Monday - July 31

 Very nice day here on Kelleys Island.....we checked out the "Shirley Irene" (ferry for cars/people) that goes back and forth from Marblehead.   Our friend, Brad who works at Superior Marine also is working for the Miller Ferry Co., and was going to be on the ferry (every 45 minutes it comes into Kelleys); thought we would see him and wave, but no luck at 9 this morning. Brad is training to be a Captain.

Shirley Irene and "Brad" somewhere? leaving the dock!

Walked downtown and had breakfast (French toast for Mark and Avocado toast for me - yum, plus a cinnamon/vanilla latte for me) at The Island House and had Edie as our waitress again today,   Edie told us more about the damage to her parents/grandparents homes and cars in Naples from the hurricane.    She is such a pretty girl but has a nasty black eye - 2 weeks ago wakeboarding accident - ugh!    

Very good avocado toast and 

Mark's cinnamon French toast with strawberries/blueberries (no pic)

Rented a golf cart from the General Store and set off to see the island.   Less fewer people than yesterday when the golf carts were almost all rented out.   First stop was the Glacial Grooves (we were here last summer with Marilyn, Mark's sister).   The area was all fenced off cause of construction and making it handicapped accessible, so we were not able to show Marilyn.   But now it's finished and very very nicely done.  

We had the cart for 2 hours and drove past the airport, 4-H Camp, beautiful quarry and all over the island.   I love these island rides!

The quarry

One of my favorite homes on the island

Kiddos enjoying a week of 4-H Camp

Another lovely older home well maintained with gorgeous flowers

Last night's zoom session brought up the topic about many of the restaurants charging 3-4% extra for using credit cards.....

Nice to see this at The Village Pump (#1 on Kelleys)!

After we returned the golf cart, we enjoyed a little retail therapy - Mark got 2 T-shirts and I bought a sweatshirt and some cards.    Walked back to the boat and enjoyed some

 R 'n R.  Round-trip is 5,000 steps!

We hoped to catch Brad on the 4:00 ferry and we did - saw him maneuver and lower the gangplank to let all the vehicles off.    

Lowering the gangplank

Brad

Bye to Brad and we'll see him tomorrow at his other job - Superior Marine when we return to Port Clinton,

Onto a late lunch/early dinner at Docker's on the water - 1st time here and excellent - Mark had the crabcakes and I had chicken cordon bleu on a pretzel roll.

Walked back to Catrina and called it a day - lots of fresh air/sunshine today + 11,789 steps.

Bye bye July......welcome August!

Sunday - July 30

 Sunny Sunday greetings....we had breakfast (cheerios with blueberries) and then off to 10:30 Mass at Immaculate Conception.

Back home, changed clothes, got the lines and power cords ondone and ready to cruise under the noon bridge.    There was one boat in front of us and several more behind plus those coming from the other way.   Just as the bridge was almost up, the horns sounded frantically - bridge came back down for police cars to cross followed by rescue squad.   So a short delay (and hoping nothing too serious) and we were on our way to Kelleys Island (15 miles).    Water was a little choppy, but all the boats made it even more so with their wakes.

Kelleys is the largest island on Lake Erie - just a charming quaint village with golf carts everywhere especially this busy Sunday.   Folks out strolling, eating at several good spots, playing mini golf, shopping, etc.   

Four nice young men in blue shirts "Crew" were waiting on the dock to take our lines.  We checked into Seaway Marina - 1 mile from the boat to town.  We probably should've brought the bikes, but....we'll walk and get some steps and tomorrow, rent a golf cart and be real tourists!   Year-round residents - 258 with many many more in the summer!

We had a good lunch at The Island House and a real sweet waitress (Edie) whose Grandma and Grandpa live in Naples full time and had a lot of damage from Ian.

We walked around, checked out a few shops and got some ice cream before the walk back to Catrina.   We are right by the beach, so between those folks, the ferry coming in from Marblehead and all the boaters, a busy place!    

Annette and the kiddos arrived at her parents in Princeton, IL this afternoon (Philip comes in late tonight).    They met my cousin Jane and Joe in Peoria for lunch......what fun!!!   So  glad they could get together.

Luke, Joe, Jane, Maeve

11 on zoom tonight....and a special treat getting to see our niece, Megan who leaves Saturday for Japan.   Tom and Beth (parents) are in Columbus helping with the final packing.

From Kelleys Island  - the sun setting over Lake Erie

Saw this in Port Stanley, Ontario

 

Saturday - July 29

 Wacky weather we're having...at 2:45 this morning, yet another storm passed thru with strong winds and heavy rain!   And we've heard from several other parts of the country about damage from various storms including Annette's parents.

So, today was a mixture of clouds, (sometimes very dark) and sunshine with puffy white clouds.   We had 2 things on our agenda today - a bike ride and a dinghy ride.

We left around 10:30 with the bikes in truck planning to ride from Lindsey to Elmore, have lunch and then ride back.   We got to Elmore and the Sunflower Festival was going on - lots of people, + there was a 5K run (on our trail) and folks were standing in the park (on our trail) and we thought?   No way.....so headed out of town and saw signs for "Sunflowers", so we followed (I love sunflowers) and oh my, came upon a big field (50 acres) of pure beauty.    This couple has been planting the flowers for 7 years and for around 10 days, they invite the public to come out and take pics, ride the hayrack, pick the flowers for a bouquet ($2 a stem), etc.   It is a huge deal and since they are just a few miles from town, Lindsey's festival coincides!   

Spectacular!

Buzzy Bee

We drove to Elmore and had lunch at Christy's Corner Cafe (ate here last year) - such a special place (not-for-profit named after Christy who has Down syndrome) along with other developmentally challenged employees.   It's a cute little coffee shop with breakfast/lunch items.  

Such a neat place!

We started riding (avoiding Lindsey) with the sky threatening at times - got in 14 miles but the last little bit, we got wet - not a downpour, just a steady rain and then, the sun popped back out!

Lily pads in full bloom

On home and later drove to the Amazon pick-up spot as Mark had 3 packages.   We love this method Amazon provides since we keep hearing more about theft from people's front doors and since we are in a gated community (nothing fancy, but still gated 😉), someone is not always here to open the gate for delivery.    It's a really slick way to pick up.

Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast and wine - if I do say so myself - mighty tasty!!!😋

Took the dinghy (new) out for only the 2nd time....nice evening.   I'm sure Grandpa and/or Daddy wil give Luke and Maeve some rides.

Tomorrow we're going to Kelleys Island for a few days - haven't been there yet this summer.

Friday - July 28

 Ten months ago today, Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida with a vengeance, but it's so neat and a happy feeling to see businesses coming back and rebuilding or setting up in a new location - still a long ways to go!

Ham/cheese omelets, toast and fresh peaches (Bergman's orchard) and on with the day!

The bridge is back working properly and vehicles, people and boats are on the move!

Mark had some projects today - figuring out why the shower nozzle didn't give more pressure?   And clean out the air conditioning filters.   I ran several errands and home just before the rain came.   It poured a bit with thunder and lightning - we put the car inside storage as they mentioned hail, but not bad this go'round.

Our phones have been sending off alerts for severe weather coming our way + a flash flood warning for the next 21 hours!    Yikes!   

Sure feel for those folks in the very hot areas and having to work outdoors!   Connor has been doing asphalt work in parking areas for the ISU kiddos. 😩

Luke and Maeve are having fun in HOT St. Louis but hanging out at the Science Center and indoor slide place...115 was mentioned as a possible heat index!   😰

Luke, his friend Will and Maeve

Luke and Blue Angel jet outside science center

We had BLT's for supper (thee best tomato from Bergman Orchards) and then walked downtown  to get some exercise and see who was playing on MOM (Music on Madison), the street that is always blocked off with a big stage, lots of picnic tables, adirondack chairs, cornhole games, etc. and music on several nights during the week.    The folks can bring their drinks/food out on the street and enjoy the music, dance, etc.    First off tonight was the "Brass Quintet" playing patriotic music (theme songs from the Armed Forces + John Phillips Sousa, Henry Mancini, etc.)    It was very pleasant sitting outside with some refreshing drinks from McCarthy's Irish Pub.   Another band was soon starting but we headed on home.

Apparently all the nasty weather predicted fizzled out.....

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday - July 27

 Cloudy morning and sunny afternoon.  We had another storm around 9 last night - heavy rain and strong winds.....total rainfall was 1 3/4".

Our bimini cover is ok - the wind actually undid the 2 zippers causing all the fabric to slide across the metal poles and bunch up!    Strange....even one of the cup holders popped out from the table and they are always secure?   And our "Catrina" mat is gone....it was drying out from the first storm and now probably at the bottom of the Portage River?

Mark worked on more IT stuff for our neighbor, Bob and I did a little cleaning.   We went to Rudder's for lunch (wanted to get some tuna salad to go as their's is soo good, but they were out).    Then to Kroger for some groceries and on home.

After supper, we walked downtown to mail some cards and check out who was playing at MOMS (Music on Madison Street).   We noticed a police car blocking traffic before going across the bridge???   Turns out the bridge did not close properly (one side is higher), SO.....no vehicles no pedestrians, no boats!   Yikes.....it's 8.1 miles out of the way to get across instead of 1 block.    HUGE inconvenience for so many.    Hope it doesn't take long to repair?

Wednesday - July 26

 Sunny, hot, windy Wednesday...we took off at 10 with 4 loads of laundry, stopped at R Coffee Corner first for some coffee/breakfast sandwich and zucchini muffin then to  the laundromat.    Another stop at Bergman Orchard for some fresh veggies, fruit and their delicious peach/blueberry bread!!!   On home.  

Put the laundry away and we read, played games and did computer stuff.    We kept getting alerts on our phone that we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and at 3:45, the sky got so dark and the wind really picked up.   And then....the sirens went off, so we grabbed our phones, umbrella and ran to storage.   Luckily we beat the rain but the winds were crazy.    Just got inside Big Red and whoaaa, the heavens opened up and the wind continued to howl!   Quite a gully washer that lasted about 1/2 hour.    Back to Catrina - our top bimini cover is out of sorts - hopefully not torn and just slid across the metal poles.   We'll check later when the last of the rain is outta here!

While we were hunkered down inside Big Red in the big metal storage building, we had a good chat with Connor who was getting ready to board the train back to Champaign and then drive home.   He really enjoyed visiting SIU and family time!

Annette took Philip to the St. Louis airport - back to work for him while she and the kiddos visit friends in St. Louis, then to her parents and then to Port Clinton!   

Tuesday - July 25

 The heat is on here at Cedar Point.   Mark checked in at the office to see if we could stay another 3 hours ($20) and enjoy the water park.    They have short-term parking for those folks who want to go to the park for 3 or 6 hours.   We had to move to a different spot, but no biggie.    Got Catrina moved, changed into our swimsuits and off to Cedar Park Shores.  So many people there today - we had 2 attractions we wanted to hit - the Lazy River and Breakwater Splash (big wave pool).    Fun and cooled us off....walked around a bit, back to the boat and got some take-out lunch at Famous Dave's (right beside us), ate on the boat and then a nice leisurely trip to Port Clinton (20 miles).

So, we had planned on a 4-week vacation and ended up 2 days shy of 3 weeks....Dave the dockmaster here at Superior was surprised to see us a week early!   We told him 6 harbors couldn't handle Catrina's width or it was too shallow.  😓  But  as Dorothy said "There's no place like home"!!!    Ans it was fun going to Cedar Point, too!

Only 82 here today but the humidity was high and very hazy.   Back to higher air quality index.   We got thru the 3:30 bridge, chatted with Dave, did a pumpout and finally settled in our #5 Bayfield spot just before 5.    Home Sweet Home and we are the only ones in our marina tonight!

So yesterday, Philip, Annette, Luke and Maeve drove to Carbondale, IL and last night Connor took the train from Champaign, IL to Carbondale.    Today, Philip and Annette (SIU alums) showed Connor around campus (and a trip down memory lane for them) and the surrounding area - southern IL and the Shawnee National Forest are such a beautiful part of the state.

Connor and his cousins at Bald Knob Cross in background at Alto Pass

Maeve amongst the pretty flowers in southern IL

So hot - time to put up the hair!

Luke and Maeve playing with the saluki's (dogs) on SIU campus

Mark got all our stats for this vacation and here they are...

Days of travel - 19

Engine hours - 43.3

US harbors - 5

Canadian harbors - 7

Total mileage - 598.6

Gallons of fuel - 260

Fuel cost - $1,066.00

Monday - July 24

 Another heavy downpour during the night so this morning, Catrina was very wet and buggie and....of all things, several of those bugs were mayflies!    After a nice reprieve from those little buggers, they came to say good bye on our last morning in Canada!    Ha!!!! 

We left at 8 and a good trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky (40 miles).  Did customs check in with phone app and good to go!

The Marblehead Lighthouse

The roller coasters are visible from miles away

  Yup, that's right!    We bought a season pass at the end of last year as they were offering a really good deal.    Not sure that we'll be coming here with Luke and Maeve, so decided to use the passes on our way back to Port Clinton.   We are docked at the Cedar Point Marina along with many other boats, but alot of empty slips, too.

We got diesel (Catrina was very thirsty, but prices were much better than Canada + .62 per gallon less than other nearby marinas.

Settled in, changed into some "cool" clothes and off we went - so convenient to walk across the street and tah dah...we're in the park!

We had lunch at Chickie's and Pete's, rode the gondola and the train, walked thru Breaker's (huge hotel on the grounds with the beach, 2 pools, restaurants, etc., etc.), sat in the shade and "people watched" and enjoyied the very entertaining show at the Jack Aldrich Theater - "Moe's Record Shop" - lots of oldies from Motown and talented dancers/singers.    The show only lasted 1/2 hour but very enjoyable   Then we walked back to Catrina.

The Breakers at Cedar Point

Riding the gondola

Good ole Chamberlain Bank

This is actual size (dinner plate) hibiscus like we first saw a few years ago in Phoenix, NY

 (home of the Boat Brats)!

Pretty wall of pretties

We rested a bit and then walked to Bay Harbor for dinner - wow....beautiful place overlooking the harbor and our dinners were excellent topped off with dessert!!!   We had a great server, Jon!

Tomorrow we're planning some fun at the waterpark (Cedar Shores) - so many memories of having Luke and Blair with us the past 2 years.    

We can hear all the screams from those crazies riding the many roller coasters!   No thanks!!!

  

 

    

 

 

 

Sunday - July 23

  Sunny start to the day and we had a leisurely morning - Mark made eggs and toast and we left at 11 for Colchester.  Waves were 1 footers but going right into them made for a little rocky trip, but now too bad and only an hour.    Lots and lots of grass in this marina - the young girl (dockhand) said they clean it out every morning but just comes bac?.   

We were all settled by 1, got the bikes off the boat and away we rode to The Crew Estate Winery of Colchester.   So glad we found this place when we drove here last Thursday checking out the Kingsville and Colchester marinas.    It was 8/10 away from the marina and great bike path.   What a nice place......The Crew has been around since 2003 but in new building since 2019.   We sat on the screened-in porch overlooking the vineyards.   Michelle was our waitress and explained about the different flights we chose.....we each enjoyed our choices and lunch (Mark had the summer berry salad with mixed greens, chicken, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, feta and a wonderful light dressing - I had the chicken/bacon egg rolls and we shared)!    

Rode the bikes back and saw the big crowd at the beach.   The clouds rolled in and weather was threatening, but most passed north of us.

The plan was to visit 12 small towns on the northern shores of Lake Erie - only 6 could accommodate Catrina  - Turkey Point, Port Dover, Port Colborne, Port Stanley, Erieau, Colchester and 4 nights in Leamington (3rd visit).    But we were able to see the other six (Port Maitland, Naticoke, Port Burwell, Port Bruce, Port Glasgow, Kingsville) by peeking in as we went by or by land on our trip last Thursday.

Last night around 9, it started sprinkling (that was a surprise as it had been such a nice evening) and then much heavier rain came.    Their crops and lawns are so abundantly green in these towns along the lake.  And of course, the gorgeous flowers love all that rain.  A bunch of wheat fields were also along our route last week.   And today around 4:45...the rain came again!

Docked beside and in back of us are three 40' houseboats thru Air BnB called the Vintage Grapes for a weekend getaway here in Colchester.   These luxury boats are fully furnished and with the beach, splash pad, concession stand, restaurants and many wineries nearby, a unique and different adventure from staying at a hotel or B'nB.   

This candy bar from Canada is sooo yummy.   Our niece, Megan got some for us and so "when in Canada....buy some more"!       Got the little bars in a 10-pak which is just the right size.   They are made by Cadbury and similar to a butterfinger, but softer with caramel.

Only 6 on zoom tonight but never a lack of chatter!

We are just 20 miles from the good ole USA but sure have enjoyed our time in Canada!

Saturday - July 22

 Bright 'n sunny Saturday!    After so many pleasant days in the 70's, the summertime heat is catching up with us later this week as temps climb into the 80's and then 90!

We did a pumpout this morning and then took a little spin out on the lake.   Since we started this trip almost 3 weeks ago, we've had a slow leak in the starboard bilge which has been driving Mark crazy.    He has tried cameras, mirrors, brown sugar (yes, brown sugar), and finally paper towels to see where it was coming in.    Today, using the paper towels he finally found the source (dripless seals bellows over the fiberglass), but now will go back to mechanic who worked on it 2 years ago and see how to fix - way over my head!!!    

We walked to Salsa Caliente for lunch (9/10) - very good authentic Mexican, but no margaritas or Dos Equis!  😔  It was a busy place tucked in the corner of a shopping plaza.   It's been a while since we had Mexican and this sure hit the spot!

Very good food

As we were walking thru Rick Atkin Park with a nice playground and flowers, flowers everywhere, Mark googled Rick Atkin...

Rick passed away very unexpectedly at 67 while serving on the Leamington Town Council.   He was the former town recreation director and played a significant role in the development of the marina, waterfront and park area.    He died in April, 2015 and the park was renamed in November of that year.     What a wonderful tribute!

Since St. Michael's was a good jaunt from the marina, we decided to go online with Father Jonathan back in Port Clinton for 4:30 Mass.   We've missed him and as always, he gave a wonderful homily.

We had 2 butter tarts in the fridge left from Pie Guys in Port Colborne, so warmed them up and headed to Burgess Refreshments to get some ice cream to go with - sooo good!!!

Several boats on our dock are here for the weekend from Catawba Island.    They've been having a good time with lots of food set up on the dock + beverages and reminds us of all the years we did the same at Reefpoint Marina in Racine.

A few pics from Blair and Maeve's birthday parties...

Ten candles on her cake

Blair at her gymnastics party

Blair and friends + Luke and Maeve

Maeve at Chuck E Cheese

Maeve with her family and friends and her very own decorated cookie cake 

We've sure enjoyed our stay in Leamington, but time to move on.    Colchester is just 17 miles away and will be our last Canadian port for this trip!

 

Friday - July 21

 Mark folded his bike in 1/2, loaded in rental car and off to Enterprise to return the little Mitsubishi.    Then rode his bike back to the boat.  We had pancakes and sausage and on with the day.

Mark called Colchester Marina for a spot tomorrow night, but they are full - so another day in Leamington and we'll go there Sunday.

Had a good chat with Maeve and family and talked about her big birthday party this afternoon with 16 friends!   Fun times in NC with all the birthdays and partying!

We went for a nice walk on this very pretty, refreshing day (after the deluge/storm) yesterday.    Stopped at Lakeside (a gourmet shop with breakfast/lunch, wonderful bakery, deli, wine, coffees, etc.)    We checked this out last year.....today we shared a BBQ pulled pork with melted provolone panini - excellent!   

Stopped at WalMart for a few things - no bags!    Just can't get used to checking out and then having to carry all your stuff.    We didn't know we'd be going there or could've taken a bag.   I guess the Canadians are used to that!    There was a lady with a cart full of stuff that she had scanned (only have self check-out at this Super Center.)   After she scanned each item, it went back in her cart....so then she had to take it to her car, unload everything and then same thing when she got home???    Whew!!!!

Leamington is by far the largest town (30,000+) we're visiting here in Canada with the smallest, being Turkey Point at 176.    It's funny....the little towns/villages often have a neat little coffee shop, but only thing in Leamington is Starbucks and Tim Horton's.

Some of the many blooms around Leamington...

They look like hibiscus, but in Canada?

A boatload of beauties

All along the wall at the Rick Atkin Park

The brick walkway (Promendae) separates the marina from this park and is full of blooms!

Every Friday night at the marina, there is live music under the pergola with an area for dancing, lots of tables to sit at + a big yard for those who bring their chairs.    This is obviously a very popular weekly event as they had a nice crowd (many townspeople brought their chairs and jackets).   The man and woman singers were really good and sang a variety of pop, rock 'n roll and oldies.    They sang "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond which always makes me emotional - Patrick sang that song at every show and always such a big hit with the crowd.

Ending the day with this awesome sunset over the Leamington Harbour