More pics of the property ...

This is the rough in on an old logging road about two weeks ago ...

This is where our driveway cuts in ...

The view of our driveway from the culdesac now that the road is improved ...


Dan at the end of the driveway where it will turn right behind a knoll to the house site ...

Y at the end of the driveway. House site to the right (out of view), camper site :) to the left.

Loon Lake

Dan and I are going ahead and buying the property in Loon Lake. It's really beautiful there and we can't wait to get started. Although, I'm sure our patience will be tested as everything moves/gets done at a snails pace up here. But, we think it will be worth the wait. We were fortunate enough to spend last Sunday out on the lake with our friend Bob and his son Robby. Loon Lake is a beautiful and historic place. We won't be living on the lake but will have lake rights and be within a 10 minute walk. As for the house, it will be nestled in the woods and pictures just don't do it any justice at this point. I've posted one at the end for good measure.

And, yes, that is a mink swimming across the lake with a meal in its mouth!!

The look on my face is because we heard our first Loon call of the season while at the site.

We'll be sure to post more updates and pics with our progess.

OK, OK, I'm posting!!!

Well there seem to be glimpses of Spring if you know where to look or, should I say, listen. The birds seem to sing if only to comfort everyone searching for signs. I love the change of seasons, always something different to look forward to. Not sure how people can live in an area with a relatively constant climate.

Our first ADK winter has been so beautiful and now we look forward to Spring (affectionately known as mud before flies ;) The late snow cover has kept the mud at bay for now but should make for some tenacious black flies. We'll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, here's a brief idea of what we've been up to since I last posted.

We've been trying to take advantage of the last of the snow cover to do some hiking before things get too muddy. Below are views from Panther Mountain. Saw some birds coming through and I thought I saw my very first gyrfalcon but I won't swear to it.

Work has been great. I'm working hard and often but I don't mind it at all - honest. I know it still sounds corny but I REALLY love my job. The atmosphere is great and the work is so damn interesting. Anyway, here is a shot of sunset from Trudeau beach Dan took recently when we went down after dinner. Trudeau certainly is not all about the view but it doesn't hurt and it's the only image I can offer.

Dan and I are seriously considering building a house in an area called Loon Lake (winter population approximately 25 - love that!). It's a small piece of property, about 5 acres, but it seems like it will be very quiet and give us that feeling of solitude we're looking for. The property is about 1/2 hour North of the village we live in now. A lot of things have to fall into place in order for our plans to come together (i.e., a road for starters) but we're hoping it all works out because we think it will be well worth the work and wait. I'll be sure to take pictures next time we're out there. We walked the property with our friend Gina who was up last weekend and it was starting to feel like home. That's the kind of feeling we got when we used to visit the Adirondacks just to visit and that certainly worked out so we're pretty positive.

Oh yes, Jem and Scout are doing well. These Adirondack Mountain cats sure know how to handle winter!!

LIFE IS GOOD

Florida

Well we decided to take a break from winter to enjoy some warmth and sunshine. We really had a great time visiting with family and friends. Dan's parents (pictured below) rented a house on Crystal River so we spent a few days with them fishing, boating, and I even got to swim in Rainbow Springs!! Then we headed south to meet up with some friends in Cape Coral. There we trapped some birds (redshouldered hawk and american kestrel pictured below). It was a lot of fun after not having done so in a very long time and we had a lot of laughs with some dear friends. The weather was 80 degrees and sunny every day so we certainly couldn't complain but it did take some getting used to after leaving below zero temps at home.

Winter Carnival 2007 Closing Weekend

Well, carnival is finally over and we had a blast!! Here's the ice castle. The highlight was definitely the parade. I was in it this year and we (Trudeau) won first prize for our float. You won't see it here but I was in an American Bandstand scene on the other side of the TV and we were dancing like mad the whole time, really had the crowd going. I even made the slide show (put on right before fireworks on Sunday night). Excuse me for gloating but I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Other highlights of the parade were the Oompa Loompa's and, of course, the Lawn Chair Ladies. We're already looking forward to next year. Our friend Gina was up for closing weekend and I'll have more photos of that to follow.

Blah, blah, blah ...

The following pictures were taken by Sally Duffy wearing 8 (count'em 8) freakin' layers. She is also the provider of good bread, much wine, and the all important Shoprite fried chicken.

Winter Carnival 2007 Opening Weekend

Our friends Sally and Robert came up for a visit during opening weekend. We watched woodsmen/women competitions, enjoyed a great fireworks display over the partially finished ice palace, and topped off a spectacular snowshoe up Dewey Mt. with an arctic bbq.

The snow has arrived ...

We've been able to enjoy some really nice snow the past few weekends. There's a good foot on the ground and it's beautiful. Looking forward to more of the same and learning to xc ski.

Another incredible ADK sunset ...

A guy I work with tries to capture some of the more impressive sunsets over Lower Saranac. This picture was taken outside my office last week. Sometimes it's hard to work with this view!!

We finally got some winter weather today with a high of 15. It's been snowing on and off for the past few days but not enough. Still waiting for the "real thing" but El Nino + global warming might keep me waiting.