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!]