TI Life in July

I call this issue TI Lite in July…  Thinking of sitting at a computer, when we really want to be out on the River. or on a hammock in the shade, is not very enticing.  However, we have brought you a collection of material for those rainy days.

We were really pleased to receive I am 10 years old… What my summer is all about by Kate Modler. Kate, a serious young lady, who loves to write! Her comment on spending summer in the Thousand Islands covers all ages: Summer activities with family and friends. What could be better?

Lynn McElfresh presents Everything’s Duckie on Grenell and “The Russians are Coming!  Both are written as if you are right beside her.

Mark A. Wentling presents Rock Island Lighthouse Reopens at Last! .

Kathy and Dennis McCarthy captured Photographs from the 4th of July, 2013  from Alexandria Bay.

Check out Dr. John Carter’s  Mass Escape From Fort Henry.  It was a real prison break.

We present two stories to Rockport’s Prohibition Days with Dianne Phillip’s Take the Rum-Runners Challenge… and Geraldine Last gives us Under the Flapper’s Fringe: 1920s style.

I present an interview with Ann Mazur of Green Acres Goose Control in Clayton’s Goose Chasers and announce “Save Our Casino” Rally – July 30th which is an important economical issue in the Canadian sector.

________________________________________________________________________________

New Contributors

	Kate Modler - I am 10 years old… What my summer is all about Kate Modler recently completed 4th grade at Bradford Elementary School in Denver Colorado. Two years ago, a teacher gave her class a notebook and promised that the students could write anything they liked and the school would publish it,   Kate thought this was a grand idea and has had four stories published.  This summer she is editing her latest project – a story about all her favourite books.  She serves on her school’s student council and has a work of art on display at the Bedrock Community College Art Show.
	Geraldine Last - Under the Flapper’s Fringe: 1920s style Geraldine (Gerry) Last and her partner moved to the Rockport area ten years ago so they could live near water, the St. Lawrence River.  When Gerry retired from her teaching career, she became a volunteer with the Rockport Development Group (RDG). After gaining an appreciation for all that the RDG does, she nominated the group for a “ Keeper of the Islands” award from the Gananoque Chamber of Commerce. RDG was happy to accept that award in 2012. Gerry is the chairperson for  the "Rockport Prohibition Days" festival committee. For over a  year she has put heart and soul into planning for this Roaring-Twenties' festival. It’s the first of its kind in Rockport and the Thousand Islands.
	Dianne Phillips - Take the Rum-Runners Challenge… Diane Phillips was born and raised in the Thousand Islands.  She is a retired elementary school educator and now spends much of her time volunteering in the village of Rockport.  She is Chair of the Rockport Development Group (RDG) and works with volunteers and local businesses who take on projects aimed at reconnecting with the past, revitalizing the present, and building for the future. Being on the Rockport Prohibition Days planning committee has allowed her to discover the (secret) lives of some famous river rats.

__________________________________________________________________________________

July 4th Fireworks… ABay.Com style

Our thanks to “Johnny Truesdell” from ABay.com

Chester the Christmas Church Mouse

Thinking about Christmas in July may seem unusual, but not if it pertains to Chester the Christmas Church Mouse, written by Judith Frank Pearson, from Cape vincent.   Judy is a founding member of “OWLS” (Oneida Writers League) and Cape Vincent’s “Poets & Writers INK.” Her work has been published in Ideals Magazine, The Poetry Guild of New York, Reflections from the River’s Edge, and Thousand Islands Life Magazine. Judy’s writings grow out of time spent with her family along the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. (See TI Life Books)

Synopsis

An abandoned country church is revisited by old friends on the 100^th anniversary of its founding. Believers gather on a cold Christmas Eve for dinner and a midnight church service, observed by Chester, the lonely mouse who lives in the beautiful, old church in Potters’ Corners. Noisy visitors and a colorful tree ornament shape like a beautiful lady mouse overwhelm him with sadness. As midnight approaches, he alone knows what it will take to fix the faulty Christmas tree lights; he must brave the dark basement to find the trouble. But in that same darkness lurks Slither, the snake, waiting for him….

What is in store for Chester if he is courageous? Read this charming tale of love, longing, and hope as experienced by the smallest of creatures, to see if Christmas Eve is still a time for miracles.

Newzjunky

Special thanks to Newzjunky, Northern New York’s 24/7 online news service, for linking TI Life stories to their news feeds.  This is an important resource in the North Country with dozens of links to help you keep up-to-date on news and events. 

Excursions

Islander Tad Clark suggested that  as much as he and his wife like “staying put when in residence at Comfort or Grenadier Island, there are occasions when we want to go on an excursion.”  He suggested that there was a wealth of interesting and stimulating places to visit an hour or two from the 1000 Islands.   So Tad wrote our first excursion – his voyage on the Rideau Canal.  This was followed with excursions to Salmon River by Martin Zonnenberg,  A Travelling River Rat by Britton Inglehart and Discovering the Antique Boat Museum also by Tad Clark. 

This month we added The Wentworth - New Hampshire hotel with a 1000 Island link, written by Rex Ennis, from Grindstone Island.  Rex Ennis is considered our “go to researcher” for describing the Golden Era of the Thousand Islands.  He found an interesting link to General Marshall C. Wentworth and the Thousand Islands.

June Comments and follow up

Spring River Stories – by Tom French

Comment by: Pamela Scally ( Rochester, New York )
Dear Mr. French, I have a token of your Great Uncles W.Grant Mitchell in my possession. Not much of a token, but none the less I have it! The story is rather odd and how I acquired it was pure luck. I am a waitress at a local establishment in Hilton New York ( I've been serving for 34 years). I was recently on the patio of our restaurant and a biker from a motorcycle group called Hostile Horde (they are not hostile by any means) sat next to me and proceeded to light up a cigar. He set his zippo on the table and and on the front is The Thousand Islands Bridge.I said "wow, my father and ancestors are Alexandria Bay natives may I look at that?” “Sure,” said Mr. Biker. I turned it over and on the back it reads W. Grant Mitchell Monticello Hotel Alexandria Bay New York! I told the gentleman that I used to sneak in the pool on my way down to the beach in the village. He turned to me and said "apparently this means more to you than me...keep it!” I now have it and was wondering if you would like it. E mail me if you like! Just thought I would share this story with you, the lighter belongs to you, not me, and you may have it if you like. Sincerely, Pamela Scally (Cameron) -

TI Life in June 2013 –  by Susan W. Smith

Comment by: Stephen Desrosier ( Watertown NY )
Currently in Afghanistan, reviewing the pictures helps me get away from this awful place.  [Editor’s note: Stephen your comment means a great deal to us.  We pay tribute to you and your confreres and wish you a safe and speedy return to the USA. ]

“I’d like to buy a tower today…” – by Konrad Linckh

A follow-up story, Opportunity arises for new owners of 1000 Islands Tower, was  recently published in the Watertown Daily Times by Chris Brock.  It tells more about the Skydeck and its new owners.

 

Wanted…  

Be sure to capture your Summer 2013 in pictures and watch for details for our December 2013 TI Life Photo Contest.  More details to follow, but you may send your best to info@thousandislandslife.com

Check our EVENTS page often this  month – the busiest of the year.

Be sure to check our facebook page throughout the month,  as we post information and photographs  &  Follow us on Twitter

Do you write about the River  - near to it, from above or below?  If so, please consider submitting an article.  Let us know what you like, or dislike, about TI Life  so we can share more ideas.  And leave your comments…

By Susan W. Smith, Editor  info@thousandislandslife.com

Special thanks to our editors David Ray, Georgia Barker and Jane Taylor.  We also thank those who leave comments on our articles or ask questions. The more the better.