09/09/2010, Deltaville, VA

September 5, 2010

Well, we had a great time in Michigan seeing family and friends. We did not see some people as much as we would have liked, as usual, but we had some great times. Generally we were overfed (with GREAT food)-lots of fresh stuff from gardens. We saw all nieces and nephews, great-nephews and niece, Lakes Michigan and Huron, old boating friends, had lunch with current boating friends, had lots of time at the cottage with family, spent too much money, and never did make it to Detroit.
We had a beautiful drive down here through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. We passed 37 historical markers in Virginia and did not stop to read one. We are happy to have a car, except now we are looking for winter storage. We will be working on the boat for the next 2-3 weeks, so Mike will be writing about that. Can't wait to be back in the water!

Comments [4]

08/10/2010, Mihigan

August 10, 2010 Northern Michigan

We found our way from Minneapolis through northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where we visited our friends Don & Pat in Grand Marais. We then drove south over the Mackinac Bridge to the Steere cottage on Douglas Lake, near Pellston. Seems we have left the sea of blue for the sea of green. There are so many trees here!
Our daughter Ellie and her husband Matt came up to spend a few days with us. We also had a chance to visit with friends, Luke and Mandy and their boys. We had a good time visiting the area, got the old fishing boat running and took a tour of the lake, and just had a good time.
Next we headed on a drive around Grand Traverse Bay to go to Northport to meet up with some of our boating friends. We had a great time with Larry and Carol from "Third Bird" and Craig and Pat from "Island Time". We also had a short visit with Russ and Robin from "Robin's Nest". We had a lovely evening and spent the night on "Island Time". On Sunday we went with Larry & Carol to the Laundromat, as we had laundry to do and understand how difficult it can be to get places when you're living on your boat.
We then struck out for White Lake, following the coast along Lake Michigan. There are some beautiful views and fun places to stop along the way. We went to our old marinas (all three of them) and visited with friends. It was a bit difficult, as it was a beautiful day and most people were out sailing. We finally hooked up with Dan & Colleen on "Outrageous" and had a great visit. We ended up spending the night there-just can't get out of the habit of sleeping on a boat.
Next stop was Holland, where we visited with Kathy's family for the day-then on to Crystal to visit with Mike's family. Whew! We moved into Dave & Kristie's fifth wheel, which is our little "home-away-from-home" for much of our time here. Kathy had a haircut and a doctor appointment and we helped prepare some appetizers for the wedding on Saturday.
We headed up to Mt. Pleasant on Friday for the pre-wedding golf outing and pizza dinner and had a blast. The hotel was full of wedding guests and much fun was had by all. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding at a golf course and went off without a hitch. We headed back to the trailer after a Sunday brunch with the wedding party.
On Monday we went to Lansing to stay with Ellie and Matt, as Mike had a doctor appointment there on Tuesday. We had a nice, short stay and headed back to the cottage after the doctor appointment.
We met Sam at the cottage and spent two nice days up there with her, then she headed back to work. We stayed, as Debbie, Davey, Lisa, and Carrie were arriving on Friday. (That is Mike's sister and family, minus one daughter.) We had a cool day and a rainy day, but we enjoyed each other's company.
We came back to the trailer yesterday, as we have dental appointments today and a picnic with past and present staff of Sheridan Elementary School, Kathy's old workplace.

Comments [0]

07/18/2010, Deltaville, VA

July 15, 2010 Deltaville, VA

Today we will say good-bye to Sapphire and Deltaville for a while. Kathy and Darius (Breeze Hunter) have offered to drive us to the airport in Richmond, which is very much appreciated.
We have cleaned the boat and covered it with tarps, hoping to find her in good condition when we return. Mike has worked incessantly on sanding the bubbles off that popped up above our water line a couple of years ago. We will let it dry out while we are gone, then paint a boot stripe on when we return.
We will fly out from Richmond to Atlanta, then on to Minneapolis to stay with our daughter Abby and her husband, Jake, for a few days. We are buying a car from them and will take a land trip back to Michigan, through upper Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We will attempt to update the blog on occasion while we embark on our land adventure.

Comments [4]