Cruising Friends John and Cheryl Visit for the Weekend

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This weekend we thoroughly enjoyed hosting our good friends Cheryl and John from Toronto. They had planned it so that Cheryl could participate in the Brights Grove Olympic Distance Triathelon on Saturday. John drove here alone on Friday and stayed with us at our condo.  

John and I enjoyed a few rum drinks and talked until midnight on the Phoenix at our dock.

Cheryl drove down with her other athletic participant friends and stayed Friday night with her friend Courtney at Courney's parents home downriver in Sombra. She met up with us after the race on Saturday.

Saturday morning was the beginning of the 87th Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Sailboat Race which starts about three miles from the bridge out in Lake Huron. Hundreds of people line the shores of the St. Clair River to watch the boats parade out to the starting line. There are large festivities on either side of the river all weekend.

Wendy and John pose for a picture with some boats, the casino and the bridge in the background. It was already in the mid eighties by 10 am when I took this picture and we all thought of Cheryl who was swimming, biking and running in the Triathelon in this exceptionally hot weather. Fortunately it was overcast so the blast-furnace temperatures of the past  few days was abated somewhat. It was very still and sticky, humid though. We were all hot just standing, watching the boats. I don't know how Cheryl does it!

Here's the breakdown for the Triathelon that Cheryl participated in:

Olympic Distance Triathlon
Swim 1300m, Bike 40 Km, Run 10 Km

Cheryl and Tracy held the pace together.

The clock at the right shows the finish at three hours eleven minutes. Wow!

Cheryl was so hot she said she could no longer sweat. There wasn't a breath of wind and the humidity made it feel like 95. Over 100 people started out with 95 finishing. How do they do it?

Unwinding after the race.
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We took in the “Wing Dinghy” to Stokes Restaurant

On Thursday we took in the “Wing Dinghy” over to Stokes Restaurant for the 60¢ chicken wing special.  We had planned to meet our condo neighbors Gary and Ann who drove there. The wings were excellent as usual, even better with good friends who don’t care about how indelicately I scarf down my dozen wings.

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Main Street Gallery is located in Huron County, Ontario's West Coast, on Historic Main Street in the picturesque village of Bayfield. The shore of Lake Huron provides a perfect setting to feature the wonderful and creative work of several talented, award-winning Ontario artists and artisans.

We were pleasantly surprised when we returned at around 9 pm to find Wendy’s cousin Jim and his wife Linda waiting on the dock for our return.  Since the air conditioner was turned on in the boat, we stayed there and had a few drinks and much talk until they departed around midnight.

We learned that Jim and Linda have purchased the former Turner Gallery property in Bayfield from previous owner Brad Turner. Since they took over the store it has been called Main Street Gallery. They had been renting it for the past couple years so the transition to ownership was just cause for celebration.  I don't get paid to plug either Stokes OR Main Street Gallery, but both places are among my favorites, so visit both of them. You won't be disappointed!
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How Hot Can It Get?

  
Today was the first time I've ever seen the outside temperature display on my dashboard reading 100 F. It's pushing the AC to the limit.

We drove over to USA today to get my mail. Port Huron was all abuzz as they prepare for Saturday's 87th Mackinac Race, when more than 220 sailboats will compete to reach the island with the fastest time.  Port Huron will do its best to entertain the sailors, race fans and other visitors who converge on the city for its many pre-race attractions.

Back on the Phoenix at our dock at the condo, I work hard as usual on the computer doing this blog, reading email and working my projects. Of course one should consume copious amounts of liquid in this heat. Hmmm. I think we'll go over to Stokes because today is Thursday and they offer the weekly wing special.
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And I Thought It Was Hot Last Week!

This is hotter than the Caribbean! Aah! But that's what we wait the whole winter for... Right?

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In The Summer - When It Sizzles

Looking southwest from the Phoenix at dock; a lemon vodka soda in hand. Click to enlarge.

The AC on the old Phoenix is getting a workout today as I enjoy a sizzling hot  ninety five degree day just fishing and putting around in the dinghy. There is barely a breath of wind and the sail boats sit idle at their slips. Wendy has gone to London to visit her mom and I'm baching it with my condo buddy Gary.

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Trip To Grand Bend Cancelled

Our daughter Erin works for the St Clair Region Conservation Authority and she chose to spend some of her precious vacation time volunteering at the Pinery Provincial Park; where they are conducting a study of turtles through the University of Toronto. Erin, of course is in her element with this type of thing and doesn't consider if work. Using a canoe, the researchers go from sun up to sun down catching the reptiles and notching their shells with a coarse file. The notches are configured to represent numbers. After photographing and noting the turtles' physical features, they are then released back into the river. Erin plans to learn the ins and outs of this study and possibly conduct similar research for the Region of St Clair when she returns from her vacation or at some later date.

File photo of Grand Bend Harbour

We had originally planned to take the Phoenix to Grand Bend and visit Erin at the Pinery after picking up Andrew in the Bend. In spite of the fact it was a holiday weekend for both Canada and US, I was able to secure a slip for Sunday night at the Grand Bend Municipal Marina. I know the harbor-master Bob Roney and he had saved me a special, prime slip by the lawn near the office. I had even purchased a bottle of Crown Royal as a token of my gratitude to Capt. Bob. 

As we were getting the Phoenix ready for Sunday's forty-six mile journey on Friday, Erin arrived at the condo. She had been camping since Wednesday and was already longing for a hot shower and real food. In fact she decided to stay the whole weekend since a storm was in the forecast for Saturday night and a tent was not a good place to weather a storm, especially all by yourself, since the other researchers had already left for the long weekend. 

Erin loves all things outdoors so we spent some time fishing in our dinghy and Wendy and her went exploring nearby ponds and creeks. This development, of course negated the purpose of our voyage, which was to visit Erin at the Pinery. 

 Jake and Andrew came down on Sunday afternoon and we took the Phoenix out on Lake Huron for an enjoyable afternoon of fishing, drinking and eating. We really missed seeing John and Linda in Grand Bend. Oh well, nothing is etched in granite around here. Our summer plans are as variable as the July breezes.

Returning home, we pass condo neighbour Gary Stephenson's boat under the Bluewater Bridge. Click to enlarge.

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Happy Canada Day!

After fishing with Erin all day Wendy and I took the dinghy out to the end of the Winter Harbour to see the fireworks display.
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