Todd Pullaw writes,"Manley, happy birthday my friend.I look forward to your Grindstone Island stories and history lessons. Like you, my first shotgun was a 410 double barrel. Memory tells me that my father bought that 410 at Ozzie Steel’s sports store in Clayton. The first ducks I shot were a pair of green teal in the Hay Island marsh. There are a multitude of past events and escapades involving our families. The statute of limitations should be checked before I print some of the past stories!!
I’m proud to know you, and the Rusho family, a family that are salt of the earth and an epitome to the title of River men & women .

Todd Pullaw

Kevin Wood wrote: Larry, Some really beautiful portraits of fog on the River. My favorite is the one of Pine and Bluff Islands. Thanks for sharing!"

And Sarah Jenks sent a picture of her mother - it also appeared in TI LIfe's March 2021 issue. the The Blonde Bombshell and The Iceboat - by Tom Robbins, Illustrated by Sarah Coate.

Sarah Jenks wrote "Thank you for your wonderful article about ice boats on the St Lawrence river and for your mention of my parents, Sallie and Bill Robbins."

"Summer residents, Sallie and Bill loved going across the river in ice boats to check on Pine Island in the winter. They were intrepid river rats, however year round islanders are the unsung heroes who daily braved winter crossings in ice boats and know, only too well, how freezing wind chill and ice conditions can make it very challenging."

"Sallie was, indeed, compared to movie stars so it’s very kind of you to mention that, too!

Raymond Pfeiffer commented: "What a delightful story! It brings back memories of a time I saved a baby kestrel back in 1954, fed it ground meat, and it grew up, flew away, and then returned to say thank you the next spring for a few days! Real, personal interactions with wildlife are memories for a lifetime!"

Whoops. The comment by Raymond Pfeiffer should have referred to Rob Bickerton! This Editor says it is easy to make the mistake as the Bickerton families are well known and well liked in the Islands. Their stamp on the Gananoque and surrounding communities is outstanding.

Raymond Pfeiffer commented:
"Your fascinating article reminded me of a friend who spent the winter on a little island off the head of Grindstone some time during the 1960s. He claimed to be motivated by his urge to write a novel, which he later published under the title, "Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon-Kicker," by David Boyer He had bought Copperice Island, built a little cabin out of two-by fours, installed a little barrel stove, and imported cords of firewood by boat in the fall. When spring came, he left the island for good. When I asked him if he would do it again, he said "It required too much whiskey." Soon after, he sold the island to my mother, who tore down the shack and made the place available to campers for no cost. Seven years later, she gave it to some friends who agreed to keep it unmarked and un-built, as it remains today. Thanks for sharing your adventure and enriching my imagination!"

Raymond Pfeiffer commented: "Thanks so much for your nice comment, Todd! Interactions with wildlife and observations of them are some of my very favorite memories. Learning to appreciate wildlife is one of the best lessons I learned when growing up in the summers on Hickory Island, and JBJ learned on Mudlunta."

New comment by Raymond Pfeiffer: I want to thank you for the detailed account of your summer working at Reinman's News
Stand. I believe that you were there in the summer of 1962 or 1963, before I began work there in
the summer of 1964, paid the same wage as you earned. Your article on the news stand
reminded me of many details about it. I very well recall the spiral notebook with accounts in it,
and also recall having made some entries in it myself.
Counting the number of issues in each delivery of magazines and newspapers always
seemed remarkable to me, as well as tedious. But I did understand that the Reinmans made
their living from a tiny margin of pennies in their daily transactions. They taught me much that
summer: About work, the challenge of making a living, and how to carry out directions
meticulously. Beneath their single-minded determination to run the news stand, both Charlie
and Laura were kind, generous people.
I had been grateful to them for giving me the working hours that I had requested,
enabling me to arrive by boat each morning well after sunrise. Unlike you, I was allowed to go
home, daily, at 5 PM. I had saved my earnings from working on our family place on Hickory
Island for three years in order to buy a 15-ft. Lyman outboard, and relished my daily trips to and
from Clayton, in my very own boat, as well as the chance to earn a better wage than I was paid
on the island.
I believe that you stopped by to greet Charlie and Laura a couple of times during my
summer working for them, but do not recall any details. However, you might recall having met
me at the News Stand when you returned the summer after you worked there.
It was sad to see the News Stand close a few years later. I am grateful for your article and
the reflections it has brought back!

David Fairchild commented: I have a group picture of a number of Battle Creek people that includes a Margaret Griffin, as well as a Stanley Griffin. It was taken in 1990, and there are 19 people in total in the photo. From what I can tell, it was taken when a lady named Ruth Foote returned "from the mission field in Africa". My grandparents and two great-aunts are also in the pic.

If you care to respond, I'd be glad to send you a copy of the photo, and maybe ask a couple of additional questions about the Griffins.

Thanks!