Daily Archives: May 12, 2011

Growing up Adirondack by Mitch Lee

Early evening fishing adventure comes off without a catch

There was a chill in the air that evening my father and I walked down to the lake for an early spring fishing expedition.

Along the way I noticed that the grasses along the road were still matted down and not yet green.

There were few bugs in the air, though my father said it may be the last night we would be able to fish without them.

We cut across the pathway around the lake to the boathouse where we liked to fish. When we reached our destination I found that my bobber, which had swung lazily against my pole during our trek, was tangled by the hook and line.

I had to spend some time untangling the twisted mess before I could get started. My dad, however, got right down to business.

The sky was grey and the wind picked up. When I made my first cast, the bobber rode a wave and quickly floated back towards me, corkscrewing along the top of the water.

A pair of Mallard Ducks came paddling along the shoreline and gave us a look as they slowly went by.

I reeled in my line and found that my worm was half-eaten. I dressed another wiggler over the hook as I watched the ducks out of the corner of my eye.

Before I could cast again my dad had a fish on his line. He wrestled it back to the dock in no time, but he thought it was too small to be a keeper. He got on his knees and reached into the lake, cautiously unhooking the hook from the lip of his catch.

As we watched for the fish to make its getaway those darn, nosey ducks swam right up to the dock. I reached into the lake and splashed water to chase them away, but they were slow in retreating.

We fished until the murky afterglow of the day made it hard to see our bobbers in the water. When my dad said it was time to go I said, “Really? I haven’t caught a fish yet.”

If the truth be known, my hands and toes were so cold that I was actually relieved at the suggestion to head back home so I could warm up.

I gave the lake one last look as we walked away, even though most of it had disappeared in the twilight.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com

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Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

Keep your camera handy: Moose reportedly making local rounds

The rain continues to fall, but it looks like a couple of good days are coming our way. I sure hope so as I will soon be at the Crown Point Bird Banding Station at Lake Champlain which is presently at record high levels.

I will be padding in a canoe checking the nets on the lake.

Route 9N, the road that runs along the lake south of Port Henry, has been closed for over a week now as there is over two feet of water on the road.

It was still raining over that way today (5/6) so I’m sure I’ll have to find a different way to get there tomorrow.

I caught a few birds early in the day today.

I saw a couple of Yellow Rumped Warblers, Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Woodcock heard Winter Wren and Blue-headed Vireo.

Just before 7 a.m., Karen said she thought she saw a Hummingbird go by. We put the feeders up yesterday and sure enough, right at 7 a.m. it landed on the feeder long enough for us to see it.

I called Marcia Roblee and asked if she had seen one yet. Normally she gets one before I do, but she said she hadn’t put her feeders up yet because it had been so cold and wet.

She said the Hummingbirds usually come on her son’s birthday, which was yesterday. I’m sure she had her feeders up within the hour.

I remember a few years back when we had over a foot of snow on Mother’s Day, the birds flocked to the feeders.

There were Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Evening Gros-beaks plus lots of little birds.

I had to thaw out the Hummer feeder several times to keep the couple that were there going.

Speaking of snow, I saw some today as I pedaled my bike to Red River in the Moose River Recreation Area.

It started as ice pellets when I got by Governor Brook, but when I reached a high point behind Seventh Lake Mountain it had turned to snow.

I found a big cake of ice about four feet by four feet that had fallen from the ledge by Governor Brook. That was the only piece that I found, but it was enough to keep your trout or beer cold.

There were Moose tracks in the road from the Sump Snowmobile Trail to the Red River that continued down the Rockdam Road.

I did not get any pictures however. Now that we know they are around it’s a good idea to keep our cameras handy.

I heard that a cow with last year’s calf was seen on the Thendara Golf Course last week. They were probably trying to find a dry spot.

Despite all the rain we have had, the road has held up pretty well. It was a little slow going in spots as it felt like I was pedaling through cement.

Along the way I saw one Ruffed Grouse, one Yellow Rumped Warbler, one Hermit Thrush and a couple of Chickadees.

When we were down south at Sanibel we went into Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge every evening to watch the Roseate Spoonbills come in to feed just before dark.

During our three-week stay they only failed us once when they did a fly-over instead of a landing.

The first night we went, 35 pretty pink birds flew in right on cue. Their numbers increased each night, but unfortunately some nights they came early and I missed their fly-in and landing.

One night they put on quite a show when a strong wind blew in. The birds nearly turned upside down as they came in for a landing. Sometimes the sun was behind them which made for tough photography.

But other nights those pink birds were on the other side of the road and the sun hit them just perfectly.

We weren’t the only ones who came every night hoping to get a better shot.

One couple was from Baltimore and the other was from the state of Washington. Another guy was from Ballston Lake which was just south of where we grew up.

Cameras clicked away and we took multiple shots of the Spoonbills flying over and around us near the observation tower.

One night we saw 101 of them, and the next night there were 116. That night I caught one scratching its chin with its foot as it flew onto land.

Karen would ask me, “How many more Spoonbill shots do you need?”

The noseums controlled the crowd even when the wind was blowing. Their bite smarts and burns for a little while but goes away quite quickly.

When I would get back in the car I would share a few with Karen, who was reading her book and watching the Spoonbills bug-free from inside the car.

Results of the Great Backyard Bird Count held in February are in, but that’s another story. See ya.

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A Letter from Fr. Kevin

To the Community:

I would like to thank all the people of Old Forge, Inlet and Raquette Lake for the warm welcome that I received a year ago upon my arrival and the emotional support for my upcoming departure.

It is hard to believe that I have to pack again after so short a period of time but there is a need in our Diocese that the Bishop has asked me to fill and so it is with heavy heart and much trepidation that I head to my next assignment.

The connections that I made this year will be remembered for years to come. From those I met in the early hours of the morning working out in the school’s nautilus room to those on the spinning bikes.

From those that I met on the golf course to the group I shared breakfast with after morning mass.

All those wonderful meals and desserts—especially the gelato that made the working out such a necessity.

Finally let me not forget to mention the kindred spirit of the Niccolls Memorial Church and their wonderful Pastor. We shared our faith, hopes and joys and were there to support each other in this journey of life.

The list can go on and on from snowmobiling to cross country skiing which helped the winter to pass by, not necessarily quickly but definitely enjoyably.

Without a doubt there was a lot of different things within this short year, I can only imagine what else would have made the list had there been more time.

As I prepare to move to Ticonderoga please know that you will all be in my prayers and remembered fondly. Maybe somewhere down the road I may have to good fortune to return back to this wonderful community,

Thank You and God Bless!

Father Kevin McEwan

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Osama death photos would satisfy my rubber-necking nature, but…

by Ken Thibado International Sports Reporter

Having just hit a momentous blast in the dangerous baseball that is being fought between The United States and Muslim Extremists, Barack Obama isn’t grandstanding.

He’s rounded the bases quickly, doffed his cap a few times to his adoring fans (à la Roger Maris) and returned to the dugout.

He is not, for instance, hooting and hollering as he runs around the bases.

He is not even showing up the pitcher, having just knocked him out of the game and sent him to the showers (at the bottom of the sea).

He is not standing on an aircraft carrier before an unfurled banner declaring “Mission Accomplished” (while wearing the garb of a military he skulked away from as if the silverware were made of stainless steel).

He is not standing at a podium, provided to him by American Citizens, asking terrorists to “Bring it on.”

And he is not releasing photos (yet) of the new and improved Osama bin Laden (now outfitted with two bullet holes).

Everything seems to be in keeping with the respectful trouncing our military has been handing Al Qaeda since 2001. May the ninth inning finally arrive soon…

I will admit that I would seek the morbid sensation in rubber-necking a villain’s assassination by viewing the death photos of Osama bin Laden.

I also understand the reasoning behind not revealing them, and accept that my personal wants do not exceed the safety of other people.

However, I wince at those who demand these photos as proof; as if this is some dog and pony show that dates back to a Hawaiian long-form birth certificate. Making thick-headed demands is an American Right. It is, however, unattractive.

You can tell Ken Thibado how unattractive he is at HalfStache@me.com.

 

 

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Just Call me Mrs. Lucky by Jan from Woodgate

Dear overpaid bureaucrat: Keep away from Woodgate Post Office

Devastating news here in Woodgate. The postal feds, in all their infinite wisdom, want to close our post office.

Most of us received this notice last week, however, several local folks were blatantly left off the list and received no notification whatsoever.

The closing of this particular post office will indeed cause incredible hardship for many, many residents here; year-rounders as well as the tons of seasonal folks that blanket this area for months and months.

We need you Mart Allen. Your postal crusade was nothing short of incredible. Your diligence was remarkable and I admire the heck out of you, just so ya know.

Because we reside right on Route 28, we choose not to have a high maintenance, high profile rural box at the end of our driveway.

We are business owners in this town and visit our post office almost daily for mail pickups and sendouts, stamp purchasing, money orders, etc.

Traveling to Forestport is simply not an option with gas prices soaring and time limitations.

In addition to the personal cost we will be faced with comes the very disturbing fact that we will have to change our addresses—our zip code will no longer exist.

THEY WANT TO STEAL OUR IDENTITY!!! Aw c’mon guys, do you really want to take Woodgate off the map?

Now what? Will we have to change Woodgate Storage to Forestport Storage? Big bucks there. How about our fire department? What shall we call that now?

And on a more personal note, who will I be? Jan from Woodgate will cease to exist.

Yup, Identity Crisis hovers in our future, and someone will be held responsible for the mental anguish that would accompany this decision.

This little post office is extremely busy during the summer months—one can barely get near the place.

There’s absolutely no way to convince us that it’s monetarily unfeasible to keep this office open.

Why not simply eliminate the no-doubt-grossly-over-compensated federal employee who started this mess?

I’ll just bet that his annual salary and benefit package could keep us well funded for many years to come.

We will be pleased to meet with this fella on Thursday afternoon, right here at our post office, between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m.

I’m certain there will be an impressive turnout in support of our Woodgate Post Office.

I say Backhoes Unite. Bring out the heavy stuff my friends—we’re in for a fight, and a noble one it will be.

Let’s keep our town from being swallowed up by The Big Guys, cuz who really likes them anyway?

Certainly not this gal, Jan from Wherever.

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Webb Town Justice Patrick Venetz announces his reelection candidacy

Town of Webb Justice Patrick Venetz has announced that he will be seeking re-election in November.

He has served in the post for the past 12 years.

Venetz, a former Philadel-phia police officer, and his wife Nancy moved here from the Philadelphia suburbs 23 years ago, when they bought the 19th Green Motel in Thendara.

“Not long after we moved here I got my private investigator’s license, which I kept for a while. Then I decided to run for Town Justice when Sam Herman retired,” Venetz said.

His experience as Town Justice has been rewarding, he said, and the cases he hears frequently share similarities.

“But you have to look at them as individual cases. I try to treat everyone fairly and be consistent, and I’m very proud of the fact that I’m very consistent. That makes the job a whole lot easier,” he said.

After undergoing successful open heart surgery recently to repair two valves, there have been rumors that Venetz would not run again for Town Justice.

“But I am running,” he said. “I was sick for a couple of months but I always made sure that the work got done. I was in contact with the court clerk, even when I was in the hospital.”

Venetz said he feels great now and he is golfing a couple times a week and walking again.

“There has also been a lot of emphasis that I am not from here—that I’m from somewhere else, but Old Forge is my home and I care what happens to the community and the people in the community. Once I lose my passion for it then I’ll quit on my own and I won’t rerun,” he said.

“For the most part that’s why I’m running again. I think I’ve done a great job over the last 12 years and I’m going to continue to do it the way I have been.”

Venetz and his wife Nancy have two sons who were born and raised here.

Casey is currently in the U.S. Marines and Patrick, a senior at the Town of Webb School who will graduate in June, plans to attend Norwich University to study Criminal Justice.

“This is my home and I’m going to retire here,” Venetz said. “And I hope that people think that I’ve done a good job and will re-elect me in November.”

So far one other candidate, Jack Graham of Old Forge, has announced that he intends to seek the justice position currently held by Justice Venetz.

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Just in time for summer recreation season Stillwater Reservoir:

DEC announces resolution to parking, docking, access, and private use of Forest Preserve issues

The New York State Department of Environ-mental Conserva-tion (DEC) announced Thursday that the public parking and use of Stillwater Reservoir at the end of the Stillwater Road will be much improved for the coming summer recreation season.

The reservoir is located in the Adirondack Forest Preserve in the Town of Webb.

Related issues have been resolved through the use of Temporary Revocable Permits (TRP) allowing for limited private use of state land at the Stillwater public dock and Grassy Point.

“Parking and use of the docks at Stillwater by the public who are recreating on the reservoir had become increasingly difficult due to the private uses of these facilities,” Judy Drabicki, DEC Regional Director said.

“We feel there is a solution that will greatly enhance the public’s use of the Stillwater facilities—which were built for them to use on these public lands, while still allowing for limited private uses of these facilities,” she said.

Town of Webb Supervisor Robert Moore acknowledged that establishing suitable Stillwater parking and Beaver River docking and access was a challenge, but he said he is glad the parties were able to come together for a solution.

“I would be remiss not to expressly thank Senator Seward and the DEC staff for having empathy and seeing things from others point of view,” Supervisor Moore said.

 

In September 2009, the Department sent letters directing those who had left their boats and trailers unattended in state parking lots in Stillwater to remove them.

In the spring 2010, DEC posted signs stating that parking is limited to people who are present at that time on the reservoir or surrounding land and that parking for more than four days without a valid camping permit is prohibited.

Beaver River is a hamlet of 125 seasonal residents, a handful of permanent residents, and two businesses east of Stillwater reservoir which is surrounded by Forest Preserve and no road access.

Despite concerns that the parking enforcement would inconvenience Beaver River residents who want to leave their boats in Stillwater they have been able to find alternatives parking arrangements.

The local DEC Forest Ranger has received a number of compliments from the public because of the increased availability of parking, the agency said.

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