In the summer of 1977, Bob and Kathleen purchased their first of 2 cottages on the shore of Lower Chateaugay Lake in New York State. The cottage is an uninsulated but very "homey" warm 2 bedroom structure in the low rent area of the lake - the part with the smallest lots. The $300,000 cottages are about a half mile away.
Lower Chateaugay Lake is a small mountain lake surrounded on two sides physically and 3 sides visually by mountains and fed by countless streams running down the mountains. It is the source of the Chateaugay river which flows into Quebec and into the St Lawrence close to Montreal.
The lake has been settled since the early 1800's and across from our cottage is The Banner House, a hotel in continuous operation since the 1830s. An early hotel guest was Arthur Tait, an artist, whose hunting and fishing pictures were lithographed by Currier and Ives and became popular. The lake was the location of the largest catalan forge in the world from about 1875 to 1893 for making pig iron from the iron ore mined on Lyon Mountain. At the peak of its operation, this forge was producing up to 15 tons of iron a day and used charcoal from many kilns in the area.
The lake is at an elevation of 1,300 feet which means that the climate is much more pleasant than the Montreal or Ottawa lowlands. The elevation is enough to bring frequent rains so the climate is almost a temperate rain forest where green things grow very well. The elevation also means that spring comes a week later and fall a week earlier than down below in the nearby cities.
The elevation also brings occasional weather surprises. On Mother's Day, (May 12) 1996 we awoke to find 6 inches of newly fallen wet snow - a true winter wonderland after what the day before was almost swimming weather. We have seen occasions where we were experiencing blizzard conditions while the TV showed beautiful weather conditions in Ottawa.
We live at the lake as much as possible, using it as a base for our frequest trips out exploring the endless natural attractions of the Adirondack region. We shock some people when we explain that we removed the running water a few years ago and that has improved our quality of life by opening up use of the cottage to a full 3 seasons of the year. With composting toilets and plentiful spring water for cooking and the lake 25 feet from the front door, the absence of running water is unnoticed.
Life at the cottage is very hard with wood stove and kersoene heaters, electric blankets, gas stove, electric fridge, microwave, tv, vcr, nintendo games, radio, ball gloves, bikes, sailboat, windsurfer, motor boat, and books, books, books. It is even harder when you see what we have to put up with as lake views in the pictures below.
The Superior Father most appreciates the deliberate absence of a phone. As one who is constantly on call (including at home on Easter and Christmas days), being able to go where people cannot follow is heaven.
Yes, there are occasional problems in this paradise. In 1993, we had raccoons that ate their way into the cottage and trashed the inside over a long winter, leaving as their calling card a double kitchen sink full of raccoon s**t. Mother Superior was not impressed. In 1997, we had a branch fall and take out the plate glass picture window during the winter. In 1998, we had torrential rains that washed out our driveway and deposited it under the front door and into our kitchen. In 2000, we found clouds of big flies every week then a bad smell we began to notice. Then maggots began falling from the ceiling onto the boys' beds. For some reason, there were no other volunteers and Father Superior had to remove the remains of 3 VERY dead racoons from the attic.
Some of our favourite things to do include watching the loons on the lake; feeding the families of ducks that appear every year and come by on their rounds once a day looking for handouts; visiting the famous swimming hole at Jay; visiting one of the many places close by for hiking trips; visiting Crown Point, the remains of the largest British fort in North America; taking the ferry across Lake Champlain to Burlington so we can get a Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone; going wild blueberry picking from July to September and going yard saling every weekend to try to keep the family stocked with books.
