Rosslyn Redux

Tag: Themes

  • Tasha, Tennis and Wildlife

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    Geo Davis
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    Tucked into a meadow surrounded by forest, the tennis court was starting to show a quarter century of soggy springs and icy winters. The net drooped, but we decided not to tighten it and risk breaking the rotten netting. Besides the droop better accommodated our rusty tennis skills. The twelve foot tall fence around the…

  • Hickory Hill and Rosslyn

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    Geo Davis
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    I recently happened on this antique postcard of the Ross Mansion (aka Hickory Hill) which was built by the brother of W.D. Ross, Rosslyn’s original in the early 1820s. Hickory Hill still presides handsomely at the intersection of Elm Street and Church Street. I’m still sorting out the Ross family tree, intricately woven into the history…

  • Lingering Longer at Rock Harbor

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    Geo Davis
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    Back at Rock Harbor I packed the car while Susan prepared tuna melts. The temperature had warmed to the mid seventies, and a light breeze was blowing off the lake. We ate lunch on the deck, one last indulgence before locking up and heading back to Manhattan. Perched a hundred feet above the lake, the…

  • Meadowmount and Rosslyn

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    Geo Davis
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    What a pleasure to discover on Monday morning that the newest friend of the Rosslyn Redux Facebook page was Steven Rochen. Who you might ask? (Though, if you’re a Meadowmount School of Music alum, you probably already know!) Mr. Rochen first crossed my radar back in February of this year when I happened upon an…

  • Rosslyn for Sale

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    Geo Davis
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    Susan and I were driving back to Rock Harbor after visiting Rosslyn, an early 19th century home in Essex, New York, which our realtor had just shown us for the second time in several months. It was spring. At least a dozen sailboats speckled Whallons Bay as we wound south along the edge of Lake…

  • Re-roofing and Flood Proofing

    Re-roofing and Flood Proofing

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    Geo Davis
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      Last summer (June-July 2010) our biggest concern with Rosslyn’s boathouse was restoring the roof. It’s hard to imagine that a year later our biggest concern is saving the building, pier and waterfront from finally-receding-but-increasingly-rough Lake Champlain flood waters! What better way to distract our anxieties than to look back on drier times? The cedar…

  • Imagining Rosslyn Boathouse, Spring 2006

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    Geo Davis
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    “Coffee? You don’t even drink coffee,” Susan said. “I know. I know it doesn’t make any sense. But I’m walking through Rosslyn early in the morning with a steaming cup of coffee…” I hadn’t drunk coffee since college, and I’d obviously never wandered around Rosslyn at the crack of dawn either. But I kept having…

  • Rosslyn’s Boathouse in Early 1990s

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    Geo Davis
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    I’ve just concluded a Champlain Area Trails (CATS) board meeting on a high note. Or, to be more precise, a fellow board member finished the meeting on a high note by handing me this handsome painting of our boathouse during drier times. Bill Amadon — Essex based gardener, trail builder and painter — has created…

  • Need a Hand?

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    Geo Davis
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    “Hey!” I looked up toward Route 22 and saw C.G. Stephens climbing over the guardrail. “Need a hand?” It was the first time since our boathouse and waterfront had been submerged that anyone had offered assistance. “Thanks. I really appreciate it,” I answered. I wanted to run up the hill and hug him, tell him…

  • Soggy Soil Delays Planting

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    Geo Davis
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    With some Champlain Valley residents being evacuated by boat and the Wesport Marina totally flooded, we’re feeling fortunate that a submerged boathouse and waterfront is the extent of our flooding problems. Although we have our work cut our for us when Lake Champlain water levels drop, another short-term challenge is the super saturated soil. Tilling…

  • Lake Champlain vs. Rosslyn Boathouse

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    Geo Davis
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    We knew it would happen sooner or later. But like so many inevitable but dreaded events, we’d wrapped ourselves in a warm comforter of denial. And four springs slipped quickly past since purchasing Rosslyn without the boathouse getting flooded. Sure, we’ve had plenty of high water, but the water’s never risen above the floorboards. In…

  • Essex-Charlotte Ferry Flooded Out

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    Geo Davis
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    At 8:13 AM I received an email and text message from Lake Champlain Transportation notifying me (and all other ferry-watchers) of the inevitable. 4/28/11 – Effective IMMEDIATELY – Charlotte, VT – Essex, NY ferry crossing closed due to record high water until further notice… I can’t say that I was surprised. After all, I took…