Couple of days of projects completed...today we are taking the day off. Reading, napping, and swimming are the only things scheduled. Floyd refuses to help with any more jigsaw puzzles (yes, Hilary, we finished the DC one) and is threatening to get rid of some. Oh, did I mention kittens? I still haven't made a girl trip to Marshall's but that will be on the agenda next week. Especially since I've already made two trips to Lowe's and West Marine...and there are more to come, I'm sure. We are planning to stay around here the rest of this week. Then next week rent a car and head out to explore...Niagara Falls and Cooperstown are on the list.

Feels good to be in Brewerton...showers have cooled things off a bit. We are making lists and checking them twice. Spent the day catching up with Susan and Carolyn, as they leave tomorrow for a lake cabin to spend time with children and grand kids. We spent a mostly lazy day playing with kittens, washing off the fender gunk we had accumulated on the canal lock walls, and the BIG shopping trip to West Marine. Yes, I got shoes and Floyd got one HUGE Igloo cooler...no, it's not for beer. He going to use it as storage and extra seating on the aft deck. So today will be spent re-arranging stuff on the aft deck. There is sooooo much room now that those bicycles are gone!!!! Wanna know where I'll be????...yep, kittens need lovin'!!!!

Our trip from Oswego started with a cooling breeze and warming temps. By the time we arrived we were beyond HOT...but we're not going to complain too much as our Wichita friends are enduring their tenth day of over 100 degree temps. We just grabbed a beer and jumped in the river. We are in the same marina (Ess-Kay) and even same slip (right between two nice shade trees) ...we just have different neighbors. The Dolphin is down two slips. Susan and Carolyn, our friends aboard the Sojourner, are next to us and will be here until Labor Day. Kittens are around somewhere. We are looking to rent a car and do some sight seeing trips (probably Cooperstown and Niagara Falls)...seems TUMBLEWEED is too tall to travel the Western Erie Canal...bummer. This will be a good spot for us..they have two courtesy cars so we can easily get to grocery store, Marshalls, Wal Mart, West Marine, restaurants, laundry mat....and it is where we'll be storing the boat for the winter. We have tickets to fly home on Sept 4th. Life is good.

This time through the Oswego Canal we made a short stop in Phoenix NY...seems they have a group of school aged kids (including special needs) that work the city docks. These Bridge House Brats help with lines, maintain the dock (tables, chairs, flowers,etc.), and will even "run" for food from various restaurants. The docks were delightfully maintained...and, of course, adult supervision was provided by educator types. If there had been electricity we'd have stayed the night...but it was already taken. We had cheeseburgers and fries, chatted with everyone there...some even got a geography lesson on Kansas... and then headed on into Brewerton.

Tuesday afternoon in Oswego we noticed "new" neighbors....beautiful antique commuter boat that had just come from the Clayton Antique Boat Museum Boat Show...where they took first prize. Professional full time crew...on their way to Ess-Kay Marina in Brewerton. Owners are due to arrive in a couple of days. Being the helpful, friendly folks that we are, they invited us for a tour...and we were able to help them figure out how they were going to lock through on the Oswego Canal. They left us early Wednesday morning...and we'll see when we get to Brewerton.

We are back in Oswego...but at a different marina this time. The plan includes some R&R, a little grocery shopping and walking, and a good look at the charts of Western Erie Canal. We're making plans for the next 4 weeks before returning to Brewerton. We do have plane tickets out of Syracruse to fly home on Sept 4th. Hope you will manage to cool things off a little before we get back there.

We liked this photo of TUMBLEWEED tied to the wall...(you can't see the snake, but I sure did.) Notice the extra room on the aft deck without those bicycles...gosh, I miss them...N O T!!!! wish we'd though of it sooner...

Left Brighton Bridge at about 6:30 AM...had to have the engines running for a while...making sure those party animals were awake...finished the canal, made a turn around the Baby Lighthouse...headed to the Big Light house...then spent the better part of 6 hours on some of the roughest waters we've encountered so far...lots of tossing and rolling...white caps and waves splashing on the starboard bow. Then just as I was ready to really let the Captain have it for subjecting us to all this joy...the lake calmed and we pulled into Oswego Marina...just like professionals. Checking back into Customs wasn't that pleasant...but nothing a little alcohol and steak at the local restaurant didn't cure.