Monday, June 26. Well.....I might be putting out a call for a new captain!!....since we left, Bob has broken (almost, so he thought, but an er visit) a toe, fell off the boat, and last eve cut open his finger....went to ER this am and got 3 stiches in it!! Last eve I tried to play Nurse (NOT AT ALL MY CALLING) and we cleaned it out with a concoction that I found in the first aid kit....but this morning, still bleeding heavily (ugh......again, I am far from a nurse, did all I could to not pass out last eve just looking at it!)...so off he went for "professional" help. After the horror of our friend, Dick's , cut finger, it was nothing we wanted to fool around with.
We are still in Rogers City, a crummy day, overcast, heavy rain. We have reservations for Mackinaw Island on Thursday, and hope to begin our way there tomorrow, or next day. Plans are changing daily, as to our "schedule"....NO schedule!.....
Our dinghy here is way too big for this boat, so we have ordered one back in Detroit area. We can pick it up end of week. So we decided to go north for the heck of it and then return to Rogers where our car is (stored at my mom's) and go pick it up when ready. We thought about heading across the lake to North Channel, but you really need a dingy there to get around all the anchorages, etc. So we will visit the island of fudge and horse sh___. We will return here, (Rogers) and Bob has business in the area where we will pick up the ordered dingy, so perhaps I will go along (by car) and visit daughter Molly and son in law, Aaron....who by the way, announced that the upcoming baby (November) is a GIRL. We prayed for a healthy baby, and already have 3 grandboys, and would have welcomed another, but are over the moon for a girl!!!
We also forgot to mention what an awesome day we had the day before we left Lake St. Clair with Bobs mom and sister Diane and brother in law, Tom. We did a short trip out to the lake so show them how "fast" we would be going.....thus, why it will take a year!! (HA). The weather cooperated and we had a good day. Bob's mom said she feels better now knowing what we are living on , etc.... She also watched him build the platform and steps this winter, and signed the bottom along with the all the guys that helped with that project. AND speaking of that.....we had a couple yesterday come over and admire our boat (always a good thing) and say, "I've never seen a Carver with a swim platform like that".....to which I replied "and you never will!!" UNLESS you have Bob custom build you one!! They were impressed and Capt Bob's chest just got a little puffier.....almost makes up for him cutting off his finger!! That's why they call it an accident. Everyone has survived and we are learning from all our "mistakes".
Monday, June 26, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
JUNE 22......a very rainy, humid day in alpena,mi. We arrived yesterday..had a long day across Saginaw Bay...but enjoyable and calm seas...however at 10 miles per hour it can get tiresome. Woke up to rain and cloudy skies so stayed put....Alpena was the BIG city back in my high school days...it is sad to see it now... not vibrant and booming as it was in the 70's. We did however have dinner at the "owl cafe"...a favorite of my youth. Still run by same family. Took capt bob to groc store with me...not a good plan...but we do have lots of swwets and junk food! Hope to head for rogers city tomorrow am.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
May 18, 2017
We don't have sails Lord! Thats what I said when we woke up to the strongest winds we've seen in a month! and WE planned to "start" the trip today! We even took pictures! So now we have to wait it out...like I said, either the Lord thinks we have sails, or He is trying to teach us patience...probably the latter.
Update: May 20....we DID leave. Apparently the Lord thought we learned our lesson. About 1 pm the skies cleared and the Captain asked if I was up for a 6 hour trip.....well, I was getting tired of Markley marine,( although we made some good friends in the short time we were there). So we pulled the lines and blew our horn and we were off ... day 1. Have to add the incident at the marina "guard shack"-- when I went to turn in our key and explain we decided to leave a few days early.....the guard looked at me and said.....(seriously!!) "are you taking your boat with you?"...in hindsight I should have said....."no, we decided to swim". Oh well, it was the day after Saturday night, and he probably had a hang over??? just trying to give him some credit....as he probably wasn't the smartest kid in his class. (ps...either was I, but seriously, I asked you!)
6 hours later we had cruised the Clinton River, passed Port Huron (which we could have pulled into if we decided we were tired) but kept on to Lexington, MI. (hit a rain storm on the way, but nothing to rattle us....we need to see what LeReve can do....and she did fine. Bob had a little problem figuring out the fuel tanks, as LeReve has 3. He worked thru that (what a guy) We were delightfully surprised at what a great port Lexington is. We were in the slip and tied up by 8:30pm. Monday was a beautiful day and we decided to not move but take a day of rest...
...which means shopping and eating. We did both. I had forgotten how much fun these port cities can be.
Another thing we quickly noticed is how cell phones and internet has changed boating since our last boating experiences.... ie: hardly anyone uses the marine radio. You don't hear the fishermen chattering at each other, or people calling marinas, etc....(kinda like listening in on a partyline!) I miss that, but we too, resorted to using our cells.
This morning we left Lexington, to a good weather forecast, and headed to Harbor Beach (on the tip of the thumb) as in you view Michigan as a mitt....in case you are not familiar with how we do it here. Notice I said "we"...I guess as hard as it is to admit, I missed this ole state and the beautiful waters....although it will be a long time getting used to the humidity.
Another "cute" harbor worker experience.....today, as we pulled into a slip, I got the back end secure and the wind was fiercely whipping, and it was starting to rain...(note the above mentioned "good" weather forecast...NOT) the girl dockhand had the front of boat by the line around a piling and was holding on for dear life, as the wind gusted, and she says to me...."I've pulled calves on our farm, but it isn't this hard!" Finally with capt Bob on the dock (that left me on the boat alone....oh no....) a neighboring sailor ran over and helped pull us against the wind...and she was finally secured. (this is while a boat load of Coast Guard, big, strapping men, sat in the comfort of their float boat and watched)....oh well, probably not in their job description. (Now, for you boaters out there....yes I did throw a spring line but "we" were trying to get the nose over and change cleats at the same time the wind gusted and the spring shouldn't have been loosened before the other was secure ....lesson learned.) That's what life is about....a good quote I heard the other day..."it's ok if you don't know something, but it's when you don't know that you don't know, that will get you in trouble!"
As long as I am quoting, someone on our AGLCA page said..."How awesome is our God that has not only promised us an incredible future home, but also gives us the opportunity to do things like the Great Loop, while we are waiting".
We don't have sails Lord! Thats what I said when we woke up to the strongest winds we've seen in a month! and WE planned to "start" the trip today! We even took pictures! So now we have to wait it out...like I said, either the Lord thinks we have sails, or He is trying to teach us patience...probably the latter.
Update: May 20....we DID leave. Apparently the Lord thought we learned our lesson. About 1 pm the skies cleared and the Captain asked if I was up for a 6 hour trip.....well, I was getting tired of Markley marine,( although we made some good friends in the short time we were there). So we pulled the lines and blew our horn and we were off ... day 1. Have to add the incident at the marina "guard shack"-- when I went to turn in our key and explain we decided to leave a few days early.....the guard looked at me and said.....(seriously!!) "are you taking your boat with you?"...in hindsight I should have said....."no, we decided to swim". Oh well, it was the day after Saturday night, and he probably had a hang over??? just trying to give him some credit....as he probably wasn't the smartest kid in his class. (ps...either was I, but seriously, I asked you!)
6 hours later we had cruised the Clinton River, passed Port Huron (which we could have pulled into if we decided we were tired) but kept on to Lexington, MI. (hit a rain storm on the way, but nothing to rattle us....we need to see what LeReve can do....and she did fine. Bob had a little problem figuring out the fuel tanks, as LeReve has 3. He worked thru that (what a guy) We were delightfully surprised at what a great port Lexington is. We were in the slip and tied up by 8:30pm. Monday was a beautiful day and we decided to not move but take a day of rest...
...which means shopping and eating. We did both. I had forgotten how much fun these port cities can be.
Another thing we quickly noticed is how cell phones and internet has changed boating since our last boating experiences.... ie: hardly anyone uses the marine radio. You don't hear the fishermen chattering at each other, or people calling marinas, etc....(kinda like listening in on a partyline!) I miss that, but we too, resorted to using our cells.
This morning we left Lexington, to a good weather forecast, and headed to Harbor Beach (on the tip of the thumb) as in you view Michigan as a mitt....in case you are not familiar with how we do it here. Notice I said "we"...I guess as hard as it is to admit, I missed this ole state and the beautiful waters....although it will be a long time getting used to the humidity.
Another "cute" harbor worker experience.....today, as we pulled into a slip, I got the back end secure and the wind was fiercely whipping, and it was starting to rain...(note the above mentioned "good" weather forecast...NOT) the girl dockhand had the front of boat by the line around a piling and was holding on for dear life, as the wind gusted, and she says to me...."I've pulled calves on our farm, but it isn't this hard!" Finally with capt Bob on the dock (that left me on the boat alone....oh no....) a neighboring sailor ran over and helped pull us against the wind...and she was finally secured. (this is while a boat load of Coast Guard, big, strapping men, sat in the comfort of their float boat and watched)....oh well, probably not in their job description. (Now, for you boaters out there....yes I did throw a spring line but "we" were trying to get the nose over and change cleats at the same time the wind gusted and the spring shouldn't have been loosened before the other was secure ....lesson learned.) That's what life is about....a good quote I heard the other day..."it's ok if you don't know something, but it's when you don't know that you don't know, that will get you in trouble!"
As long as I am quoting, someone on our AGLCA page said..."How awesome is our God that has not only promised us an incredible future home, but also gives us the opportunity to do things like the Great Loop, while we are waiting".
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
So, as I have said several times in the 10 days we have lived aboard..."That was fun, can we go home now?" Actually, I have been joking, but the first few days were awful.....that's because we arrived and unloaded every box we had packed onto the boat, and then it was like moving anywhere....boxes everywhere, not knowing where anything was, or where it would go, etc.....oh ya, and that small problem with the holding tank....which meant NO on board bathroom facilities. After several days of Bob with his head in the tank...really! He solved the problem and obtained sainthood....at least in my eyes.....all is now right with the world.
We have been extremely busy finding a place for everything, and, as predicted, a lot of "stuff" I thought we couldn't live without, we decided we can. I even gave up a few pair of shoes (which is funny, as I've worn the same flip flops for the last 10 days). We've been to the hardware store and West Marine each a dozen times, but the grocery store only once. We are eating ALL the food we transported from CO and is stored in the guest room!
Other than the trips to the pump out station (per the holding tank problem) we have taken one long "voyage". Daughter Molly and family came to visit yesterday and we did a 2 hour cruise thru Lake St Clair to the Detroit River, saw the sights there and cruised back 2 hours. It was a great day on the Lake.
Now is the time to publically thank all our friends for the terrific "bon voyage" gifts. Our life group from church, and Bob's poker family really went above and beyond to let us know we will be missed.....Bob continues to get the email notices about games being held and is having withdrawals...(I refuse to pretend play...now if he was talking serious $$...maybe! haha)
One of our concerns we discussed before the trip was "what will we DO all the time".....well, so far I am still waiting for just a few minutes to just sit, perhaps read, etc. I am sure that time will come, but for now (Bob especially) works from sun up to sun down....getting all ready for departure day. We do not have a definite date as yet, it keeps getting pushed back. Bob has some client work in CO and MI yet, and we have grandsons ball games to attend, and a trip to the zoo with grandsons planned etc. (all those things we haven't been able to do with living so far away), so we want to get them in before we take off. For now it is tentative for week of June 18.....but as previously mention.....NO schedule. We have made some other live aboard friends here (one with childhood ties to Rogers City!....small world) and this marina has a pool....so far, live is good.
So, as I have said several times in the 10 days we have lived aboard..."That was fun, can we go home now?" Actually, I have been joking, but the first few days were awful.....that's because we arrived and unloaded every box we had packed onto the boat, and then it was like moving anywhere....boxes everywhere, not knowing where anything was, or where it would go, etc.....oh ya, and that small problem with the holding tank....which meant NO on board bathroom facilities. After several days of Bob with his head in the tank...really! He solved the problem and obtained sainthood....at least in my eyes.....all is now right with the world.
We have been extremely busy finding a place for everything, and, as predicted, a lot of "stuff" I thought we couldn't live without, we decided we can. I even gave up a few pair of shoes (which is funny, as I've worn the same flip flops for the last 10 days). We've been to the hardware store and West Marine each a dozen times, but the grocery store only once. We are eating ALL the food we transported from CO and is stored in the guest room!
Other than the trips to the pump out station (per the holding tank problem) we have taken one long "voyage". Daughter Molly and family came to visit yesterday and we did a 2 hour cruise thru Lake St Clair to the Detroit River, saw the sights there and cruised back 2 hours. It was a great day on the Lake.
Now is the time to publically thank all our friends for the terrific "bon voyage" gifts. Our life group from church, and Bob's poker family really went above and beyond to let us know we will be missed.....Bob continues to get the email notices about games being held and is having withdrawals...(I refuse to pretend play...now if he was talking serious $$...maybe! haha)
One of our concerns we discussed before the trip was "what will we DO all the time".....well, so far I am still waiting for just a few minutes to just sit, perhaps read, etc. I am sure that time will come, but for now (Bob especially) works from sun up to sun down....getting all ready for departure day. We do not have a definite date as yet, it keeps getting pushed back. Bob has some client work in CO and MI yet, and we have grandsons ball games to attend, and a trip to the zoo with grandsons planned etc. (all those things we haven't been able to do with living so far away), so we want to get them in before we take off. For now it is tentative for week of June 18.....but as previously mention.....NO schedule. We have made some other live aboard friends here (one with childhood ties to Rogers City!....small world) and this marina has a pool....so far, live is good.
Monday, May 1, 2017
We are in count down mode......in 15 days we will be on the road to Michigan with our last load, ready to begin "the dream". Boxes are being packed, the pods have been ordered, last minute details on house being worked on before closing, etc, etc.....Good thing Bob is such a good organizer....as I tend to be somewhat paralyzed with feeling overwhelmed!...or maybe its fear! I am sure that if all the stuff I have packed to go on the boat really does go on the boat....it will probably sink!..So once at the boat, at the dock...some more decisions will need to be made. (and I'm not even referring to the shoes and purses!!) I have never been a minimalist!
Bob wrapped up the past 2 weeks in Michigan, working on the boat etc.....he attached the new swim platform and steps, painted the bottom, applied the name, finished with varnishing and installing the interior doors, etc.....and she was officially launched! There are (and always will be) a few more issues to deal with...as you that know what "B. O. A. T." stands for, understand!
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
April has been very snowy here in CO.....it makes us all the more anxious to "get this show on the road" (as we have been saying to each other). We put the house up for sale and received an offer the next day (despite a snow storm) and are now "under contract"! If it ever stops snowing, the roofers can get here to inspect the roof and complete the inspection process and all that comes with that. We hope to close on May 15 and head out permanently! Until then we have been busy packing....we have boxes for goodwill, boxes for storage here in Pods, boxes for storage in Michigan....suitcases with clothes for Michigan (for when we visit there) and on and on...... Bob will make a "preliminary work trip" after Easter, hauling a u haul full for storage there. Then after we close mid May, we will haul a final load, and begin our "lifelong dream"....(inside family joke)....lets just call it our "big adventure".
Bob will be installing the swim platform he built, finishing some varnishing on doors he started last fall, and the marina will then be dropping the boat in the water! It seems like yesterday they were pulling it out for winter!....We will then begin the process of loading up the "necessities" for our year long voyage. I think I might have to convert the guest quarters into a walk in closet!! Haha. I believe we will decide that we have way too much stuff that we think we "need" with us!... But the beauty of having the boat in southern Michigan for a few weeks before we begin the loop, and then again in Rogers City as an early stop, is that we will have access to storage for the "stuff" we thought we needed and determined quickly we don't. Some of the previous "lady loopers" have offered up the following to determine how many pairs of shoes to have on board....."you take the size of your boat and divide it in half and that tells you how many pairs"... that EXCELLENT advice allows me 24 pair! now onto the purses.....
Bob will be installing the swim platform he built, finishing some varnishing on doors he started last fall, and the marina will then be dropping the boat in the water! It seems like yesterday they were pulling it out for winter!....We will then begin the process of loading up the "necessities" for our year long voyage. I think I might have to convert the guest quarters into a walk in closet!! Haha. I believe we will decide that we have way too much stuff that we think we "need" with us!... But the beauty of having the boat in southern Michigan for a few weeks before we begin the loop, and then again in Rogers City as an early stop, is that we will have access to storage for the "stuff" we thought we needed and determined quickly we don't. Some of the previous "lady loopers" have offered up the following to determine how many pairs of shoes to have on board....."you take the size of your boat and divide it in half and that tells you how many pairs"... that EXCELLENT advice allows me 24 pair! now onto the purses.....
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