Bill's Broadsides

Out on the lake

I recently took a closer look at the controversial "boathouse" that Joseph Herms built up at Canada Lake. It sure looks like a camp to me, and a nice one at that.
On one hand, I feel bad for the guy that he's been ordered to tear the structure down, but on the other hand, it seemed pretty clear to me all along that Mr. Herms knew he was trying to get away with something that the law didn't allow.
My parents live at nearby Green Lake, which connects to Canada Lake via a channel that crosses under Routes 10 and 29A. I've spent a lot of time up there, and I know the Canada Lakes well. There are other structures on the lakes that are larger than Mr. Herms', including some that are right on the water. But they are boathouses -- structures for sheltering boats, not people. As far as I'm concerned, if you can't park your boat inside it, it's not a boathouse. I think the law also should include a provision that boathouses must have birds nesting in their rafters, but then maybe I'm just being an Adirondack nostalgist.
At any rate, I shot this video clip (see below) from out on the water so folks could see what it looks like up close. The chatter you hear in the background is my crazy kids trying to throw each other overboard.