The bow thruster is fixed! The bow thruster is fixed!

Did you ever see the movie The Jerk? There's a part where Steve Martin yells, "The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!  That's our family's favorite part.  We have often been overexcited about ordinary life.  Well, today is one of those days.  It's a red letter day for Aunt Aggie:
The bow thruster is fixed!!

Our bow thruster helps the boat turn to the left or right. This is especially important because we are a single engine trawler.  With just one engine, turning to the right is difficult.  Turning at all is a slow process with lots of backing up and stopping and asking for forgiveness as we come close to other boats and docks.

The bow thruster stopped working as we entered Lock #45 on the Trent Severn Waterway before we entered Georgian Bay, July 28.  So we have not had it for Georgian Bay, the North Channel and Lake Michigan.  That's a lot of entering marinas and asking for a left turn into a slip and help, please.

Today Arch came to our boat and reinstalled the bow thruster.  He just showed up at 3:30 pm, following a huge rain storm.  We had tried to make an appointment with Arch since last week.  However, he said he would try to come this afternoon, but we could not tie him down to a time.  We were so happy to see him.  I was oozing Southern charm to no effect.  He was a gruff, all business kind of guy.  Those people make me nervous.  Arch and George retired to our bedroom to look at the situation.  (The bow thruster is located beneath our bed.  Get those heads out of the sewer!)

I stood out on the cockpit in a light rain.  I could not help.  I could not read or use the computer.  I would be in the way if I did any activities.  So I decided to go for a walk.  I took our extra vegetables and fruit and set out to visit Donadee and Wayne on Always Home.  On the way I went by the bathroom and the laundry room. I was trying to kill time.  So I read the start of a Judy Blume book, a detective story, and several sections of The Truth about Cruises, an outdated tell all about tipping and sex and bad passengers on cruises.  I finally made my way to Always Home, and Wayne said George was looking for me.  George could not find the gear oil we had bought a couple of weeks ago.

I went quickly back to the boat.  Hooray!  Yippee!  The bow thruster was fixed and working.  We needed to oil it.  We need to check it after 5 - 10 hours of use.  Arch was much more relaxed by this point.  George paid him and thanked him, and we are celebrating now with gin and tonic.  Woohoo!

Tomorrow we are going to leave Aunt Aggie and go to Atlanta for a week.  It will be a short week in which we get to see Addie, Zoe (our granddaughters), Geva (George's mother), Katherine (my sister) and some friends.  The blog will stop for a week.  Please come back and read about our adventure down the inland rivers, starting September 18.

Note:  I'm sorry there are no photos today.  I was scared to ask Arch if I could take his picture.

Saving Money in Hammond, Indiana

We are staying at Hammond Marina about 20 miles south of Chicago.  We wanted to spend a few days closer in town at DuSable Marina, but it was very expensive, and we called too late to get a reservation there for the holiday weekend.  So Aunt Aggie is at Hammond for two weeks at a cost of $480.  That comes to about $1/foot/per day, which is a great rate.

Hammond has some advantages and disadvantages.  It is a huge marina with deep water and well maintained docks.  There are six men's and six women's bath and shower rooms near our dock.  There is a laundry room with washers and dryers for $1.00/load.  There is a huge casino next door with a delicious and bountiful buffet for about $18/person.

Hammond is not in the center of Chicago.  You can't walk anywhere fun from here.  There is no swimming pool. (We did spot a beach next door.)

In order to get to town, we read about and tried a witty plan.  We registered at Horseshoe Casino for the Total Rewards Program.  We were given blankets as a door prize.  We used our Total Rewards cards to sign in for the buffet on Friday night.  We also inquired about the casino's shuttle service to and from Chicago.  The casino picks up gamblers from several locations and brings them to Hammond.  There they can gamble because the casino floats.  It is not on land.

On Saturday we called Uber for a driver to take us to Chicago, so we could go to the Field Museum.  Rudy picked us up and took us to the museum. When it was time to go home, we walked to the Hyatt Regency and caught the casino shuttle for free.  When we disembarked, the driver gave us a blue paper ticket for a free ride back to Chicago.  The ticket was punched for three hours later because you are supposed to gamble for three hours at least before you get the free ride.  A casino employee also swiped our cards.

On Sunday Rudy took us to the Architecture Boat Tour.  We caught the shuttle back to Aunt Aggie.
When our cards were swiped, no one jumped out and said, "You did not gamble for three hours yesterday!"

Today we met Karen and John from Last Mango, some of our first looper friends, at Giordano's Pizza.  We ate delicious deep dish pizza:  sausage, mushroom and onion. We rode the shuttle both ways since we weren't going to town until the afternoon.

We really enjoyed seeing Karen and John again.  They had to stop their loop in Florida to come home to Chicago and take care of his parents.  We have kept in touch, and they urged us to call as we got to Chicago.  We are so glad we did.  They are doing great and may be able to start cruising again in January.  I hope they come through Georgia, and we can see them on the ICW around Savannah.

My camera could not get a photo where the name "Horseshoe"

stands out clearly.  The white, shiny blob is the name.

Architecture Boat Tour

We took the Architectural Boat Tour this morning with Sue and Dan.

Chicago is a vibrant city with rich history and a wide range of architectural styles.  When the Great Fire burned most of the city's buildings, architects stepped in to design new spaces.  "A great city deserves a great architecture" is a quote we heard on our tour.  As we wound our way through the Chicago river, under bridges, below a blue sky, we appreciated the variety of sky scrapers in the Windy City.

For many years the Sears Tower was the second tallest building in the world. 

The Trump Tower occupies a central spot in the downtown view today.

As we motored by, we spied a boat named  "Summer of George." How appropriate!

The Cloud Gate in Millenium Park attracts people with cameras. 

It is very cool to see your reflection as you take the photo. 

Also the city is reflected.

Inside the Cloud Gate, looking up. 

After the boat tour, we walked with Sue and Dan to Millennium Park.  It was full of people, and there was a jazz festival. We admired the Cloud Gate or Bean as it is called.  What a marvelous sculpture!
Then we said good-bye to our friends, who are heading down the rivers on Tuesday. We are full of questions about the next part of our journey.  Sue and Dan will answer some of these for us soon.

We met George's nephew, Scott, for lunch at Park Grill.  I felt happy that our reservation worked so well:  good timing and great spot and lovely park setting. We had brunch entrees and heard all about Scott's classes, internship and job.  He is a busy man.  We are so proud of Scott: He is doing a great job managing his life. We all walked to the Hyatt, where George and I caught the shuttle to the marina. We were tired and happy to sit on the air conditioned bus for the 30 minute ride.

George and Scott after lunch in Millennium Park.

Loving the Windy City

 Meet Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, in the Field Museum.

We had a great day in Chicago.  We slept well and woke at 6:30 am to meet Sue and Dan (Tranquility) for the Architectural Boat Cruise.  However, as we had breakfast, we heard thunder. Storms were coming.  We were so glad to be in Hammond Marina and not out on the lake.  We talked to Sue and Dan and decided to save the boat tour for tomorrow due to the weather.  

We called Uber and had Rudy take us to the Field Museum.  We've only used Uber a few times, but every time has been a good experience.  This was no exception.  We got there in about a half hour.  We enjoyed our time, especially learning all about Sue, who is named for the woman who discovered her bones in South Dakota.  This is the real skeleton, not a model.  We were impressed by what scientists are learning from Sue.  We also looked at other permanent exhibits.  I enjoyed exhibit of the birds: We have seen so many birds on our trip, new ones to me.  We also viewed the 3D movie of "The Galapagos." It was wonderful and informative about evolution.  

After a few hours at the Field Museum, we came out and found our bearings.  Immediately we also found a hot dog stand and ordered Chicago Dogs.  No ketchup:  You have to dance for ketchup.  But yes, tomato and pickle, onion and pepper. We walked along Lake Shore Drive, enjoying being by the lake and seeing the different marinas.  The wide walkways were a pleasure.  We spent a couple of hours walking slowly north.  

This is the view from the steps of the Field Museum.

My only complaint is about the ice cream.  The Illinois ice cream scoopers need to take a lesson from 

Canada and Michigan.  All this summer we have ordered one scoop of ice cream and paid from 

$1.85 - $3.00. Every time we received a huge cone with 2 - 3 scoops.  Today I ordered three scoops, which was the smallest option.  The girl scooped out three tiny scoops and charged me $4.40. Pitiful.

However, that's my only complaint for the day.

Around 2:00 pm we dropped in on Kathy and Kenny (No Zip Code) at Du Sable Marina.  They are good looper friends we have not seen since New York/June.  It was so fun to visit with them on their gorgeous boat.  They had just cleaned it in preparation for their daughter's visit.  I hope we will run into them as we travel on the rivers.  

We walked to the Hyatt Regency to catch the shuttle back to Hammond.  This is a casino shuttle that picks up gamblers in Chicago and delivers them to the casino beside our marina.  We were able to ride back to the boat for free.  Woohoo!

We made it to Chicago!

 This tiny fellow rode along with us across the lake to Chicago.

Woohoo!  We made it across the lake today.  We are tucked into Hammond Marina in Indiana, about 20 miles south of Chicago.  We are finished with our Lake Michigan travels.  Yahoo!  We did have a lovely week of trips on the southern part of the lake, but we are still glad to be finished with this section.  

This morning we took off at dawn, following Nearly Perfect and Spirit.  We had gentle swells behind us all the way across the lake.  Our speed was from 8.5 to 9 mph, which is really good for us.  It was a peaceful crossing.  They travel about 10 mph, so they arrived before we did and grabbed our lines at the dock.  Thank you!

A tiny yellow bird flew into the back porch of the boat and rode all the way across with us.  She gave me lots of entertainment.  I watched her hopping around, snagging insects.  She ate a bunch.  She did not eat flies though, and lots of flies came on the trip too.  Another sparrow joined us half way through, and the two birds shared the back porch.  They ignored each other and both feasted on flying insects. I could not get the two of them in the same photo.

Making herself at home

We were lazy this afternoon once we got settled into our slip, put on the window coverings, and retrieved the bow thruster motor from the office, which must be a mile from the slip.  Did you hear that?  Our bow thruster is fixed and was returned to us today! We hope a mechanic will reinstall it on the boat on Tuesday.  

We spent time making plans for the Chicago weekend ahead of us.  We had FaceTime with Addie and Zoe.  Then we went to Horseshoe Casino next door for the buffet dinner.  It was delicious! So much food.  We just ate fun stuff. 

Tomorrow we are meeting Dan and Sue from Tranquility to take the Architectural Boat Tour and have lunch.  We are also going to visit with Kenny and Kathy on No Zip Code.  We haven't seen them in a couple of months.  We're excited about being here and so proud to have conquered (?) or at least survived Lake Michigan.

We saw our boats from the window of the casino restaurant.  

Aunt Aggie is on the right, facing the camera.

The Penultimate Day on Lake Michigan

When we travel long distances, I sit on the floor in the salon and play solitaire 

until I win.  This is my winning game today.

We left Saugatuck as soon as dawn arrived, around 7:10 am.  When we came out into the lake, it was fine:  The waves were just one foot.  Yahoo!  We were off for Benton Harbor, 45 miles south.  This was our next to last day on the lake.  We had a couple of quiet hours.  Then the waves rose to two feet and then to three.  They were always on our bow.  Even as they became bigger and bouncier, they weren't scary.  I could always move around the boat and fix drinks and snacks and go to the bathroom downstairs.  So it was a good day on the lake.  

We entered Benton Harbor around 12:30 pm.  We called our marina, West Basin, on channel 9.  No answer.  We called on channel 16.  No answer.  I called on the telephone and got a message.  Hmm.

I went outside and prepared for a starboard tie even though we did not have any docking information.  The marina had seemed attentive earlier this morning when I called to make the reservation, so this was puzzling.

Finally, we entered the marina and still had no instructions.  We tied up to a pole at the entrance.  I got off the boat and went to the gas dock.  No one was there.  I went to the marina office.  No one was there.  Had the Rapture occurred here in Benton Harbor?  Outside in the back I found the manager and dock hands having lunch.  It was a celebration because this is the last day the dockhands will work.  (Were they working??) They are returning to college tomorrow.  It was weird, however, that they had no phone or radio at the table.  

Andrew, the manager, came back with me and helped us get into a slip.  Then he and George and I grabbed the lines for our friends, Nearly Perfect and Spirit.  

We had lunch and naps.  There is just time to clean the boat before going over for a picnic supper with our buddies.  Tonight Georgia Tech is playing the first football game of the season.  Woohoo!  We will try to find it on tv and surely be able to stream it on radio.  Fall is coming. 

Tomorrow we are going across the bottom of the lake to Hammond Marina, south of Chicago in Indiana.  We'll keep Aunt Aggie there for two weeks as we explore Chicago and also visit Atlanta.

Another attempt to show the waves splashing on Aunt Aggie.  

See the water on the right?

Saugatuck, MI

 As we motored down the Kalamazoo River, we entered Saugatuck, and saw these wonderful homes.

This morning the forecast was for winds 9 - 14 mph and waves 1 - 3 feet high.  We wanted to go to Benton Harbor, which is really at the southern end of the lake.  It would be a 7 hour trip.  We pulled out of Holland's harbor around 8:00 and were immediately struck by the 3 foot waves on our bow.  It was not a quiet day.  So we decided to just go to Saugatuck about 10 miles south.

 Saugatuck is a creative and charming village of artists and shopkeepers and wine merchants. After doing laundry and accounting, we ate lunch and called the bus to pick us up. The bus arrived at the marina in 15 minutes and delivered us to downtown. Isn't that amazing? We stopped at a man's house to get him on the way.  Saugatuck has had this bus service since 1980.  The cost is $1/ride.  We are now senior citizens, so we rode for $0.50.

Get on the bus, Gus.

We enjoyed looking in the shops.  Our favorite was Jeff Blandford's Gallery.  He creates modern ceramics and fine art.  We couldn't buy anything since we are on the boat, and it would break.

I love his colors.

A bit more walking, and we found the soda fountain in the drugstore.  I had a chocolate shake, and George had a Fuzzie, similar to a Blizzard with soft ice cream and crushed candies.  The servings were huge, so that might be supper.  

During the school year the fountain is only open on the weekends.

After a couple of hours downtown, we called the bus and returned to the marina. This time there were several people riding.  We stopped to pick up an older woman.(Even older than we are!) I was struck by how kind and patient the bus driver was.  He got out to help her use the lift.  Everyone on the bus was relaxed.  No one was irritated or feeling in a hurry.  Choosing your bus drivers is important in a place like this.  

Then we went swimming.  After only swimming twice in Canada, we have now been in pools for the past three days.  Yes, the water is chilly.  But it is delightful. We had our books and wine and the pool pretty much to ourselves.  We finished the afternoon with hot showers in the marina's facility.  Now we are back on Aunt Aggie.  

We hope to go to Benton Harbor tomorrow and then on to Chicago.  I hope we have calm seas on Thursday.