Thursday, July 5, 2012

Oh my goodness.  Since we have Internet service tonight,we have a lot of catching up to do.  On Sunday, the 1st, Canada Day, Mike and Linda, and Ed and Kyle came to our boat to visit and watch the Canada Day fireworks.  The fireworks were really good, especially when you consider that this is a town of only 1200 people.  There were many more than 1200 in attendance.  The fireworks started at 10:00 and lasted at least one half hour.  We have excellent fireworks in Cincinnati on Labor Day weekend, but there were some here that we have never seen before.  After the fireworks, we took the boat back to Hastings Village Marina and then drove to Limerick Lake.  There we loaded all of our stuff into a boat and sped to Ed and Kyle's cottage. 

Monday we got a tour of Ed and Kyle's new cottage they are building right next door to the one we were staying in.  It's not ready to be lived in yet, but it is going to be fantastic.  Most of the day we spent playing with the water toys and just enjoying the water, the sunshine, and the company.

Tuesday was an extremely interesting day.  We went out with Kyle and Ed in a boat for a tour of the lake and tried to reach a connected lake.  We had to pass through a couple of beaver dams.  The water was quite shallow and after making it past the second dam, Ed looked at the motor and informed the rest of us that the propeller had fallen off the boat.  All four of the men got out of the boat and started looking for the propeller.  They finally gave up and got back in the boat.  They were using the oars to paddle us along, being careful  not to disturb the water so we could continue to look for the prop.  We spotted the prop a little farther away from where they originally were looking.  Now we had the prop, but no prop nut or shear pin to hold it on.  It pays to hang out with creative people because Ed rigged the prop back to the boat with a piece of copper wire and the metal ring part of a keyring.  It worked great and held until we could get back to the cottage.  It really was exciting and a little scary.  We traded that boat for another and went to Picnic Point for lunch.  What a day!

Wednesday we drove into Bancroft.  We shopped a bit, hiked a trail that took us to the top of a mountain where we could see for miles, ate french fries and poutien fries at Leo's, went to a mine where they sold sodalite jewelry, picked up the parts to fix the propeller, and ate ice cream at Kawartha's Dairy.  What a fun day!  We then went back to the cottage and played in the water.  Every day we were treated like royalty.  Kyle and Ed are most gracious hosts.  We ate wonderful meals and just really enjoyed our time at Limerick Lake.

Today we dropped a car off at Burleigh Falls and then drove to Hastings.  The six of us boarded our boat and after doing a few housekeeping items, we left the wonderful people of Hastings Village Marina.  We only went through one lock today (Lock #19).  It is the oldest lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  It is made of limestone.  The thing we noticed most about it is that the lock wall on our starboard side was slanted so that it stuck out more at the bottom and tapered up toward the top.  We are staying at Little Lake Marina for the night and went out to dinner together to Brio Gusto.  Tomorrow we get to do the Peterborough Lift Lock.

 Canada Day fireworks in Hastings, Ontario.

 Hanging out on the dock at Limerick Lake.

 The front of Ed and Kyle's new "cottage".

Isn't the lake beautiful? 

The front of the original cottage.  This is where we all stayed. 

 Beaver dam

 The prop held on with copper wire and a keyring.

 Mike

 Kyle is not being arrested, he is holding onto a clothesline that is hard to see.

 Ed

John

Linda

The end of a wonderful day.

Friday, June 30, 2012

Our boat tied to the wall.

Gazebo on this side of the river.

House decorated for Canada Day.

We shopped for a few things today like snacks for the fireworks and charts for the next couple of legs of the canal.  We were visited by two families from across the river at the harbor.  It's been really fun watching people come and go along the wall.  Lots of people stop and talk to us, asking us if we are really from Indiana.  One lady and her small son were walking past and the boy said that our boat looked like a house that you live in.  I told him he was right that we have lived on our boat since 2009.  His mom had a few questions and then they moved on.  I think we lucked out when we chose Hastings Village Marina to hang out in for a few weeks.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Once we had our wits about us this morning, we untied from the dock and headed across the river to the wall outside of the lock.  There was one boat here when we got here, and the man on board grabbed our lines and helped us tie up.  They locked through shortly after that.  We were alone on the wall for maybe and hour or so and then boats started showing up.  Some of the boats stayed briefly, but the ones that are here now, I believe are here for the weekend.  Gina and Claude walked over and visited us and even brought us a gift of alcohol.  Wasn't that nice? 

We met a man named Ray at Sheila's this morning.  He told me about a salve that a friend of his uses (and sells) for sore joints and muscles.  His friend works at the rodeo and needs this to make it through the day.  A little while later, Ray was knocking on the boat.  He brought us a sample of the salve to try.  He said it would help my sciatica if it comes back again.  I certainly hope it never comes back, but I would try the salve if it does come back.

 Hastings Village Marina from our vantage point across the river.

A couple of the boats on the wall behind us.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Today was the perfect day weatherwise.  It was sunny and warm in the 80s with a nice breeze.  We spent most of the day cleaning the boat.  Last night Claude and Gina came over and visited with us on the aft deck until about 2:30 A.M.  (I can't believe we both stayed awake that long.)  At one point, I accidentally kicked over a cintronella candle and the wax spilled all over the carpet.  I am so glad that happened on our boat and not theirs.  John spent a significant amount of time today trying to scrape it up while I cleaned inside the boat. 

We received an email from our friends who are coming here Sunday to watch the fireworks and then we are going to their cottage for a few days.  Only three more days!  We are looking forward to seeing them all.  We have to move our boat out of the harbor Sunday for the fireworks because they shoot them from the marina.  We are hoping to be able to be on the wall across the river.  Tonight there are two boats tied up on the wall.

So, if you don't see anything new written here for awhile, it's because we may not have Internet service.  We were told that  this marina's WI-FI can be accessed across the river on the wall.  So, it may not be an issue until Monday.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

This morning from 10:00 A.M. until noon, the harbor had the media people here to film and take pictures for the upcoming Warefront Festival later this summer.  They had a wooden "car" and an unusual looking monkey.  I thought it was a raccoon, but was told differently.  They had coffee and muffins for free.  Claude and Gina who have a boat on A dock stayed last night and we hung out with them for awhile today.  Claude has a 2002 Corvette and has offered it to us several times in case we need anything.  Everything is within close walking distance, so we have not taken hime up on that.  Another man we met on the day of the WFN fishing presentation gave us his card and said if we need a ride anywhere to call him and he would come get us.  People are all so friendly here. 

Tonight we Skyped with Jeff, Susan, and Kate.  That little Kate is a hoot.  She danced and sang and said her ABCs for us and blew us lots of kisses.

 Gina, John, and Claude.

 The "wooden" car.

The monkey that looks like a raccoon.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

John and I spent the morning scrubbing the aft deck.  It looks so shiny and pretty now.  Then we went out for lunch to a restaurant called Banjo's.  There was a woman in the restaurant wearing the tightest pair of pants I have ever seen.  I don't know how she could sit down.  Every man in the restaurant was staring at her behind as she walked past. 

We played cards on the aft deck for awhile after lunch  with both of us winning an equal number of games.  That's always good.  I spoke to all three of our children today.  Susan told me that Kate (2 years old), said, "I go to Grandma's boat.  I go to Grandma's boat."  Then she said, "I miss Grandma; and Grandpa too."  That squeezes my heart.  I miss those grandchildren sooo much.  I miss our children too, but the grandchildren are at ages where they are changing so much while we are away.  Whenever we can manage it, I am ready to visit at home. 

I'm sorry that we didn't do anything exciting enough for pictures today.  Maybe tomorrow.

Monday, June 25th, 2012

We figured it was going to be very quiet here today since it is Monday.  However, two other boats are occupied on A Dock. It's nice to have people around.  We feel like we belong because everyone is so nice.  I think today is the first day since we have been here that we didn't walk into town.  We just laid low today.  The weather has been cool all day.

I never get tired of the sunsets.

 Sunset

The wall across from the marina where we will have to go on Sunday for the fireworks.