A month or two ago, I received an email from an old friend. Shelly Stokes used to be the Cedar Canyon Textiles "Paint Stick Lady" until she retired and moved to Mexico, maybe about 10 years ago. She's in Ottawa for the summer (only about three hours away from me) and her contact set the stage for a short, relaxing trip to the Adirondacks.
Last week, we met up at the Canadian border, then headed into the mountaints to reconnect, relax, and poke around a bit in the Adirondacks - a massive 6 million acre protected area in northern New York State.
Our first stop on the way to our AirBNB cabin was Tupper Lake and the Wild Center to see if we could encounter some friendly forest trolls - six of them are on display for the summer through out the trail complex. We "found" all six, but this one, Ibbi Pip, was my favorite. Her purpose is to hang colorful bird houses throughout the forest so the birds can have a dry, safe place to raise a family. As you approached this busy Troll, you experience the results of her work as peaceful music surrounds you in the forest.
Along a different trail, leading to a different troll, we encountered about dozen or more unique puzzles. At the beginning of the trail, you get a wooden ball, and then find several unique puzzles along the trail. Put the ball at the beginning of the puzzle and watch it twist and turn as it makes its way to the bottom.
Along the trails, we encountered different creatures, some very cute and very real, and some, maybe not so cute, but, fortunately for me, sculpted from wood.
Eventually, after wrapping up our visit to the Wild Center, we made it to our little AirBnB cabin in Blue Mountain Lake, where we stayed for the next few days. We were both a bit perplexed by the little Sasquatch 'believe' sign hanging in the cabin.
I guess we are to believe that Sasquatch exists? Or maybe that he's been to the cabin? Not sure. At least he wasn't sighted while we occupied the cabin for four days.
. . . And to visit the local coffee shop for my favorite morning hot beverage.
The beverage was great, but this display was certainly a sad state of affairs!
We also visited the Adirondack Experience to learn a bit about the region - boating, camping, exploring, generally enjoying the amazing year-round offerings of the Adirondacks. One of my favorite pieces was this hand-beaded bag, below left. The photo doesn't do it justice - it was so unique. Below, right, the view overlooking Blue Mountain Lake with lovely summer flowers in full bloom in the foreground is unmatched, even with a steady drizzle keeping us under umbrellas.
The four days we spent in the Adirondacks was relaxing and a meaningful escape as well as a chance for good friends to catch up. But being outside for much of our stay is an excellent reminder of all the blessings and inspiration that can be found in the sacred wild places of this planet.
I hope that we continue to share these spaces respectfully with the creatures of all sizes and shapes that live there, too.
Summer is short, and time is flying by. Get outside and . . .
Enjoy!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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