September is here and the days are getting shorter. Look up and you’ll see the geese flying high, the leaves are beginning to turn, and the water is getting colder. Yes, Fall arrives next week and Summer 2021 will be over.
Unfortunately, like last summer, COVID 19 is still of grave concern. Let’s hope the next three seasons allow us to get ahead of the curve so that Summer 2022 will find us back to normal.
The September issue of Thousandislandslife.com is now online.
A dozen articles for you to enjoy.
Tim Kocher shared his beautiful St. Lawrence Seaway photograph with TI Life.
News in September, from the editor, by Susan Smith
Read or question about the Border - do you know the answer? Meet Clayton Sunflower Winners, and view some amazing 9/11 footage for a day we will never forget. Also we present some beautiful photographs . . .
Anarchy Is Bad for Picnics . . . All About Wasps, by Paul Hetzler
All summer long, yellowjacket workers are busy with good deeds like pollinating flowers and killing deer flies, tent caterpillars, and beetle larvae to feed the colony. But once Queen Mum expires . . .
Blazing a Trail & Honoring a Legacy: First Kenneth Deedy Environmental Steward, by Mikael-Ann Melfi
Sitting in my dorm room, I received a call from a familiar “315” number. As I raised my phone to answer, I felt nervous, but excited and confident for what I was hoping to be good news.
Tecumseh is now guarding Honey Bee Island. Photo and installation by Michael Laprade
Chief Tecumseh, by Michael Laprade
My wife and I often do not share the same taste in art, so when we find a piece that we both like, we jump on it. And so, Chief Tecumseh was born . . .
Building an Ice Boat, by Manley L. Rusho
Bob LaShomb started it all. It began in early February, around 1953. Bob, at that time, was the mail carrier for the US Mail from Clayton to Grindstone Island – two miles across the St. Lawrence River . . .
Heyday of the Hay Scows, by Richard Palmer
Hay scows were a product of their environment, floating supplies to the inhabitants of the many islands, and transporting farmers’ produce from the islands to market . . .
All About Cape Vincent's Village Green, by Kristy Stumpf Rork
Village Green is an integral part of the Cape Vincent community: the center of every outdoor celebration, the linchpin that ties French Festival together, the heart of the village . . .
The night sky from the Thousand Islands Parkway by Lindy Martin
Good News in Conservation Effort for “Living Fossil” Fish, by Kara Lynn Dunn
Recent milestones for lake sturgeon conservation in New York and Ontario waters have generated new excitement and support for sturgeon research, stocking efforts, and educational outreach . .
Cadets Spent Summer Sailing the Thousand Islands, by Richard Palmer
The "John S. Parsons" passed the summer cruising up and down Lake Ontario and through the Thousand Islands region, and finally returned to Oswego, where the cadets disembarked and returned to school in time for the opening of the fall term . . .
Vintage Hydroplane Lawn Show, by John Kunz
The Chippewa Bay Maritime Museum teamed up with the Chippewa Yacht Club, The Fishers Landing Racing Club, Antique Boat America, and the Antique Boat Museum, to stage a lawn show of vintage and classic race boats . . .
Photo by Brianna Rowlee. She captured sunset and the passing ship from the beach at Grass Point State Park on September 11th at 7:15pm.
Enhancing Blind Bay - A Project for our Local Fisheries & Wildlife, by Spencer Bulmer
Prior to restoration, invasive hybrid cattails overwhelmed the marshes between Sand Bay and Blind Bay . . .
Sudoku Puzzle #90 & #91, by Dan LeKander
Can the River water level be much lower? This has been a challenging year for St. Lawrence boaters! Let’s switch focus to Sudoku.
What articles, special subjects or topics do you like the most? Be sure to let me know. As the September issue is now online, I am starting to think October!
Enjoy and stay well.
Susan W. Smith, Editor, info@thousandislandslife.com
John Street from Bostwick Island discovered this lovely mink swimming by the shore! (I know they make a mess in boat houses and make the dogs bark, but they are a delight to watch.)