©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com
Island life is not for everybody. Realizing that there
was no bridge to our island, I once had someone ask me incredulously “You mean
you HAVE to take your boat to your island?” “No” I said, “I GET to take my boat to
my island”. For an islander, it is all in the attitude.
Full disclosure: the above pic is not of our place.
If you build it, they will come.
Well, it finally happened. We built it and boy, did
they come. I think that we have had more company and visitors this summer than
in all the other years combined since we have been here. In June we had friends
come out from California while on an East coast tour. In August we had Mandy
and Markus come from Germany for two weeks while Amy and Maddie came from
Seattle Washington.
The girls on Mount Royal in Montreal
Catherine and Loic checking out the fall colors in the Adirondacks
This past month, we had our friends Loic and Catherine
from our village in France fly out to spend ten days with us. We picked them up
at the Montreal airport and spent a few days visiting the city. We then made
our way to Quebec City for a couple of days there also. Their trip focused
on being here at the peak of fall colors so we went to Stowe Vermont where we
had a home exchange lined up for a few more days. Finally, after driving across
the Adirondacks, we arrived home in the islands.
Catherine meeting a local near Stowe, Vermont
The weather had turned to far less than ideal but we
managed to include the mandatory tour of the area including having the good
fortune to introduce them to some of our friends and neighbors here. We even
took them to a party we had been invited to, giving them a chance to see how we
let the good times roll around here. This being their first trip to North
America they definitely felt the European version of ‘Honey, we are not in
Kansas anymore’
Loic and Catherine at our friend Fred's island.
It is not an easy life we lead here.
Returning them to Montreal for their return flight to
Paris, we rushed home to wash linens and clean up a bit before having longtime
friends Ed and Marilyn from Los Angeles show up for a visit while on their East
Coast whirlwind tour. If they arrived any sooner we would have had to hot bunk
them all.
We fired up the boat, put our tour guide hats on and crisscrossed the islands. After visiting our local towns and bidding them ‘Adieu!’ they were gone. We are now suffering from the empty nest syndrome.
Ed and Marilyn visiting at the the Bee
We fired up the boat, put our tour guide hats on and crisscrossed the islands. After visiting our local towns and bidding them ‘Adieu!’ they were gone. We are now suffering from the empty nest syndrome.
All of which begs the question: when can we expect you?
As we go to press, we are getting uncomfortably close to having to pull the plug for another season. We still have a few minor odds and ends to wrap up project wise, and aside from my flying we have already determined what we will attack next summer. We spread out about two or three solid days worth of work to winterize the place over a week as to not drive ourselves crazy. Still, there is quite a bit to do.
Let's catch up next month.
The end, the end the end...
As we go to press, we are getting uncomfortably close to having to pull the plug for another season. We still have a few minor odds and ends to wrap up project wise, and aside from my flying we have already determined what we will attack next summer. We spread out about two or three solid days worth of work to winterize the place over a week as to not drive ourselves crazy. Still, there is quite a bit to do.
Let's catch up next month.
