Saturday - July 11

 So very proud of these 2 guys who did their very first 1/2 Ironman in Muncie, IN today.  This consists of 1.2 miles of swimming; 56-mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run.    The heavy rain came 1/2 way into their run.  Anne was there to cheer them on.    Patrick's buttons would've been a'poppin!  😔

Our star athletes

Another lovely day here in Manistee and we got to 79.    A perfect summer day.    I had a good night sleeping in the main salon propped up with pillows - we did the Epley Maneuver, so.....time will tell.

I walked downtown for a latte at Outpost and hit a few shops.    Back to Catrina and we started our long but very pleasant trek on the Riverwalk.   Today we went further... all the way to the Lake Michigan entrance.  

Came back and rested for a bit and then to TJ's Pub for delicious lunch - it's in the basement of an old bank building.   We went our separate ways - Mark had some errands and I did some more browsing.

 

This neat flower garden plot is just one of several we saw along our walk - "Jane's Garden"

The Manistee Princess is docked near us and takes folks out for sunset cruises every night

Hello from Lake Michigan 

Happy Birthday to our grand daughter-in-law, Tessa who celebrates today!   She's on the water so in her "happy place"    And thankful to hear "Maverick" is doing much better.

Tessa

So many boaters passing by here at the marina all day - families, dogs, fishermen, etc. enjoying this great day.   We saw several fishing guys on our walk earlier - they had been out early on charter boats and had some very good catches....salmon and lake trout - Yum.....some good eating coming for these folks.

We walked 1/2 hour to St. Joseph of the Divine Mercy Parish.    Another very packed church and a neat priest (Father James Bearss) and choir.

We walked past an A & W Root Beer stand on our way to church - hadn't been to one of these in a long time, so after Mass, we stopped and each had a root beer float.   really hit the spot!

Forgot to mention that Mark got a haircut yesterday after we were settled at Dick's Barber Shop.    What a deal - $18.

WOW....we really got the steps today, 15,408 for me and 13,000 for Mark (browsing the shops for me made the difference!)  😀

 

Friday - July 10

 Woke up with vertigo again......UGH!!!!!!!   Not that that stuff goes away anytime soon.   I slept good but then when I try sitting up....... everything is going round and round and total chaos and just bonkers - hard to describe but NOT fun.     Got out of bed SLOWLY with Mark's help.   We took it easy and left at 9:00 for Manistee (29 miles south)..    It was a beautiful day with calm water.   No problem for me on the trip!

Another neat Michigan town with at least 3 levels....we walked up the steps and tah dah - lots of shops in old buildings, restaurants, ice cream, bakery, etc.    We went into Outpost - very nice men and women's clothing AND coffee!   I had an iced latte and we kept on walking on the very nice Riverwalk.   Manistee did it up really good with this awesome path for pedestrians only - no bikes!

We tried one of the at-home methods for vertigo, but it was not good!    Gotta keep my head elevated - no lying down!!!    Unfortunately the urgent care  in town is closed till Monday.

Very nice boater's lounge

Thursday - July 9

 When I got up this morning.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,whooaaa....some serious vertigo going on.     Back in 2010 when we were hit by the car in St. Pete, FL, I had this in the hospital - scary and just plain AWFUL.    I think maybe 2 other times since I've had it.    When we were in Bloomington back in '10, I went to the Balance Clinic and they showed Mark what to do and how to do it if this should happen again (Epley maneuver) - crystals or "rocks" in my head get out of sync causing the severe dizziness.    I remember many years ago my Mom having this - felt so bad for her and not understanding what it's like till I had it.

So, could not believe where this came from out of the blue today.    It doesn't last long, but everything is moving and tilting and swaying and I'm perfectly still.    

Mark went to Perks and Petals for coffee and I just took it easy but feel fine!    Later we walked downtown and browsed in the bookstore - named "The Bookstore".   

We walked in some of the residential areas - love all the older homes meticulously kept up with beautiful landscaping (lots of flowers and flags), porches, swings, rocking chairs, wicker furniture - sooo charming and All-American.    It seems red geraniums are the most popular flower and they are everywhere!

Almost back to Catrina when it started drizzling - we had rain overnight but thought it was done (had been predicted for all morning).    Then the fog rolled in - weird - could hardly see the boats out on the lake.    Finally cleared around 1:30 so we were off on the bikes and did 12.3 miles today.    We went as far as the trail was paved and then it was aggregate (pea gravel) - no thanks!   By this time we were ready to turn around.

The sun came out around 3:15 but only 72 for a high.    

We had a late lunch and took it easy until another walk - such a pretty evening after a gloomy most of the day.

Geraniums

Daisies

Petunias

Wednesday - July 8

 Warm 'n sunny to start the day with a high of 74.    I walked downtown to "Perks & Petals" - cute coffee shop that also sells plants (may have been a florist in the past)?   I got my latte and then walked to Crescent Bakery - oh my..........2 BIG weaknesses for me - coffee shops and bakeries,   Got some goodies and on back to Catrina.    Enjoyed our apple fritter and cinnamon roll.   I sorted the laundry and Mark worked on some boat stats.

The marina here does not have laundry facilities but the Frankfort Laundromat is close by, so we took our little wagon and 3 loads with us.    Got that job done and put away.

FYI......the USPS is raising the cost of 1st class stamps from .78 to .82 effective Monday, July 13, 2026.    

We had some cards and a package to mail - the post office is just across the street, so.....we stocked up on stamps (even got a bunch for Christmas!)

The Betsie Valley Trail is 22 miles long and runs right past our marina....it is nicely paved and much of it is shady.    We rode 8 miles today - nice start as it's been months since we've ridden together.    We rode around Betsie Lake, passed the Betsie River and nearby Elberta (my Mom was Alberta).    This tiny village of 329 people was called South Frankfort back in the 1800s but in 1911, changed to Elberta after the popular peach.

Here's what Mark came up with the # of times we've crossed each of the Great Lakes:

Lake Michigan - 25

Lake Erie - 12

Lake Huron  and Lake Ontario - 7 

Superior - 0

And Catrina now has 24,340 miles!

On our bike route, we came across a food truck area but kept on riding - went back later (on foot) to check it out - "Menus on Main" .    Six food trucks (5 are food and 1 beverage).   We kept on walking downtown and stopped at the Old Town Grill and Tap - we shared an order of Bang Bang shrimp and a wedge salad.    And then walked to the end of Main Street and the water.....and back to the marina where it was just starting to sprinkle.    We are to have rain overnight  thru tomorrow at 1:00.

Tuesday - July 7

 Happiness is cruising on a perfectly flat Lake Michigan and arriving in charming little Frankfort less than 5 hours later.

We left Menominee at 5:42 (my early-bird hubby had been up and was ready....), so....we cruised on Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay and went thru the 7:00 AM bridge.    Another clear, sunny day.    We cruised 80.9 miles

We are at the Frankfort Municipal Marina for 3 nights.   This is on Lake Betsie in Benzie County and after doing all our hook-ups and checking into the office, we walked to town - just a short jaunt.   Frankfort has a population of 1200 but what a popular summertime place with so many cute shops along Main Street including restaurants, coffee, ice cream, nail/hair salon, etc.    There's a bike/walking path just in front of the marina - we'll check that out sometime soon.   Several choices for lunch- we chose the Stormcloud Brewing Co and it was a big hit!    Mark had the pulled pork and I had the Michigan cherry chicken salad - both delish!   They were both served on warm Naan bread.   We decided we would be back again to this place.

Lake Michigan - smooth as glass

Betsie Lighthouse 

Mark took our leftovers back to Catrina, I did some browsing and then we both took naps - all that fresh air and yummy lunch made us sleepy. 😀

I got a manicure with Melissa late afternoon.    Posh is a busy full-service salon

We went for a walk and decided ice cream from Scoop would be our supper - Mark had Rocky Road and I had Cherries Moo-bilee - excellent!

17 years ago today my Mom passed away - Mark and I were on Daisy in Denali National Park.   We remember that day so well and making arrangements to get back to IL.    You are so missed and loved, Mom.

Sorry to hear our grand dog, Maverick (Drew and Tessa's Australian Shepherd) has pancreatitis.    Wishing him a speedy recovery.