August 3, 2017

Can't  believe it is August....We have had such a busy last couple weeks that there has been no time to blog!.   Plus the internet service in some places is so frustrating that I just give up....I have enough things to drive me nuts that I don't need one more.   We spent several nights in Blind River, Canada and then went on to Thessalon for one night...beautiful marina, absolutely NOTHING else in the town.....Luckily we did find a place to eat after walking for a mile or so that closed in 5 minutes of us getting there, and we did feel like we were putting them out for coming in so late (7pm) and I thought Rogers City had little to offer!   We crossed back over channel to Drummond Island to meet our kids and grand boys on July 22.  We effortlessly checked back into the US and got a slip at the "yacht haven" for the next week.  Seems the US doesn't have nearly the restrictions of what you can bring back  with you as Canada does with what you take into their country.  So the Martha Washington geraniums that I "smuggled" into Canada didn't have to be hidden in the bath tub to get them back into US.....hey, they were beautifully blooming and that's the only thing I have that reminds me of  living a "normal" life somewhat!.   I had meant to leave them with my mom but I forgot and still had them on board.   They also don't want you to bring ANY fresh meat, fruits or veggies with you....which is pretty funny, as let me tell you, their grocery stores are lacking a lot compared to what we are used to.   However, we did love, love, love the butter tarts! and of course, our favorite .....pea meal bacon....which really is ham wrapped in a mealy substance like corn meal. (but must be pea meal.....my grand sons refused to try  it! ha, their loss)

So the whole bunch showed up at Drummond, and the "adult" kids rented a cabin on the water just next to the boat harbor, and the 3 grand boys stayed with us on the boat.....It was quite a week...
We had a couple days of rain and that was pretty tough with the small places and 3 VERY ACTIVE boys..(thank you God that the new baby will be a girl!!)  All in all, I think everyone had a great time and even the 2 grand dogs seemed to enjoy themselves.  

We brought grandson Bennett with us on the boat, back across Lake Huron to Rogers City for spend the week ....it is much easier to have a grand son one at a time.  He was a big help to captain grandpa in cleaning the boat,etc  (as there was this "incident" involving a broken hatch, that he had to work to help pay off the $$ it cost to fix)....Bob then had a business trip downstate and then one in Colorado that left Bennett and me on the boat alone for 3 days.....As luck would have it, the Nautical Fest was going on and there were lots of activities, plus my sister and brother and families were in Rogers also.....Sister Lisa and Sue spent a lot of time with him at the beach, etc....plus there was this cute little girl that also occupied his time.....His grandpa told him to watch out for "those Rogers City girls".... it was pretty cute to see them hanging out at the carnival etc....don't tell him I mentioned it!  Oh to be 11 again!

The week gave us a few pretty rough nights of storms and we were glad captain Bob had the lines secured for us. Bob got back on Friday, I took Bennett to meet up with his mother to take him home and all has quieted down....except for the LOUD music that comes from the festival tent each night, just across parking lot from marina.....guess I am getting old!

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we hope to move north up to Mackinaw City for a few days and then on to Lake Michigan!  Huron has been fun, but it is time to get moving.....we have seen a few looper boats here, but have not made contact with anyone....when the winds are blowing there are not too many  boaters hanging around on the docks....we just get inside and hold on!