it 20 times, I still get choked up. It is HERE.

The third was on our trip to Iceland that we just got back from. It is HERE and below.

From one island to another.

(The Thousand Islands to Iceland)

Every October, like migrating birds, we leave the Thousand Islands and head to our home in sunny California.

We love snow and cold—but only in Christmas movies.

This year, we decided to make a detour before heading home: Iceland. We spend our summers surrounded by thousands of islands, so why not visit one in the middle of the North Atlantic? Curiously, Iceland has far less snow and ice than Greenland. The Vikings probably got their labels mixed up.

WELCOME TO ICELAND

The moment you step off the plane, you know you are not in Kansas anymore—or the Thousand Islands, for that matter. The architecture is different. The landscape is different. The weather is very different. And then there are the names. We discovered that finding a destination was easier than  pronouncing  it.

Hallgrímskirkja.

Sólheimahjáleiga.

Try saying either of them three times quickly. We wondered whether we had accidentally flown to Russia.

THE WEATHER HAS ATTITUDE

We drove the entire 1,500-kilometre (900 miles) Ring Road that circles Iceland. The interior of the country is largely inaccessible, occupied by mountains, glaciers, lava fields and some spectacularly inhospitable terrain. So, most of the population—and most of the roads—hug the coast.

The weather, however, does whatever it pleases. In one day we experienced sunshine, snow and torrential rain.

The rain deserves special mention. In Iceland, a raincoat and umbrella are not signs that you are prepared. The wind can rip an umbrella out of your hand before you have finished opening it. Unless you are wearing waterproof pants and waterproof boots you will get thoroughly and intimately wet.

We were.

Some of Iceland's best sights require a kilometer or two of walking from the parking lot, over gravel paths into ankle-deep muddy water.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Iceland is majestic, spectacular and beautiful and the people are friendly.

It is also sparse, remote and, in many places, barren. The entire country has a population of only about 370,000—roughly two and a half times the population of Kingston, Ontario. 60% live in and around Reykjavík. Outside the capital, you can drive for miles without seeing another car. What you do see are mountains, glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, sheep and landscapes.

A FEW ICELANDIC FACTS

Only about 1% of Iceland's land is considered arable.

Only about 2% of the country is forested.

An Icelandic horse that leaves the country cannot return, because of strict disease-control rules.

There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland.

Amazon does not operate a domestic retail service here.

Iceland has no standing army, navy or air force

There are no trains.

Beer was illegal until 1989.

Until 1987, television broadcasting was restricted on Thursdays—a way of encouraging families to talk to one another.

And, of particular interest to Thousand Islanders: there are no mosquitoes. You can even snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in remarkably clear glacial water.

 

EXPENSIVE? YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET.

We occasionally complain about prices at home. Here, everything from meals to gasoline can produce the same reaction: How much? Parking lots have a way of separating tourists from their money.

If you are looking for amusement parks, grand castles, cities or endless shopping, you have chosen the wrong island. But, if you like unusual and remarkable geology, remote landscapes, glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls and places that make you stop the car every ten minutes to take another photograph, you have come to heaven.

There are more than 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland. After a while, waterfalls become so common that you drive past them without stopping. There may be relatively few cattle and horses, but there seem to be millions of sheep.

Being intrepid travelers, we make a point of seeking out UNESCO World Heritage Sites. To us, going somewhere and missing one is like visiting Paris and forgetting the Eiffel Tower. We've now visited 146 World Heritage Sites in 42 countries.

We still have a few to go.

The Hellgrimskirkja church. Iceland’s tallest and most famous

church and Reykjavik’s main landmark was our first stop.

 

Harpa concert hall In Reykjavik

Thingvellir

Thingvellir is a World Heritage Site where an open-air 

parliamentary assembly was held annually from 930 AD to 1798

 

This cliff in Thingvellir is a 7 km long rift that marks the edge of the North American tectonic plate and is home to many volcanoes. It is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the meeting point of both the North American plate and Eurasian plate. Iceland is the only place in the world where this rift is visible above sea-level.

Geysir

It erupts every 10 minutes with boiling water that can reach 30 meters.

Gulfoss

This two-tiered waterfall spills enough water to fill 4 Olympic sized swimming pools every second.

Seljalandfoss

Iceland has more spectacular waterfalls than you can count.

You can walk behind this one.

 

Volcanic cliffs and Lava rocks below

Skogafoss

Skógafoss is a massive, 60-meter-high waterfall on the Skógá River in South Iceland, famous for its powerful 25-meter-wide water curtain and frequent vivid rainbows.

Skogar Glacier

 

Rutshellir cave

 

Reynishverfisvegur black sand beach is a UNESCO Global Geopark. One of the few in the world, it has regular sand that is jet black. The 200-foot (66 meters) high Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks Basalt columns, which according to legend are made of petrified trolls. National Geographic loved this beach so much that they called it one of the ‘top 10 non-tropical beaches to visit on the planet. 

 

           This is what some of the roadside looks like. Volcanic rock.

Hillside strata

Unusual geology

Shark tooth mountain

Endless landscape

Roadside Caribou

Fjaorargljufur Canyon

 

Vatnajokull is Iceland’s largest glacier

         The glacier covers 7 active volcanoes. The fire and ice are constantly reshaping the property. 

          It is located in the Vatnajokull National Park and is a World Heritage Site.

Glacier

  

Stuolagil canyon

 Hverir geothermal area, bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles

Roadside lava. Note the cracks.

Dormant (for now) volcano

Snow covered lava fields

Gooafoss (Waterfall of the Gods)

There are over 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland

This months visit

Being on the east coast, we could not pass up a drive to Lake Placid to take in the fall leaves along the way.....and a speeding ticket. Oh well!

September, 2026

The artist in her studio

So what else do you expect us to do all summer?

    We lost a friend

Art is the fellow on the left

Art was a good friend, fellow pilot and my indispensable mechanic. He was the reason I was able to get several years of flying in and I will be forever grateful for that. He passed this month of pancreatic cancer and is survived by his wife Barb. This is the second friend that we have lost to this dreaded disease and if you don't mind a simple admonition, please knock it off. Personally, I try to stay away from old people in case it's catchy.

This month's visits

After all the years we have been here, it seemed about time that we visit the very few islands in the area that have ferry access to them. Out of the 1865 islands, only two can be reached by bridge and 3 or 4 I think, by ferry. The rest? You fly, swim or boat. We ferried to Wolfe Island first, the largest of the Thousand Islands, then from there took a second ferry to Simcoe Island.

Simcoe Island is a small, 4 mile long (6km) farming island at the edge of Lake Ontario near Kingston. It being a quiet rural landscape, we crossed to it by a  cable-operated ferry from neighboring Wolfe Island. It houses the historic Nine-Mile Point Lighthouse.

A 4-minute crossing on our very own private ferry

The Nine-Mile Point lighthouse at the very tip end of Simcoe Island (1833)

The Grenadier Island country club.

Every year, we have friends who invite us to join them for a big dinner at this Hoity-Toity club at the Grenadier Island Country Club. They shuttle us over by boat and we get to rub elbows with the really nice club members. Then we go home and become regular poor people again.

Fort Wellington

Our next adventure was to visit the town of Prescot, home to Fort Wellington and the 'Battle of the Windmill' (Later converted into the lighthouse seen today.) The fort was built to protect British supply routes during the war of 1812 and was completed just weeks before the war ended. It houses the largest still standing blockhouse in Canada.

Location of the Battle of the Windmill. It may look similar to the one 3 pictures up, but it is not. This was where one of the skirmishes between the "Hunters" (American loyalists) fought the British in an attempt to free the population who later became Canadians. On that one, we got spanked.

 

The remains of a British warship that was sunk near the shore at the time and raised in 1967.

More stories

I have been as busy as a beaver this month. Realizing that we will soon be leaving for the season, I thought it only fair that as a brand new still wet behind the ear's volunteer correspondent for the Thousand Island Life magazine, I should leave my friend and editor some stories in the hopper to use during our extended absence. By the time we board the plane, she will have 16 of them, 2 for every month we are gone. 

This month saw two more articles I wrote being published. I am going to keep it up until she fires me. I am astounded by the variety of people I am meeting and the range of subjects I am covering. Anyway if interested, the first one is about a world class photographer and can be read HERE. The second is about a guy that invented a machine to destroy 'forever chemicals' that is being dumped in our river and can be read HERE. Just click on the capital words 'here' as they are the links.

August, 2026

What a month!

Rockport: Our local watering hole at Cornwall's pub

My idea of retirement! Nothing to do and having all day to do it in. A ton of swimming and boating every day, unless the weather does not cooperate, foisting ourselves on friends "Hey is this where you come for free beer?" creating the perfect excuse to reciprocate.

We had my aunt Monique come with a friend from Ottawa to visit, and we entertained like crazy all month long. Janice has made so many dinners, she could open a restaurant. We have befriended new people and made some great friends. The river seems to encourage islanders to do that.

Meanwhile we attended a big 'do' for a friend who was recognized and honored for decades of significant community service in general and her involvement with our local Thousand Islands History Museum in particular. It was a great opportunity to get dressed up. It was a fete and fundraiser attended by over a hundred people at a local event center called the Rockport Barn.

And a barn it was

Remember, we are in a very rural area so there are no Waldorf Astoria's here.

Kitschy but sweet.

      Our Honoree

This months visits

Cranberry creek cemetery

The Thousand Islands is smack dab in the middle of some of the historical sites of some of the battles fought in the war of 1812. We try to make a point of visiting them, even if some are a little obscure and in the grand scheme of things are of less significance.

The overgrown creek in the background is where Americans hid from the British after stealing a bunch of their supplies in a raid, and took 69 prisoners. The Brits, in hot pursuit, were ambushed but killed 3 American soldiers. They were buried here, where they fell.

Boldt Castle

Boldt Castle is about 15 minutes away from us by boat. We have visited it many times when we have visitors. What we just visited for the first time is the boathouse.

Bolt Castle boathouse

Mr. Boldt did not have enough room to keep his dozens of boats, yachts and various water craft on Heart Island where the castle is, so he had to build a massive boathouse on an adjacent island and shuttle back and forth. This picture is but a fraction of the space.

 A new Career?

Moving on, this was the month where I got serious about contributing articles for the Thousand Islands Life magazine. Having no more big projects to do, I found myself wanting more intellectual stimulation. I bamboozled my way into doing a series of articles on "Our island neighbors and interesting local people". Once the editor gave me the green light, I shot ahead. Knowing that we are gone for 8 months, I wrote a bunch that will stay on the back burner until the editor decides if she needs or wants them.

When you look around, it is surprising what you can find. Plumbers and accountants may seem rather tame subjects for an article, until you might find that their hobby was to build the largest privately owned telescope in North America. Woah! Now we might have something to write about. Or some fellow who owns a hotel on a small island and has a recording studio with a record label. I am finding that meeting these unusual people is simply fascinating.

Nestled in our island community, we have some pretty incredible people. We have an astronaut. We have a world class photographer (I just interviewed). We have a man who started a firm to destroy forever chemicals called 'polyfluoroalkyl substances'. How's that for a mouthful? Funny, I don't remember hearing about that when I studied police science. I had to read up for days to educate myself just enough not to sound like a clueless moron when I interviewed this molecular engineer. Ya see? Intellectual stimulation!

Anyhow, this month saw two more articles that I wrote published. The first was on a Canadian Parks warden (The Canadian version of Smoky the Bear) who spent his 37 year career patrolling our part of the river. Some of his experiences were really cool. If interested, you can read it click HERE.

The second was on Janice and I being "Part Time River Rats". In these parts, river rats are the local term for islanders. The story is     click HERE.

I'd love to hang around but as they say, 'It's five o'clock somewhere"