Saturday, October 19, 2013

For all your "Calming" Beverages!

The rhythms and rituals of life on the Island are sacred. Now you can be reminded of your own "Island Times" while sipping your morning coffee - or the "calming" adult beverage of your choice!

Get your own "Keep Calm" mug from Cafe Press by following this link: http://www.cafepress.com/mf/83589722/keep-calm-and-island-on-drummond-island_mugs?shop=Drummond_Island

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Hatch is ON!


Think how fast a year flies by
A month flies by
A week flies by
Think how fast a day flies by
A Mayfly’s life lasts but a day

A single day
To live and die
A single day
How fast it goes
The day
The Mayfly
Both of those.

A Mayfly flies a single day
The daylight dies and darkness grows
A single day
How fast it flies
A mayfly’s life
How fast it goes.

It starts like a rise of small trout. There are dimples on the surface, little fingerlings eating midges, perhaps. But these are no fish. The water breaks and up pop the wings of a Mayfly, then another and another. The hatch is on!

This legend plays out every year on calm, dark, humid nights in late May and early June. The mayflies make the television news by showing up on doppler radar or calling snowplows out of dormancy to remove layers of duns from bridges. 
 Mayflies have two adult stages. They first emerge from the water as duns (scientifically known as the subimago stage). They then molt into the spinner (imago) stage, in which they mate and die.

This poem is from the book The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Mary Ann Hoberman. Hoberman's poems, accompanied by Fraser's illustrations, have been delighting children for 40 years. Now, many poems from their out-of-print books are available in this fun collection. The selections are mostly humorous, sometimes contemplative, and deal with animals, family, play, and plain silliness.




Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Once You Have Slept On An Island . . .


    

If once you have slept on an Island
You'll never be quite the same;   


You may look as you looked the day before
And go by the same old name,




 

You may bustle about in street and shop
You may sit at home and sew,
But you'll see blue water and wheeling gulls
Wherever your feet may go. 




 

You may chat with the neighbors of this and that
And close to your fire keep,
But you'll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell
And tides beat through your sleep. 




 

Oh! you won't know why and you can't say how
Such a change upon you came,
But once you have slept on an island,
You'll never be quite the same. 



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Paddling Drummond Island




 There is no rushing when paddling. When you paddle you go at the pace of the water and that pace ties you into a flow that is older than life itself on this planet.  Acceptance of that pace, even for a day, changes us, reminds us of other rhythms beyond the sound of our own heartbeats. 


Drummond Island is a paddler’s paradise of sheltered bays, forested islands, and stone-studded shorelines in northern Lake Huron. The Island and its many satellite islands combine to form a marvelous playground for seasoned kayakers. Of course, Drummond’s quiet bays and forested shoreline can also be explored and enjoyed by less experienced paddlers on day trips and over-nighters, provided they select a route geared to their experience level.  With that said the Drummond archipelago is particularly suited to veteran kayakers. Drummond’s waterways feature long sections of exposed shoreline, and exploration of some of the outer islands in Potagannissing Bay require open crossings of a mile or more.


If one sets out to navigate the waters surrounding Drummond you should always be mindful of the fact that perspective changes and what is familiar from land is not always so clearly recognized from the cockpit of a low riding kayak.  Always plan your paddle and paddle your plan! If you need help laying out your route, simply stop by the DITA office. Our local experts will share their knowledge and experience in an effort to make your paddling experience a successful adventure!


Drummond Island has over one hundred forty miles of coast and inland shoreline to explore – all plotted out via the DITA recreational map and easily accessed from multiple public launch points.  There’s much to explore by kayak or canoe, especially on the Drummond Island Heritage Water Trail - where points of interest are linked around a 60-mile loop. From easy paddles in our inner bays to high adventure risk and challenge circumnavigating the entire shoreline - paddling the Island’s waterways is a true Up North experience! 


Escape your land-locked life for Drummond Island, where our scenic shoreline awaits you for the ultimate paddling adventure!