Upon our return, it was a scramble, getting the boat cleaned up, organized, and the guest staterooms ready. We had very special guests coming to see us, and Toscana. Toscana's previous owners of 26 years, Merlin and Fatima Baenen recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, and after 4 years and a couple invites, decided that wanted to come see Toscana atleast one more time. I don't believe they had any doubts, but they can both rest easy with their own eyes, seeing she will be well cared for in the years to come.
First off, here is the link to their front page article in the Green Bay Press Gazzette: Anniversary
After all the prep work, we settled down for their arrival on Tuesday. At 94 and 89, they just packed their bags and jumped in the car to drive over from Green Bay. They actually got off I90 a couple exits early. The I90 ALT signs kinda had them confused. They were in front of the Office Depot. I said you wait right there I know where you are I'll come get you! They followed me back to North Bay Marina, and after a quick potty stop at the bathrooms, we went to work unloading their gear and getting them settled. They both remarked how nice it was to see the "brightwork" (teak railings, stairs, accents, etc) varnished up like new again. Merlin brought some fresh vegetables, and a case of wine from his vineyard. Amy made her scratch alfredo sauce, with chicken and broccoli... Plus we had to have some of that fresh sweet corn as well!
Wednesday we got up, enjoyed a great breakfast, and took them out for a nice ride down to Brownsville, and then back up to Lock 7, and back to the marina. A beautiful day, fairly calm water, just couldn't ask for much more!
You may notice Merl needed a hat, and I had the perfect one for him. One of my custom CO hats. After all, he was CO of this vessel long before me! After our cruise we piled in the car, and took them to Grandad's Bluff, a beautiful overlook over La Crosse! Pictures don't do it justice!
We returned for a nice supper of soup, corn, tomatoes, and some leftover alfredo, capped off with some wine on the aft deck with a sunset!
Thursday they got up, we enjoyed a nice breakfast, but it was time to head home. Merlin could have stayed a month I believe, but Tima was ready to get home. She loved the boat, but she struggles with seasickness. On top of that, they lost one of their sons in 2018 (fall before I bought Toscana) to a sudden stroke. Toscana holds much joy, and also much sorrow for them. We love them like they were part of our own family! This is also the joy of keeping the name Toscana... when I get asked about it I get to tell the story of these two wonderful people!
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