Watch for an Article in the Leader-Herald

The Leader-Herald newspaper interviewed me today about the Caroga Lake book. When the story is live, I'll post the link!

Woo Hoo!

Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake is now officially in production!

I still have a few new images to find and captions to tweak, but we are moving forward and on schedule for a summer release as planned.

I have many "stories behind the stories" to share. Watch for a release date, book signings, and special programs!

Carol

Thank You, Herkimer Gifted 4th Graders

I spent the day with a wonderful group of gifted fourth-grade students at Herkimer BOCES, where we make books that Flip, Flop, Squeak, and Pop!

Thank you to the Herkimer BOCES administration for inviting me, the teachers that accompanied the groups of students for assisting, the buildings staff for helping us set up and clean up, and the enthusiastic and energetic young artists and mathematicians! I had a fantastic time.

Here are a few of their creations:

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 40

Caroga Lake was known for Sherman's Park. However, it wasn't the lake's first park. What amusement park first sat on the banks of West Caroga Creek?

The Caroga Clock is Ticking!

I am doing my final research and caption writing this weekend for my book -- Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake -- for Arcadia Publishing.

On Monday, it goes to two sets of eyes for review. (Fingers crossed I haven't made any glaring mistakes!)

On December 6, an electronic file containing 200+ photographs, captions, and text heads to South Carolina for editorial and layout work.

Then, I catch my breath just in time for the next holiday (and the next big project)!

Thank you to everyone who has supported this effort along the way. For those of you who shared photos and stories, I say thank you.

For my friends and family who knew I was simply lost in my own world, thank you.

For the historians, museums, agencies, and all-knowing Carogians who never seemed to mind one more question, another email, an unusual phone call ... thank you.

For those of you who will come out to a summer program or book signing ... I thank you in advance.

It truly is a Thanksgiving!

Now ... to make it through another North Country winter and find that warm spot of sand by the lake in June! (Thank you.)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 39

With my manuscript due to the publisher in just two weeks, I'm quickly scanning the last of my collected photos and memorabilia. While most folks will be stuffing themselves with turkey and shopping for Black Friday specials this week, I will be laying out a book, writing captions, and putting the final touches to Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake for Arcadia Publishing. We are on track for a June 2011 release, and this project has been one of my favorites, as I have met some wonderful people and heard remarkable stories.

How well do you know the lake area? Print out the teasing tidbits from this blog and take them with you to your family's Thanksgiving celebration. They'll be good conversation sparkers.

Here's the latest tidbit:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) biologists are collecting the skat of what species of animal that has been observed in the Caroga area? And, why are they collecting it?

[A photo of one is planned for the book -- with the answer too!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 38

If snow-birds are people who "fly south" for the winter, what are snow-monkeys?

[I'm having too much fun!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 37

What's a Skippy?

[Hint: It doesn't go with jelly -- not even Adirondack blueberry jelly!]

Adirondack by Owner

For more flexibility in showings, marketing, and pricing, we have moved our log home that is for sale onto "Adirondack by Owner."

We invite you to take a peek both online and in person.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Carol@CarolSmalley.com
518-332-0891

The Caroga Cover!

Arcadia Publishing's Art Department has completed the cover for Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake. It captures the essence of days past at the lakes well. Thank you, Arcadia.

Thanks, too, to Fulton County Historian Peter Betz for keeping me on the straight and narrow (or at least off the bottom of the lake). Peter will be reviewing my content and writing the foreword for the book.

But no sneak peeks of the cover! You'll have to wait until the book has been officially released to see the outside (and the inside too).

Speaking of the inside, folks with photos and other hidden treasures are popping out of the woodwork these past few days. Thank you!

For anyone reading this who has a photo he or she thinks I "might" be interested in seeing (or even one that you don't think I would be interested in seeing), please contact me! The publishing clock is ticking.

Carol@CarolSmalley.com
518. 332. 0891

See you at the bookstore!

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 36

Artist Clare Dwiggins was often struck with inspiration while summering at Canada Lake, but what almost struck him while working in the Dwigwam one summer day?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 35

In the Stewart's Landing area, what unusual method did locals use to bathe during the warm-weather months? [Hint: It wasn't the lake!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 34

What connection did water lilies and wedding bells have in the region?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 33

Near Nine Corner Lake are nine wandering points. What were they?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 32

How are both a "straw" and a watch connected to Canada Lake's Stoner Island?

New to My Blog?

For those visitors who are new to my blog, you may be wondering what these questions about Caroga/Canada/Pine Lakes are all about.

Glad you asked!

I am currently under contract with Arcadia Publishing to write a book for its "Images of America" series called Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake.

My cover and cover copy have already been submitted.

The internal "guts" are due in about a month.

And, the book will be on bookstore shelves in June. I will also be conducting a series of workshops, presentations, and book signings during the summer.

Stay tuned for more information, and while you're waiting: Test Your Lake Knowledge! (Answers will be shared in June 2011!)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 31

Why did some loggers take the bark off of the tree and leave the trunk behind to rot?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 30

There are 44 lakes in Fulton County. How many of them lie in the Town of Caroga, the primary focus area for this book?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 29

Cracking ice can leave interesting patterns across the surfaces of the many lakes in the area. But during one, winter week back in 1971, something else started to crack and then collapse. What was it?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 28

Carogians are known for their water sports. Over the years they have raced motorboats and sailboats and other floating devices across the water. But what unusual item have they raced across the ice during the frozen winter months?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 27

Some farmers dig up potatoes; others dig up beets. One resident of the area dug something else from his garden that was quite unusual. What was it?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 26

Sightings of this Adirondack mammal have become more frequent over the past ten years. Scientists are studying its DNA by collecting scat in the area to determine movement of particular animals (and families) from north to south and back again. What animal is this?

[Rumor has it that one was spotted in the last month at Royal Mountain Ski Area!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 25

The three-lake region often receives in excess of 100 inches of snow each year. In what year(s) did the most snow fall in a single 24-hour period, in one month, and over an entire winter season?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 24

If Aughstagradi was "the-chief-who-catches-many-fishes" and he came to live in Auskerada Lakes, known as "the-waters-of-many-fishes," who, exclusively, was invited to purchase property in Auskerada Park?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 23

Sometimes, travel to the region was prohibited, not by trolls under the bridge, but by something else. What was it?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 22

Some residents from the region used holes, some used slits, and others used geometric shapes. What were they marking?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 21

The first one of "these" occurred in the Town of Caroga in 1800. What brought folks together on that day?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 20

Why is the Wheelerville Union Free School not located in Wheelerville?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 19

Adirondack folksinger, Dan Berggren, has performed in the area several times. In 2003, from the barn on the grounds of the Caroga Museum, he sang about an animal that is as important to the region as its summer people. The lyrics went:

"Like the voice of the [ ]
That carries its tune
North, east, south and west
Over your land and my land
Low land and high land
A song of the wilderness"

What animal did Dan Berggren share his voice with that night?

[You can listen to the answer here. (Select Number 5.)]

Taking the Trail of the Steam Boat

Many thanks to Pat and Bob Hagen for hosting me on a cruise this afternoon up through Stewart's Landing into Lily Lake, West Lake, and Canada Lake as part of my on-going research for my book Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake.

My cheeks are rightfully wind-burned after an afternoon on the water, where we saw ...

Kane and Camel Back Mountains, with the fire tower on the high left

Ducks in the Canada Lake channel (need to return there with a kayak for more exporation!)

Nick Stoner Island displaying its autumn colors

Kayakers dancing with the sunlight

I returned with a deepened appreciation of the area.

Next time: Let's find Moose Number 6!

Thanks, Pat and Bob.

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 18

Most families named their camps. These names from the region -- Whip-poor-will, Wanderer, Water Lily, Kanaughta, and Bedbug -- however, are names of something else. What were they?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 17

On which lake do you take a boat to attend storytime on an island?

[I hope I get invited to storytime next summer as a visiting author!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 16

For what event was it considered an honor to place your royal butt on a block of ice?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 15

How is this region connected to the children's classic, The Wind in the Willows?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 14

At Sherman's Park in Caroga Lake, tickets were sold for 10 cents a piece or 3 for a quarter. They weren't for rides, however. What were they for?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 13

Where did a "rooster" make its home along the lakes?

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 12

Which lake-country establishment boasted at one time that it had the longest bar in Fulton County?

(It is unknown, however, if any tap dancing was ever done on the bar. More research is required.)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 11

On which lake did they film scenes for the movie, The Last of the Mohicans, in 1936?

[Hint: It's one that has to be hiked into!]

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 10

What local industry could have been an attraction to Halloween witches and goblins?

(That one should stump you!)

Colorful Canine

After a much-needed bath, stinky-dog Barbara Boo Bear posed in front of the mums for her autumn portrait.

Barbara is doing fine. She's now 8.5 months old, weighs about 55 pounds, and loves to go for car rides and on long walks. One of her favorite activities is to tease her feline friends with slobbery puppy kisses. (Junie and Ammy are not impressed.)

As the weather turns cooler and the leaves start to fall, Barbara and I will be hiking Adirondack trails. We both need the fresh air and exercise!

Check back to see where our adventures take us.

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 9

On which lake(s) did steamers operate to transport lake country guests across the water to their summer camps?

(Find out next summer!)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 8

Although most people pronounced the name Groshans as GROW-shins, the family did not. How did the owners of the amusement park at Pine Lake pronounce their family name?

(You'll have to attend one of the many planned events for Summer 2011 to learn the correct pronunciation!)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 7

Why were large blocks of ice carried to the top of Kane Mountain?

(Answer in 8.5 months!)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 6

What was an unusual source of building materials for some of the camps in the 3-lake region?

(June, 2011)

Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, and Caroga Lake Memories

To reach as many "Carogians" as possible for photographs and lake memories for possible inclusion in my book on Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake, I will have a table at the entrance area of the North Bush Methodist Church's annual roast beef dinner at the Wheelerville School on Saturday, October 2.

If you'd like to share your family history with me, please stop by and say hello.

Bring your photos! I'd love to see them.

Bring your stories. I'd love to hear them.

Bring the family matriarch and her memories! Pull up a chair and visit with me.

See you there!

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 5

Where in the Town of Caroga is a black civil war veteran buried and why was his memorial service held in 1996?

The answer may surprise you!

Our Door is Open

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, we are selling our log home on the edge of the Adirondack Park.

We are hosting an open house for interested buyers on:

Sunday, September 26, 2010

12 noon - 2 pm

215 Church Street
Saint Johnsville, NY
(Lassellsville, near the intersection of Routes 29 and 10 in Fulton County -- not in the town of Saint Johnsville in Montgomery County.)

To learn more about the property, see photos, get directions, and more, please visit this site.

To take a virtual tour, click here.

To ask questions, contact me via email (Carol@CarolSmalley.com) or phone (518-332-0891).

Please spread the word to individuals who might enjoy living in a place that is "forever wild."

Join us if you can on Sunday, or arrange for a private showing if another time is more convenient for you.

Thank you.

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 4

Another teaser of a question:

What body of water in the three-lake region was home to water lily plants from around the world?

(You'll find out in June 2011!)

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 3

What unusual item, normally found in a home or large hardware store, was used to race across one of the lakes about 25 years ago?

You got it! You'll need to read the book in June 2011 to find out!

Splish splash!

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 2

Here's a new tease to make you think!

What role did grape juice play in the making of western films in the area?

Find out in June 2011 when Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake is released by Arcadia Publishing as part of its "Images of America" series.

Caroga/Canada/Pine Lake Teasing Tidbit No. 1

As I work on my book -- Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake -- for Arcadia Publishing, I am uncovering intriguing information that may or may not make it into the book.

As I find these teasing tidbits, I will share them with you here in my blog.

Here is the first one:

In which lake will you find cannon balls?

To find the answer to this tease (and more to follow), you'll have to purchase the book, scheduled for release in June 2011!

Interviewing Pine Lake Residents and Friends

I will be spending Saturday, September 18, at Pine Lake to meet with long-time residents and families who have stories and photographs to share.

Do you have photos of record-setting snowfalls, dam-breaking floods, ice rescues, loons on the lake, residents wearing strange-looking blackfly protective clothing, rides on the midway, performers at the Paradise ...?

Please contact me to arrange a time to meet you if you have items to share! Thanks.

Carol@CarolSmalley.com
518.332.0891

P.S. I am also interested in meeting with folks from Caroga and Canada Lakes. Watch for future dates.

Preserving a Piece of History

Arcadia Publishing awarded me a contract to create a pictorial history book called Around Caroga Lake, Canada Lake, and Pine Lake for the company’s “Images of America” series.

I am currently looking for photographs and stories from local residents.

To learn more about this book, due for release in June 2011, I am hosting an information session on

Thursday, September 2, at 6:30 PM

at the Glenn H. Harris Memorial Park pavilion, across from the Caroga Town Hall.

If you are unable to attend the session but have information to share, please contact me at 518-332-0891 or Carol@CarolSmalley.com.

Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series includes books about Johnstown, Gloversville, Amsterdam, and other area towns and attractions. This will be one in a series of over 5,000 pictorial history books!

With a tight deadline, I will be scrambling! It should be a fun way to end the summer lake season and welcome fall and winter.

A Chat in Chautauqua

Friday evening, I was the guest speaker at the Hall of Philosophy at the Pennsylvania Chautauqua in historic Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania.

I spoke about the creation of my two books for Milton Hershey School's centennial celebration.

Thank you to Kathy Snavely and Chautauqua for inviting me to speak. Thank you to those who chose to listen to me (and not Sarah Palin in nearby Hershey!).

Final Summer Splash!

Summer has gone out with one final, big SPLASH!

Our last summer reading program workshop was held on Wednesday, August 11, at the Gloversville Public Library.

Kyna and I truly enjoyed our final session of rain making, frog croaking, music creating, haiku writing, and fish printing with this wonderful group of children and adults. We brought lots of goodies to make things and left with a warmth in our hearts. Thanks to everyone who made the program possible.

To celebrate the final Splash!, we share haiku and a collage of photos from the event.

Have a wonderful school year, everyone!

Carol and Kyna

--

Swimming in ocean
Lib likes to play in water
Waves and sand and shells.
- Libby, age 9





Fishing at the pond
Cast my pole and catch a fish
Bass or perch or trout.
- Douglas








Celia likes water
Celia is a great swimmer
It's fun at the lake.
- Celia

Sharks live in water
Water is good to swim in
Water hose a weed.
- Noah

Dark river flowing
Bobbing under broken bridge
Big frogs are happy.
- Joseph, age 10

Rough waves tumbling
Slowing flowing reflecting
Leaping out to sea.
- Nia, age 9

Haley likes water.
She goes swimming every day
She plays in water.
- Haley, age 6

On the Lawn in Claverack

Our last stop in the Hudson Valley last week took us to the Claverack Library, where music skipped across the front lawn.

We listened to frogs in the bog

and created music of our own using glasses, water, and spoons.

We played scales using various heights of water in the glasses

and painted scales on trout replicas to make prints.

And we captured our time together by writing water haikus:

Water of water
Tum-ble-ing over goddess
Come to you and me.
- Megan, age 13

Mud puppies swimming
in the mud in the morning
They love mud all day.
- Kyle, age 5

Splish splash in the stream
Skipping rocks to watch them bounce
Stream walking is fun.
- Ellie, age 6

Splash go the raindrops
Falling down upon the rocks
Nourishing the ground.
- Alicia, age 6

Lovely lady loons
Glide across the water pool
Feeling quite peaceful.
- Ruth, age 11

Tap in a raindrop
A puddle makes a big splash
Pat got really wet.
- Brandon, age 10

Thanks for making us a part of your summer reading celebration!

Phish in Philmont!

No, not phish, but fish, and lots of them!

Last Thursday took us down into the Hudson Valley where we stopped first in Philmont, just off the Taconic Parkway, at the Philmont Public Library.

This is a repeat visit for me, as I spent time with this wonderful group of young readers last summer making 3-D salt dough maps of the river.

Because my camera was still in the Finger Lakes, I don't have any photos of the day's event to share with you. (Karen, please share a few shots if you can!)

I do have some creative water haikus, however, to share:

Water goes "splish splash"
When I go underwater
Do you love water?
- Elizabeth, age 9

Clean liquid speed is
Tumbling over small pebbles
And the biggest rocks.
- Ruby, age 11

Waves crashing slowly
Tide is flowing out to sea
Where dolphins jumping.
- Anneka, age 12

Water splashing high
Splish splash splish splash I hear it
Crashes to the ground.
- Jenna, age 9

Water is freezing
Water is healthy for you
Refreshing and cold.
- Emily, age 10

Water falls quickly
Water falls down from above
Storms cause trees to fall.
- Conner, age 9

Thanks for inviting us to your wonderful new facility. Happy Summer!

Fish, Fingers, and Fire Trucks

The latest stop for the Splash! program was in the tiny hamlet of Hector in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, at the Elizabeth B. Pert Reading Center.

Here, young readers are also young naturalists, and they really know their fish!








They also know fire trucks, as the Reading Center shares space with the local volunteer fire department!

They wrote beautiful water haikus, including:

Colorful fish splash
Waves are lapping the shore now
I get really wet.
- Sara, age 11

Ocean tide is high
The fish swim underwater
Fish are rejoicing.
- Kali, age 9

Sunshine rests on the
Rich, gleaming waters of a
Stunning paradise.
- Ruthe, age 11

Fish in the water
Moving his fins back and forth
Jumping for the fly.
- Jason, age 4

Summer night noises
Frogs making loud noisy songs
Until the morning
- Aliyah, age 7

Kyna and I had a wonderful visit to a colorful part of the state, where the blue of the lakes swirls with the greens and purples of the grape vines. Thanks for inviting us. Enjoy the last part of summer! Splish! Splash!

(Thanks, Bobbie, for returning my camera! )

Ready, Set, Go, Flow in Little Falls

Ready ...

Set ...

Go ...









Flow ...

Water into glasses to make a musical xylophone.

Frog music into shapes and colors.

And paint onto fish to make trout fish prints.









Thanks, Little Falls Public Library, for making my latest summer workshop visit a flowing good time.

And thanks, also, to college intern Kyna and her two sisters (Hailey and Sage, who were visiting from Florida) for their help with the stations, and to Elise (author's daughter, college art student, and a young published author with Barnes and Noble) for taking the photographs of the event!

Remember two things from this Splash! activity:

Never wear flip flops when serious rain-making needs to be done. (Looks like your hard work paid off. It poured the next day!)

And, art can be found in the most unusual places, including dirty paint water!







Here are some of your water-word haiku from our time together.

The water is calm
In the river I see fish
The seahorses walk
- Trystan, age 12

Clear water to drink
Water tumbles over rocks
It adds some splashes
- Rebecca, age 11

The rain falls from clouds
Dripping and making puddles
I like when it rains
- Claire, age 10

Some water is clear
Seaweed is green and slimy
Starfish slowly walk
- Alivia, age 10

Oh, I like to swim
My face goes underwater
I play in the pool
- Gabby, age 7



Flow from July into August and have a splash of a good summer and school year too! Thanks for inviting us!

Splish! Splash! Splunk! in Johnstown

Ripple
Babble
Roar
Drip
Drop
Wave
Flow
PLOP!

These are some of the water words that the young water enthusiasts used in last night's summer reading program at the Johnstown Public Library, where everyone -- young and old -- participated in the water program.

Side by side, parents and their young readers

... giggled to the frogs in the bog while imagining sounds and shapes

... wrote water haiku

... and peeled back fishy discoveries







Here are some of their 5-7-5 syllable thoughts:

The water is cool
Water can make big puddles
Water can flow fast
- Hailee, age 6

I hear the water
Flowing down the waterfalls
It sounds beautiful
- Hayleigh, age 7

Dolphins in water
Swim and jump in the air
I like all dolphins
- Sydney, age 7

Atlantic Ocean
River, stream, and waterfall
Pacific Ocean
- Kyle, age 6

Water is swoshing
I love water, do you know?
It is sparkle-ing
- Alayna, age 6

Water is flowing
Flowing through the river still
Fresh traveling tears
- Shain, age 8

Drip drop drip drop drip
Rain drops into the ocean
Water flows away
- Anne, age 9


Have a wonderful summer, Johnstown! And when we have our next dry spell of weather, remember to snap, clap, click, and stomp to encourage the rain to fall! (You made it not only rain but pour last night! Wow!)

Schools of Fish in Schoharie!

What is better than happy readers on a hot summer day? Happy readers enjoying ice cream and strawberries following a wonderful library workshop! Thanks, Schoharie Free Library, for treating Kyna (my college intern helper this summer) and me like strawberries-and-cream royalty. We had a great time.

This group created beautiful gyotaku, or Japanese fish prints.


















They also wrote some wonderful water haiku.

I saw some frogs jump
I could see them eating bugs
It was cool watching
- Zebulun, age 9

Hear the water sing.
What does it tell you tonight?
What does it tell you?
- Niamh, age 11

If you don't see your fish print here, blame Andy, the library cat. He was fishing for a good story. (Actually, blame me. I tried to photograph them all, but I may have missed a few fish. Sorry.)

Have a splish-splashy good summer!