The 2014 Gingerbread House Contest!

I drove to Canton to see the entrants in TAUNY's Gingerbread House contest. TAUNY, you may remember, is Traditional Arts In Upstate New York and specializes in the artwork of local craftspeople and Native Americans. The gingerbread contest was open to all ages (though judged by category) and the theme was "sites from TAUNY's Register of Very Special Places, or in other words, local landmarks.

The first gingerbread house was of Donelly's Soft Ice Cream, a tiny shop north of Saranac Lake, toward Lake Clear, and a beloved local stop in the high peaks region. There have even been weddings there, as this gingerbread bride and groom illustrate:

The Boldt Castle Power House is located on Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River. Construction began in 1900 but ceased in 1904 with the death of Mrs. Boldt. Restoration began in 1977 and today it is a landmark and museum:

Yes! Another gingerbread Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream. Donnelly's has only one flavor per day and is always served twisted with vanilla. In this case, the creator imagined it open in the wintertime to serve snowmen:

This was simply entitled "Grandma's House." It didn't win any award, probably because it didn't comply with the theme, though the judges had some complimentary things to say about it:

Santa's Workshop, a theme park in North Pole, New York near the Whiteface Memorial Highway and in the heart of the high peaks region:

The Wanakena footbridge was built in 1902 by the Rich Lumber Company to convey employees from the town across the Oswegatchie River to work at the mill. Alas, it was destroyed by river ice jams in January of 2014, and efforts are being made to raise money to rebuild it:

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which operates as a tourist attraction between Utica and Lake Placid:

The big pine. This was new to me, and I had to read the explanation. The Big Pine is a tree near Wanakena which was never harvested by Rich Lumber Company. It takes six people, holding hands, to surround the tree trunk:

Chapin's Country Store in Rensselaer Falls. This too was new to me, but the sign said that it had been operated for many years and is a beloved local landmark. The gingerbread maker stated that it was not on TAUNY's list of special places, but it should be. Apparently the judge(s) agreed, becaue it received a blue ribbon:

The Redford Carousel. This carousel was enclosed on three sides by walls of pure candy and frosting. The carousel itself was on a turntable which allowed it to actually turn:

This elaborate structure was made by children, ages 9 and 11. They called it "The Kid's Gingerbread Dream." Also not on the list of official landmarks, it still won a red ribbon:

Yes, a second entry for Santa's Workshop in North Pole, New York, this one with no roof so you could see the rooms inside:

I zeroed in on this room, which featured a table, laden with goodies:

And just in case you haven't yet understood how much the people here love Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream in Saranac Lake, our final contestant is yet another tribute to Donnelly's. This one also received a blue ribbon and, as you can see, was intricately detailed:

Spectacular Wanakena, New York - Part 2

I'd just finished hiking up to the Cathedral Rock fire tower with my four youngest dogs and was taking a driving tour of nearby Wanakena, New York. By the way, they really are a "gateway to the wilderness." They aren't kidding. I once launched a canoe from Wanakena on a week long wilderness adventure on the Oswegatchie River:

The houses in Wanakena were quite nice, and everywhere was evidence, besides the obvious trees, that this was a community secluded in the middle of the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest:

There was a public beach on the shore of the Oswegatchie and I stopped and got out of the car to snap a photo or two:

A mother, two children and a Jack Russell Terrier were enjoying the public beach (notice one of the children to the right) and I could see the famous 171 foot suspension foot bridge (built in 1908) just downstream (or was that upstream?):

The Jack Russell Terrier saw my car full of dogs and started barking furiously. My dogs didn't bark much, probably because they knew I forbid hysterical barking fits and was within striking distance, but they sure were interested:

The only church in town was the historic Western Adirondack Presbyterian, and they were having a fund drive for money to maintain their notable historic building:

As I drove through town I continued noticing that nearly every porch was screened. As I said in yesterday's post, this is serious Black Fly and Deer Fly country. As Seamus and I found out on the Wolf Pond loop trail, those insects are nothing to trifle with:

A giant old White Pine, Adirondack themed shutters and trim, a flag with yet another screened porch:

A very nice place under the Spruces with Adirondack chairs on an non-screened porch. I'll bet they weren't sitting there in June:

Adirondack twig art and more screening:

Ferns, trees and, of course, a screened porch:

This idyllic setting was the last house I saw before I turned on the road toward the Wanakena Ranger School. But I'll post about that tomorrow:

Spectacular Wanakena, New York - Part 1

I was having a great weekend up at the farm and had just hiked up to the Cathedral Rock fire tower and back. But the day was still young, so I drove to the hamlet of Wanakena:

Wanakena is a hamlet on the shores of the Oswegatchie River and Cranberry Lake. I once began a week long wilderness canoe adventure in Wanakena, so I remembered much about the village and this felt a like a bit of a homecoming. The Cranberry Lake Wild Forest was evident even in the hamlet itself, with big trees shading the homes:

And many of the homes had a summer camp feel to them. Indeed, many of them were only summer residences:

And nearly all front porches were screened. This is prime Black Fly and Deer Fly country:

It was a relaxed and friendly place:

And water was everywhere, so owning a boat was a natural thing to do. The golf cart, I guessed, was for driving around town:

Adirondack siding. How appropriate:

Red Adirondack chairs on a deck without screening. Oh wait, there's a screened porch behind the deck. Black Fly and Deer Fly seasons are not to be trifled with:

I stopped at the Post Office and General Store to buy myself a sandwich for lunch. They had prepared sandwiches, all organic and very healthy at - well, very healthy prices. Apparently this is a high-end tourist town:

This 171 foot suspension footbridge was constructed in 1908 between the village and the Rich Brothers Lumber Mill to get employees to and from work. It still stands today and has become a bit of a tourist destination. I remembered walking across it when I was in Wanakena years ago for my canoe trip:

I was enjoying my driving tour of Wanakena and thinking how pleasant it must be to spend summers here. But there was still more to see. I'll post more tomorrow: