Day Trip to Tug Hill

This past weekend was spent between both Sixberry and Brandy Brook. Saturday Laura and I headed north to check on Sixberry and have dinner with Grandpa. We had a nice treat on our way to Sixberry. Grandpa called us and said the guys were chopping corn near the road. Our first stop took us to the farm and there we watched the trucks back into the bunk and unload the corn. After the trucks dumped, two John Deere pack tractors came right in and started piling it higher. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home on Saturday. There would have been some great pictures. It was a perfect day for chopping. We followed Grandpa back to the field after he unloaded. Lucky for Laura, we parked at the road to watch and the farm had a pet donkey. Laura liked watching it and making fun of it's noises.

Sunday took us to Tug Hill. Last weekend Gary was there for work weekend where they repaired the roof. Only the weather wasn't so cooperative on Sunday of last week. A few of the guys were able to head up there this weekend and finish up the job.


Labor Day weekend some of the other members stacked the wood for winter. The shed is full with some extra stacked outside. Won't take long to tackle the pile. We had a small fire when we first arrived to take the chill off inside. I caught this sunny pic of the girls heading down to the pond... Don't they look like they have been caught?
The girls walking on the bridge.
We have a similar picture of the girls next to the chimney in the winter time. It was different to have one without the snow. They each had a lollipop that the cook gave them from the Grist Mill where we had breakfast in the morning.
Kelly doing some wood detail. Hauling wood in her bucket from the shed.
A couple of the guys taking care of some yard work. This chunk was to much for them. So....
Gary hooked onto it and dragged it away with his wheeler. (Greg maybe you could try this with your new wheeler).
Another project, was the railing on the back side of camp. After ripping off the old, a new one was made. Yes with the chain saw. When a hand saw is not available, it is important to improvise. It turned out nice and fit in with the rest of camp.
A nice tailgate lunch of peanut butter and sisters who love each other. At least for the moment.
So much to do at camp and still time to sneak in a nap. Works every time!

Golden Harvest Festival

This past weekend was the Golden Harvest Festival at Beaver Lake Nature Center. The girls have been to Beaver Lake before to enjoy the trails and wildlife. However this time they had some added treats. First stop when we got there was to visit the goats. It was perfect timing because this one was brought out for milking. The girls were able to get up close and pet her.
After a little walking around, we found the famous donut and cider booth. Perfect time to take a break.
Grandma was able to join us for the afternoon.
And we all took a wagon ride through the woods by Prince and Don. Kelly was fascinated by these horses. I think it was the size of them.
We found some games to enjoy.

After an afternoon of playing, Rich had a good idea to make pizza. Grandma showed the girls how to stretch the dough.
Kelly made a cheese pizza and Laura made a white garlic pizza. Both were very yummy.

Second Grade Star

Our Laura is ready and heading off for second grade. She was bubbling with excitement and couldn't wait to get to the end of the driveway to meet the bus. This year she will be getting on the bus at home and off at daycare. It's a big deal. Ready to take that trip up the driveway...
We had some time to spare at the end of the driveway so we got some extra pictures. I figure we should enjoy it while we can. Some day she won't want her picture taken. At least that is what I am told from others whose children are older.
Still okay to stand with mom and dad. Well, when no one else is looking.
A nice picture of Gary and Laura in front of the pines.
And she's off! 23 students in her class was the report tonight.

Labor Day Laughs

Labor Day Weekend came and went with more fun for the girls. We started on Saturday with the idea of doing some 4-wheeling. When we told the girls of the idea they couldn't wait. Our trip took us to some other Indian River lakes in the area around Sixberry. The first stop was at Lake of the Woods and the second stop was at Grass Lake. Here is a picture of the girls on the road. This is at the county line of Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties. Gary and the girls taking a little rest.
Gary took this picture of us. Hmmm, are we for sale?
Sunday was another cookout for family. It was a great weather day. My brother brought his jet ski for the day. Everyone enjoyed it. Even Dad who took it for a spin. But not before he broke out his rubber boots to ride!
My niece, Angelina, building her sand castle.
Our great white frog hunter.... This kept her occupied for hours.
I realized this whole summer I hadn't taken a picture of camp. Here's our quiet place tucked away. Very peaceful.
Another chance for the girls to practice their driving.
Laura liked going in circles. However, Gary told her if she kept going in circles it would create a toilet bowl and Sixberry would be flushed away. It didn't help that the neighbors went along with that theory.
Back at the dock, enjoying the nice weather and making sure the bumpers are just right.
What would camp be without a good hearty breakfast? I love this griddle at camp. Perfect size for a camp breakfast. You can smell breakfast cooking along the lake in the morning when the air is still.
Fire? Yes, fire. It is starting to cool off and we needed to warm up Labor Day morning. It didn't take long and it felt good.

Pre Kindergarten Orientation

Today was Kelly's first day at Pre-K. Well it wasn't a full day for her but an orientation to the classroom. Mornings are usually slow going for Kelly. Not today. She was ready to go by 8 am, no prodding needed. I caught these pics as she was getting ready to head to town with Daddy. I met up with them a little bit later for the event. All went well!
Sporting that "Stanton Stance"...
Four years old and ready to take on the world. If only I could capture half of her energy.

Boating and Berries

Another week gone by, which means another week of summer is gone. Not that there has been much of summer weather this year. But we are still enjoying our time on Sixberry. This weekend was a little cooler with some showers. It didn't stop some boaters though. Here is the captain and his crew. (aka Grandpa and the girls) The girls are learning quickly to be ready at the dock with their ropes. After a ride around the lake, we tested some wallpaper on one of the camp walls. Earlier this summer we put new sheet rock on another wall that had some water damage. That wall needs to be painted. We tested the wallpaper wall to see how stuck it really was. The girls learned quickly how to give it a tug.
The stripped wall after some rough sanding. Ready for a coat of paint. I think I found 4 different styles of paper. I remember the old green that we had at the camp when Mom and Dad bought the place 27 years ago. Mom quickly changed that to some floral print and the last was put up in 1994. Guess it's time for a change.
One of the fun things I remember as a kid at Sixberry, are the blackberries. This weekend was prime picking. The hill was covered with them. More than I ever remember. My summer sister, Cristina, and I would pick these and eat them before we could get them back to our camps. Grandpa and the girls each had a cup to fill.
Kelly took her berry picking very seriously. I think she stripped this whole vine before moving onto the next.

Singer Castle, Dark Island

This past weekend we celebrated my niece Kelsey's 15th birthday. We went for a family celebration at my brother-in-law's house. We were treated to some nice chicken kabob's among some other favorites. Not to mention the wine. Although, when one is not feeling well please take note not to mix cold medicine, allergy medicine and wine all in the same day. I must say I was a little bit in a fog. Well at least I'm feeling better now and it provided a few laughs for some.

Sunday we spent the day playing tourists. Gary has wanted to visit Singer Castle all summer. There is a shuttle that takes off at Schermerhorn Landing which was a nice way to travel since the other method was to go into Alex Bay and take the full tour. I didn't think the girls would last that long. A special treat for the girls was Grandpa had been there a few years ago so he knew all the secret passages. You could see where the passages were, but were closed off so that people couldn't pass through them. Still very interesting. You can read more about the castle here http://www.singercastle.com/start.html

The outside of the castle from the look out point. Walking the hill was the equivalent of 4 flights of stairs. Oh and did I mention it was raining when we got there? It cleared up enough after that we could take this picture as we were leaving.
Gary and Laura met a new friend while they were visiting the castle.
The girls and I at the look out point on the grounds. St. Lawrence River in the background. It was nice that it cleared up enough to take some river pics.

Considering the day I had on Saturday, Gary thought I should share a picture of their wine cellar.
This was one of the bathrooms on the third floor of the castle. This is a picture of the floor and the glass grate. The ceiling had a sky light in it and with this grate it heated the floor and provided heat into the next bathroom on the second floor.
After getting to the third floor, the girls needed to take a break. How fitting to find these two perfect seats for them to rest.
Another strange but interesting piece was this contraption. It was located in the sports therapy room. It included a bucket for water, a stool to sit on and light bulbs along the inside. When the doors were shut and the top flaps down, only the head would stick out. Sounded a little scary to me.
Another shot of the sports therapy room.
Since they didn't have any double beds this is how the married folks slept. Just a little different from now.
Another perk of the trip was on the shuttle ride back to shore. The captain of the boat was tired of navigating and asked for the girls to help out. After our trip to the island we went to a near by cemetery where we found my Uncle Lawrence Stanton. This was a new find for Dad and I. Happy that Gary made us turn around and check it out. It was difficult to see the imprint but was able to read Sept. 3, 1915 - Nov. 19, 1921. Interesting to find another piece of our family history.