Toscana returns to Green Bay

 Monday, September 7:

We got up and got the boat ready for travel.  We pulled our anchors around 0800 and headed to Green Bay.  It was a beautiful day on the water!  The bay was smooth as glass.  I sat on the bow in my antigravity chair soaking up the sun and reading.  We arrived at Green Bay Yacht Club around 1445.  We got in our slip (it was a tight fit).  They only had a 30 amp plug, so we made due with just one leg for power since it wasn't overly hot.  Merle and Tima were there waiting for us to arrive.  They brought us some of Merle's wine and fresh veggies from their garden.  We shared them with Gvit a Go and Morning Sun.  Scott, Joan, Al, John Barnes, Merle, Tima and us all sat on the dock and enjoyed visiting and having some beverages.  We said our "goodbyes for now" then went inside and had dinner.  Then we walked over to visit Aaron and his girlfriend Erica.  We called it a night around 2200 and went to bed.

 

Tuesday, September 8:

Wes got up and did his bible study.  I overslept!  It was an overcast/rainy morning and I slept right through mine.  I took the day off work, so I enjoyed a lazy morning in bed.  I got up and showered then went up and checked my emails.  Wes was doing some computer work.  Around 1700 we went over to the lighthouses to visit with the guys.  Al, Terri, Scott and Joan also came and did tours of the lighthouses.  We had some beverages with the guys, then went up to the clubhouse to have dinner with Al, Terri (Morning Sun), Scott, Joan (Gvit a Go), Chip, Janet (We Got This), Gordon, Jim and Tammy (Live the Dash).  We enjoyed Mexican night.  The food and beverages were good but the stories and conversation were better.  After dinner, we hung out at the bar.  Everyone slowly peeled away, and once again we got caught on that fun wheel and ended up being the last ones to leave with Jim and Tammy.  We went back to the boat and went right to bed as it was about 2400.

 

Wednesday, September 9:

I got up and started working.  Wes did some computer work.  Then he helped Gvit a Go and Morning Sun fuel up via a fuel truck.  Later in the afternoon, Wes went over to visit with John and Cathy Barnes.  I joined them once I was done with work.  Then Scott and Joan joined us a well.  Then we all got in John's vehicle and they took us to Cranky Pat's for dinner.  We enjoyed some thin crust pizza with LOTS of toppings.  After dinner, they drove us around Green Bay some and we went around Lambeau Field.  Then we went back to the marina.  We decided to go up to the clubhouse for a beverage or two.  We visited with Chip some and some other locals.  We called it a night around 2100, went back to the boat and went to bed. 

Thursday, September 10:

I got up and started working.  We relaxed some on his tablet and had more of a "down day." which he definitely deserved!  During my lunch break, I cooked up some tomato soup from the fresh tomatoes Merle and Tima brought us.  I also made up some cucumber salad.  The soup didn't turn out as good as my dad's, but for my first attempt, I thought it turned out good.  Then after I was done working, we met up with Scott and Joan at the clubhouse for dinner as it would be the last night we'd see them in a bit as they left the next morning.  We enjoyed dinner, drinks and great conversation.  Joan was a trooper, as she had limited choices of what to eat and couldn't drink alcohol as she had a tooth pulled that morning and was also on antibiotics.  It was still a great evening!  We called it a night around 2100 and went back to the boat and then went to bed.

Friday, September 11:

Wes got up and assist Scott and Joan (Gvit a Go) in getting a pump out and filled their water tanks before leaving. I got up and started working.  Gvit a Go had a nice ride up to Little Sturgeon Bay where they anchored out in front of Pete and Cheryl's house.  Once I was done working, we went up to the clubhouse and enjoyed a fish fry with John and Cathy Barnes.  They called it a night after dinner.  We stayed and hung out with Heather (she was one of our bartenders last year that we stayed in touch with).  Well, we got stuck on that fun wheel again and didn't get back to the boat until about 0200.  

 

Saturday, September 12:

Neither of us were moving to fast the next day.  We stayed in bed most of the day, then went and sat on the dock for a bit until Merle came and picked us up and took us out to their place.  We had a nice visit, saw their garden (and got a few more veggies), then we went back up to the house and enjoyed dinner.  Merle took us back to the boat around 2000, where we relaxed by watching some TV before heading to bed.

Sunday, September 13:

We got up and relaxed some, watched church and had some tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch.  We watched the Bears game (Wes watched the Brewers on his tablet).  Then we went up to the clubhouse to watch the Packer game.  The place was full, but it was nice to visit with people we hadn't seen yet.  We enjoyed a nice chicken dinner and some beverages.  We stayed for a bit after the game ended and visited some more before calling it a night around 2100 and heading back to the boat and to bed.

Exploring the UP

 Monday, August 31:

Wes got up around 0610 and I was up shortly after him.  It was foggy and the wind apps weren't matching, but we decided to head out to Petosky.  Scott and Joan helped us with our lines, then we were off around 0710.  It was a little lumpy at first, but not too bad.  It was definitely foggy and rainy though.  We had our lights on and fog horn on for most of the morning.  I tried to get pictures of the Mackinac Bridge in the fog.  Once we went under the Mackinac, the water leveled out and it was smooth waters.  The fog and rain quit around 1000, and when we turned south around the shoal, the waters were still pretty good.  What waves there were we were taking primarily on the bow.  We arrived in Petoskey around 1500 and got secured.  When I was done working, Ted and Kim (Pony) came and picked us up to drive us all to Mike and Lori's place in Boyne City.  We enjoyed some pulled pork, beverages, games and great conversation. 

 

 

Tuesday, September 1:

We both got up and did our respective bible studies.  The we walked over the visited with Ted and Kim (Pony) for a bit.  We dropped our lines around 1045 and headed to Beaver Island.  It was a little foggy yet, but the water was smooth.  As we were crossing Lake Michigan, the fog came up around 1300.  As quickly as the fog rolled in, it disappeared around 1415.  We arrived at Beaver Island around 1530 and got secured.  After I was done with work, we took the scooters down and went exploring the island.  We went to the lighthouse, saw Font Lake, and walked on the sandy beach.  We saw some deer as we were going along.  Then we stopped at Beachcombers for a beverage.  From there we went to Beaver Island Lodge and have a beverage there and took in the lake views.  Then back to the boat for dinner on our aft deck.  Al and Terri from Morning Sun stopped by for a quick drink and visit.  Then we went inside and watched some baseball before heading to bed.

 

Wednesday, September 2:

We got up and got the boat ready for travel.  We dropped our lines around 0700 to make our way to Fayette, MI.  It was a little lumpy in spots and we had some rain, but overall, not a bad day to travel.  It was a long day (we got spoiled with our short trips in Canada, so an 11 hour travel day felt very long.  We arrived at Fayette around 1800 and got secured.  Tim and Sarah on Black Diamond and Steve and Allison on Betty Mae were there on the dock to greet us.  We setup chairs on the dock to visit.  Shortly after us, Zach and Karen on Vortex arrived and they joined us on the dock.  We sat out and enjoyed the evening while having a few beverages.  We stayed out until after dark.  I tried to take pictures of the sky but they didn't turn out.  The stars were amazing.  You could easily see the Milky Way.  We called it a night around 2200 and went inside, watched a little baseball then went to bed.

 

Thursday, September 3:

We were a little slow getting up, but we got moving and I started working.  Wes did some computer work then visited with Betty Mae (Steve and Allison) before they departed.  Then he realized that Mick on Phantom had arrived and they visited for a bit.  During my lunch break, we went up to the visitor's center and looked around.  Then we looked around the old town and buildings.  Back to the boat for me to finish working, then we all went to Port Bar for dinner and drinks.  It was Black Diamond (Tim and Sarah) Vortex (Zach and Karen), Phantom (Mick) and us.  Then back to the boats where we set out our chairs on the dock and enjoyed some beverages and conversation.  It was getting quite cool and buggy as the sun went down, so we packed things up as it was getting dark and all went inside.  We watched some TV then headed to bed.

 

Friday, September 4:

We woke up and it was raining.  We had a short run, so we waited until about 1030 to drop the line and take off.  The rain had stopped and the sun came out, so we thought it would be a good day.  Mick went up on the bluff and got a great picture of the three of us leaving (Black Diamond, Vortex and us).  It was a bit lumpy as there were 3 footers that we were taking on.  We arrived in Escanaba around 1430 and got tied up.  We met a local gold looper Rich on C-Bird II.  We all gathered on Black Diamond and enjoyed snacks, beverages and lots of stories.  Zach on Vortex made some jambalaya, so as it got dark, the group moved over to Vortex to hang out.  We called it a night around 2400 and went to bed.

 

Saturday, September 5:

We got up and Wes did some computer work.  Then he visited some before returning the key then back to the boat to get ready for travel.  We dropped our lines around 1015 and made our way to Sisters Bay where we were anchoring for the night.  It was us, Black Diamond, Vortex and Gvit a Go.  We arrived around 1430 and got all rafted together.  Black Diamond, Gvit a Go and we put out anchors.  After we got all settled, we dropped our dinghy and so did Black Diamond.  Tim and Sarah took Zach and Karen in their dinghy and Scott and Joan came with us.  We went into town to check out the festivities. We checked out the craft vendors then ended up at Stabbur Beer Garden.  We enjoyed the view, some beverages and conversation.  We ended up just grabbing dinner there.  Tim and Sarah went with their friends up the hill for dinner.  As the sunset, the temperature dropped and we headed back to our boats.  Then Scott, Joan, Wes and I enjoyed the fireworks on our aft deck while Tim, Sarah, Zach and Karen watched next to us in their dinghy (they were just getting back as they started).  We had a perfect view and it was a great fireworks display.  Zach and Karen called it a night early, but we enjoyed a couple more beverages with the rest on our aft deck.  We called it a night around 2200 and went to bed.

 

Sunday, September 6:

We got up and decided to make some breakfast before taking off.  So Wes cooked some sausage, hashbrowns and eggs on the griddle and Joan cooked some bacon and pancakes.  The other 4 didn't want breakfast so the four of us enjoyed breakfast on our aft deck.  We relaxed a bit, I did the dishes and Wes secured the dinghy.  We un-rafted and pulled our anchors around 1100.  Gvit a Go and us were heading to Egg Harbor to anchor out.  Black Diamond went to Sturgeon Bay and Vortex headed to Fish Creek to anchor.  We arrived at Egg Harbor around 1330.  We anchored then Gvit a Go anchored next to us and we rafted up.  Then we dropped our dinghy and the four of us went into town to explore.  There were some cute shops and a couple places that had some wine tastings.  We both bought some wine.  We walked by the sausage festival and stopped at the Mexican restaurant for a beverage.  Then we got back in the dinghy and went back to the boat where we enjoyed more beverages on the bow of Gvit a Go and watched a beautiful sunset.  We went inside and had some soup Joan made, then we called it a night.