Dead calm isn’t as easy to come by on the River as it is on lakes and ponds. While lakes are surrounded by higher ground and protective shorelines, the River tends to channel any breeze.  I found the perfect conditions, however, at the mouth of Jones Creek. Last month's image was correctly identified by Graeme Sifton.

It’s hard to slip one by eagle-eyed Bud Andress. He immediately recognized the location of last month’s wallpaper with Great Lake Swimmers performing on a flea-bitten barge in the middle of the River during the filming of “Ballad of a Fisherman’s Wife.”

I thought I’d share a somewhat different image this month, not just to revisit summer, but to celebrate the fact that Great lake Swimmers' latest album, “New Wild Everywhere,” was just nominated for a Juno.  For those who may not know, the Junos are Canada’s top music awards, our equivalent to the Grammies and this is the second time the Swimmers have been so honored.

I suspect that many of you have had limited exposure to the River during the off season. For that reason and because this is my first full winter here, I tend to think it’s more interesting to continue to share winter moods than reverting to summer, at least for the moment. If you’re starved for summer scenes, there are plenty archived in earlier wallpapers or in the dozens of Albums you’ll find elsewhere on the site under Books, Places and Themes.

We begin the New Year with a transformed River. I had been intending to share an earlier, arguably more compelling view of this scene, taken at dawn on November 9th, but then on December 28th, our first winter storm finally relented, leaving us with a transformed landscape. This is how it looks now.

No cigar identifying last month's image, but Ken Herring, John Krake and Libby Jewsbury's guesses of the view from Waterson State Park's cruiser dock came very close. The partial island on the right is the western tip of Ash Island and this view looks towards Ivy Lea, on the way across from the Rift to the Ivy. Thank you for trying.

It’s that time of year when it’s time to share wallpaper images again to ease winter withdrawal. For the first time, it wasn’t the cold that chased me off the island, but low water. When the taps began pouring mud, it became clear (pun intended) that it was time to go. Despite having dug a hole to deepen the intake in the harbor in anticipation of low water, it still dropped too low with every wave sliding more muck down the hole. This was a battle I was not going to win.

This month’s posting shares more about a major project that is very close to launching. Last month’s photo hints of it, a place very close to my heart - Raleigh Island.

Last month’s image was a shot of Raleigh Island, a spot I am privileged to call home for more than half of each year. Not apparent in the last month’s image is the backstory. Fog provides wonderful opportunities on the river, but the pictures don’t always come as easily as you might think.

Thank you all for the fascinating stories about dealing with fog on the river. A common thread through all of them delivers a very clear message about venturing out in it. DON’T! All these stories are worth reading if you haven’t already, making choosing a winner a tough call, particularly as several offered useful advice.

Last month’s night view of Singer Castle elicited several responses, one of which is from Patty Mondore who, with her husband Bob, is the co-author of two excellent Arcadia Publishing books about it. She recalls an evening spent there during the former owner’s reign when it was known as Jorstadt Castle.  

Last month’s image shared an unusual weather moment, and asked you to share weather-related stories about the river. Winky McGowan shared this one:

Once again it's time to begin sharing winter wallpaper images. Here's hoping they'll bring you back to a favored place and its special memories.  

I've been doing this for many years now, the game having been to identify where the images were shot and to share stories about those places. We've learned a lot this way (most of it still archived under Wallpapers if you're interested), but the stories spoke mostly about lesser known places.

One of the reasons the Thousand Islands so completely fascinates me is because there are so many exceptional “neighborhoods” to explore and enjoy and each is so dramatically different. The Lake Fleet Group, so named because many of the islands were named after British warships operational on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812, is a place all its own. Wild and beautiful, perhaps because the islands are off the beaten path, they are nestled in along Grindstone’s northern shore well away from the Canadian mainland.

 

I had been hoping to tease out a few stories about TI Park’s early days, but alas, no such luck. My good friend Paul Malo was a great friend of the Park, working for many years with a number of caring residents to help preserve the historic charm of the place, not always the easiest thing to do.  

Responses to last month’s scene of Millionaire’s Row were eclipsed by those still coming in from January's view of Carleton Island and Villa. Paul Malo and I have always tried to expose this little known treasure - Carleton Villa - through our books. It’s highly likely the Villa, one of the earliest yet least known of the 1000 Islands “castles,” helped inspire much of the amazing architecture downstream as Gilded Age visitors aboard steamboats passed it on their way downriver from trains arriving at Cape Vincent. That concept would have been reenforced when passing Charles Emery's Calumet Castle at Clayton. It wasn't long before Millionaire's Row responded in kind.

www.1000islandsphotoart.com/

Carleton Island, nestled alongside Wolfe’s south side near its foot, is arguably one of the region's most historically fascinating islands. This response by Stephen Sabo touches on several of its interesting elements and in so doing is this month’s winner of a set of 6 - 8x10 prints.

www.1000islandsphotoart.com/

To my surprise, only two people (please see note at end) recognized last month’s Thousand Islands Christmas tree, a pitch pine surviving on who knows what as it clings to an elephant’s back of granite out front of my cottage. It seems difficult to believe that these are Canada’s rarest pines, found only within the immediate region when they seem so willing to survive on essentially nothing.

www.1000islandsphotoart.com/

A few interesting stories surfaced following last month’s image of Sister Island and its lighthouse. As always it’s difficult to choose a winner, but I think Susie Wood’s which recalls a memorable moment in the River’s history is worth spotlighting.

www.1000islandsphotoart.com/

I left you last spring with the image from the cover of my new (and last) book of photography. What followed has been an exceptional summer on the River. The weather was outstanding and personally, it has been a relief to not feel compelled to chase images every dawn and dusk. I still take shots when they present themselves, but have very much enjoyed a slower pace photographically, which definitely made this summer special.

Last month’s wallpaper is the most important picture (to me) I've ever taken, because I never thought it could happen. I have it proudly displayed as a five-foot canvas print over my fireplace that I sit for hours in front of, exploring the intricate and unlikely scene of Fair Jeanne entering the Lost Channel in full sail. It actually did happen exactly this way 250 years ago when HMS Onondaga pursued French attackers into the labyrinth in the incident that gave this spot its name. Thanks to Simon Fuller who steered her in (very carefully) late last fall, history repeated itself.

The responses produced an overwhelming winner, Paul Reilly, who captained the old Snider 1000 Islands tour boats from 1978 - '80 before purchasing Miss Brockville IV which he skippered under the name Island Heritage for almost twenty years. As Paul has an extensive tale to tell along with several pictures, I figured the best place to share it was in Susie Smith's outstanding Thousand Islands Life magazine, so you can read this month’s winning “caption” there.

Last month’s image opened the floodgates with many great stories making for an agonizing decision over the choice of which to feature. Please know that in a very real sense there were several winners, but in the end, this one by Fritz Shantz stood out by a whisker. Please be sure to check the other comments for more great reminiscences.

 

 

It would seem that many of you need to get out a little more to explore this summer. Only a few clever souls were able to identify this scene, but in truth, it is a tricky one. It is Crossover Island, famous for its historic lighthouse, but with it totally hidden behind the tree at the left end of the island, it’s little surprise so few identified it. Kudos to those who did, including my good neighbors, the Toltons.

 

 

There were no shortage of submissions offering stories identifying last month’s image. One that I’m sure will resonate with many of you, paints the picture of a little boy in a tiny boat enjoying summer adventures in the narrow rifts and gaps around Trois Iles in the Lost Channel. That little boy now has a somewhat larger boat, providing quite different adventures, though I suspect his earlier ones are the ones he cherishes most: 

 

 

No shortage of correct responses identifying last month's image. It is of course St. Brendan's Church at Rockport, perched on a bluff above a small harbor well known to diners at the Boathouse Country Inn which offers one of the finest dining views on the River from their harbor-side terrace. 

 

 

It seems I have been overly tough on you. Two months in a row the images have stumped everyone. In truth, last month’s image was particularly difficult, because the view is limited and shares no definitive landmarks.

 

 

 

So does this mean I won? The last screen saver I shared with you back in May stumped everyone! I don’t remember that ever happening before.

I have to admit the aerial view makes this place look entirely different than it does from “terra firma.” The silhouetted trees in the foreground aren’t on an island, they’re on a point. It’s Kring Point State Park. Perhaps some of you will now recognize it. I don’t know much about this area as I was hoping you’d fill me in about it, but Goose Bay lies beyond, this just a few miles downstream from Alexandria Bay.

 

I continue to be surprised by how many manage to identify a scene I never expect will be recognized. This is the exact opposite of the view boaters see while passing the Sifton Estate just downstream from Browns Bay Provincial Park.

 

 

Last month’s shot of the Brockville Narrows is particularly meaningful to me. When I first flew up the River on a random flight with a couple of friends in 1992, this scene was my first glimpse of the Thousand Islands. As you know, it had an incredibly profound impact on me, changing the course of my life. A serendipitous accident.

 

Whenever I think I've succeeded in finding an image that is obscure enough or from a sufficiently different perspective to escape detection, I'm always amazed when several correct responses inevitably surface. Such is the case with last month's image which also produced some interesting stories, making the decision a tough one. Dave Montrois takes it by a whisker for sharing this:

 

I almost had you fooled last month. Surprisingly few correct answers came in despite the fact this is same area featured in the December 2005 wallpaper. The only difference is that this time it's snowing - hard, which made it tough to keep the lens dry.

I've always been drawn to this wonderfully photogenic grouping of islands in Chippewa Bay. I have made a point of photographing them in a wide variety of light and conditions, but this shot came by chance when I was out flying with a friend in his own Challenger.
 

Again last month I shared a scene that I expected no one to identify. Again I was wrong. I’ll let Phil “The Forecaster” Chadwick take it from here: "I know these islands because I have canoed and painted them "en plein air" since I was a kid in the 1960's: http://philtheforecaster.com.
 

When the last wallpaper image was posted in the spring, I left you with a particularly challenging scene to identify as it could be so many places on the River. As it happens, it is a place that is very special to me, all the more so, because I was just forced to leave it for the season. When the island transitions from delightful to difficult I get the message, particularly when difficult includes snow, which it did on October 21st. It was time to go.
 

It’s always a tough call choosing a winner, particularly when there are several good stories submitted.

No shortage of correct identifications of the March image and many stories including three great ones from Peter Mabee, Allen Benas and Robert Charron, all of whom just have to receive a set of prints for their efforts, but ultimately there is room for just one "official" winner.

Many responses correctly identified last month’s scene, including this one from Dean Evans of LaFayette, NY:

I received only a few guesses attempting to identify January’s image and only two were correct. Jim Pontious of Murrysville, PA was one, but the award and the six prints has to go to Steve Franzeim of Hudson, Mass.

While I figured November’s scene would prove elusive and didn’t, December’s was one I was fairly sure would be easy to recognize, particularly as it included a “down bound” ship passing Singer Castle in the distance, yet only two people picked up on those clues to identify this as the foot of Grenadier Island.

It is getting ridiculously tough to find scenes that don’t instantly get identified by a lot of you. I would have thought November’s would have been difficult, but apparently not.

Another summer on the River has come to a close - reluctantly, as summer’s warmth lingered far later than in years past. It’s always difficult being away but as last winter, I’ve left the Internet Camera running (click on “CAM” in the menu bar) so that you can visit the River anytime you wish during daylight hours. Hopefully, no gremlins will get in the way and it will run flawlessly until spring.

Last spring I left you pondering this image of a place very dear to my heart. Coincidentally, the view overlaps the Internet CAM's, aiming slightly more to the south. It is a spot I affectionately call “the dining room” as that’s its primary function when weather allows. In sharing this image, I hadn’t expected any correct IDs except from friends and visitors who know it well and therefore could not be counted, yet amazingly...

I was quite certain that very few 1000 Islanders would recognize last month’s scene as it is the extreme western tip of the 1000 Islands region, exposed to the waves and weather of Lake Ontario, where only very brave or very foolish boaters venture unless it is extremely calm. I was wrong. A surprising number of correct IDs arrived, again with several interesting stories, but alas only one, Hugh Cowan, can be the winner - for this:

Fellow 1000 Islanders,

 

Last month’s scene was an incredibly difficult one and as I suspected, no one correctly identified it, despite the fact that several were convinced they knew exactly where it was. That’s precisely why I picked it. It is so very obviously the 1000 Islands that it could be almost any one of them, but no place else. 

 

Why is it so immediately recognizable as here? I guess for the simple reason that most of the islands are the granite roots of ancient mountains that make up the Frontenac Arch and each has been carved and polished in much the same way by the glaciers of numerous ice ages. 

 

I’ve often noted when exploring islands that each seems completely different with its own unique character, as is the view of the River from each, as though...

Fellow 1000 Islanders, December’s “Christmas tree” was a tough one for most 1000 Islanders.   

This determined willow sits on a microscopic island (with only its trunk showing in high water) locally known as Toniata, the original name of Jones Creek and also of an Indian village located here (or nearby) when Father Simon Lemoyne, a French missionary became the first white man to visit the area early in the 17th century.

The island sits in the middle of a very pretty bay, visible from near the eastern end of the 1000 Islands Parkway but hard to spot from the River unless you make an effort to explore the intricacies of the Canadian shoreline.  The bay also provides access to the extensive Jones Creek wetland/wilderness area, which is now protected forever as part of the Thousand Islands Biosphere Reserve.

Last month's...

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Last month’s photo ID was a close run affair between Jason Stock of Glen Cove, NY and Shayne Sage of Charlotte, NC, with Shayne (just) taking the laurels (and six 8 x 10 prints) for this response:

Why is it so hard to pack up and leave the River? I don’t think it’s the effort, though there certainly is that. It’s the knowledge that it will be many months before getting back. But this year, I have a support system to make the time away more enjoyable. You do too.

Last month's photo of the Niagara drew a number of interesting responses including one from Kris Bregani who I'd like to thank for having told me the Niagara had run aground just across the channel from her cottage

Not many picked up on last month’s image, however I suspect a number of you will recognize it immediately when I tell you it’s just upstream from the Canadian Span, the islands off Ivy Lea.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, I thought last month’s scene would have stumped everyone. It didn’t.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Not unexpectedly, our January image wasn’t identified by very many. It is typical of countless special spots hidden in the islands but known only to those who live or summer nearby. Grindstone Island is such a spot, with a small and hardy year round population and a number of summer residents who have cherished this place for generations.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Happy New Year. Welcome to 2006! May it be a good one for you and yours. We start the year with an Uncle Sam tour boat Captain and all around genuine River Rat, Dennis Honeywell as this month’s winner. Our December scene incidentally, was the winter version of the page 41 Lost Channel shot in “The 1000 Islands”, taken from precisely the same spot, but looking very different because of winter.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Several of you have missed your calling. You should have been detectives. I’m referring to those of you who picked up on the fact that there are two buoys in this shot, both a red and green one and as you cleverly pointed out, seldom do they sit close enough to each other to show up in the same picture. Having an island between them narrows the search further.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, I imagine I’m not the only one who dreads late fall. Beyond the shorter days and coming winter (for those of us who brave it out up here that is), it means leaving the river, which I did just a week ago. It was time. As unpleasant as leaving the islands always is, perhaps being away is what makes going back so incredibly special.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, The response to these emails is nothing if not interesting. Some scenes like the Canadian Empress moored in the Admiralty Islands receive overwhelming response, yet others that should be more easily identified, get far less. After checking last month’s photo against all the charts, one person concluded that the scene wasn’t in the 1000 Islands at all. It was. I think the aerial perspective is so different, without the next shoreline hiding the view beyond, that the scene is more ‘complicated’ for lack of a better word.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, You would think that George Boldt’s showplace farm on Wellesley Island would be easily recognized, but apparently it’s not. While I think many are aware that it exists, they might never have seen it, or if they have, not known the connection. Next time you’re headed into Lake of the Isles from the eastern end, take a look to your left, just before you get to the narrows. You’ll see the barn up on the hill, alongside the Thousand Islands Country Club’s Lake Course.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Whew! This was really a tough one. We had an onslaught of great responses this month with plenty of information about the area and the “Canadian Empress”, including from a former Captain. For those of you not familiar with her, the Empress has been cruising the 1000 Islands to Quebec City and Ottawa (via Montreal) for many years and offers a wonderful way to introduce friends to the area in a comfortable and stylish way. She has a strong following. Many of her passengers are repeat cruisers with the record holder having taken 136!

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Go figure! While December’s shot of Grenadier had plenty of correct answers and November’s much trickier shot of the Punts Islands had a few, last month’s shot is a scene that virtually everyone is familiar with, yet only a single person identified it correctly. You’ll all kick yourselves when you read further because most 1000 Islanders know this area well.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, I didn’t realize this task would be so tough. This month’s winner is a genuine tough call. The last image, a high shot of Grenadier Island was successfully identified by many, with several worthy “captions” submitted.

Fellow 1000 Islanders, It’s interesting that the high views are so tricky to identify. Only two correct answers came back from last month’s image, one from Bud Andress and the other from Al Bickerton. The tie breaker goes to Bud partly because of his excellent caption, but also because Al was a little vague about a story from his youth. Something to do with night, a Mountie boat hitting a shoal here and US beer! Bud’s caption:

Fellow 1000 Islanders, Mother Nature won. She always does. My rustic 1917 cottage is simple yet comfortable - until it gets cold. With only a woodstove for warmth and a limited supply of firewood on the island that needs hoarding for spring, it was time to leave.