Yes, we are still in Deltaville (or Dullsville to some of our cruising friends). We are doing some (more) stuff to our boat, but aren't we usually doing that?

When we were crossing the border back into the States in Buffalo, we started answering the usual questions for the Customs and Border Protection officer. When he asked how long we were going to be in the U.S., we said we would leave the U.S. again in the beginning of December. He stated that we couldn't be in the the States for more than six months, but I explained we had a Cruising Permit for one year, and we were allowed to remain with our boat. "I don't know anything about Cruising Permits. Have a nice day" and he let us go at that. Well, I doubt he gets a lot of cruising boats travelling through his lane, so that's understandable!

The marina we are at now has a pool, which makes the lack of air conditioning on the boat a little easier to take. Everyone at home is complaining about the crappy weather, and we feel for you, but down here it is quite happy with the temperature around 90 deg F, with humidity. Thunderstorms are quite common in the area, but most seem to miss us. Last night we had the spectacle of clear skies above us, but storms off in the distance. We could see the lightning jumping from cloud to cloud, something that is usually missed when it is overcast. It was a beautiful, awesome sight, but we knew somebody elsewhere was getting hammered with that storm.

The social life at this marina is pretty good. There are full time cruisers/liveaboards right next to us, so we are having fun with their company. Larry works at the marina, and Gale works part time at a local canvas shop. They find this helps their cruising kitty, as they are leaving their investments alone while the market is hurting. Other people at the marina use their boats like cottages, and there is the regular assortment of transients, too. Every Wednesday there is a pot luck, and when more than six boats arrive, the marina owners break out bottles of wine for the boaters to enjoy. We also have been known to have other boaters out to our part of the dock for "Silverheels Sundowners" - a rum drink I have devised that goes over very well. All in all, a nice place to spend some time!

With President Obama pushing for Health Care Reform on this side of the 49th parallel, many Americans are asking us about "Socialized Medicine" as soon as they find out we are Canadian. As imperfect as the Canadian/Ontario system of Universal Health Care may be, it is much better than the system down here. At least Canadians don't live in fear of losing their homes if they get too ill for their insurance company to cover. A recent pot luck had some of the Americans talking about having to wait to see a specialist, or sitting in waiting rooms for an hour or two - I started laughing and said "sounds like you go through the same thing we do!" The lobbyists on the side of those that make the big money with medical care in the U.S. have done a good job of brainwashing the American public that there is no alternative to their present system.

We are enjoying it down here. The growing season is much longer, and we have been enjoying fresh sweet corn for a couple of weeks now. Fresh field tomatoes, canteloupes (locally referred to as "lopes"), peas and beans are all available. Even the peaches are just becoming ready now.

We miss many things back home, but we are getting by here south of the Mason-Dixon Line. And we proudly show our Canadian colours, including Canadian Flag folding chairs, and proper spelling.