Happy Thursday! Happy Earth Day!
WITHIN NUTSHELL – It’s been rainy and cool! Yep, a lot different then those 70 degree days a couple weeks ago. Dave says DEC says all the Adirondack Lakes thawed 3 weeks earlier than normal. A light dusting of snow last Friday and a few inches that stuck around Wednesday. The snowplow even came out! Wanakena saw it’s first golf cart of the season! You know who you are!!!!! Lookin’ GREAT! Turkeys are out and about not knowing which way to go. Robins, too – dive bombing! Rowdy Kingfishers and grackles fill the air with aggressive chatter. Woodchucks are out sniffing around. Some empty traps out there too. Raccoons,we hear. Hiking trails should be totally snow-pack free, could be some wet spots here and there. Some snow mounds remain in shady spots in town, but these piles were human-made and therefore would not be found in the wild. Beaverlandia! Fire danger has got to be pretty low; its been rainy! Trillium abloom! Carol says they are also called "Stinkin' Benjamins". Someone said a light was "on" at the BRIDGE CREW TRAILER. Otherwise, no sights or sounds of the Bridge Crew. Black Kitty prints in the snow. Wear a life jacket AND DON’T SPREAD INVASIVE SPECIES! Also watch out for ticks! Here’s a link to the most recent town board meeting minutes – a Special JOINT TOWN Board Meeting! (04/07/21): HERE Speaking of joints… in case anyone was wondering – because folks have asked: St. Lawrence County residents can smoke, vape pot anywhere tobacco is allowed, troopers say.
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY BURN BAN – A burn ban is in effect from March 16th through May 14th in St. Lawrence County and the rest of the state according to the DEC. Open burning is prohibited in NY, with several exceptions: Campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width and diameter are allowed; small cooking fires are allowed; fires cannot be left unattended and must be filly extinguished; only charcoal, or clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned; Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed. In towns with a total population less than 20,000 you may burn tree limbs with attached leaves. The limbs must be less than 6 inches in diameter and 8 feet in length (also referred to as brush). However, this is NOT allowed from March 16th – May 14th due to increased risk of wildfire.
FORTHCOMING – OTTO'S ABODE HAS TO CLOSE EARLY FRIDAY THE 23rd IN THE AFTERNOON! MORE INFORMATION BELOW! Warm-ish weekend ahead – temperatures around 50, 30s by night; seasonable! It will be COLD again, first, though. Good thing we have all that snow to insulate the flowers below. Sunday brings some rain and a cool night down in the 20s. Warming up though next week near 70 and could be some rain just before next weekend. DEC will be stocking the Oswegatchie the 3rd week in May. Word on the street is that most – if not all – Clifton-Fine community events are happening this summer! Poker Paddle, Concert Series, 5k races, and more! Rt. 61 heading into Wanakena will be re-paved sometime this summer, maybe fall. This weather forecast is brought to you by Wanakena’s own PATTIJACKNAN weather team – a Wanakener garage-pole-mounted weather station and crew. THANKS, TEAM! This weather station can be found HERE: Also, always beautiful photography at the Wanakena Tracks facebook page
GEOGRAPHIC DISAGREEMENT - Walking to Cat Mountain from Wanakena, reaching Glasby Pond - right there at the beaver dam/outlet - and looking across Glasby Pond, the hill that rises above in the distance is Cat Mountain, right? Someone said it is NOT. Someone thinks it IS. WELL, WHAT WHICH IT? We want to hear from YOU. (thank you!)
STAR LAKE IN ADIRONDACK LIFE MAG – We discovered this weeks ago but are just now remembering to report this! In the June 2021 Adirondack Life issue there is a story called “73 Lakes” by Matt Dallos. Why 73 you ask? We’ll see! The article has Star Lake at #72 (for no reason) and described the floating docks and the sandbar. Cool-lookin’ crew depicted. And you’ll see #13-#71 is “forty-three Mud Ponds and 16 clear.” Okaaaay… Star Lake, baby!!!!!!!
DOWN AT THE ABODE – WE HAVE AN AN UNAVOIDABLE ENGAGEMENT THAT MUST BE ATTENDED TO! THEREFORE WE MUST CLOSE EARLY FRIDAY THE 23rd. WE'LL CLOSE UP SHOP AROUND NOON ON FRIDAY. WE'RE VERY VERY VERY SORRY, FOLKS! MAMA MIA! Maple Syrup is in!!!!! Worms in the walk-in cooler! Fresh Wanakena t-shirts and stickers, too! JUNK DRAWER SUBMISSIONS ON VIEW! C’mon down. Pop-up exhibition “BLOBS” on view by the coffee bar. Sculpture by Katie Westmoreland, Map by NYS, Photography by Michael Mandolfo. All: BLOBS. WIIIIIIIIIIDE SELECTION of packaged beer in the walk-in cooler; light stuff, dark stuff, ales, porters, stouts, ciders, seltzers, cheap stuff, expensive stuff, bottles, ambers, lagers, cans, TO GO – c’mon down! HOT coffee, coffee BEANS, ORGANIC groceries, REFRESHED HALF GALLON FLAVORS of ice cream, NEW books, NEW music, HIKING and PADDELING maps, OUTDOOR ADVENTURE supplies, EDUCATIONAL gifts and more!!!
ON VIEW – JUNK DRAWER SUBMISSIONS – Allen Ditch – Notepad – Contents written when Doug Facey explained how to turn on and off water at home in Wanakena - kept in junk drawer ever since along with - Pinecone Drink Chip, Ring Sizer, Small Vile. Resa Eberhart – Plastic Egg Timer – The timer absorbs heat, just like the eggs do, and the redness darkens to indicate how cooked the eggs are getting. It shows you when the eggs are soft, medium, hard, and all the stages in-between. The egg timer: another way to measure time. Sometimes I like my eggs soft which takes three minutes. Sometimes I like a hard-boiled egg which takes ten minutes. What can you accomplish in three to ten minutes? Try a little self-care. STOP! Take several deep breaths, smell the flowers, look around at your surroundings, stretch, pet the dog, smile, make a call to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, think of someone special, pray. Brian Kirwin – Escargot Platter - Purchased at a rummage sale in New York City and used as a paint palate. Kitchen Utensil – Probably used for scooping food out of frying-oil. Kitchen Utensil – Serving spoon of some sort. Jean Szkotak – Photographs - Here are my random picture submissions for your display. 3 of the Prohibition era bottle opener. 1 Picture from the Labyrinth last spring. 2 “Gnome Home” pictures. Suzie Thaller – Keychain, Pinecone Drink Chip, Stone Manor Postcard, Mysterious Suction-Object - Found during some good-old spring cleaning. Susan Ziemba – Stack of Mimi’s Student Lessons – Mimi Keith did art lessons - $5 a lesson. All the kids in our house took lessons at one time or another. According to Mimi, they were all potentially great artists! “Don’t Quit!” She would say. Children’s art is so special to me. I can’t throw them away so they are kept in a drawer – Not exactly junk, but what are they? - Old Stained Bag – Just can’t bear to throw it away. Don’t want to use it. Who wants it? Blizzard of 1977. Dave was working in Rochester at Wegmans – training to open a new store in Buffalo. I was in my last semester of Alfred Tech. We were getting married in June. He left work and drank - I believe a six pack of Schlitz - on his way through the storm to come and visit me in Alfred.
ON VIEW - JUNK DRAWER - We’ll call it our JUNK DRAWER. Sometimes you need a place to put things. Uncategorical things. Things you don’t want to put in the trash. Important knickknacks you might need. They don’t really have a place, but now you know where to find them – usually. Five years ago, when Otto’s Abode first opened its doors to the public, we came into possession of some beautiful, old, glass & wood cases that had been used to display merchandise here in the store, some of which for nearly one hundred years. In a world where billion-dollar mega-media corporations hire folks like Marie Condo to tell you to get rid of everything, behold: a small “best-of” selection of GLORIOUS JUNK that has been collected and displayed in the (now) empty case behind you over the past five years.
BLACKWATERS CAFÉ AND TRADING POST – ABBREVIATED APRIL HOURS ANNOUNCED! B-Dubbs will be OPEN THURS 8-3PM+ FRI + SAT 8-7PM. Café menu, baked goods, basic groceries, gifts and artwork, unique teas and coffee alternatives down on Ranger School Road! BACON WEEK begins MAY 4th. ***Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we encourage take-out - and WILL NOT let in more than we are allowed. If the door is locked, we are at capacity. But if you’d still like a meal to go, order online and it will be prepared in the order received - or - think ahead and schedule a pickup time. Come in smaller groups. CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM: https://www.gotsnowcams.com/gotsnowcams.htm
WANAKENA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION – The Wanakena Walking Tour is “closed” for the winter… but deep in the bowels somewhere, some folks are hard at work actualizing the WANAKENA HISTORY CENTER. Here is a message from their website: Five equal partners (made up of groups of families and friends) are forming an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) each pledging $25,000 for a total of $125,000 to own, renovate and restore one of the original Rich Lumber Company houses at 21 Second Street to its original facade. Their dream and intent are to provide a location for a Wanakena History Center where the WHA can continue its mission to encourage greater knowledge of the history and to display and make available for study: artifacts, relics, books, manuscripts, papers, photographs, and other records and materials relating to the history of the State of New York and particularly of Wanakena and the surrounding area.
RANGER SCHOOL - RANGER SCHOOL IS IN SESSION FOR THE 2020/21 SCHOOLYEAR, BUT THE CAMPUS IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC!!! Here’s a message from the Ranger School: The Ranger School's James F. Dubuar Memorial Forest will be closed to the public for an indefinite amount of time beginning Saturday, August 15, 2020. The Cranberry Lake 50 trail, which passes in front of the school, will remain open. This action is necessary to protect students and staff as they begin a new academic year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is a critical precaution as we work to ensure the health and success of the Class of 2021. Thank you for your cooperation. Here’s a story about it all: https://www.nny360.com/news/stlawrencecounty/property-sales/article_eeec3094-901a-531a-8a18-ab1b991b3a79.html CHECK OUT THEIR TRAIL CAM: https://www.esf.edu/rangerschool/webcam.htm
WANAKENA CHURCH - CLOSED FOR WINTER! WESTERN ADIRONDACK PRESBATYRIAN CHUCH zoom-zooms every Sunday at 10:45 using meeting #6663654813 and every morning at 9am for a Morning Prayer. WANAKENA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION announced that Cremation Remains burial has gone up from $150 to $250. Also, there is no longer a backhoe charge for cremation burial because they don’t use a backhoe for cremation burials any longer.
NEW CAR BRIDGE - AS OF 11/25/20 THE NEW WANAKENA CAR BRIDGE IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC USE!!!! AS OF 12/22/20 THE TEMPORARY BRIDGE IS FULLY DISMANTLED!!! And as they’ve been saying around Wanakena: WE’LL BE DRIVING OVER THAT NEW BRIDGE IN NO TIME!!!!! And ALAS! WE DO! Now that the bridge is WIDE OPEN, watch out for speedsters!!! Town of Fine Board meeting from 3/10/21 says RT 61 (Wanakena Road) will be replaced/resurfaced later this summer!
DOCK AND PUBLIC RESTROOM - CLOSED FOR THE SEASON MID NOVEMBER… REASON: FREEZIN’!
HAREWOOD: Cranberry Lake Dry Dock and Marine Services LLC (Billy’s Boat Shop) has a new phone number: 3156032108. Stone Manor Diner and Motel is OPEN! Clifton Community Library OPEN Mon + Wed 10-2pm also Wed 6-7pm. Tooley Pond Duck Decoy Showroom in Cranberry Lake is OPEN (call first)!!!!!!! John Dragun NEON ARTWORK and MORE down in Windfall… OPEN! Check out the Cranberry Lake Boat Club and The North Shore Hub are up to on Facebook. What ever happened to Grass River Railway? We spoke with someone who’s workin’ on it!
NEWTON FALLS: Recent article about NF development HERE. Robust discussion of Newton Falls on Facebook HERE
OUT WEST: Mountain Gate Redemption near Benson Mines is open. Twin Lakes Hotel, Coffee Fever, American Legion, Todd Hardware, Adirondack Pharmacy, Community Bank and Circle K in Star Lake are OPEN! Alcoholics Anonymous Friday nights at 7pm in the SOS Building. UB’s, and Adirondack Rustics, Hillside Diner in Oswegatchie are OPEN! The following is copy-pasted from the Fine Town Board Meeting hours from Wednesday 11/11/2020: Jeremy wanted the board to be aware that the Dollar General is looking into putting a store at the former Great American site. This would not be required to go to site plan review since it is not a change of use.
KIM AND THOMS LOST DOG REPORT: As of today, there are NO lost dogs in Wanakena.
ALL FOR NOW!!!!!!
Any questions, comments, concerns, trail condition inquiries, legends, jokes, animal sightings, cartoons, etc… Feel free to email otto@ottosabode.org or call 3158483008 or pop-in the shop! Wanakena Weekly archive here: http://www.ottosabode.org/p/wanakena-weekly.html Also, we probably wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to publish your submission! (PLEASE SPECIFY IF YOU ARE SENDING A WANAKENA WEEKLY SUBMISSION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION - THANKS!) This service is brought to you by the folks at Otto's Abode.
“Calamity will come to the farm if swallows do not nest there, or if the rooks desert the place.” -English Country Saying
This photo greeting of fresh-Wednesday snow was sent to us from the other side of the river by Wanakena’s own Craig Alesse:
