This was purely down to Jam, that I bought in Donovan's Hardware in Gananoque. (A hardware store that sells some hardware and then crafts (made from broken crockery from their copious attics and glass, it is actually rather lovely), that the current family member runs, along with the senior, Charlie Donovan (who was amazing spry for a 90 something, who has been into the store nearly every day of his life.) Charlie also was quite on the ball and when he realised we were Manx, he did some research, so the next time I went to the store for jam, he asked about the Isle of Man and it being a tax haven.!
The hardware store has of course become somewhat of an institution and although it clearly was a local shop and much of it didn't look sale ready, they had something that was pure gold! Jam!!!! this isn't any regular jam. I am assured that it won not just 1st prize but also 2nd and 3rd too, in the country fair. This is year on year. Well with that build up, I have to say I was intrigued.
I can say that this jam is the best ever! and certainly earns all those prizes. I loved what they said in Donovan's, that it being the case of winning all those prizes, that it was probably the 'best jam, in all of Canada'. All said without a grain of irony or boastfulness. A trip to Gananoque would be incomplete without the Donovan welcome and experience!!! (I did stack up on jam.....)
The jam was made on Wolfe Island, so of course we had to go to the home of the famous jam.
I scoped Wolfe Island, quick ferry ride from Kingston, 20 minutes, on a free passenger/car ferry. There was also a bakery, as soon as you get off the ferry and it goes every hour until 1.00am. My kind of boat trip. So more of that later on but first this....
I had to include this picture, every morning the Blue Jays, in the garden at the Gananoque house would say hello. This one was very friendly
We took another stroll one evening to the marina in Gananoque and spied the light house and someone coming home.
Still waters
Another example of the high water in this area, this boat house is completely unusable
Churches and features in Gananoque
The detail in this church was stunning, simple but well done
So off centre but charming and hand done
Love the spire on the church
Very impressive hinge
Such a lovely building and so very tall! Great stone work
Idyllic scene
Sunset
and the Heron gets his fish
Love this picture!
There is the Tern doing his thing. I couldn't believe how these birds were like clockwork, same park, river and same time.
But this evening we got Swans too
and Heron leaves
Lovely and how the sky is reflected in the water, all those subtle colours. It is hard to see where the boat lines are, in such a mirror image
evening reflection
This is the bridge that you drive into Kingston on and we couldn't believe that block for the mechanism! Pretty large! We are waiting for the ferry for Wolfe Island
Boating people on the adjacent Island
Ferry time
Looking back at the Kingston shoreline
You get a real good look at the old penitentiary building, that Kingston was famous for
On board the ferry, cars and all
Gets a bit breezy
Approaching the Islands
arrived on Wolfe Island and we take a drive. Time to take some pictures of Canada and AMERICA!
travelling artist/photographer
So behind where we were, was a sign, Dead End and I noticed that it was riddled with bullet holes. So not much to do on the Island then, for the youth! But drive to the dead end and shoot it! Is that a metaphor?
But lets face it, what else can they do, farm and enjoy the view
More of that localised flooding we had seen, all through the region.
Quite relaxing sitting in these chairs and watching the river, look at the speed of that boat!
Inside the historic home, on Wolfe Island. Where the volunteer tells us about the famous Manx Man, 'Thomas Craine', we saw the piece of land that belonged to him, on their map, dated 1878. He was a big 'to do' in Kingston, apparently. In Kingston there is also an Isle of Man Road. Manx people really did travel the globe and we're still doing it
Now that's a stove (in the historic home on Wolfe Island)
Look at the door frame height of the house!!!
This is for visitors. Damian was a sport!But this guy has 3 legs!!!!!
This is Lake Ontario, stretching away from us. Wow. It actually was quite weird looking at this, from Wolfe Island, that expanse of water, endless. This is the tip of Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River
Wolfe Island is so quiet. We pulled to the side of the road, as I wanted to take some pictures of their wind farm. Not a sound, apart from bird song and rhythmic click, of the wind turbines.
Literally no one here on the roads
Farms dotted about
and our snapper
We drove down a dirt track to the water and at the shore side was a house. The man of the house, Jerry Doyle, asked if we wanted to take a closer look at the view. He was lovely and told us he had grown up on the island. For work he had moved to Alberta oil fields and recently he had managed to move back. The house he bought is next to the farm he had grown up on, that would be Doyle's Farm. The land that he looks at, is America. Looks pretty close and that horizontal line in the river, I think is almost the boarder. Up the road you can get a ferry to the States. You go into Upstate New York.
Here is his look out deck
Next to his old farmstead is the landing strip
and airport, on Wolfe Island
Lots of farming on Wolfe Island
But really saw no one
Just picturesque
We drove around the whole island (it is 48sq miles and has a population of 1400, in case you wondered the Isle of Man is 221sq miles)
With pastoral scenes
and barns
This is one of my favorite pictures and sums up the industry and it's inevitable changes
This is the Simcoe ferry. At first we weren't sure what we were looking at. Man in jeep driving to the waters edge, through localised flooding....
He drove straight onto the pontoon and away he went. The ferry goes when you arrive. So it is a ferry service for who ever turns up, one car at a time...Simcoe Island is smaller than Wolfe Island
What a beautiful place, Wolfe Island is
Lone vehicle and it was a girl on quad bike from a farm nearby
Truly a magical place, Wolfe Island, every person we did see, waved when they saw us and I just loved it. Smaller than the Isle of Man, no mountains and few residents. But it felt so far from the rest of the world. I'm glad that Jerry Dolye made it back home.
We didn't find the jam farm but fell in love with the peace and quiet.
Back in Gananoque there was a thunderstorm!
Literally bouncing rain off the roof
Then the most lovely evening colours
The boat house bathed in lavender
Something lovely about evening time. I love the spires in this picture
Shades of all those muted colours, even the river reflecting that
Early the next day and look at that cloud above the island. I was amazed by it.
We also saw a tall ship
Being sailed by a youth group
The boat house had some smaller craft for the gathering, to be held at the weekend.
The detail on these boats, just such craftsman's work
But lovely
Don't want to sail in it though
When the tall ship finally came to rest I saw the prow
I loved the colours of the boats
This one in the boat museum had an armchair and cushion!
I hope you have enjoyed the 1000 Islands. It was not what I expected but I loved it and will go next year. Just such a different place, than where we currently live. Alive with history and stories!
