Goodbye to Gladys and Jay Before leaving Wisconsin we decided to stop and visit one more time with the Shaws. We visited on her back pourch and enjoyed the cool weather and her beautiful flowers. Gladys told us an interesting story about the flowers she has in her backyard. She has Agapanthus and when they begin to lose their color, she spray paints them! Makes them last a lot longer. . I think we'll ask her for a picture this winter to see if the flowers still have that purple glow. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 – THE CROSSING The day dawned bright, still and clear. The sky was a beautiful blue and it looked like a day for crossing Lake Michigan. Jim, whom we met at the South Shore Yacht Club, had volunteered to go across the lake with Phil. Actually, his wife, Sandy, volunteered for him and he, very kindly, was happy to go. I was to bring the car over on the fast ferry. They left the dock at 7:15 on Tuesday, September 1. The water was smooth as glass. The Lake Express car ferry is docked next to the Yacht Club, so I had no trouble finding it. On this ferry, unlike the Badger, you drive your own car onto it. I got in line at 11:45, forty-five minutes early, as instructed by the Lake Express staff. The ride was very smooth and the water was beautiful. Phil called me about 3/4 of the way over to Muskegon. He told me to go outside and wave because we were passing them on the port side! I ran out on the back port side of the ferry and waved and waved. There were several people out there and I told a man that was my husband on our boat. He looked at me like I had grown a third head! I quickly retreated back inside to my seat and watched the Harmony disappear behind us. The Lake Express arrived in Muskegon on time 4:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time, which is an hour later than in Wisconsin. The actual sailing time is 2 ½ hours. I went to the Great Lakes Marina which is next door to wait for Phil and Jim. They arrived about 4:45. I was waiting for them at the slip and we got the boat tied up and went immediately to eat dinner. We drove to Bear Lake Tavern on the other side of Muskegon Lake, which was not far. It was a place we had loved when we were here before. They have excellent fish and chips, which is what we all had for dinner. We went back to the boat, had a couple of small glasses of Tequila Rose, a divine liqueur, visited a while and went to bed early. MUSKEGON ~ SEPTEMBER 2-10 We got Jim to the ferry station in time for the 10:15 ferry back to Milwaukee. We enjoyed having him on the boat and he was so kind to come across with Phil. We checked in at the marina office, signed our contract for winter heated storage and made arrangements to have the boat washed by one of their workers named Josh. And wash the boat, he did! We agreed it has never been this clean, not even when Phil washes it and he does a good job. We met some Loopers, John and Dottie, whose boat, Dar Sea, is out of the water, “on the hard”, sitting on stands. They hit a rock in Georgian Bay and really scraped the bottom of their boat. They came over for a glass of wine and we enjoyed getting to know them. They plan to continue down the river system, when and if it ever opens. They had just returned from a long trip back home to New York, so they have no immediate time constraints. Our plan for our remaining time here is to: 1. Get the web text and photos posted 2. Sand and refinish some of the teak on the outside of the boat 3. Inventory the food, checking expiration dates, and removing or bagging any dry food that might attract bugs 4. Inventory the clothes, meds, etc. we are leaving on the boat 5. Clean the inside of the boat 6. Wash 7. Put scented Bounce sheets everywhere to deter bugs 8. Spray the outside for spiders We hope to do all this and still have time to visit with our friends, Ginger and Laura, go to the Westside Inn and listen to “Truth in Jazz” one more time, tour the submarine, SS Silversides, and go home in a week to ten days. We actually think we can do it! We went to dinner with John and Dottie at Hobo’s and early the next morning, we said good-bye as “Dar Sea” left for points south. We really enjoyed getting to know them. Then we got to work, doing the things necessary before going home for the season. Our dock neighbors, Jeff and Sue, invited us to go out with them on their boat into Lake Michigan to watch the sunset. It was such a treat to go on a different kind of boat, a Sea Ray, and one that belongs to someone else! They have a really cute dog, named Frazier, a Tibetan terrier. He is just a love. I thought Phil was going to take him home with us! We also got to meet their three year old granddaughter who was darling and so smart. I would have liked to have taken HER home with us! We met our friends, Jan and Larry, from Whitehall/Montague, at the concert, “Truth in Jazz” at the Westside Lounge and enjoyed seeing them again. Phil and I agreed that if we lived here, we would be there every time “Truth in Jazz” played. They really are a talented group of musicians plus they have such a good time, playing. GOING HOME ~ SEPTEMBER 10 - 13 Great Lakes Marina pulled our boat on September 10th in the afternoon. They pressure washed the bottom and it looked so good and clean. Surely is a big difference between a boat in fresh water and a boat in salt water! We were through and headed away from the marina by 2:30. We went to the Hearthstone for lunch. Jeff and Sue, our dock-mates had recommended it highly and it certainly lived up to its review. The food, the service, the ambience were just what we needed. We had a relaxing, enjoyable lunch and left the Muskegon area in the direction of home. Our destination for the day was somewhere south between Muskegon and Chicago. When we arrived in St. Joseph, Michigan, we were immediately captivated by the downtown area because of the colorful statues of animals that were scattered on the corners. The view of Lake Michigan was beautiful from the town and we decided to spend the night. We stayed at the Boulevard Inn and Bistro. It was difficult to get our luggage to our room because of many stairs, very little direction or help from staff and not much parking adjacent to the entrance. It is a suite hotel, so the rooms were quite large with a living room and a bedroom, but it is a cheaply constructed hotel with hollow doors and not enough towel racks or hooks, etc. However, the Bistro, a restaurant/bar, must be great. It was packed that night. We had breakfast there the next morning before we left. We arrived in Chicago about 11:30 and went to lunch with our friends, Jane and Daryl. It was good to see them looking so well. We enjoyed visiting with them. About 2:30 we left for points south. We arrived in Edwardsville, Illinois, just outside St. Louis about 7:15. We stayed at a very nice Holiday Inn Express. Our odometer read 8002 miles since we had left home in June. We spent our next night in Texarkana, Arkansas at the La Crosse Hotel. The next morning we left at 8:00 am and soon we crossed the Texas State line! The weather was cloudy and cool. We arrived at our home in Bellaire about 12:45. We had traveled 8867 miles during the summer by car. |
Back to Muskegon and Home-September 1-13
Harmony 2009
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