Saturday - July 12

 It started raining at 4:30 AM - nice and gentle that lasted 1 hour.   We were not expecting this - forecast said later this afternoon/evening.    So, when we got up, it was hazy which turned into fog.   UGH....we left at 9:15 (fog wasn't bad at this point.)   We cruised a total  of 43.9 miles and were in and out of fog,   Collins Inlet is a beautiful 10-mile route taking us past tall granite and trees and some narrow passageways.    Before we got to this area, we stopped to anchor at Beaver's Stone Bay (beginning of Collins Inlet) for 45 minutes to hopefully, let the fog go away.    And it did clear up.   Pics from Collins Inlet

Entering Killarney in the fog

The last 4 miles after leaving Collins Inlet, the fog rolled back in and we were surrounded by thick pea soup!   Arghhhh.   But at 1:00 we arrived in Killarney, our destination and a charming little town that we last visited in 2011.   We got diesel and then 3 dockhands helped us dock Catrina.   There was a severe thunderstorm watch for the area so we were happy to be here and tied up nice and secure.

After settling in, we went for a walk....St. Bonaventure Catholic Church is just up the road but only has 1 Sunday Mass at 1:30 PM, so that will not work for tomorrow as we have to check out at 11.   The doors were open so at least we could go in and say a prayer.

St. Bonaventure

We had lunch at Herbert Fisheries = great fish and chips (years ago - from 1981-2014, there was a big red and white bus that folks went up to the window to get their fish 'n chips)  What an icon.   But in 2014, a new building went up for the restaurant and that was the end of the red and white bus.

Mark went to LCBO for some wine and I stopped at Pitfield General Store for milk.   Back to Catrina and waited for the storm that was predicted with heavy rain and high winds.    We did get a real downpour, but didn't last too long.   

It's been fun texting with friends Paul and Kathy from TX who spent many summers on Drummond Island with frequent visits to Killarney.   Been comparing notes as they were last here in 2019.

After the rain we went for a walk to check out the Killarney Mountain Lodge - BEAUTIFUL and huge with several cabins, 2 dining facilities, etc.   We found the path for the Lighthouse which Kathy and Paul have hiked to.   We started out but after the rain, it was  very wet, muddy and buggie.    We walked part way but still had 1.8 miles to go, so that was enough,

World's largest paddle

Killarney Mountain Lodge

Main entrance to the lodge

We walked to the Gateway for ice cream and then back to Catrina's bridge to enjoy this beautiful evening  - lots of US boats here (FL, WI, MI, OH, are a few we saw.)   And this float plane came in very close. 

Came flying right behind Catrina

Friday - July 11

 Woke up to a beautiful calm morning on Victoria Harbour.    James and Jackie came down to the dock to see us off - we sure enjoyed our visit, their hospitality and friendship.

Bye bye James, Jackie and "Cheemaun"

And then we were off at 8:50.    The water was like glass so my Captain just kept on and we did 108 miles thru a lot of open water but also very up close and personal to rocks, rocks, so many rocks!  The depths are 50'+ and then wow....rocks so close by!   Crazy!

Strange looking house built on rocks on an island (Catrina's bimini bar is across picture)

We arrived at 3:30 in Bustard's Bay - our anchorage for the night.  Lots of pretty pine trees and rocks, of course!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

to Tessa (our future granddaughter-to-be)

Drew, Maverick, Birthday Girl

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Thursday - July 10

 Oh what a fun day this was!   We started with a trip to "No Frills" with our wagon to buy some groceries.    Got them put away on Catrina and then went for a short bike ride - the trails here in Midland are thee best!!!    Walked downtown for some lunch and decided to try Dillon's Coffeehouse which is in same building as Dillon's pizza where we ate last night.   This is a very quaint place that Ricky opened just 9 weeks ago (he also owns the pizza place).    He and Bree run the coffee shop and he also helps out with pizza.    Ricky was delightful and so fun to visit with - he explained all about Montreal bagels (there are ONLY TWO kinds of bagels - Montreal and New York).   So we ordered iced coffees and shared an egg salad sandwich on a Montreal bagel.   Delicious.   We sat outside and glad to see lots of customers - he said business has been very good since they opened.   Pizza place has been there for several years.

Dillon's

Back to Catrina and time to move on but sure enjoyed our stay in Midland.    We cruised 8 miles to Victoria Harbour where James and Jackie Power live.    Back in 1995 when we bought sail Catrina (made in Whitby) it was delivered to Midland  and that's when we met James who was working for PDQ (brand of Catrina).   Through the years he has worked on Catrina (sail and power) or given advice, etc.   He is the guru of PDQ yachts and travels to the states (spending winters in FL some times).   Jackie is also very knowledgeable about the mechanics!    James was working on Catrina in 2010 in St. Pete, FL and recommended we have dinner at "The Jockey and the Horse".   And then on our way back to the boat, we got hit by the car, etc., etc......

So, we arrived at Victoria Harbour and able to dock Catrina beside their sailing yacht, hook up our power, etc.    So fun to visit and catch up - James graciously offered to check out Catrina and suggest anything that might need attention, etc.    Just a few minor issues, but overall, said she's in great shape for 21 years old!

We all had a delightful afternoon visiting and they offered their washer/dryer and we did 2 loads.   Their home is lovely and their 51' long and 26' wide trimaran that James and his Dad built in the 80's - wow!    Very impressive and they've been so many interesting places.   Their boat name is "Cheemaun" (little canoe) and "Chi-Cheemaun" (big canoe) is the name of the big car ferry in Parry Sound.

We went to the Queen Quay British Pub for dinner - sat outside on this beautiful evening - great food and so fun.   A very popular spot!

Catrina and Cheemaun

Their home

James and Jackie

The 4 of us

Wednesday - July 9

 Warm Wednesday....Mark checked oil in the engines and generator and I did a bit of housekeeping.   I walked to "Grounded" for a coffee fix.   

Darn...darn...darn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    The Mayflies have arrived here in Midland!!!    And in July no less!   Crazy.    We first noticed them last night at The Boathouse;  Catrina had a bunch later last night but this morning they were gone?    There are still a few here and there (they love the light)!    A very large ADM facility is located near the marina and part of the pretty mural we saw coming in yesterday.

ADM Midland Milling Co. (they make flour)

Our niece Katy is a CPA at the ADM in Decatur, IL

At 10, we got the bikes off the boat and headed to the Simcoe Trail (Midland Town Trail) - wow....it was wonderful with wide, paved path along the water and past spectacular huge homes with flowers, flowers everywhere.   Hard to take pics when riding a bike, but did stop for this!    Great ride....

Just one of many many homes overlooking the water

As we travel around to different marinas, it's unique how which one has something special or a nice feature we boaters really appreciate........the electrical pedestals are usually nasty with bugs, spider webs, etc., but here in Midland, a girl goes around with a broom and they are immaculate!    South Bay Cove (SBC) had the nicest, cleanest restrooms (Canadians call them "washrooms").    So far, the nicest shipstore was South Bay Cove or Algonac, MI.   

I walked downtown to check out the shops - some very nice home decor/gift stores, a cute hot dog place called "Let Me Be Frank", the grocery store is called "No Frills", and an upscale shop of furniture/gifts was  called "Saturday Afternoon" (we remember when "Tuesday Morning" was a popular store)!  😅  Elegant Gourmet has coffee, ice cream and all kinds of homemade chocolates, candies, fudge AND....butter tarts which is what I wanted.    They had a nice selection all made right there instore.    We first learned about these yummy decadent goodies many years ago while boating up here in Canada and our friend, John Bair told us about them.   So, when in Canada.this is a must.   I had a nice chat with the owner who said they are strictly an "Ontario" thing and Midland hosts a "Butter Tart" festival the 2nd Saturday in June where butter tarts are prepared sooo many different ways - it's a one-day event and the festival brings in over 200,000 visitors and thousands of butter tarts are enjoyed!

Very yummy butter tarts

Beautiful blooms in Midland

Saw a lot of these on our bike ride

Back to Catrina.   Mark had taken his bike and went to the bank.   

We went for an early dinner at Dillon's for wood-fired pizza and wine!    Cute little place on King Street - the main drag of Midland.  Thought we were going to get some rain, but passed south of us.   Another nice evening.

So sorry to hear that 2 of our residents at Cypress Trail passed away recently.   RIP Lenny and Kenny.

Correction from last night's sculpture which I misidentified as a flying goose,  Silly me.  It's a... 

Trumpeter Swan

Tuesday - July 8

 We decided Catrina needed a good scrubbing, so.... got that job done before we left the dock to get fuel and a pump out at South Bay Cove.

And then we were on our way and cruised 13.4 miles to Midland where we were in 2007 and 2011.    We remember in 2007, having 3 sets of visitors starting with....

Annette and Philip - July 6

Drew and Davis - August 3

 

Friends, Kathy and Paul - August 5

Along the way we saw...

A very pretty place

An abandoned home on a rock

Very colorful catamaran (Katinsky) 

And this mural painted at the entrance to our marina

We arrived at the Town Docks at 12:30, and what a nice surprise to see "Grounded Coffee Co." very close by!   We got the electric set up, filled the water tank as they do not have water at each slip and then set off for the coffee shop.   Neat place with lots of yummy cookies/pastries which we enjoyed with our iced coffees.   I walked up King Street to the "Midland Queen Nail and Spa" - I made an appointment yesterday for 2:00.    Mark went back to Catrina, and rode his bike to WalMart (2 miles).    What a great experience for a mani/pedi.    This place is owned by a Mom, her 2 daughters, and son-in-law.    They all live in Barrie (45 minutes away) and opened this salon in February.   It was sooo clean and friendly!   I had Jean and sure enjoyed the pampering.

Mark met me afterwards and we walked to the ice cream shop near the marina (Dockside Sweets and Treats).   And then to Catrina where we took it EZ till time to eat...........the Boathouse Eatery is a very popular eatery here at the Town Docks.     They have a huge outside seating area with live music by the water - Mark had pulled pork tacos and I had nachos.   All good!

It was such a lovely evening - 71 and lots of people out and about strolling, eating ice cream, and checking out all the boats.   People are amazed to see we're from Fort Myers, so then we tell them our story (short version - Port Clinton, OH on Lake Erie is our summer home; Fort Myers is our winter home in an Airstream).   We enjoyed the music coming from the Boathouse Eatery sitting on Catrina's bridge.

Coffee

Goose in flight

metal sculpture

Ice cream

 

Monday - July 7

 My Mother passed away sixteen years ago today - wow.....that's a long time, but remember so clearly getting the phone call from my Dad when we were in Denali (McKinley) National Park, Alaska.    Mom would've been so proud of her grands and greats. And how she would've loved and enjoyed the 3 littles (Luke, Blair and Maeve).

We had rain overnight along with thunder and lightning.   This morning it was dreary and cool (60ish) when we left our anchorage at 10:30 and arrived at South Bay Cove Marina 1 hour later cruising 5.5 miles past lots of  small cottages and some biggie homes.

Built on a rock on an island

2 nice young ladies helped us tie up and offered to take any garbage we had and asked if we needed ice as the 1st bag is complimentary.    We remember from being here in 2011, that they delivered the newspaper to our boat and gave us free ice.   So, they took our garbage, brought us a bag of ice and admired Catrina (had never seen a boat like that)!!!

Mark and I were walking up to the office to check in, when 3 dockhands stopped to ask us if we were the transient Catamaran?   "Yes"..............well, the owners of where they had put us were coming back in and we had to move...........arghhhh, but with plenty of help (3 more young male dockhands arrived) and with my very able Captain, we were in our new slip, just a few boats away on the wall and all settled!    The guys were very enamored with Catrina, too.    This marina is huge and lots of BIG boats here.

We checked in for a 1-night stay, made a reservation at the restaurant for 6 and had a quiet afternoon on Catrina.    No sun today!   I read and took a nap; Mark worked on his engine-room cameras hooking them to a different network.

I walked around the marina and then Mark met up with me.    We met Chris on a beautiful 47' Sea Ray that is 16 years old but looks brand new.....he and Melissa were anchored out near us last night on Frying Pan Bay  and then came in today (but we were in their slip)!    So, we moved for them!    Ha.....small world, but had a nice visit.   He and Melissa work from their boat taking long weekends - they have Starlink, so have internet wherever they go.

View of South Bay Cove

We walked to the marina restaurant "Fin 'n Chips" - we were here in 2007 and 2011 but different decor and name of restaurant.    Had a great meal (Mark had halibut and Greek saIad and I  had the steak poutine).   Poutine is a classic Canadian dish of French fries, cheese curds and gravy + steak for me)..    Deeeelicious!

Cholesterol city....but oh, so good!!!    And we have leftovers!

Sunday - July 6

 We both had a great night's sleep - always so peaceful, calm and quiet when anchoring!    We had planned to stay another day but since the rain was holding off till tonight decided to check out another anchorage (Frying Pan Bay) - yesterday we were on Frying Pan Island where Henry's is.    This is about 30 miles further.   Mark says we've been here 2x before.   His memory is amazing - of course, he has his log of where we stay, but he's just a whiz at this logistic stuff!

My Captain

This type of boat is used to carry supplies and food, etc. to the island homes.

We got here at 10:30 and he fixed eggs/sausage/toast.   That hit the spot and then a lazy Sunday just reading our books, taking naps, etc.   Around 4:30, decided to take the dinghy to shore and do a little hike.   We went to Fairy Lake - not too far but didn't make the full circle as some of those granite rocks looked a bit steep and I'm a little leery after my nasty fall.   

Fairy Lake

But it felt good to stretch our legs and then back to Catrina - we were sticky and sweaty and there were a lot of bugs in the forest.   So.....we put on our swimsuits and took a few quick dunks in the very refreshing (80 degree) clear water.    Ahhhh....felt good!  

Catrina at anchor

We had our leftover fish 'n chips from Henry's for supper!   Yum!  

 We watched Mass with Father Jonathan in Port Clinton.    Today he baptized Cillian Joseph Burlingame - Cillian is 7 years old and his father passed away very unexpectedly at age 43 in April, 2024 at McGruder Hospital in Port Clinton.    Cillian also received his First Communion.

Zoom tonight with 8 siblings - talked about 4th of July plans, health issues (always), Jim and Lydia are in Destin with their family and some of their grandchildren said "hi".

Have an awesome week and prayers ongoing for the Texas flood victims, those still missing, their families and all the people involved in the recovery efforts.   

Saturday - July 5

 Movin' on today but first, I walked to Northern Perk for some coffee and a muffin to share.    Not sure when I'll be near a coffee shop again.   We left our slip at 9:30 and did a pump out - Juliette helped.   She's one of the dockhands who helped us tie up when we came in on Thursday.   So sweet and pretty.

The Pearl Mist came in overnight to Parry Sound - one of 14 stops here this summer

Parry sound is 150 miles north of  Toronto.   The population of year-round residents is close to 7,000, but there are 19,000 summer residents + 80,000 tourists making it close to 100,000.    Amazingly, it is not a real touristy town like Tobermory.    But as Doug from Florida who we met yesterday said "We would really like to have a cottage up here but most are going for over $1m and not that big!"

At 10:30 we left to be near the Parry Sound swing bridge for it's 11:00 opening.   It opens every 2 hours.    Lots of boats on the water this Saturday - jet skies, pontoons, pleasure boats, go fast (TUFF) boats, and float planes.

So so many rocks up close and personal

Saw several yellow Adirondack chairs today

One little island

Narrow passage as skies darken before the rain

The weather started out sunny and no rain in the forecast, but.....we had a very heavy downpour along the way.    Fortunately, it didn't last too long, but just enough to be messy and wet.    And then, blue skies and very nice rest of the day with a high of 78.

We stopped at Henry's for lunch - this landmark on Frying Pan Island has been around forever and as popular as ever with a huge crowd (we've never been on a Saturday).    We were first here in 1995 after picking up brand new Sail Catrina in Midland with Philip and our friend Gary.    They've expanded to a large indoor and outdoor seating area and also bigger drink/food menu.   They are famous for their whitefish and pickerel.   Mark had the whitefish (our favorite) and I had pickerel (walleye).   Then to our anchorage in Ladas Bay (Archipelago, ON).     All settled in for the night and just one other boat here. 

  Okay....another crazy coincidence.............on this date (July 5) in 2011, we ate at Henry's and anchored in Ladas Bay!     Mark thinks today marked our 4th visit to this very popular place on Frying Pan Island.

A real landmark

We cruised a total of 20.8 miles today meandering thru narrow channels, dodging rocks, etc.   Such a beautiful place.

So very heartbreaking reading about the precious little girls and others who lost their lives or still missing in the Texas camp flooding.....just unimaginable and devastating.