Hello from Gaylord, MI. No blog update tonight. I will catch up on Thursday when we return to Muskegon.
Monday - July 20
MAEVE is TEN
10 10 10 10 10
Happy Birthday, Maeve
Sweet Maeve hit the double digits today - our little moppet and the baby of the family is not a baby anymore. She's a crafty one who keeps busy with friends, doing her girlie activities, loves mani-pedis's, all things "pink", her cat, Carlos and will soon be a big 5th grader. Wish we weren't so far away to do some fun Grandma/Maeve stuff.
Not only are we thinking of Maeve today, it's also the birthday of Mark's sister, Karen (Auntie), my good friend Allie and our neighbor for many years, Angie (who died in 2009).
After I got up and my head was more stable, we did the exercises (Mark is THEE best once again as my nurse, caregiver and exercise driller) and then off to another coffee shop (there are 11 in Muskegon)!!!
Today we went to Aldea - nice decor in a new building but made to look old with brick walls, tin ceiling, etc. But disappointed that they only had blueberry muffins and cookies for food; the muffin was very good, but no microwave to warm up! We remember only one other place (Crafted in Bloomington) that does not have a microwave and Mark and I can't figure out what it would take to add a small microwave to heat up the food and make their customers "happy"! It's the little things.....
Then we drove all around Muskegon checking out various things including our friends Leon and Helen's home. We were there a few times several years ago - it is now on the market. Helen passed away November 5, 2024 and Leon is in ICU very ill. Yesterday, Mark had a long chat with their boys (Ian and Andy). We have so many happy memories of boating times with them....
Leon and Helen graduated from Catholic Central here in Muskegon - we have Central Catholic in Bloomington.
Back to Catrina at 11:45 - lunch and then our obligatory naps. 😀
It's really hazy again today but can't smell the smoke.
Tonight our friend from CT who was born and raised in Muskegon picked us up at the marina and took us on a very enjoyable tour of her hometown of which she's so proud. We had dinner at BoDocks - great food and nice place on Muskegon Lake. Then we drove around some more, into North Muskegon where she lives and back home! FUN outing!
I play euchre and canasta with Linda.
Mark, Linda, Pat
Did facetime with the birthday girl when we got home.
Mark and I are taking a little road trip tomorrow and visit some of our favorite Lake Michigan ports we haven't been to in many years. He's getting antsy to go somewhere + get me off the boat! 😉
Sunday - July 19
BLAIR is a TEENAGER!
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Happy 13th
How did 13 years pass so quickly? July 19, 2013 was a very memorable day with the birth of Blair Bliss Chamberlain, our first granddaughter after 6 grandsons! She's a happy, carefree, smart, funny, and very active young lady who loves to dance, act, cheer, do her gymnastics, be crafty with her friends and good friend to all. She's a joy to be around.
We went to 10:00 Mass at St. Mary's - wow, sooo many people and presided over by Father David Sacha. Some unique things we had not seen in a very long time - like many years ago, Father had his back to the congregation during Mass instead of facing forward. Also several part of the Mass were sung in Latin. He baptized "Patrick" during Mass.
Went to The Coffee Factory, - now we've been in some funky coffee shops (2 recently - Washington Island and Sturgeon Bay) but today here in Muskegon gets the prize. Very eclectic with unique stuff here, there and everywhere including lots of vintage clothing. The important stuff - coffee and cheese Danish were right on!!!
Yesterday when we were at the Exchange Coffee Bar, we laughed when we saw this sign
Obviously for tips, but with the way I've been feeling, it was very appropriate!
On home....some smokey haze today and an alert was issued for the entire state of Michigan.
We took naps (we LOVE our little cat naps, power naps, whatever you want to call them!)
Connor's performance went well last night. Along with Nate and Drew, they now have the name "The Verdict" - how appropriate after Patrick's band was "Jury's Out"!
Our long-time friends (since the 80s thru the Mid Illini Power Squadron) picked us up for dinner. Ron and Pat have lived in Muskegon for many years and we've caught up with them a few times over the years when they wintered in Florida. What fun we had catching up - dinner at the Handsome Hobo was great and we never stopped yakking!
Ron will be 88 next week and Pat will be 89 in a few months
They are truly remarkable and such an inspiration
Family zoom tonight but missed some off the conversation cause we were
chatting with Blair.
Saturday - July 18
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE
Brooke and Millie
Another family birthday (3rd so far in July with 2 more coming) - today it's all about Brooke, our dear daughter-in-law (wife to Michael and Mom to Drew, Davis, Brady and Blair). So thankful to have her in the family for almost 28 years!!! She's a Keeper!
Tah dah...clear skies today and no smoke smell. It's very windy though.
Mornings continue to be weird for me....wake up and always fearful for how it's gonna be getting out of bed and on with the day. Head just seems to be discombobulated but with Mark's help, I'm up and going. I cannot imagine having this "vestibular dysfunction" and being by myself...............no way!!!!!!!
We drove around the Lakeside area where the 11th Annual Fresh Coast Fitness Festival is going on in Marquette Park today and tomorrow- packed place at 8 AM and involves weight lifting and other competitions finding the fittest and freshest individuals and teams in the Midwest.
Kept on driving and downtown Muskegon is host to Rebel Road, Muskegon's Biker Rally, a 4-day event drawing 100,000 visitors and 70,000 bikes. Downtown had several streets blocked off with many food trucks, vendors and porta potties!!!
We found the Exchange Coffee Bar and enjoyed our coffee and white chocolate cherry scone (me) and breakfast sandwich (Mark) sitting outside. Back to the car and Mark wanted to check out West Marine as he had a gift card from Father's Day. Several of these stores are closing including this one but he found several things marked down and they had a good-size inventory.
Then we drove south 20 minutes to Grand Haven, a very nice town that was busy busy this Saturday - the downtown was bustling with families, dogs and people everywhere enjoying the nice day. We were last here June 8-9, 2006 and remember refurbished old buildings converted into shops, condos, etc. Downtown is really neat with so many shops, restaurants, etc. We walked and walked along the waterfront with so many boats and today was the big Rock the Coast Poker Run attracting dozens of cigarette (go-fast boats) from all over (we saw one from Las Vegas).
Got some ice cream at Temptations and then stopped at the West Marine in Grand Haven and Mark did a little more shopping. Back to Muskegon and Catrina. I did some of my vestibular exercises and then nap time.
Another wedding on the pier today - smaller with just 3 bridesmaids in green - yesterday had the smoke, today, the strong wind.
We had an early dinner at the Muskegon Brewing Co. which is here at the marina - Mark had the beet salad with smoked pork and I had the walleye tacos - all delish! Walked around the marina but so crazy windy! Around 5ish we noticed the haze moving in over the water and the smell of smoke - more alerts on our phones. UGH!
Tonight Connor and friends made their musical debut at the "Make Music Normal" festival in Uptown Normal. Wish we could've been there and so glad the show went on after some heavy rain!
Connor, Nate and Drew
Friday - July 17
Smokey skies and smell were maybe a bit worse this morning when we got up? Mark fixed scrambled eggs, ham and bagels for a nice hearty breakfast.
Yesterday Mark noticed a bunch of people out on the pier (not that far from us). They were having a wedding rehearsal. Today all the white chairs and other wedding decor were set up - oh my.......not a good day for an outdoor wedding and the guests having to breathe that smoke. On a beautiful sunny day, what a great view overlooking Muskegon Lake but not today😞
Ron picked Mark up at 10:15 and took him to Enterprise to get our rental car for a week (charcoal Buick Envista with just 5,000 miles and NJ plates). Then he stopped at Meijer's to see if they had any masks - apparently ours are on Flo! A nice lady was just unwrapping a package and gave him 6 masks - now that's service - hurray for Meijer's.
Late morning we went to Biggby's for coffee - my 1st in a week!!!! (Maybe that's the problem with my head???) Then to Meijer's for groceries and back to the marina - got a dock cart/wagon and wheeled our stuff to Catrina. Put groceries away and took it easy rest of the day.
Biggby's and Meijer's both originated in Michigan.
The wedding took place here at the marina at 4 with lots of guests (no one wore a mask). 8 bridesmaids in pretty green dresses, 2 flower girls, 2 ring bearers, etc. The sun came out but kinda pale. Later the reception was held here in the event center at Adelaide Point.
Mark found a video on YouTube about after vertigo and BPPV, what to do when still having the dizziness and just out of sorts - wow, along with exercises from Dr. Freeman, these are so right on with what's going on with me. This Dr. Matthew from Canada really explained and demonstrated it all very well. Even after the crystals are back in place, the brain needs to be retrained and these vestibular exercises have all had great results.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday - July 16
Dr. Olga Freeman, my primary in Fort Myers is my SAVIOR for recommending I stop taking the Meclizine. I feel sooo much better today - not 100% but nothing like yesterday - that stuff gave me such a weird feeling + the dizziness and wooziness.
So........my Captain decided we would take off and he would take care of everything - I had orders to just sit. At 8:12, we were leaving Manistee (got to know this town really well). BIG problem today was the very poor visibility (3/4 mile) and awful smoke smell. Mark drove from down below and we kept the door and windows shut. Radar was big help as there was a fishing tournament going on outside Ludington, so lots of boats - can't believe there were so many other crazies out there. But the lake was nice and calm with winds from the north (and that's why the smokey haze is so bad blowing from Canada).
We were settled in our slip at the Adelaide Pointe Marina off Muskegon Lake by 2. Walked up to the dockmaster and ship's store to check in - not going outdoors anymore today.
After lunch we each took a nap and so happy to be here, feeling better and out of the nasty weather conditions!!!!!!
Yesterday Maeve and Graham met for the first time!
60 years ago today (7/16/66), my cousin Billy (16) and a friend were killed in a horrible moped accident south of Sublette, IL (my hometown). I will never forget that very tragic day and the sad days that followed. Billy was my Aunt Marian's son. I had just graduated from high school that spring.
Our friends from Port Clinton (boat sister, Chris and Michael) had planned to spend today thru Sunday here in Muskegon. We were so looking forward to some fun times, BUT with my head issues, they canceled and probably a good thing especially with all this smoke.
We are renting a car tomorrow for a week - Ron is picking Mark up in the morning, so will be good to be out and about (well.....depending on the smoke)! Latest update for air quality here is "very unhealthy". So glad we got here ok and Ron and Pat did not have to make the trip to Manistee.
2 of my faithful blog readers commented after last night's blog they knew things were bad when I didn't feel like going out to eat!!! 😔
Wednesday - July 15
This is the 7th day of my head nightmare and I so want it fixed. Woke up feeling good until I'm ready to get out of bed and then oh my............not so much the vertigo but really bad dizziness and sick feeling. Been in touch with the Meijer pharmacist who suggested I take 1/2 the dosage of Meclizine. The mornings are definitely worse and gets better as the day goes on, but never great. I'm very dependent on Mark to hold onto....
We have a bench just outside Catrina on the dock - have sat there frequently - just a change of scenery and off the boat. Walks feel good, too but still dizzy off and on and never without Mark (my ROCK).
Kay, the medical assistant in Fort Myers called and said Dr. Freeman suggests I try the Vestibular exercises. Mark printed off those instructions and ready to give anything and everything a try.
There's no rental cars or taxi service or Uber in Manistee....but very thankful we had Kevin.
We've gotten several alerts on our phones about the poor air quality in our area from the Canadian wildfires.....the sunny start to the day turned into a very hazy day and there is a smell of smoke.
We are hoping to move on to Muskegon tomorrow - Mark called our friend Leon to see if he would be available along with a friend. I could ride back in the car and Mark and whoever could bring the boat. Well, unfortunately, Leon has been in the hospital for 2 weeks after a nasty fall, So sorry to hear this,
Then we called friends Ron and Pat - they could drive up here in the afternoon and I would ride back with Pat; Ron and Mark would come on the boat. We'll see what tomorrow brings...
Kay called again at 4:30 and said Dr. Freeman wants me to stop taking the Meclizine as she feels it doesn't help. So.....................that's what I'm gonna do!
Mark and I had wanted to take Kevin and Heather to dinner (thank you for taking us to the ER and Meijer)) and talk about our "Loop" travels. Tonight was the night at The Golden Stag downtown. But I just wasn't up to it....if I'm propped up with pillows, not bad but any other movement.....arghhhh. Been sleeping a lot, too.
Heather and Kevin
Mark had a great dinner (they said "no" to him buying dinner but he did get their drinks) and visit and I'm so sorry I missed it all.
One thing they mention is to keep the eyes focused so reading, games, puzzles, etc. seems to work - to an extent. And glad I can keep the blog going.
Tuesday - July 14
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNOR
Connor and birthday dessert at Biaggi's
Connor is 20 today - we remember (7/14/06) so well and also got a new car that day - Honda CRV. So proud of this young man and all he's accomplished. He just completed the 1/2 Ironman, loves his music (guitar), has excelled in school and will be attending the University of Illinois majoring in engineering. And working at Lowe's this summer.
Slept well last night but felt woozy much of the day and blah. Mark walked with me, we talked to a nurse about whether I should continue with the Meclizine and his thoughts on my head!!! The nurse was in Traverse City - not much help. Later we went downtown and I had a few bites of an apple/cinnamon muffin at Trophies. Then another nap. It is a beautiful day.
We had some excitement here at the marina today.....2 things. First there was a major boo boo or disaster at the fuel dock as 3 boats had to be pumped out - diesel got into the gas tank and gas into the diesel. NOT good.....guys have been here working all day. Sure makes for a mess when traveling (this problem has gone on since last week but today was the earliest the "Blarney Castle Oil Co. could get here.)
Then a HUGE freighter (The Calumet) came down the river - it was probably hauling salt as there is a big salt mine on Manistee Lake where it was headed. This sure brought out the townsfolk. Freighters come thru about every 2 weeks and have either salt, iron ore or lumber. Kevin (our good Samaritan friend from yesterday) sent Mark a text that it was coming (not that we would've missed it....ha!) Kevin and his wife Heather came to watch it pass (SLOWLY) by.
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Here comes the Calumet
630' long; 68' wide
Kevin took this pic - you can barely see "little" Catrina down below
Had a good chat with Connor. He and 2 friends are playing at "Make Music Normal" event Saturday evening - this 2-day event is for promoting local artists. Wish we could be there to enjoy his talent.
Mark went to The Outsider and brought back supper - smashburger for me and gourmet "Whammy hot dog" for him Both were delish!
At the suggestion of the nurse this morning, I called my primary Dr. Freeman in Fort Myers and left a message with Kay, medical assistant. She called late afternoon - keep on with the meclizine and some side effects may happen but takes time, so.....
Monday - July 13
We decided to try and get to Ludington today (26 miles south), but with SW winds, not sure - on a good day, could be rough let alone dealing with vertigo. Well, it was not pleasant so we turned around and came back into the municipal marina.
Mark had looked into "urgent care", "prompt care", or "walk-in clinic" which was listed for the hospital here in Manistee.(3.5 miles away) Thru the "Looper" association, some towns have "harbor hosts" to assist those doing the Loop with whatever they may need. There was one listed for Manistee, so Mark called Kevin and he came and took us to the "walk-in clinic" which does not exist. Arghhhh - I had to go thru the ER for Munson Healthcare - several buildings on campus but no "walk-in" place even though Google and their website gives a specific address.
Mark and Kevin talked "boats"and he and his wife plan to do the Loop in the future. Long story short and 1.5 hours later, I had a Rx for Meclizine and a print out for the Epley maneuver. Dr. Stull diagnosed me with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo).
Kevin came back to get us, we stopped at Meijer for the Rx and on back to the marina with big thanks to Kevin. I was feeling pretty good so we walked downtown to TJ's Pub (great lunch again). Then back for naps and a quiet afternoon. Meclizine makes me drowsy.
Mark did the Epley maneuver late afternoon but boy, my head was spinning every which way - vertigo is soooo awful. I've never been in a clothes dryer, but that's what it feels like when the vertigo is happening and I'm spinning outta control.
Other big news - our new grand dog, "Graham" arrived today at Erin and Ryan's. We hope he'll bring them many years of joy and adventure. Welcome to the family, Graham!
Graham and Erin
Sunday - July 12
Beautiful day but I'm feeling really blah.....Mark rode his bike to the pharmacy and got me some Dramamine - sure has made me drowsy, so I took some good naps.
We did walk downtown and shared a delicious breakfast burrito at Trophies. Later in the day Mark got a dish of ice cream to share.
Liam is back in Minneapolis tonight on a high from his big weekend and doing his 1st 1/2 Ironman. He really enjoyed it all and never once thought "Why am I doing this"?
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.
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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.
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Lake Michigan - smooth as glass
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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.
Monday - July 6
We were up early (well, Mark is always up early), but by 7, we were out walking - not a cloud in the sky and in the upper 70s today. We left the dock in Sturgeon Bay at 8:10 and got thru the 2 bridges (went thru the Michigan Street bridge that has to open at 8:30). We cruised 23.2 miles and now at the Municipal Marina in Menominee, Michigan. Got fuel, a pump out, then to our slip (so much grass and other debris in the water). Had lunch, hosed down Catrina and Mark got his bike off the boat to ride to a nearby marina for a power cord but no luck.
I went for a walk - the town is right by the marina, but sadly, so many empty buildings. I did enjoy "Trends and Traditions" - a very nice gift store, but otherwise, Menominee's downtown is struggling.
I stopped at their very upscale boater's lounge which Ed had told us about - WOW....beautiful and huge. We really liked Quarter Deck's lounge in Sturgeon Bay but this is over-the-top!
The weather sounds better tomorrow rather than Wednesday so we're planning to head to Frankfort, MI. We're on central time (even though we're in Michigan) till tomorrow and then back to the eastern time zone.
Our nephew Steve picked us up and away we went to his home. Steve and Lori live in Marinette, WI (across the Menominee River which separates Michigan and Wisconsin). So good to see Steve and Lori and their neat older home + dogs - Dexter and Betsy. Stteve made old fashions and we had a nice visit. Then to The Landing which is near the marina. Had a great meal and then back to Catrina and gave them the tour. We sat on Catrina's bridge - such a beautiful evening. We love these one-on-one visits with nieces/nephews. Said our good byes and hope we'll be together at the family Christmas (along with 100+ others)! 😂
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Lori and Steve
So sad to hear this morning that our dear, long-time friend, Paul passed away. We have so many happy memories of Paul and Margie (she passed away in 2015). They have 5 girls and just a great family. Even after Margie passed, Paul sent me a birthday card every year - he was one special guy and sure lived a good long life till 90.
Sunday - July 5
Nice sunny day an we were off to an early start with Ed and Fran picking us up at 6:35 and off to Luxemburg, WI (16 miles Southwest). Today was the annual "Dairy Breakfast" held on the 1st Sunday in July at a different dairy farm each year in Door County. Ed and Fran have been going to this for many years and they will serve 4-5,000 people. What a huge event which takes a lot of people to put together (FFA and 4-H groups + alumni and many parents.) They serve breakfast from 6-11:30.
This year the event was held at the Lazy J Dairy Farm and along with a hearty breakfast (all-you-can-eat pancakes, scrambled eggs w/ham and cheese curds, they have a petting zoo, many tractors (oldies and current), they had Door County ice cream (nothing like eating ice cream at 8 AM on a Sunday morning), many trinkets for the kiddies, recipes, and tours of the barns seeing the milking set-up and the cows (various breeds). They had several wagons pulled by tractors to shuttle folks from the big parking lot (field) to the tents. It was a beautiful morning to be on the farm and we thoroughly enjoyed it all.
They dropped us back at the marina, we changed clothes and onto 10:00 Mass at St. Joseph's - beautiful Mass with Father Matthew (young priest), great choir ((patriotic tunes), and best of all, this large church was packed!!!
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St. Joseph's
We ran a few errands + picked up some iced coffees at 5J Coffee (5th and Jefferson). What a funky place - we could go inside the house or order outside - the yard was full of wicker, metal, and every kind of furniture + picnic tables, etc. Never saw anything like it. The bathroom had a tub full of fake bubbles and flamingos, and so much other stuff! On home for naps and just chilled this Sunday afternoon till we left for WalMart and then to Ed and Fran's.
We sat outside on their deck (beautiful private woodsy backyard) and later had salad, pizza and Door County cherry pie a la mode! YUMMY!!!
More visiting and then good bye hugs and Ed took us back to the marina. What a fun 5 days this has been with these dear long-time friends! We sure thank them for their hospitality and showing us a very good time!
Ed and Fran
Saturday - July 4
HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY
AMERICA
Mark went to Lawlss (strange spelling) for coffees. It's in an old bank building. Doing our part to support the coffee shops in Door County. 😀 Had a light breakfast with our coffee and then went for a nice long walk thru the Purves Lagoon - lovely homes (some on the water). It is a very nice 4th and we are blessed with 75 degrees compared to the heat in so much of the country!
Listened to patriotic music and just a relaxing day on Catrina + 1 more walk.
We met Fran and Ed at the Yacht Club for their BBQ picnic - brats, burgers, hot dogs and all the fixins' - Very good and a fun time!
Happy 4th from Door County
Ed, Fran, Pat, Mark
We all came back to Catrina and sat on the bridge - beautiful evening. Our neighbor came over with an assortment of mini cheesecakes. Nice treat. Sturgeon Bay had very good fireworks - it's been a really fun day/evening celebrating our nation's birthday!
Maeve - 2018
Blair - 2021
Friday - July 3
We were up and at 'em and off at 8:30. Heading to Sister Bay for some Christmas shopping. We had spent 4 days here but Tannenbaum is up a hill and would've had to walk on 42 (the main, busy road thru Door County). We were so lucky to get an on-street parking spot as lots of people and traffic. We tried Happy Coffee but what a zoo waiting to order or waiting for their coffees. So we walked up the street to Analog Coffee. Just a short wait and took our coffee and pastries back to the car and drove a little over 1 mile to Tannenbaum. Sat in the parking lot and enjoyed our breakfast and 15 minutes later, the store opened and in I went. Again, so thankful for Ed and Fran letting us use their Highlander.
This place is sooo beautiful (in an old church) with many, many themed trees - hadn't been here in many years but oh-so-neat. Not as big as Bronner's in Frankenmuth, MI (over 96,000 sq. ft) but still a great selection. One hour and 10 minutes later I had my ornaments all individually personalized and boxed up. Mark had been sitting in the car under a shade tree with his I-pad - he's such a dear, patient guy!!!
We drove thru Ephraim, Fish Creek, Egg Harbor - all the neat little towns of Door County. When we got back to Sturgeon Bay, we picked up a few things at WalMart - Mark warned me it would be a crazy place and that it was with all the families stocking up on groceries and stuff before heading to their vacation destination.
Had lunch at West Side Commons - very good sandwiches and some elonte (street corn)! Back to Catrina around 2ish and took a nap!
We went to Ed and Fran's home at 4 and Mark helped Fran with a printer issue. Then we all went to Kitty O'Reilly's Irish Pub - sat outside in the pretty beer garden and had drinks till our table was ready. Enjoyed our dinners but it was noisy so came back to Catrina and sat on the bridge to continue our visiting.
Ed and Fran
Thursday - July 2
Today was so much fun....Mark and I started the day going to "Kick" for coffees and light breakfast. Later I had an appointment at Aurora Health for lab work (requested by Dr. Freeman) for my thyroid.
Mark dropped me off downtown to meet Fran for some girl fun. We helped the Sturgeon Bay economy at Wilkins and Olander....and what are the odds that on our first visit to Sturgeon Bay (October 22, 2008), Fran and I were shopping and I bought a jeans jacket. And today, (18 years later) I bought a jeans jacket! Crazy! We also enjoyed The Brickyard Alley - several cute shops on 3rd Avenue,
Then we were off to TJ Maxx for more shopping in their cute Mustang convertible, Enroute to Fish Creek, we stopped for a cherry pie and then cherry donuts (our lunch) - oh my.....delish!
Hart to Hart was a really nice shop in Fish Creek, but no purchases and on home. Drove past so many HUGE homes on the water! It was a beautiful day!
Mark had a good day staying put on Catrina with some occasional walks, naps, etc.
We walked to the yacht club where we met Fran and Ed to watch the "Beer Can" races. Actually the guys watched and Fran and I stayed indoors with the AC. I guess beer can relates to the celebrating of the winning racers with beer after the races. Later we all enjoyed the Pasta Buffet which was excellent! And then Fran's phone gave an alert that rain was imminent, so Mark and I hightailed it back to Catrina. Rain didn't amount to squat! But with yesterday morning's storm and early this morning, we've had an inch!
)
Wednesday - July 1
Welcome to July but boy it came in kinda scary. Our morning started off good and early as we left Sister Bay at 5:50 AM knowing storms were predicted for later. We had a good trip to Sturgeon Bay (30 miles) and after going under 2 bridges (1 was opened for us at 8:00), we then tied up at a free transient dock in front of some lovely condos in Graham Park
Since we couldn't check into the marina till 1 (most likely earlier, but since this was really early, we planned to walk downtown to a coffee shop and come back and wait out the storm on Catrina.) And then this dear sweet lady (Annie) came out of her condo asking if we were aware that a very bad storm was coming and had already hit Green Bay causing damage with trees and power lines down and 60 MPH winds. The sky was getting darker and darker. We quickly battened down the hatches, took our bimini down and Annie said "I'll make you coffee"! Come on in...So, we walked with her to her beautiful condo. What a lovely lady who summers in Sturgeon Bay and lives in a retirement community in Milwaukee, rest of the year.
Annie
Annie made coffee and served us warm Kringle from Racine and bing cherries and we chatted away about boating, our families, etc. We were so grateful to be inside warm and safe as the storm was ferocious with very strong winds, thunder, lightning and heavy rain.
Our friend Ed called while we were with Annie wondering how where we were, how we were doing, etc. I had texted Fran that we were tied up along the wall, safe 'n sound. So glad we left when we did early this morning - thanks to my weather/logistics guy!
Ed came to pick us up and go to his house - so good to see Fran (been several years but we were friends in Bloomington for many years thru boating in the power squadron - they were sailors. They moved to Sturgeon Bay in 2006. They are giving us their Highlander to use the next few days which is much appreciated. Ed drove his truck and Mark the Highlander to the marina parking lot. Then we went with Ed to get Catrina still in front of Annie's. Ed went on home but we have a date for dinner tonight at the yacht club. And, Annie is going to join us!
We got Catrina moved into her slip at the Quarter Deck (Skipper Bud's) and after our power cords and hose were hooked up, the rain started again.....we had lunch and there's more chance of storms later.
Annie has 3 sons living in Milwaukee, Vermont and Portugal and 8 grandchildren. Her husband Dick died almost 2 years ago. One of her sons, Dan, wrote a book about the Great Lakes - turns out Ed has read it and has also heard Dan speak. So........he suggested we invite Annie to dinner. Small world
Tonight we picked up Annie and met Ed and Fran at the Yacht Club for dinner, Having lived in Sturgeon Bay or Door County for a long time, they knew many of the same folks. We had such a fun evening.
Ed, Fran, Annie, Pat, Mark
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