Fellow 1000 Islanders,
Not unexpectedly, our January image wasn’t identified by very many. It is typical of countless special spots hidden in the islands but known only to those who live or summer nearby. Grindstone Island is such a spot, with a small and hardy year round population and a number of summer residents who have cherished this place for generations.
This month’s winner is a collaboration between Michael Brink whose family have been Ramsden Islanders (in the Lake Fleet Group) for five generations and Fran Purcell, who calls this part of Grindstone, home.
From Michael: “This is the head of Grindstone Island looking north and west to Gananoque. The island in the background is Leek or Thwartway, which has always been the site of the best shore dinners because of the natural sand beaches. If Fran writes in, she probably will not tell you that while she was living year round in Buck Bay (just behind the camera) she was one of the last, if not the last, teachers at the Grindstone one-room school house.”
From Fran: “The photo looks down on the Squash Court boathouse and dock and on to No Hawkers grove, Mid River, the old barn the Land Trust owns, Harry and Urche's house and on to the northwest to Weesy's Point and the Canadian islands. We know this area well as we stayed in the Squash Court and No Hawkers while doing construction maintenance last summer. Our boats were at the dock and on the beaches in the photo. The Rickerts showed us their deer-proof fence at Mid River one time when we stopped on a bike ride on those great paths seen in the photo.”
Thank you Fran and Michael. Grindstone really is a lovely island and a world apart. One of the reasons I so enjoy sharing these monthly images is that the aerial view allows me to reveal places treasured by locals, but unknown to me and a great many others.
Having an insider’s description come from these postings helps bring the scene to life and help us understand how exceptional a place this really is. The 1000 Islands may comprise a relatively small area, but they are amazingly rich in the diversity they offer. We all think that our own corner is the finest place here, but we are wrong. It all is.
For this month’s image. we’ll climb about a mile and a half higher to give you a little different perspective on the area that I suspect you’ll never have never seen before:
As with Fran and Michael, a set of 1000 Islands prints awaits the person who can best identify and explain the view.
Enjoy!
Ian Coristine
