Thousand Islands, Saint Lawrence River

Who knew there was such beauty and peace in a place perhaps best known for inventing a salad dressing? They say there are 1,864 islands in this archipelago. Two-thirds of the islands are claimed by Ontario, Canada with the other third belonging to New York, USA. There’s  a modest standard to qualify as an island — the land must support at least two trees and have at least one foot square above water level year round. Navigating among the islands is tricky due to the many shallow areas and shoals. Yet, you can look across to the deeper part and see giant freight ships passing through.

The three days I spent on Shady Nook, a 0.9 acre artists’ retreat complete with twin kilns, wasn’t nearly enough.

Warm days and cool nights were perfect for both swimming and sleeping.  Sipping coffee on the deck every morning, I watched fish swim by, looking up to see a frequent great blue heron or osprey. Although I saw squirrels and a chipmunk, the emphasis was definitely on life in and above the water and not the land.

An outing to the Antique Boat Museum is definitely worth the time. Seeing the beautiful skiffs with the pictures of their captains and passengers, complete with stylish hats and pearls, made me appreciate the history of the river. Nearby Heart Island is home to Boldt Castle that’s open for tours. Perhaps, next time I’ll visit the castle. This trip I was too busy; it’s hard to take away valuable time fish spotting and day-dreaming.Magical sunrises and sunsets every day, fishing, swimming, kayaking, and short trips into Alexandria Bay usurped my time. To be fair, most of my time was spent day-dreaming as it’s impossible to be stressed in this environment.