I've been enjoying the lively webpages about your family history at Sandy Pond; thanks for writing them and sharing them.

I've gotten interested in the sandhill at Sandy Pond that was largely blown away after the vegetation was destroyed. I've found out a couple of things that may interest you. First of all, I'm attaching a file from the Syracuse Post-Standard that seems to date the hill's "blowin' away" to the early 80s; it seems perfectly consistent with your webpages. Also, I've recently learned that beachgrass not only stabilizes, but actually builds, dunes and sandhills. I've written up some of what I've learned in the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammophila_breviligulata, in case your interest extends that far. So there is some chance that your sandhill will ultimately grow back! Something like this appears to have occurred near Boater's Beach, where there is a claim in the Post-Standard that a 70 feet high dune had been restored within 10 years of replanting the beachgrass.

I am a scientist in my day life, and I've now gotten curious that the sandhills built by beachgrass and the other dune-building plants like cottonwood trees could get so large. I'd like to figure out how tall (in feet) that hill was. One way would be to provide more details to go with an old photograph of the hill. To do this, I'd have to know where the photographer was standing compared to the hill, and maybe also something about the camera that took the photo. Do you think you'd be able to provide this sort of information?

Thanks very much for the photos, and the informative captions you wrote for me. Your photo named "sandyone.jpg" is suitable for estimating a height. If I assume that Brian was 4 ft tall when the photo was taken, then I calculate a dune height of about 70 feet. A bit higher than I was expecting from the maps, but in agreement with some newspaper estimates. Wonderful sand structures, aren't they?

At some point, I'd like to get some before/after photos that establish in some convincing way how the dunes have changed. The map/satellite photo does that pretty well for me, but there are lots of people who don't relate to that sort of abstraction. Your webpages are actually one of best places I've found on the web that describes such changes; it's a great thing that you posted your recollections.

I may try to find one of the places where you've got a sandhill photo from the 70s and reshoot it to document those changes. The results could be posted on your website, or worked into Wikipedia somewhere.

I've just uploaded a new version of Wikipedia's Sandy Island Beach article with several quotations and references from your website. It's at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Island_Beach_State_Park

I did some more work with the topographic map; as you'll see, I copied your method for indicating the rushes.

Thanks for your help with it; let me know if you find errors, or (since it's a wiki) feel free to change the article directly. Sooner or later I'll add some photographs to it.

I'm still struggling to understand the formation of high dunes, but decided to let the quote from Sandy Bonanno carry this for now. I corresponded with her about this, incidentally; she was also very helpful. She's made something of a career of conserving the Eastern Lake Ontario region, and wrote a master's thesis about managing a fragile shoreline with heavy recreational use.

Thanks a lot, Eric. I read your article with great interest and recommend it to everyone who wants to know more about this very special place.

Yes, Chuck, I remember your father. I loved those two camps, though truth be told I was always a bit jealous when my family took the small one and my cousins got to stay in the big one.

On a whim, I went to the Internet, looked up Sandy Pond and found your family history. As a child FIFTY years ago (!) my parents used to take me to a place called The Bayview Hotel. There, my father taught me to fish. There I learned to swim off the seaweedy dock.

There was also another "lodge" or "inn" type place that we would visit as well as the Bayview when I was a child. I get the feeling it was just down one of those sand rutted roads (I remember well the feeling of bumping along the ruts in someone's car!) which seem to run parallel to the water. The lodge had a big stone fireplace and a pool table.

Alas, all of my memories of "The Pond," as my parents called it, were not so fond. I remember an incident where, around 1957-58, we were in an outboard that found itself on the open lake during a storm – the Coast Guard rescued us!

Still, Sandy Pond holds many pleasant times for me as well. There was a candy store across from the Bayview that sold peppermint drops. I met many kids (usually in the bar) to play with; as I was an only child, this was wonderful for me.

Years later, when I grew up and saw the ocean for the first time, my husband accused me of "always looking for Sandy Pond!" Perhaps I was, but I would love to hear from someone who might have known the place better than I can remember. What happened to it? I believe my parents were with a group of "kids" in the '30s and '40s who used to go up there, but I can't be sure.

KATHY ROE

Kathy, I spent most of my adult life in Rhode Island and while there never lived more than 20 miles from the ocean. And still I preferred to spend my vacations at Sandy Pond.

Looking forward to seeing your update to the website. I have some really OLD photos from the Pond area I'll send you sometime.

I too don't get north often anymore since my Mom and then Dad passed away. I live in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay and we don't need to go far for water-fun.
 
I like your website especially all the sunset photos which I use for the "Background" on my PC at work. My co-workers ask about the sunsets when they see them on my computer, thinking they are from the tropics and then I get a chance to tell them all about Sandy Pond and the magnificent sunsets. I always liked the sunsets in the winter just after an ice storm - truly spectacular. I also miss watching the Northern Lights.
 
My folks were originally from North Syracuse (Dad) and Elbridge (Mom) and were living at Sandy Pond year round by the time I was born in '54. (My Dad, Edward, was a State Trooper in those days - the 1st Sargeant of Troop D, which protected and served Syracuse and surrounding counties.

 I grew up and lived at Sandy Pond, attending Sandy Creek Central School, Auburn Community College, and working various jobs until 1980 when I enlisted in the Navy. I wanted to step up from boats and ponds to submarines and oceans. I knew almost every year-round resident and many of the cottagers. I don't miss the winters, but I do miss ice-fishing on a warm day in March with my Dad!
 
The Sandy Creek Historian, Charlene Cole, has published 2 books called "Sandy Pond Memories" and "Sandy Pond Memories II" which I just cherish. They are mostly about the families and people who lived and developed the Sandy Pond community going back to the 1920s. She used my story about Ice Boating in the second book. Her email is

ory67kool1@hotmail.com

If you are interested in the books. I think they are like $25 each and she will mail them to you.

Steve, thanks for all your help. Six months have passed since this letter and I'm just now getting around to updating the website. Sorry for the delay. For those who may have missed it, check out Steve's explanation of what really happened to Sandy Island Beach.

Note: It's now early 2010 and the website has been updated again.

Just a little tidbit about the stones on Sandy Island Beach. My name is Dave Dillabough. I was born in 1952. I have lived my whole life at Sandy Pond. I worked at Sandy Island Beach in the summers of 1967 and 1968. Each year the beach was cleared of migrating stones from the southern end of the shoreline property. Raking stones was an ongoing project. A tractor and stone rake was utilized.

When Mrs. LeGrande Smith fell ill and the beach was no longer maintained, the injcoming wave action in conjunction with storms and ice dune migration gradually delivered stones to the previously maintained shoreline. Stones were and still are prevalent on the shore south of the Sandy Island Beach property. What is seen now is the natural transition from stony shoreline to sand.

I also remember as a child with my father and sister swimming in crystal clear lake water and collecting small crab claws from the dune areas south of Sandy Island Beach.

Dave, belated thanks for all the hard work you did clearing those stones. I hope I can get back north this summer to visit the beach. I'm interested for several reasons, not the least of which is to see how New York State is handling the rock situation. Oh, and thanks for jogging my memory about those small crab claws.

Note: It's now early 2010 and I'm still hoping to visit Sandy Pond this summer. One of these days ...

First, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your Sandy Pond stories. It was fun to read and learn the history of a place my family has come to love. I grew up spending my summers at Sandy Pond in the '70s and '80s. My family is the Shines. We own the camp directly across the pond from the Bayview. It has the flagpole in the front yard. Back then there usually was a big blue sailboat at the dock. Our camp is and was known as Pine Lodge.

I trust you've read Hal Johns' interesting story about his memories of Pine Lodge back when his family owned it.

Somehow I stumbled onto your web site researching maps of Sandy Pond. Iinstantly became sidetracked reading the interesting stories and such found on your pages.

I ice fish there religiously during these winter months and was lucky enough to be on top yesterday for a few fish catching hours. I am located in Pottstown PA, and own a fishing cabin at the top of the Salmon River in Altmar. We enjoy the area year round as my wife and I were married at the Salmon River Falls July 1.

Thanks again for the stories and articles concerning the great pond!

PS: The fish are getting BIG! sunnies bigger than your hand! Pike up to 15 lbs although yesterday's batch were all under 30" or 7 lbs.

Chris, you're not the first person who has told me about the fish. One young man told me I'd have to be a lousy fisherman not to catch a lot of big ones in or around The Pond these days. Thus my secret was revealed: I AM a lousy fisherman.

I just read about every word on your web site about Sandy Pond and wanted to drop you a line. My grandfather and grandmother both started vacationing at Sandy Pond in the early '40s and bought a broken down cottage to fix. If you stand on the shoreline where the Bayview Hotel was and look west across the bay to the peninsula, the big gray cottage with the wrap- around porch that sits on the corner of the creek is my grandparents.

We still have the cottage and land in our familiy to this day and I was just boating there last week. My property extends from the pond side all the way over to the beach side. And like you said in you web site, there is something truly amazing about enjoying the serenity of the pond side and then having the luxury of walking a couple hundred feet through the woods and over through the cut and onto the glorious beach!

My family was one of the first on the pond to recognize the value this area has in terms of natural significance. We have been staunch supporters of the Nature Conservancy and have been almost militant in preserving these valuable natural resources.

I could go on for hours.

My name is Richard H. Jordan III and my grandparents names were Harold and Ruth Shermer. Our neighbors at Sandy Pond were (when my grandparents were alive) the Smiths, Flannigans, Moores, Wolibur, Shines, Barber, and a few others I can't recall right now.

Richard, thanks for contacting me. And special thanks for your terrific sunset photo (top). Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words ...

Note: Since receiving this email – and the photo – I've come upon the picture on several other websites that mention Sandy Pond.

My family also has a very long history with Sandy Pond. I'm a third-generation vacationer. My grandfather's family was from Sandy Creek and then they all migrated to Pittsburgh.

Anyway, I wanted to share some memories about Sandy Pond. I just graduated from college, but I've been vacationing at the Pond every year for two weeks since "before I was born". I'm introducing a whole new generation to the lake with what will be my fourth annual July 4th blowout at my family's cottage. We always rented, until 2000 when my parents finally bought a place the family used to rent.

You should really go back. The beaches are very clean and the nuclear power plant is still in view. (LOVE IT.) The "Irish" Wigwam is great (just down the road from our place) and "The little store" is still there. There are a few little ice-

cream spots that have appeared in the area that are quite tasty. The town of Sandy Creek is doing well. And have you ever been to the flea market on Route 3? The Broke-Down palace bar is still there, too, as is the Church Mouse. A couple of weeks ago I was up there and saw some nice bass just off the dock. We almost caught one.

Anyway, thank you for the great pics and the stories. I hope I can keep up my own family tradition and that many more generations can enjoy the most perfect place on Earth.

I enjoyed reading your stories and seeing the old photos of Sandy Pond. Your stories and photos brought back many many memories.

My three aunts and father had a cottage on the south side of the inlet for about 50 years. Each summer I would spend at least 3 weeks at the cottage with them.

They owned the largest cottage (named Pine Lodge) on the pond south side of the inlet and their property included beaches on Lake Ontario.

I just finished reading your Sandy Pond pages and wanted you to know how much I enjoyed reading every word. I too grew up vacationing on Sandy Pond (Kiblin Shores) and have returned there with my own family.

I especially enjoyed your mention of the black oil roads. I can still smell the oil and remember how my feet would be stained black.

I currently live in northern Pennsylvania about 2.5 to 3 hours drive from the Pond and stumbled on your pages during a search for properties for sale in that area.

Thanks again for a great read that brought back some good memories of Sandy Pond and all the fun I had there.

My name is Bernie Carr and I enjoyed your article with great understanding. After WW2 I had the privilege to accompany my grandparents to visit their cousin who had a camp on Big Sandy (North Pond). I was proficient with their first boat and motor by the age of 7. As a teenager I was actually a lifeguard at Sandy Island Beach.

In the late ‘40s my Grandparents purchased the property next to their cousin where Mr. Kiblin's cows went to the Pond for water ($425 acquired 35 ft of frontage going back to a lot 59x500).

Since that time I have spent the greater part of every summer at Sandy Pond – except my four years of service to my country; right, the US Coast Guard.

I now own that property myself. My uncle owns the property next to me in the front, and my cousin is next to me in the back. I have two other cousins who own cottages at the other end of the tract.

As you may notice, I am committed.

I have four daughters. One lives in Oregon, one in Florida, one in New Hampshire, and one is in college at Bennington, Vermont. The girls are close and we still have reunions at Sandy Pond.

I personally have seen the beach covered with water during a storm and remember the tall dunes. I have seen three channel locations. I have lost considerable shoreline mostly due to the St Lawrence Seaway. It will never be the same, but I applaud the Nature Conservatory for restoring the beach.

Oh, the little place across from the Comfort was Tot's Pavilion. The place down the dirt road from there was was The Lodge. All three are just a memory.

Bernie Carr has since started his own Sandy Pond website:

sandypondny.com