Day 156 - Sun 30 Aug 2015
Docked - Shelburne, NS

[Mike and Barb posing with the black locust bowl in their home]

The wind that had piped up yesterday afternoon in time for some brisk large boat racing had died to nothing overnight so it was very calm at the dock. We both slept well, long, and awoke eager to start the day. I prepared some home-fries with onions, plus veggie omelets (first of those in a long while), and then cooked up some peppers and onions that were going to soon be past their prime to freeze and use later with the hot sausages.

I traded emails with Mike to determine they would pick me up at the yacht club just before 1000 for a run to the grocery store. They warned me it was not the best store, and they were right, but we had both seen much more limited stores in our many years of cruising, so you just deal with it. They picked up the fixings for tonight's meal (boeuf bourguignon) and I got an assortment of appetizer meats and cheeses. It will surely be another wonderful feast.

Meanwhile, now that we have used up the majority of our non-perishable canned and dry goods, there was plenty of room in the lower lockers. Always thinking ahead, Diane started a thorough cleaning of those lockers, so that will be one less thing to do when we put the boat away for the winter. We still plan to spend about 4-5 weeks from today to see the last bit of Nova Scotia and then all of Maine from Bar Harbor and westward, plus the little bit of NH and northern MA we'll hit before storing the boat in Newburyport, MA.

Diane had done a lot of work in the morning, so we both enjoyed relaxation, reading, and napping in the afternoon. We got our appetizer tray ready and walked over at 1700 to Mike and Barb's place for another wonderful visit and meal (delicious beef burgundy and a great salad). Mike shared some tips about the passage to Yarmouth and then showed me his wood shop where he cuts and turns the wooden bowls he sells at the farmers market. We purchased a lovely one (in addition to the gift we received) as a souvenir of our trip.

The conversation flowed until well past 2000, so we said our thanks and goodbyes and walked back to the yacht club with only a light breeze and fairly warm temperatures. Clyde got his walk on the docks, but after putting him back on the boat, he seemed unusually interested in being back down on the dock. I later saw that there was another cat sitting down there and they were just staring at each other. When I got up to investigate, the other (white) cat ran toward a boat near us and hopped on.

Tomorrow morning we depart for an anchorage not far from here and may or may not be able to move comfortably the next day to Yarmouth. Wed is forecast to be a better day, so maybe waiting an extra day at anchor is the smart move. We'll see what the weather dictates.