South along the Chesapeake Oct 15 - 16

On Wednesday we left the great hospitality of Mike and Ginett and went back to the boat. Mike drove us there and decided to take the day off work and joined us for a sail around the Annapolis area. The winds were light but it was beautiful and peaceful out on the water. We also did some engine adjustments that I hope cure an intermittent stalling issue. It was interesting to watch around us as large schools of tiny fish would stir up the water around the boat and then a whole bunch would start leaping into the air. Pretty cool.

In the evening we rowed over to Annapolis and had a Pizza supper.

Up early this morning for a longer day of about 48 miles. We filled up with diesel, water in the tanks and pumped out the holding tank - a fresh start to the day! Ahhh!

The trip was quite gentle. We wanted to head out today because tomorrow is a small craft weather warning and we have heard that this body of water can get pretty nasty because of how shallow it is. We arrived at our anchorage at Solomons Island, Maryland around 4pm. We were too tired and hungry to go out exploring but we did launch the dinghy and buzz around the local area after dark. Christopher really likes our little dinghy excursions and we hope to explore the area tomorrow. It is great to sit here in the cockpit writting this. We have not had internet access at many anchorages, so this is a bit of a treat. Christopher even got to do a bit of You Tube surfing!

A big Happy Birthday to our niece Sarah, living in Australia now!

On to Annapolis! And Washington! Oct 12-14

With another stunning morning we headed further down the Chesapeake. Our first stop there was an anchorage just outside of Baltimore. There we met our friend Mike Steiner, his wife Ginett and his dad Harry. We picked them up and went for a late afternoon sail around the area. More sun than wind so it was a peaceful afternoon. The next morning we went a bit further to Annapolis where we were amazed at the huge flotilla of sailboats going to a fro. When we got there we were lucky to pick up a mooring ball. The world famous boat show was in its last day and a couple of moorings had come open. With a few hours left in the show we decided to go and see what it was all about. Wow – it really is a big boat show. A modest estimate would suggest there is at least a gazillion dollars worth of boats there, and tons of other boat stuff. It was worth going in to soak up the boat world atmosphere.

Later that night Mike and Ginett picked us up in their car and we all went out for a fantastic seafood dinner. Afterwards we went back to their house to spend a few days on land – very odd after a whole month living on the boat! Nothing moved in the house all night!

In the morning Mike dropped us off at the subway train and we headed off to tour Washington DC. We hadn’t really planned to do this but it was a wonderful side trip on our adventure. Another “boat schooling” field trip. We took in as much as we could going to places like the White House, Washington Monument, Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian venues. The Museum of Natural history was a real hit and we spent most of the afternoon there being immersed in some great exhibits. Afterward it was back to Mike and Jinett’s for a BBQ feast! What a day on land and what fabulous hosts!! By the way - who won the election?...its not making the news here.

(If you look back to Oct 9 posting we were able to upload a video clip of some of our time out on the ocean.)

Cohansey River, C&D Canal, Chesapeake City and our first stop on Chesapeake Bay

October 10th and 11th

This blog will be a little out of date by the time we post it, because we’ve been anchoring and the wireless possibilities have been few.
Left the Cohansey River, calculating that we could make it up the rest of Delaware Bay before the current turned against us and then turn into the C& D Canal and still have a couple of hours of that current still in our favour. A beautiful day and the currents and winds cooperated. Dropped the sail for the canal and were lucky with ship traffic. Only a few and there was plenty of room each time they passed us. We arrived in Chesapeake City, almost at the end of the canal, hoping for the free dock we had read about. It was full so we headed into the basin to anchor. The chart listed plenty of water, however we grounded right at the entry. Docked right there was Highborne Lady, the boat with the couple who have done this trip 58 times. Well, in an instant, Bill, who is 84years old, was hopping off his boat and into his dingy and he motored over and pushed us off. No towboat necessary this time! We anchored in the basin and noticed Jock there, (the catamaran sailor who knows Willie Brown). He dingied over to our boat and then the four of us spent the afternoon visiting the museum there that is the old pump house and steam engine for the old canal, then walked over to the main dock for ice cream, and were joined by Bill and Barbara, our rescuers form Highborne Lady.
We headed out the next morning for Chesapeake Bay. Once in the Bay you knew you were in sailing territory finally….sailboats wherever you looked. We anchored in Worton Creek, and took our dingy, Sea Jay 2, in to the marina there. We were greeted by a very friendly dog named Rainy, who was really keen play fetch with his favourite stick no matter where you threw it. A person at the marina showed us Rainy’s willingness to take a running dive from the dock to fetch the stick and that sold Christopher. The next 45 minutes they were inseparable. We’re hoping the blog will let us load up a short video of that. Dingied back to Tiffany Rose, and a beautiful calm evening and night at anchor.

From Cape May up the Delaware Bay

October 9, 2008
Lots of discussion at the marina in the morning about the conditions on the bay. Some had departed earleir but returned after it was too rough. Some said they tried the day before with similar winds and had to return. But after looking at the winds and the strong tidal currents we decided it should be good to head out close to noon. So off we went wondering if we had made the right decision or if we would get out there and get tossed around like a bag of salad only to return to a “I told you so”. When we got out onto this huge bay we were met with good, but not unmanageable waves and were greeted by a number of dolphins. We were soon on a course that allowed the waves to push us a bit along with the wind and the tidal current. Not a bad combination. By mid afternoon we had peeled off layers of clothes and were basking in the sun, a wind on our forward beam a boat zipping along at close to 7 knots. Delaware Bay is very big and for a while we were totally out of sight of all land. Felt like the middle of the ocean!
By 4:30 we were pulling out of the bay into the Cohansey river. This river is a beautiful anchorage – especially on a beautiful evening. BBQ pork chops and potatoes for supper while we watched the effects of the current on our anchored boat. Then there was the perfect sunset…

Pics 01, 06, 12

Arrival at Cape May - OCT 8

Whew! We have completed our first offshore section and have landed in Cape May NJ. It was really cool to sail past Wildwood - the place we had our summer vacation 2 years ago. At that time we never dreamed we'd be sailing by it off shore! The day started pretty calm and then it really built up to being fairly rough by noon. Good thing we started early and got here by about 1:30. This time the wind was on our nose and so we had a lot of salt water splashing over the bow. It felt great to pull into the harbour. And the place we arrived at had welcome packages with wine and snacks along with beautiful showers. Ahhhh!

We headed off to the grocery store to stock up for the next week and to do a needed laundry. Met some interesting folks - one older couple (84 yrs) who have done this journey more than 50 times! An inspiration and a great resource!

Atlantic City Day

Today was a day to relax a bit in Atlantic City. Our dock was associated with the Aquarium, so our fee included admission. It was a great place to visit while on this trip. It was a boat schooling field trip for Christopher. It had a lot of hands-on exhibits to get a bit wet with. It was also a day to do a bit of maintenance like changing the oil in the engine - a little more awkward on a boat than on the car.

We also strolled alnog a beach getting our feet wet and then a larger set of waves came and soaked Christopher from chest to toes!

The Open Ocean- Yikes!

We left Sandy Hook, nervously quiet and serious and headed out to the open sea to head down the coast of NJ. Getting out of there on a Sunday morning was like being on the 401 with no lanes. Every fishing boat of all sizes, plus a pile of other commercial boats were zooming somewhere. Not enough eyes it seemed, to keep track, even with 3 of us on the boat. The waves were very confusing as the some were from the wind and others were piling up from all directions from the boats. It was a relief to get further from shore.
Getting farther out though, meant our first venture out on the ocean – just the three of us, this little boat and what looks like a zillion miles of water, with the wind churning it up into waves that easily toss us about. But for the next two days we would be fortunate to have the wind more or less behind us with the waves providing a bit of surfing, if we could hold the right angles.
It took a while to settle in and get the gittery tension out of our systems. Then it was really cool to be cruising along and gazing out across the expanse. Christopher of course enjoyed this too and speculated on the direction of the Island of Sodor across the Atlantic.

Our first port was Manasquan Inlet. It was a shock, but shouldn’t have been to swing down into this inlet and again be confounded by a myriad of fishing boats in the most narrow channel we’ve ever been in, complete with extra narrow lift bridges. We pulled in to a dock which was conveniently located next to one of the bridges. As luck would have it, it was a train bridge and we were once again treated to a number of fine passenger train displays courtesy of NJ Transit. Here we met another Ontario boater who knows one of Christopher’s teachers from Mono Amaranth – Willie Brown. If any of the MAPS folks are reading this can you tell Willie that Jock Tulloch is venturing down the coast, mostly on his own, in a catamaran he built himself. One of these pictures is Christopher with Jock. (If we ever refer to a picture that is not there it means we have to wait for a better internet connection then we will.) You never know who you are going to meet once you set out!!

Monday Oct 6

Up early and heading out at 7 am to do the longer ocean stretch from Manasquan to Atlantic City. Once again we had good speed the whole day with the wind pushing us along. The waves were bigger and a bit different so it took a while to get used to it. But then Christopher was able to get some boat schooling in and we did a lot of singing along the way. By 3pm we were pulling into the harbour of Atlantic City and the grand Trump buildings and Casino. The afternoon weather was great and after landing we took a walk down to the boardwalk. As we were walking along we stopped and looked at each other, amazed that we arrived here by sailboat. It seems a bit surreal now that 2 years ago we didn’t know anything about sailing and here we were.

Statue of Liberty and on to Sandy Hook

Did some boat errands like filling the water tanks, pumping out and getting fuel, then headed further down the Hudson to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Soon Ellis Island and the statue came into view. It was very impressive to see it here in 2008. We can’t imagine how awe inspiring it would have been back in the 1880’s. We went as slowly as we could and took lots of pictures. Next summer on our way home we hope to have a longer stay in New York City to spend some time actually visiting landmarks like this. Right now we are feeling pushed along because the next stretch down the coast from Sandy Hook to Cape May New Jersey is best to do in good weather and now seems to be the right conditions to do that stretch. Next summer when we get back here we will have that stretch behind us and will be more relaxed for our city visit.
Continued on through the harbour with cruise ships leaving, and freight ships and barges anchored everywhere it seemed. Finally, once we were through the Narrows and into the Lower Bay area we were able to turn the motor off and go by sail alone. Ahhhh! As soon as the motor was turned off, all of the hustle of the city disappeared too.
When we got to Sandy Hook, we first thought we’d anchor near the Coast Guard station, but seeing masts further south at Horseshoe Cove we decided to head there instead. Now, two guidebooks had warned us that depth is sometimes a problem and that finding the way in required ‘local knowledge’ there but the other boats there gave us a sense that it must be ok. So we inched along following the chart and eyes riveted on the depth sounder. “20 feet, 25 feet, 20 feet, YIKES 0 FEET!………….Hello, Towboat US?” After the towboat (the CAA of the sea) left we wisely retreated back to our original plan and spent the night anchored in plenty of water near the Coast Guard station. So Peter Bailey we have our first grounding!

Hello New York! October 3

What a day! We battled really strong winds and an up flowing current most of the day so it took from 7 am to 4pm to get to the big city. Finally we passed under the George Washington Bridge and the scenery really changed. When we arrived we decided to splurge on a marina berth. Mostly a good idea but it meant docking in really strong winds, a rapid current and waves coming from all kinds of large boats. There are a few moments of fear and rapid heart beats and then - zap - its done and we are here! At the bottom of 79th street in Manhatten. And wouldn't you know it, an hour later Pete Seeger's boat "Clearwater" docks beside us! It is used for environmental education and was full of school kids getting some fine experiential learning. How cool is that? You can check it out at http://www.clearwater.org/

Then off we went to attack the street. Four blocks from the boat is Broadway - teaming with people, stores, firetrucks. More than we've seen for a couple of weeks, that's for sure. Christopher is looking to see where Bert and Ernie might live since their street is in New York! We think we may have found it. Our venture out was mainly for groceries and not any big shows. Not sure how much sight seeing we'll do since we will be watching the weather for an opportunity to head off the coast a bit to point the boat south.

Sailing Down My Dirty Stream

The Hudson River - our home for the next couple of days. Many years ago we learned a Pete Seeger song which laments the treatment this and other rivers has received

Sailing down my dirty stream

Still I love it and I'll keep the dream

That some day though maybe not this year

My Hudson River will once again run clear.

from Sailng down my Dirty Stream -P Seeger

Listen toPete singing this from an old LP - click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsYlSxRCdT4

The stretch of river from the Catskills to New York City is really beautiful - in spite of the quality of the water. You would never know you were heading into one of the world's largest cities when you arrive by water like this.

This part of the journey also was time for us to try out our anchoring abilities. We anchored for the night (first time in this boat) by a little island in the river. It didn't provide much protection from the wind and current but it did keep the pesky freighters and barges from running us over. Being our first time doing this in a spot where the water goes up and down with the tide and the current reverses every six hours or so with a strong wind pushing in the opposite direction half of the time, we lumbered out of bed a number of times to see if we were still there. All was good. We'll catch up on this sleep later 'cause tomorrow we want to head out at sunrise to travel a long day to the Big Apple! The greatest part of this anchorage was that we were about 20 metres from shore and on the shore was a very active train track!

The Big Stick - Sept 30

Getting the mast back up went fairly smoothly. Sure glad they knew what they were doing there 'cause we didn't! In order for us to capture this and learn for the future Christopher took some pictures of the event. Actually more than a few. He found out that the card is full after 386! Here's one of those.

After it is up it still looks kind of limp, which is never good, so it takes a bit of work to tune the rig and get everything else back in order. We spent the rest of the afternoon and much of Oct 1 turning our canal cruiser back into a sailboat. Of course being the first time we've done any of this there was much staring and pondering and chin rubbing, often followed by a stroll over to someone elses boat with yet another question.

But then it was time to play. The town of Catskill has a wonderfull waterfront park and playground just down the road from the marina. We played there for a while and then splurged on a dinner out at the mini restaurant - burger place in the park. Christopher enjoyed seeing a few other kids there. Back at the boat the dinghy was inflated and we are ready to head off!

A Birthday Adventure- Sept 29,2008

A

At 6 am this morning Christopher woke up for his real birthday time – and so we could cast off by 6:30 to catch the opening of the lock at Troy – our last lock! The idea was to get out early because this is where the Hudson is first affected by tides – which means for part of the day the river flows up and part it flows down. Going with the flow is good. So an excited Christopher and mom and dad took off as planned. The lock went well – although we were surrounded by ooey-gooey stuff and weeds which proved to be more serious later. We left the dock and hit the downstream current and were making good time. Then I noticed a different sound, different exhaust and the heat gage was climbing. “Dang!” I said. Shirley took over the wheel, we stopped the engine and I leapt ever so gracefully into the cabin to check the through hull strainer that catches gunk for the cooling water. Aha – full of weeds! With a mighty thrust I removed the villains and claimed victory. And off we went. But a few minutes later the same thing! “Double dang!” I said (or something similar). So the same routine – only this time I wisely poked at a few other things. No good. Poking works so well with the computer, but not here. So I took the strainer off and opened the through hull valve – which is supposed to flood the boat with water. No flood. Good but bad. That meant something was stuck in the intake, which we didn’t know how to get at. Finally we made it to a dock and got in touch with a mechanic who came and saved the day. Yay! And showed us how to do it ourselves should this nasty event occur again.
So now it was noon and we were cruising down the river heading to the place where we can put the mast back up. The race was on now to fight the upstream current and make it there in time to have supper and a decent birthday celebration. Cranking the engine hard we were only making 5.2 knots. But then the tide turned and we zoomed the last couple of miles triumphantly!
And so it was that Christopher endured a crazy day for his birthday in wonderful and helpful spirits and got to have great birthday boat party – with cake, singing, reading the many birthday emails, listening to voice messages, talking to Grandma and Uncle George and presents! Thank you to all the senders!!! A young couple from Montreal in a boat next to us came over with a card and a present as well.

First rainy day and the 'Waterford Flight"

Friday (the 26th) left the dock at Canajoharie around 8:30 and noticed that Blue Blazer was coming down the canal right behind us. This was our first full day of rain. We went through locks 13 to 9 with them. Had some excitement at a couple of locks. At one, the close overhead power lines played some havoc with our steering (because we happened to have the auto helm power on as it powers the GPS). Thankfully Don from the Blue Blazer tipped us off that was what was happening and turning it off solved the problem. At another, a large power yacht went in the lock just ahead of us and tied up on the same side we were preparing to so there was a last minute scramble to change the fenders. Our other mission for the day was to find a place to pump out and many of the places we planned to go to were closed. Finally we found a marina that was open and left feeling much lighter. Tied up on the wall before Lock 8 for the night and we were all asleep pretty early.
On Saturday we left as soon as the lockmaster was there at 7am. Christopher had his second sleep in day, letting Mom and Dad go though the lock on their own. He joined us before lock 7. Then we did the ‘Waterford Flight’, which are the last (or first) 5 locks of the Erie Canal, Locks 6 to 2. There is no stopping between them and they provide the biggest drop over the shortest distance of any canal in the world. After lock 2 is the Town of Waterford and a really welcoming Visitor Centre. The nice low floating dock with power was full so we tied up on the high wall. We decided to stay there another day before starting out down the Hudson. Did all the essential things like groceries, laundry, showers etc. On the Sunday there was a farmer’s market at the harbour. Also a number of the Canadian boats that we had seen along the way were leaving to head south so we were able to move to the low dock (with power, always a hit with all of us, especially Christopher). It was great to take a day to just enjoy Waterford. The end of another leg. Time to put away the Canal charts and guidebooks and find the ones for the Hudson River.

September 25 - One sleep in

More sun on the canal. An early start for Shirley and Dave but Christopher decided it was a sleep in day - which he announced last night. So off we went with Christopher still sort of snoozing. And wouldn't you know it, about 20 minutes down the canal there's a train bridge and an Amtrak train shoots over it - and guess who didn't see it? So many lessons on this trip, like the early bird gets the worm! But that didn't matter because when he did get up and had breakfast our route took us close to the tracks and we must have seen ten trains go by today. And to top it off we have landed for the night at a dock that is right across the river from the tracks. Doesn' get much better than that! Nice little park here in Canajoharie NY. And only a block and a half to the library with this internet access. Time to run over there and update this and then go BBQ a few pork chops. Tough day today...

On to Utica - gateway to the Adirondacks

We were up, underway and left Brewerton by 7:10. Headed out to cross Lake Oneida. It was a bit misty and very cool. The breeze made it a bit choppy, and because we’ve been travelling all fendered up for the canal locks, we had forgotten to take them up for the lake crossing; so one fender reminded us by falling off and requiring a rescue. We were at the other side of the lake shortly after 10 and back to the serenity of cruising the canal. The next two locks were our last locks going up and I think we finally adjusted how we do it to be able to say, “Hey, this is working well!” In fact, we were stress free enough that Christopher started taking pictures. He’s becoming our main photographer. After a nice lengthy cruise on the canal where we got in some boat schooling, we did our first lock going down. Someone had told us going down was easier, and our first impression is this is so. In Utica we tied up at a dock where there is power and water. “Finally!” said Christopher. (The last time we had power and water was Sunday. He’s looking forward to anchoring. I hope he realizes that we won’t be plugging in then either!) Headed out to explore Utica and ended up at the Amtrak station. Lots of train spotting for our train fan. Back at the boat, tried to scrub off some of the slime and debris that we pick up going through the locks. Our fenders will be wanting a day at the spa when we’re done the locks. Picked up some supplies at the Price Chopper. It was a great day, 50 miles of progress, and still time to do some fun stuff at the end of the day.

Starting up the canals

It's Tuesday now and the first time we've been able to get internet access. Spent Sunday the 21st in Oswego. Woke up to see Distant Shores, the Shard's boat, docked there. (They are kind of famous in the sailing world for making cruising DVDs and TV shows -called Distant Shores). Dave chatted with them and found out they are filming the canals and the intracoastal waterway. They had just stopped to clear customs having put their mast on their frame in Port Credit. Spent the day getting our wood frame ready for the unstepping on Monday. It might have been a blessing in disguise that there had been a mistake about the Sunday appointment. Another boat from Toronto, the Blue Blazer, was doing the same thing so it was great to exchange ideas. Dave worked all day on this project and Shirley and Christopher followed the old railway trail to the grocery store which turned out to be the old train station.
Monday found us up and ready early as we were the first of a few boats to be unstepped that day. Once we got the mast on the frame, spent some time securing everything before heading off. Went through locks 8, 7, and 6 right away, our first experience at that procedure. It was good to do right away, baptism by fire, I think they call it. It can be a bit unnerving because the mast is so much longer than the boat and the water motion in the locks make the possibility of the mast hitting the wall a bit of a worry. We seemed to get the hang of it, but each lock is a new experience. Had time to enjoy the serenity of the canal between locks 6 and 3 as they were more spaced out than the first three. The Blue Blazer, which had been travelling with us through the locks kept going after lock 3 (Fulton, NY) but we decided to tie up there for the night. We had a mission. Find the Walmart to buy an Amercan phone. After a bit of an extended hike we did get there, and voila, we can now make phone calls, even to Canada, without breaking the bank. The lockmaster at Fulton was really helpful. We overnighted at a free dock and were given keys to the washroom and shower.
Today it was a bit misty when we left, but after we cleared lock 2 we had about fifteen minutes of almost no visability, so we made really slow progress. After the fog lifted it was a beautiful day as we cruised the canal. Willie, from the Blue Blazer was at lock 1 and filmed us going through, which, if we ever get the video from him will be the only way we can share that experience, as we're not yet casual enough about it to film it ourselves. We finished the Oswego canal and turned east on the Erie Canal. Went through their lock 23 and stopped in Brewerton. Stopped for fuel and met up again with the Shards. We're docked next to the railway bridge and are at the public library using their internet. Christopher's already seen one train go by.

To the end of the Lake! Sept 20

Wow – another fantastic full day sail from Pultneyville to Oswego. The strong winds pushed us the 32 miles in about 5 hours. We were bundled up with the chilly morning and then when we arrived at Oswego it was shorts and T-shirts weather. When we arrived we found out that they had incorrectly booked us for a Sunday unstepping of the mast. The upside of this is that it has given us a day to relax and decompress from the first leg of our journey. We’ll also have more time to get the rig and cradle ready for when the mast comes down. It was also exciting to put one set of maps and guidebooks away a bring out the ones for the canal system.
We have had very sporadic internet access and haven't been able to post pictures lately. We'll update when we can.

Stitch in Time after a good day on the lake

Another wonderfully sunny day – but a lot colder in the morning. Had a really good close hauled sail for the morning. The lake wasn’t nearly as rough today and Christopher spent more time at the helm. He got really good at watching the GPS and calling out our distance to destination. We arrived at Pultneyville and docked at the yacht club there. Shirley got to perform our first significant medical procedure by taking out the stitches in my finger. I was very brave. Christopher didn’t want to look.

A Head to Wind Day

Yesterday was strong winds going our way and today it was the same winds coming straight on our nose. That made for wilder day. As Christopher described it “Whoa – a water roller coaster!” With some of the larger waves he said it was like going up a mountain. So there was a lot of water splashing over the deck and occasionally over the dodger. We ended up motor sailing the whole way to Oak Orchard NY. Here we met someone from the club there who guided us down the river to a great docking spot - where Christopher is standing.

A Great Sailing Day

Day two turned out to be one of our best sails ever. There was a strong wind warning with winds around 20 knots and the accompanying waves of about 4 feet. We were on a broad reach most of the day and were cruising with the wind at a pretty steady 6 knots and with the wave action even got up to eight knots occasionally. We flew past Port Dalhousie and Niagara-On-The Lake and landed at Olcott at 4pm. Our first repair was needed here. We blew out a sail slide on the way, but had the stuff on board to fix it. Christopher took a pile of pictures – I imagine he’ll publish a portfolio at some point.

DAY ONE of our ADVENTURE!

What a day! Much emotional and logistical turmoil to actually cast off on such a journey. We had so much help and support leading up to this it has been marvelous. And now - here we are! Not very far, mind you, we only went as far as Fifty Point Marina. We got the 3:30 bridge lift out of Hamilton Harbour and arrived here by 5:15. Now we can plan our next few days getting to Oswego NY on the weekend to take down our mast for the canals. Christopher even got a little bit of "boat schooling in - although he was most impressed with the wi-fi access we have here and his time to check out You Tube! Not roughing it yet.

Here is a link to a video that Jessica took as we were leaving. http://s437.photobucket.com/albums/qq97/jess_v485/?action=view&current=030.flv

Making the Mast Cradle

When we get to the end of Lake Ontario we have to take the mast down to travel throught the Erie Canal to the Hudson River. Grandpa was a big help here and we finally got it together!

Getting ready

We have moved out of the house as of Sept 1 and now were are in the final stages of getting ready and hanging around the boat. We put the new dinghy in the water and went for a tour of the marina and to visit Melody and Doug on SKAMPI. They are heading south soon as well.

Pirate Party - June 30

The gang at InCourage threw a great "Bon Voyage" pirate party. Now we are ready for anything!!

Mono Centre Party

The weekend before we left our house we had a fun party with neighbours, friends and family. It was a combo see you later and 50th birthday for Dave - who is not really 50 yet!! It was GREAT to see everyone. Thanks for coming!! Christopher took all the pictures.