A Bit Of America's Fourth Coast

We'd recently endured big snowstorms and bone chilling cold, but one day our temperatures went above freezing and into the 40s (F). I drove north to Massena and then west to Wilson Hill Island, which sits in the St. Lawrence River, just south of the Canada/U.S. border:

The north shore of the island is populated with houses, but the rest of the island is the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area:

The St. Lawrence River/Seaway is often billed as America's Fourth Coast and I could see why as I drove the causeway across the water to Wilson Hill Island:

Most of the water was still covered with a thick layer of ice, but with our rapidly warming temperatures, I worried about the lone remaining ice fishing shed. I also used the zoom lens to take a picture of the sign on the door to see if it was a notification by rangers to get this shed off the ice, but instead it was the name and address of the owner. I hope the ice solidified safely before the shed fell through:


The houses on the north shore of Wilson Hill Island are mostly upscale, year round residences:

There are still cottages on the shore, but they are gradually being replaced by permanent residences:

It is indeed a beautiful place to live, and I kept thinking how it reminded me of Cape Cod towns:

There were docks and picnic areas still showing above the snow:

And of course many homes had boats:

I was traveling westward, so the left side of the road was mostly forested land, part of the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management area:

Two homes on the shore. I am sure the elevated deck on the left gets a lot of use during the summer:

This elaborately carved archway and fence led only to woodlands of the Wildlife Management Area, but it sure was pretty, and I liked the idea that someone built it just as art:

The shoreline and most of the houses were on my right, but there were a few homes on the left side of the road. This large home was built on the left, away from the shore, but got their St. Lawrence views by adding a large elevated deck on the front of the house:

What a lovely place to live:

Speaking of getting views, this house was built with an entire wall of giant windows and an elevated deck in the style of a pier:

A smaller, simpler home, right on the water:

I came to the end of the island and the offices of the Wildlife Management Area. I couldn't go any farther as that causeway was closed. I turned around at this water tower, which answered my question as to what town the island was in. It is part of the town of Louisville. That was the end of my tour, so I returned to Massena to do some shopping:

Small Animal Swap Meet In Louisville, New York

The Northern New York Poultry Club morphed, over the winter, into something called Country Thyme Living. There were several changes of name and purges of former members. I kept my head down until it was over and was eager to attend their first function this spring, a swap meet. Last autumn's swap meet was filled with small animals - chickens, ducks, goats, pigs and rabbits:

This year's swap meet, however, had only five people with animals. There were three tailgate venders outdoors, including this one with lovely Roller Pigeons. I was still hoping to find some Fantail Pigeons, but this man had none:

This woman had crossbred roosters and two Turkens (bald chickens). I suspected that neither would be hot commodities, but I kept my opinion to myself and wished her well:

Three of her roosters. They were handsome birds, but people with chickens usually already have more roosters than they know what to do with:

The third and final outdoor vender had three cages of chickens. I thought the white ones might be Phoenix because of their long tails, but the guys were so busy chatting that I never got to ask. The little black hens in the center were a breed unknown to me:

I went inside to see what else they had and was surprised to find that it was a hockey arena. This is far northern New York, almost Canada, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find that hockey is a major sport here:

There were vender's booths set up everywhere. This one had plants for sale:

A woodcraft booth:

Birdhouses and lamps made of birdhouses:

Wool, yarn and wool crafts, with a woman spinning:

Alpaca wool and crafts. I wished I'd have looked at this one more carefully:

There were only two tables with animals. One had fish, mice and hamsters. And this one had baby chicks and Ameraucana (a chicken breed which lays blue and green eggs) eggs, sold by the dozen. But that was about all there was to see, so I walked back out to my car and headed for home:

Discovering Louisville, New York - Part 3

I was taking a driving tour through the village and town of Louisville, and finding it both liveable and picturesque:

As in most towns around here, the trees surrounded and backed up everything. This home had trees, bushes and a myriad of plantings:

A modern brick home with double garage:

An old farm house:

And a pleasant suburban type home, surrounded with flowers:

A white home with a big porch:

A driveway into the woods where another home was hidden. It was marked by a split rail fence, flowers, an old hand pump and a Blue Spruce:

A classic, traditional farm home:

And because Louisville was right on the shores of the Grasse River and close to the St. Lawrence Seaway, a miniature lighthouse:

Tall Garden Phlox were in bloom here:

And right next door, even more Phlox in bloom. They seemed to be the same variety, with each blossom a mix of pink and white. I'd bet that these neighbors shared root cuttings:

Twin maples framed this home. But I'd already spent enough time on my driving tour, so I put my camera away and headed for home:

Discovering Louisville, New York - Part 2

I was making my first drive through the village of Louisville. They had fine old churches:

And modern homes backed by towering pines:

Some very old homes, at least one of them abandoned:

Very deluxe homes:

And a classic gas station and eatery along the highway, looking for all the world like the places our family stopped on our trips across the country when we were children:

The forest was ever present around and behind many of the homes:

Just outside of the village but still in the town of Louisville were wildflowers galore, with corn fields off in the distance:

The wildflowers were so beautiful that I stopped and attempted to capture their color:

This looked like an old farm house all fixed up:

Another fine old brick church:

And lovely homes along the Grasse River:

Louisville seemed like a nice place to live. It was out in the country, but within easy commuting distance to many of the population centers. But I still had more to see in Louisville, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: