3 states of Shenanigans... We sure do get around!

 Monday July 28:

    It was another hot day, so we were both inside most of the day (I was working and Wes was working on video stuff).  We decided for dinner we would explore in the dinghy and head back to uptown to try out an ice cream place.  We went back to Scotty's Sandbar and each had a Coney Dog.  Then we went to Michigan Cream & Sugar for our dessert.  We each had a bubble cone.  They were great, but a little messy.  Here are some pictures of us in our slip at Wheeler Landing and pictures that we took as we went up river to Scotty's and Cream & Sugar.

 Tuesday July 29:

    Another day on the boat working on items.  Deb & Brownie invited us out for dinner, so Aunt Gay came and picked us up and we headed to a bar and grill in Auburn that has specials for Taco Tuesday.  It was good tacos, good margaritas, and good company.  We went back to the boat and had a quiet rest of our evening.

 

Wednesday July 30:

    We needed to get laundry done before we packed up to fly to Chicago on Thursday, so we went to Aunt Gay's house.  I worked while Wes did laundry and also a few home projects for Aunt Gay (installing a ceiling fan and a couple new video door bell cameras).  We then had burgers on the grill, fresh sweet corn and tomatoes and homemade potato salad.  We visited for a bit after dinner then back to the boat we went and had a relaxing evening.

Thursday July 31:

    We both got up and got packed.  I had some work to do before our flight, so I was working while Wes got everything else shut down on the boat and ready for it to sit for a few days while we were gone.  Gay came and picked us up around 1230.  We got to the airport easily and through security in no time.  I would fly out of MBS International Airport anytime!!!  We got to the gate and there was a small bar & grill type of place.  We shared some nachos while we waited, then on the plane we went.  It was a short flight to Chicago.  I swear we spent more time taxiing around O'Hare than we did in the air. 😂  My parents were in the cell phone lot, so once we got outside, we told them where we were.  They had no problems finding us and off to their house we went.  Traffic was heavy around the airport but then it thinned out and wasn't too bad.  We had a nice dinner with my folks and then played cards.  

Friday August 1:

    My sister Vicki came over around 8am and we went through last minute items to get ready for my dad's 80th birthday party Sunday.  Then off we went to Costco to do the last minute shopping.  Then Wes and I headed north to Viroqua, WI from there to his Aunt Janelle's house.  She was mowing when we arrived, so we went down to his grandpa's property and looked at the equipment, car, truck, etc. that was already out for the auction the next day.  We went back to Janelle's house, then once she was cleaned up, we headed to Timmer's 10 Mile in La Crosse for a fish fry.  It was nice to catch up some with the owners.  We found out they sold the bar and will be "handing it over" the beginning of September.  They are excited for the next chapter in their life.  One of the new owners was there and we visited with him a bit.  They are going to keep the name and keep everything the same except they are looking to expand the menu some.  It was a nice evening.  We went back to Janelle's and went straight to bed.

 

Saturday August 2:

    Wes was up a 0600 as the auctioneer was getting there at 0630 and there was still some work to be done before the auction.  I helped a little with a twin bed, but Wes really was the one who helped.  After Wes showered and got cleaned up, we headed over to the auction.  The auction went well.  Some things went for real cheap while others went high.  The few items we were considering went high, but we still went home with one of grandpa's shot guns, a generator and a sprayer.  After the auction we went with Janelle to grandpa's house.  There were a few pictures and a clock key that we needed to pick up.  Then we were back in the car to head back to Marengo, IL.  My son Johnny was there and already working on his laundry.  We had dinner, continued to work on Johnny's laundry, and played cards.  

 

 Dean Braizer, a long time friend of Wes' dad

 

 

Sunday August 3:

We got up and loaded up all the stuff for dad's birthday party, then headed to my sister Vicki's to get all the stuff that she had at her house.  Once loaded up, we all headed to Siem's park in Union to get everything setup and decorated.  We had a good turn out for dad's party.  Lots of visiting with family I don't see often and great food.  We then of course packed everything back up and cleaned up.  We then had a quiet evening at my parents house resting after a long day.

 

 

Big Water = Carnival Ride

 Monday July 21:

We were up early and ready to go so we pulled the anchor around 0615 and were on our way toward Mackinac Island area.  The sail boat race from Chicago to Mackinac Island was going on, so we saw many sailboats on our way.  Wes had to do a little "dodging" but it wasn't bad.  It was neat to see all the sailboats.  It was a nice ride.  We got some good pictures of the Big Mac bridge.  We arrived at Duncan Bay near Cheboygan, MI.  There were some people enjoying the nice weather so we heard the squeals of joy and laughter.  We had a nice dinner and a beverage on the aft deck then went in for a relaxing evening.  I got a few pictures of the beautiful sunset.

 

Tuesday July 22:

We both got up and joined our respective bible studies, then pulled and anchor and headed out around 0845 and headed to Presque Isle.  The weather forecast doesn't look good for travel tomorrow, so we are planning on staying at a marina for two nights and then we will see what the weather forecast says from there.  It was a little windy on the lake but not too bad until about 1330 and then the waves increased in size and we were bouncing quite a bit.  We arrived at the marina around 1600 and were happy to get tied up and out of the waves.  

 Wednesday July 23:

We stayed at Presque Isle State Marina for the day as the wind forecast was to be nasty and after our rough ride, we didn't want to get stuck in that again.  We made a trip across the street to get some ice cream.  It was delicious!!  I had meetings for work, but we hosted docktails with another looper couple that is just starting their loop, then participated in virtual docktails.  We stayed up a little bit to wind down, then off to bed.

 

Thursday July 24:

Another poor forecast, so another day at Presque Island State Marina.  We had some dark clouds, wind and rain come through in the early afternoon.  We had a quiet day on the boat.  Me working and Wes working on the videos and pictures.

 

 

Friday July 25:

After being in port for the last two days, we were ready to get underway.  We were up early and shoved off around 0630.  We made to Tawas around 1730 and stayed at Tawas Point State Park.  We walked up to the office, paid our bill then walked over to the Bikini Bar that is right on the beach.  They had some live music, so we went over and had a drink and listened for a bit.  We went back to the boat and enjoyed dinner on our aft deck.  As we were finishing dinner, a couple was walking by from Long Island and started asking about Toscana.  Turns out the did the loop a few years back and are now taking the summers and doing each of the great lakes.  We invited them aboard and had a nice visit.  We went inside before dark and relaxed before heading to bed.

 

 26

 

Saturday July 26:

We had a shorter day so we didn't shove off until 0730.  It was a nice day on the lake at first.  The winds picked up a bit and we were catching them on the port / bow quarter of the boat.  It wasn't too bad, but enough that Wes put up the sail.  The clouds continued to gather and then the rain came.  The last hour or so we go rained on and of course it rained pretty heave as we pulled into Wheeler Landing in Bay City, MI.  Our friends Deb and Brownie were waiting for us and helped get us tied up in our slip.  They then came inside out of the rain and we had a landing drink while we chatted.  The rain stopped and we walked up to pay our bill for our stay here and Wes's Aunt Gay showed up.  We went back to the boat and sat on the aft deck visiting until the rain came again.  We moved to the fly bridge and waited out the rain.  Gay went back home and then we got on Deb and Brownie's small boat and headed up river for dinner.  We had a nice dinner at Vinny's Pizza in Uptown then went to Scotty's Sandbar to enjoy a little live music and have one more drink.  We were all beat by that point and went back to the marina and went straight to bed.

 

 

Sunday July 27:

After a late night, we weren't moving too quickly.  Wes made breakfast and we had a quiet morning.  Wes was doing some picture/video work and I relaxed in my chair.  We went to the Rib Festival with Aunt Gay.  It was a HOT and humid day, but we walked around and checked out the vendors there, did some people watching (which was interesting) and got some ribs from three different competitors and then a sample plate from another with some smoked pork, chicken and shrimp.  We then went back to Gay's house, cooled off, and enjoyed our food.  It was delicious!!  Gay took us back to the boat where we were contemplating taking the boat up river a little ways to listen to the Trace Atkins concert, but it was still very hot so we stayed in. Gay went back home to have a quiet evening and once the sun went down, we went to the aft deck and listened to the concert from our slip.