No Fishing Today!

When we woke on Monday morning it was beautiful outside, but very windy.  The forecast was for our hottest day so far.  Bad storms were  headed for areas nearby, but we were supposed to have a hot day and lots of wind. 

 

The temperature reached 89 degrees.  It was so windy all day long that you seldom saw a boat on the water at all.   This is a morning picture, choppy water and the gentleman in the cabin below us sitting in his favorite spot.  You can spot him sitting here frequently during the day..... Shady with a nice view. 

Only fishing today would be off the docks........and even that was tough going. 

Later in the afternoon when the weather had not changed we decided to take a ride into Morristown where every year on July 1st the Mares Wares Art Festival takes place.    I actually found out about this event from a very nice lady at the laundromat the other day!    Mares Wares is located on State Road 37 in Morristown, NY, but today the store was closed and the property behind her store was open to about 90 vendors from across the county and beyond.  This is a sample of some of the items you can find at her store which includes pottery, woodworking and metal art.  The boats are actually made for shelving - decorative inside or out.........and I love that bicycle!

The area set up for the festival was huge................ and the variety of vendors was amazing.   The artistry and the woodworking were a few of our favorites. The bottom left photo is of Bella Brook Vineyard selling their wines and offering wine tasting.  This vineyard/winery is located about a mile away, right here on Black Lake Road. We have this on our list of places to visit - probably on Wednesday or Friday when they have live music.  

As we were making our trip around the park we stopped at Plato's Carvings.  He was not selling - just doing woodcarving demonstrations.  I was wearing my Punta Gorda t-shirt, and as we stopped to observe, he says "Punta Gorda?, I know where Punta Gorda is"......... And so the conversation was started and we learned that he was familiar with the area where we live, having family in the Sebring area.  And of course the conversation then changed ........as he commented on Rich's t-shirt - the one that says Pipe Down now, you Silly Liberal!........  Actually that prompted several comments today.  And this gentleman also suggested that we check out the wood carving classes in Sebring - He said it was EASY and we would pick it up quickly.   

There was also a great variety of Food Vendors where you could by the typical burgers, hot dogs, fries, barbecue, ice cream etc. as well as things like Cheesecake on a Stick or some excellent looking home made Country Bread.  We had spaghetti on the menu for dinner tonight, so we skipped the food vendors today.  However - Rich did look specifically for Sugar Waffles, and was disappointed when they hand none. 

What was nice about this festival was that there was something for everyone, young and old, including animals and horseback riding for the kids, and music/bands for everyone under a large tent where you could get out of the sun to enjoy a snack/meal and listen to the music.  Earlier in the day they had Karate demonstrations - but we missed them. 

Still keeping our eyes open for possible places to stay should we return to Black Lake again next year we saw a sign for a cottage for rent....... So we continued on County Road 58 across the  John G A Oneil  Memorial Bridges, which crosses Black Lake a little further north.  The cabin was small, but right on the water.  We took the number and may inquire.  

The lake was still choppy with small white caps when we returned, and we hoped that perhaps it would calm down after dinner..........Unfortunately there was NO FISHING  TODAY.

The Weekend

After getting out fishing so early on Saturday we both took a nap that afternoon.  Lynn knocked on the door in the afternoon to see if we were still going to the Fishbone Restaurant for dinner.......... We were thrilled that they decided to join us.  Lynn and Bill have a seasonal cabin here and Bill comes in May and stays through October.  They have a home in Rochester, NY and Lynn goes back and forth, staying here for two or three weeks and then heading back to spend time with their grand kids.

So we met at their place and walked to McClear's which is next door.  McClears also has cabins and boat  rentals as well as RV sites, many of which are waterfront with full hookups.   They also have the Fishbone Restaurant on site.  The large picture is the restaurant, and the top left is also an outside eating area.  The restaurant is actually a combination restaurant/store.  The picture, middle left is of the fish cleaning house and a view of the lake. The bottom three show the RV area, one of the cabin rentals, and the Prime Rib that was the 'special' today.   Everyone, but me, had the prime rib!   The food was quite good and it was nice spending time and getting to know Bill and Lynn a little better.

We walked back to their place and sat for a while, had a glass of wine and just talked.

Sometime later, probably around  8:00 we decided to take a ride up the road to Pleasant View. Another place to consider should we decide to come back next year.  This place is very nice.   They have 2 bedroom town homes, and cabins along the water, and will have room for 3 RVs with full hookups. There is a nice ice cream bar ( actually, our main reason for coming today!) that also sells sandwiches, burgers etc., putt putt golf, batting cages and water works, where the kids can have fun getting wet.  Very nice camping area, except that the boats are docked a LONG way from the cabins which we didn't like.  But we did enjoy our ice cream treat.

On Sunday morning we were out fishing even earlier than the day before.  Alarm was set for 4:15 and we were on the lake before 5:00 a.m.   It is just  beautiful on the lake early in the morning... there was a nice breeze and NO HOT SUN beating on you.   No fish pictures today.  We were out for probably four hours and between us caught only 9 fish, small perch, crappie and bass. 

That afternoon we took a ride over to the small town of Rossie to check out another potential vacation location at a place called Back Bay.    We also wanted to see if we could find our old camping grounds, Camp Whippoorwill.  As we traveled along County Road 3, we recognized the area immediately.  The winding roads that would take us to a left turn on Chapman Rd.  We were definitely on our way to what was once Camp Whippoorwill, without a doubt.  We followed this road for a little more than 1 1/2 miles.  Beautiful views of the lake,  homes alongside the lake and a few small camping areas. 

We didn't see anything that looked like the place we used to stay - but we finally made it to Back Bay.  If we were to bring an RV - that could be a long ride on a dirt road only one lane wide!!!

Back Bay was in a beautiful location, this was definitely the Bay where we had stayed several years ago.  We like the cabins (but they were huge) along the lake, but they were not available for long term rental.  There was even a swimming pool.    We followed the owner up the hill to the camping area, which was very nice.  Nice size  lots, some along the water, a nice pavilion for get togethers.  We looked inside the park model (bottom right). Small but very nice.  No TV, No Air....... Rented for $600/week, but if we stayed longer we could get a reduced rate..... 

We talked with the owner a bit about where we used to stay. What was once CAMP WHIPPOORWILL was right NEXT DOOR.  The dirt road to the far right going into the woods takes you there.  A couple of old cabins are still there, but couldn't get a picture through the trees.  Can't believe we really found it!! 

Monday was a work day..........Laundry followed by grocery shopping.   I thought that my days of having to do go to the laundromat were over when we bought our house!  Have to admit that while this one is much smaller - it is a little more modern and a little more clean than the one in Wauchula, FL

From Hammond I followed 37 North to Ogdensburg.  Since I was driving I was not able to get pictures of some of the beautiful homes along the St. Lawrence River.  Very very pretty area.  About 20 miles up the road  I was almost to the Price Chopper, but had to stop at the bridge that crosses the Oswegatchie River.  Construction allows for one lane of traffic only. 

Later in the day we grilled some hamburgers and then headed out fishing about 5:30.  Today we were fishing with crabs. Fished till almost dark.  I got board, not catching anything and gave up on the crabs.  Went back to my jig and caught 3 crappie and a shell cracker.  Rich got a couple of crappie and shell cracker with his jig, but caught a nice 10 inch catfish with his crab. 

Back by 9:00 to catch the next episode of 24..........then called it a day!

Time is Flying By..............Lost a Big One, Caught a Big One

Not sure if the kids wore us out or if it was just the letdown of not having them here any longer.   And it was only 10:00 a. m. on Wednesday and they had only been gone a few hours.   I don't even remember what we did on Wednesday, except that I made a trip to the local store for water  and that we had Ickeypoo ( our name for ground beef and mashed potatoes) and corn on the cob for dinner.  Oh - and we made a trip to Walmart to get a small charcoal grill and a few groceries.

Thursday was very very hot so we didn't go out fishing until about 4:30.  And I had ANOTHER ONE GET AWAY.  Denny and Dalton  - I want you to know that IF I had got him in the boat I would have been able to claim the biggest fish.  I was using a yellow and red jig and hooked on to a nice small mouth bass.  It surfaced and jumped three times and when I had him about 3-4 foot from the boat, my line snapped.  We had a good look and it had to be 16-18 inches.  I think Rich felt worse than me..... because this line had snapped once before and we thought it was the drag not set properly.  That line is now in the garbage.    I made a small salad and we cooked Polish Sausage on the Grill.

Friday we made a trip to the local bait shop.  This place is huge.  We picked up some minnows and considered getting some crabs.  Picked up a map of the lake to see if we could locate some new fishing hot spots.

This shop sells everything from bait to tackle and hunting supplies and  t-shirts  and batteries and water toys and you license for fishing and hunting.  

We ate early and headed out to fish around 6:00.  When we got out there it looked a bit like rain.......  In the picture below you can see the dark clouds and then it clears up nicely and after using more than half of our minnows and Rich catching only one small bass we had a great view of sunset from the lake as we headed for shore.

Total Fish Count at the end of Week 2:  Rich - 29 1/1, Donna - 21

It was going for 9:00 when we got in, and the neighbors were sitting out and had just got the camp fire started.  We'd met most of them briefly so we grabbed a drink and decided to join them.  There was about 12 of us out there, and around 10:00 three more guys from cabin 11 joined us.   Dean ( owner) and his wife Sherry were out, Bill and Lynn (from Rochester), Paul ( in the wheel chair) and Monica who have been coming here for about 20+ years, and the guy in the green shirt (can't remember his name) and his wife Karen.......who I met several days before at the Laundromat!  It was after 11:00 when we called it a night.

We decided that we were going out early Saturday morning.  The alarm was set for 5:25 am.  I was up a little earlier and caught the sun starting to come up , and then  when the alarm went off - it had already come up.

We were headed out before 6:00 am.  Finished the rest of the minnows and then did some drift fishing with jigs.  To start week three, I caught 2 nice crappie.  But Rich was the show-off today.  He pulled in a Dog Fish that had to go 20 or more inches.    Nice fish to catch - but not to eat!

After that late night, and early morning ------------Rich is napping!!!!

Rain on our Parade!

After our trip to Alexandria Bay we only had  Monday evening and Tuesday left before Dennis and the family headed back to Iowa.   We wasted no time at all.  Dennis, Rich, Dalton and Chauna were off to do more fishing.  They requested that we hold off dinner until about 9:00 to give them time to fish until dark.    There was a lot of crappie, shell cracker etc. big enough for keeping.  And to add to his fish tales when he gets home, he can show everyone his 15 inch Bass.  And Dennis caught his big one as well.......a 16 1/2 inch Bass.  Nice job guys!

Tuesday - their last day with us, the weather was terrible!  It was cold, very windy and it rained most of the day.  Dennis and the two kids took the boat out in the afternoon to see if they could add to their fish count.....but the choppy water and wind brought them back a little while later with no great fish tales........they only caught a couple small fish.   Below the guys are busy cleaning  their catch as Dalton supervises......... I'm not positive of this count, but between the four of them they caught somewhere around 54 or 55 fish!  

 While the guys were fishing, Crystal was preparing dinner for all of us, in between she and I playing Mexican Train.  She heated charcoals in the grill and when they were gray, transferred them to be bottom and top of a dutch oven where she combined Frito's/ground beef, seasoning, cheese and salsa to create an excellent Mock Enchiladasfor all of us.  Prior to that she had made a delicious fruit bunt cake in the dutch oven that we topped with whip cream and had for dessert after dinner.  

With the weather so bad on Tuesday, we were pretty much cooped up inside most of the day.  At lunch time, Dennis cooked up their fish.  Above Dalton enjoys his catch.  We played a lot of games that day, UNO, SkipBo, Yahtzee and Mexican Train.  They headed out to get some souvenirs, and Chauna and Crystal are into Geo caching so they made a trip over to Alexandria/Chippewa Bay..

Above I'm preparing Chicken for our dinner Sunday evening.  The oven is very small so I breaded and baked half and barbecued the other half on the stove.   Too wet and rainy to cook outside.  We added a kettle of salt potatoes and some baked beans .  By the time the chicken was done, it was sooooooooo hot in our cabin that we carried everything to theirs to eat.  As I headed back for the last items it poured!!!!!!  And everyone got a good laugh!

They would be heading out very early on Wednesday morning so, we headed back to our cabin about 9:30.  But before  the day's end we made sure we got a few more family photo's.  Below is our three generation of men, with Dalton (age 16), Dennis (45) and Rich  (65).   Wow - are they handsome!  We have a great photo of Dennis and Rich and his dad - so we need to find a way to crop Dalton into that picture.  The other photo is Rich and I with Dalton and Chauna.  I guess Rich is right.......I'll never grow up.  I am indeed very short, especially when I tell you that Chauna is on her knees!!!

They were on the road before 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday............and our family vacation had come to an end.  Time went by way too fast.  But we are so thankful that we could spend this time with the people that we love the most.  We got an e-mail from Dennis about 8:30 that evening that they had made it home safely.    This was so much fun, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.  Maybe we should start planning this again for next year???

Family Trip to Alexandria Bay and Boldt Castle

We wanted to take time over the next couple of days to make a short trip into Alexandria Bay.  Rain was in the forecast for Tuesday - so we decided to do lunch in Alexandria and then take the boat out to Bolt Castle on Monday.

We arrived in Alexandria Bay around lunch time and stopped at the Chez Paris Diner.  Trip Advisor gives it 4 stars, our food was not bad............. but definitely not 4 starts.    Rich ordered strawberry pancakes that came about 10 minutes before the rest of us got our meal.   Chauna had chicken fingers, Crystal a BLT, Dalton a Burger and Denny the Beef Barbecue.  I had a fish sandwich that was very good, but the slaw was very very dry.

We all got a kick out of the waitress. She was a little strange........ She asked what we wanted to drink and if we were ready to order - and then decided that since we were not ready to order she'd come back and get drinks and order at the same time...........and left the table.    And at no time did she ask if we wanted a refill for our drinks after we were served.   She was NOT going to listen or give anyone a chance to complain.  A couple at a table near us tried.  The guy said " these fries are...." and she would not let him finish.  She finished his sentence by saying  "perfectly done and they look beautiful, and I did not let them sit, I brought them out as soon as they were set out"...... and then told him they could leave.  And they did.    A little later when she came to our table and our plates were about empty she said.........".Well - I guess there was no problem with YOUR food......... "  We left happy and with our bellies full and chuckled about her manner

A couple of blocks away was Uncle Sam's Boat Tours so we parked and walked.  Lots of little shops, but the guys are not shoppers, so pictures is about all I got.

Uncle Sam's Boat Tours offers several different boating options, but today we were just going to the castle.  The boat leaves every 1/2 hour, so we waited only about 5 minutes before we were on board the shuttle.  You can see the castle from the shore so it was just a short ride.....but we managed to get a seat in the front where we could get a good view.

Below are more pictures of visit........ The first one is just some shots of the grounds.  They are beautiful and well maintained.

 The outside of the castle............. with little to no restoration.......

 The first couple of floors have had a lot of restoration done -but they provide pictures as you tour of what the original looked like - trying to keep the decor/atmosphere much the same. The stair case is massive and the stained glass in the bottom left is at the very top (roof) as you look up from the ground floor to the top floor.

And finally some "family photos" ..........

Would we go back again?   Probably not.  I loved the beauty and history of the place - but I'm not so sure the rest of the group did.  If you were to ask Dalton and Chauna if they enjoyed the trip - I'm sure they would say yes without hesitation......but I know they were a lot more excited about getting back to the lake for more fishing!  

A quick stop at the grocery store and it was back to the Rogers Oak Camps.

Family, Fishing, Friends and Fun

Sunday was a busy, active and fun day.  Rich and I were up at our normal time, but Dennis and the family slept in.   By late morning, Dean ( the park owner) and switched out boats, giving us a larger boat to use while the family was here.  This one would seat four people.   The cushions and life jackets were loaded, they grabbed their bait, and tackle boxes and poles and Rich, Dennis, Dalton and Chauna headed out to fish.   Each of them took a picture of their FIRST CATCH Chauna holds up her crappie, Dennis is baby fingerling bass, and Dalton proudly displays about a inch catfish. 

By the time they came in, Rich had caught 2 Bass and 3 Shell cracker, Dalton caught another small crappie for a total of 2. And while Dalton came back with the Biggest Fish, Chauna caught the most with a total of 7 crappie.  Dennis?  Well he managed to pull in one more about the size of the first one!

Meanwhile, Crystal and I pulled out the Mexican Train game and played outside at the picnic table.  And when everyone returned from their fishing expedition, the kids joined us........and we played most of the afternoon.  

Dennis had posted a picture/comment on facebook, which prompted a reply from an old army buddy that he met in Kuwait several years ago.  Chris was now stationed just 1/2 hour south of Black Lake in Watertown, NY.  So Chris and his wife Audra and their three children came to visit later in the day.  

The kids had a great time playing in the yard, and Chris and his wife were so friendly - it was almost like an extended family!   And the guys who were staying in the other half of the duplex cabin that Dennis was in - came out to join the group.   They were in the process of cooking their dinner, finishing their Lobster outside on the grill.    Crystal and I pulled out some hot dogs and burgers, potato salad and chips........and Dennis cooked on the grill.  We managed to get enough together  to feed everyone.   Perfect!!!  

Dalton and Chauna were ready to go out fishing again, so while Dennis continued his visit with Chris, Rich took the kids back out fishing. The  three of them caught 7 or 8 more fish, which they wished they had brought in to fillet................Dalton is ready to eat some fish.............Chauna?  Well she just likes to catch them.  We have all nicknamed her the "crappy girl".  She's been using a yellow jig - and she's pulling in more than anyone...............so far!!

It was after 9:00 when Chris and the family headed for home.  Glad that Denny had the opportunity to spend some time with them.  Time is all running together about now - but we played so many games with the kids - I'm sure they had me back either playing Skip Bo or Mexican Train before the night was over. 

From Iowa to Black Lake, NYI

On Saturday, we awaited the arrival of our Son, Dennis and his family.   Such a long time since we've  had the opportunity to spend some quality time together.  This was only going to be a short visit; they would arrive Saturday evening and leave the following Wednesday morning.

The four of them left Davenport, IA before 6:00 am on Saturday morning and were on their 14 hour journey to meet up with us here at Black Lake.    Rich and I did get out and do a little fishing during the day; nothing to brag about!  Rich caught three small bass ( one just a fingerling) and I got one small Shell cracker and 2 very small fingerling bass.    After dinner I baked a Spice Cake with butter cream frosting and boiled some red potatoes and eggs for a potato salad.   This would allow me to spend time with the family instead of cooking the next day.

FINALLY - Just before dark.............about 9:00 PM they pulled in safely - everyone, including us wearing great big SMILES.

We had the cabin all opened and lights on for them when they arrived and after hugs and smiles..... helped them to unpack and get settled in.   Their cabin is much bigger than the one we are in, with a double bed in one bedroom, two twin beds in the second and bunk beds in the third.   We showed them the cabin we were in and then just sat and talked for a while.  We left them to relax, and get some sleep after their long trip and made plans to meet in the morning.

Week One Cont.....

On Thursday we made a trip into Alexandria Bay to stock up on some groceries for the week.   Ned's General Store here in Hammond is more of a  Deli/Pizza/Sub Shop with some snacks, ice cream, a few canned goods, essentials etc.  The nearest grocery store of any size is about 19 miles away in Alexandria Bay.

It was a nice drive on a nice day.........And once again, the scenery was great especially the large farms and old houses.  Actually I did not even realize that there was a horse in the front of one house ( first picture/bottom)

This is just absolutely beautiful country.



The Big M Supermarket is in a tiny plaza, with a Mobile Gas Station ( $3.89/gallon!!) and a liquor store.  And at the stop light at the corner is the entrance to the Bay and Thousand Islands area - where I hope the whole family will be able to enjoy in a few days.

Back when we used to travel here in the summers - we were travelling along Route 12 (upper right in photo above).  And Denny - you should remember this particular area.  We had the aluminum row boat tied on top of the car.  A large tractor trailer was on the opposite side of the road - heading toward us  We were between the rocks ledges on both sides when  as the truck sped by the boat flew off the top of the car.  Behind us was a father and daughter on a motorcycle!  The boat landed in front of them, they rode the bike INTO the boat and off the highway.  God was certainly with us that day as no one was hurt at all.

We headed out to fish later in the afternoon/evening. and that night we caught absolutely NOTHING!

We were fishing with minnows this time and I actually caught on to TWO very large fish and fought them under the boat, until they BROKE my line.  Rich checked my pole a little later and determined that the drag was not set properly, so he adjusted it...........Next time they won't get away!

 We saw the sky was getting darker and waited just a little to long before we headed  back.


Krystal.....remember that day we did a day trip  from The Villages, and both got soaked?  Well that was how I felt!   Dripping!\

Friday was pretty nippy most of the day.  But I did manage to capture a few more pictures of the geese and birds that frequent the front yard.

Later in the afternoon it was really quite pleasant out and we headed out in the boat.   Tonight Rich was hitting on a lot, losing a lot of bait.  But he did bring in a Sunny, 1/12 Perch ( one of those that you get to the boat, and hope they fall off ) and a nice bass about 11 inches.   ME?  I use that same minnow from the time we got there until we left.  I thought I was going back with nothing again today, but I did bring in a nice perch ( about 10 inches) before we called it a day.

Fish Count at the end of Week 1........

Rich - 15 1/2

Donna -  14 1/2

Tuesday Night Storm

Tuesday was really a nice day, but that evening a very bad storm hit the area.   We were just getting ready to call it a night when the wind picked up and we could see the boats rocking down at the docks.  It started raining very hard and  before it was over we had to have winds close to 50 mpr.  We lost power for just a short time, and the cable/tv was still out when we went to bed.

On Wednesday morning we could see the damage..................Between the rain and the water coming down from the hill sides, the water had risen significantly in the lake.  The docks were under water, and the storm and ripped up some of the dock near the boat we were using.

On Thursday morning the crew was out raising the docks, and replacing the bad boards.  It was amazing to watch how quickly they set up their equipment and had it repaired. 

Week One - Black Lake

Now we're starting to settle in.  Rich is still keeping up with the Market some during the day, but we've been out fishing at least once every day.  What is hard to get used to are these LONG days.  Each morning we think it's time to get UP.........it's light out, but it's only 5:00 AM.  And it does not get dark until nearly 9:00.    We're keeping track of who catches how many fish........ And by the end of day Wednesday .......

Donna - 13 1/2 Fish Caught
 ( I didn't get the one perch all the way in.  Hit the side of the boat and it fell off! - so that's 1/2 Right?)
ONE nice bass that got away!

Rich  - 12 Fish Caught
ONE bass (bigger than mine) that got away!

It's been so nice out this first week that I've been able to get some nice pictures of the local wildlife. (just like being home!).    Saw these duck along the rock ledge when we were out in the boat and then again from the window in the cabin swimming in front of the docks.  Actually these are Canada Geese.  Their black neck and head and white cheeks make them easy to recognize.  We've also seen them flying in very long strings in a V formation.

We were not sure at first what kind of bird this was.  We thought it looked like a blue heron, but did not think we would see them this far north.  I checked and the Blue Heron is definitely a NY bird.

And I love this one.   First we saw just one peek out, and then there were two.  Chipmunks!  They are so cute.  They have a little hole dug along side the cabin - so must be their house is right under ours!

And how big is Hammond, NY?   The size of Hammond is 77.9 square miles of which 66.2 is land and 15.7 is water.   And below is a picture of Main St. CR 37 in downtown Hammond.   Made a quick trip into town to the genera store...........which does not carry very much at all.......... The closest grocery store is about 20 miles - into Alexandria Bay.    Many of the buildings in town are vacant.  The general store is on the bottom left.

While they do not have a very big variety of groceries, they do have a delicatessen, and offer hot and cold subs, daily specials like fish fry and lasagna, pizza, calzones and stromboli......

Tomorrow will be a trip to Alexandria Bay to stock up on some food!!!!