Harold H. Wright 1888-1918

It's Memorial Day in the USA. Inscription: Pvt Harold H. "Connie" Wright. Company H, 30th U.S. Infantry, 6th Brigade, 3rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Born June 13th, 1888. Killed in action July 15, 1918, at the Second Battle of the Marne, near Chateau-Thierry, France. "I have fought the good fight. I have finished my course."

North Watertown Cemetery, 811 Bradley Street, Watertown, NY, 13601.

Present fun and future plans

Another leisurely morning, this time in Watertown, New York. After breakfast and a second round of coffee Susie, Christina and I headed off to Clayton, New York and the Clayton Island Tours. 

It was  lovely 20-minute drive to the St. Lawrence where we were scheduled to board one of the Clayton Island Tours boats at 11am. We arrived at the dock in plenty of time to pick up our sack lunches and get ready to board. 

The river cruise took about 50 minutes to Boldt Castle, the destination for this particular tour. (In fact. they only ran one tour that day and it was just to the castle.)  During the cruise the guide pointed out some of the more notable properties along the way: for example, homes of the MacNally family (as in the map people) and the man who once owned the Life Savers company. We also cruised by Wellesley Island, quite the collection of homes and the one island to which you can arrive by car via a bridge.

The Boldt Castle was the dream home of George Boldt, hotelier extraordinare but when his wife Louise died suddenly in 1904 all work on the property was abandoned, left to ruins and vandals. In 1977 it was acquired by the 1000 Islands Bridge Authority and work was begun on reconstructing the home using the original plans. The home is perhaps the most impressive example of conspicuous consumption of the so-called gilded age in the region. 

After a stroll around the grounds the three of us enjoyed our lunches near the old power house.

After lunch we turned our attention to the interior which included two floors of renovated spaces while the last two floors were still awaiting attention. (Note the graffiti in many of the rooms not yet updated.)

The return trip took us back along a slightly different route and we were back at the dock around 2:20pm. It was a quick drive back to Flower Street and the MacD home. 

That evening we all went out for tapas at Spokes restaurant in downtown Watertown. A big thumbs up for the food and service but try to miss the Wednesday evening live music.

The MacDonalds leave this July for Germany and we hope to catch up with them later this autumn, perhaps in September. Everything hinges on when European travel restrictions might ease. If we don't go then, we will plan to see them in spring of 2022.

boarding in Clayton 

on board the large pontoon boat

docking at Heart Island and Boldt Castle

looking over to the Boldt Castle yacht house

the Alster Tower

entrance to the tower

two-lane bowling alley in the tower

tower undergoing renovation

gazebo

strolling to the power house

the power house

lunch by the power house

the main entrance

stained glass dome above the main entrance and central foyer

dining room

servants' dining room

one last view of the castle

returning to the dock for the trip back to Clayton

To Watertown, New York

The morning of our seventh day of the 2021 road trip found us enjoying a warm sunny morning over coffee in Rutland.  A little before 10am we were on the road, fully gassed (the car not us) and on Route 4 heading to New York. 

Traffic was light, the sun was out in force as we cruised through Whitehall where we turned north to Ticonderoga, made our way to the Northway (I-87) before turning back west on Route 73 to Lake Placid.

Skirting Lake Placid via a detour, and aside from the occasional one-lane road situations, we easily sailed through  Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. After a little over four hours and some 220 miles we pulled into the MacDonald home in Watertown.

After unloading the car we relaxed with the McDs enjoying a lovely afternoon on their porch, and after a delicious supper of baked tortellini, Brussels sprouts and corn, returned to the porch to close out the evening taking in the night air of the North Country.

Day 15 Watertown and Sackets Harbor

The change of command ceremony was scheduled for 10am and we left our hotel a little after 9am, giving us enough time to make our way to Fort Drum and find our way to the event location. After checking in at the main gate and picking up our visitor passes -- joined by Dick and Dorothy and Carl and Bonnie - we made our way to the gymnasium where Glen's change of command ceremony was to take place.

Originally scheduled to take place outside a couple of days back there was talk of rain so the event was rescheduled to be held inside. So here we were in the Macgrath Gymnasium of the 10th Mountain Division.

The ceremony kicked off on time with introductory music provided by the division band under the baton of Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Parker, our other nephew -- he's married to Melissa Bergman while Glen MacDonald is married to Christina Bergman, in case you needed a program update.

After a few brief opening remarks, thank-yous and farewells the actual handing over of the colors from LTC Jones to LTC MacDonald went smoothly and in less than a half hour it was done. Glen MacDonald was now officially commander of the 2nd Battalion.

Kiera MacDonald

Bonnie and Carl (seated) and Dorothy and Susan

Christina and Liam

visitors wishing LTC Jones goodbye

Glen on the left

handoff complete, Glen is now on the right

The new 2nd Battalion commander LTC Glen MacDonald

After the ceremony there was a short reception of cake and soda at battalion headquarters.

Glen with his dad Bill and brother Scott

Before leaving the fort Daniel Parker gave us a tour of the division band building: lots of rehearsal space, soundproof rooms and instrument storage areas.

practicing

Since we had a few hours before dinner Susie and I left the fort and headed straight for Sackets Harbor, about 12 miles away on a pice of land jutting out into Lake Ontario. Sackets Harbor was the scene of a rather important engagement between the British and American forces during the war of 1812 and for many years Madison Barracks in the village served as the largest Army base in upstate New York.

Upon arriving in Sackets Harbor we came across the military cemetery. In addition to being the burial ground for soldiers and members of their families for many years, it's also the final resting place for a great many men who died in the vicinity in 1813 during the War of 1812, including Brig. Gen. Zebulon Pike. Pike had been tasked with locating the headwaters of the Red River when in 1806 he spied an enormous peak near what is today Colorado Springs: Pike's Peak. Zebulon was killed in action in 1813 in York, Canada.

A couple of curiosities about the cemetery: a great many stones are listed as unknown and quite a few had pennies placed on the top of the government monument; also a large number of children are buried together in two lines beneath government stones -- apparently their families were living at Madison Barracks at the time they died.

Zebulon Pike's grave

memorial to the unknown soldiers and sailors who died at the battle of Sackets Harbor in 1813

the children's section

From the military cemetery we drove the two or three blocks into Sackets Harbor proper where we explored the 1812 battlefield and then made our way to the remnants of Madison Barracks. The buildings of the former army post mostly remain intact, one houses a fitness center and another an inn and restaurant. Buildings once used by military families still stand as well and are today rental units for local families.

battlefield site overlooking the lake

overlooking the site of the fort

memorial to the men who fought in the battle in 1813

Madison Barracks housing

parade ground in the foreground, used by the army's olympic polo teams in the 1920s.

That evening we returned to the Parker home on post and shared a delicious taco bar supper with family. We also celebrated Christina's forthcoming birthday -- she'll be 40 years old this week -- and fondly recall her at our wedding in 1983. Life is short. . .

We got on I-81 at the very beginning in eastern Tennessee and tomorrow morning we're going to see it to the very end at the Canadian border as we begin the final leg of our road trip.