Friends and Scenes in Chicago

Tony and Glenda Nazarowski with son and daughter (friends of ours and Rory and Becca) stopped by to see us last Saturday. Tony is a computer guru and Glenda is an air traffic controller.

Great view of downtown Chicago from the planetarium.

The centerpiece of the Melennium Park is the Bean, a polished stainless steel piece of artwork about three stories high and about 50 feet wide.

Joy @ Sea moored in front of downtown Chicago in Monroe Harbor.

Very pleased with our Ziess lens/8.1 megapixel camera which captured this nighttime shot of the city

Former colleague, Craig Olney, and his wife, Day, with whom we dined on the Chicago waterfront and recalled our earlier boating "adventure" when in Kansas City about 35 years ago. They are avid boaters, spending whole summers in Canada on their 38 foot sailboat in the North Channel

Still in Chicago

The Illinios River is still above flood stage 180 miles south of here. So we're going to wait another couple of days before heading down the river. We will be attending Willow Creek Community Church's downtown location tomorrow, just a few block from our dock in Monroe Harbor.

The next post will have several pictures of the Chicago waterfront area plus friends who stopped by to see us while we have been at this magnificent port.

One Week in Chicago and Counting

Son, Troy, and daughter-in-law, Sara, onstage at the debut of the Art-Music-Justice Tour in Wheaton, Illinois over the weekend. Check out their full tour schedule at http://www.saragroves.com/, including a concert in Minneapolis on September 30th.

The rivers South of here are still swollen. Looks like another couple of days before we will be heading into the 1300 miles of rivers on our way to the Gulf of Mexico.

But what a place to wait things out! Chicago weather has been spectacular for all of the 7 days so far. And I used this time to run up to Minneapolis to take care of some winterizing duties at the house. And, as it worked out, Marlene decided to stay here and spend time with her girlfriend, Sandi Robertson, who took the train down from Minneapolis to experience the downtown shopping and restaurant mecca that it is.

How I got from Chicago to Mpls and back? What a coincidence. Troy and Sara had their first performance of the Art/Music/Justice Tour in Wheaton, Illinois, last Friday along with several other artists like Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken and Charlie Peacock. The bus was headed back to Minneapolis that night and I bummed a ride with them. Then they dropped me off at the Marina back in Chicago about 4:00am this morning as the tour continued to Atlanta this weekend.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Rory and Becca were able to join us last night so we could tour Chicago together and, would you believe it, see Sara and Troy at the debut of their Fall concert series which starts tomorrow night in Wheaton, Illinois.

Took this picture of Joy @ Sea (middle) from high atop the ferris wheel on Navy Pier, downtown Chicago.

Chicago skyline as we arrived yesterday.

Flooded Rivers further South

Good thing we have a week here. About 30 loopers are stranded at various places down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. They had 11 inches of rain over a three day period which flooded the rivers. Should be OK in a few days.

The Admiral Wanted You to See This

Bought this umbrella at a Rotary fund raiser in Florida. It came in handy the last few days. Can you see the duck bill on the front?

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

We cruised to Ludington, then to Grand Haven, then to South Haven, Michigan. about 100 miles in all. Got holed up in South Haven for three days in the rain. But we did have an opportunity to visit a great little AG church in South Haven (First Assembly) where a group of Teen Challenge guys gave their testimony of how God delivered them from a life of drugs and alcohol. I've heard these type testimonies before and and always come away inspired by the work of Teen Challenge and the power of God to change lives. After the service was over, we enjoyed a great pot luck dinner.



Today we arrived in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan on the flooding St Joseph river. Currently we are tied up to the fuel dock for the night since getting into a slip is too risky with the current flowing as fast as it is.



A good weather forecast for the next few days will make our time with the next young couple all the more enjoyable as we do Chicago together!

And yes, Jamie, you are the one we were thinking of. Congratulations to you and Lance on the news of a new arrival planned for next Spring!

Ludington to Grand Haven

Smooth travel for the 50 miles of travel today! Gave us time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of sand dunes which line the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan. One would think we are back in Florida with all the beautiful beaches. If you Minnesotans haven't been to this area, it would make for a great little vacation trip. You could drive to Milwaukee and take the fast ferry to this side of the lake for a few days of fun in the sun on an ocean-like beach. (better make that next year)

I just heard someone is expecting. Maybe she will post a comment and let us know when the due date is.

Frankfort to Ludington

We planned to cross over to the West side of Lake Michigan. But the big waves rolling in from the South changed our plans to stay on the East side of the Lake. The reason to go to the West side is to get the protection of the Western shore, since prevailing winds are from the West. But since the winds are from the South mostly this week and next, staying on the East side is a toss up. Great little town of Ludington with a restaurant named PF Steamer that has great meat loaf!

Some recent Pictures

This is where we went to church last Sunday, First Congregational Church of Frankfort, Michigan. The place was almost full but I didn't get an interview.

Brother (Larry) and sister (Marlene) at the Charlevoix Marina. No matter the age, family matters a lot, especially when going through tough times.

The shopping in Petosky is great! They have a few of these benches around for the husbands.

Husband and wife Larry and Judy Frick. Sunset at the Charlevoix Harbor. We were so glad we could be with them again for a few days.

Charlevoix, Mi to Frankfort, Mi

After holding at the marina for two weather days in Charlevoix because of winds, we decided to go for it on Saturday to try to reach Frankfort about 65 miles down the coast. We made it, but not without a fight. The waves were much higher than forecast, largest we've encountered so far. Fortunately, it was head-on into the waves instead of from the side (beam). So it was mostly a matter of plowing through them for about 6 hours of the 8 hour trip. About an hour from our destination, one of the lines holding our tender boat in the back broke loose. So the Admiral took the wheel into the waves while I went aft to make a temporary repair. It's fixed now, better than ever.

Sunday we attended the First Congregational Church of Frankfort. Good service with a full crowd of people, mostly seniors. They had a reception for visitors at the end of the service where we met a couple who had taken the Loop as well as another couple who were planning the Loop starting next week.

Today was another wind/weather day which permitted Marlene to do some reprovisioning and me to repair one of our Vacuflush heads.

Tomorrow we head for Ludington, Mi., weather permitting.

Plan B Activated

This was one of the many summer homes we saw in Petoskey, Michigan.


About Plan B

We were planning to head for Frankfort, Michigan today.(Plan A) But as we entered Lake Michigan, the wind and waves were just too much for our comfort, so we decided to turn back and enjoy another day or two at the beautiful Charlevoix Marina. They also have cable TV so we can continue to watch the exciting Republican Convention.

Free advice for boaters who do this trip: Allow for weather days and don't have the attitude that you must go on because you are tough and can handle it. We've heard too many stories of miserable experiences surrounding the "get there itis" syndrome. We learned that on Lake Ontario.

Charlevoix, Michigan

Good weather permitted us to go the full 65 miles to Charlevoix, Michigan instead of the originally planned stopover at Beaver Island. I have heard about this beautiful little town on the East Coast of Upper Lake Michigan for many years. It is the hometown of most members of the Way Family, connected to us through Judy (Way) Frick, (Larry Frick's bride of 40 years this year). The Way families are very active in the community through several businesses (manufacturing, trucking, and home building). They are also strong supporters of their church, Charlevoix Assembly of God.

Another big reason for us to go to Charlevoix was to get to spend more time with Larry and Judy, only three weeks following the passing of their son, Trent. They arrived from Minneapolis about the same we did and were with us on the boat us for a couple of days. (See picture above)

Dawson Way and his wife, Joan, went on this same 6000 mile cruise route back in 1991 when it was rarely done. He was one of the people who inspired to us to take the cruise. They were very hospitable to us while we were in Charlevoix, including loaning us their car to make provisioning runs and putting on a great steak dinner before we left.

While here, we visited two other resort communities with Larry and Judy: Boyne City (by boat) and Petoskey (by car).