Since our earliest interest in Rosslyn — back in 2005-2006 when we were falling in love with this property but still unable to fathom how we might transform our pipe dream into reality — the ferry rhythm appealed to me.
The ferry’s visual and audible “metronome” braided a subtle but hypnotic soundtrack into our visits.
Recalibrating our urban rhythm to the comings and goings of the Essex-Charlotte ferry. A pair of effervescent hummingbirds flitting from blossom to blossom in the flowerbeds that we would coax back to life.
(Source: We Could Live at Rosslyn)
That excerpt, now many years old, feels as familiar as yesterday. And the leap from ferryboat arrivals and departures to hummingbirds (as much a non sequitur today as it must’ve been then) transports me to that time of contemplation and wonder. What would it be like to live at Rosslyn? These rhythms and textures of life at Rosslyn blossomed from curiosity to reality.
These Charlotte-Essex Steam Ferry images are from a vintage brochure, one of many artifacts in our Rosslyn collection. The photograph at the top of the post (appearing in its original orientation below) includes Rosslyn’s waterfront near center right in the image. You can make out the boathouse as well as the large crib dock pier originally located north of our beach.
If I understand correctly, the ferry was based in Essex in those days, explaining why the first boat each day originated in Essex rather than Charlotte as it does today.
Daily comings and goings, as well as seasonal changes to the ferry schedule, remain a significant and meaningful part of our Rosslyn lifestyle, much as we suspected back in those early days. In fact, I don’t think we’re alone in this regard.
It’s a common refrain among residents. “I discovered Essex when I was taking the ferry.” While it’s not our personal connection to the area, there is something appealing to me about passers-through becoming enchanted with the historic architecture, the gentle rhythms, the magnificent outdoor recreation opportunities, the views…
The Essex Ferry to Vermont delivers a steady stream of curious drivers. They stop and wander, snap photographs, shop or eat a meal. Sometimes they wonder what it would be like to live here. A few return to find out.
(Source: Essex Ferry to Vermont)
It is no doubt this last detail that resonates with me. Since Susan and I experienced our own longing and wonder almost 2 decades ago, it pleases me to think of others experiencing a similar yen.
An illustrative painting by Rick Feeney, not altogether unlike a double page spread in a children’s book, deftly captures the ferry rhythm.
Watercolor artist Ric Feeney shared this beautiful painting on Facebook recently, and of course it caught my eye as it featured Rosslyn’s whimsical boathouse/dock house.
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There’s something almost cinematographic about the Essex-Charlotte ferry approaching the Essex ferry dock from the north-northeast… The Old Dock Restaurant (red roof near right hand side of the image) and Begg’s Point… [are] both visible behind the ferry dock.
(Source: Ric Feeney’s Watercolor Painting of Rosslyn Boathouse)
I reached out to the artist after the shared painting was brought to my attention by a mutual friend. Unfortunately, he had already sold it. But the feeling the painting evokes transcends ownership of the artwork. I hope you can get a sense for what it’s like to observe the ferry arriving, to hear the signature sounds as the captain begins to slow the vessel, as the crew begins to prepare for arrival, as commuters start their engines or prepare to pedal ashore.
This snapshot captured spontaneously on my phone does not qualify for any photography awards, but it does suggest a sort of enchantment that I associate with the ferry rhythm.
At the end of the rainbow… A ferry! (Source: Rainbow Ramble)
Not exactly magic, but not altogether unlike magic either…
Because the ferry is our daily commute for groceries, appointments, airport, etc. it’s taken on a familiar, almost familial, presence in our Essex life. A defining threshold. A gateway. A liminal, interstitial ritual.
Heck of a homecoming my frosty ferry ride into Essex two weeks ago on January 25. Damp-cold. Socked in. Snowing…
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A frosty ferry crossing may not be the picture perfect memory that we conjure when relating the joys of commuting by ferryboat, but I’ve experienced so many meaningful moments just like this. Rainy, snowy, stormy,… The imperfect moments shape us as much as the sunny ones.
(Source: Frosty Ferrying into Rosslyn)
I think this final sentiment, that imperfect moments shape our lives as much as perfect moments, is important in general. And it rings especially true when considering the ferry rhythm.
This is especially apparent when the ferry service is suspended for one reason or another.
The Essex-Charlotte Canal offers a chilly commute, but it sure beats 3-4 lanes of traffic jammed, coffee guzzling, angry drivers on a thruway…
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And “landlocked” winters [when ferry service is interrupted by ice, etc.] certainly do make us appreciate it when Lake Champlain Transportation keeps the ferry open. This winter has provided plenty of ice to make it challenging, but the boat, captains and crew have endured. Thank you for creating and maintaining the Essex-Charlotte Canal!
(Source: Essex-Charlotte Canal)
Where from here? Hhhmmm…
A meandering meditation on the ferry rhythm so inextricably interwoven into our Rosslyn lifestyle. A contemplation of the metronomic ferry rhythm. Comings. Goings. Embarkations. Debarkations.
What do you think?