Dock Party at the Condo

Tonight we had an "End to Summer" dock party. Some fifty or so residents of our condo complex showed up for a pot luck get together. To see more pictures go to http://venetianmariner.blogspot.com/
The food was excellent and for at least eight of us, the party continued into the next morning. Whew!
.
.
.

We Have A Fish On!

.

George and Judy's Grandson Wade enjoy some serious fishing from the dock in front of their condo. (Wendy's feet)

Releasing the catch is made easier since they are using a barbless hook.Click on the picture to enlarge the fish.

 .

.

.

Friends John and Cheryl Visit

Our friends John and Cheryl dropped in for a short visit today. Cheryl was participating in the Whirlpool Ironman Triathelon in Benton Harbor Michigan, a grueling 70 mile event. Unfortunately the lake was too rough for the 1.3 mile swim but she finished the 56 mile bicycle race and the 13 mile run. The weather was a little cooler than it has been and it was overcast so that helped but I still can't get over her incredible stamina. She is in great shape. Good going Cheryl!

Cheryl and John brought me an excellent gift of two clamp-on umbrellas which I have been trying out every day.
.
.
.

Huge Garage Sale 200 Miles Long.

 Click here to read about the huge sale.

Our fascination with garage sales has faded over the years, beginning when we had to clear out sixty or seventy years of accumulated treasure from Wendy's parents house and then especially after hosting our own sale ourselves this Spring. Our primary attraction to this particular sale was not only its immense size or the fact it was in USA (so the junk might be different from ours) but mainly because it is spread out over 200 miles so it allows a unique sightseeing opportunity. There are many laneways and driveways that are normally "off limits" to gunkholers, so when we saw this sale advertised, we absolutely HAD to attend.

Our first leg of the trip started Friday as we took the ferry boat from Sombra, Canada to Marine City, Michigan. "Walk-on" passengers disembark the ferry with their booze purchases from USA. This crossing is a little unique in that it is the only one I know of that allows the purchase of alcohol in the duty free shop on the US side and the importation of the hooch back into Canada at quite attractive customs rates. I think it works out that if you buy four cases you get the fifth one free.

 We were surprised to meet Cortney Anderson and her boyfriend Don. Cortney is a running mate of our friend Cheryl. They were on their way to Benton Harbor Michigan to participate in the Ironman Triathelon on Sunday.  What are the chances of meeting them?

Marine City is a very old town with an illustrious history in wooden shipbuilding. The homes here are very old and have been lovingly preserved and restored. A very fitting place to begin our Garage Sale Tour on Friday.

This lady was selling a very cute, live lizard from Iraq. Not today thanks.

 Can you believe we bought NOTHING?

In Port Huron we ended up Day One at a chance photo-op with the Wienermobile. I spoke with the young drivers who explained that their job was to drive around USA as ambassadors of good will for Oscar Meyer Wieners at the expense of Kraft Foods. There are apparently 6 of these wonderful cars around USA. 

Day Two (Saturday) we started from Port Huron and continued north up the Lake Huron shoreline. Lots of car traffic and tons of great exploring. This road always has stuff out for sale, even when there is no Garage Sales on.

Wendy enjoys a giant, frosted and bottomless A&W Root Beer in Lexington as we enjoyed a lunch break.

 
Although we covered only a portion of the 200 mile sale in the two days of our little excursion, we saw all kinds of interesting stuff and even after Day Two, we bought NOTHING. That's got to be a new record.

.
.
.

John and Linda Visit

It's always a treat to see our good friends John and Linda. They were on their way back to Grand Bend from the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt Pleasant west of Saginaw Michigan, a three hour drive from here. Yesterday was their wedding anniversary so they spent a couple days away.

.
.
.

Quay Street Brewery with Friends

Wendy's longtime, childhood friend Patricia called and said she and Greg were going to meet us in Port Huron at the Quay Street Brewery (pronounced kway). Good friends Jim and Judy from Grand Bend were going to meet us there too so, since this is one of my favorite spots, I was really looking forward to lunch today.

 Patricia at left, then Greg, then Jim on the right.

Wendy laughs with Judy. The weather was perfect and the food terrific as usual.

.

.

.

An Arts Festival in Lexington Michigan

Back in April I made reservations on line for a dock space at the Municipal Marina in Lexington Michigan. I rightly assumed that all the spaces would be taken because this weekend was the 33rd annual Lexington Fine Arts Street Fair where artists of all disciplines display their work in tent booths all up and down the main street. In past years we have always had no luck in getting a spot for our boat and have driven up by car. Reservations are essential for getting a slip at the marina.

When we arrived around 2pm on Friday the marina was already abuzz. I bought 150 gallons of diesel fuel at $4.09 and forked over $613 to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and after a “free” pump out we tied up port side at slip 34. I haven’t bought any fuel for a couple of years so I guess I didn’t do too badly. If I keep the engines down to around 1000 rpm the Phoenix gets about 4 miles to the gallon at around 6 knots. 


With a full house at the marina, it was PARTY TIME! Most of the party animals back their boats into their spots so they can step off the stern to the dock, where they have lawn furniture set up, some complete with canopies and tables covered with food and beverages. Some boats have huge sound systems that add to the party atmosphere. We purposely point the bow of our boat towards the dock ‘leaving the stern facing the open water. That way we can lower the dinghy when we want to, have a better view, and a little privacy when we sit out on the back deck. 

Artists of all types, from sculptors to painters to musicians exhibited their art in little tents all along and around the main street.
.
.
.

Hot, Hot Summer Days - Eggs and Fish anyone?

 File picture shows how hot the pavement has been getting lately!

The weather for July broke most records. The heat just keeps on coming. August has brought some relief but not much rain and the summer still really feels like summer.

Wendy drove back to London to take care of things and visit her mom Gene. I did a little casting off the back of the Phoenix. Tough work but I figure I should be doing something. Self portrait.

Trying to take a picture while manipulating a small 24 inch pike.Too small to keep. Pike are pretty bony and in water this warm they would probably taste a little swampy anyway. I was using a #0 red and white Daredevil. An old classic for catching pike in the weeds.

 .
.
.