Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the US we R!

I topped off our oil today.  It's just something I do.

See my new haircut?  It's called "Just Cut it off Please."

Part 1, written at Blind River Marina:
This morning we awoke at 5:00 am, ate breakfast, read our newspaper, and prepared to leave.  At 7:00 am when I went out to pull up the electrical, the world was white.  We were fogged in.  We decided to wait for a while.  Two trawlers have now exited.  A Coast Guard boat left to replace a channel marker for this harbor.  Rain is predicted for 10:00 am, so we are waiting to see how strong that is.  The fog is mostly gone now at 9:00 am.  George is working a bit.

Fog behind my favorite trees at Blind River Marina

I straightened the interior in preparation for our Customs agent's boarding.  Then I went out to sweep up spiders.  There was a group of guys standing near our bow, talking about the weather and comparing what they had seen on radar for this morning.  I listened in because you can't overthink the weather, can you?  Then I took the opportunity to bring out a light bulb that needs to be replaced.  Darrell, the marina owner, drove me to the hardware store.

As we drove, I asked Darrell about the town.  Blind River has 3800 residents.  They have three elementary schools and two high schools.  One of the elementary and one of the high schools is French.  Isn't that interesting?  Parents choose where to send their children to school.  He said this is typical in Ontario and eastward to Quebec and Montreal.

Part 2, written at Drummond Island Yacht Basin:
After the fog lifted, a thunderstorm came through Blind River.  We waited to leave until 10:50 am.  A powerful incentive for hitting the road was that our Atlanta friends, Cathe Echterhoff and Tom Branch, are meeting us tomorrow in St. Ignace, Michigan.  So as soon as the rain tapered off, we pulled off our electricity and our lines and headed out.

The drive to Drummond Island was quiet and boring.  We went 45 miles across open water, but there was scarcely a ripple.  In fact, at times the water was glassy. Boring is preferable to terrifying and exciting, however.

On the way to Drummond Island with a quiet sea.

We came into Drummond at 4:15 pm, and the customs agent came aboard.  He asked a few interesting questions:
Had we bought anything in Canada?  Crutches, boot, and one small piece of art.
Did we buy groceries? Yes.
Did we have any eggs? Yes.  He told us he did not want to take our eggs, but he wanted us to hard boil them to protect against avian flu that is present in both Canada and the US.  I think we will have an omelet tonight instead, but we'll get the same result.

All business and polite, our customs agent stayed outside the boat.

Our customs interview was short and sweet, and then I checked in at the marina.  This is a tiny, quiet village with two restaurants a few miles down the road.  Do I want to rent a car and go out for dinner?
Since George is hobbling around, we will eat on the boat.

Tomorrow we will travel to St. Ignace and see Cathe and Tom.  Woohoo!  Friends from home!  Cathe wrote that she has wine and cookies.  Sounds delicious.  We will enjoy being with them and going out for dinner.  They will return to Traverse City on Sunday, and we will tour Macinac Island.  We'll go on the ferry.  We've heard that winds and currents make that an uncomfortable port.