Ian Coristine -
13 Mar 2007
And I thought last month’s photo would be tough to identify. Not so, it would seem. Several correct answers with good stories again makes the decision the tough part. I seem to have put myself into something of a hot seat trying to select winners, judging by all the complaining I’m hearing from the “non-chosen”. My further role as sensor at least allows me to shield our winners from the intense jealousy and verbal abuse of all these sore losers. In truth, it’s all very much tongue in cheek and I appreciate that so many of you seem to enjoy these monthly postings sufficiently to want to participate.
Last Month's Wallpaper
Marilee Sherry is this month’s winner thanks to this:
“Oh my, what a wonderful pleasure to receive photos of the place my heart calls home in March, when the wind is blowing right out of the Arctic! And how wonderful to read the story my river neighbor Jack Patterson wrote last month. We are on Red Top Island, and I know the scene in this month's photo ever so well. I sit on our front porch day after day, and I see Belittler and Belabourer Islands through all kinds of weather and all times of day.
So this is in the Lake Fleet, looking upriver with Belittler, Belabourer, Iwo Eden, Troughten, Cole's, Shetland (we used to just call it Monroe's), and the head of Psyche just on the left. Scorpion is in the distance.
My family has been coming to the St. Lawrence since the late 1930's. My grandmother, Anne Phillips, told me that she first visited the St. Lawrence on her honeymoon, with her new husband Charles Phillips, in 1929. She was so excited by the River that she took her shoes off to go wading. Little did she know that not too many years later, she would be spending so much time at the River.
My grandparents first rented on Wyoming (just upriver from this photo) for a couple of summers and just fell in love with the St. Lawrence. They then bought Psyche with another couple. When they decided to sell Psyche, my grandmother was so distraught that she sank a pair of her shoes so that a part of her would always be at the River. I don't think she ever told my grandfather that she did that!
They bought Red Top Island in 1942 for the princely sum of $645! The house had been built in 1911 by Frank Moore. The island had not been used for several years and was sold for back taxes, so the family lore goes.
My grandparents quickly met their neighbors on Axeman Island, but there were not many people on the River during the war. My grandfather's brother, Wilbur Phillips and his wife Frances bought Island 45, just across the channel from Red Top. As more people came to the River during the summers, my grandparents forged friendships with the folks on neighboring islands. These friendships have spanned several generations.
As time passed, the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of Anne and Charles Phillips have fallen in love with Red Top. My grandmother used to say that she didn't own Red Top, she just took care of it. For me, that says it all!”
I think your family’s attachment Marilee, sums up how so many of us feel about this magical place, wherever we may be within it. Summers on the River are a privilege and those with properties or islands are less owners than stewards.
On another note, my good friend Paul Malo (whose three historic books; Boldt Castle, Fools’ Paradise and A Floating World wonderfully recapture the golden era of the islands), is beginning the recovery process following surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital on March 28
th. The initial diagnosis was pancreatic cancer but as it happens, the operation successfully removed a tumor before it actually reached the pancreas, so the outlook is very positive. Paul has spent a lifetime selflessly sharing his love, wisdom and knowledge of the place through his books, his teaching and the many organizations and individuals (including me) he has encouraged and supported along the River. The road back now begins and I'm certain any warm thoughts, messages of encouragement or good cheer that you might wish to share would be much appreciated. Paul’s email address is:
phmalo@syr.edu.
For this month I’ll leave you to ponder this 1000 Islands scene and count on some interesting lore to go along with the location. If you attended February’s Save the River winter banquet, please disqualify yourself, as you’ll recognize this as one of the images that I shared during my keynote. I don’t want any more whining from sore losers than I’m already getting!
Enjoy!
Ian Coristine
Download wide-angle version
